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Dallas Police Ambush; Israel Develop Defense against Hezbollah; 400K Evacuated as Storm Hits China; Inside an Active Volcano; Parrot Picks France in Euro 2016. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired July 10, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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

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AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Security tensions flare near police headquarters in Dallas, Texas, two days after the shooting that killed five police officers.

Plus:

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I firmly believe that America is not as divided as some have suggested.

WALKER (voice-over): Barack Obama addressing racial tensions in the U.S. as people across the country demand equal treatment from the police.

And: after a week of uncertainty, Australia finally has a new government on the way.

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WALKER: Hello, thanks for joining us. I'm Amara Walker and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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WALKER: Thanks for being with us.

Dallas, Texas, is a city on edge following Thursday's mass shooting and authorities are taking every potential threat seriously.

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WALKER (voice-over): On Saturday, the city's police department tweeted it was looking for a suspicious person in a parking garage near its headquarters. A search didn't turn up any suspects but police say they are tightening security throughout the city because of this anonymous threat.

This, after a sniper killed five police officers, wounded seven others in a mass shooting on Thursday. CNN's Stephanie Elam has the latest.

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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some tense time outside of Dallas police headquarters after there was reports of a suspicious person in the police officer parking lot.

Not wanting to take any chances, the police officers cordoned off an area around the building and were going floor by floor looking to see if there was anyone suspicious found. No one was found.

And then as an extra precaution, they went back with canine units to make sure there was nothing there. After the all clear, we did see that police officers opened up the streets and cleared out the area.

But while this was going on, there were some tense moments. Police officers were positioned at different parts throughout the area. We saw media being pulled back away from that memorial that we have seen of the two police cars in front of Dallas headquarters here, Dallas police headquarters.

But at this point, the streets have been reopened and, luckily, for this very devastated community here and this devastated police department, this turned out to just be a hoax of a threat -- Stephanie Elam, CNN, Dallas.

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WALKER: The Dallas police are defending using a bomb attached to a robot to kill the man behind Thursday's attack. Police say the robot was the safest option to kill Micah Xavier Johnson and that it was used as a last resort.

Officials say they tried to negotiate with the 25-year old during a lengthy standoff but the military veteran was not cooperating and shot at officers. Sources say this is the first time police have used a robot to kill a civilian.

The Dallas transit officer killed in that terrible ambush was escorted to his hometown outside the city. Forty-three-year-old Brent Thompson served as a Marine in the Middle East and recently married a fellow officer. Of the seven officers wounded, three worked with Thompson for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority. Two of them have now been released from the hospital.

U.S. President Barack Obama will be leaving Europe and heading back to the U.S. earlier than scheduled because of the tragedy in Dallas. He's in Spain currently after attending the NATO summit in Poland. That summit was largely dominated by the shootings and the Brexit.

Mr. Obama spoke three times throughout the week about gun violence in the U.S.

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OBAMA: And Americans of all races and all backgrounds are also rightly saddened and angered about the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and about the larger persistent problem of African Americans and Latinos being treated differently in our criminal justice system.

So there is sorrow. There is anger. There is confusion about next steps. But there's unity in recognizing that this is not how we want our communities to operate. This is not who we want to be as Americans. And that serves as the basis for us being able to move forward in a constructive and positive way.

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WALKER: We are following ongoing protests across the United States in the wake of the deaths of two black men at the hands of police.

In St. Paul, Minnesota, hundreds of protesters temporarily shut down --

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WALKER: -- a part of a major highway. Police say marchers threw fireworks, rocks and Molotov cocktails at them. At least five officers were injured, none seriously.

Also here in Atlanta, Georgia, crowds marched through the city again. Protesters temporarily blocked traffic on one downtown highway overpass.

Let's talk more about how people in the U.K., people outside the U.S., view the Black Lives Matter movement.

Ayshat Akanbi (ph) joining us now from London. She's a public speaker, writer and activist.

We appreciate you joining us. I want to get your perspective and ask you what this Black Lives Matter movement means to you because there have been solidarity protests for this movement outside of the United States.

AYSHAT AKANBI (PH), ACTIVIST: I think for a lot of people in the U.K., the Black Lives Matter movement, we show our solidarity because although we don't face the exact same issues, there are many covert issues that replicate a lot of things that are happening in the states.

And so although it may not be gun crime or gun violence towards these people, people are definitely dying in police custodies and this is a sentiment that resonates with us all.

WALKER: I'm just curious to know how you react when you hear the #BlackLivesMatter on Twitter or on Facebook, what have you, being taken out of context and when you see the rival hashtags, #BlueLivesMatter, which refers to police, and also we heard the other hashtag, #AllLivesMatter, as well.

Does that -- what is your reaction to that? Do you think these other slogans minimize or trivialize the fact that so many, as President Obama says, black folks are far more vulnerable to these kinds of incidents?

AKANBI (PH): Yes, I think the issue is that people are steering issues that affect over half of the population into personal attacks. And I think that's where the discord is, in people thinking that we're saying Black Lives Matter discounts that their lives matter. And that's not what's happening at all.

Just because Black Lives Matter doesn't discount Blue Lives Matter or All Lives Matter.

But we're talking about a very specific issue that is evident to see. And I think in the derailment with the hashtag, there's something underneath that, which I think we should take a closer look at.

WALKER: We also played that sound of President Obama at the NATO summit there in Poland and he basically said, yes, my heart is broken over what happened in Dallas but to everybody out there, the United States is not as divided as it seems.

But, from your perspective, how do you see what's happening and how divided do you see America to be, especially when it comes to these persistent racism issues?

AKANBI (PH): Yes, America seems to be very divided. From what I see across the pond, there seems to be, especially, anyway, between the police and the people, there's way too much tension. But I think the interesting things about events like this is that it does bring the people together and I think more so than ever.

Right now we know that we need stick together because we have protested peacefully and we have done many things. A lot of these people who were innocently killed were peaceful at the time. And that's not to say that I'm inciting violence or anything like that. But I think now people need to know that it's time for organization.

WALKER: Yes, and as someone who supports the Black Lives Matter movement -- but who lives outside the U.S. -- I'm curious to know how you hope all of this will end?

What kind of steps do you think must be taken to unite these divisions?

AKANBI (PH): I think there needs to be a lot of really honest conversations. I think that there are certain elephants in the room that we are not addressing. I think racism is not only a structural problem but it's a psychological one. And I think people are taught to hate, people are taught to be racist.

And this is something that we can't ignore if we want to break it down from its foundation. Otherwise, we're quite likely to see these events keep happening.

I think we need to look at gun control. For me, it's a no-brainer. I can't see how with so much innocent blood spilled and on a country that founds itself on Christian foundations that we can allow this.

So I think gun control as well as -- yes, honest conversations about racial psychology and how we view people.

WALKER: Yes, there's so many issues that need to be discussed, including as you say, gun control, racism and even police training/police brutality.

Ayshat Akanbi (ph), we got to leave it there but we appreciate you joining us and giving us a little bit of your perspective. Thank you for that.

AKANBI (PH): Thank you very much.

WALKER: Turning to politics now in U.S., politicians, including presumptive presidential nominees, Hillary Clinton and --

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WALKER: -- Donald Trump, have voiced their reactions to the violence filled week. Senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny has that story.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A gut- wrenching week of violence, shaking America and inflaming a divisive political summer. The gruesome police ambush in Dallas on the heels of police shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota creating a new test of political leadership.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is too much violence, too much hate, too much senseless killing, too many people dead who shouldn't be.

ZELENY (voice-over): Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump canceling campaign stops in the wake of the massacre. She did appear Friday night before black church leaders in Philadelphia calling for national guidelines on use of force by police.

CLINTON: We will make it clear for everyone to see when deadly force is warranted and when it is not.

ZELENY (voice-over): Trump released a video late Friday saying the slaying of five Dallas police officers has shaken the soul of the nation.

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A brutal attack on our police force is an attack on our country and on our families.

ZELENY (voice-over): An overheated presidential campaign suddenly confronted by a burning crisis over the police, violence and race, all this now front and center in the escalating fight between Clinton and Trump.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Why do you believe you would be better suited at handling the racial divide in America than Donald Trump?

CLINTON: I have been involved in working to try to close the racial divide my entire adult life. I will call for white people like myself to put ourselves in the shoes of those African American families, who fear every time their children go somewhere.

ZELENY (voice-over): Trump is framing a divide in starker terms.

TRUMP: Racial divisions have gotten worse, not better. Too many headlines flash across our screens every day about the rising crime and rising death tolls in our cities.

ZELENY (voice-over): Both candidates said Americans must respect the police, regardless of rising incidents of wrongful shootings.

Clinton We cannot, we must not vilify police officers. Remember what those officers were doing when they died. They were protecting a peaceful march.

ZELENY (voice-over): The protests are erupting across the country with voters also demanding answer from congressional leaders mired in deadlock. On Capitol Hill, Democrats pointed fingers at Republicans.

REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D): If this Congress does not have the guts to lead, then we are responsible for all the bloodshed on the streets of America, whether it be at the hands of people wearing a uniform or whether it's at the hands of criminals.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: There will be a temptation to let our anger harden our divisions. Let's not let that happen.

ZELENY: Four months before Election Day, shootings, gun violence and race in America suddenly a very serious conversation to an already overheated presidential campaign -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Philadelphia.

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WALKER: Turning to politics in Australia. The uncertainty surrounding Australia's federal election is now over. The country's opposition Labor Party has conceded defeat, clearing the way for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to remain in office.

The vote counting will continue but the Labor Party leader says Turnbull's National Party Coalition will secure enough seats to win.

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BILL SHORTEN, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY LEADER: It is clear that Mr. Turnbull and his coalition will form a government; whether or not it's a minority government or a majority government of one or two seats, it is clear they will form a government.

WALKER (voice-over): Now Turnbull says his new government will work with the opposition party for the good of Australia. MALCOLM TURNBULL, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: I know that Mr. Shorten said earlier today that he looked forward to seeking to reach common ground and I welcome that remark. I welcome that because it is vital that this parliament works.

It is vital that we work together and, as far as we can, finds ways upon which we can all agree, consistent with our policies that we've taken to the election, consistent with our political principles that meet the great challenges Australia faces.

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WALKER: The election was held last Saturday but the voting results were too close to call.

Still to come, tensions are high along Israel's northern border 10 years after the war with Lebanon. More on the missile defense Israel says it's developed in case fighting erupts again.

Plus: a high-risk and back-breaking job that pays workers less than $15 a day.

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WALKER: CNN takes you inside an active volcano. The dangers: coming up.

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WALKER: People in South Sudan's capital are being warned to stay indoors because of heavy gunfire. Officials say nearly 150 people have been killed since Friday.

The fighting comes as the region celebrates its independence day. Authorities say the clashes broke out between supporters of the country's president and backers of the vice president. The victims include civilians and soldiers.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in 2011.

Lebanon's Hezbollah group reportedly has tens of thousands of missiles aimed at neighboring Israel. But Israel says it's developed a powerful new missile defense in case fighting breaks out along the border. CNN's Oren Liebermann has the story.

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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israel's northern border, one of the most beautiful spots in the country and one of the most tense.

Ten years after the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Hezbollah has 100,000 missiles pointed at Israel. According to Iran's Tasnime news agency. That assessment matches the Israeli militaries. The military says some of those missiles have the range to hit all of Israel if fighting begins again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We estimate that at least 1,500 missiles going to be launched to Israel every day. That's a real damage and I think that's the major threat for Israel today.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The answer to that threat is the newest development in Israel's missile defense, David's Sling. The company that designed David's Sling says it's most powerful than Iron Dome, used in the 2014 Gaza War, designed to hit bigger, faster missiles, filling a gap in Israel's security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need something that can handle that long-range stuff. And that's what this is here to do. This is going to close a window that's been gaping open for the last little while.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): We drive to the border, to the small community of Zarit (ph), made up of some 60 families. Many here raise chickens or farm. They would be in the crosshairs if fighting begins again. Across the valley in Lebanon, an observation tower overlooking the Israel-Lebanon border that villagers say went up in the last month.

LYNNE MAMAN (PH), ZARIT RESIDENT: These big buildings.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Lynne Maman (ph) moved to Zarit (ph) 50 years ago from England. Maman (ph) remembers a different time here, a different atmosphere.

MAMAN (PH): And we got along OK. They were farming their side, we were farming our side. There was no reason to be uptight about it. And but gradually things got worse and worse and as you can see now we got fences. Everywhere we go, we got fences.

But we just try to ignore it and get on with our lives.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Zarit (ph) will be one of the first villages evacuated if fighting erupts along the border. Maman describes --

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LIEBERMANN (voice-over): -- the border as a shadow. But as long as the shadow stay behind her, she says life here goes on -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, Northern Israel.

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WALKER: Well, the remnants of what was super typhoon Nepartak have forced nearly a half a million people from their homes in Southern China. The storm has led to heavy flooding and severe damage in Fujian province as you can see there.

Five airports are closed; hundreds of high-speed train trips have been canceled. Nepartak was a super typhoon when it hit Taiwan, killed three people there.

So what's left of Nepartak?

Continuing to cause a lot of problems in China.

What's going on?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That footage is incredible.

WALKER: Yes, it's so much water.

VAN DAM: Right.

WALKER: Yes.

VAN DAM: And you know what, someone else captured on their cell phone the moments when this building collapsed due to the heavy rain and flooding.

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VAN DAM (voice-over): Take a look at this, Amara. You can see wow, I mean, astounding. The picture says a million words right there. This is all thanks to what is the leftovers of super typhoon Nepartak. And you know when we're talking about almost a half a million people forced to evacuate, you know that this storm means business and it has packed quite a punch.

I mean, look at the flooding in this area, unbelievable. And if we get to my graphics, you can see some of the vehicles that were just tossed around like cars or like toys, I should say.

It only takes a half a meter of moving water to lift an entire vehicle, even an SUV, and wash it down the road just like this. Unbelievable photos, unbelievable video.

Now as the water starts to slowly recede, we got to consider the health ramifications of flooding of this magnitude. You can imagine some of the stagnant water in some of these areas of Southeast China. This is the Fujian province. You can see some of the rainfall totals.

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VAN DAM: Can I take you to the other side of the world, where from China all the way to South Africa, an area so close to my heart because used to live here for about seven years. This is the Jade Bay Open, the World Surf League. And you're looking at Mick Fanning (ph).

And if you recall, Amara, last year at this time, he had a close encounter with a great white shark --

WALKER: How could we forget?

VAN DAM: -- during the finals at this same tournament. And he's braving the waters once again.

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WALKER: Brave is the right word to go back in the same waters. Hopefully the shark doesn't remember his scent and doesn't come back.

VAN DAM: I wouldn't do that (INAUDIBLE).

WALKER: Yes, exactly. Thanks so much, Derek.

VAN DAM: You're welcome.

WALKER: All right.

Well, a group of miners in Indonesia are facing some extraordinary conditions to earn little money. Their workspace is an active volcano. CNN's Ivan Watson traveled with them for a firsthand look at the dangers they face.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The miners are working in this lunar landscape.

You ready to roll?

WATSON (voice-over): Flashlights in the gloom: on a pre-dawn hike of a volcano, the air is thick with volcanic fumes, gas masks necessary the closer we get to the heart of the volcano.

WATSON: It's an eerie steep hike down here into the crater. You can see people inching their way down and we're periodically enveloped in these great big clouds of smoke being belched up by the volcano.

WATSON (voice-over): The gas creates an incredible effect, blue flames that ripple like ghosts up the volcano walls. At the bottom of the crater, we find this: Indonesian miners, digging up the raw sulfur that builds up near vents in the volcano. You (INAUDIBLE) workers struggling to cope with the volcanic gas.

WATSON: So I'm lucky.

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WATSON: I've got a gas mask. This miner, he's just using a fabric stuffed into his mouth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No mask.

WATSON: No masks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

WATSON: Hard work then.

WATSON (voice-over): Dawn reveals we're next to a crater lake that's deeply acidic, warm to the touch.

When they gather enough sulfur, the miners load up their baskets and begin the long, backbreaking journey out of the crater.

It's an 800-meter hike out of the crater, most of it up a very steep incline. And miners like Mr. Mustadi (ph) here are carrying from 85 to 100 kilos of sulfur on their backs.

WATSON (voice-over): Hauling a man's weight in sulfur up these steep trails to earn the equivalent of just around $12 a day, excellent pay, he says, for men who would otherwise be impoverished farmers.

WATSON: This looks like one of the hardest jobs in the world.

WATSON (voice-over): This real-life superman appears to agree.

The sulfur will eventually be used to purify sugar and make soap, skin treatments and even explosives. It is the yellow harvest of a volcano. Ivan Watson, CNN, in the Egin (ph) volcano in Indonesia.

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WALKER: Some beautiful pictures there. But obviously a very dangerous job. Incredible reporting and stunning story by our Ivan Watson there.

France is geared up for the final of the Euro 2016 football championship. The home team is set to take on Portugal at the national stadium near Paris. On the Portuguese side, there is speculation this could be Cristiano Ronaldo's final chance to win a Euro final. Additional police and security are being deployed around Paris for the match and drones will be used to ensure safety at the event.

Well, you could call this animal instinct. A special bird has a prediction about the Euro 2016 final just hours away.

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WALKER (voice-over): J.R. the parrot has tapped -- there you see it -- France as the winner. On Saturday, he pointed to the French flag to indicate his pick. That might not sit well with Portugal, of course, but zookeepers in Thailand claim this parrot has a sterling track record. He supposedly picked the World Cup 2010 and 2014 winners. J.R. also correctly called the 2012 European Cup championship.

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WALKER: All right. Thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Amara Walker. Erin Burnett "OUTFRONT" is next. But first, I'll be back with your headlines. You're watching CNN.

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