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Peace Plan for Syria Debated as Bombing Continues; Trump Says US Should Have Taken Iraqi Oil Fields to Stop Rise of ISIS; Indian Lawmakers to Take Up Bill to End Commercial Surrogacy; Emails from Colin Powell to Hillary Clinton Released; Flooding in Southern Greece; Close Encoutner Between Russian Jet and US Plane; Syrians Flee Violence. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 08, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: As chlorine bombs fall on children and civilians, diplomats talk about a peace plan for Syria.
Donald Trump says the U.S. should have taken the oil fields from Iraq after the war to stop the rise of ISIS.
And later, women being paid to give birth to other people's babies, it's a big industry in parts of India. Now some lawmakers want to ban it.
Hello and welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.
Another effort is being made to end Syria's five-year long civil war. But the main world powers involved, the U.S., Russia, and Turkey are at odds with each other.
The top diplomats of the U.S. and Russia will be meeting the in Geneva to work on a cease-fire deal. Both are not happy with Turkey's actions within Syria.
Meanwhile, activists say a fresh round of air strikes killed at least seven people in Aleppo just a day after a suspected chlorine gas attack.
Details now from Hala Gorani. And a warning, some images you're about to see are graphic.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The relentless bombardment of Aleppo have taken an even more savage twist. On Tuesday, according to local medics, more than a hundred people were victims of a chemical gas attack.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
"Everything smells of chlorine, these people shout," as they try to wash the toxic chemical from a small boy. Rights groups blame government Assad's regime. Saying government forces drop barrel bombs containing chlorine on a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo.
At least 37 of the victims were children, according to the Aleppo free doctors committee. Many left coughing and gasping for air. As the full brutality of the war pounds Aleppo's streets, diplomats met in London, trying once again to hammer out a plan to end the conflict.
Syria's main opposition group set out its road map for political transition, proposing a six-month cease-fire to begin immediately. After that, they want President Assad to step aside in favor of a unity government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIYAD FARID HIJAB, FORMER SYRIAN PRIME MINISTER (TRANSLATED): We cannot allow Assad and his clique and those who are killed and tortured people over the last five years to stay on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: It is this that remains the biggest sticking point to progress because Assad and his allies in Moscow are refusing to back down. After the talks, host Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary sounded hopeful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Listening to everybody today, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that with common sense, and flexibility and energy, this vision and this plan that Dr. Hijab and his colleagues have put forward, this can be put into effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: But neither Russia nor the Assad regime, of course, were present in London, so a breakthrough might have been impossible, anyway. And this may all simply be a photo op.
Although President Obama has said in the past that chemical warfare in Syria would be a, quote, "red line," the international community still looks far from any concrete action that could end the suffering.
Meanwhile, children drowning in their hospital beds is becoming the new normal.
Hala Gorani, CNN, London.
CHURCH: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both say they have a strategy for defeating ISIS. They took part in a national security forum Wednesday hosted by NBC News. Trump says he would keep his ISIS plan secret, but he would give his generals 30 days to come up with their own strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've always said, shouldn't be there, but if they're going to get out, take the oil. If we would have taken the oil, you wouldn't have ISIS because ISIS formed with the power and the wealth of that oil.
MATT LAUER, NBC NEWS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF FORUM HOST: How are we going to take the oil? How are we going to do that?
TRUMP: We just, you know, we'd leave a certain group behind and you would take various sections where they have the oil. They have and people don't know this about Iraq but they have among the largest oil reserves in the world, in the entire world and we're the only ones. We go in, we spend $3 trillion. We lose thousands and thousands of lives and then, Matt, what happens is we get nothing.
[03:05:01] You know, it used to be to the victor belong the spoils. Now, there was no victor there, believe me. There was no victor. But I always said, take the oil. One of the benefits we would have had if we took the oil is ISIS would not have been able to take oil and use that oil to fuel themselves.
LAUER: Let me stay on that...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Hillary Clinton says she would not send U.S. ground troops to Iraq or Syria. She also defended herself against allegations that she was too hawkish as Secretary of State.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I assume you're talking about Iraq, because of my vote. And you probably are talking about Libya, because of the -- the role that I played in the administration's decision about whether to take on Gadhafi.
But before I get to that, let me say very clearly, I view force as a last resort, not a first choice. I will do everything in my power to make sure that our men and women in the military are fully prepared for any challenge that they may have to face on our behalf.
But I will also be as careful as I can in making the most significant decisions any president and commander-in-chief can make about sending our men and women into harm's way.
With respect to Libya, again, there is no difference between my opponent and myself. He's on record extensively supporting intervention in Libya when Gadhafi was threatening to massacre his population.
I put together a coalition that included NATO, included the Arab League, and we were able to save lives. We did not lose a single American in that action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Joining me now from New York is Phillip Bump, political reporter for The Washington Post. Always great to have you on.
PHILIP BUMP, WASHINGTON POST POLITICAL REPORTER: Thanks. CHURCH: Now, the MSNBC town hall also showed that people still have a lot of questions about Clinton's use of a private e-mail server.
BUMP: Right.
CHURCH: This comes on the same day FBI director Comey defended the investigation saying, there wasn't a prosecutable case. Do you think this issue is the biggest cause of her unfavorable numbers?
BUMP: Yes. I mean, I think it's a large part of it. One of the patterns that we've seen when Hillary Clinton is that when she's run for office, her numbers have dropped. Once she has stopped running for office, they have improved.
So, I think if this was natural that she was going to dip, anyway. But I think it's definitely the case of this e-mail server, particularly in the way that it is played out with. You know, since it is involved with the United States government, the government is kind slow and they'll release things every couple of months.
In that constant repeating, bringing back up a new release of new information, even if it doesn't shed any light on what actually happened, I think that that means that the public is constantly being reminded that this thing exists.
I will say though, that for that audience, for a military audience which is concerned about how she used classified information, I thought that was an appropriate venue to talk about this issue.
CHURCH: And, of course, Trump has said he knows now about how to defeat ISIS than the generals do, yet now he's asking for a plan from them in the next 30 days or so. Did Trump ever have a plan in the first place? And do voters care either way?
BUMP: You know, I don't -- I can't read inside Donald Trump's mind. I think it's unlikely he had a strong plan on how to get rid of ISIS quickly. I think that he sort of deferred to this argument, well, I don't want to say it's a secret in the same way that he uses these audits as an excuse not to release his tax returns.
I think it's an excuse. I think he didn't have an answer for that. I think that during this forum, he demonstrated the fact that he didn't really know how to talk about these things. He doesn't really have a good grasp of issue.
And, you know, the fact that he said he knew more than the generals, I think that it itself is revelatory about the fact that he probably doesn't really have a strong understanding on what's going on.
So, no. I don't think he ever have a plan. I think, however, that the best strategy for someone coming into the position of president is to talk with the people who are doing this and spending a lot of time looking at it and getting their advice, as oppose to formulating your own plan and sort of rushing into it.
CHURCH: Now you watched the whole town hall. BUMP: Right.
CHURCH: Who came out on top do you think?
BUMP: I mean, it's hard not to see how Hillary Clinton did. I mean, I think that, you know, that Clinton was faced about with these questions about the e-mails which she obviously didn't want to have to do.
But I think on the whole, it's hard not - for an objective observer - not to see the two of them and get the sense that she has a better grasp, a better command of what it would take to be commander-in-chief in the U.S. military.
I think Donald Trump stumbled over a lot of answers, gave a lot of, honestly, contradictory and sort of nonsensical answers. But, you know, it depends on what people are looking for. If you're looking for a guy who says, well, let's go bomb them, then Donald Trump is the guy who said that, so.
[03:10:01] CHURCH: And after CNN's poll, showing Trump with the edge in a statistical tie, George Washington University has a poll out and that shows Clinton with the edge in a statistical tie with likely voters.
Clinton at 42 percent. Trump at 40 percent. Gary Johnson at 11 percent, and Jill Stein at 3 percent. What do you make of those numbers and just how relevant to any of these national polls? Do they tell us much or do we really just have to go state by state here to get a real picture of what's going on?
BUMP: It's a great question. You know, I mean, national polls can give us a sense of where the states are headed. You know, we see that there is a correlation between two. And since it's expensive to poll on every single state, that can give us a lot of information.
You know, I think that Hillary Clinton, what we try and do is look at polling averages, though. So, we're not constantly going well. Well, this one said yesterday and this said this today. The polling average shows pretty consistently Hillary Clinton has had a lead since the convention.
It's about half of what it was, you know, at the beginning of August. But she has a substantial lead. The real question, though, is can Donald Trump make up ground in swing states? Right now, Hillary Clinton leads in all 10 states that were the closest in 2012.
Donald Trump has to win a state Mitt Romney lost or he can't win because Mitt Romney lost. Right now, there is no state where he is poised to win where Mitt Romney lost and that's extremely bad news for his presidency.
CHURCH: Yes, it is looking like a tight race right to the end. Phillip Bump, always a pleasure. Thanks so much.
BUMP: Of course. CHURCH: Meanwhile, democrats in Congress have released e-mails to
Clinton from former U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell. Clinton has said she reached out to him when she began serving as the nation's top diplomat to find on out how he used personal devices.
Powell says "What I did do was have a personal computer that was hooked up to a private phone line." Sounds ancient. "So I could communicate with a wide range of friends directly without it going through the State Department servers. I even used it to do business with some foreign leaders and some of the senior folks on the department on their personal e-mail accounts." I did the same thing on the road in hotels.
Well, a dangerous situation for people in Greece. We will look at the flash flooding that's cut off entire communities. We're back in just a moment.
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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT REPORTER: Hi there. I'm Patrick Snell with your World Sport headlines.
Starting off in New York, where Japanese tennis star Kei Nishikori has won a major shot on Andy Murray and went to his quarter final clash in the big apple.
[03:15:00] The sixth seed who reach the final at the event two years ago had to come from behind to win a thriller. It went to five sets. Nishikori still looking and remember for his first Grand Slam title. He has a chance, too. He's through to his second career major semi.
At eyes back on Rio de Janeiro at the Paralympics to play on Wednesday at the same Maracana Stadium. Remember, just like the Summer Games, the build up to them is not been without controversy after a dramatic shortfall in funding, a blanket ban for Russia's athletes after allegations of state-sponsored doping and low ticket sales, too. Well, please remember, our South America's first ever Paralympics in more than 4,000 competitors and 170 countries will be taking part.
For quite some time now, we've all been wondering just when and if Tiger Woods would return to golf. Well, now we know. Woods who admits that his intention depend on his continued progress and recovery saying he aims to play in the Safeway Open in California in mid- October.
That's the PGA Tours 2016-17 season open, by the way, as well as the Turkish Airlines open in November, as well as the Hero World challenge in the Bahamas in December. Woods will turn 41, by the way, just before Christmas.
That's a look at your CNN World Sport headlines. I'm Patrick Snell.
CHURCH: Even as diplomats work to restart Syrian peace talks in London, Syrians are fleeing the violence and terror in their country by the thousands. The journey is hard enough for people in good health and without any physical disabilities. Now imagine making that dangerous trip in a wheelchair.
Christian Amanpour introduces us to Syrian refugees who did just that.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've witnessed the treacherous route that more than a million people have taken on the high seas and on land. Risking their lives on perilous journeys for way too many months now. But imagine crossing mountains without even the use of your legs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN MOHAMMAD, DISABLED REFUGEE: For normal people, it's very difficult. But for disabled people, it's like a miracle to cross the borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Siblings Alan and Gyan were born with muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that severely hampered their escape from ISIS in Syria. For them and their family, Europe seemed to offer a safe haven. But the route through Turkey and over those mountains was almost impossible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMAD: When we arrived at the top of the mountains, we took two horses. One for me, and my sister, disabled sister, and one for our wheelchairs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Strapped to these horses, they slowly made their way to the people smugglers selling boat passages in Turkey. Crushed into a six meter long boat with around 60 people on board, they were forced to abandon their wheelchairs on shore.
Their mother, Amsha, (Ph) wondered whether they would ever make it.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Four hours later, they landed on this Greek island and were given another set of wheelchairs. They were sent to the Ritsona refugee camp on the mainland.
It is not easy to navigate in a wheelchair there and winter is fast approaching.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Waiting since March to reunite with their father and sister in Germany, Alan spends his days teaching English to other Syrian refugee children.
Uncertain that he'll ever get there, but still hopeful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MOHAMMAD: Have family there, have a job. This is my dream.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And that was Christiane Amanpour reporting there.
I want to turn to Asia now. And leaders at the ASEAN Summit were not expected to address the July ruling on the South China Sea disputes. But U.S. President Barack Obama the put the issue back in the spotlight on his last day in Laos.
Washington has repeatedly raised concerns over China's actions in the disputed waters. China claims nearly all of the sea, but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also make claims to it.
Well, CNN's Asia-Pacific editor, Andrew Stevens joins us now from Vientiane in Laos with more. So, Andrew, President Obama underscored his position o on the disputed South China Sea.
[03:20:03] What all did he have to say on this very delicate matter?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: You're right. It's a very delicate matter, indeed, for ASEAN. It is an issue that has constantly been on ASEAN's agenda as China continues its expansion into the South China Sea.
Four members of ASEAN out of the 10-member grouping, four members, Rosemary, have taken issue against that expansion. They have -- they are disputing the China's claims, talking about the Philippines and Vietnam in particular, also Brunei and Malaysia.
What Beijing has apparently managed to do is to keep that ruling the U.S. President was talking about. That ruling made in July of this year at The Hague by an international court, which basically said that the Chinese claims to those areas of the South China Sea are illegal. That was a ruling. Mr. Obama had a line on that today. Listen to what he said.
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BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: With respect to maritime issues, we'll continue to work to ensure that disputes are resolved peacefully, including in the South China Sea. The landmark arbitration ruling in July, which is binding, helped clarify maritime rights in the region.
I recognize this raises tensions, but I also look forward to discussing how we can constructively move forward together to lower tensions. And promote diplomacy and regional stability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENS: Now talking about a binding ruling at The Hague, that ruling is not binding, though, in China's eyes. It's basically dismissed it. It said the court doesn't have the legitimacy to rule on it and therefore has been putting pressure on ASEAN and China does. It wields some economic muscle on the ASEAN countries and Laos particularly.
Laos is the chair of the ASEAN meeting this year and Laos did not have the ruling, that Hague ruling mentioned in the chairman's statement at the end of the ASEAN summit. That statement was released yesterday.
The South China Sea was mentioned and that the chairman, Laos, said that they remained seriously concerned over recent and ongoing developments in the South China Sea. China wasn't specifically mentioned by the chairman's statements.
But, obviously, it is an enormous issues within ASEAN. Rosemary, ASEAN is not a binding club. It's non-binding. So, it's a membership where members don't have to agree with each other, don't have to toe the line. So they do -- they are -- they do have the space to go their separate ways.
And that's what we're seeing here, particularly with Laos and Cambodia, who are seen very much as dependent on Chinese economic help and they have been very much in China's camp over this whole issue while other countries like Vietnam and Philippines haven't been.
So, it is a delicate, diplomatic dance. You tend not to see it exposed that much in the public side of ASEAN. And certainly a lot is going so behind the scenes, too.
CHURCH: And treating very carefully. Andrew Stevens there, joining us live from Vientiane in Laos. It is 2.23 in the afternoon. Many thanks to you.
And Southeastern Europe is dealing with some dangerous weather. Flash floods in Southern Greece have killed at least three people causing extensive damage and cutting off several communities. Some areas got more than four times their monthly average of rain in just 24 hours.
And it doesn't appear that the flash flood threat is over for the Balkan Peninsula.
Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now in the studio to talk more about this. So, where is this specifically are these dangerous flash flooding because they are unpredictable, aren't they?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's right. The Balkan Peninsula, that's the area that we're focusing in Albania, Macedonia and to the parts of the Greek aisle and it's not looking good because more rain is in the forecast.
And if a thunderstorm sits over the same area it produces the large amount of rain in a short period of time. That's what we get flash flooding, unfortunately.
Take a look at some of these images. You got to see this because you saw the video just a second ago. Cars piled on top of each other. A great indicator that flash flooding just tore through that particular area. I mean, check this out. Can you imagine cleaning up after an event like this? This is in the northwestern sections of Greece, I believe. Here are
the rainfall totals. You can see that we quadrupled our monthly average just in a 24-hour period in a few portions of Greece and equally impressive amounts in Albania and parts of Macedonia. So, it has been a rough go over the past day or so.
And unfortunately, this pesky low pressure system parked right over the southern Adriatic near the Balkan Peninsula will continue to bring chances of rainfall going forward over the next 48 hours.
[03:25:04] In fact, our rainfall totals for this particular region, see that shading of yellow and orange? That's anywhere from 50 to 100 millimeters of rain in the areas that have been hardest hit lately.
Now we're talking temperatures over Western Europe. Because it has been extremely hot across Portugal and Spain if you live there and you're watching first of all, thanks for your viewership. And secondly, you don't need me to tell you it's been hot there.
We've been about 10 to even 15 degrees above where we should be this time of year. Right in the middle of fire season, as well. You can see some of the people just battling these fires near the border of Portugal and Spain.
And taking you into North America now, because we've had our second landfall from what was Hurricane Newton, it moved away. It moved across the Baja Peninsula into the northwestern sections of Mexico, now the remnants of this particular system moving across Arizona and new Mexico basically starting to peter out.
So, not a concern going forward. Maybe a few millimeters of rain still left in the system, but that's about it. But you can see just the damage that it left into La Paz, Mexico, for instance.
All right. I'm going to leave you with this. Because you've got to see the images coming out of a Siberian town in Russia. One of the northern most cities in the world, by the way. Crimson tide. This is unbelievable. I can't get over the social media pictures that have been doing their rounds on Twitter, Facebook, you name it.
This particular river has obviously ben dyed red, but as authorities believe that there is some sort of unidentified chemical that was leaked into the river, go figure. This is actually one of the most polluted parts of Russia.
And, well, you can actually see that this particular area and enjoying fall weather right now, but it doesn't look so nice when it's coupled with a red crimson tide-like river.
You know what, Rosie, seeing these images, it really breaks my heart because you can only imagine the environmental impact that this has on the, well, let's say the fishing, the wildlife across that area, not to mention humans if they tap into that water source and have to drink it. So, yes, really it's just unbelievable.
CHURCH: So totally decimated area. And of course, then you've got to clean up and that's just takes time.
(CROSSTALK)
DAM: The clean up just take months.
CHURCH: All right. Derek, thanks so much for that. I appreciate it.
And coming up here on CNN Newsroom, a new wall will be going up soon to stop migrants from entering one country. But some say that so- called great wall is downright dangerous. We'll explain when we come back. Stay with us.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you now on our top stories this hour.
Turkish officials say President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Barack Obama have discussed a possible joint operation against ISIS. The move would aim to clear the militants from their de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria.
The discussion apparently took place at the recent G20 Summit in China. No decision was made, but Turkey says it hopes the two countries can conduct the operation together.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are planning to meet in Geneva. The two diplomats are trying to reach a Syria cease-fire agreement. The talks come as Syria is accused of barrel bombing a neighborhood and launching air strikes on another.
A close encounter between a Russian fighter jet and a U.S. plane over the Black Sea. Pentagon officials say a P-8 Poseidon similar to this one, as in an international air space on Wednesday when the Russian jet made a, quote, "unsafe close range intercept" at one point coming within three meters of the American plane.
The Summer Paralympic Games are now underway. The opening ceremony kicked off the games in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. One hundred sixty one nations are represented. That does not include Russia. The international Paralympic Committee banned all Russian Paralympic athletes over alleged state-sponsored doping.
A close ally of Mexico's President is now out of a job. His government ministry is said to be behind the idea to invite Donald Trump for a visit.
Our Rafael Romo has more.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It was the finance minister the fall guy to last week's Trump visit fiasco, there was no official explanation given. President Enrique Pena Nieto simply said he had accepted his finance minister's resignation.
Luis Videgaray has been the President's right hand man since Pena Nieto was the Mexico's State Governor. Videgaray was also the president's chief architect of the presidential campaign and the brain behind the president's economic and education reforms.
A Mexican government official and a source close to the Mexican government both told CNN previously that the idea to extend invitations for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to meet with Pena Nieto came from the finance ministry. Pena Nieto didn't even mention anything about the controversy. He only said he was deeply grateful to Videgaray.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ENRIQUE PENA NIETO, MEXICAN PRESIDENT: I would like to express my greatest recognition not only as president but also personally to someone who, without a doubt, has been a collaborator, who has been deeply committed with the efforts of our republic's governments in order to propel Mexico's transformation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Donald Trump is almost universally despised in Mexico as a result of comments he has made on the campaign trail, calling Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists and promising to build a wall at the border. The Mexican president is not much more popular, either. A recent poll by a Mexico city newspaper puts the president's popularity at just 23 percent.
Rafael Romo, CNN.
CHURCH: The United Kingdom is planning to build a new wall in France to prevent migrants from hopping on trucks heading to Britain. But not everyone thinks it will help. Some say it could do more harm than good.
Erin McLaughlin has more now from London.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some are calling it the great wall of Calais. Others comparing it to Donald Trump's plans for Mexico. But there are some stark differences here. This planned wall will only stretch for about a kilometer, separating a main port road from the migrant camp known as the jungle.
It's been mutually great upon by the French and British governments. And the U.K. will be footing the $2.5 million price tag. Take a listen to what the U.K.'s immigration minister had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:35:01] ROBERT GOODWILL, BRITISH IMMIGRATION MINISTER: The securities -- the security that we're putting in at the ports is being stepped up with better equipment, we're going to start building this big new wall very soon as part of the 17 million package that we're doing with the French. So, there are people still getting through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a fence, not a wall, isn't it? We don't want to confuse... (CROSSTALK)
GOODWILL: We've done the fence. Now we're doing a wall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: Earlier this week, the truck drivers held a protest there in Calais. They said they're very upset with what they argue are increasingly aggressive tactics being used by the migrants to try and get aboard the trucks to illegally sneak their way into the United Kingdom. They say the migrants have been throwing objects at the trucks setting up road barriers.
But the Truck Driver's Association here in the U.K. says a wall is not the answer. They say they want that $2.5 million to be the put towards more security around that main road. Also against this wall, aid organizations inside the so-called jungle camp. They say that it will not deter the migrants, but what it will do is make the situation more dangerous.
And they say that the only people who will profit from this wall are the smugglers, who they argue will simply increase their prices. Nevertheless, the British and French government plan to go ahead with this wall. It's expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.
CHURCH: Lawmakers in India are expected to take up a controversial bill that would end commercial surrogacy. India is a top destination for people around the world seeking surrogate mothers. Often at a cheaper price.
Our Alexandra Field has more now from New Delhi.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the sound they waited 22 years to hear.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
And it was a labor of love, requiring the help of a surrogate mom, which is big business in India.
Congratulations.
The country has been called the womb of the world. A few years ago, CNN took you to the heart of it. A town filled with women dubbed by critics as having wombs for rent. Now the government is working to put the whole business out of business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOUMYA SWAMINATHAN, INDIAN MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL DIRECTOR: We thought the government felt that it's very, very important that we move a bill to protect these women. We've received a large number of complaints, but with most of the complaints are about people who are either not given the amount that they were promised or who had some complications that were not covered medically or to do with the children who were left behind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, director general of the Indian Medical Research Council helped draft the bill. It would clamp down on the more than 2,000 under regulated fertility clinics operating in the country.
If passed, it would put an end to paid surrogacy, an end to paychecks worth thousands of dollars for these women, among the country's poorest, women who might otherwise earn a few hundred in a year. They didn't want to be identified because they say there's a social stigma surrounding surrogacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"With the money, the future of our children will be good, we will educate them. We are benefiting from it and also helping others who don't have children," she says.
If passed, India's plan to ban surrogacy would not only prevent a number of poor women from making a substantial amount of money as surrogates, it would also stop people from all over the world from coming to India to have babies and that includes Indian parents, gay couples and single women.
The only people that could have surrogate babies would be married heterosexual Indian couples who have not been unable to have a baby for at least five years and who are able to find an unpaid surrogate family member.
Dr. Kaberi Banerjee works with surrogates that has further fertility practice. She delivered baby Kathy (Ph) and a hundred other babies from surrogate mothers. She argues the government is stripping women of the right to make choices about their bodies and to earn money they need.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KABERI BANERJEE, GYNECOLOGIST/OBSTETRICIAN: Perhaps their intention is good, of the government, but I think they are ill-informed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: A disservice, she believes, towards the women who depend on the paychecks and the ones who still hope to hear this.
CHURCH: A report from Alexandra Field who joins us now live from New Delhi. So, Alexandria, India has already taken steps to stop foreign couples from coming to the country for surrogacy. Why are foreigners specifically being targeted here?
FIELD: Right. This is a ban that would make it a law. But you did have an announcement just a year ago, Rosemary, from the home ministry saying that surrogacy at that time would only be available should married Indian couples which did in fact, cut off the option for surrogate parents.
This law will now implement strict regulations and, frankly, fines and even prison time for doctors who provide paid surrogacy to couples that don't fit into the category which would be allowed to have altruistic surrogacy and also foreign couples, as you point out.
[03:40:01] So, yes, why are they targeting foreign couples specifically in this law? Well, what we understand from the people who are proponents of the law is this. They say it's not necessarily in the best interest of the child to have a surrogate baby that is born here.
They say that there have been problems with the home countries, there have been difficulties sometimes in getting visas or citizenship for the country that that baby will return to. And in those cases, the proponent of this law say it's possible that the child could be abandoned here. They say that's what's motivating them to go after the foreign couples here, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. The impact will be far and wide of course, on this.
Alexandra Field reporting there from New Delhi, just after 1 o'clock in the afternoon.
Well, he's been rocking for five decades. Now Bruce Springsteen is sharing his most personal struggles in a new memoir. We'll take a look, Stay with us.
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CHURCH: Well, we are told U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte will be suspended from swimming from 10 months over the incident at a gas station in Rio. A source tells CNN Lochte will be also banned from competing in next year's World Championships.
Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers were accused of vandalizing a gas station bathroom during the Olympics last month. The other three could face suspensions, as well, but not as long as Lochte's. An official announcement is expected on Thursday.
American football player Colin Kaepernick is standing by his controversial protest against allege racial injustice and police brutality. The quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers refuses to stand during the U.S. national anthem before games. On Wednesday, Kaepernick addressed rumors he has converted to Islam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN KAEPERNICK, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS QUARTERBACK: I have seen that. And I haven't. I have great respect for the religion. I know a lot of people that are Muslim. And, you know, are phenomenal people.
[03:45:07] But I think that comes along with people's fear of this protest as long -- as long -- as well as Islamophobia in this country. You know, people are terrified of them to the point where Trump wants to ban all Muslims from coming here, which is ridiculous. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Kaepernick reiterated that he means no disrespect toward the men and women of the military. He says he wants to inspire others to speak up for positive change.
Now, if you think you know American singer Bruce Springsteen, chances are you are wrong. He's written a new memoir 500 pages long, and in it he's revealing a lot about his struggles professionally and personally.
Here is Zain Asher.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: American musician Bruce Springsteen who often keeps his private life to himself talks about his ongoing battle with depression in a rare interview with Vanity Fair magazine.
Springsteen also reveals he underwent invasive neck surgery three years ago, where his neck was cut open and his vocal cords tied back. A procedure which he describes as nerve wracking and which took him three months to recover from.
This comes as he prepare to release a 500-page autobiography titled "Born to Run," which took him seven years to write. Springsteen reveals in the book that his depression was made worse by his rocky relationship with his late father. The father/son difficulties are expressed in his song.
Springsteen says he had a technically hard time with mental illness between ages 60 and 64. He tells Vanity Fair, quote, "One of the points I'm making in the book is that, whoever you've been and wherever you've been, it never leaves you."
Despite battling depression, Springsteen's music has never faulted and he shows no signs of slowing down. At age 66, Springsteen has been writing and performing music for more than 50 years. After the death of two of his band members, Clarence Clemens and Danny Federici, The Boss is still playing.
Sold out shows and performing marathon four-hour live performances on his latest tour, The River. He's the winner of many awards, including 20 Grammys, he's released 18 studio albums and he's one of the bestselling artists of all time. Having sold 123 million albums worldwide.
Bruce Springsteen is a legend, but he's also human. Suffering from an illness so many people struggle with.
Zain Asher, CNN, Atlanta.
CHURCH: That will be worth a read. We'll take a break here, but some moans and groans as Apple finally unveils its iPhone 7. A look at the new features and the ones that didn't make the cut.
Back in a moment
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PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: With a couple more weekends left in the summer season across the northern hemisphere. Seeing some scattered afternoon thunderstorms in the forecast for parts of the Midwest. Some of them could have severe characteristics. Mainly around places like Chicago south towards St. Louis into the early morning hours of Thursday.
Of course, temperatures again summer-like nature. Some of these areas seem 5 to 10 degrees above normal. In New York City, at 31 degrees. Look at Montreal, enjoying the 26 degrees afternoon, it could see a few thunderstorms roll-by. In Vancouver, looking at 18 degrees with dry conditions as well.
[03:49:57] But follow the color contours here that are in the green as they will gradually sag south out towards say, Sunday into Monday. That will bring in a nice shot of cool air in across parts of the northeastern United States. But it wants to rebuild back into being relatively mild from much of the lower 48 states across the U.S.
And that is the trend at least going into towards next week. Here is what is left of Newton. Some moisture locks in across the four corner states of the United States. And notice, that's dry air indicated in the tan coloration here. All of this moisture associated with Newton will want to move off to the east and rain itself out eventually.
And we think another 25 millimeters or so expected across the desert over the next 24 or so hours. So, here is the forecast down towards the south. Belize City should be dry with a 32-degree forecast. Some gusty weather is expected around Kingston, Jamaica. But temps also in the lower 30s across that region, and Rio looking at 23 degrees and some morning showers in the forecast.
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CHURCH: Apple has announced the new iPhone 7. But not without some controversy. Apple's CEO Tim Cook made the announcement on Wednesday in San Francisco. The phone isn't hugely different from the iPhone 6s. But here are the key upgrades. The phone will have an improved camera with a new lens. It's also water resistant, has better speakers and more storage and better battery life.
Now, the price starts at about $650 and, get this, it won't have an audio jack.
Joining me now via Skype from San Francisco is Shara Tibken, senior writer for CNET News. And, Shara, you were at the Apple event. Prior to that announcement, of course, a lot of fans were unhappy with the prospect of wireless ear buds. Now they know it's a reality. What was the reaction to that and to the news there will not be an audio jack?
SHAR TIBKEN, CNET NEWS WRITER: Yes. A lot of confusion. A lot of people update. Now audio jack has been around for literally decades and it's something we've all been really used to.
A lot of people have expensive headphones, you know, high quality headphones that they really like. It basically means you're not going to be able to use your old headphones that typically plug into the audio jack. You're going to have to use this adapter that Apple has or you're going to have to go wireless, which means you have to go Bluetooth headphones.
CHURCH: Yes. And, of course, they're going to have to pay extra for those wireless ear buds, aren't they?
TIBKEN: Yes.
CHURCH: And the worry is they'll lose them and that seems to be the problem. For me, I would love anything wireless, but, you know, that's just my own personal opinion. But they've always been complaints about the inferior nature of the iPhone camera.
So, what's being said about the new and improved lens for the iPhone 7? And, of course, then there are two lenses, right, for the iPhone 7 plus.
TIBKEN: Yes. So every year, Apple updates the camera. This is one of the things most people use their devices for. So having a really good camera is something that is incredibly, incredibly important on a new tone.
We actually saw this year, which they've kind of done this since they've come out with a plus. They've had a better camera in that device. And this year, the plus actually has two cameras, so it's supposed to have a better zoom. So you can actually zoom up to like 10x, which is, you know, pretty impressive for a smartphone camera.
You'll also be able to do something where the background is blurry and then figures in the front are really sharp and crisp. And this is something that typical smartphones aren't able to do. So, you know, Apple is doing a lot of things to try to improve the camera in their devices.
CHURCH: Yes. And of course, more storage is a bonus for all of us who get that message there's no room left.
TIBKEN: Yes.
CHURCH: Usually at the very wrong, the wrong time when we've got that spectacular picture. But overall, what do you think when you look at all of those key factors, and, really, people will be paying once they get the phone plus the wireless buds, you do nearly 800 bucks here. What do you think overall?
TIBKEN: Yes. I mean, they're going to -- yes, they're going to bundle headphones in with it, as well so you don't just have to buy the wireless buds.
[03:55:03] Overall, it was some really nice improvements, water resistance, more storage, better camera. It isn't necessarily something that means you have to run to the store and trade in your 6s from last year. If you have an iPhone 5 or a 5s, this is a really attractive new
phone. If you have one of the more recent ones, you might want to wait until next year.
CHURCH: Interesting. All right. Shara Tibken, great to talk with you. Thanks so much.
TIBKEN: Great. Thank you.
CHURCH: And it's worth noting, Twitter users are calling on Apple to, hash tag, bring back the jack and many are saying they won't buy the new iPhone. We shall see, of course, if that is the case.
All right. This next story will give you a bit of a jolt. A cafe in Australia has a new drink to jump start your morning or keep you going throughout the night. It's called the Adelaide asskicker. Yes, I said it. It has five grams of caffeine, about 80 times stronger than a shot of espresso.
It promises to keep you wide awake for up to 18 hours if you need to be up that long. The drink has four espresso shots, two kinds of cold drip coffee and milk. It's meant to be sipped slowly over three to four hours. The creator warns those with high blood pressure or heart conditions to drink at your own risk. Are you going to take that risk?
All right. Well, when it comes to romantic gestures, the guy we're about to show you is definitely an overachiever. He and his fiancee went paragliding over western Turkey, but that wasn't quite enough romance for this musician.
He took his violin along and serenaded her hundreds of meters in the air before planning on the beach. Now there is a sweet man, indeed.
And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter @rosemarycnn. I love to hear from you. The news continues next with Max Foster in London.
You have yourself a great day.
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