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Typhoon Pounds Mainland China; Syrian Ceasefire Extended; Train Collision Kills At Least 6 In Pakistan; Trump & Clinton Share New Medical Details; Trump Edges Clinton In New Swing State Polls; Colin Powell's Blunt Opinions Out In Hacked E-mails. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 15, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:10] ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
[01:00:13] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, powerful typhoon pounds Mainland China, ripping down walls, shattering windows and uprooting trees.
SESAY: The U.S. and Russia extend the ceasefire in Syria, but humanitarian aid is still not getting where it's needed most.
VAUSE: And then why his love for fastfood. Donald Trump insists his health is just fine.
SESAY: Hello, and thank you for joining us. I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. The second hour of NEWSROOM L.A. starts now.
Typhoon Meranti is weakening, but fierce winds and flash floods will still be a threat for the next couple of days. The storm made landfall on Fujian Province early Thursday morning with winds up to 230 kilometers per hour.
SESAY: All of these comes as the nation marks its mid-autumn festival. The storm could affect travel as millions celebrate the hospital - the holiday, rather.
VAUSE: Yeah. CNN's Matt Rivers is live this hour in the City of Xiamen, not far from where Meranti made landfall. And so, Matt, just to explain to us some of the damage that you're seeing around you, and when will we get some kind of idea of the full extent of the destruction which Meranti has caused?
[01:01:41] MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the storm came in hard and fast last night. When we arrived in Xiamen yesterday evening, things were relatively quiet. There really weren't a lot of people out on the roads, the weather was really OK, but when the storm hit, it hit with a ferocity that I think a lot of people weren't necessarily expecting. So, where I'm standing in right now is a very poor neighborhood in Xiamen. And this is a mechanic's shop as well as a restaurant for migrant workers. And you can see behind me, the construction in the beginning leads to this when storms like this happen. That's a roof made basically out of aluminum. And you can see what happened, this man's business collapsed, and this is the kind of things that we're seeing all over the area. You can see the pieces of aluminum like this. It's all over the place. And that's what we're worried about, and that's what officials say they're worried about in terms of trying to figure out how is the extent of this destruction. This is in the city of Xiamen, but what about in the suburbs? That's something that they're not worry - or that they're concerned about in terms of how they're going to get to those people, and figure out what the damage is like.
VAUSE: OK. Matt, thank you. Matt Rivers with an indication of just the devastation caused by Meranti there in southern China. Thank you, Matt.
SESAY: Let's bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam who's in the International Weather Center tracking the storm. Derek, how is the storm moving now? How strong is it right now?
[01:03:12] DEREK VAN DAM, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR: Isha, what we're looking at here is some of the rainfall totals from Meranti, and we're talking about over 150 millimeters where Matt Rivers is located. And this certainly could have been a lot worse, but this storm is starting to lose its punch very quickly, especially as it moves inland. But that doesn't mean that the storm is over. There are still some concerns going forward as you mentioned, heavy rainfall and ferocious winds. Look at what the winds created along the coastal areas of Taiwan. I mean, those waves had to be 45 feet tall, roughly 15 meters, very impressive stuff, scary moments for the residents there as well. I want to talk about the particulars of the Fujian province, the southeastern sections of China. Here it is, just to the north and east of the Guangdong province. We move in to this area, just inland from the coastal regions where it made landfall. And I want you to start to notice just how mountainous this terrain actually is. This is going to serve some concerns, because with the mountains, remember, water seeks its own level.
So when we get these heavy bouts of rainfall from the bands of tropical moisture that are moving in, these small towns that are located inland will certainly receive flooding and the potential for mudslides exist across this region as well. So, going forward, that is a concern and that is really going to be our problematic issues going forward for the Fujian province. Look at the amount of rain that we're anticipating across this region, easily in excess of, let's say, 150 millimeters, perhaps even locally, 300 millimeters. Especially in those mountainous areas. Remember, when we have heavy rainfall soaking into the soil of the mountainsides, eventually, the slope fails. Gravity wins, and it takes that slope, that really moisture-laden soil, and it sweeps it across, well, the valleys below. And unfortunately, where do people build cities and towns? In the valleys, in between the mountains. So, this is a concern going forward with the excessive heavy rain that we have in the forecast.
I got to make you aware of something else, because not only do we have the remnants of Meranti, which is starting to peter out, the heavy rains still a concern, but now we've got to start focusing our attention on the next approaching tropical system. This is tropical storm Malakas still in the Western Pacific, about 500 kilometers east of Luzon in the Philippines. And you can see, sustained winds at 150 kilometers per hour. This storm track has potentially impacting Taipei by the weekend. And then from there, perhaps the cone of uncertainty still impacting the eastern sections of China and into Japan. So, no rest for the weary across this part of the world. It is a very active time of the year in terms of tropical weather. John, Isha?
VAUSE: OK.
SESAY: Derek, thank you.
VAUSE: Derek, thanks for the update.
VAN DAM: All right.
VAUSE: We have to go to Pakistan now where at least six people are dead after a passenger train crashed into a freight train. Around 150 people are injured. Officials say the freight train had stopped after a man committed suicide on the tracks.
SESAY: The passenger train, one of the longest in the world, was not able to stop in time. This is the second major train crash in less than a year in Pakistan. Many are concerned the railway system there is not being maintained properly.
VAUSE: Russia says it has killed 250 ISIS fighters in an airstrike in Syria. Warplanes hit the militants north of Palmyra.
SESAY: A Russian military spokesman says the strike prevented ISIS from retaking the city. The ceasefire in Syria does not include strikes against ISIS.
VAUSE: So, rather, the truce appears to be mostly holding, and the U.S. and Russia have agreed to extend it for another 48 hours.
SESAY: Washington says it's seen violations on both sides, but that the ceasefire is working.
MARK TONER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: And despite sporadic reports of violence, as a whole the arrangement is holding and violence is I'd say significantly lower in comparison to previous days and weeks.
VAUSE: Former CIA agent Bryan Dean Wright joins us now from Dallas. Brian, thank you for being with us. The ceasefire is being extended for another 48 hours. There have been violations apparently on both sides. Though, at this point, would you say it's a pretty high bar before something is considered a deal breaker?
[01:7:22] BRYAN DEAN WRIGHT, FORMER CIA AGENT: I think that one should expect these kinds of minor violations at the beginning. The true test will really be in five days' time, if indeed this holds until then. If in fact, the Russian and American forces can work together to identify the ISIS individuals throughout the country of Syria, that will be the true test, not only the militaries on the ground, but ultimately Putin and Obama. VAUSE: Once we do get to that point of the Americans and the Russians coordinating those strikes on the jihadi groups like ISIS, is that as you say, when we'll find out what Vladimir Putin's real intentions are here?
WRIGHT: That's absolutely right. I don't - at the end of the day, this war comes down to what both President Obama and President Putin want to have happen next in Syria. Does Putin want to continue to embarrass President Obama? Does he want to continue to find opportunities to demonstrate that he and his people, the Russian government, are back to their old soviet glory, or are they interested in avoiding a quite war in Syria and ending this conflict and helping bringing these refugees home? And alternatively, are they looking to continue it? President Obama on the other hand, is he willing to give up what he has held fast to, which is the removal of President Assad. That's going to be his test.
VAUSE: Well, ISIS as we've been saying is not part of the ceasefire and the Russian military claims to have prevented the terror group from launching this major offensive to retake the historic city of Palmyra, claiming that killing 250 ISIS fighters. In your opinion, is that a significant blow to ISIS?
WRIGHT: I think it's notable. I think that the - you'll see a number of these skirmishes happen in the next several days as each side tries to gain the military and diplomatic advantage going into that seven- day period of time. But when we get to that seven-day point and the U.S. starts sharing intelligence with the Russians where our rebels are at and vice versa, that's when you'll start to see some pretty intense numbers. If we can get there, destroying these rebel groups and ISIS groups, but at the same time, are we able to protect the individuals, Kurdish and otherwise, we have been training these many, many months and indeed, years, who have worked on our behalf as the United States to advance our interests? And that would be a tremendous concern that I know. Certainly, my former colleagues in intels community and military communities are very, very concerned about.
VAUSE: There's a situation, though, right now where aid trucks are being held up, it seemed because of a combination of factors. But mostly because the Assad government is refusing to allow them into cities like Aleppo which have been under siege for so long now, and so many people need help. If those trucks don't start rolling soon, what will be the consequences here?
WRIGHT: I think you're going to see what we have seen so terribly and horrifically for so many months and years now. Hundreds of thousands of folks have died, millions displaced. I think that you will see a push certainly by the United States. Probably, Russia doesn't have that same interest in terms of humanitarian concerns. But Secretary Kerry and President Obama will push. But I do unfortunately see that at the end of the day, if President Putin doesn't want this to, in fact, be a real ceasefire, that you will have more death in Aleppo.
VAUSE: OK. Bryan, we shall leave it there. Bryan Dean Wright, I appreciate you being with us, former CIA agent giving us some insights into situation in Syria, what we can expect or hopefully not expect in the days ahead. Thanks, Bryan.
WRIGHT: You bet.
SESAY: Quick break. We're learning a little bit more about Donald Trump's medical history. Find out what he disclosed during his doctor's appointment. Just ahead.
VAUSE: Also, bringing the Beatles back to life. A new documentary turns down the volume on the screaming crowds. You can hear the music like never before.
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[01:13:30] KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sport headlines. We saw in the Champions League, Manchester City faced Monchengladbach back on Wednesday after rain delayed the match 24 hours. Pep Guardiola made a winning debut in his first group match in charge of City. They led behind an Aguero hat trick and Roque Santa Cruz took to a four-nill victory.
Also, making their debuting are the English Premier League champions, Leicester City. The folks are traveling to Belgium on Wednesday to face Club Brugge, Marc Albrighton scores. The goal was actually the (INAUDIBLE) first shot. Riyad Mahrez added the second and the third for break as the English side win three-nill.
Cristiano Ronaldo faces former side, Sporting Lisbon, a club where it all started for the megastar when he was just 12 years old. The defending champions went a goal down when Bruno Cesar put the visitors ahead, but the moment finally came for the superstar striker Ronaldo when he scored in the 89th minute. Huge drama then unfolded with a few seconds later, Alvaro Morata headed the ball into the goal for the winner.
And Aleksander Ceferin is the new president of UEFA, the European football's governing body. He won more than 76 percent of the vote in Wednesday's election in Athens in Greece, beating Dutch football boss, Michael van Praag. Ceferin has been the head of the Slovenian FA since 2011 before he was elected president of UEFA. And that's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
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[01:15:12] SESAY: Hello, everyone. Donald Trump says he'd like to lose some weight, but otherwise, he's in excellent health. The Republican presidential candidate took time off the campaign trail Wednesday for an interview with TV host Dr. Oz. [01:15:24] VAUSE: Trump shared a letter from his personal physician, not yet made public. Audience members say Trump admitted he doesn't exercise enough, and takes statins to lower his cholesterol.
DR. MEHMET OZ: If your health is as strong as it seems from your review of systems, why not share your medical records? Why not -
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I have really no problem in doing it. I have it right here. I mean, I - should I do it? I don't care. Should I do it? It's two letters, one is the report and the other is from Lenox Hill Hospital, saying -
OZ: May I - may I see them?
TRUMP: Yes. Sure.
OZ: So, these are the - these are the report as promised.
TRUMP: Those were all the tests that were just done last week.
SESAY: While Hillary Clinton is expected back on the campaign trail Thursday. Her doctor says she is recovering well from her bout with pneumonia.
VAUSE: The Clinton campaign released its own medical information (INAUDIBLE) Her physician says, "Hillary Clinton continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as President of the United States." She takes a blood thinner and thyroid medication. Her blood pressure is normal, 100/70.
So, joining us now is Mo' Kelly is a host of the Mo'Kelly Show and the Mo'Kelly Experience, radio programs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Mo, again, thanks for sticking around.
SESAY: Yeah, thank you.
VAUSE: You know, this whole thing with Donald Trump, would he release the records, would he not release it? First say he's going to do it, then there's a statement now he wouldn't, and then he just conveniently, sort of, "Oh, what should I do?" to the audience. You know, it's all just kind of theater or, you know -
[01:16:50] MO KELLY, THE MO'KELLY SHOW HOST: Oh, it's great political theater.
VAUSE: It's political theater. But you have the other side of the campaign, Hillary Clinton campaign, say what you (INAUDIBLE) Clinton. At least they seem to be taking this seriously. And it's a serious issue.
KELLY: Donald Trump is taking it as seriously as we require of him to take it seriously.
SESAY: Uh-hmm.
VAUSE: Right. KELLY: He's sort of like a TV show. This is the latest episode where he'll give you a cliff hanger. Will he release his medical issues or his records or his taxes? And we keep on waiting with bated breath, and then were taken into the next episode, and he keeps pulling us along.
VAUSE: And what is happening, though, he's talking about policy.
KELLY: Absolutely.
SESAY: Yeah. And in this - in this medium of it being theater, you know, so he said, "Oh, you know, all I need to do is loss weight, you know." And we've seen his pictures of him with the KFC and with the McDonald. Imagine that will become a reality show in and of itself, you know, Donald Trump, "The Biggest Loser." I mean, all of it is - you know? All of it -
KELLY: That should be in November.
SESAY: OK. But, you know, all of it just becomes like this. The theater is absurd.
KELLY: It's only absurd if you're on the outside looking in. If you're looking at - you look from the inside-out, from Donald Trump's perspective, it's been working for him. You look at how he's been doing in the polls the past two weeks, he's been rising in the polls.
VAUSE: Uh-hmm.
KELLY: So, why would he change course at this point? Why would go away from what has been working from you - for you, at least in the short term. Do not release your medical records. Do not release your taxes. Keep the message on squarely on Hillary Clinton, and watch yourself rise in the polls.
SESAY: Are you either for transparency or you're not?
KELLY: No, you can be Donald Trump and be for both.
VAUSE: Yeah.
KELLY: You can have your campaign manager and say, "Hey, a person is entitled to a right to privacy about medical issues while saying on the other side of your mouth, Hillary Clinton needs to be more transparent about her medical history."
VAUSE: OK. There was another clip released from Dr. Oz. We'll have to wait, you know, for Thursday here in the United States to watch the whole thing cut way.
SESAY: Uh-hmm.
VAUSE: And this is Donald Trump talking very enthusiastically about his stamina.
OZ: Let's talk about stamina. You've - TRUMP: Yeah.
OZ: You've used that word a lot. You've been an issue in this campaign. You argue that a president has to have a tremendous amount of stamina. If elected at age 70, you'd be the oldest person to ever enter the Oval Office. Why do you think you have the stamina for the job?
TRUMP: We are just about the same age as Ronald Reagan, and Hillary is a year behind me. I would say just based on my life. I mean, I've had - I actually - and I don't know if this makes sense. I feel as good today as I did when I was 30.
VAUSE: Pretty hard hitting interview there by Dr. Oz, we got to say. But the issue of stamina was also brought up by Donald Trump at a campaign release this time, criticizing Hillary Clinton for her lack of "saved stamina."
TRUMP: It is hot! And it's always hot when I perform because the crowds are so big, these rooms were not designed for this kind of a crowd. I don't know, folks, you think Hillary would be able to stand up here for an hour and do this? I don't know. I don't know. I don't think so. I don't think so.
VAUSE: We both picked up on - we all picked up on the fact he said when I -
SESAY: When I perform.
VAUSE: -- when I perform up here, which is an interesting choice of words. But again, we're getting into this issue of the medical health of the person who would be the leader of the United States, leader of the free world, and it's being used as a - as a punch line.
KELLY: Unfortunately. But we know from documented history, going back to 1944 with FDR, the picture of the health of the leader of the free world is very important, because many times, the perception of America's health is in alignment with that. Donald Trump is smart to make an issue out of Hillary Clinton. We have been dumb to not hold him accountable for the same standard that his putting forth for Hillary Clinton. If Hillary Clinton is to be more transparent, for lack of a better word, as far as her health, then we have to make sure that Donald Trump is the same.
SESAY: Uh-hmm. Yeah. Well, it's - his lack of transparency, as where it's not hurting him, we have some polling out, new polling that shows that the race is tightening in certain swing states. Our John King breaks down the numbers.
[01:20:44] JOHN KING, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Two new CNN polls in two of the biggest Battleground States in presidential politics, and the one headline, momentum for Donald Trump.
First, let's look at Ohio. Among likely voters, a five-point Trump lead, 46-41 over Secretary Clinton. The third party candidates getting a combined 10 percent. What's driving this? Here's one key factor. In recent weeks we've seen in other Battleground States, Hillary Clinton on top among college-educated white voters, traditionally, Republican voters. But she has been leading in other Battleground States, not in Ohio. Trump leading 47 percent to 38 percent among white college grads. And look at this, trouncing her among the white working class, white non-college graduates by 30 points there. Watch that as we watch other Battleground States coming ahead. One other key point, Hillary Clinton needs to run it up among women. The Republican candidate as Donald Trump is here in Ohio, generally wins among men. Look at this. Only a two-point lead for Clinton, 44-42 percent among women. That is a problem for Secretary Clinton in Battleground Ohio.
Let's move down to Florida now, and take 29 electoral votes, the biggest price of the toss-up states out there on the table, and this one within the margin of error, so you could call this a statistical tie, but advantage Trump, 47 percent to 44 percent. Again, the third- party candidates getting a combined seven here. Now, we see some of the same factors including this education. Again, in North Carolina and Pennsylvania recently, Clinton has been winning among white college graduates. In Florida, Trump wins by eight points. And look at this, wow, 64 to 25 among white non-college graduates. Donald Trump running up the white vote. His movement, he's growing support among college graduates, quite significant. And one other quick point, if the president is struggling in a state, the Democrat trying to succeed him struggles as well. In both Ohio and Florida, yes, 48 percent approve of the president, but a majority disapprove of his job performance right now. If the president is under water as the pollsters call this, Secretary Clinton struggles.
SESAY: Now, thanks for John King for that. Mo, I'm going to ask you, what you make of those numbers, that the race is tightening at this stage?
KELLY: Hillary Clinton underperforming. She struggled with Barack Obama and lost. She struggled with Bernie Sanders and won. She's struggling again. That is the consistent theme. Hillary Clinton has historically not been a great candidate. She commits a lot of unforced errors which make it more difficult for her to put her competition away, if you will. This past week about not being able to be upfront about her health condition was an unforced error. Talk about the basket of deplorables, that's an unforced error. If she does not make those own mistakes and stay out - sticks out of her own way, she's probably much further ahead.
SESAY: Uh-hmm.
VAUSE: OK. There is a lot of people obviously out there looking for a third-party candidate, an alternative to both of these. So a lot has been said about the Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, and what is interesting is that you have two union leader has broker with 100 years of tradition, always endorsing the Republican, the conservative, now endorsing Gary Johnson. It's a blistering endorsement or mostly focusses on Trump. This is what part of it says about Trump. "The man is a liar, a bully, a buffoon. He denigrates any individual or group that displeases him. He has dishonored military veterans and their families, made fun of the physically frail, and changed political views almost as often as he has changed wives." This is a tough stuff, but again, you know, endorsements from newspapers, what are they worth? But on an instance like this, it stands out.
KELLY: It's symbolic and substantive. It's symbolic because we know newspapers don't have the type of standing that they did 30 or 40 years ago. But a substantive, because any type of momentum that Gary Johnson generates, it takes away from the momentum of Donald Trump. Because he's going to be pulling away from Republican voters or the right wing, or obviously just right of center voters, the independents that Donald Trump is leading in with right now. So, Gary Johnson doing better means that Donald Trump has a smaller pool to pull from.
SESAY: Uh-hmm. Donald Trump trying to widen that pool with an outreach to African-American voters as you're well aware. Wednesday, he took a trip to Flint, Michigan as part of that outreach, which proves what? What? Provided an awkward moment, let's call it that, when he launched into an attack on Hillary Clinton, take a look.
TRUMP: Hillary failed on the economy. Just like she's failed on foreign policy. Everything she touch didn't work out, nothing. Now Hillary Clinton -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us through -
TRUMP: Yes? Oh, OK. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- not give a political speech.
TRUMP: OK. That's good. And I'm going to go back (INAUDIBLE) take care.
VAUSE: Wow. You know -
SESAY: Wow. Probably the first person to -
VAUSE: Just basically bring him into line. Yeah.
SESAY: Maybe she needs to moderate one of the debates.
KELLY: Good idea.
SESAY: So, I mean, how is that outreach going with the African- American community?
KELLY: I think it highlights his level of uncomfortability, for lack of a better word. He's not really knowing the community, not knowing how to present ones self in a black church, if you will.
SESAY: Uh-hmm.
VAUSE: Yeah.
KELLY: There are things that you should do, there are things that you shouldn't do. And he obviously - I don't know who his outreach staff is, don't tell me Omarosa, but someone who actually knows the community, who is well-versed in the community.
VAUSE: Yeah.
SESAY: Absolutely.
KELLY: Exactly. That was a typical misstep of someone who doesn't have any history with African-Americans.
VAUSE: He looked a little worried at that point.
SESAY: He did.
KELLY: Well, he should.
VAUSE: Exactly, because he was going to get one. OK.
SESAY: Mo'Kelly. Thank you so much.
KELLY: Thank you.
VAUSE: Thank you, Mo.
SESAY: Thank you.
KELLY: Always.
VAUSE: OK. Well, former Secretary of State Colin Powell has not sugar-coated his views when it comes to both Clinton and Trump. Hackers got hold of his e-mails, leaking his very blunt opinions to the world.
SESAY: Some say Russia is behind this hack. Jake Tapper has more on what Powell said.
[01:26:23] JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Private e-mails hacked, stolen and released today reveal an undiplomatic side of nation's former top diplomat, Secretary of State Colin Powell. With tough words for Hillary Clinton, and damning ones for Donald Trump, "I would rather not have to vote for her," he writes. "Although she is a friend, I respect," describing her as "greedy, not transformational." And adding an off color insult about the state of her marriage. The "Powell Purge" was first made public by DC Leaks. An aid to the Secretary confirms to CNN that the e-mails are real.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I know Colin Powell pretty well. And I can tell you he is - he's deeply troubled by the course the nation is on. So, all of this must come as sort of like just disgusting that he's - that he's been inviolated like this.
TAPPER: The retired four-star general and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called the Benghazi investigations, "A stupid witch hunt. He laid fault at the feet of the courageous ambassador killed in the attack who thought Libyans now love me, and I'm OK in this very vulnerable place." Powell added, "Blame also rests on his leaders and supports back here including Under Secretary of State Pat Kennedy, the intelligence community, diplomatic security and yes, Hillary Rodham Clinton." How had tough words for former colleagues, Donald Rumsfeld a (INAUDIBLE) but he reserved his harshest criticism for Donald Trump, calling him, "A national disgrace and international pariah."
JAMES WOOLSEY, SENIOR ADVISER TO TRUMP CAMPAIGN: The difference, of course, between, you know - between a diamond and an e-mail, an e-mail is forever. So, once you write an e-mail, you're likely to have it turn up.
TAPPER: Powell's e-mails are just the latest private political documents to be released in recent days. Tuesday, the hacker "Guccifer 2.0" unloaded a cache of information from the Democratic National Committee, including a long list of big donors to the DNC and the Obama campaign, many of whom ended up landing plum jobs as ambassadors or in other positions. Interim DNC Chair Donna Brazile responded, saying, "The DNC is the victim of a crime, an illegal cyber-attack by Russian state sponsored agents," calling it, "An effort to influence the presidential election." Cyber security experts say they suspect both DC Leaks and Guccifer 2.0 have ties to Russia, though those connections have not been definitively confirmed. Jake Tapper, CNN Washington.
SESAY: Well, Trump is responding to Powell's remarks on Twitter, saying he was never a fan of Colin Powell of his weak understanding of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, equals disaster. We can do much better.
VAUSE: There you have it. OK. So, coming up here, a few slick customers in the United States can now request a self-driving Uber. We will take you for a spin in a moment.
SESAY: Plus, how well did we really know the Beatles? A new movie reveals how The Fab Four won over the world.
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[01:32:42]
JOHN VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody, you're watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.
ISHA SESAY, HOST: And, I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour.
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SESAY: Typhoon Meranti made landfall in China's Fujian province Thursday morning. The powerful storm is bringing dangerous winds, knocking down trees and shattering windows. It's starting to weaken as it moves inland but flash flooding and heavy rain will likely continue for the next couple days.
VAUSE: At least six people are dead after a collision between a passenger and freight train in Pakistan. About 150 people were hurt. The freight train had stopped after a man committed suicide on the tracks. Officials say the passenger train could not stop in time.
SESAY: The U.S. and Russia are extending the ceasefire in Syria for another 48 hours. The U.S. says there have been violations on both sides. But, a monitoring group says no deaths have been reported.
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VAUSE: Well, the ceasefire was supposed to pave the way for aid shipments to reach many trapped by the war.
SESAY: But the U.N. Still doesn't have the security guarantees it needs to go into those besieged areas. Senior International Correspondent, Clarissa Ward looks at why the process has been so frustrating.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right now 20 U.N. aid trucks are waiting on the Turkish border for the go ahead to move desperately needed aid into Aleppo. That's enough to feed 40,000 people for an entire month. So, what's the hold up and why is it so complicated to get this stuff in?
Well, if you look at the map you get a much better idea of the complexity of the situation. This is where that aid is needed the most; in eastern Aleppo. This part of the city is controlled by the rebels. It's home to roughly 300,000 civilians. And, it's where the most intensive bombardment has been happening.
For months now it has been besieged by the regime of Bashar Al Assad. And, you can see regime territory is marked by red. It's entirely surrounding eastern Aleppo. And, that means that there's no food or medical aid getting in.
When we visited Syria earlier this year there was still one road into eastern Aleppo that was under control of the rebels, Costello Road. It was very dangerous to travel because it's flanked by the Syrian army in red and by Kurdish fighters, which you can see just there in blue. Now Costello Road is under control of the regime. This is the road that the aid trucks are hoping to take in.
[01:35:06]
WARD: Several weeks ago, rebel forces were able to clear a small shaky corridor down in that area called Ramouseh. But after heavy fighting that area is now back under regime control too.
So, in order for aid trucks to get from the Turkish border into the hardest hit areas they will need to go through regime and rebel and Kurdish held areas. And, negotiating that kind of access takes time. But, with the ceasefire set to last only seven days, time is of the essence.
Clairissa Ward, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SESAY: Well, a 10-year-old Syrian girl who almost became the war's latest victim is alive thanks to one man. He spotted her seemingly lifeless body in the grey rubble from a barrel bomb attack.
VAUSE: Senior International Correspondent, Arwa Damon has the story with images from the Aleppo media center and a warning here, some of the images are difficult to watch.
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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Before the bombs, the siege and the war, (Mohammed AllahAlJalil) was an electrician. Before the death, the violence, and the hunger. 10 year old Doha Al- Mohammed loved going to school.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN)
DAMON: This is their story. Forever bonded together. For the last four years, Mohammed has been part of a volunteer emergency response unit in Aleppo.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN)
DAMON: She had gone unnoticed in the chaos until Mohammed happened to glance back.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN)
DAMON: Barely alive, drifting in and out of consciousness. Doctors were able to stabilize her. But her younger sister, Yasmin, ended up in Turkey for treatment. The siblings communicate by Facebook messenger.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN)
DAMON: But that is not an option for Doha and the rest of her family. Turkey only opens the border for medical emergencies. Doha says she feels lost, her life in pieces.
And, that is where Mohammed, her savior comes in again. He has built a playground for children and created a sanctuary for stray cats.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN)
DAMON: It's where we hear her laugh, where in Syria's battlefield, a child's gleeful cries are stolen moments.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Gaziantep, Turkey.
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[01:42:05
VAUSEY: Welcome back, everybody. Three rights groups are working together on a presidential pardon for Edward Snowden. The NSA Whistleblower faces theft and espionage charges for leaking top secret surveillance documents.
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SESAY: His pardon plea is being supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.
Snowden is living in asylum in Russia and spoke with reporters by video.
EDWARD SNOWDEN, FORMER NSA CONTRACTOR: While I am grateful for the support given to my case, this really isn't about me. It's about us. It's about our right to dissent. It's about the kind of country we want to have. The kind of world that we want to build. It's about the kind of tomorrow that we want to see. A tomorrow where the public has a say.
VAUSE: All of this coincides with the release of Oliver Stone's new movie "Snowden."
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VAUSE: Okay, as a pop culture phenomenon goes, few -- actually no-one come close to the Beatles.
SESAY: The Film Director, Ron Howard, wants to reveal a new side to the fab four.
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VAUSE: The movie "The Beatles Eight Days a Week" premiers this weekend. So we're joined by a Beatles historian, Matt Hurwitz.
Matt, thank you so much for coming in, this is actually really exciting this documentary.
SESAY: It's good to have you here.
MATT HURWITZ, BEATLES HISTORIAN: Thanks for being.
VAUSE: There are a lot of incredible things that Ron Howard has done with this movie. But, mostly what it does it puts the four guys into this bubble. We see them on tour. We see them as a rocket to fame. And it's sort of almost kind of scary watching what they go through.
HURWITZ: Yes, It is scary. And it really -- the amazing thing about this film is it takes you along with them through the hurricane. I think that's the difference between this and so many other -- I've seen a lot of Beatles films and most of them tell you the story and in this one you go through it with them.
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HURWITZ: And you see how this hurricane of touring changed them and thrust them into even greater creativity.
SESAY: But, you also see the chemistry between them. And the charm that they had, how they just worked as a unit.
HURWITZ: Yes, and I think that was one of the things Ron Howard told me was that -- appealed to him is the camaraderie. And it's the -- he likened it to his telling the story of Apollo 13, a group of people going through a difficult situation and growing through it.
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VAUSE: The technical side of this movie is also something which is incredible as well.
HURWITZ: Oh, yes.
VAUSE: They've managed to remix concerts from 40 years ago. They've taken all the screaming out. And, so you actually get to can hear the Beatles like people at that concert would have never heard the Beatles. So, how do they do this?
[01:45:10]
HURWITZ: That's right -- that's right. Well, there's a -- there's an engineering team by producer Giles Martin, who is the original producer, George Martin's son.
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HURWITZ: And, very skilled engineers that work with him, Sam O'Callan, and a programmer named James Clark who developed this system to remove the screams from the recording from the Hollywood bowl recordings which are recorded on a three-track tape back then. And, it enabled them to then have the music free to work with. And, then he added the crowd back in.
SESAY: Yes. How good were they as a live band?
HURWITZ: That's what you'll hear, you'll see in this film and also with the Beatles at Shea Stadium.
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HURWITZ: Which, if you see this film in the theater, it premiers on (Hulu) a couple of days later, but if you see it in the theatre you'll get to watch a whole concert, essentially. And, you'll see that they are a great performing band. And the Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl CD you get to hear them really for the first time. I bought that album when it came out in 1977. It's still mint in a plastic sleeve and I compared the two and they're -- It's night and day. And, you hear the punch and the drive and how much fun they had. And, I think that's something -- that's something the film makers really saw.
VAUSE: There's a couple of -- we all thought we knew everything about the Beatles. But this film, this documentary manages to take us, you know, to a few new places. One Ringo Star couldn't keep beat with everybody because he couldn't see them. So he followed --
HURWITZ: -- He couldn't hear them basically.
SESAY: -- their behinds.
VAUSE: -- he followed their behinds. By looking at their behinds.
HURWITZ: Right. This is before the day we're used to seeing -- you know, we're used to seeing musicians with the ear buds in or monitors on the front of the stage facing them but that technology didn't exist then. So, they could barely hear themselves play at all. And, they managed. And, they had a blast. You can see it.
SESAY: And, the other thing that this film captures, the creative leaps they made in this time frame.
HURWITZ: Yes, that's exactly right. Yes. it was very restrictive. Something I think the producer, Nigel Sinclair explained to me. That it was a very restrictive world, the touring, and they had to play you know, the same batch of hits that they would play. And then they'd get into Abby Road and just have these bursts of creativity. There's terrific scenes that they've put together, the editor, Paul Crowder has assembled showing them at work in the studio and you just -- you hear and see them building things. Like, they're not like this on the road.
SESAY: Yes.
VAUSE: Very quickly, the movie also reveals that they would not play before a segregated audience in the American south.
HURWITZ: That's right.
VAUSE: So all the details there with that?
HURWITZ: Yeah. They -- the thing Ron says about -- you know, this was -- they were thrust into the position of having to deal with these things. It wasn't in their world elsewhere. And, just said this isn't cool, no. And, it's in their contract rider. They show it in the movie. You can see the Beatles will not play to segregated audiences.
VAUSE: Yes. I think they said, no, this is stupid.
(CROSS-TALK)
SESAY: In their Liverpudlian way.
VAUSE: Yes, never a truer word was said.
SESAY: Yes, indeed.
VAUSE: Matt, thanks for coming in.
SESAY: Yes, thank you.
HURWITZ: Thank you for having me. SESAY: Thank you.
VAUSE: Thank you.
SESAY: All right, time for a very, very quick break.
An Uber car that drives itself now available for test runs in one American city.
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SESAY: Next, we'll climb in and take you for a ride.
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DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: An area of disorganized numbers off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina has formed into tropical storm Julia. This is something we need to monitor this for the next several days to come. Because, it's not going to move from its current position any time soon. So, the potential for this to intensify is definitely there.
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VAN DAM: 65 kilometer per hour sustained winds. The main threats going forward, at least for the next 24 hours will be the potential of heavy rainfall and strong, gusty winds. Especially right along the coastal areas of South Carolina, specifically into the Charleston region.
[01:50:10]
VAN DAM: You can see our high res forecast radar across that area still showing showers and thunderstorms through the course of the early weekend. Rainfall totals across this area could easily exceed 150mm thanks to the slow movement of this tropical storm.
Now, let's talk other areas across the United States. We have temperatures in the lower 30s across the deep south. Atlanta, 33 degrees. If you're travelling to Los Angeles, 22. New York, very comfortable 23 degrees with sunshine overhead giving a taste of fall across the New England coast.
Belize city, you'll top 31. Havana, 32. Kingston, Jamaica, 32. San Juan, Puerto Rico expecting a few showers by the afternoon. Inland communities of Brazil in the 30s. Cooler as you head to the coast. Rio, at 27.
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SESAY: Robots may be coming for your job, John.
VAUSE: That's just before they kill you. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: According to the market research company, Forrester robots will take over 6% of all jobs in the U.S. by 2021.
VAUSE: The report says Artificial Intelligence, none of that here, will first affect customer service representatives and eventually reach truck and taxi drivers. And, then kill everybody.
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SESAY: Now to a pilot project without any actual pilots.
VAUSE: How about that? Uber is rolling out its self-driving car service to select customers in Pittsburgh.
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VAUSE: Rachel Crane went for a spin.
RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: My hands are hovering on the wheel. My foot is hovering on the brake but I am not doing anything. This is wild. Uber has completely disrupted the way that we get from point "a" to point "b." And, here in Pittsburgh, they're about to revolutionize that experience. They're getting rid of the driver.
After 18 months of testing, Uber is allowing loyal customers in the steel city to opt in to ordering one of a handful of self-driving cars. Why Pittsburgh?
RAFFI KRIKORIAN, DIRECT UBER ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES: We really feel that Pittsburgh driving is harder than most cities. It's not a standard grid layout. The traffic patterns of Pittsburgh are pretty aggressive. And, we just have extreme weather conditions. If we can reason about all those different things in Pittsburgh, then we're feeling pretty confident we can take that learning to the next city.
CRANE: During the pilot program, riders will be accompanied by a safety driver to assist the vehicle in tricky situations.
Are you my safety driver?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure am.
CRANE: All right, you're going to drive me safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't be but --
CRANE: Oh, this baby's going to drive us safe? Okay, good. And someone sitting in shotgun to take notes along the way.
This feels completely normal the whole thing from calling it, sitting back here. Someone is usually in the driver's seat, they are right now. I would have no idea that this car was driving itself other than it saying Uber self-driving. It's all controlled by 20 cameras, 7 lasers and 360 degree radar
coverage. All that data looks like this; a map you can see in the backseat.
KRIKORIAN: We're taking all that data and fusing it together to be like this thing that we're seeing space, that's a person. That thing that we're seeing in space is a bicyclist. The ultimate goal is for one of these cars to pull up by itself, you get in, you tell it where you want to go and it brings you there safely with no problem.
CRANE: How far are we from that point right now?
KRIKORIAN: I mean, that's going to take us years.
CRANE: That's because the system isn't perfect yet. And in order for people to feel safe it needs to be.
According to research from the Boston consulting group only 48% of Americans are willing to try a self-driving car. And, it's not just passengers on the fence. It's also some Uber drivers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't personally never get into a driverless car. It's just terrifying. My phone breaks all the time. My GPS stops working. What if that car stops working?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a fear factor of riding in a car that doesn't have a driver.
CRANE: Would you be scared to get in one?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
[01:55:10]
CRANE: Do you think people's concerns are unfounded?
KRIKORIAN: No. I definitely have -- I'm definitely sympathetic to it right. Like, you've definitely seen accidents involving other competitors running their vehicles. We take it extremely seriously. We are working on this very hard to make sure this is a completely safe experience for everyone involved.
CRANE: For now, Uber's sticking to Pittsburgh with no immediate plans for expansion. But this is a big move for the long road ahead.
KRIKORIAN: This is the future that people have been saying is going to happen for over 60 years at this point. And, like we've now reached the point that we can pull it off. Like, we've fundamentally changed the world. Like, I -- this is a story we will tell our grandchildren that we were the ones that did this.
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VAUSE: You know the best part about a self-driving Uber? No Uber driver to talk at you.
SESAY: I knew you were going to say that.
Drivers in China were dodging more than wind and rain after typhoon Meranti's landfall. They also had to watch out for a giant inflated moon rolling through the streets.
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VAUSE: Okay. The moon was part of a display for the mid-autumn festival. It looks like a Woody Allen movie. The annual celebration happens when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, not rolling down a highway, as you can see there.
SESAY: It looks like a giant grape.
VAUSE: Yes.
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SESAY: Yes, all right. This is Newsroom LA, I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: I'm John Vause, back in a moment.
