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Civil War In Syria Taking International Toll; Tension Still High In Rio Pre-Olympics; Drug-Resistant Bacteria Turning Up In Hospitals. Aired 3-4a ET>

Aired August 02, 2016 - 3:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: The civil war in Syria takes an international toll as a Russian helicopter said to have been taking aid to the besieged city of Aleppo is shot down.

The opening ceremony is just a few days away, but the tension is still high in Rio as the city tries to get its Olympic house in order.

And now that the dust has settled on U.S. presidential convention season, we will tell you who is ahead in the polls just 99 days before the election.

Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.

Conditions in and around Aleppo, Syria, are increasingly desperate. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports at least 30 people were killed, including women and children during two nights of shelling by rebel forces.

Five Russians are dead after their helicopters was shot down in Syria's Idlib province. Russia says the chopper had just delivered aid to Aleppo. Meanwhile, the people trapped inside the cities are setting fires to try to keep government war planes from finding targets.

Nima Elbagir has more on the Syrian rebel's fight to break the regime siege.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The battle for Aleppo. The newly branded Jabhat Fateh, formally the Al Qaeda affiliated Nusra front are at the full front of the offensive to push back Russian and Syrian government forces from the east of the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): We're working to the open a new route into Aleppo to break the siege on our families in the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELBAGIR: The weeks' long siege has placed an even greater burden on the already suffering populous. An estimated 300 to 400,000 people. These pictures obtained by CNN over a week ago through the Syrian

American Medical Society remain one of the few rare glimpses of life in the city under siege. Men, women and children seeking refuge in hospitals already at the point of collapse.

Unimaginably, those we've spoken to inside of Aleppo say it's gotten even worse. Over the weekend, Syrian government forces backed by Russian soldiers claim to have opened humanitarian corridors, enabling civilians to flee the city, a claim Syrian activists dispute.

They say while a few families may have fled, many are too scared of the government to take the risk. Preferring the refuge of what remains of their homes. As the fight for the upper hand in Aleppo rages on around them.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

CHURCH: And Ian Lee will have the latest on the offensive in Aleppo, but first Matthew Chance joins us live from Moscow with more on how Russia is reacting to the downing of its helicopter and what its plans might be going forward.

So, Matthew, after almost a year of being a major force in this war, what exactly has Russia achieved so far? And what is it likely to do next?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you're right. It intervened in Syria; the Russians did in September of 2015, with devastating air power. I think it's fair to say that they brought to the battlefield in Syria firepower that had been unprecedented in that theater of conflict.

And that was a game changer when it came to the situation on the ground, on the battlefield. And for months previously, the Syrian government which is of course a close ally of Moscow, Bashar al-Assad, had been pushed back by various rebel groups. He had been losing territory and Damascus itself and its heartland was threatened with possibly being overrun by Jihadists and other rebel groups.

The Russian intervention stopped that in its tracks and it turned the situation around and now it's the Syrian government that's on the advance. And it's the key city of Aleppo in the north of Syria that is now the focus of much of the fighting. There's been a big government offensive of course there for many years.

The government has held some parts of the city and the rebel has held other parts. And that is a big effort under way to try and wrestle control of those rebel parts by the government back by Russian air power and back to government control.

Now, part of that strategy, it seems, by the Russians is to provide these humanitarian corridors.

[03:05:02] It says 324 people including 76 children. These are the figures given to us by the Russian Defense Ministry, took advantage of those humanitarian corridors just yesterday. But of course there are tens of thousands of people that are trapped

inside Aleppo. And for various reasons, the issues of trust issues of wanting to defend their property they're not taking advantage of this opportunity that the Russians say they're giving them to escape the city, ahead of what we can only assume will be a big onslaught against Aleppo in a final push to bring it all back under government control.

CHURCH: And of course, as you mentioned there, Russia has made it clear it wants to see president Bashar al-Assad stay in power. Is that its only claim here? Is there going to be any effort made, any obvious effort made here to target ISIS in the midst of this?

CHANCE: Well, I mean, I think to be fair to the Russians, they have been targeting ISIS. They've been targeting all groups that have been opposed to their ally, Bashar al-Assad.

And I think sometimes you get the impression that they've been purposely leaving out ISIS and only targeting the sort of western- backed rebels, I don't think that's the case. They've been targeting lot of plethora of rebel groups, including ISIS but also including some of the western-backed what the west calls moderate rebels, as sort of title designation the Russians categorically reject.

Look, I mean, the strategy for the Russians is to bolster their ally Bashar al-Assad. They see him as the main sort of fire wall against the spread of Jihadism and militant groups across Syria and across the broader region. They're protecting their own southern flank.

There's an Islamist problem in southern Russian and they don't want that problem spreading from Syria to there and igniting the long standing problems in southern Russia. So, they got real national security interests that they are pursuing in Syria.

And the Russian calculation is the best way to pursue those interests is to back Bashar al-Assad. Now, what we saw yesterday was the worst single incident since the intervention by the Russians in September last year of Russian loss of life. The downing of that helicopter, all of them according to the Defense Ministry here in Kremlin were killed.

And we saw some very gruesome images, not just of the helicopter burning, but of the bodies of those on boards being dragged out and defiled by members of the crowd who would rush to that crashed scene, that scene where the chopper was shot down.

That's going to further anger the Russians. But I mean, to make a prediction, I don't think it's going to distract them from their key objective, which is to make sure that Bashar al-Assad is the person in control of Syria in the months ahead.

CHURCH: All right. Just after 10 in the morning there in Moscow. Our Matthew Chance joining us live. I want to bring in Ian Lee now from Beirut. He has been monitoring events in Aleppo over recent days.

And, Ian, I want to remind viewers that as much as we think of Aleppo as a war zone these days, this was Syria's most popular city until the war started. It was the country's commercial hub. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, parts of which date back five millennia.

Now this is a place that was attracting thousands of international tourists only a decade ago. Is there any hope whatsoever that the heritage and the human importance of Aleppo can be salvaged in any way?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aleppo does have a rich history, Rosemary. And it's been conquered before by Arab armies, but the Romans, by the Greeks, by a range of different militaries over the centuries and it's rebuilt.

But this war is different. Because the firepower that's brought down on the city is nothing it's ever seen before. We heard from Matthew Chance just a little while ago, just before me, about the firepower the Russians have brought from the air. But they also have shelling that's taking place and this war has been dragging on for years.

And so, a lot of these areas have been completely destroyed. And so, any rebuilding will be incredibly difficult. But you what really makes a city great are the people and the people have been fleeing that -- fleeing the city, but there are also people right now in the besieged part to 200,000 to 300,000 people who are suffering and are in desperate need of humanitarian aid.

CHURCH: All right. Our Ian Lee, joining us live from Beirut. Many thanks to you.

With just three days left until the opening ceremony in Rio, the Russian Olympic team is still not set. Many Russian athletes have already been banned from these games accused of doping.

But Russia says the IOC will make its final decision on the Roster within hours.

[03:10:00] So, Russian athletes are in Rio now waiting to hear if they'll be allowed to compete. And those concerns pertain just to Russia, but they've barely even scratched the surface of all the problems still facing these Olympics.

Our Shasta Darlington joins us now from Rio with more on this. And, Shasta, so many problems plaguing the Rio games. Let's start with the Russian athletes who will find out in a matter of hours from now if they'll compete. What impact is this having on the games and, of course, the athletes?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, it's very destabilizing you can imagine when Russia, when the IOC decided not to issue a blanket ban of Russian athletes in the face of the now infamous McLaren report, they hand it down to the federation to decide.

Well, they ended up banning over 100 athletes, but there are now 250 athletes roughly here in Rio who have been eligible to compete.

And yet, a three person panel set up by the IOC has the final word. And in fact, they actually have until Friday to decide if they decide that long. That's when the games kick off. So, this really is destabilizing for those roughly 250 athletes here.

But also for many others who are in the wings. If for some reason these athletes can't compete, others are brought up in other delegations representing other countries and they would compete. So, that uncertainty can be destabilizing not only for Russia itself, but for all of the other cups and federations who have these athletes waiting in the wings.

Of course, the Russians are saying that the IOC, they expect the IOC panel to come out with that decision in coming hours. But they really do have a few days if they want them, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. And, of course, Shasta, another big problem is the water quality in the bay with some events will be held of course, and now fears of a super bacteria. What do we know about that and of course the threat it poses.

DARLINGTON: That's right, Rosemary. You know, people here in Rio have known for years that you can't splash around in or swim in the bay where the sailing competition will be held, not only because there is so much garbage floating and that's because its clogged with rust sewage. And now it looks like there's an even bigger threat.

The marvelous city stunning views and golden beaches, but you might think twice before you splash in. Lurking under Rio's waters, raw sewage and now what scientists describe as super bacteria.

Researchers at the Rio Federal University tested the city's beaches for a year and discovered high levels of the dreaded superbug. Drug resistant bacteria that have been turning up in hospitals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RENATA PICAO, RIO FEDERAL UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: We believe that through hospital sewage, it goes to the municipal sewage and it gets to the Guanabara Bay or through other rivers and it finally gets to the beach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DARLINGTON: The highest levels of super bacteria found on the shores of Guanabara Bay, the site of the Olympic sailing event.

Gold medal sailor, Fernando Echevarri says Rio has the dirtiest water he's competed in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FERNANDO ECHEVARRI, SPANISH OLYMPIC SAILOR: We have some cuts. And as long as you got the food or whatever you can easily infect yourself and that's a problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DARLINGTON: German sailor, Erik Heil, blame the bacteria infested waters for skin infection he got while training. Authorities, however, say athletes and visitors will be safe and the sailing arena has internationally acceptable levels of bacteria. According to Rio's water utility, half the homes in Rio's state are now connected to the sewage system. Up from 11 percent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course the waste water treatment plants and to care for the superbacteria because it's brand new, it's something new.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DARLINGTON: And something the water utility says it will look into further. But scientist says the superbug is also washing up on some of Rio's most touristly beaches, which already deemed too polluted (ph) to swimming by authorities a good third of the year.

This water right here isn't treated. It's supposed to be for rain runoff, but it often fills with garbage. It stinks of raw sewage and it dumps right here on the beach.

Another cloud over-shadowing Rio's troubled Olympics.

So, researchers say a lot of work still needs to be done to understand what impact these superbacteria can have on the human system if you encounter them in the open waters. But in the meantime, they say, athletes and their doctors should be aware that they're there in the water. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. Very disturbing stuff. And our Shasta Darlington joining us there from Rio. It is 4.14 in the morning. Many thanks to you, Shasta.

Well, Rio rehearse the opening ceremony to make sure everything goes smoothly on Friday.

[03:15:03] Later this hour, we will give you an inside look at how the games are coming together.

And it's been a rough few days for the Trump campaign. The latest on the controversy that has members of his own party turning against him.

Back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Donald Trump has once again fanned the flames of his feud with the Muslim parents of a fallen U.S. soldier. Khizr Khan and his wife appeared on CNN Monday and said they wanted to de-escalate the controversy.

But before the Khans even finished their interview, Trump hit back, accusing them of a vicious attack.

Jim Acosta reports. JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Ninety-nine days

until the election and its Khizr Khan, not Donald Trump, who is all over the airwaves.

KHIZR KHAN, FATHER OF HUMAYUN KHAN: And he should listen to America, what America and the world is telling about the remarks about the leg of empathy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The father of a fallen Muslim American soldier killed in Iraq Khan electrified the democratic convention, accusing Trump of Islamophobia and he hasn't led up since, demanding that the Republican Party reject its nominee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHAN: Enough is enough. Every decent republican has rebuked his behavior, yet nobody stood up and said enough. Stop it. You will not be our candidate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Trump with, who is not with one to let an attack go unanswered, is causing major heartburn inside the GOP.

[03:20:01] Tweeting back, "Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over TV doing the same. Nice."

But Trump is hearing back from Khan's wife after his comments over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: His wife, if you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say. She probably -- maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Her silence at the convention, she told CNN, was due to her grief, not her faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHAZAL KHAN, HUMAYUN KHAN'S MOTHER: I can say that my religion or my family or my culture never stop me saying whatever I want to say. Without saying a word, I had lots of love. I touched lots of heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Top republicans from leaders in Congress to Trump critics John Kasich and Lindsey Graham are also stepping forward to defend the Khan family. Senator John McCain, former POW who feel Trump's fury before released a scathing statement saying, "I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers or candidates."

ACOSTA: At two rallies in Ohio and Pennsylvania Trump avoided any further criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan. Trump did tell a local TV station he considers the couple's son a hero.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

CHURCH: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were noticeably silent on that growing controversy while on the campaign trail Monday, but they did trade barbs against each other. Trump went so far as to call Clinton the devil.

And at a rally in Omaha, Nebraska, Clinton blasted Trump for outsourcing so many jobs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hear Trump talking a big game about -- I think he says putting America first. Well, I don't know what part of America first leads him to make Trump furniture in Turkey, not Nebraska.

(APPLAUSE)

Or Trump ties in China, not Colorado. Or Trump bar wear in Slovenia, not Ohio. He says he wants to make America great again, well, he could start by actually making things in America again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And a big convention bounce in the polls for Hillary Clinton has put her back in the lead in the race for the White House. A new CNN/ORC poll shows Clinton at 52 percent, nine points ahead of republican rival Donald Trump in a head to head matchup.

The democratic convention also boosted the number of Americans who believed Clinton would take the country in the right direction.

Joining me now from Los Angeles via Skype is CNN's senior political analyst and senior editor of the Atlantic, Ron Brownstein. Thank you so much for being with us.

A lot to talk about of course. Now, Ron, in the wake of the democratic convention, Hillary Clinton is enjoying a lead over Donald Trump, that's according to a new CNN/ORC poll. But just how sustainable is this and what all do you read into those new numbers?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's also in the CBS poll and a number of online polls have all showed her really leading the read. look, this is just been such a tumultuous roller coaster of the race. I don't think anybody thinks who have seen in the last tweet.

But there is some structure being established here. And really you can see three things. One, Donald Trump is underperforming even relatively not low numbers of republicans have received among non-white voters. Mitt Romney only won 17 percent of minority voters in the U.S.

Donald Trump is polling at 12 in the new CNN poll. Second, Donald Trump is over performing among blue collar whites, whites without college education. He has a very solid lead even in the CNN poll of 60 to 34 over Hillary Clinton.

And then what I think is the key swing factor in the race, and the biggest hurdle he faces at this point is that relative to republicans going back for decades he's underperforming among those white collar whites.

No democrat in the history of polling in the U.S. it's only back to 1952 has ever won most white voters with college education presidential race. And in CNN poll Hillary Clinton is leading among them by 10.

As long as that's true that's an insurmountable obstacle for Donald Trump.

CHURCH: Wow. That's interesting. And of course, the four-day feud between Trump and Khizr Khan has drawn rebukes from Trump's own party, most notably John McCain. How damaging could this prove to be for the Trump campaign and, ultimately, the Republican Party?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Very. I mean, look, it goes without saying before. And the thing that is most different about this campaign than other campaigns is Donald Trump's underperformance, as I said, among white collar white. If you look at those voters he has two big problems with them.

Most of them say he is unqualified to be president. That's not a personal temperament and background experience. But the other is that about half of them in polls say they consider him a racist. Racially bigoted against minorities.

[03:25:05] And this kind of episode, like the fight, as you recall he had with the Mexican-American judge from Indiana in late June pokes directly at (Inaudible).

I mean, you know, the polling that came out today doesn't even really include this. I suspect these numbers among college whites will be even worse after a few days of this. And potentially what he does is tear the Republican Party as a party of racial intolerance and that's why you see so much anxiety about other republicans or elected officials about how to deal with him.

CHURCH: But, Ron, even though Clinton is enjoying this boost in support, she's still viewed at untrustworthy, isn't she, and her e- mail issue just hasn't gone away. Given what's happening in the Trump camp, wouldn't you have expected her to be further ahead than this?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I'm not sure I would have expected her that much further ahead given the underlying polarization of American politics. I mean, we can't, there are no more Ronald Reagan side or 59 percent landslide.

If she reached 53.5 in the modern world, that would be a big win. I think though, they the continued doubts among her, particularly among the same college educated white voters that I'm talking about it is why there could be more turbulence ahead in this race.

I mean, the fact is, is that she is so far ahead because she is outpolling him among the voters or also in the most deeply skeptical of her as well. And so, if the spotlight she has passed some of her vulnerabilities you could see the race tightening.

But right now, Donald Trump is facing this complex of resistance, both among non-white voters and college educated white voters not that mainly around the same issues. I think view him as unqualified and racially divisive.

And it is, and until he can break that dynamic, he is staring uphill. Whatever the polls say that he could in the moment.

CHURCH: Just very quickly, of course, it goes without saying this has been a difficult few days for the Trump campaign. His most recent blunder saying that Russian President Putin would not make a military move into Ukraine.

How damaging will this likely be for him? And how might Clinton take advantage of that mistake?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, and again, I think with Trump core supporters which is somewhere around 40 percent of the electorate. You know, what he said a few months ago isn't wrong.

I mean, don't you think that he would achieve somebody and probably not many of them will kill away because he is giving voice to a level of frustration about economic and cultural change that no one else has articulated as powerfully or has undeservingly or has been that regard to boundaries.

But when you get beyond that core, again, this is the kind of thing that causes 60 percent of college educated whites the same poll. So, they do not consider him as qualified as president and it causes Hillary Clinton to have this enormous leader in handling foreign policy on that terror, particular among the same voters.

The core problem Donald Trump faces I believe is that he's underperforming with white collar suburban white voters. And the two principle reasons are that they do meant this many of them view him as unqualified and many of them view him as racist.

And this past week between Crimea and the Khan family has exactly shown why both of those conditions are basic.

CHURCH: Ron Brownstein, always a pleasure to talk with you. Thanks so much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Hong Kong is getting back on its feet after typhoon Nida. Why the storm is weaker but still dangerous? That's next on CNN Newsroom.

An unsolved murders of a number of South African politicians have provoked outrage before crucial local election. The details and what's at stake, that's coming up.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: And a warm welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you on our top stories this hour.

People trapped inside the Syrian city of Aleppo, of setting fire to try to keep government war planes from finding targets. A fierce battle is underway between the regime and Syrian rebels trying to break the siege.

An activist group report at least 30 people were killed during two nights of rebel shelling in the city.

U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is seeing a boost in her polling numbers, a new CNN/ORC poll shows the democrat with a post- convention bounce among registered voters and she is now up nine points over her republican rival. In a two-way head to head matchup with Donald Trump, Clinton tops Trump 52 percent to 43 percent.

Southern China is on high alert for flooding as tropical storm Nida moved into the region. Nearly 200 flights have been canceled and bus, tram, and ferry routes suspended.

Nida made landfall as a typhoon in Hong Kong early Tuesday with winds topping 143 kilometers or about 90 miles per hour. No major damage was reported.

All right. Our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now for more on typhoon Nida ask what was left behind and what is ahead here.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Do you know, it has weakened significantly. That's the good news with this storm system. But for the first time since 2009, Rosemary, we had this storm within 40 kilometers of Hong Kong. And you think about Hong Kong, the cities to its north, the River Delta, 54 million people live here.

So, in the United States, you would take the top three major city metros, say like, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, you put them together that's how close they've got to a population this large.

So, they got a lot of people on alert with this storm system, but you look at the satellite presentation with it. The winds will weaken to about 70 kilometers per hour. Why its spread storm is now standing out.

So, we don't have that symmetrical organization with the storm, some strong storms have popped up over the golf of Tomkins. This line of active weather just west of portions of Luzon, that's the next line I think it will eventually push in towards Hong Kong. Some very heavy rainfall possible as it gets there some time later this evening into the early morning hours of say, Wednesday. And that's something we'll watch over the next 24 to 36 hours.

There's the center of circulation. There's Guangdong province. That's Guangxi province. So, it's now crossing from one area to another as it's pushing away from Hong Kong in particular. And at one point, we had a level 8 signal issued. That in fact, we've had one every single year since 2011.

So, that's your average, about one per year. And Li Falkan (Ph) comes in the top tier of storms, that is top three when it comes to the impact potential with the storm. It has now been downgraded to a signal three or a level three. Meaning the winds are about 40 to 60 kilometers per hour sustained.

And again, when you work your way towards this area, officials say stay away from the short line. You could still see some rough seas out there, still could see some isolated storms begin to pop up, but the storm will work its way into the record books over the next couple of days and that will be that with what is left of Nida.

[03:35:07] But I want to show you the climatological norm. Because you notice that second spike right there for the month of August? This is in fact is among the wettest times of the year mainly because of tropical storm activity this time of year.

And the forecast still puts the highest number of rainfall right over this region of Hong Kong over the next 24 to 48 hours. So we still could see some flooding concerns over this region. If you compare what their averages for August, about 430 millimeters.

Here is what has occurred in the last 24 hours, we can get almost the same amount or so over the next 24 to 36 hours. But this rainfall working its way towards this region.

The population density has indicated here, anytime you see the deep reds and oranges, that's where the highest population presides. And again, Rosemary, every single tropical storm I tell people we get mesmerized by wind speed and how strong that signalizes storm to be.

But 90 percent of fatalities from tropical cyclones come from the water aspect of it.

CHURCH: Yes.

JAVAHERI: Rainfall, flash flooding, and storm surge, the winds are all done with now the water not over yet.

CHURCH: Yes. Water is a problem in many weather situations, isn't it?

JAVAHERI: Right.

CHURCH: Many thanks, Pedram, for pointing all of that out. I appreciate it. Well, investigators in Texas say the pilot of that hot air balloon

that crashed killing all 16 people on board was probably trying to land. The balloon apparently hit power lines leading to the crash.

CNN's Gary Tuchman went up in a hot air balloon to see how they work.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's hardly a new thrill. Hot air balloons have been around for 233 years. But how these balloons actually fly is not widely known.

We're off.

So, here in Maryland, 36-year veteran balloon pilot, Mike Gerrard is showing us how it's done. I don't feel any wind.

MIKE GERRARD, BALLOON PILOT: Yes, we are a few hundred feet in the air. You don't feel any wind because the balloon will always go the same speed as the wind it's in.

TUCHMAN: Which leads to this question. How does it stay in the air?

GERRARD: Well, we are staying in the air because what we've done is heat the air inside and make it less dense. By making it less dense, we have become buoyant.

TUCHMAN: So, that fire heats the air?

GERRARD: Heats the air, expands it, OK. And as it expands it it forces it out of the mouth of the balloon, making the balloon lighter than air which is why the aircraft categories call that lighter than air.

TUCHMAN: And just like an airplane or helicopter, a hot air balloon has redundancies to cope with most emergencies.

GERRARD: What we have here are the equivalent of four engines. I have two separate fuel sources, two separate main blast valves and a bypass valve. So, any one of the four will allow the aircraft to fly.

TUCHMAN: Right now our altitude is about 1,000 feet. That's typical for a tourist trip. Our pilot tells us he's been up to 11,000 feet in this balloon before. Once you get to about 14,000 feet that's when you need extra. So how does it land?

GERRARD: I can do one of two things. I cannot put heat in and the balloon will cool off naturally and come down. And then you can tap the brakes, if you will, by just putting a little bit of heat in to slow it down.

Or this line right here goes to a vent all the way in the top of the balloon. And by opening and actuating the vent, I can damp hot air around and initiated the descent.

TUCHMAN: This grassy field over here is where we are going to shoot our landing approach near the out of the yard right here. What's the main danger when landing? GERRARD: Power lines.

TUCHMAN: Power lines?

GERRARD: Power lines and obstacles. So, what we are doing now is we're coming in, and you feel the wind in your face. We're going to drop down in this yard here. This is a yard where we have prior permission.

TUCHMAN: So you are always looking out for the power lines. Nothing worse.

GERRARD: Nothing worse. There is nothing worse. You gentlemen want to hold on to an upright. We will slide in here on this grass. Five tons of energy. And there you have it.

TUCHMAN: Nice job.

GERRARD: And you're home.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Bel-Air, Maryland.

CHURCH: We'll take a short break here. But still to come, if you've ever gotten an e-mail from a Nigerian prince promising you money, listen up. Authorities have busted a global e-mail scam that netted millions. We will see with who is behind it, that's next.

A series of unsolved murders in South Africa cast a shadow over local elections that could change the country's politics. The details next in a live report.

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: On Wednesday, South African voters will cast ballots in local elections that could reshape the country's politics. Their vote will be a crucial test of support for the ruling African National Congress.

But in one part of South Africa, the lead up to Election Day has been marched by a series of unsolved murders.

Our David MCKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg with the details on this. So, David, what are authorities saying about these murders and what link may they have to the elections?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the suspicion is, Rosemary, that they have a very strong link to the election because more than a dozen of these politicians have been killed, many of them seemingly in professional hits.

Particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, the province which is a stronghold of the ruling ANC. Many people are saying this is casting a dark shadow over this election.

They're celebrating the life of their comrade. Khanyisile Ngobesi- Sibisi was an up and coming politician of the ANC. But her family is convinced that someone in this whole ordered her murder, leaving behind five children, gunned down right before a critical national election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just following it behind. Not even a minute later, I heard the first gunshot. Not knowing that's my mother had been shot. Then I heard the second gunshot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: She was driving down this road to deliver blankets for a charity event on Mandela Day when witnesses says a gunman pulled up alongside and shot her eight times in broad daylight.

This field is a lot like a professional hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After realizing that it was my mother, I kind of feeling that feeling that I was having, I was panicking, shocked. I was shocked by disbelief. I couldn't believe that my mother has been shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Her election posters still hang on the road where she was murdered. In recent months, more than a dozen ANC politicians have been killed in suspicious circumstances in this province alone.

Former investigators of South Africa's Police told CNN ANC members could be killing rivals to access government positions which can mean access to corrupt wealth.

[03:44:57] It seems like the ANC is tearing itself apart before this election end to this province.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIHLE ZIKALALA, ANC PROVINCIAL CHAIRPERSON: We would not want to see that's in terms of whether it is fake or not. There must be serious investigation. We must know why there is no prosecution on these issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: He blames competing ANC factions in the country with such an awful history of violence. Killings like this in a democratic South Africa are a dark reminder of a bloody past.

Well, many analysts say that the local levels of government here in South Africa are notoriously corrupt. And it seems now that there are people willing to kill to get into those low level positions and perhaps access that corrupt wealth. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our David McKenzie reporting there from Johannesburg at 9.45 in the morning. I appreciate that report.

Well, authorities in Nigeria have arrested the alleged mastermind of a global scam that swindled people and companies out of $60 million.

Interpol says the man, named Mike, ran an international network that hacked business e-mails accounts to steal money. One victim was conned into paying more than $15 million.

CNN's Stephanie Busari joins us now live from Lagos in Nigeria with the details. So, Stephanie, what more are we learning about just how the mastermind behind this scam was actually captured.

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, it was a joint operation between Interpol and the Nigerian anti-Fraud Agency known as the EFCC. And it appears that Interpol have been on the trail of this guy, known as Mike, for a while.

And one of his fraudulent activities triggered them to a location in Nigeria. And the EFCC have said that they were called by Interpol to help them try to locate this man. And he was eventually traced to a location in Port Harcourt in Southeastern Nigeria.

CHURCH: That's extraordinary. And what will likely happen to Mike, the mastermind of this scam, and what more do we know about him?

BUSARI: So, very few details have been released about him right now. And this actually -- the arrest actually happened in June and Interpol just decided to release this information now.

Mike is currently out on bail with an accomplice while they piece together what appear to be a very sophisticated global operation that involved multiple scams such as hacking into businesses, computers, another type of fraud known as COO fraud, where the account of a high level company executives was accessed and they got them to e-mail another employee within the company and got them to wire transfer money into an account that they controlled.

And they also participated in so-called love scams whereby unsuspecting lonely hearts online were targeted by this process. So, it really was quite a comprehensive kind of network called a fraudsters who targeted different individuals.

So, they are trying to piece together all these individuals. They're saying that there's up to 40 people that were working with Mike and his accomplices in countries such as Malaysia, South Africa, and in Nigeria. So, it really is an international ring that they're dealing with here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: It is certainly a scam that has touched many of us across the globe in some way or other, whether it be ourselves or a relative. And Stephanie Busari, joining us there from Lagos in Nigeria. I appreciate that.

Well, Rio is preparing for a huge crowd of the Olympics. And we will help you prepare for Rio. That still to come. Stay with us.

[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JAVAHERI: A lot of weather going on across the United States to tell you about. I'm meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for CNN Weather Watch.

Look at this, across the southeastern United States, convective thunderstorms all over the place. Across the southwestern United States monsoonal thunderstorms all over the place.

And of course there's a frontal boundary going right between the area right there producing some thunderstorms also along in the Midwestern and the Central States of the U.S. So, that's where we're watching carefully.

Again, some of these storms have caused flash flooding both across the southeastern and southwestern United States in the past 24 or so hours. And it could get some beneficial rainfall out of this parts of the Mojave Desert where it happened some moisture of course.

There has been a fire concerning in recent weeks across that region so that will help across some of these areas. But notice the temperatures are going to stay rather toasty.

Vancouver, B.C., some unusual storms out there but around 20 degrees. Well, Denver makes it up to about 33. And plenty of heat in the works in the next coming couple of days around the northern tier of the United States.

So, if your travel plans taking farther to the south, around Guatemala City, expect a 23-degree this afternoon. You could see some of this isolated storms pop up Kingston, a very wet perspective across this region. A tropical disturbance in the world across this area.

Windy conditions also with wet weather in the forecast there. El Salvador looking at some showers, Rio getting in on the action here, as well. Mainly going to be into the evening hours. Temperatures into the mid-20s. And we'll leave you with the conditions to the south.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Now, when you're visiting a new city, it's tough to see and do everything of course. And that becomes especially true when you're in that city for the Olympics.

Our Rosa Flores went and found all the cops in the spots so you don't have to.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So you get to Rio for the Olympics and then what do you do? Let CNN do the work for you. I just got here and I'm asking locals about must-dos and must-don'ts during Rio 2016.

So, I'm going to start here with my taxi driver, Carlos. Thank you, Carlos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're welcome. And you can go to the Chinese views a very beautiful place.

FLORES: So, how close are we? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll take this street and then we will have to

climb the mountain.

FLORES: What would you recommend? You moved here 21 years ago?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Well, there's just so much. There's -- the music is probably the most important thing, you know?

FLORES: When you're out and about in Rio, you're going to want a snack. So, (Inaudible) here, our friend tells us he has three favorites starting with (Inaudible). Imagine that inside of a recess without the chocolate. And then banana, made out of bananas. And finally, (Inaudible) peanuts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to Rio.

FLORES: Rio is always dress to impress. It always looks beautiful everywhere you go. But that doesn't mean that if you come to Rio for the Olympics, you should bring your diamonds or your Rolex, right? It's just not safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's not. You shouldn't wear any chains around your neck even if it's not real gold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can see the sugar loo and we can see the sea.

FLORES: The sea, the beaches.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Very beautiful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get a Brazilian to go with you.

[03:54:59] FLORES: Pretty Ghaza (Ph). Now here is my personal favorite. At the end of the day, order Caipirinha which is the national drink and just take in the beach and the view.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: There you go. Some great tips there. Thanks to our Rosa Flores for that report.

And the investment bank Goldman Sachs predicts the U.S. will earn the most gold medals in Rio. They have the Americans winning 45, with China close behind at 36. After them will be Great Britain, according to them, coming in at 23.

That would push Russia and its sporting gold to fourth in total medals after finishing third in London. And finally, host nation Brazil is aiming for a top 10 finish in the medal count, but economists have them falling just short with five gold medals and 22 total, good for 12th place.

Of course, they are all predictions. We will have to see. And if you're in Rio, we want to know about your experience in the city. What's like to be there right now and what are you doing for fun. When you post photos on social media has tag them CNN Rio and you just might see them on our air.

And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with any time on Twitter @rosemarycnn. And stay tuned for more news next with Max Foster in London.

You have a great day.

[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)