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Gas Plant Outside Iraq's Capital Attacked by ISIS; Delegate Math Shows Difficult Road for Sanders; Eurovision Results Ruffling Political Feathers; Cuba's LGBT Community Still Faces Challenges; Ferguson Police Chief on Healing Racial Divides; Trump's Chinese Supporters; A Look at Potential VP Picks. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired May 15, 2016 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:00:25] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN HOST: An attack by ISIS at a gas plant just outside of Iraq's capital. Fire fills the sky. At least seven police officers are dead from that attack. U.S. Presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, tries to tip away at Hillary Clinton's lead but the math still shows it's a tough road for Mr. Sanders. Plus lavish performances, booming voices and even a little political controversy by this year's Eurovision results are ruffling some feathers.
Live from CNN World headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
In Iraq, ISIS is claiming responsibility for a deadly attack that happened just North of Baghdad at a cooking gas plant. At least seven police officers were killed in this attack, more than a dozen other people wounded. Two suicide bombs went off at the plant at one entrance and then also inside the facility. The assault left three gas storage tanks blazed. CNN's Ian Lee is following the story for us live in Cairo, Egypt this hour. Ian, the simple fact that this happens so very close to Baghdad is significant. What more can you tell us about what you've learned.
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We're seeing, really, George, a change to the shifted tactics, if you will. You do still have the front-line battlefield tactics that Iraqi Security Forces are pushing for Mosul. But what we've been seeing the past few weeks though are these clipper cells activating -- hitting various targets behind or in area that is controlled by the Iraqi Government. This, just being the latest where you do have these ISIS militants storming this gas plant trying to destroy it. They were able to repel it also with the help of attack helicopters. But this is -- this shift in tactics likely to see more of this as they target both strategic target as well as soft.
HOWELL: And again, this concept of soft targets, that's got to be a concern for people there because, again, we're talking about an attack in Baghdad, not the territories where the fighting continues, but in Baghdad, near Baghdad. LEE: That's right. And this also just underlines the political tensions right now. We still haven't seen a reconciliation between the different factions inside Iraq. And that has also contributed to the slow push of going towards Mosul, a lack of cooperation and coordination with the different factions. And so, it just underscores (ph), the very serious political situation there. With this latest attack though, we are hearing from the Iraqi oil minister saying that this will not affect distribution to the people of Iraq. This is a gas -- cooking gas plant. And most Iraqis have small gas containers in their homes. But, again, going after strategic targets like this, going after soft targets, meanwhile, you do still have this political uncertainty within Iraq.
HOWELL: Ian Lee, live in Cairo. Ian, thank you for your insight and reporting. We'll stay in touch as we learn more about this.
Boko Haram was the focus of a security summit that was held in Nigeria on Saturday. Delegates from regional and global towers attended the summit, including the French President, Francois Hollande. He told the attendees that the fight against Boko Haram was a "generational struggle" against evil. The U.N. Security Council said on Friday that the terror group threatened regional stability.
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HOWELL: At least 20,000 people killed since Boko Haram first waged war on Nigeria. In 2009, the terror group has been labeled the most deadly in the world by the latest Global Terrorism Index. A threat so great, regional and world governments came together in Abuja with plans to work together and to fight back.
MUHAMMADU BUHARI, NIGERIAN PRESIDENT: We must seize the opportunity this summit presents to evaluate the successes we have achieved, consolidate and identify any shortcomings we have experienced, and then draw important lessons on which to build further progress.
[05:05:05] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since the last meeting of delegates two years ago in Paris to discuss the problem and find solutions, the Islamic extremist group has been pushed out of territory and once controlled in North Eastern Nigeria, instead resorting to smaller suicide attacks and with the worsening humanitarian crisis of more than 2.6 million people in the Lake Chad Region, neighboring nations, from Chad, Niger, Benin and Cameroon came together to discuss strategist and affirm that they're not letting their guard down, supported by the United Sates, the U.K. and France that will play a key role in the fight.
FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Boko Haram has been wicked but it is still capable to conduct attacks of harassment and equally deliver suicide attacks in the middle of the civilian population. So we have to support Nigerian Armed Forces and the regional countries, help them to be more efficient, be with them whenever it's possible, prepare the stuff and provide training.
HOWELL: Western governments worry that ISIS's growing presence in North Africa and ties with Boko Haram could herald to push south and create a springboard for wider attacks. Nigeria has asked the United States to help with surveillance and reconnaissance and also to sell aircraft to the nation in the fight against Boko Haram. The United Kingdom has pledged to give Nigeria 40 million pounds to fight back.
PHILIP HAMMOND, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The growing cooperation between Daesh in the Middle East and Boko Haram in this region is a growing threat. As Daesh faces the increasing pressure in Scotland and Syria from the international coalition, there is the real risk that it increases its efforts in support of Boko Haram here in Nigeria and across the wider region.
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HOWELL: Onto Australia now where five men are facing terrorism charges, accused of plotting to join ISIS. Authority says the men plan to use a motorboat that would have taken them first to Indonesia and the Philippines and then would have continued on into Syria. Australia's Attorney General says authorities knew about their plan and then cancel their passports. Listen.
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GEORGE BRANDIS, AUSTRALIAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: After the cancellation of their passport when it became clear to them that they wouldn't be able to leave the country in an orthodox way, they remained under surveillance so that if they attempted to leave the country in this very unusual way, they would be able to be stopped and they would.
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HOWELL: Those suspects are due in court on Monday. Across the world now in Venezuela, dueling demonstrations erupted on Saturday after the president, Nicolas Maduro, declared a 60-day state of emergency. Opposition protests. They slammed the decree. The protesters demanding his resignation.
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HENRIQUE CAPRILES, OPPOSITION LEADER: If you blocked the democratic pass, we don't know what could happen in this country. Venezuela is a bomb that could explode at any moment. We don't want the bomb to explode. And, because of that, we call on everyone to mobilize in favor of a recall referendum in 2016.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president has vowed to see his term through and says the opposition is inciting violence to justify a foreign invasion. He has ordered military exercises to take place next weekend.
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NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: I have called for the armed forces and militia to hold national military exercises to prepare us for any scenario because this land is sacred and we should make sure it is respected.
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HOWELL: One poll shows some 70 percent of Venezuelans want their president to leave office this year. In Ukraine, there are celebrations. Their singer, Jamala, won this year's Eurovision contest which was watched by nearly 200 million people.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three hundred and sixty-one points which is not enough to pass Ukraine. And the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 is Ukraine.
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HOWELL: So Russia is not happy about that winning song. The lyrics pay tribute to the ethnic Tatars of Crimea. Tens of thousands of them were deported by the Soviet Union during World War II.
[05:10:06] For most of the contest, it seemed like the winner was going to be Australia which was invited to compete for the second year and another favorite Russia. It took third place. This is the second time Ukraine has won at Eurovision. The last time was 2004. And this was the scene at a Tatar restaurant in the Ukrainian capital, fans waving Tatar and Ukrainian flags. The winning singer is Tatar herself. And for her fans, this was a very personal accomplishment.
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AYDER ADZHIMAMBETOV, CRIMERIAN TATAR: I cannot express it in words because, you know, it is simply unbelievable for Crimean Tatars. All Ukrainians supported us today and the whole world supported us. It's not simply a political thing, it's a talent. Our people are talented and Jamala showed it. And to make it short, we deserved it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Current political events in Europe tend to come up during this competition and this year was no exception. Earlier, CNN spoke with our own Matthew Chance in Moscow about the Eurovision controversies surrounding Russia.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Already, State Television you can see behind me is going through its analysis of what happened in this Eurovision Song Contest. They were convinced that Sergey Lazarev was going to win this. And, indeed, he did win the popular votes. But one of the things that common state is saying is this was a politicized competition that, you know, the voting was fueled against Russia. And because of them requiting (ph) the popular votes, they are saying that this shows the discrepancy between what governments in Europe think about Russia and what people in Europe think about Russia.
And so, I think (inaudible) about dwelling on the rights and wrongs of Ukraine winning this competition. They're looking at why they not. Although, I have to say the song by Jamala is pretty controversial and even very close to the line in terms of political songs supposed to be in the Eurovision Song Contest (inaudible). This was, in fact, the deportation in 1944 was a song of Crimean Tatars and something that angers the Russians when they heard that this was song. And, of course, Russia annexed Crimeans two years ago and is accused to persecuting the Crimean Tatars today and so the sort of relevancy of that Ukrainian song which won the Eurovision song contest.
Again, in what we could see here as a major blown and to their efforts to promote themselves in Russia on the international stage.
HOWELL: Matthew Chance there at a bar watching it all. Eurovision officials say that they allowed Jamala's song because it was historical in nature.
The chairman of the Football Federation's independent audit and Compliance Committee has quit in protest. Domenico Scala was credited with leading much needed reforms at FIFA. CNN's Patrick Snell has much more on why he left.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of the new president of football's well governing body, Gianni Infantino, thought his first FIFA Congress was going to pass off without incident, he would be in for a rude awakening because on Saturday, it was revealed that Domenico Scala, FIFA's Head of Auditing and Compliance had resigned from his pose. This is in protest of the controversial reforms at the various highest level of a Swiss-based association.
Now Scala reportedly quit after a surprise vote was taken on Friday in Mexico. This is despite the fact that Scala, one of the most important figures in FIFA's reform process, the vote meaning that he and anticorruption watch dogs could now be sunk (ph) by the new FIFA council theoretically.
In a statement released on Saturday Scala is saying, "With decision, it will henceforth be possible for the council to impede investigations against single members at any time by dismissing the responsible committee members or by keeping them acquiescent through the threat of a dismissal. Thereby, those bodies are factually deprived of their independence and are in danger of becoming auxiliary agents of those whom they should actually supervise. I am consternated about this decision because it undermines a central pillar of the good governance of FIFA and it destroys a substantial achievement of the reforms."
What about response from the world football governing body? Well, it came like this, "FIFA regrets that Mr. Scala has misinterpreted the decision taken by the FIFA Congress. The Council fully respects the independence of the Audit and Compliance and the Ethics committee and any suggestions to the contrary are without merit."
On Friday, Infantino revealing he was appointing Senegal's Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura. This is the body's first ever female secretary general. But this was on Scala's resignation. No question but seems has changed to tone immediately. He'd been pushing for a comprehensive reform package and it would be pretty much seen as the architect vital package reform that FIFA so badly needs.
[05:15:09] I'm Patrick Snell. Back to you.
HOWELL: Republican front runner, Donald Trump is looking to get his party behind him as he make the run for the White House. We'll tell you what one important conservative leader though is saying about him.
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HOWELL: The U.S. Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, is looking to unite his party after the primary fight that he could say he made more enemies than friends. Trump said that he intends to be more presidential as he turns his attention now to the general election. And he is turning to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan to try to get a major conservative voice on his side. Ryan has so far shied away from endorsing Trump. But the lawmaker has changed his tune a bit following his meeting with the billionaire on Thursday.
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REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE. HOUSE: It is no secret that Donald Trump and I have had some disagreements. It's no secret that we, from time to time, clash on an issue or two. That happens with people. That happens with the Republicans. The question is, can we put together a process that really actually helps get our party unified so that we're at full strength in the fall? And based upon the meetings that we had on Thursday, I'm encouraged with the beginning of this process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Paul Ryan saying that he is encouraged there. The Democratic U.S. presidential frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, she's launching a new attack ad against Trump. The billionaire is refusing public calls to release his tax returns citing an ongoing audit. And, now, Clinton is targeting his lack of transparency. Here's that ahead.
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DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Maybe I'm going to do the tax returns when Obama does his birth certificate.
BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: The State of Hawaii released my official long-form birth certificate.
TRUMP: If I decide to run for the office, I'll produce my tax returns, absolutely.
I am officially running for president of the United States.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC HOST: Are you getting any closer to releasing your tax returns?
TRUMP: Well, I'm thinking about it.
I can't do it until the audit is finished. STEPHANOPOULOS: The audit is no excuse. The IRS has made it very clear that an audit is not a bar to public release. It is entirely your choice.
[05:20:05] TRUMP: It's none of your business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: And while Clinton turns her attention to the general election, her Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, is still putting up a fight. He told the Kentucky crowd that he has every intention of winning in that state as well as other contest to follow.
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I-VT) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Nobody would have believed that we would receive well over 9 million votes at this point in the campaign. And very few people would have believed that this coming Tuesday we're going to win a great victory right here in Kentucky.
And by the way, I think we're going to win in Oregon as well, so. And then on June 7th, we have California, the much better face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: So, the delegate map where Bernie Sanders to actually beat Hillary Clinton for the nomination, it's incredibly tricky.
His odds are slim these days, but as our Chief U.S. Correspondent John King explains Bernie Sanders, he's not quite out of it yet.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Is there anybody who really, six months ago, eight months ago, like Bernie Sanders who's going to be giving Hillary Clinton this kind of a run for her money? I think not, except for maybe Bernie Sanders at his top campaigning, but, the very roles that have kept Bernie Sanders in the race so far.
The Democratic proportional rules. No winner -take all the states. They don't exist. That has kept Bernie Sanders in the race. Now it keeps Secretary Clinton with her lead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: It's an uphill struggle. We have a chance to end off with a majority of the pledge delegates. And if we do that, I think you are looking at the Democratic nominee professions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: This is the problem. You see what's left of the map, right. You see what's left of the map. Does Bernie Sanders have a mathematical chance? Yes, but is that realistic map?
There's 897 pledged delegates left. He needs to win 67 percent of them. He has not been winning anywhere near, 67 percent of the delegates so far.
So, is it possible? Sure, it's possible. That's mathematically possible. Would you place a bet on Bernie Sanders winning California with 67 percent of the vote? I think not.
Look at that, all Bernie Sanders, every county in West Virginia. That's pretty impressive.
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SANDERS: It seems a little bit damn to me if I might say it's a little bit last like where Secretary Clinton ended up with 35, 36 percent of the votes. She has got to get six out of seven super delegates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: In the end, she's still ahead even if he wins everything left on the board by 10 points, she's still ahead.
But, delegates, now, A, the Clinton campaign says this isn't going to happen. B, if this happens, unless they panic, Hillary Clinton still has in her back pocket the secret weapon.
If Senator Sanders could run the board, some of these people will defect, the map is not a possible for Bernie Sanders, but it's pretty damn hard.
HOWELL: John King there. The silly finals of the Italian Open in Rome were delayed by heavy rain on Saturday.
And now, if the finals in the question will, whether play factor now? Meteorologist, Derek Van Dam.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good question. First so, Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic?
HOWELL: Djokovic.
VAN DAM: All right. We'll see wee who wins, but we may have to wait a little bit, because the chance of rain well more than likely delayed this event once again. Take a look at this.
This man waiting patiently in the stadium, this is for the semi- finals, of course, that was delayed 45 minutes or even of course of an hour I believe. Just because of the heavy rain that moved through. And unfortunately, look at all the latest computer models, showers and thunder storms are forecast to make it their way across Rome once again today.
Remember, we have the 4:00 p.m. start time to men's finals. Women's I believe is earlier in the day, but you can see showers and thunder storms in this forecast. And temperatures in the upper tips, that would be celsius for our international viewers or domestic viewers I should say. Just a heads up, join typhoon warning center has put a medium probability of tropical development across Sri Lanka and Southern India. This is significant, because this area has been plagued by drought conditions lately, but it maybe too much, too quickly.
We have a potential for over 300 millimeters of rainfall, maybe localized, 500 millimeters over Central Sri Lanka and that means localized flooding and the potential for mud slides and land sides exist across this area. But, the good news about this is it could bring some drop relief to Southern India.
[05:25:00] And I've come across this very interesting story. A lot of people traveling to Hong Kong International airports, some residents need to get to Macau and this, if you were to take your car would take roughly, six hours. I've mapped it out here on Google Maps.
Then not everybody drives this particular route but this is a point. They are now building a bridge that extends 50 kilometers, that nearly 30 miles or just over 30 miles from Macau to Hong Kong International Airport.
This is fascinating to me. This is showed this year in genuinely of what humans are capable of doing. I've highlighted that before, image taking from the space. This is from NASA and the after image and you can see that white line there. I did my best to try and just identify the bridge that is currently under construction.
It's been a 30 year dream and its been being built for the past seven years, still, another three years to go before cars and trucks travel this particular route.
But the point is that is going to reduce that travel time from six hours to 40 minutes. What a significant improvement.
Take a look at this. We had a space image here. I'll bring you to space on my last story. This is the Hubble Space Telescope capturing one of the closest encounters between mother earth and a comet.
This is on March 21st of this year, 5.3 million kilometers or 3.3 million miles away from us. That is a close call in astronomical center I should say George but cool images they are coming from Hubble and NASA.
HOWELL: Yeah, cool images but yeah close call.
VAN DAM: A close call, fortunately this won't happen for over 20 years.
HOWELL: Twenty years would e great.
VAN DAM: Twenty years.
HOWELL: Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.
This is CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead the streets of Havana, Cuba were filled with colors and rainbow for a gay pride event. More about who's leading the ship that Cuba's stands on gay and transgender rights still ahead.
Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DELRISH MOSS, FERGUSON POLICE DEPARTMENT: I saw people hurting just like we hurt in Miami, many years ago and I said, you know, what I think I can help next too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: At Ferguson's new police chief plans to make big changes in a troubled town. Live across in the United States and around the world this hour, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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[05:30:38] HOWELL: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. It is good to have you with us. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack at a gas plant just north of the capital city of Baghdad. At least 7 police officers were killed and more than a dozen other people wounded. Two suicide bombs went off at the plant one at the entrance and another inside at facility.
The Ukrainian president is congratulating singer Jamala for winning this year's Eurovision Contest. Russia had protested her song 1944. It pays tribute to the ethnic Tatar's region of Crimea Tatars. They were subject to mass deportations by the Soviet Union during World War II.
The chairman of FIFA's independent audit and compliance committee has quit in protest. Domenico Scala said that he resigned as FIFA's committees are being halt, deprived of their independence. He was credited with leading reforms at the scandal-plagued world football body.
Dueling demonstrations erupted on the streets of Caracas on Saturday after the Venezuela Presidente Nicolas Maduro declared a state of emergency extending into the July. One group march in support of the president, nearby, opposition protesters demanded his resignation and hold for new elections.
A gay pride parade through the street of Havana on Saturday was filled with colorful costumes and rainbow colored flags. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more on Cuba's gay and transgender community and the challenges that they still face.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are at the largest gay and transgender rights festival that's done every year in Havana and it's really quite something rushing more and more people coming in. The March is about to begin just a little while. And it's really a change for the Cuban government because of course after the 1959 revolution of the government here now we persecuted gay, lesbian people but they even imprison them in war camps.
So it was really a very tough thing to be gay people's for many, many years and that has shifted. One of the reason that it has and it's now fill the close. You see all the people are coming over the very colorful costumes. One of the reasons for the change is been Cuban President Raul Castro's daughter Mariela. She is an advocate for gay and sends on the rights on this island.
Another change we are seeing is more Americans here this year because of course the U.S. and Cuba have restored diplomatic relations. And we're seeing gay rights activities coming from the U.S. to learn about gay and friends in the rights in Cuba, an advocate for greater change.
UNKNWON FEMALE: This is so nice to see everyone just happy and celebrating who they are, not like feeling as pressures they have in the past because I know they have experienced a lot of discrimination.
OPPMANN: There's a lot report to be done in Cuba many activities could say ...
(CROSSTALK)
OPPMANN: ...before the Cuban government utilized gay marriage of a greater protections to gay and transgender people. And now they were here is convince of the Cuban governments through commitment to this movement for what people are saying this that they feel a long last and it was greater space, much push forward and equality for gay and transgender people here in Cuba. Patrick Oppman, CNN Havana.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Protest broke out in the autonomous Serb region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Anti government demonstrators demanded early elections and economic reform. The opposition favors joining the European Union and is accusing their region's president of corruption. Pro government protestors also rallied. They want to succeed from their country and create closer ties with Russia. Local elections are scheduled for October.
Several thousand protestors rallied in Kosovo's capital on Saturday. They are demanding that the government resign. The counties opposition and their supporters have been protesting against an EU broker deal with Serbia which gave more government powers to Kosovo's ethnic served minority. The deal was on hold for now at the Kosovo's highest court said some parts were in breached of the counties constitution.
In the United States, the justice department says the police department in Ferguson, Missouri has been twice as likely to stop African-Americans as they have been to stop whites.
[05:35:02] Now, Ferguson has new police chief and he talked to our own Sara Sidner about how he plans to bring change to the troubled community there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How big of a challenge is this?
MOSS: I think it's monumental.
SIDNER: Delrish Moss is now the chief of one of the most scrutinized police department in America, Ferguson PD. He left Miami police to become the first African-American ever to be sworn in as chief here. Not a surprise move, after the racially charged incident that shocked this city to its corp.
What made you take on this job?
MOSS: That on rest on television. All those things, it was - I saw it is a, you know, our heart came back to good old days and it wasn't bad. I saw people hurting just like we hurt in Miami many years ago. And I said, you know what, I think I can help them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is there wasn't.
SINDER: It's been more than a year since the resignation of the chief who was at the helm on white office Darren Wilson, shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown, after the two tussled in Wilson's police vehicle.
The incident set of huge protest and sends shock waves across the country, first, when police use military style equipment to try and control it and then when riots broke out burning parts of the city down.
Chief Moss wasn't there for any of it but when riots raised in Miami in the 1980's, he was there.
What about your background, it makes you again quick qualified for this job?
MOSS: One from being a kid living in a riot to our neighborhood to being a police officer working in one, I think I've been training my entire career for this challenge.
SIDNER: He now has to implement a 130 page plus consent decree by the Department of Justice. Its report cleared Officer Wilson but slammed the Ferguson police for engaging in patterns and practices of racial bias, constitutional violations and improper ticketing practices that focus on revenue not public safety.
What are you going to do about that?
MOSS: Well, that's got to changed, you can't tell me that providing tickets for revenue doesn't lead to some sort of corruption. Those things are corrupted, they're core because they speak to everything that government is not for, businesses make profit, government does it. And that's not going to be the practice while I'm here.
SIDNER: And on race, he wants to make sure, no one is treated by police like he was as a teenager.
MOSS: I was called an inward by a police officer. And then I had another experience where I'm also walking home, teenager still, and police officer gets out of his car, pushes me up against the wall, he frisked me and still does his search, then jumps back in his car and leaves. You know, in both of those experiences, nothing was ever done to restore my dignity. I was embarrassed. I was afraid. And I just decided then in there that I need to become a police officer.
SIDNER: Sara Sidner, CNN Ferguson Missouri.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: A new reports from law enforcement nationwide show's a major optic in homicide throughout the United States. It shows a 9 percent increase across more that 50 cities.
Chicago had the worst with 141 homicides through just the first three months of 2016, heads up 70 percent from the same period last year, when there were 83 homicides.
The report comes after the FBI director again voiced concern that police are not being empowered to do their jobs. Decided what he called the quote, "Viral Video Effect" and said that the threat of ending up on the internet is changing police behavior. He made similar comments last fall, it referenced to be the fall out from Ferguson.
U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has targeted China repeatedly during his campaign but surprisingly, there are a number of people in China who admire the business noble. We'll have that story. Plus, choosing a running mate, it's a major moment for every presidential campaign. We'll take a look at what that could mean. What could factor range of the decision for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton?
Stay with us.
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[05:42:34] HOWELL: U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has repeatedly said negative things about China during his campaign. And given those comments, you might be surprised to find that there are funs of Donald Trump in China. They do exist.
And CNN's Matt Rivers spoke to some of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We can't continue to allow China to rape our country and that's what they are doing. It's the greatest steps in the history of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Self talk about trade from the Republican presumptive nominee against one of his top targets. Yet, here in China, there is respect and even admiration for Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GU YU, CHINESE TECH. ENTERPRENEUR: I think Donald Trump had the guts to say everything that normal people and the rest of society fear to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: Gu Yu is a young Chinese Tech Entrepreneur, part of a vocal group of Chinese fans of the billionaire businessman.
One social media user on China's Twitter equivalent wave wall says, "Hillary Clinton just makes empty promises while Trump is the king of doing what he says."
Another calls him, "Sharp and pragmatic". One person even said, they vote for him, "because he is so handsome".
Up base Chinese audience has got to know from his days on celebrity apprentice, a hit here in China.
You're fired.
From T.V. to books, Trump's best seller, "The Art of the Deal" in Mandarin is found in book stores across Beijing.
His success as a businessman is no doubt, part of his appeal as a politician.
Some Chinese CEO rich billionaire want to be just like him. Like the owner of, "Trump Consulting", a Chinese real estate firm named after the candidate himself. The ironing, the owner tells CNN, "Donald Trump is a political clown, but I wouldn't change my company for that. He's a real estate tycoon after all."
His feelings on Trump the politician shared by the media here. In March, the state run newspaper, "The Global Times" called Trump, "A rich narcissist and a clown," for statements like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Negotiating with China, where this people walk in there, they don't say, "Oh. Hello. How's the weather? So beautiful outside". They say, "We want deal".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: Even with all the bluster, Trump Tower is still a popular destination for tourists from Mainland China and Taiwan, visiting New York City.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's like a superstar, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody likes Trump here, so I come to see. I wish that Trump would wave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: Still, not everyone is a fan.
(BEGIN VIDE CLIP)
[05:45:01] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he become the president, I have a little bit scared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: The Chinese, just like many Americans, who no shortage of opinions on Donald Trump.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.
HOWELL: So, from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, picking a presidential running mate, it's a decision that can have a major impact on the race. Over the years, we've seen many vice presidents picked and some had been more popular than others. Our Errol Barnett looks into what goes in to this very big decision.
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HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's got the great opportunity ahead of us.
ERROL BARNETT, CNN AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT: How to pick a vice president?
Well, the race is not yet officially over. Supporters are already looking to who presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and leading Democrat Hillary Clinton will choose as their running mates for the general election.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: It's always a critical pick. In the end, voters vote for presidential candidate and not for a vice presidential candidate.
BARNETT: So what kind of vice presidential pick bring to a campaign? Well, sometimes, it's experience. Back in 2008, then candidate Barack Obama selected Joe Biden as his VP. At that time, Obama was a one term senator while Biden already had decades of experience in Washington.
RICHARD BRUCE CHENEY, 46TH U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I, Richard Bruce Cheney do solemnly swear ....
BARNETT: In 2000, then Governor George W. Bush chose Dick Cheney, a former congressman who'd served in the administrations of two previous presidents including a role of Secretary of Defense under Bush's father. BUSH: I, George Herbert Walker Bush ...
BARNETT: Now a VP pick can also add use and energy which can help or hinder. When George Bush Sr. went from being a VP himself to a president candidate in 1988, he chose a young up-and-coming congressman Dan Quayle as his running mate.
DAN QUAYLE, 44th U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: You tell George Bush one thing, go get him.
BARNETT: Bush won.
JOHN MCCAIN, SENIOR U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA: Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska.
BARNETT: Senator John McCain tried to boost his bid for the White House when he added a largely unknown outsider to his campaign Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
PALIN: You know, they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.
BARNETT: McCain lost. Other factors also come into play including geography. Does a potential VP come from a state with many electoral votes? Do they bring diversity to the ticket or can they help unify the party after a tough primary season?
And sometimes, it's not about contrast, balancing the ticket or electoral strategy, it's simply who the nominee believes is the best person for the job.
BILL CLINTON, 42nd U.S. PRESIDENT: This is the next vice president of the United States of America, Senator Al Gore.
BARNETT: And in 1992 when then candidate Bill Clinton chose Al Gore, a fellow governor (ph), nearly the same age and someone who shared much of Clinton's political ideology, a winning move. And while the current candidates say it maybe too early to choose a vice president. Supporters and strategists agree it's never too early to speculate.
Errol Barnett, CNN.
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HOWELL: Coming up here on NEWSROOM. One Belgian city has a unique solution for some of its traffic jams. A pipeline full of beer. We'll explain when we come back.
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(WORLD SPORTS)
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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell. A Chinese police man has set a New Guineas world record for planking. Take a look here. You see it. He's holding this position he held at for chest over eight hours after this competition in Beijing. Mao Weidong also set a planking world record in 2014. He credits daily strength training to help them. It was when the previous world record was set by American George Hood who finishes this year's competition by holding his plank for more than seven hours. Wow.
So Belgium and its famous for its beers and there is one brewery there that is come up with a unique solution to a distribution problem that they had. The narrow streets of Bruges couldn't handle of the trucks that were moving its beer, so, to be the bottleneck, the brewery has gone underground and is building a pipeline. A building, a beer pipeline.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin hand the story.
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ERIN MCLAUGHLIN CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bruges Belgium, this Medieval Town as a tourist haven known as one of the best places to drink Belgian beer. But not much of it is made here anymore. Most of the breweries are long gone except for the Halve Maan, the only one left within the town walls.
Because brewery had a big problem, it's the reason the town are simply too small to accommodate the large tanker trucks required to transport a beer from the brewery to the bottling plan. So the solution is right over here, a two mile long beer pipe underground and this is where it begins.
For 160 years, Xavier Vanneste's family has been brewing beer within the walls of Bruges. The problem started back in 2010 when the brewery moved its bottling facility out of the town creating a bottleneck of beer trucks. He said this is the best the way to keep the family tradition going.
XAVIER VANNESTE, BREWERY OWNER: I think we are the very first one to do this step.
MCLAUGHLIN: Engineers drilled to the town's canals and cobble street, all to way a pipeline made of high-end plastic capable of transporting 4000 liters of beer an hour.
And how did the residents react?
VANNESTE: Well the residents were quite enthusiastic actually. We received a lot of people spontaneously offering us to pass along side their house. They just had one condition. They want a tapping points but the price with tapping points, but ...
MCLAUGHLIN: Are you worried about people tapping in to your pipeline?
VANNESTE: We are pretty sure this will technically not be possible.
[05:55:00] MCLAUGHLIN: The pipeline's popularity gave Vanneste an idea. Crowd fund the projects $4.5 million price tag came up with the scheme to exchange donations for beer. Local restaurateur Philippe Le Loup gave over $11,000 and now gets free beer for life.
[05:55:17] PHILIPPE LE LOUP: I like the beer. I drink it everyday but it's more for the friendship.
MCLAUGHLIN: And there is nothing like good friends and the crisp taste of freshly brewed beer.
The pipeline still under contraction, the beer is expected to start flowing in the beginning of summer.
In the meantime, have a taste.
Erin McLaughlin, CNN Bruges.
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HOWELL: Critically endangered fish has been killed in the US state of Nevada and in a rather unusual manner. It was the result of some irresponsible drinking and it all was caught on camera.
Three men broke into a protected area after a night of drinking and one of them decided to go skinny-dipping. Official say, he might have stressed or even crash a real pop fish and they are concern that he damaged the pop fish's eggs as well.
And the rest of this hour, CNN NEWSROOM, I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. For our viewer in the United State, New Day is next. And for other viewers around the world, Best of Quest starts in a moment.
Thank you for watching CNN, The world's news leader.
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