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U.S. Swimmers Pulled Off Flight Home; Questions Raised About U.S. Swimmers' Account Of Robbery; Security Concerns Still Impacting Games; Young Survivor Becomes Face Of Battle For Aleppo; U.N. Calls For 48-Hour Pause In Aleppo Flight; Trump Revamps Staff In Bid To Boost Poll Numbers; Baby Born On Board Flight From Dubai To Manila; Philippines Drug War Sparks Outrage And Fear; Human Rights Group Alarmed At Drug Crackdown; Three Police Officers Killed In Turkey Blast; World's Largest Aircraft Completes First Flight; Brexit Means Bargains For U.S. Tourists; North Korea Toasts Its "Expensive" Beer
Aired August 18, 2016 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead at the "International Desk" the striking image of a boy pulled from the rubble reminds us of the horrors of the war
in Syria. Also, is there legal trouble for some American swimmers in Rio? And a baby born mid flight racks up frequent flyer miles.
Hi, everyone, welcome, I'm Robyn Curnow at the CNN center. And we start with controversy and important the confusion in Rio after two U.S. athletes
were told they could not leave Brazil. Now, a judge wants them, and other medal-winning swimmers to answer questions about the alleged robbery.
Authorities are asking why their stories just don't match up. Nick Paton Walsh has more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: American swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz are pulled out their plane and ordered not to leave Rio. The
Olympic duo detained after a Brazilian judge ordered them to get official statements because of discrepancies in their claims that they were robbed
at gunpoint on Sunday night along with teammates James Feigen and 12-time medalist Ryan Lochte. Just hours after the alleged incident, Lochte told
NBC news.
RYAN LOCHTE, U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMER: They told the other swimmers to get down on the ground, they got down on the ground. I refused. I was like,
"We didn't do anything wrong, so I'm not getting down on the ground." And the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he
said, "Get down" and I was like, I put my hands up, I was like, whatever. He took our money, he took my wallet.
WALSH: Lochte is now back in to U.S. unlike his teammates now conceding to NBC last night that his initial statement was a traumatic
mischaracterization of what happened. This surveillance video obtained by the "Daily Mail" shows the swimmers returning to the Olympic village just
before 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. The judge says it shows them seemingly unshaken and joking around after the alleged robbery.
Lochte's lawyer tells CNN, "That video shows me nothing. It shows guys coming home at 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning and shows me they're happy that
they're alive."
Among the inconsistencies the judge says Lochte told police there was one robber while Feigen says there were more. Brazilian police are now asking
their taxi driver to come forward to verify their claims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: That was Nick Paton Walsh there reporting. Shasta Darlington joins me now from Rio.
Hi there, Shasta. Any updates on this?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Robyn, what we know is when Conger and Bentz were pulled off that plane, they were actually camped in
the airport for a couple of hours, then they moved to a hotel near the airport. And according to authorities they're going to provide more
testimony later today.
And one of the big discrepancies here is really that time period between around 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. What the judge has said, the Brazilian
judge said that the swimmers said they left the French house at the end of a party around 4:45 a.m. We know that that surveillance video show -- has
them showing up at the Olympic village around 6:00 a.m. or 7:00 a.m., rather, slightly before. But what the head of the tourist police has now
said that they couldn't even leave the French house until a good hour later.
So, what they want to find out is where were they and what really happened in that time period. They're hoping they can nail down that by talking to
the three American swimmers still left in Brazil sometime today, Robyn.
CURNOW: Certainly, the whole story rather bizarre. What isn't so unusual is the issue of crime in Rio. You were reporting it way before this
Olympics even started. Tell us what also just been reported from team G.B.
DARLINGTON: That's right, Robyn. I mean, part of the reason this wasn't maybe questioned more vehemently initially is because there has been a
crime wave. We saw athletes being targeted in the lead up to the Olympics. We talked to a Spanish sailor who had been robbed at gunpoint and people
who have been pick pocketed even mugged during the Olympics. So it didn't come as that big of a surprise.
And now, we've just heard from team G.B. that an unnamed athlete on their team was robbed on his or her way back to the Olympic village. They have
not provided any details and they have not confirmed reports that the robbery was at gunpoint. But this is a city that has a historical problem
with crime, especially right up before the Olympics. And the hope was, with the 85,000 police and soldiers even firefighters that have been
brought in from around the country, they could really reign the scene and keep it under control.
[10:05:03] We obviously hope to know later in the day whether or not the story involving Ryan Lochte and the other swimmers, how that really played
out, whether there was a robbery involved and what kind of robbery it really was. But again, the crime is and has been a problem here in Rio,
Robyn.
CURNOW: Yeah, and indeed some teams are being warned to stay inside the Olympic village or at least be very, very careful when they leave.
Shasta Darlington, as always thanks so much coming to us there from Rio.
And of course, we'll have much more from Rio in about 10 minutes time including sprinter Usain Bolt, moving a little step closer to a second gold
medal and his quest for his historic triple-triple.
Well now we want to put a face on the carnage in eastern Aleppo. The U.N. Special Envoy to Syria is calling for 48-hour pause in the fighting there.
And now, the devastation from an air strike comes the images of this young boy, Omran, pulled from the rubble to become a symbol of the deadly dangers
for civilians in the crossfire. Nima Elbagir joins us from London with more.
Hi there, Nima. I mean so many people have been killed. So many people been injured in this conflict. But really, this face really does tell us
so much.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's almost as if that moment of unexpected silence from this tiny little boy, this 5-
year-old boy pulled in to focus this suffering of all the hundreds of thousands of people who live this as a daily reality. We spoke to one of
the activists who was there, who actually helped pull Omran out to the rubble and he said it took nearly an hour.
So what you see there is a child who has been trapped in the dark, on his own, in what remains as his home for nearly an hour. And in that moment
that we see him, Omran didn't actually know whether the rest of his family had survived, and while, of course, he is extraordinarily traumatized. And
that really is illuminated in that second when you see him looking at his hand as he sees the blood on it and yet doesn't react.
But there is also a truth here that Omran is as old as this Syrian conflict itself. And those we speak to tell us that the children almost are so
accustomed to this, that that impulsivity is born out of just the necessity of survival in somewhere like Aleppo today.
And those activists that you saw in those -- in that footage, those neighbors and activists and rescue workers who rallied to pull Omran and
his family out of the rubble, they were taking a huge risk themselves because so often eyewitnesses tell us that the same planes that carried out
the strike come again and carry out what they called double tap strikes. So they were taking -- they were extraordinarily brave, Robyn.
CURNOW: So many brave people, such a brave little boy as well. This two- day pause in fighting that's been suggested, I mean, how likely is that? What kind of difference would it make?
ELBAGIR: Well that definitely seems to be a sense that the U.N. wants to capitalize on this moment, on this image that has reverberated around the
world. And Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy to Syria has made that very clear, that Omran is one of thousand, his one of hundreds of thousands.
And the three-hour ceasefire that Russia suggested moved it a few days ago is less than pointless. This is what the U.N. needs to practically make a
difference, make a small difference, not even a substantial difference, in the life of people trapped in Aleppo. That he says it's been a month,
Robyn, since humanitarian aid got into those people in Aleppo.
In the hospitals, the ambulance workers, the homes, they're running out of everything you can think of, fuel, clean water, food. This is now a moment
that the U.N. hopes it can seize. It remains to be seen whether that is indeed what this moment will become, Robyn.
CURNOW: OK. Thanks so much. Nima Elbagir reporting there for us.
Well turning now to the U.S. presidential election. A sharp decline in the polls for Republican candidate Donald Trump has led to his second staff
overhaul in less than three months. New campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway told CNN what could change going forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: So, I think we're going to sharpen the message and we're going to make sure Donald Trump is
comfortable about being in his own skin. That he doesn't lose that authenticity that you simply can't buy and a pollster can't give you. And
voters know if you're comfortable in your own skin. And let him be him in this sense.
He wants to deliver a speech, if he wants to go to a rally, if he wants to connect with the crowd in a way that's very spontaneous, that's wonderful.
And that's how he got here. That's how he became the nominee in large part, Alisyn. But at the same time, we have some really serious pressing
problems in this county that I'm hoping will start to be addressed more by the media. He's going to give these policy speeches.
[10:10:03] CURNOW: Well Trump's recent decline in key polls is not a matter of debate, yet this factor is met with a contentious response from
Michael Cohen, special counsel to the Trump organization. Take a listen to the exchange he had with CNN's Brianna Keilar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: So you say it's not a shake up, but you guys are down, and it makes sense that there .
MICHAEL COHEN, TRUMP ORGANIZATION SPECIAL COUNSEL: Says who?
KEILAR: Polls, most of them, all of them?
COHEN: Says who?
KEILAR: Polls, I just told you, I answered your question.
COHEN: OK, which polls?
KEILAR: All of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Let's discuss all of this with CNN Politics Senior Correspondent Chris Moody, joining us from Washington.
Besides the comedic factor in that and, you know, some serious questions, is the campaign, the Trump campaign, in a state of denial or are the polls
wrong?
CHRIS MOODY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think despite that very strange and memorable moment that I think will be playing back
for years to come, no, I don't think the campaign is in denial. And I think you can look at the shake up they had in the past couple of days as
evidence of that bringing in new blood, trying something fresh and new, and we'll see how that actually plays out.
They've been saying for months that there will be a pivot. That you'll see a new Trump general election era Trump that may be is perhaps different
from the primary Trump and that he will take that to victory. But every time we think he's heading in that direction, he heads back the other way.
We'll have to see what happens with this new team.
One very strange thing we saw this morning was a cryptic tweet where Trump said nothing more than something to the extent of, in a few months "They
will call me Mr. Brexit". And of course, viewers here know what Brexit was. No one really knows what he meant, whether that means he's dropping
out of the race, which I do not think is likely, or he means that he will surprise everybody in the polls with victory as Brexit did. But we have to
stay tuned and find out what he really meant.
CURNOW: Yeah, also let's talk about who means what and what exactly is going on in terms of this message, this new message. We heard Kellyanne
Conway saying that, you know, she still wants that pre-packaged impromptu Mr. Trump to address real policy issues. On the other hand, we're hearing
the sort of scorched earth primary persona or his essential authentic self. Do those go hand in hand, which Trump will it be?
MOODY: I wish I had an answer to that specific question. We'll have to wait and see. But what we have seen from Trump, this is not someone who
can be packaged and presented to the voters in a way a consultant wants to. He is going to break free from that package, from those bonds if there's
any put on him.
But the problem is that that messaging worked really well in the primary, when he was only speaking to a small minority of Republican and largely
Conservative voters, where his message was really resonating. He also had, let's say 16 other candidates that were taking attention away as well that
he had to vanquish.
But now it's one-on-one and he can't just get 30 percent to 40 percent and he's not just talking to Conservative. He needs to get more than 50
percent here. And also, he needs to broaden the message to Democrats, to independents. And as far, he just has not shown that he's capable of doing
that. That he is still speaking to the base who will vote for him no matter what.
CURNOW: Yeah, I mean, and many who say that he's taking this campaign on many fronts, that he's not only running against Hillary Clinton, he's
running against other Republicans, he's running against the media, we'll see how that plays out. But let's just all talk about the Republican
issue. I mean, in many ways this new campaign reset, whatever you want to call it, appears in many ways, this to be a cancellation of the party unity
that was that was attempted.
We've not heard from establishment Republicans since this announcement. If Mr. Trump goes down in flames, are we going to see leading Republicans
disavowing him and even (inaudible) between candidate and party here?
MOODY: Well, the -- in the days running up to this new shake up in the campaign, we did see a number of lawmakers and prominent Republicans
fleeing away from Donald Trump, especially ones that are facing a tough re- election in November. He is facing a tough issue here where he needs to unite this party. But I feel like, now he needs to try to bring in other
people beyond the Republicans in order to make up for it.
Only about 80 percent of Republicans polled, and this is not the top, high profile -- this is just the regular voters, only about 80 percent say
they're planning to support him. That is a major gap that he's going to have to make up. In the meantime, he also needs to try to find a way to
bring in leaders to try to come together around him. But he, and the Republican National Committee are just not succeeding at that right now.
CURNOW: Chris Moody, as always, thank you very much for joining us here with the ideas. Lots to talk about. Thank you.
MOODY: Thank you.
CURNOW: Well, wildfires are a constant source of worry in drought-stricken California right now, especially after a huge flare-up in Los Angeles this
week. Officials say the fire they're battling now is nothing like they've seen before. The devastation there.
[01:15:05] Plus, a Cebu Pacific Airline crew is all smiles after a baby girl was born on-board. Stay with us with that story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: There we go. Back to the Olympics in Rio. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is looking to win more gold and move a step closer to history.
Amanda Davies joins me from Rio.
So, what are fans looking for from Bolt today?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT REPORTER: Robyn, the fans are getting excited actually because Bolt, after his semifinals, says he feel he's
definitely on for a world record in some ways to go from the time in his semifinal, 19.78, but that is his fastest time of the year in the 200
meters so far. He said to me last week, he wants to break the 19-second barrier.
People were questioning that really, because of the injury that he suffered that we saw him miss the Jamaican trials earlier this year, the hamstring
problem. But he did look impressive. He may be toying with us because you saw him slow down and essentially have a bit of a laugh and a joke with
Canada's Andre De Grasse in the final, few meters of that semifinal last night. He'll also be buoyed by the fact that Justin Gatlin and Yohan Blake
won't be in this evening's final.
So, great excitement about that. And Bolt will actually be buoyed by the fact that his country women Elaine Thompson has already completed the
double. She followed up her 100-meter success with victory in the 200- meter last night. She said she just let her light shine through. It was Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands who was actually the favorite, but
Thompson emerging victorious. And she said herself she'd outdone herself because she'd been struggling with some injuries.
So we're looking set for not only Usain Bolt's triple gold medal winning whole here in Rio, but Elaine Thompson also on for the same achievement
with the relay, still to come for the women.
CURNOW: And also, all eyes on the home team, Brazil's footballers one match away from gold.
DAVIES: One match away. What a match it is set to be, Robyn, Brazil versus Germany take two. Of course, there was that humiliating semifinal
defeat in the World Cup two years ago, where the hopes of the host nation were destroyed with that 7-1 stumping. But Brazil's 6-0 victory over
Honduras in the Olympics football semi final last night has meant that people here have started to believe.
[01:20:02] This time Neymar, their star man, will be playing. This time it's the final here at the Maracana. And this time they hope it will be a
victory that sees them win that first Olympic football gold medal after three final defeat so far.
CURNOW: Starting highlights today, Amanda Davies in Rio, thank you.
Well, firefighters in Southern California, more than 1,000 of them are trying to save as many structures as they can, battling an enormous
wildfire like nothing they've seen before. It's been burning for 48 hours now.
These are pictures from just a short time ago. Firefighters say that dead trees and underbrush from a long standing drought are fueling the fire
making their jobs dangerous and difficult.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BARLEY, CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION: This is a challenging year. One of the things that we're seeing is that the fires
are burning in really unprecedented fashion. It's to the point were explosive fire growth is the new normal this year. And that's the
challenging for all of us to take on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Well, CNN's Paul Vercammen joins us now from the fire zone.
What's it like there? I know yesterday it was zero contained. What kind of headway has been made?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they have made some headway, Robyn. They're saying now that this is 4 percent contained. And while
that may not seen like a lot, they now say that the total number of acres burned 31,000 and it was rushing down to 25,000 at one point, now back up.
But certainly, not the advance that we saw in the first 24 hours where it seem to go from 5 acres to 20,000 in a snap of a finger. And they said
those conditions where so unusual, the wind is so erratic that it seemed more like the fall fire season in California, where those Santa Ana winds
whipped through and make it exceedingly dangerous.
As you look over here in my shoulder, you can see the fire is burning downhill on one of the many flanks where it's burning, and it's not as
intense as it was as we said earlier. But nonetheless, these are very steep canyons, you can imagine, difficult for the firefighters to get up in
there and I imagine in a little while, we'll start to get the helicopters coming and dropping buckets of water on this place.
But, as you pointed out, drought, five years of drought in California, a lot of trees dried out, makes it very difficult to keep a fire like this
under control. They were certainly challenged throughout the last 48 hours, Robyn.
CURNOW: Challenge. And I understand also, it was just so fast, it moved so quickly, this fire. I mean, give us some understanding of what people
did, how they scrambled to get to safety.
VERCAMMEN: Well, some scrambled to get to safety, and then some didn't scramble at all. And that's been a frustration for the firefighters. As
you pointed out, an extremely rapid advance, firefighters say something that they haven't really seen, it go from, we said from 5 acres to 20,000
acres in a snap of a finger. And, they said that they had 80,000 mandatory evacuations, but just talking to a firefighter, a short time ago, they said
that they think only 40,000 people evacuated.
That complicated the fire fight. Because as they started to realize they needed to get out, you had situations where people were leaving their homes
on a two-lane road while fire crews were bringing all these large heavy equipment on the other end of the two-lane roads. So, it was some tense
moments there, Robyn.
CURNOW: Yeah, and not easy for everyone. Thanks so much, Paul Vercammen there coming to us from San Bernardino County. Thank you.
Well now, everyone likes airline perks. How about a million free miles for being born on a plane? It happened aboard a Cebu Pacific flight from Dubai
to Manila. Pretty amazing but how often does this happen? Well CNN Aviation Analyst Mary Schiavo joins us from Charleston South Carolina.
We kind of want to say "Mazel tov" to that mom. But, how common is this birth on board?
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, actually it's fortunately rare, but it happens about every couple of years. There've been a rare few,
rather, famous cases in the U.S. including one flight that was coming in to Washington D.C., the nation's capital, to Dallas Airport and the baby born
on the plane was name Dallas. So, it does happen and that's why airlines have guidelines.
Most airlines say you shouldn't fly after your 34th to maybe your 38th week of pregnancy, but there is no law that prevents you from doing that. And
so, they say that the airline, at its discretion, can keep you off the plane unless you have a doctor's order or a doctor's note saying it's OK
and you'll be fine to fly.
CURNOW: And we're pulling up a picture. I think this is from the Facebook page of the mom. She gave birth and went back to her seat there with her
baby. Apparently, the little thing one was five weeks early, so everyone was surprised, no doubt the flight attendants too. I understand there were
some nurses on this flight, luckily.
Are flight attendants trained for this as well?
SCHIAVO: Well, flight attendants are trained in first aid and they're really pretty good. But what often happens is just like happened here,
there's an EMT or nurses or sometimes a doctor on board luckily and ones that have happened, you know, with good outcomes.
[01:25:06] There have been emergency technicians on board. And one on- board delivery, they used a straw from a juice box to clear the babies lungs. And they use shoe strings from somebody's new pair of shoes to tie
the umbilical cord. So, usually there's someone on-board trained. And if nothing else, there's usually some mothers on-board who have been through
it themselves.
So, fortunately, the flight attendants, with the help of those on-board have done it before. And fortunately, for this mom and baby did it again.
CURNOW: Yeah, I mean that feels good to see. That was a Facebook post from someone else, not the mother. Clearly, she was busy doing other
things there.
SCHIAVO: Right.
CURNOW: What does this mean for the baby's passport or your place of birth? I know there's been some wonderful anecdotes about, you know, where
exactly, you know, what nation you belong to?
SCHIAVO: Well, technically, because you're born literally in no country's borders, in international waters, but you will take the residency of the
place of your mother. Or technically, you could if you really wanted to, would be the place where the plane took off from or the place where the
plane was landing. And you could ask for in either place. But here, in this case, because there are treaties that govern what happens in
international waters and where something is deemed to occur but most likely the citizenship of the mother.
CURNOW: So, I mean, I'm interested to know, I mean, you guys say there's no laws against pregnant woman flying very late into term. It's a matter
of discretion here?
SCHIAVO: Well, that's right. Now, airlines, and they're all different, some say not after the 38th week, some say not within week seven days of
your due date, some say not after week 34. And from personal experience, I was set to get on a plane and at six months, it happened to me the next day
I would have been like this poor mother.
So you never know it can come very early, very late as every mother knows. But, the airlines leave it up to the passenger and it's an honor system if
they see a woman boarding a plane who's obviously in an advanced stage of pregnancy, they do make her prove anything or they might ask for a doctor's
note. And, it's wise to have one because the airline can, in its own discretion keep you off. So, it's good to have a doctor's note
particularly in that last trimester.
CURNOW: Yeah, Mary Schiavo, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
SCHIAVO: Thank you.
CURNOW: Well, stay with us. We'll have much more of the "International Desk" after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:18] CURNOW: Welcome to the "International Desk". Thanks for joining me, I'm Robyn Curnow. Here's a check of the headlines.
Two American swimmers were pulled off a plane in Rio in order to remain in Brazil to give statements to police about an alleged robbery. U.S. Olympic
officials says four swimmers reported they're robbed at gunpoint early Sunday. Officials in Brazil say there are inconsistencies in their
account. One of the swimmers, Ryan Lochte, is back in the United States.
A heart breaking scene from war-torn eastern Aleppo. This little boy, Omran was pulled from the rubble of an air strike on Wednesday. Now, he's
seen as a symbol of the deadly dangers for civilians in a crossfire. The U.N. Special Envoy to Syria is calling for 48-hour pause in the fighting in
Aleppo.
A wildfire burning through power lines and many other structures in Southern California is now 84 percent contained. It began two days ago
outside Los Angeles and quickly moved into a huge unpredictable inferno. Dead trees and underbrush are fueling the fire. Officials say they have no
idea how many structures and homes have been burned.
Well, Philippines' new president is cracking down on the illegal drug trade, and it's producing results of a thousands of arrest in raids, but
also, hundreds of deaths and plenty of criticism.
Well, our Ivan Watson is in Manila. You have been reporting on this, hi there, Ivan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Robyn. And that's right, it is a pretty unprecedented campaign as the chief of police
here in the Philippines have said to try to set the goal of wiping out illegal drugs completely from this country. There are more than 1.3
million drug users believed to be here, according to the drug agency here out of a population of more than 100 million.
The chief drug that people are using is methamphetamines or as it's known here, it's shabu. But there are some real questions about how lethal this
war on drugs is. And I have to warn viewers, the upcoming report has some very graphic images so you may want to turn away if you don't want to see
them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: This is part of the new war on drugs in the Philippines. Police send a local government official going house to house, calling out
residents by name.
The authorities call these operations knock and plead. They go door to door inviting suspected drug users and dealers to voluntarily surrender
themselves to the authorities. And so far we haven't seen anybody turn down the invitation.
Police lead suspect back to town hall. Here, urine tests, fingerprints, and mug shots looking awful lot like procedures for an arrest, until the
new arrivals are instructed to take this oath.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I voluntarily surrendered to the police and government authorities that I am an illegal drug user.
WATSON: More than half a million Filipinos have turned themselves in this way in just seven weeks, says the country's brand new national police
chief. With no evidence, arrest warrant or trial, many of them will just end up on a watch list.
GEN. RONALDO DELA ROSA, PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF: We have zero tolerance for drugs. So as much as possible we want to be -- to have a
drugless society.
WATSON: Is that realistic?
DELA ROSA: No, it cannot be achieved.
WATSON: The country's largest government-run drug rehabilitation center is crowded and overwhelmed says the head doctor. He says he's seen a sudden
surge in new patients.
Thirty new patients today and are they telling you why they're coming?
BIEN LEABRES, MANILA REHABILITATION CENTER HEAD: Most of them are here because of fear.
WATSON: Fear?
LEABRES: Fear. What's going on outside, the government's actions, especially the PNP .
WATSON: And the police.
LEABRES: . the police, the crackdown has made them fear that they might be either incarcerated or worst, even killed.
WATSON: Since the Philippines' president launched his war on drugs on July 1st, police say they've killed at least 659 people across the country.
Are the police being ordered to kill suspected drug dealers?
DELA ROSA: We have to kill them if they endanger our lives.
WATSON: Human rights groups are sounding the alarm about the growing body counts and what that means for the rule of law, while some local government
officials are worried about other new logistical problems.
[10:35:05] ANTONIO HALILI, TANAUAN CITY MAYOR: I never thought that this would happen. I never thought that this would be overpopulated.
WATSON: Cells in the brand new Tanauan City jail built to hold 30 prisoners, now holding more than 50, many of whom were recently arrested on
drug charges.
Is there room in prisons, in the jails, in the court system for these thousands of new suspects?
DELA ROSA: They have to do like that inside the prison cells. Yeah, they're stuck inside.
WATSON: In his rush to combat drugs, this country's top cop seems to have little time for the idea that a suspect is presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Now, Robyn, when it comes to capacity, it's clear that for example, treatment of drug users, drug addicts, there simply isn't enough
capacity for a anti-drug campaign like this. For example, there are only about 40 government and privately-run drug rehabilitation clinics in the
entire country, with a capacity of about 4,500 patients. And in the last seven weeks, the government says that more than half a million Filipinos
have come forward saying that they are either drug users, the vast majority are drug users. So, where can they get treatment?
And I ask the police general who goes by the nickname "Bato" which means "the rock." I asked him if there'd been any preparation for this drug
campaign before the president was inaugurated and took office on July 1st. And he said no, there really wasn't any time to prepare to expand prisons
or to expand the rehab centers. And he argued that it was so urgent to start the campaign against drugs. They simply couldn't wait to set these
other sets of the government and the state up to prepare for this. Robyn.
CURNOW: Yeah, society under pressure on so many levels there.
Ivan Watson thanks so much, there for us reporting.
Well there's been yet another attack on a police station in eastern Turkey. Here is what it looked and sounded like just moments after the blast.
Officials say three police officers were killed in that explosion at a police headquarters in this city of Elazig. More than 200 people were
wounded. That comes after another deadly attack on Wednesday, also targeting a police station. The government blames Kurdish militants.
Well, coming up here at the "I-Desk." Looking on the bright side of Brexit, how U.S. tourists visiting England are getting more bang for their
buck.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: A bizarre sight over North London, an enormous helium-filled airship called the "Airlander" on its maiden flight on Wednesday.
[10:40:07] There she is. It may not be the sleekest-looking, but it is the biggest ever built, covering a length of a football pitch. It took many
months of preparation and years to find the money to build it.
Now, Airlander's generously rounded shape has led some people nicknamed it "the flying bum". But, the manufacturer says it has the potential to carry
out some important work, like cargo transport and disaster relief.
And Britain's exit from the E.U. is taking a toll on the country's economy but tourists at least are seeing the benefit. Nina dos Santos quote out
that some Americans finding travel bargains in London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: For the de Michele family visiting Britain from California, Brexit has had its benefits.
THERESA DE MICHELE, AMERICAN TOURIST: It is definitely cheaper.
DOS SANTOS: Have you found prices reasonable because the pound has fallen against the dollar?
DE MICHELE: It does, the prices definitely are reasonable.
DOS SANTOS: The fall in the pound after the U.K's decision to leave the E.U. means that their dollars now stretch further and their holiday is more
affordable.
DE MICHELE: We have tickets to go see a play in London on Friday night. We are going to go see the Harry Potter tour, the studio tour on Sunday
night. We're touring around London today and buy a bunch of souvenirs.
DOS SANTOS: Last year, over 3 million Americans visited Britain, spending almost $3.4 billion more than any of the nationality. And thanks to
favorable exchange rates, the hope is more will be tempted to come.
DE MICHELE: Well, this is our first visit so -- but I would definitely come back as a result of that, we'd like to come back again. We were
thinking about either Christmas or for spring break.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or maybe for my birthday in the summer.
DOS SANTOS: Since the Brexit vote the pound has fallen 14 percent against the dollar and that made London landmarks like this a lot cheaper. A
family of four will save $10 on their tickets to Westminster Abbey, where William and Kate got married.
A ticket to Buckingham Palace now costs $11 less than before and that means more money to spend on afternoon tea at the home of the Queen. And the
cost to see the city from on top of the London Eye isn't quite as eye- watering if you consider that it used to be $16 more expensive. That means this time booking early isn't good for the budget, as Ed Blakesley also
from California is planning to go.
ED BLAKESLEY, AMERICAN TOURIST: I made the mistake of booking a lot of this stuff just before the vote for Brexit. So, I paid a little bit more
than I could have if I had waited. But, yeah, I think it will help bring tourism.
DOS SANTOS: Keen to counter the uncertainty over the country's future, London's mayor is determined his city shows him a good time.
SADIQ KHAN, LONDON MAYOR: What's really important that the world knows, London is open. We're open for visitors, we're open for talent, we're open
for renovation, we're open for business. We'll carry on being the best place in the world to come for a holiday.
DOS SANTOS: Which means for transatlantic tourists, Sterling Slump may end up being Brexit's silver lining.
Nina dos Santos, CNNMoney, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Now to another place that it's not exactly a tourist destination. The reclusive North Korea is celebrating its local brews with its first-
ever beer festival.
There is it, lots of smiles and toasts among the crowd, rice beer, dark beers, several other kinds were passed around in a sampling competition.
One official congratulated the brewery for serving beer that is more expensive than Heineken.
Well, that does it for us here at the "International Desk". Thanks for joining me, I'm Robyn Curnow. World Sport with Amanda Davies in Rio is
next.
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[10:45:22] DAVIES: Hi, thanks for joining us. Welcome along to World Sport live from Rio on day 13 of the Olympics.
We have to start with the bad news, really, there's still more questions than answers here as police continue to try to get to the bottom of the
alleged gunpoint robbery of four U.S. swimmers in the early hours of Sunday morning. With Ryan Lochte now back in the United States, the remaining
three are set to be questioned by the police today, have been ordered to stay here in Brazil rather than being allowed to fly home.
I'm please to say our CNN Contributor Christine Brennan is here with me. She's been following all the new developments.
Christine, what is new in this case? There seems to be more and more holes appearing in this story all the time?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: That is correct, Amanda. I think like any story as it starts to reach critical mass, you start to hear more
rumors and right now, things are flying. We have no idea what's the truth is. I think that's important to say journalistically. I think we're going
to get the answers relatively quickly. These three athletes are being interviewed.
One wonders why this wasn't happening a few days ago, but it is happening now. And my sense is we will have a better answer of what happened.
Obviously, in the mix is the fact that maybe Ryan Lochte's story is true.
We have no idea what happened in those early hours Sunday morning. But I think we're going to get to that answer quickly. What a mess.
This is not what the U.S. Olympic Committee wanted. This is not what the Brazilian Olympic organizers wanted. But here we are on with what, four
days to go in the Olympics we're talking about what happened overnight Sunday with a few American athletes.
DAVIES: And I think we need to stress that the Brazilian police are very much saying, as that the Rio judge who ruled on this yesterday, we need to
get to the bottom of this. And they are so keen to get to the bottom of this because of I suppose in large part, the profile of these U.S. athletes
and the potential ramifications, the publicity and the impact of what they say has on people's view, the Olympics as a whole.
BRENNAN: As you know, and as everyone watching now, we have talked nonstop over the last several months about, is Rio prepared, what's going to happen
at these games, we've seen empty seats, I think in large part because people said, "Well I'm not going to Rio," around the world, around the
United States.
And so now you have this story. And again, it's still the existing story until proven otherwise that Ryan Lochte was in some kind of issue and there
were lots of thing going on with other swimmers and those -- and obviously that's -- we know that's a muddled mess at this point.
What does that mean for the image of this game? I mean, is that the headline that we are stuck with? That, you know, or are we talking about
athletes, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles? And I think that's the course of this issue. Because it's much more than just
what happened with four athletes, it is what are these games remembered for.
DAVIES: And Ryan Lochte is a very high profile, powerful figure in this.
BRENNAN: He is, 32 years old, a happy go lucky guy. You've seen him a lot on social media. He's got his own T.V. show for few weeks. This is the
guy who had finished -- all these swimmers had finished on Thursday night and it's understandable they'd want to hit the town. Ryan Lochte, that
would fit his personality to a tea. Very popular guy. Everyone knows his name. Lochte and Phelps, Phelps and Lochte, they've grown up together and
I think it's fitting as a guy who would like to go out on the town, that is absolutely in keeping with Ryan Lochte's personality, as someone who seems
to have a lot of fun in life in the pool and outside the pool.
DAVIES: Christine, thanks very much.
And the security has been a big issue here over the last couple of weeks. And these stories have made a few of the National Olympic Committee's
revisits, their safety advice to their teams.
And actually the British Olympic Association have told CNN that one of their athletes was the victim of theft here in Rio on Tuesday night. No
name has been released. The incidents occurred as the athletes was returning to their accommodations there. But we understand the individual
is safe and well and the BOA have a sense of quite strongly worded letter to their athletes with new advice about the do's an don'ts of what to do
for the remaining days here in Rio.
Let's talk about the action though, because on the track Usain Bolt says he feels he's definitely on for a world record in this evening's 200 meters
final. Now, Bolt ran out in his semi-final at the Olympic stadium last night. He, of course, speaking that historic triple-triple and qualified
for the final. With ease, he thought he toss the time this evening but 19.78 seconds, was kind of relaxed. He managed to find time to laugh and
joke with Canada's Andre De Grasse who pushed him all the way and so enjoying their moments, making it look easy.
[10:50:07] That was not the case though for Justin Gatlin. He pretty surprisingly failed to qualify from his semi-final. Gatlin, of course,
considered Bolt's greatest rival. He did push the Jamaican in the 100 meters finals with silver but looking uncomfortable last night. In the
end, he failed to set up another showdown with Bolt and was talking about an injury afterwards.
Today's action well underway though. The men's triathlon is going on behind us here around Rio's iconic falls of Copacabana. That features, of
course, two brothers from Great Britain competing against each other.
Alistair Brownlee out to make history as he keep it to become the first two-time champion in the event. He took the title in London. His little
brother, Johnny, won the bronze in that event. The pair are in the leading pack of about 10 as they're on the bikes here at the moment.
Elsewhere, America's Ashton Eaton is looking to become the first repeat gold medalist in the decathlon since Daley Thompson in 1984. He is the
leader midway through day 2 of the 10 event competition.
And Brazil have high hopes for their top rank men's beach volleyball side in the final. They're up against a pair from Italy later on this evening.
The Brazil women's team settling for silver, losing to Germany last night.
And, well, one of the best images of these games has to be America's Abbey D'Agostino helping up some competitor midway through the women's 5,000
meters. They may have finished last but they're getting a lot of the headlines. And we're hearing from Abbey, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DAVIES: Welcome back to what was no doubt one of the best examples of sportsmanship that we have seen at these games, truly embodying the Olympic
spirit. America's Abbey D'Agostino helped New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin midway through their 5,000 meters hit on Tuesday sending both of them
crashing to the ground. The rest of field left them.
The American though helped Hamblin to her feet and they start together, talking to each other around before eventually completing the race. Torn
ligaments have kept D'Agostino out of tomorrow's final but it is no doubt one of the most talked about event of the game so far. And Abbey came to
the studio earlier to tell the story from her perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:55:06] ABBEY D'AGOSTINO, U.S. 5000M RUNNER: There really just isn't time for rational thought in there, it's just so automatic. And I just
remember getting up and thinking, well, we got to finish.
And, you know, before I knew it, she was back up again and then I fell and she reciprocated. And it's just so -- I mean, I can't explain, I think,
you know, that was not me, like that was another spirit in me. I feel like that was God's spirit in me. I know it was. And it just like -- that
doesn't come naturally. So, I'm just grateful to have been a part of it.
[10:55:08] DAVIES: Had it ever happened to you before something like that? Because so much of what we see at the Olympics is about getting to that
line first, finishing first. Had you experienced that before?
D'AGOSTINO: Not anything like that. I mean, that would never -- I've never would have predicted something like that in my wildest imagination.
You prepare to, you know, get back up and not surge, just finish strong or something. I expect it does happen, but you know, you never know how
you'll react in the moment. So I'm just thankful to have been a part of something that came out so positively.
DAVIES: And you had never spoken to Nikki Hamblin before?
D'AGOSTINO: No. Our first exchange was "Let's get up and finished". But now, you know, we do know each other and we're never going to forget that
moment, so it connected us.
DAVIES: And what was going through your mind as you were carrying on, because you obviously were far more visibly hurt than you thought
initially?
D'AGOSTINO: Right, I -- yeah, when I fell on the ground, I didn't think it was bad, it wasn't until I took the first couple of steps and my knee
started to buckle that I realized, you know, that's not right. So, I just was thinking, we have to finish and I was literally praying my way through
those last 4.5 laps because I knew it was just not right and I wanted to manage. As soon as I started to pick it up, my knee would buckle again, so
I just stayed at that pace and literally was carrying it through.
DAVIES: I was speaking to your coach earlier who said to me, "I was shouting stop, stop, stop." Did you here him?
D'AGOSTINO: I didn't. I knew where he was but I think I was -- had just zoned out everything else that was around me and was so caught up in like
one step at a time and just getting through.
DAVIES: And when you hear yourself being talked about as a possible recipient of the Pierre de Coubertin award for Olympic sportsmanship, how
does that make you feel?
D'AGOSTINO: I'm just grateful because like literally, as I said, I don't feel like that was me, I feel like I was chosen to be a part of something
and just what's come of it and the power in a small act of kindness is so affirming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: A fantastic story, one of the most iconic images of the Olympics so far.
But that's it for me and the team for now. Stay with us.
"Connect the World" is next. Goodbye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
