Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump Announces Meeting With Mexican President; South Korea North Korea Executes Education Official; U. S Resumes Direct Flights To Cuba Wednesday; ISIS Leader Killed; Apple Told To Pay E.U. Back Taxes; Zuckerberg Promotes Business In Africa; Record 6,908 Migrants Rescued In 30-Hour Period; Mysterious Radio Signal Seems To Be From Distant Star. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 31, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:23] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour. Donald Trump takes a surprise trip south of the border. He'll head to Mexico and meet with the country's president, just hours before he lays out his immigration plan. Plus, ISIS says one of its most powerful leaders has been killed and he may have been behind the Paris attack. And later, a concern that an important Islamic holiday could coincide with the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Hello and welcome to our viewers from around the world.

I'm Isha Sesay. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

SESAY: Well, just hours before Donald Trump finally makes his long awaited speech on immigration, he'll head to Mexico to meet with the president. President Enrique Pena Nieto also sent an invitation to Hillary Clinton but it's not clear when or if she'll meet with him. The timing here is crucial. Republican candidate for the White House has been accused of flip flopping on immigration. Indicating last week he was open to softening his position. But then back peddling, saying he's not open to a pathway to legalization.

CNN's Phil Mattingly has more on what Trump faces.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We knew Wednesday was going to be a big moment for Donald Trump's campaign. The highly-anticipated, highly-counted immigration policy speech that has been canceled and rescheduled multiple times that's scheduled for Arizona. And still scheduled for Arizona. What we did not know is before Donald Trump makes the trip to Arizona to make that speech, you will be stopping in Mexico for a private meeting with Mexican president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(EMERGENCY TEST).

SESAY: All right. You see this as what? What is this opportunity in your view? (ERIC): Yes, I think it's another, sort of, cheap ploy to go after minority voters, frankly. The reality is that his position on immigration hasn't changed and won't change, and it's a dangerous position for him to take. Like, in terms of his campaign, there's been a lot of very troubling racial undertones, from the ban on Muslims to the, you know, mass deportation that he's called for and frankly a number of white supremacist outwardly supporting his campaign. So, you know, although I'm in favor of good relations between presidential candidates and world leaders, I just don't think that this amounts to very much.

SESAY: Jorge, this meeting, you made a point that it's about showing his leadership capacity, statesman like qualities. He's going to have to come away with something for this to be

deemed a success, isn't he?

(JORGE): Well, I'm going to touch on this thing about, you know, minority votes. Hillary Clinton pandered to African-Americans by saying she carries hot sauce in her purse. That's pandering. We need substance. We know that the middle class overall declined black wealth -- African-American wealth is down, Hispanic wealth is down, overall, the middle class is down, democrats and Hillary Clinton have failed us. But to take away from Trump, now, I'm just going to say, it's time for him to really show leadership on the world stage. Excellent opportunity. He's going to do a great job, he's going to secure the border. We're going to get the criminals out and we're going to secure the border and bring back the good ones that belong here and contribute -- like, he acknowledge tons of good, you know --

SESAY: Beyond the photo op, what makes this a successful trip?

(JORGE): To be able to have a working relationship with the President of Mexico. We cannot just have a back and forth? OK? We need to meet in person, and we need to have an established relationship, so once he wins the Presidency, they can start working on our relationship to find common solutions between our two countries.

SESAY: It is great to have you both with us for the spirited conversation. We will be watching the speech very closely and we'll get you back to discuss it.

(JORGE): Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you.

(ERIC): Thank you.

SESAY: Thank you. Now, new investigators are expected to release the report they send the justice department about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server. The document could be made public in the coming hours or days. It could shed more light on why the FBI recommended that Clinton not be charged. CNN and others had called for that report to be disclosed.

Now ISIS is promising revenge for the death of one of its most senior leaders. The terror group's Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani was killed on Tuesday in Syria. The U.S. hasn't confirmed his death but says coalition air strikes targeted him. Jim Sciutto has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Sheikh Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani has been one of the most public and threatening leaders of ISIS. Chief-Spokesman and involved with its unit, plotting terror attacks against the West, now reported dead by the terror group. The ISIS statement appeariug online saying Adnani, quote, "was murdered while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo." ISIS offering no other proof and and Western officials have not confirmed his death. Still a Senior U.S. defense official says, a coalition air strike Tuesday, targeted a senior ISIS leader near Aleppo. The U.S. has offered a $5 million reward for his death or capture.

Adnani is widely believed to be involved in inspiring and directing attacks in the West, like those that have terrorized Europe recently. Thought to be a possible successor to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, he also brought in foreign fighters to the battles in Syria and Iran. The top US General fighting ISIS says ISIS' leadership may be losing its influence as evidence in a recent battle.

JOSEPH VOTEL, ARMY GENERAL: Some of what we saw in the (INAUDIBLE) fight was direction from Baghdadi to his fighters to the fight till the death. Obviously, they didn't. So, they didn't follow his direction, which may be an indication of the State of ISIL in release of some cases here.

SCIUTTO: Adnani's official title was spokesman and he did advertise some of ISIS most brutal acts of violence. But he was more than that. He was a senior leader, her directed many of its operation, foreign operations, terror attacks in Europe and to replace him effectively will be very difficult for the

group. Jim Sciutto CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Well, Paul Cruickshank, CNN terrorism analyst joins us now live from London. Paul, good to have you with us. Paul, what do you make of how ISIS responded to the death of Adnani? They seem to want to get out in front of the news before even U.S. administration officials. Why?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST, CNN: Well, that's unclear. They clearly did get ahead of the news on this and this was a enormous break through, it appears for the United States. But by getting out ahead of the ISIS can control, the message can depict him as a martyr in front of their followers. But this -- make no mistake about it, it is a huge blow to this terrorist organization. Adnani was a critical member of the

group, part of its senior leadership, he was the most senior Syrian in the group and he had command responsibility for ISIS' campaign of international attacks including in Paris and Brussels, in Istanbul and other parts of the world. This is somebody that's going to be very difficult for them to replace. Somebody that has also been the main voice of ISIS over the last couple of years. Somebody that -- who declared the caliphate even before Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi just a few days before Baghdadi in whose pronouncement really electrified their radical followers all around the world.

This is somebody who threw his audio sermons, has inspired multiple attacks, ISIS-inspired attacks on both sides of the Atlantic, saying essentially to their followers that you should attack anybody, anywhere, any how including by guns, knives and automobiles. And we've seen those kind of attacks being perpetrated in the West, notedly, recently, Nice where an ISIS follower carried out that deadly truck attack on the coast line.

SESAY: Well, do you anticipate a change in the direction of the organization due to his death?

CRUICKSHANK: I don't think there will be a change in the direction of the organization at this point. I don't see them deprioritizing international attacks, for example. And in the days ahead, we may actually see a pick up in external attack plotting. I think there's a real concern that they may try to accelerate plans to hit, Europe for example. A lot of concern from European officials. That there are ISIS operatives back now in Europe who have been ordered to strike. Well, ultimately those operatives report up to Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani and his death may accelerate some of these plans, certainly concern about that. But this is a terrorist organization under some pressure now, both in Iraq and in Syria. And indeed also in Libya. So, this comes at a time when they're losing ground on several fronts. But they are still strong, still the strongest terrorist group in history, still very well financed and still very capable of launching international attacks. And as they lose grounds in Syria

and Iraq, i think we can expect them to launch more and more of these international attacks. Their external operations division is believed to be based in and around Raqqa, Syria. And they may well be ratcheting the efforts of that organization up right now.

SESAY: I shall be watching very closely to see what happens next. Paul Cruickshank joining us here from London, always appreciate it. Thank you, Paul. Now, a South Korean official says Pyongyang has executed its top education official by firing squad. It's widely believed, North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-Un uses executions to tighten his grip on power. The South Korean official tells CNN that Education Official displayed, a quote "bad attitude" at a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly in June.

Paula Hancocks joins us now from Seoul, South Korea. Paula, what more do we know about the individual, this education official that was reportedly executed?

PAULA HANCOCK, CNN CORRRESPONDENT: Well, the Isha, his name is KIm Yong Jin. And as you say, according to the South Korean Government official, he was showing a bad attitude back in June. They say that he was then investigated by the state security bureau in North Korea and found to be counterrevolutionary and anti-party. And so, they say claim that back in July, just last month, he was executed by firing squa. They also mentioned two more individuals. One named Kim Yong Chul. He's the head of the department that actually deals with inter- Korean relations. Now, they claimed that he shown abusive power, overbearing. He had tried to strengthen his own authority and he had been sent for re-education between Mid-July and Mid-August. It's believed that he was sent to a farm. And there's also a third individual,from a propaganda department again. He was believed to have been sent for re-education. Now, it's not an exact Science, South Korean officials have been

wrong in the past. They have claimed that someone has been executed and then they turn up in North Korean media just a matter of months later. But at this point, South Korean officials do believe this to be accurate. Isha?

SESAY: All right. With that in mind, what does this say about Kim Jong-Un's grip on power?

HANCOCK: Well, I think it shows that still no one is safe, even among the elites. It's no secret, experts and officials, many defectors have said that Kim Jong-Un is very clearly, more willing to execute than punish as opposed to his father, the late Kim Jong-il. He appeared to punish rather than execute. So, it's just another indication that this leader, according to experts, is more brutal, is more impulsive. And of course, there would be some who would query whether or not he is still trying to consolidate power. Isha?

SESAY: Indeed. Paula Hancock joining us there from Seoul, South Korea. Thank you, Paula. > Time for a quick break now. Still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, one of Islam's holiest days could coincide with the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks here in the United States. Why that concerns some observing Muslims is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORTS)

SESAY: Hello everyone. At least nine people are dead after the remnants of a powerful typhoon hit north of Japan. The storm made land fall Tuesday. It was later downgraded to a tropical depression. Police tell CNN the victims were found in an elderly home in a town swamped

by flooding. Official say rescue effort is underway in that area to save 400 people stranded by the rising water and landslides.. A meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now with more -- Pedram, what's it looking right now?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, the storm itself is beginning to move away, Isha. But this was the fourth storm in as many weeks to impact this region. So, certainly just a mass left in place when you considered what had occurred, hitting the number of storms they see in such a short time period. All of them again, generally North of Tokyo. So, we had much of the norther prefixures impacted. A quarter of a mirror a more rainfall team now wins. We're hauling up to 130 kilometers per hour. And the center of the storm itself now,pushing it in over Southern Russia beginning to fall apart as remnant depression with heavy rainfall left on the forecast across that region. So, that's the latest (INAUDIBLE) of Japan. But I want to show you what's happening in the Central Pacific Ocean because they have a category three Hurricane Madeline, a category four, Hurricane Lester in place. In fact the National Hurricane Center, not only issuing a tropical storm watch for the Island of Maui at this h our.

A hurricane warning has been issued for the Big Island and the reason it's important is that we have never had a hurricane make landfall as a hurricane on the Big Island of Hawaii. And I just want to -- I'm going to show you exactly the number of storms we've had since the 1950s and records began for for tropical storms across the region. Only 14 storms have actually made landfall across this area and within a hundred kilometers I should say. And about a four storm has actually made landfall across this region and a couple of them in recent years from 2014 earlier this year as well. The reason for that is just the rarity of getting a hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii. It has to do with the cooler waters on approach, a dry air mass coming in from the north and strong wind sheer coming in from the Southwest. So, you put this together, it is very hard for storms to make it to Hawaii as a hurricane. Now, with that said, we have Madeleine which is forecast to get there on potentially Wednesday night to Thursday morning as a Category 1 striking the southern tip of the Big

Island.

If that occurs at the Category 1, that would be the first time in recorded history we get a Cat 1 landfall on the Big Island. The more interesting area would be this particular storm right here. This is Lester1, a Category 4.. If you follow this track and take it all the way through, say, Saturday afternoon, here's Maui, right here. We have Oahu, Kauai beyond that as well. And the concern is this could be a strong Category 1. It would be within about 100 kilometers. Only one model has it coming ashore as a Category 1 near Maui. But still a lot of models indicating it to be a very close proximity to Maui and areas in particular around Ohau as well as we go in towards, say Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. Again, notice high density of the models, keeping it north of the island, a couple of them wanting to bring it ashore but it's just close enough (INAUDIBLE) for it to be -- (INAUDIBLE) come Saturday afternoon. Really the best way to put it and wave heights of the open water Isha, are also goin g to be as high as 30 feet across that area as well.

SESAY: Wow.

JAVAHERI: It could be dangerous.

SESAY: Right. Yes. We'll be watching it very closely. Pedram, thank you.

JAVAHERI: Thank you.

SESAY: Now, the Islamic World will soon know the precise stage of one of its holliest days, Eid al-Adha or the feast of sacrifice. This year, there's a good chance it will fall on September 11th, that's also the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed more than 3,000 people in New York and Washington. In the coming days, authorities in Saudi Arabia will confirm the date using the lunar calendar. But the ikncedent like the recent shooting of a New York Imam and his assistant (INAUDIBLE) have many Muslims worried about what might happen if these two days coincide. Earlier, my colleague, John Vause spoke to Linda Sarsour, the Executive Director of the Arab- American Association of New York about this.

LINDA SARSOUR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ARAB-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK : i think for me, many Muslims are concerned, especially the surge of hate crimes across the country that maybe prayers -- outdoor prayers could be interrupted or that people like Donald Trump and others might take the celebrations of this very important high holy holiday out of context. But what we're telling Muslim communities across the country is that, you know, while this is a very sensitive time and it's the 15th-year, you know, commemoration of 9/11, it's also a high holy

Holiday and Muslims should be able to practice their faith fully. We should be able to celebrate with our children who are also -- know nothing but -- only know a post 9/11 America. So, we're hoping that our community continues on with their commemorations and celebrations during this high holy holiday.

VAUSE: You know, the past couple of months during this campaign to the White House, you know, the Republican nominee, Donald Trump has -- talked about Muslims a lot, how they celebrated in the streets of New Jersey after 9/11 even though they didn't, he also talked about this temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. Do you think the impact of that has made what was probably, potentially already an awkward coincidence even worse?

SARSOUR: Yes, of course. I mean, we're just coming at the heels of the assassination of two imams in Queens. The murder of an Arab- American in Tulsa, Oklahoma, vandalisms, assaults happening across the countries. So, people have fear and it's legitimate. And a fear that they have, But again, we're encouraging Muslims that we live in the United States of America, this is the land of religious freedom, that we should be able to celebrate our holidays just like any other faith community, that we will be unapologetically Muslim in the United States of America, which is why many of our families came here.

VAUSE: What would you say to people who might, say,"Hey, listen. Just don't celebrate it this year. Keep a low profile, lay low, don't celebrate and avoid the problem,"?

SARSOUR: I would say to those people that we would never ask any other faith community to not celebrate their holidays. We would never ask Christians not celebrate Christmas or Jews nor to celebrate Pass Over. That we should treat Muslims like we would treat any other community. And it's not fair to our children. Our children, our Muslim children are born in this country. They deserve to celebrate with their communities and families. My children deserve to celebrate with their communities, with their families. And I ask people to give that opportunity and give that freedom that we have as Muslims and I think that's really the right thing to do for all. Again, asking Muslim communities to continue on with whatever plans that they had. This is really a great time in healing for our own community to come together. It's a great opportunity, you know, to network and for our children to be joyful, to, you know, people should want our kids to celebrate and be joyful as young Muslims on their highest holy holiday.

VAUSE: This does though, seem to get to the bigger issue here though, separating Islam, the religion from the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks since then.

SARSOUR: Honestly, what -- it's 15 years later, we have not been able to separate Islam, Muslims from 9/11 and we also have to remind our fellow New Yorkers, our fellow Americans that there were Muslims also who lost their lives. So, we too as a community were directly impacted. And not only were we impacted as Americans who were hit with one of the most horrific terrorist attacks on our homeland but also with the backlash that came with it where we as a community were lumped in with terrorists who have absolutely nothing to do with our community. So, yes, 15 years later and we as a nation have not healed and we continue to have this conversation about how American-Muslims have nothing to do with the attacks of 9/11 and unfortunately, we still have not won that battle of narrative.

VAUSE: Well, whatever day it falls on, be it September 11 or September 12, Eid Mubarak, and good to speak with you. Linda. Thank you so much.

SARSOUR: Thank you, brother.

SESAY: Well, coming up next to all viewers in Asia. CNN's State of the Race with Kate Bolduan. Now, even the most the (INAUDIBLE) company in the world isn't happy when it's told to pay a bit of extra tax, especially when the demand comes in at over $14 billion dollars. Why Apple's accounts are causing friction between Brussels and Washington. Plus, it's getting easier for Americans to travel to Cuba, more on the flight service being restored between the two countries and how it's affecting the Island nation, please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:12] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour.

Donald Trump has spent months slamming Mexico, saying it's sending criminals across the border to the U.S. Now Trump will be meeting with the country's president in Mexico. It's set to happen before Trump delivers his speech on his immigration policy Wednesday. President Enrique Pena Nieto also invited Hillary Clinton to a meeting, but it's not clear if that will happen.

ISIS says one of its key leaders was killed in Syria and now it wants revenge. The U.S. admits coalition airstrikes targeted ISIS spokesman, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, but hasn't confirmed his death. Adnani was known for inspiring lone wolf attacks against ISIS enemy countries. North Korea has executed its top education official by firing squad.

A South Korean government official tells CNN the man had quote, a bad attitude during a government assembly in June. Two other senior officials were also punished with reeducation.

Well, for most companies, it could easily result in bankruptcy, but the European Union is confident that Apple can cough up $14.6 billion in unpaid taxes without taking too big a bite out of its hefty revenues. The E.U. claimed Ireland has been offering illegal incentives to Apple for over two decades in an effort to keep its lucrative European business based in the country. But the U.S. company is fighting back. Samuel Burke explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Plain and simple, Apple's had its European headquarters in Ireland since the early 90s, and they funnel most of their profits from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India, through Ireland because they pay low corporate tax there. But few realize just how low. The main business tax rate in Ireland is 12.5 percent. But take a look. Back in 2003, Apple paid just one percent in corporate taxes, and by 2014, it was down to just 0.005 percent. I don't know how much you pay, but that's a lot less than what I have to pay up in taxes.

Now, Apple has always said they were simply working within the Irish tax structure, and Ireland's government has said the same publicly as well. Tuesday, the European Union said, not so fast. Member states cannon give tax benefits to selected companies. This is illegal under E.U. state aid rules. What they're saying is E.U. tax laws supersede those rules the Irish set up because it's not fair to other member countries or to the other corporations in Ireland and elsewhere that don't have that same low tax rate.

Now, Ireland says, they don't want the money, and along with Apple say they will appeal this decision. But Apple may end up having to pay these back taxes, as well as the interest for all those years, and that would actually bring the total amount they owe to well over $14.6 billion. Back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Thanks to Samuel Burke for that. Now while Apple is making enemies in Europe, the founder of Facebook is attempting to make new friends in Africa. Mark Zuckerberg arrived in Nigeria Tuesday to meet entrepreneurs and business leaders as he tries to expand the presence of his brand on the African continent. Facebook has invested in a Nigerian startup, the support software developers, and gives them full-time roles at international companies.

In just a few hours, a Jet Blue flight will take off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, destination, Cuba. It'll be the first commercial flight between the U.S. and Cuba in more than a half century. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more on how Cuba is responding to the surge in American visitors.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Havana's colonial old town is full of music. And increasingly, visitors from the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is official newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party.

OPPMANN: Just two years ago, Americans visiting without special permission from the U.S. government faced the prospect of hefty fines, even prosecution. But the thaw in U.S./Cuban relations, and loosening of restrictions on travel to the communist island has led to a surge in U.S. visitors, up 93 percent from last year, according to Cuban government figures. Many Americans say they want to see Cuba while the island remains stuck in a cold war time warp.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our friends had been here, and so they said, let's go, why don't you go to Cuba before it becomes too Westernized.

OPPMANN (on camera): Too Westernized?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Before you see McDonald's and Wal-Mart and all of the other U.S. companies here in Cuba.

OPPMANN (voiceover): Cuba's largely state-run tourism industry is already buckling under the increased demand.

[02:35:05] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The hotels are full. The infrastructure wasn't ready for the avalanche of interest. Whether it's American travelers, Chinese travelers, Canadian travelers. Cuba is building their infrastructure up. They have plans over the next four or five years to add many additional hotels. So we just advise people to plan ahead.

OPPMANN: Tourism will likely continue to boom. Soon, it will be much easier for Americans to fly to the island.

OPPMANN (on camera): Up until now, the only way that Americans could come to Cuba was via third countries or on expensive, inefficiently run charter services. But that's all changing now that direct flight service is being restored between the U.S. and Cuba after more than 50 years.

OPPMANN (voiceover): The fist direct flight will land here in Santa Clara, Cuba, where revolutionary icon, Che Guevara, is buried. Even though he was tracked down and killed with help from the CIA, Cuban officials say Guevara would have agreed with the opening to the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I would say that he was not different from us, thinking that even with the kind of differences that we have, it's beneficial for Cuba and the United States to have normal relations.

OPPMANN: Benefits that can be seen on Havana streets, already packed with U.S. visitors. As Cuba's economy continues to struggle, the boom in U.S. visitors is a rare bright spot that's only expected to grow. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Time for a quick break, now. By the thousands, they take their chances at sea to start a new life. Ahead, the dangers migrants face on their journey.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:09] SESAY: A migrant rescue operation is calling for safe and legal routes after an alarming number of people risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean. Erin McLaughlin reports, a record number have been saved in the past two days, but thousands of others haven't made it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The numbers are staggering. Men, women, children, even premature twins. More than 6,500 souls saved in just 30 hours.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazing. Amazing. I still remember the children.

MCLAUGHLIN: Gerard Canals (ph) was part of that rescue effort. Teams of coast guards and volunteers working from sun up to well past sun down, scouring waters for those trying to make their way from Libya to Italy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are people like you and me and children and woman, lots of children.

MCLAUGHLIN: These are the lucky ones. We simply don't know exactly how many have died. The international organization for migration estimates over 3,100 killed trying to cross the Mediterranean just this year. A grim toll on track to far exceed the numbers from 2015. Rickety, overcrowded boats often cited as the main cause of death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They cannot launch boats with bad weather. So the problem is not the weather. It's the boats. They're so weak and so overloaded that it's impossible they can cross the Mediterranean with that.

MCLAUGHLIN: Many are from sub-Saharan Africa. Canal says they see Libya as their gateway to a better life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are escaping of the hunger, the poverty, and the wars. They found a gate in Libya because now it's a country without control.

MCLAUGHLIN: And until the situation is controlled and life improves back home, rescues like this one will continue. Erin McLaughlin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Joining us now for closer look at the rescue efforts in the Mediterranean is Tom Porteous. He's the deputy program director of Human Rights Watch in London. Thank you so much for joining us, Tom.

Forty different rescue missions brought 6,500 people to safety by Monday, which is almost three times more than last week. How do you explain the uptick in number of people attempting this dangerous crossing across the Mediterranean?

TOM PORTEOUS, DEPUTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Well, I think there are a number of factors. One is that the situation in Libya is very bad and people who are finding themselves in Libya, whether they originally wanted to try and find work there or were any way going to use it as a transit, are trying to leave. Another factor, of course, is that the Eastern Mediterranean route via Turkey and Greece has been dramatically reduced because of the deal between the E.U. and Turkey and the closure of the border with the Balkan countries north of Greece.

SESAY: So, a host of problems. More people making the crossing. Forty different parties involved these past few days in trying to bring them to safety. What level of coordination is there between the various rescue missions?

PORTEOUS: Well, obviously there's quite a lot of coordination, and these search and rescue missions really have to be welcomed. It's something that Human Rights Watch has been calling for for a long time. I think the problem remains that the E.U. is still seeking to prevent people from leaving North Africa, and in fact, not only that, but in spite of the fact that the United Nations Refugee Agency has called on countries to allow access to their territory to people who are fleeing, the European Union countries have actually been helping the Libyan authorities to prevent people from leaving Libya. So, while these search and rescue missions are certainly to be welcomed, there are problems with the E.U. policy.

SESAY: Yes. Tom, given this growing fear of refugees, Muslims, and terrorism in a number of European countries, what are the chances of seeing a change in policy, and more specifically, an expansion of safe and legal avenues for people to actually make it to Europe?

[02:44:49] PORTEOUS: I think that we need to win the argument. The fact is that these chaotic scenes on the Mediterranean and on Europe's borders are not helping the political situation in Europe. It's grist to the mill of the right wing anti-immigrant parties that are certainly gaining power. But if there was a more orderly process for those who are trying to flee in most cases, flee from terrible condition, whether it's in Syria or elsewhere, to the safety of Europe, if there are more orderly processes, then I think that we would see a reduction of those fears. In particular, there needs to be obviously vetting and security screening for people trying to come to Europe to deal with these fears about security and terrorism. But that kind of vetting can only take place if there is an orderly process for people to be resettled or to seek asylum at Europe's borders.

SESAY: Yes. As we look at these pictures, it is truly tragic, and what is clear, as we see these scenes play out over and over again, is, somehow the humanity of the situation has basically disappeared from the discourse around migrants and refugees. When you look at the situation, who should be taking the lead in this fight, if you will, there in Europe? Are you looking to Germany? Who are you looking to?

PORTEOUS: I mean, look, there are no easy answers to all this. But if we take the situation in Libya, and the situation in Libya, we reported on just a couple of months ago -- people are being detained in the most appalling conditions in Libya, both by people smugglers and militias, but also by the U.N. backed government authorities. They're being tortured, they're being, in some places sexually abused, as we've documented. So you're right. The humanitarian situation is terrible. We need to kind of put that in the forefront of the public discourse if we are to combat the sort of anti-immigrant sentiment that is taking hold in Europe, but also in the United States.

SESAY: Well Tom Porteous, we appreciate you joining us to give us some insight into the situation. Thank you so much.

PORTEOUS: Thank you.

SESAY: After a quick break, he's no stranger to a jail cell. Singer Chris Brown has found himself in custody once again. We'll tell you what he's accused of this time. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The active tropics still the big story around parts of the Atlantic and also the Gulf of Mexico, still looking at tropical depressions, eight and nine, Gaston remaining a fish storm as in its (inaudible) open waters. And notice, we have hurricane watches now posted anywhere from say Panama City, where it's a tropical storm watch, to then becoming a hurricane watch towards Cedar Key and just north of Tampa, Florida.

[02:49:55] All of this because of tropical depression nine, still just on the cusp here of becoming what would be tropical storm Hermine. Winds have to get up to about 61 kilometers per hour, sitting at about 6 kilometers shy of that at this hour. Expect it to strengthen and move in sometime Thursday afternoon and Thursday night, and rainfall is going to be the primary threat with this, and some areas could easily pick up about a quarter of a meter of rainfall out of this over the next couple days.

How about tropical depression eight? This could become Ian, and watching this very carefully, because this also sits there just shy of tropical storm status, but notice it will eventually want to parallel the Eastern seaboard, push off the Canadian Maritimes and move out over the open waters. So just a brief impact when it does make an impact.

Now what could have a potentially larger impact are going to be hurricanes Madeleine and also Lester. I'm more concerned about Lester, and we'll talk about why, because Madeleine will actually skirt the southern tear of the big island Wednesday night. Lester could come in as a category two. The latest indications, it'll get pretty close to areas around Maui and also the big island by Saturday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Chris Brown is in trouble with the law once again. The R&B singer is currently in custody right here in Los Angeles after being arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. As these pictures demonstrate, there were animated exchanges outside Brown's home earlier Tuesday. Officers first responded to a complaint from a female caller at 3:00 a.m. But several hours passed before they were able to obtain an arrest warrant. During that time, Brown got vocal on his social media accounts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS BROWN, SINGER: When I call the police for stalker people that are endangering my life, they don't come until the next day. Then somebody make a (bleep) allegation about me, and oh yeah, the whole (bleep) SWAT team. (bleep) I'm innocent. (bleep) everybody. I'm tired of hearing this (bleep). What I do care about is you all defacing my name as a person and my character and integrity. I am a father. I am one of the best entertainers out here, without bragging and trying to say, woe is me, I don't get enough credit, and all you all (bleep) know I'm your daddy (bleep). So at the end of the day, I'm tired of this (bleep). I'm up at 6:00 and 7:00 something in the morning, talking (bleep) for something I didn't do. How would you feel?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, as Brown implies in this recording, the police have come calling before. The 27-year-old is a Grammy winner and one of the biggest names in R&B and hip-hop. But he's arguably just as well known for his tumultuous personal life. In 2009, he was arrested for assaulting then girlfriend, Rihanna, eventually pleading guilty to the charges. He was sentenced to 5 years probation. During that period, he was kicked out of court ordered anger management rehab and charged with assault in a number of other cases.

Well, another man has found himself on the wrong side of the law, is finding himself on the right side of advertisers in recent days. Swimmer Ryan Lochte was dumped by major sponsors, including Polo, Ralph Lauren, Speedo, and mattress company, Airweave, after fabricating a story about being robbed at gunpoint during the Rio Olympics. But things are looking up for Lochte. Pine Brothers, a cough drop company, signed him to a new endorsement deal last week, saying just as Pine Brothers is forgiving to your throat, the company asks the public for a little forgiveness from an American swimming legend.

And on Tuesday, Lochte appeared online as a spokesman for another unexpected product. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN LOCHTE, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: I've been traveling a lot lately. We all like to have fun, but it's a good idea to stay safe. I don't go anywhere without Robocop. It's this tiny device. All you do is pull the pin and it release as startling alarm that can get you out of a bad situation.

(beeping)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: A somewhat subdued Lochte there. But we're sure the gold medal winner will have a little more spring in his step when he appears on the new season of "Dancing with the Stars" which starts on September 12.

Astronomers are tracking a strange signal from outer space. They can't quite figure out what is going on, but that hasn't stopped lots of people about speculating about whether it could mean there's life beyond Earth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

TEXT: A strong, mysterious radio signal seems to be coming from a distant star.

Raising questions about potential life on another planet.

Experts say that if the signal is artificial, it was likely created by a civilization more advanced than our own.

More likely, they say, the signal was a result of satellite interference or other distortions.

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute is now tracking it and its --

HD 164595 is a sun-like star located about 94 light years away.