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NEWS STREAM

Sanders Feuds with DNC Chairwoman; Poaching Endangers Two Sea Animals in Bay of California; U.S. Lifts Arms Embargo on Vietnam; Search for EgyptAir's Black Boxes Continues; Attacks Near Russian Installations in Syria; U.S. Confirms Afghan Taliban Leader's Death. Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired May 23, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:26] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to News Stream.

Now, President Barack Obama announces that the U.S. will end a ban on armed sales to Vietnam, and denies that it's aimed at countering the

influence of China.

ISIS claims responsibility for a series of explosions in Syria that killed at least 78 people.

And the search for the black boxes of the crashed EgyptAir flight continues. A submarine has been deployed to search below the waves.

And we begin with the deepening friendship between Vietnam and a former enemy. Now the U.S. is completely lifting the ban on the sale of

military equipment to Vietnam. The embargo dates back to the Vietnam War more than 40 years ago.

The U.S. president is on this week-long trip here to Asia to boost economic and security cooperation and he made the announcement from Hanoi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is fully lifting the ban on the sale of military equipment to Vietnam that

has been in place for some 50 years. As with all of our defense partners, sales will need to still meet strict requirements, including those related

to human rights, but this change will ensure that Vietnam has access to the equipment it needs to defend itself and removes a lingering vestige of the

Cold War.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, President Obama is facing heavy criticism from human rights groups. The executive director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth,

he issued this statement on Twitter. He said, quote, "Obama opts to arm Vietnam as anti-China ally rather than care about its ongoing repression."

Now, the president has dismissed suggestions that the lifting of the ban is to counter China's growing strength in the region.

Joining us with more on this story is CNN's Saima Mohsin. She joins us now live from Hanoi. And Saima, so why did the U.S. president decide to

lift this decades-old ban on arms sales to Vietnam?

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, I think it was very much a symbolic move. I've been speaking to analysts all day

about this. It was a dramatic shift in policy, but various amendments have been made to the ban over the last decade or so, incrementally. But this

complete lifting was a dramatic announcement.

President Quang chose to open his speech, by the way, with it. President Obama sort of buried the headline a bit, probably because he knew

the reaction he'd get.

But it is very much a symbolic move. President Obama wants to show and extend an arm of friendship and show very much that these two countries

have moved far beyond the legacy of the Vietnam War. They have transitioned from one-time enemies to friendship and real partnership, and

I think that this move was very significant in doing that, in moving away

from that, to show Vietnam that they are now extending the arm of friendship -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Saima, what impact will the warming relations between the United States and Vietnam and the lifting of the arms ban have on

China, and ongoing tension over the South China Sea?

MOHSIN: Yeah. There is no doubt that enhancing Vietnam's in particular maritime capabilities, Kristie, do obviously have implications

in the South China Sea. Vietnam one of the many regional players, as you know, claiming sovereign territory over many islands in the South China

Sea, not the South China Sea itself as well.

China obviously competing with them, saying that its sovereign territory is in the South China Sea, particularly the Paracel Islands --

you might have seen my report on that -- as fishermen are being made -- Vietnamese fishermen -- are being forced to be on the front lines of that

battle between Vietnam and China.

So we were expecting, perhaps, a frosty response from China. It already feels that the U.S. is wading in where it's unwarranted and

unwanted in this region, and that it shouldn't be interfering, if you will, but actually a slightly different response we had today from the foreign

ministry. The Chinese foreign ministry speaking to a question from CNN saying that it welcomed the move, that the arms ban was actually a legacy

of the Cold War, which no longer every exists and that it welcomes further cooperation between Vietnam and China.

An interesting response -- Kristie.

[08:05:08] LU STOUT: Yeah, very interesting.

And while in Hanoi, Barack Obama also thanked Vietnam for addressing, as he put it, the painful legacy of war. Could you tell us more exactly

What he was referring to?

MOHSIN: He was talking about the increased cooperation the Vietnamese and United States partners have had in prisoner of war identity and where

they have been missing, perhaps identifying graves, working together on that.

But also I think it was also a nod to moving beyond that, Kristie. A lot of people here wanted to

see an apology from an American president. President Obama wasn't about to do that, but he gave a tip of the hat to the fact that this was a painful

experience for both countries, and he spoke of other veterans that have visited not least, of course, Secretary of State John Kerry, that have also

come here to Vietnam.

So, I think that reference to the painful legacy was a tip to the hat without making a full

apology -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Saima Mohsin reporting live from Hanoi. Thank you, Saima.

Now, the U.S. now confirms its drone strike in Pakistan on Saturday did in fact, kill the

Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour. Mansour took command last year after it was revealed the Taliban co-founder and longtime leader Mullah Omar, had

died in 2013.

And now a Taliban splinter group says that talks are being held to replace Mansour.

Now, our Nick Paton Walsh is following thestory with the latest from Beirut. And Nick, what does this death of Mullah Mansour mean for the

Afghan Taliban and the threat it poses?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, to some degree

I think we're are in for a period of more disarray as they try and work out who the next leader can

be. And you mentioned, there was a meeting apparently in Quetta, according to some Taliban sources, on Sunday, which ended in no conclusion.

There are a number, though, of names being floated around as the obvious potential successors. And I have to say none of them obviously

point towards what the White House has been trying to message they hope is the outcome of killing Mullah Mansour.

So, remember, (inaudible) basically said this man was an obstacle to peace talks. That's true. But the Taliban themselves haven't sat down in

the way the Americans or Afghan government wants them to for months at least. And the suggestion by the White House is that potential a successor

may end up being more moderate.

Well, if you look at the list pushed around at the moment, that's pretty unlikely.

The main name you're hearing most often is a man called Suraj Haqqani (ph), who is Mullah Mansour's -- or was Mullah Mansour's -- deputy for

operations. Now, he is also known by the United States as the chief facilitator for al Qaeda in Afghanistan, a man who

headed the Haqqani Network for quite some time, definitely not someone who is most likely to be inclined to sit down and begin a

diplomatic path with the Afghan government.

Other names being pushed around: there's a man called Haipatullah Ahund (ph), another deputy.

But, look, as you saw with Mullah Mansour, when he took over after the long-held secret death of Mullah Omar, the decades' long leader of the

Taliban, Mullah Mansour immediately got around the job of proving his prowess on the battlefield, taking territory.

The U.S. admitting that the Taliban are in control of more territory in Afghanistan than anytime

since 2001.

Now, this subsequent change in leadership -- and obviously there's a strong strategic messaging

victory of the U.S. and the Afghan government that they have been able to kill the top figure in the Taliban. I mean, we haven't seen a high-profile

assassination like this, really, since the bin Laden raid inside Pakistan as well in 2011.

Despite the sort of messaging victory of his death, we're probably in for a period of disarray as they choose the successor, potentially a period

of increased violence, as that successor proves their worth on the battlefield, so to speak, and then maybe there could be an option for

talks. But I think it's fair to say the Taliban have proven themselves to be on the front foot of the battlefield now for a number of months. It's

unlikely in that position they're suddenly going to decide that a negotiated settlement is the best outcome.

That has been the plank of Washington and the Kabul governments' premise of dealing with the insurgency now for over a year.

So, a significant death, but not one that immediately overnight has heralded an era of peace; potentially yet, worst violence, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Nick Paton Walsh reporting for us. Thank you, Nick.

Now, in Syria, ISIS has claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated explosions at two

government strongholds. Syrian media report at least 78 people have been killed. And activists say the death toll is above 100.

Now, Syrian TV says the explosions were from a combination of car bombings and suicide bombs. And some of the explosions were in Tartus

where Russia has a naval base.

Now, Matthew Chance is in Moscow with more on this. And Matthew, what more have you learned about the aftermath and intended target of these

explosions?

[08:10:04] MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting, because you're right. Actually both of these locations,

both Tartus and the other location that was targeted in these attacks, a town called Jableh, which is also on the Mediterranean coast in western

Syria are both areas where there are essentially large concentrations of Russian forces.

Tartus is where Russia has its only naval base on the Mediterranean Sea. It's been a point of much focus over the past several months as

Russia moves in military assets to support its air power that has been carrying out airstrikes against various targets across Syria. Their main

air base in Syria, their only air base in Syria, in fact, is near Jableh. It's in Latakia Province at the international airport just a short distance

from there.

And so while both of these locations are Syrian government strongholds, they're Alawite strongholds, and that is seen as the main

reason why they've been targeted by whichever rebel group carried out these attacks over the course of the past several hours, they're also the places

where Russia, I say, is based as well, Russian forces are based. And so it also

sends a message to Moscow that these rebels can strike at the regime and they can strike where the Russians are as well.

Now having said that, it doesn't look like at this point any Russian assets, any Russian interests were affected or even targeted. Certainly

there's been no word from the Russian authorities at the moment about any Russian casualties.

There has been a statement, though, from the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, who is the spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, saying

that he's concerned about these kinds of, what he calls terrorist activities, and says it demonstrates the need for taking further intensive

steps in the negotiating process.

Of course, Russia has not just intervened militarily in Syria, it has started a peace process as

well, which has been admittedly failing over the past several months, but nevertheless is the best chance in some time for some kind of negotiated

settlement to the conflict there -- Kristie.

[08:12:06] LU STOUT: Yeah, after what we've seen today in Syria, the need for talks definitely evident here.

Recently, Matthew, we know CNN was inside Syria, and reported on just how big the Russian

military footprint still is there. Why is Russia still involved in the conflict there?

CHANCE: Well, I mean, Russia has been involved now for the best part of a year. I think it went in last September. It's got some -- some

priorities, in terms of its foreign policy that it wants to support, its a backer of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, it sees the

Assad regime as its last toehold really in the Middle East, it's only toehold in the Middle East and it doesn't want to see a pro-western

government coming to power in Syria like happened in Libya, for instance, or like happened Iraq, to a certain extent as well, which would undermine

Russian interests in the Middle East.

And so they've kind of drawn a line in the sand and said, look, we're going to support Bashar al-Assad no matter what. And they have been

plowing in resources. You're right, CNN has been there a couple times over the past several months and there's been a gradual buildup of military

forces on the ground backing Syrian forces and other militias. The Iranian militias, of course, that are also there on the ground in battles, also

carrying out air strikes from the skies as well.

And there really is a strong military and political commitment to Syria right now by the Russians, to make sure Bashar al-Assad doesn't fail,

and to strengthen his hand at the negotiating table. And so that's why they've gone hand in hand with carrying out military strikes and sparking

this political process.

But again, these latest attacks threaten to undermine that, particularly if there are Russian casualties when we see the final reports

of these killings that have taken place today. That could place additional pressure on the Russians to decide what they're going to do in the country.

LU STOUT: Matthew Chance, we thank you for your reporting and your analysis.

Now, Iraqi forces, meanwhile, are fighting to retake Fallujah from ISIS. Now, the key city is just an hour away by car from the capital

Baghdad. Now, ISIS has controlled Fallujah for more than two years and activists say even though the residents are starving, ISIS has barred them

from leaving.

Now, the military has told families who can't escape to raise white flags so that government troops know that they are there.

Now, as Iraqi forces battle ISIS on the ground, Muslim leaders in Indonesia are waging an

ideological war against the terror group.

And still ahead here on News Stream, their campaign to combat extremism.

Plus, days after the EgyptAir crash, there is still no sign of the so- called black boxes. What crews are now adding to the search.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:17:00] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now, a group of Muslim leaders in Indonesia hoping to stop terrorism by keeping it from

ever taking root. Now, they have launched campaign to fight extremist ideologies. Ivan Watson has that story for us from Jakarta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It starts with a prayer and then one of the world's largest Muslim organizations declares

ideological war on groups like ISIS and al Qaeda.

YAHYA STAQUF, SECRETARY GENERAL, NAHDLATUL ULAMA: We are like a traditional opposition to supremacist Islamism.

WATSON: Here in the world's most populous Muslim country, senior Indonesian clerics Yahya Satquf argue that the global jihadi movement

cannot be defeated until world leaders and Muslims first acknowledge a basic fact...

STAQUF: We keep denying the source of the problem, namely, some elements within Islam itself.

MAGNUS RANSTORP, SWEDEN NATIONAL DEFENSE COLLEGE: I don't see any other Muslim leaders coming to Europe, standing up like a tower and saying,

look, we are prepared to take this on.

WATSON: Counterterrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp says these Indonesian Muslim leaders are breaking new ground by proposing to make changes to

Islamic law to better fit the modern era.

RANSTORP: This has to be resolved by Muslims, you know. The west can't come from the

outside to try to reinforce that.

WATSON: Indonesia has struggled with jihadi terrorism, most recently last January. Indonesian ISIS militants launched a deadly suicide attack

in downtown Jakarta. ISIS has already attracted several hundred followers from Indonesia to its stronghold in Syria, and propaganda videos like this

try to attract fresh recruits.

The teachers at this Islamic boarding school say they're most urgent mission is to protect these children from extremist ideology.

The faculty here says they teach theological basics to help young Indonesians resist extremist

messages, delivered via Facebook and other social media.

STAQUF: The emergency that we are having now is to protect this mass of Muslim, (inaudible) the propaganda of extremism. We have to find a way,

to find a strategy to -- to protect them.

WATSON: Indonesians are proud of their tolerant Southeast Asian version of Islam and they're horrified by the religious wars that are

tearing apart the Middle East. By sounding the alarm, these moderate Muslim leaders are trying to protect their fellow believers from

descending down that nightmare path.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Jakarta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:20:12] LU STOUT: Investigators in Thailand are looking into what caused a deadly fire at an elementary school that killed at least 18 girls.

The children were sleeping in their dormitory when the fire broke out. Firefighters scaled the walls of the building and rescued 20 students.

The school is run by a Christian charity and provides free education to the poor.

Now, Egypt is now using a submarine to search for the black boxes from EgyptAir flight

804, and though have wreckage and personal items have been recovered from the Mediterranean, the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are key to

finding out just what went wrong.

And for more on the story, straight to Egypt, our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is standing by. He joins us now from

Alexandria. And Nic, I understand a robot submarine has been deployed to find the flight recorders. What's the latest on that effort?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Egyptian authorities here are saying that the most important thing for them to be

able to do right now is recover the bodies of the passengers and the crew onboard the aircraft for their family members. To do that, they need to

find the black boxes. The black boxes are down on the ocean floor with the rest of the

aircraft. That's the sort of assumption at the moment, the main part of the aircraft has gone down.

So far Egyptian authorities are not really giving a blow-by-blow account of what precisely what they're discovering when discovering it.

Small pieces of debris so far. They haven't found large parts of the fuselage.

They do say they are now using this submarine. It can go to a depth of about 3,000 meters, which is something of a limitation when you are

searching the ocean floor here for airplane wreckage. Why? Because some parts of the Mediterranean, and in particular

we understand the area where the aircraft went down, are as much as 5,000 meters deep. So the submarine won't be able to get all of the way down.

What we've been told, the Egyptian foreign minister has said they don't have all the equipment they need. The aviation minister has told us

that the army is asking partners for help and support for equipment, and they say that is coming. They expect to get it.

And indeed we've learned in the last few hours that a French patrol vessel has arrived with two

specialist divers onboard, another submarine that can go down to a depth 1,000 meters and some acoustic detectors.

Now, these acoustic detectors can be used to search for the pings that come from the transmitters that are mounted on those black boxes. And

there's a month between pretty much when the plane hits the water to how long the batteries on those pingers can last. So, this is an important

addition to the Egyptian search that's going on.

But you've got to say when you analyze all of this and read what the French authorities are saying right now, this additional vessel they

brought into the area, this could take days, even weeks, to find the aircraft. Why? Because they still have to, before they even use the

submarine, the French say, and before they use those acoustic detectors they really need to find out more of the debris and focus precisely where

they think the aircraft went down.

The indication is, that hasn't happened yet, Kristie.

LU STOUT: So, more assets on the way to help out with the search, an effort that could take weeks. And meanwhile, Nic, we've learned

information, new information released over the weekend about these smoke alerts near the cockpit before the crash. What does that reveal about what

happened to the plane?

ROBERTSON: Well, what the aviation minister told us last night is that, what he is learning from the additional sort of sources and systems,

as he describes it, is the need to be patient with the investigation, those were his words -- patient. Why? Because this

information about the smoke, about a possible window overheating in the cockpit are not conclusive in themselves. That taken with the fact there's

been no claim of responsibility from a terrorist organization means the Egyptian authorities and everyone else are saying, look, just hold on.

It's too early to say. This information about the smoke alarm isn't enough, but that the period of those alarms came in was about a three-minute period.

So it gives an indication that there were things going wrong in the final minutes, rather than

in a split second. But, again, all of the experts and Egyptian officials here are saying we can't read anything conclusive into this, be patient

with the investigation.

Of course, being patient here really means getting those black boxes absolutely critical to understanding what happened on board the aircraft

is getting the boxes at the moment, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Nic Robertson reporting live from Alexandria, Egypt. Thank you, Nic.

Now, a community in northwest of Paris is grieving for one of its own. A passenger on that EgyptAir flight. He was orphaned as a child but came

to think of his town as his family.

As Atika Shubert reports, the feeling is mutual.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:25:19] ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is where

Pascal Hess, avid photographer of the local music scene in Evreux, Normandy, France would have been on a Saturday night -- rocking out, camera

in hand. Musician Gene Clarksville was born in the same year, grew up in the same town and he remembers how Hess offered to take photographs of his

band for free.

GENE CLARKSVILLE, MUSUCIAN: He was a very generous man, very, very generous. He wasn't the kind of guy you could see everywhere in every

venue. He liked rock and roll.

SHUBERT: 51-year-old Hess was a man of many talents, recording this interview for a music

documentary. He also played on the local volleyball team and worked at the hospital, that's when he wasn't restoring vintage cars.

He lived alone.

His home is now shuttered. His parents died in a car crash when he was young, an only child. His friends were his family, along with a

teenage daughter now in Germany.

Hess was booked on a Red Sea diving holiday when he lost his passport and he told friends he wasworried he wouldn't make his flight, but he did:

EgyptAir flight 804, lost over the Mediterranean Sea.

Hess was popular, and his loss is felt in Evreux's music cafes and bars. Residents held a moment of silence for him.

CLARKSVILLE: He was so kind. Everybody wanted to be his friend.

SHUBERT: On Saturday night, local musicians dedicated a song to Hess in memory of a

kindred spirit.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Evreux, France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Beautiful tribute there.

Now at least seven people have been killed in a volcanic eruption that took place in western Indonesia. Search teams are on the ground, they're

looking for more victims. An alert is still in effect for Mount Sinabung, and the potential for more eruptions remains high.

Now, President Barack Obama says the U.S. and Vietnam are committed to regional order in

the South China Sea, but for those who make their living in the disputed waters, they say they're stuck in a political tug-of-war.

And U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders escalates his feud with the democratic establishment. After the break, find out why he says he is

not a fan of the party's chairwoman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:13] LU STOUT: President Obama has dismissed suggests that the decision to lift the arms embargo was aimed at countering China and its

growing strength.

Now, the U.S. and Vietnam have a longstanding dispute with China over territorial rights in the South China Sea. And for Vietnamese fishermen,

who rely on these waters for their livelihood, there is no steering clear of the turmoil.

Saima Mohsin has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHSIN: Like his father before him, Le Tan makes his living from the sea. He's fished theirs waters for 31years, but lately, his job's become a

lot more dangerous.

LE TAN, VIETNAMESE FISHERMAN (through translator): First they took our fish, then the essential equipment. If they liked it, they took it.

If they didn't, they threw it away.

MOHSIN: Tan describe a day when Chinese men boarded his boat, stole his equipment and

threatened him and his sons. This happened last year, but he says his boat has been targeted four or five times over the past decade.

TAN (through translator): once they tased my son, three times in his spine.

MOHSIN: Tan says he is being targeted because he fishes in the Paracels, the chain of islands claimed by Vietnam, China and Taiwan.

Vietnamese authorities say hundreds of fishermen from Le area, a small island off the east coast of Vietnam, report being intimidated, beaten or

robbed by men on Chinese flagged boats within the Paracels.

Yet, despite the danger, the local government says it's encouraging men to keep fishing these waters calling them defenders of Vietnamese

territory.

The Chinese foreign ministry says it has no knowledge about Vietnamese fishermen being beaten or chased away and the Paracel Islands are its

sovereign territory along with most of the South China Sea.

China is building man-made islands, laying down air strips, deploying surface-to-air missiles

in defiance of competing claims by other regional players. And the U.S. has weighed in to the fight

challenging China by running freedom of navigation operations in the region and calling for an end to the militarization of the area.

Washington's message seems to have done little to sway local opinion.

PHAM THI HUONG, VICE CHAIR, LY SON DISTRICT PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE (through translator): Concerning America's idea of a peaceful solution

between Vietnam and China, even with this peaceful solution, the right to Vietnam to these islands are undeniable.

MOHSIN: CNN wasn't allowed to speak to the fishermen without a government minder

present, but Vietnamese officials are keen to show them off as victims of China's aggression.

TAN (through translator): We protect our country for the next generation.

MOHSIN: It's an elevated calling for the fishermen of a remote island nightly song (ph). In its ongoing dispute with China, Vietnam is mustering

defenders wherever it can find them.

Saima Mohsin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: All right. In the race for U.S. president, Democrat Bernie Sanders is in the middle of a growing feud with the party's national

committee chairwoman.

Now, he tells CNN, if elected, he would not reappoint her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, 2016 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you!

JOHNS (voice-over): Bernie Sanders coming out strong over the weekend against the head of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman

Schultz.

SANDERS: With all due respect to the current chairperson, if elected president, she would not be reappointed to be chair of the DNC.

JOHNS: Sanders going as far as backing her challenger for her Florida House seat.

SANDERS: Clearly, I favor her opponent. His views are much closer to mine than is -- is Wasserman Schultz's.

[08:35:06] JOHNS: The head of the DNC responding, insisting she'll stay unbiased, saying in a statement, "I remain as I have been from the

beginning, neutral in the presidential Democratic primary."

Sanders further challenging the establishment, doubling down on charges that the party is unfairly propping up Hillary Clinton's campaign

before the primary contests are finished.

SANDERS: You had 400 pledged delegates come onboard Clinton's campaign before anyone else was in the race. That's called an anointment process.

That's called the establishment talking.

JOHNS: Sanders saying he's going to carry the party to victory in November.

SANDERS: Virtually every national poll and every state poll, we defeat Trump by larger numbers than does Secretary Clinton.

JOHNS: Pointing out the unfavorable ratings plaguing both Clinton and Trump.

SANDERS: I don't want to see the American people voting for the lesser of two evils.

JOHNS: But quickly walking back that description when pressed.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: Is that how you would describe Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump? The lesser of two evils?

SANDERS: No, I wouldn't describe it, but that's what the American people are saying.

JOHNS: Clinton less than 100 delegates shy of clinching the nomination.

CLINTON: There's no way that I won't be.

JOHNS: Taking a jab at Sanders' viability on Sunday.

CLINTON: I have been vetted and tested, and I don't think he's had a single negative ad ever run against him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You can get an inside look at America's remarkable race to the White House on the new program. It's called State of the Race with

Kate Bolduan, weeknight 7:30 p.m. in London, and Tuesday to Friday, 2:30 p.m. in Hong Kong. It's happening right here on CNN.

Now, still to come on News Stream, a black market trade that spans the Pacific Ocean. Why demand in Asia is driving for a fish organ is driving a

rare species in Mexico to near extinction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching News Stream. And we want you to take a look

at this image, a photograph of dried fish bladders. Now, they're used in Chinese recipes, the most expensive, it comes from a protected species of

fish called totoaba. Our Kyung Lah went on an anti-poaching mission in Mexico, and as she found out the illegal trade is driving not just one, but

two species close to extinction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A massive Mexican military operation at sea, on land, in the air, not to fight illegal drugs,

but to save endangered fish that live only in the remote and isolated Gulf of California in San Felipe, Mexico.

This (inaudible) the local was trapped here. This is the fish that we're talking about, the totoaba. Its bladder is the merchandise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a fresh bladder of a totoaba fish.

LAH: Poachers can make as much money from these bladders as cocaine. They're smuggled out, just like illegal drugs.

The buyers are in Hong Kong. Like rhino horn, and elephant ivory, totoaba bladder is sold on

the black market for a supposed medicinal and anti-aging properties. Selling endangered animal parts is illegal in Hong Kong, but that doesn't

stop it.

This shop owner claiming he doesn't have any on hand showing CNN photos of dried totoaba bladder.

Estimating this large one costs $100,000 U.S. dollars.

It's the best of the best, he says, it will make you more beautiful.

Is it possible that the fishermen could have their pathway as extensive as this without the cartel's help?

[08:40:24] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's obvious organized groups are trafficking this product to other countries. It's

obvious.

LAH: Poachers have fished the totoaba to critically endangered levels. Another marine animals, the vaquita is the same size as the

totoaba, trapped in the same nets by accident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The vaquita's head gets stuck.

LAH: So, the head swims through here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, once it tries to back up it's trapped.

LAH: Can't get out. It's trapped.

And now nearly extinct, only 60 vaquita's remain.

Why at night, environmental groups Sea Shepherd patrols the protecting waters where fishing

is illegal searching for poachers.

Why are they fleeing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, poachers will flee when they're caught.

LAH: At daybreak, evidence of their crime surfaces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're looking at is a totoaba that's been cut open. You can see that there's no swim bladder.

LAH: If a couple of species die in this one little bay, why should anyone care?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not looking at protecting just the vaquita or just the totoaba, but you need all those little parts to make the whole

system work. And if the whole system doesn't work, we're part of the system. So, it eventually affects us as well.

LAH: This is the end of the line. What they've done is cut that large net in half. This is the half they've been able to pull up.

Sea Shepherds environmental activists hunt for illegal nets and lines, found too often.

Is this a war?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a fight, a battle that we're fighting.

LAH: A battle against a black market that spans the Pacific Ocean.

Kyung Lah, CNN, San Felipe, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A heartbreaking story of, again, needless killing.

Now finally, Hong Kong has pulled the plug of an eye-catching but controversial art show on the city's tallest skyscraper. Now, you see here

digital numbers on the side of the International Commerce Center. Now, just watch as the animation changes.

Now, its creators, they say it's a clock. It was counting down by the second to July 1, 2047, that's when Hong Kong's one country, two systems

arrangement with Beijing expires. And this display happened to coincide with last week's visit by a high-ranking mainland

Chinese official. The Arts Council, which commissioned the piece originally denied that there was any hidden message, but then it accused

the artist of being disrespectful and with that it's lights out for the countdown clock.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere. World Sport with Alex Thomas is next.

END