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Filipino President Says He Regrets Comments About Obama; Obama Commits $90 Million to Remove Unexploded Bombs in Laos; Final Stretch of the U.S. Presidential Campaign; Concerns Over Foreign Hackers; Colin Kaepernick Protest Gaining Support; Tattoos in the Holy Land. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 06, 2016 - 03:00 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 ANCHOR: Damage control. The President to the Philippines expresses regrets after accrued insult leads to the cancellation of his meeting with Barack Obama.
A legacy of bombs President Obama seeks to make amends for America's sacred war in Laos during the 1960's and '70s.
And ramping up. The campaign to succeed the U.S. President kicks into a higher gear.
Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is expressing regrets over comments that led the White House to cancel a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. They were scheduled to meet in Laos during the ASEAN Summit. But Mr. Duterte lashed out at Mr. Obama after learning that he planned to confront the Philippine leader over killing drug leaders without due proces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODRIGO DUTERTE, PHILLIPNE PRESIDENT: Who is he? I am a President of a sovereign state. And we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master except the Filipino people. Nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Don't just throw away questions and statements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: A statement from the Philippine presidential spokesman said that Mr. Duterte regrets that his comments came off as a personal attack. Before all this, Mr. Obama said he was obligated to raise his concerns about Mr. Duterte's methods.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: Fighting narco trafficking is tough. But we will always assert the need to have due process and to engage in that fight against drugs in a way that's consistent with basic international norms. And so, undoubtedly, if and when we have a meeting, that this is something that's going to be brought up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The Philippines says the meeting will be moved to a later date, but it's unlikely the United States' opinion on the controversial war on drugs will have changed by then.
Since Duterte was elected, at least 700 people have been killed in police anti-drug operations. But his administration insists it's against any form of extra judicial killings.
Our Athena Jones joins us now live from Vientiane, Laos. So, Athena, the Philippine President has now arrived in Laos after an extraordinary sequence of events. First he insults the U.S. President, the White House response by cancelling their bilateral talks, and then this expression of regret from the Philippine President.
Will that meeting be moved to a later date, as the Philippines has suggested, or is that highly unlikely given what was said?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's unclear. We certainly don't have a new date for any such meeting. We know that the United Nations general assembly is meeting in New York in just a couple of weeks from now. But we don't know for sure whether this meeting will be rescheduled.
I have to say, this relationship with the Philippines is one that President Obama has been working on. He's visited the Philippines twice just in his second term. But it is very unusual, number one, to have a bilateral meeting canceled like this.
The last time the U.S. canceled a meeting between the president and another leader, a similar meeting was in 2013 when they canceled a bilateral sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the revelations about Edward Snowden and the fact that Russia -- Snowden was living in Russia. So it's not a usual thing to have these meetings canceled.
But it's also highly unusual to see these kinds of harsh words spoken on the world stage at this level from a president towards another president. Just to be clear about what President Duterte said, he didn't just say, you know, I'm the leader of a sovereign nation. He didn't just say I'm not an American puppet.
He actually in a later in his comments in Tagalog, has this native language of the Philippines, he called President Obama "a son of a bitch" So, this is not the kind of language that the White House is used to hearing directed at President Obama. And so it's perhaps not surprising to see them cancel this meeting.
We heard the president say even before they announced the cancellation that when he has a sit down with someone, he wants to make sure that it's going to be productive. And clearly the White House felt that it was going to be a productive meeting at this time.
[03:05:02] But as you mentioned, the White House often says that the president must address differences in areas of tension, cut issue. He doesn't shy away from differences with other countries.
And so when it comes to a place like China, that might be cyber security or human rights. When it comes to the Philippines, he was prepared to talk about these extra judicial killings as part of the drug trade, but also President Duterte's past controversial statements about women, for instance.
Back during his campaign, he made a joke about rape. So, these are the kinds of comments that the White House was going to be prepared to address. But as you can see that the meeting was canceled. The president, instead, is going to be meeting with South Korea's President Park. Rosemary.
CHURCH: And Athena, as expected, the White House announced it will give $19 million to help clear unexploded U.S. bombs in Laos. Talk to us about the significance of that, and of course, what else we can expect to hear from the U.S. President when he speaks very shortly, in fact.
JONES: That's right. He's about to -- that speech is getting under way in any moment now. But in a joint declaration put out just after the president wrapped up his meeting with the president here of Laos, they announced this $90 million over three years that will go to helping remove thousands of -- millions of unexploded -- of unexploded explosives or bombs that were dropped over the Philippines -- over Laos.
It has been called the most bombed country in the world. The U.S. dropped two million tons of explosives up and down the country of Laos. Villages, the countryside, some 30 percent of those explosives never detonated.
So, imagine they're being pick, they're being found constantly leading to thousands and thousands of casualties, people being killed and maimed, often children. Forty percent of the casualties are from children who come across these unexploded bombs. Some of them look like they might be toys, things that you can play with.
So this is a very important part of addressing the legacy of the war here in Laos. An important good faith effort as the president puts it towards helping develop a stronger relationship with Laos and that is going to be important for helping also with agriculture, helping Laos move ahead economically speaking. So, very, very significant announcement on that unexploited ordinance at question.
And as you mentioned, this larger speech the president is set to give, he'll be giving a review of the U.S. policy in Asia. It was about five years ago, 2011, that the White House announced this plan to have a pivot to Asia, a rebalance of a focus on the Asia Pacific region, an emerging region.
And so we expect him to talk about some of the accomplishments and the goals of that policy. And we also know that he's going to be talking about the Trans-Pacific partnership. That is the 12-nation trade deal that what the White House sees as essential to securing the U.S. interest in this region, its economic and security interests. That is a deal that has been facing an uphill climb on Capitol Hill, and so we expect him to make a strong statement for that. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. A lot to be covered there. Our Athena Jones speaking live from Vientiane, Laos. It is just after 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Many thanks to you.
As we just mentioned, the U.S. President is expected to formally announce a $90 million aid package to clear those dangerous, unexploded mines in Laos.
CNN's Andrew Stevens looks at the legacy of America's sacred war in that country.
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: Yey Yang (Ph) wasn't even born when the sacred war in Laos ended more than four decades ago, but he carries its horrific legacy.
In 2008, life was good. He was 22, engaged, and had a job. Until an undetected bomb tore it all apart. Exploding, as he was burning trash.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
"I don't remember anything until I woke up in hospital two weeks later," he says. "When I saw what had happened, I didn't want to live anymore." Yey is one of an estimated 20,000 victims, many of them children, who had been killed or maimed but unexploded ordinance since the end of the war.
For nine years until 1973, the U.S. carpet bombed Laos trying to stop the coming as insurgency and smash North Vietnamese supply lines. It was known as the sacred war. No American boots on the ground, just American bombs.
More than two million tons of them rained down. Per capita, more explosives were dropped here than on any other country in history.
And they're still exploding today. This is a controlled denotation by the mine's advisory group which works in Laos to clear the bombs, literally, a few square yards at a time. Every patch of land has to be mapped and then swept.
[03:10:02] Once detected, they zero in on the object and uncovered it. And this is what they usually find, cluster munitions known locally as bombees. Up to 80 million of these failed to detonate and just 1 percent of them have been cleared.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENS: How long, realistically, with the resources at the country's disposal is it going to take to make this country safe?
NEIL ARNORLD, MINES ADVISORY GROUP TECHNICAL OPERATIONS MANAGER: Currently, with the resources, I'd say decades.
STEVENS: Decades?
ARNOLRD: Yes. STEVENS: And that is one more explosive device taken out. But across these plains, across these valleys and across these mountains, there are still tens of millions of threats remaining.
Those threats are what worries Ye Yang more than anything else, that his own children born after the accident could suffer the same fate that he did.
Andrew Stevens, Xiangkhouang province, Laos.
CHURCH: Well, the number of confirmed Zika cases in Singapore has surged to 258 in just one week. A new study shows that 2.6 billion people across Asia and Africa could be at risk of contracting the mosquito-borne virus.
CNN's Manisha Tank has the latest on Singapore's Zika prevention efforts.
MANISHA TANK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Residents of Singapore have been warned to be extra careful and not to encourage the breeding grounds that mosquitoes drive in, the places where they lay their eggs which later hatch. That has been the big problem here.
This is tropical climate. Water accumulates everywhere, in particular in construction sites. Much where we have seen a number of foreign workers hit in the latest surge in the numbers in that particular case where these puddles have remain stagnant and the mosquito breeding was encourage.
Government authorities have to go in and clear some of those possible breeding areas. The construction site was actually shut down in terms of the work, but some workers were left to sweep away the water.
The point here is that Singapore's climate is a tropical one and it regularly rains. And so, pools of water that get stuck in these construction sites or indeed in residential compounds need to be cleared so that mosquitoes are discouraged from breeding there.
And this has been part of the big public information campaign. The government has always been at the forefront of this because the aedeas mosquito that carries Zika also carries dengue fever. And that for years now been a problem.
In fact, tens of thousands of people every year report dengue fever here in Singapore. That say some experts is possibly an even bigger problem. For the here and now, though, pregnant women in particular are very concerned about Zika and they've been encouraged by the government, they can go for free screenings in case they're worried, and in some cases they certainly are.
Also, Singapore residents have heavily subsidized screenings. But this is very much a concerted effort on the government's part to do something about Zika and get ahead of the problem.
The next question will be what about the surrounding countries? Because their health care systems might not be as robust of that of Singapore's. Already we've had cases reported in the Philippines and in Malaysia. But experts are already asking are there lots of cases which are unreported? We will find out in the coming weeks.
Manisha Tank, CNN, Singapore.
CHURCH: British Airways is struggling to fix a problem with its check-in system. It's causing long lines and delays at several airports. It's unclear how many flights have been affected.
Passengers say the airline told them the system failure had been going on for hours and was worldwide. However, the airlines says it's checking passengers as normal at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports in London.
Well, Hurricane Newton is taking aim at Mexico's Baja Peninsula and some of the many famous resorts there.
Let's turn to our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. he's been covering this. SO, where is it actually and when it is actually going to hit?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's actually happening at this hour, so it is moving ashore as we speak. It is a strong category one. We know it's a very populated area. At last check, there were about 70,000 people was the latest census. And of course, this time of year, more so in the way of tourism.
And, Rosemary, when you go from late summer to early fall, the fishing tourism industry picks up quite a bit as well across this region. So, we're watching this storm system. You can clearly see where it's going right over the region of the Baja Peninsula. Making an impact there, again, 90-miles per hour sustained winds. Gusting well over 115 miles per hour.
S, it's about 150 kilometers or so per hour. So, you would imagine we do have hurricane warnings issued for Cabo San Lucas, for La Paz all along the interior portion for the parts of Cortez.
And beyond from the states of Sinaloa out towards the Baja big Sur area, and certainly the state of Senora, as well. We have tropical warnings right on the immediate coast as well.
So, the storm system itself will push through rather quickly, make landfall, again, could potentially get up to a category 2 as it makes landfall here right now.
[03:15:00] So, we're waiting to see that latest observation come in as far as the peak winds associated with the storm as it made landfall.
But we know the final track will eventually take this over portions of the southwestern United States, and some heavy rainfall for parts of Arizona. Potentially onto New Mexico that being around Wednesday into Thursday time period, which would be some beneficial rainfall.
But again, the potential is for that to be in a way of flash floods as well because of the intensity that comes through late into the overnight hours of Wednesday. So, that's one of the storms that we're watching. Guess what? We still
have Hermine sitting out there off the Coast of the northeastern United States. It is just a massive storm system. It's still sitting there. Of course, lost all of its tropical characteristics.
But what it is doing, about 175 miles away from the center of the storm, still seeing tropical storm force winds associated with it. Fifty miles per hour or so right on the immediate coast of portions of, say, Long Island.
By later on Tuesday this storm system will weaken even further and fall apart. But you notice, about seven million people still underneath a tropical storm warning in a storm that has really taken its time. We know the storm has traveled over 10,000 kilometers or 6,000 miles to get here. And it's put on the parking break.
So, it's going to sit in place until it faces southward across this region sometimes Tuesday into Wednesday. Beyond this, we get a little surge of summer heat. Look what happens across parts of Washington, D.C. almost 100 degrees as we go in from Wednesday into Thursday. New York City will be into the 90s Fahrenheit.
So, again, into 30 to 33 degrees Celsius if you're watching us internationally. That is near record temperatures for this time of year in the final few days of summer, and we think this could potentially be the final such heat before we get some cooling.
CHURCH: All right. Pedram, thanks so much.
We want to go to U.S. President Obama who is speaking now to the Laos people. Let's listen in.
OBAMA: ... help pursue the economic and labor reforms. We'll work to encourage more trade and investment between our two countries and between Laos and the rest of this region.
As a result of my visit, I hope that more Americans come here, as well, to experience your country and the beautiful culture and to forge new friendships between our peoples.
As Laos grows, we want to be your partner in protecting the natural beauty of your country, from your forests to your rivers. As Laos works to meet its growing need for energy, I want to work with you to pursue clean, renewable energies like solar. And let's help farmers protect their crops and villages, adapt to a changing climate.
We should work together so that development is sustainable. Especially along the Mekong upon in which millions of people depend for their livelihood and their food and their health. The Mekong is a treasure tha has to be protected for future generations and we want to be your partner in that process.
So this is the future our two countries can build together. And I'm optimistic that we can do it. I'm confident because my visit is part of a broader agenda. As some of you know, as president, a key priority of my foreign policy has been to deepen our engagement with the peoples of the Asia Pacific.
And here on the final leg of my last visit to Asia as president, I want to discuss why the commitment of the United States to this region will endure for the long-term. America's interests in the Asia Pacific is not new. It's not a passing fad. It reflects fundamental national interests.
And in the United States, across the political spectrum, there's widespread recognition that the Asia Pacific will become even more important in the century ahead, both to America and to the world.
In this region, we see hundreds of millions of young people with high expectations for their lives. With many of our major trading partners and most of the world's growing middle class. Growth here can mean more jobs and opportunities in all countries. This region is home to five of our treaty allies and some of the world's most capable militaries, which means Asia will shape the course of global security.
And this region is home to more than half of humanity. Asian nations, developing and developed, who will be essential in the fight against challenges like climate change.
So for all these reasons, I've worked to rebalance our foreign policy so the United States is playing a larger and long-term role in the Asia Pacific region. We strengthened our alliances with our new defense guidelines, Japan and the United States will do even more together to uphold regional security.
We've expanded our collaboration with the Republic of Korea, including on missile defense to counter North Korean threats. Today, I'll be meeting with the President Park to reaffirm our unbreakable alliance and to insist that the international community remain united so that North Korea understands that its provocations will only continue to deepen its isolation.
With our U.S. marines now rotating through Australia, we can respond even faster to regional challengers. And with our new access agreement with Philippines our military as closer than they've been in decades.
[03:20:08] To keep the peace and deter aggression, we've deployed more of our most advanced military capabilities to the region, including ships and aircrafts to Singapore. And by the ends of the decade, a majority of our navy and air force fleets will be based out of the Pacific.
And our allies and partners are collaborating more with each other, as well. So, our alliances and defense capabilities in the Asia Pacific are as strong as they've ever been.
We've also forged deeper ties with emerging economies and emerging powers, with Indonesia and Malaysia, we're promoting entrepreneurship. We're opposing violence extremism and we're addressing environmental degradation.
With my recent visit to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which shown our commitment to fully normalizing our relationship with Vietnam. We've elevated our ties with India across the border. And we welcome India as growing role in the Asia Pacific.
We've deepened our cooperation with regional institutions, especially here in Southeast Asia. And as part of our new strategic partnership with ASEAN, we've agreed to key principals, including that ASEAN will remain to peace, prosperity and progress in the Asia Pacific.
The United States is now part of the East Asia Summit and together we've made it the leading forum in the region for addressing political and security challenges, including maritime security.
We've increased the trade and investment that create jobs and opportunity on both sides of the Pacific. Since I took office, we've boosted U.S. exports to the Asia Pacific by 50 percent. Our young leader's initiative is helping more than 100,000 young men and women across this region start new companies and ventures.
So, we're connecting entrepreneurs and investors, and businesses in America and in ASEAN with each other.
And thanks to our sustained leadership, 12 of our nations have come together in the Trans-Pacific partnership to establish the rules of trade for nearly 40 percent of the global economy.
We've also stood with citizens on behalf of democracy and human rights. We've expanded our support for civil society groups and open government. We saw another democratic election in transition in Indonesia.
And as the first U.S. President to visit Myanmar, I'm proud that the United States encouraged and now is supporting a historic transition towards democracy and I look forward to welcoming state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi to the White House next week as we stand with the people of Myanmar and their journey towards pluralism and peace.
And alongside all these efforts, we've worked to build a constructive relationship with China. Our two governments continue to have serious differences in important areas. The United States will remain unwavering in our support for universal human rights.
But at the same time, we've shown that we can work together to advance mutual interests.
The United States and China are engaged across more areas than ever before. From preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon to our shared commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula to our historic leadership together on climate change.
So, I will say it again, the United States welcomes the rise of a China that is peaceful, prosperous and a responsible player in global affairs because we believe that that will benefit all of us.
In other words, the United States is more deeply engaged across the Asia Pacific than we have been in decades. Our position is stronger and we present a clear message that as a Pacific nation we're here to stay. In good times and bad, you can count on the United States of America. And the question going forward is what will the future hold for this
region? Will disagreements be resolved peacefully or lead to conflict? Will economies continue to integrate or succumb to mercantilism or protectionism? Will human dignity be upheld or will it be denied? Will the international rules and norms that have enabled progress in this region be maintained or will they erode?
So with the time I have left, allow me to share our vision and the values that guide us and the future we're working toward. Our basic principles for peace and progress here in this region, including Laos and across the Asia Pacific.
First, we believe that all nations and peoples deserve to live in security and peace. We believe that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every nation must be upheld. And we believe that every nation matters, no matter their size.
We believe the bigger nation should not dictate to smaller nations and that all nations should play by the same rules. America's treaty allies must know, our commitment to your defense is a solemn obligation that will never waiver.
And across the region, including in the East and South China Seas, the United States will continue to fly and sail and operate wherever international law allows and support the right of all countries to do the same.
[03:25:12] We will stand with our allies and partners in upholding fundamental interests. Among them, freedom of navigation and over flight, lawful commerce that's not impeded and peaceful resolution of disputes. That's the security that we seek.
We also believe that just as nations have rights, nations also have responsibilities. Including the responsibility to work together to address problems no nation can solve alone. So many of today's threats transcend boarders and every country has a role to play. We will have to cooperate better together to stop terrorist attacks and to prevent the spread of the world's most dangerous weapons.
We will have to work together to avoid the worst effects of climate change. We have to work together to stop the horror of human trafficking and end the outrage of modern day slavery. These are areas where we seek deeper cooperation.
We believe in prosperity that is shared and that reduces poverty and inequality by lifting up the many and not just a few wealthy people at the top. Rather than simply extracting another country's natural resources, we believe development has to invest in people and their education and in their skills. We believe the trade should be free and truly fair. And that workers and the environment should be protected.
CHURCH: The United States alliance and defense capabilities in the Asia Pacific region are as strong as they've ever been and U.S. engagement with Asia will endure.
Listening there to the U.S. President Barack Obama speaking to the people of Laos and a broader message there to the Asia Pacific region talking about building a partnership between the United States and Laos and Asia, as well.
And saying U.S. -- the United States is playing a large and longtime role in the Asia Pacific region. He referred to his in meeting today with the South Korean leader to combat the threat from North Korea. And he said the provocation from North Korea will deepen its isolation.
Of course, we already know that he has canceled his bilateral meeting with the Philippines President.
So, we're watching and monitoring any more than that the U.S. President will say as he talks there to the people of Laos. For now, we will take a very short break. We'll be back in just a moment.
[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 bring you up to date now on the main stories we have been following this hour.
U.S. President Barack Obama has just addressed the people of Laos at the ASEAN Summit. He reaffirmed U.S. commitment to Asian nations and he's announced $90 million in aid to help remove unexploded bombs left over from the Vietnam War. Those explosives have killed more than 20,000 civilians since the conflict ended.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he regrets the comments about Mr. Obama were seen as a personal attack. They were scheduled to talk Tuesday in Laos, but the meeting was canceled. Mr. Duterte lashed out after hearing that Mr. Obama planned to confront him over his controversial war on drugs. The Philippines says the meeting will be rescheduled.
Hundreds of extra security personnel have been dispatched to the Northern French port city of Calais after farmers and tractors stage a day-long protests over French migrant policy. They were demonstrating against the so-called jungle, a camp for immigrants near the city. Protesters want the camp closed.
The U.S. presidential election is now just 63 days away. Monday marks the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. The unofficial end of summer and start of the final two-month sprint to Election Day.
White House rivals Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both took their campaigns to the same battleground state, Ohio, as they geared up for the last stretch of what's been a long and very unpredictable race.
Now, on the campaign trail, Trump sought to clarify his position on immigration.
Our Sara Murray reports, he seems to be backing away from a cornerstone of his immigration policy.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Donald Trump is muddling his immigration stance even further today, now saying a decision about granting legal status to undocumented immigrants will come sometime down the road.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to make that decision into the future. OK? Good question. I'm glad you asked it. That decision will be made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: As Trump and his team try to win over voters in the final 64- day stretch. They're trying to water down parts of last week's hard line immigration speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: For those here illegally today, who are seeking legal status, they will have one route and one route only. To return home and apply for re-entry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: And give the candidate some wiggle room in dealing with undocumented immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Donald Trump, as he expressed in one of his interviews recently, would find it's very, very difficult to throw out a family that's been here for, you know, 15 years and they have three children, two of whom are citizens and that is not the kind of America he wants.
KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Once you turn off the jobs and benefit magnet, then we'll see where we are. And we don't know where we'll be. We don't know who will be left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Today, in the battleground State of Ohio, Trump is also taking advantage of the Labor Day holiday to bring his economic argument to union leaders.
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TRUMP: Ohio is having its jobs just sucked out of it, going to Mexico, and other countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: His day on the trail almost resembling a traditional politician. As he held a round table, stopped by a local diner and visited one of the largest fairs in the buckeye state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: What an incredible group. Thank you, everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: All of this as Trump is betting his surest path to victory comes from hammering his democratic opponent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: She didn't have the energy to go to Louisiana and she didn't have the energy to go to Mexico.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: But Trump's best chance to take on Clinton is sure to come on the debate stage. An event the hard to pin down candidate now says he wouldn't miss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Hurricanes, natural disaster, though, I expect to do all three. That I think it's an important element of what we're doing. I think we have an obligation to do the debates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURAY: Now, Donald Trump has played coy on a number of occasions about whether he would actually show up for all of those debates. Those comments are the most definitive that we have from the GOP nominee that he will be there ready to take the stage against Hillary Clinton.
[03:35:02] And in case you needed any indication that the candidates will be sprinting to the finish leading up to those debates, Trump will be hitting not one, but two battleground states on Tuesday. North Carolina and Virginia.
Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: And Trump may cross paths with Hillary Clinton in North Carolina later Tuesday. She will be campaigning there and in Florida.
Suzanne Malveaux has more on the Clinton campaign as the race for the White House enters the home stretch.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hillary Clinton is kicking off the final push to Election Day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We believe we are stronger together. And that is in stark contrast to Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Campaigning today with running mate Tim Kaine at that Labor Day rally in Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: We need to make sure we have an election that validates the kind of positive future that will make life better for the people of Ohio. And empty promises and racist attacks won't do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Even managing to swipe at Donald Trump in the midst of a lengthy coughing fit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Every time I think about Trump, I get allergic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The democratic nominee also debuting her new campaign plane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Hey, guys.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
CLINTON: Welcome to our big plane. It's so exciting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: A Boeing 737 with her signature "H" logos and stronger together on the side. Clinton greeting the press corps which will now travel on the same plane as Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I am so happy to have you all of you with me. I was just waiting for this moment. And I'm thrilled -- no, really.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Clinton's plane even crossing paths with Trump's on the tarmac in Cleveland today.
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TIM KAINE, VIRGINIA STATE SENATOR: That shows you how important Ohio is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Team Clinton is spending Labor Day blanketing key states with surrogates. Her husband at a parade in Detroit and a picnic in Cincinnati, slamming Trump's recent trip to Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I've had that job. That damaged America in every serious country in the world.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: My name is Joe Biden. And I work -- I work for Hillary Clinton and whatever the hell this guy's name is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And Vice President Biden, appearing alongside Kaine in Pittsburgh, rallying up the labor base.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAINE: There's so many people like Trump who look at us like we're not their equal. I'm sick of it! I have had it up to here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Even former rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, speaking to voters in New Hampshire on Clinton's behalf.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNIE SANDERS, VERMONT STATE SENATOR: There should be no doubt, on anybody's mind, as to whether -- as to whether Hillary Clinton is the superior candidate because in every respect she is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: But Clinton is still taking fire from Trump and congressional republicans over the newly released FBI report on her e- mail server. With Kaine offering this defense.
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KAINE: She did make a mistake and she made it by deciding she wanted to use one device rather than multiple devices. She's apologized for that. She said it was a mistake and she's learned from it. But these notes, which Hillary urged be made public, demonstrate clearly why the FBI saw no need for additional criminal proceedings.
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MALVEAUX: Hillary Clinton was asked about the unfounded conspiracy theories that have been peddled the by the Trump campaign concerning her health. This happens on a day where she was struggling with two coughing episodes, one that happened on stage in Ohio, and another in that gaggle aboard her press plane. She said she does not pay any attention to them, there are so many of them that this is simply unfounded.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Quad Cities, Illinois.
CHURCH: And as Election Day draws there, the U.S. is looking closely at concerns that foreign hackers might tamper with the process or even try to influence the outcome.
Chief U.S. security correspondent Jim Sciutto has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: What we cannot do is have a situation in which suddenly this becomes the Wild, Wild West.
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: President Obama warning Russia today about Moscow's expanding cyber-attacks on the U.S. This as U.S. intelligence agencies are increasingly focused, U.S. Officials tell CNN, on Russian influence on the upcoming presidential election.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper recently told CNN he's concerned the Kremlin may be seeking to undermine confidence in the vote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it your view that Russia has the intention of, if not influencing this election, undermining confidence in the U.S. Political process.
JAMES CLAPPER, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: They see a U.S. conspiracy behind every bush, they believe that we are trying to influence political developments in Russia. Their natural response is to retaliate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Multiple agencies are now assessing the scope of the Russian intrusion, which includes hacking into voting data and systems.
[03:40:03] Russia's intention is not clear. Maybe less to help one candidate over another then to sold out on the overall process and final result.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this just to stir up trouble or was this ultimately to try to influence an election? And, of course, this is a serious, serious proposition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: So serious that today President Obama raised the issue as he and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We've had problems with cyber intrusions from Russia in the past, from other countries in the past, and, look, we're moving into a new era here where a number of countries have significant capacities. And frankly, we've got more capacity than anybody, both offensively and defensively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Sources tell CNN the U.S. intelligence community believes Russia was behind the recent hacks of the Democratic National Committee, the New York Times and think tanks in Washington.
Investigators are also looking into who breached voter databases in the States of Illinois and Arizona. For his part, President Putin has denied any tampering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (TRANSLATED): I don't know anything about it. And on a state level, Russia has never done this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: President Putin also said that Russia doesn't have any preference for who wins in November. He says that he just wants someone who could make responsible decisions and, quote, "their last name doesn't matter."
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is gaining support from had U.S. President. Barack Obama says the San Francisco player is exercising his constitutional right by not standing for the national anthem.
Kaepernick has recently refused to stand for the anthem to protest the treatment of African-Americans by police. Mr. Obama says he knows the athlete's actions will anger some, but it's led to an important conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: My understanding, at least, is that he's exercising his constitutional right to make a statement. I think there's a long history of sports figures doing so, but I don't doubt his sincerity, based on what I've heard.
I think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. And, you know, if nothing else what he's done is he's generated, you know, more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And some professional athletes are supporting Kaepernick, as well. U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe kneeled during the national anthem at a game Sunday, a show of solidarity with Kaepernick. She later tweeted, "it's the least I can do." On Monday, North Korea fired yet with another round of ballistic
missiles and the U.S. President was virtually next door when it happened. That story, next.
[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: This just into CNN, flights into an out of London City airport are suspended right now. A customer service representative says flights have been grounded because protesters are on the runway. It's not clear what they're protesting about exactly.
But the U.K.'s Black Lives Matter official Twitter account says activists in support of BLM U.K. shut down London City Airport to protest the U.K.'s environmental impact on black people.
CNN has not been able to independently verify the Twitter claim.
Well, British Airways is struggling to fix a problem with its check-in system. It's causing long lines and delays at several airports. It's unclear how many flights have been affected.
Passengers say the airline told them the system failure had been going on for hours and was worldwide. However, the airline says it's checking passengers as normal at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports in London.
Well, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is calling on his military to bolster its nuclear weapons. That's after the country's latest missile tests which the U.S. has strongly condemned.
CNN's Brian Todd reports.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Obama was virtually next door as Kim Jong-un engaged in another provocation against America.
While the president met with world leaders of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, Kim's regime fired three medium range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan. South Korean military officials say the missiles flew about 620 miles and were launched with no navigational warning.
A senior U.S. official tells CNN they could have threatened commercial aircraft or ships in the area.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS KARAKO, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DIRECTOR: I would say that that's probably North Korea's intention. Their calculations are to gamble of trying to be provocative of saying, look at me. Getting the attention during the G20 Summit.
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TODD: Japan's Defense Minister calls the launch a serious threat, saying the North Koreans have learned from their mistakes with these missiles. The evidence, he says, the three missiles landed at almost the same spot at about the same time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARAKO: Three missiles in the same spot, that could have damage on airfield, the kind of concept of operations of lofting one while doing a depressed launch of another. They may have a sophisticated concept of operations for the missiles that this test might have been demonstrating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: This is the second time in less than two weeks that Kim Jong-un has fired missiles which landed inside Japan's zone for identifying threats from the air.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCUS NOLAND, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS DIRECTOR: Japan is an inviting target because they're rich, they're relatively soft ask at least compared to the South Koreans and they're the former colonial masters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Kim endangered his own people by firing these missiles. They flew from the western part of the country east more than 100 miles before they were over the sea. Analysts say Kim cares less about hitting innocent people on the ground than he does about his own power circle.
Kim's general as they say, maybe pushing him to be more aggressive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOLAND: He has to constantly guard himself. He is continuing to purge people, circulate people, create insecurity among the higher ranks of the military and security services precisely. So no one gets any ideas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODD: Just hours before the launch, China's President told his South Korean counterpart China doesn't want American THAD anti-missile batteries set up inside South Korea. That system, designed to shoot down incoming North Korean missiles will be operational soon.
Experts tell us with every missile that North Korea fires, Kim Jong-un is undermining his ally, China, and their campaign against the THAD System.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: Emergency workers in Tel Aviv, Israel are desperately searching for survivors after an underground parking garage collapsed. The four-story building was under construction when it imploded. At least three people were killed and some 20 others injured. The cause of the collapse is still unknown.
For hundreds of years, pilgrims have left the Holy Land with a lasting momentum to remember their journey.
Up next, we will visit a tattoo parlor with designs that have been passed down for generations. Back in a moment with that.
[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Pilgrims traveled the Holy Land in search of many things and some leave with a permanent souvenir to remember their journey. For centuries, the Rozzuk family has given tattoos to visitors in Jerusalem's old city.
CNN's Ian Lee has the story.
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Andrew Seropian got his first tattoo when he joined the U.S. Army. But this Armenian cross means the most for the veteran of Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRES SEROPIAN, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I was seven meters away from a rocket that blew up, with no protection on the night of the full blast. But I believe I could have been dead, or missing an arm. I do believe I was protected and blessed by God.
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LEE: Seropian, like pilgrims before him, made one last stop before leaving the Holy Land. For 700 years, pilgrims sought out the Razzouk family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTON RAZZOUK, TATTOO ARTIST: When the ancestors started the tradition of the tattoo. And because electricity wasn't available, it was done by hand.
WASSIM RAZZOUK, TATTOO ARTIST: The Christian tattooing has always been used as a certificate of pilgrimage. And the only way for people to prove and get a certificate or a stamp, sort of a stamp that will last forever that they've done the pilgrimage is by actually by getting tattooed.
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LEE: The tattooing technique originated in Egypt and evolved over the centuries, but the designs last through the ages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
W. RAZZOUK: We are not only old school. You can say we are ancient school. We have designs hundreds of years old.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEE: Wassim Razzouk shows me one such design carved from wood blocks.
[03:55:03] W. RAZZOUK: For example, this one is about 500 years old. This actual block was -- specifically was used in 1669 to tattoo a pilgrim that has documented his pilgrimage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: Pilgrims travel to the Holy Land in search of something. It could be adventure, inner peace or God.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was a really emotional journey for me. To renew my faith. And this, for me, has become an external version of what I am now feeling inside. And I feel that I have a renewed and new found faith that I feel is more permanent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: The holy ink almost tried up. Wassim initially had no interest in the family business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
W. RAZZOUK: This is not a tradition and a heritage that is easy to let go of. I'm not going to be the one who is going to stop it or kill it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: The mark of faith is secured for the next generation as future pilgrims will seek out Wassim's son.
Ian Lee, CNN, in Jerusalem's old city.
CHURCH: Rock legend Freddy Mercury is now among the stars. The queen front man would have turned 70 on Monday. Can you believe that? And an asteroid has been named after him to mark the occasion.
Asteroid 17473 was discovered in 1991, the year Mercury died. The asteroid can be found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
And thanks for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter. And there is more news after the break with our Max Foster in London. You have a great day.
[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
