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Hurricane Devastates Haiti, Heads for U.S. East Coast; Trump Praises Pence's Debate Performance; Post-Presidential Debate Trump Losing Support in Nevada; NSA Agent Secretly Arrested for Stealing Top-Secret Intelligence; Russia Beefs Up Presence in Syria; Secret Library of Daraya, Syria, Now in Ruins; Is British Pop Star's Song Racist; "World Sport" Update. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 06, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:09] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM, Live from Los Angeles.

Ahead this hour --

(HEADLINES)

VAUSE: Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. This is the third hour of NEWSROOM L.A.

An official with the U.N. calls Hurricane Matthew the largest humanitarian event in Haiti since the 2010 earthquake. The storm ravaged parts of the country on Tuesday. 300,000 people are in emergency shelters. The main bridge from the capitol to the southern peninsula has collapsed. That's where the storm hit. Humanitarian aid is starting to pour in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): The hardest hit area is basically the southern peninsula, some central plateau and north as well. Right now, data is still trickling in but we are estimated upwards to about a million people have been affected, mainly through flooding, collapse of houses, complete destruction or partial damage. But we are also seeing a lot of crops and livestock damaged by the hurricane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: For the past few hours, Hurricane Matthew has been hammering the Bahamas. And the southern United States may be next. In Florida, residents have been boarding up their homes. Many store shelves are empty. Evacuations have been ordered in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is joining us with the latest on the storm -- Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John, what we are seeing is ominous signs the storm continues to strengthen and deepen. This is the latest from the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Matthew now about 160 kilometers to the south and east of Nassau in the Bahamas, the capitol of Nassau. I heard a sound byte from an interview earlier talking about how if Nassau or the New Providence Island receives its five-foot plus storm surge is that is in the forecast, that 80 percent of the island will be underwater. You can imagine what it means for this particular location. The immediate threat, we are talking now through the next 12 hours will be focused on the Bahamas, specifically around long island, new providence and Nassau. 185 kilometer per hour sustained winds according to the 2:00 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. The projected path takes it along the coast of Florida. This is going to potentially maximize the potential damage. We will get to the details on that in just a moment.

Here's the latest watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane warnings in the Bahamas and Brevard County and hurricane watch in effect for Georgia and South Carolina as we speak. Here's the projected path. Look at how it runs parallel with the coast and makes a northeasterly turn, moving along the coastline of Georgia and the Carolinas. Again, you can imagine how this will maximize the potential threat to the southeastern United States. Miles and kilometers really count here. Let me explain the difference. With the projected path as it stands now, which you can see to my left, there's a red line. That's from the National Hurricane Center. If this storm stays on the projected path, the eye wall won't cross over the Atlantic coastline on Florida. If that shift moves inland by, let's say, 50, 100 kilometers, it's going to bring the strongest part of the storm with it. That means the most devastating parts including the storm surge, winds and rain. But if that shifts further off shore we see the dramatic effects lessened because the majority of the bulk of the storm will be off shore. We are hoping that's the case. All signs pointing towards more of a direct hit as this moves towards the Florida coastline. You can see this chance solve tropical storm-force winds extends along the Florida coast and becomes high as you make your way in to the Cape Canaveral coastline, as well. All the latest weather information we have -- John?

VAUSE: OK, Derek, thank you.

We should also report on Typhoon Chaba which has battered the southern tip of South Korea, killing at least six people. The government says four others are missing. Flooding has swamped hundreds of homes and thousands of hectares of farmland.

Syria's military says it will scale back air strikes and artillery fire on the rebel-held parts of Aleppo to allow civilians to leave. The military offensive, backed by Russia, left hundreds dead and wounded in recent weeks and provoked an international outcry. Activists say civilian targets like hospitals and schools have been hit after a ceasefire collapsed last month.

Meantime, France's foreign minister is trying to revive a ceasefire to allow aid in to Aleppo. He is heading to Moscow and Washington in the coming days. The U.S. suspended its efforts with Russia to negotiate a ceasefire earlier this week.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh joins us live from Amman in neighboring Jordan.

Jomana, we heard there is a possible pause to allow residents to leave Aleppo. Do the residents believe they could leave safely and, if they do, how many will take the opportunity to get out?

[02:01:05] JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, according to the United Nations, they estimate half of the 275,000 residents would leave if they are given that chance. As you mention, we heard the regime coming out last night, its ministry of defense, saying they will reduce the air strikes and artillery shelling on rebel positions in eastern Aleppo to allow people to leave. They are saying it's the rebels who are holding people hostage. They say they are using them as human shield. As you mentioned there's a lack of trust there. People don't trust the regime's passage. That's not a surprise considering all they have been through and still going through. It's a tough choice for the people there, considering they are facing starvation at this point, considering the humanitarian situation in eastern Aleppo -- John?

VAUSE: We are talking 175,000 people would get out if they could get out. Where do they go?

KARADSHEH: It depends on what kind of a deal would allow them to leave, if that happens. Whether it will be an international deal or are we going to see some sort of a local deal, like we have seen in other parts of the country, like, for example in the Damascus suburbs or in parts of Homs, too, these deals between the regime forces and the rebels where people are bussed, moved to other parts of the country like Idlib, for example. And that's where the regime has been accused of this tactic of starve-or-surrender in this case.

In talking to some east Aleppo residents, John, they are concerned about this. They are worried what we are seeing, this forcible displacement of people, is especially the sectarian cleansing of parts of Syria and they are worried about leaving their home, and who would replace them there?

VAUSE: A lot of people have said this is outright ethnic cleansing carried out by the Assad regime.

Jomana, thank you for being with us. Appreciate it.

Donald Trump is calling the vice presidential debate a major victory for his campaign. The Republican nominee is praising Mike Pence and claiming some credit for himself.

Jim Acosta has more from the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump is taking a victory lap, declaring the bottom of his ticket came out on top in the vice presidential debate.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mike Pence did an incredible job and I'm getting a lot of credit because that's really my first so-called choice.

I'd argue that Mike had the single, most-decisive victory in the history of vice presidential debates.

SEN. TIM KAINE, (D), VIRGINIA & VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: In the rumble of the running mates, Mike Pence was at times sprinting as fast as he could away from Trump as Tim Kaine was in hot pursuit.

MIKE PENCE, (R), INDIANA GOVERNOR & VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm happy to defend him. Most of what you said is completely false and the American people know that.

ACOSTA: While the Indiana governor stayed cool deflecting most of Kaine's attacks, Democrats are seizing on Pence's defense of Trump's past comment that some undocumented immigrants are rapists and criminals as a defining moment.

PENCE: You whipped out that Mexican thing again. He -- look --

KAINE: Can you defend it?

PENCE: -- there are criminal aliens in this country and he said many are good people. You keep leaving that out of your quote.

ACOSTA: And Kaine repeatedly raised the GOP ticket's praise of Vladimir Putin.

KAINE: This is one where you go to tape on it. Governor Pence said, inarguably, Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama.

PENCE: That is inaccurate.

ACOSTA: But here's what he said to CNN.

[02:10:02] PENCE: It's in inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama has been in this country.

ACOSTA: Instead, during the debate, Pence was talking tough on Putin, insisting that a President Trump would stare down the Russian leader in Syria. That's despite reservations voiced by Trump himself.

TRUMP (voice-over): I would have stayed out of Syria.

PENCE: If Russia chooses to be involved -- continue to be involved, I should say, in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the United States of America should be prepared to use military force.

ACOSTA: Still, post-debate polls show Pence's Reagan-esque performance carried the night. The Indiana governor shrugged off the likelihood that Trump didn't play federal income taxes for nearly two decades.

KAINE: But he stood on the stage last week, and when Hillary said, "You haven't been paying taxes," he said, "That makes me smart." So it's smart not to pay for our military. It's smart not to pay for veterans.

(CROSSTALK)

PENCE: Senator, do you take all the deductions you're entitled to?

ACOSTA: But after the debate, when Trump's son, Eric, was asked by Dana Bash whether his father had in fact paid federal income taxes over the last 20 years, his answer hardly put the matter to rest.

ERIC TRUMP, SON OF DONALD TRUMP: Of course. Yes. Absolutely. My father pays a tremendous amount of tax. We, as a company, pay a tremendous amount of tax.

ACOSTA: With the next presidential debate just days away, the pressure is back on the top of the ticket and, this time, Trump's campaign manager says the GOP nominee will be ready.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, DONALD TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN MANAGER: You prepare constantly. And he has gotten very excited about the format, the town hall format. It's really a sweet spot for him.

ACOSTA: And the Trump campaign is pushing back on the notion that the GOP nominee is somehow jealous of Pence's performance. In the words of Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager, "that is truly outrageous."

Jim Acosta, CNN, Reno, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: In the 160 years, "The Atlantic" magazine has only ever endorsed Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson for president, and now Hillary Clinton. The magazine says, "Hillary Clinton has flaws, some troubling, some exaggerated by her opponents, but is among the most prepared candidate ever to seek the presidency." Then there's this blunt assessment of Donald Trump, "His effect is of an infomercial huckster. He traffics in conspiracy theories and racist invective. He is appallingly sexist. He is erratic, secretive, xenophobic and he expresses admiration for authoritarian rulers and evinces authoritarian tendencies himself. He is easily goaded. Poor qualities for someone seeking control of the nuclear arsenal. He is an enemy of fact-based discourse. He's ignorant of and indifferent to the Constitution. He appears not to read."

One reason why Donald Trump has been campaigning in Nevada, the battleground state has voted with the winner in all but one presidential election in recent history. Here's another reason. Trump is losing support there after he lost the first presidential debate.

Here's Gary Tuchman. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Robert Klein is a biker, an Army veteran and a registered Republican. He says he has never before voted for a Democrat for president.

(CHEERING)

TUCHMAN: So why is the Nevada resident at a Democratic rally in support of Hillary Clinton? He says the first presidential debate is the reason.

(on camera): Before you watched the debate, who were you going to vote for?

ROBERT KLEIN, NEVADA RESIDENT: Donald Trump.

TUCHMAN: The debate ended, and what did you think?

KLEIN: Totally convinced, Hillary Clinton.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Following the debate, polling indicated a dramatic shift in Nevada, a big swing from Trump to Clinton, one of the biggest turn-arounds in the country. And that's because of people like Klein, now attending his first-ever Democratic rally.

(on camera): Are you disappointed that Donald Trump didn't convince you that he should be president?

KLEIN: Absolutely. Absolutely. Because I have always admired the man.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): 55-year-old says it wasn't anything Trump said during the debate that changed his mind.

KLEIN: It's the things he didn't say. You know, he never, ever said he has a plan or he has some idea of what he's really getting into.

TUCHMAN: Shawnice Bonea (ph) is a Nevadan who says she is an Independent.

(on camera): Before this debate, did you know for sure who you were going to vote for, for president?

SHAWNICE BONEA (ph), NEVADA RESIDENT: No.

TUCHMAN: Do you know for sure today?

BONEA (ph): I, do yeah.

TUCHMAN: Who is that?

BONEA (ph): I'll be voting for Hillary.

(CHEERING)

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Bonea (ph) says Clinton answered questions directly. As for Trump --

BONEA (ph): He kind of, instead of answering the question, he skirts around it.

TUCHMAN: Thomas Stark is a registered Democrat. After Bernie Sanders dropped out, it was Clinton facing Trump.

THOMAS STARK, NEVADA RESIDENT: I wasn't enthusiastic about either one.

CLINTON: Or maybe he doesn't want --

TUCHMAN: After the debate, he also decided yes for Clinton, no for Trump.

STARK: He reminded me of Richard Nixon, and the reason being is that it just looked like he was hiding too much from the get-go.

TUCHMAN: Donald Trump's Nevada campaign stops are part of the effort to stop Clinton's momentum in the state.

(on camera): There are many Trump supporters here who really believe the upcoming debates can help do just that.

[02:15:15] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think if Trump talks about the issues, he'll win Nevada. If it goes like the first debate, he'll lose.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to have faith in humanity and people, and I think they're going to realize that she is crooked.

(APPLAUSE)

TUCHMAN: But Robert Klein says his decision is final.

(on camera): Is it a weird feeling knowing for the first time you'll not vote for a Republican for president?

KLEIN: Yes, it is. I feel kind of betrayal.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, Henderson, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: You can watch the next presidential debate here on CNN, Monday at 2:00 a.m. in London -- set your alarm clock -- 9:00 a.m. in Hong Kong. DVR it and you can watch it over and over again.

Still to come here, a U.S. government contractor accused of stealing the nation's secrets. Up next, we will have the classified documents he may have taken home.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

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[02:20:00] VAUSE: The United Nations Security Council has named the next secretary-general.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VITALY CHURKIN, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: But today, after our sixth vote, we have a clear favorite, and his name Antonio Guterres. And we have decided to go for a formal vote tomorrow morning at 10:00 and we hope it can be done by acclimation. This is what we are looking at. Tomorrow morning, an acclimation vote, and we wish Mr. Gutierrez well in his duties as the secretary-general of the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Guterres is Portugal's former prime minister. If approved after Thursday's vote, he will replace Ban Ki-moon. Ban Ki-moon's second five-year term ends December 31st.

The FBI says a former government contractor stole top-secret files from the NSA. Agents arrested Harold Martin in August after allegedly finding classified materials at his home. Some of the documents he's accused of stealing relate to an NSA hacking tool.

CNN's justice correspondent, Evan Perez, has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The Justice Department says the leak of the documents could cause, quote, "exceptionally grave damage." Harold Martin is facing charges for allegedly stealing some of the nation's most sensitive secrets, some classified at the highest levels. Among the information the FBI believes he stole were documents detailing a hacking tool the NSA developed to break into foreign computer systems. A couple of months ago, someone calling themselves the ShadowBrokers began to offer the computer code for the hacking tool for sale on-line. The computer code dates back to a few years ago, it is not the latest technology, but it's still considered highly sensitive. The FBI raided Martin's home in August and he was arrested then. But the charges remained secret until Wednesday.

CNN caught up to his wife outside of his home in the D.C. suburbs. Here's what she had to say.

UNIDENTIFIED WIFE OF HAL MARTIN: He's a good man and that's all I can tell you. I would greatly appreciate if you would respect my privacy and respect my family's privacy. I love him very much and he's a good man.

PEREZ: Martin worked as a contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton and had a top-secret security clearance. Booz Allen is also the contractor that employed Edward Snowden, who the government blames for carrying out one of the biggest and most damaging leaks of U.S. government secrets. The FBI is still trying to figure out what Martin's motivation was. So far, investigators don't think he was working for a foreign government.

His attorneys issued a statement that reads, "There's no evidence that Hal Martin betrayed his country. What we know is Mr. Martin loves his family and America. He served his nation honorably in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant and has devoted his entire career to making America safe."

This is another blow to the NSA, which has been working to rebuild its reputation after the Snowden leaks. They've been doing a lot of work to try to prevent things just like this, the so-called insider theat.

Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Internet security analyst, Henry Nguyen, joins me here live for more on this story.

Evan Perez is reporting that the theft could have caused extensively grave damage, specifically what?

HENRY NGUYEN, INTERNET SECURITY ANALYST: It is interesting because when you look at the top-secret clearance definition, one thing they talk about is the fact the information, if it got into enemy hands, could cause national security issues or some type of grave damage. In this particular case, that code could be used to break into American systems, as well, or friendly states that are friendly to the United States. Or if they do find out that they were using this code, there may be spies on the ground who get revealed and their -- action taken against them, which means lives could be at stake.

VAUSE: So from a monetary point of view, something like this is incredibly valuable, isn't it?

NGUYEN: It's incredibly valuable because whether you are a commercial or government hacker or an entity, you would spend -- if I'm inside of another government, I would spend millions to get something like this because it means the NSA has done the job, they figured it out, they have broken in to systems, done it secretly, they done this secretly. They could be watching any government in the world, including friendly governments, for that matter.

VAUSE: All of it we should say again these are allegations.

NGUYEN: Absolutely.

VAUSE: Nothing has been proven at this point. There is a question about motive, because Hal Martin does not appear to have an agenda, like Edward Snowden has an agenda. They don't know what is behind it.

NGUYEN: It is interesting. The FBI is bringing in behavioral profilers to bring him out. He's not fitting the profile of a Snowden, who has all sorts of things in his life. He had motive. He wanted to be whistleblower. This particular individual was sloppy. There was top-secret clearance, documents clearly marked, sitting in his car, sitting inside his house in open view. But on the other hand, he could be so amazingly good that he is presenting this, I'm just a nobody who really doesn't care, and secretly selling it. We just don't know --

[02:25:15] VAUSE: Double take.

NGUYEN: -- until we figure all this out.

VAUSE: We speculated on this a long time but one theory could be he essentially got away with it for a period of time and got sloppy. They have increased security at the NSA, spent billions on doing it, but this raises questions about physical security.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. It could be that he has documents that he took before the security was raised. But what is most interesting is two things. One is Booz Allen Hamilton is involved again.

VAUSE: The company that Snowden worked for.

NGUYEN: Same company. Second, the NSA, if they beefed up security, how does an individual walk out of the gates with this type of information?

VAUSE: At the least, should the government be reviewing its relationship with Booz Allen?

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: I'm sure they are already doing it. They just wouldn't announce it because there are many contractors inside the NSA. You don't want to spook the employees and, all of a sudden, you have greater insider threats that could happen. So one day, you will get an announcement, either they are going with it or not.

VAUSE: Right.

Henry, thank you very much for coming in. Appreciate your analysis.

NGUYEN: Thanks.

VAUSE: Coming up next for our viewers in Asia, "State of the Race" with Kate Bolduan.

For everyone else, we'll take a short break. And coming up next, we will show one of Syria's best secrets, a place of a little peace during war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:01] VAUSE: Welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause, with the headlines this hour.

(HEADLINES) VAUSE: Syria's military says it will scale back air strikes and

artillery fire on Aleppo's rebel-held areas to allow civilians to evacuate safely. The move follows outcry over a Russian-backed bombardment of civilians over the past few weeks leaving hundreds dead and wounded.

Russia beefed up it's the military presence in Syria, deploying a state-of-the-art air defense system. For now, U.S. officials believe they are not planning to target American pilots but call it a concern.

Let's bring in military analyst, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona.

Colonel, thank you for being with us.

How much of a threat is this Russian S-300 air defense system, particularly to U.S. and coalition aircraft?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: This is a really good system, John. Russians build quality state-of-the-art systems. But if they leave it positioned on the coast, either at their air base or at their naval facility, it could only reach 200 kilometers. Most of the targets at the coalition aircraft, the U.S.-led coalition aircraft are striking are on the extreme range of that threat envelope or outside of the range. It doesn't pose a threat to the aircraft as we are operating right now. However, if we shift our targets to the West more, then they do enter that threat envelope of the system.

VAUSE: The Russian embassy in Washington posted a tweet with a picture of the White House spokesman, Josh Earnest, as well as a photograph of the s-300, with a caption that reads, "Because you never really know what kind of assistance terrorists may get." What's the message here, and why would you would they do it like this?

FRANCONA: That's interesting. I saw that and it struck me odd. The Russians have ramped up the propaganda game. If you watch any Russian media, at all, they are hurling invectives at the United States, one after the other. This is all of our fault, they're criticizing us, they're conducting large military exercises and even threatening there could be an all-out war. Mr. Putin said we have to be ready to defend against an attack from the West. I think it is all posturing.

VAUSE: The U.S. -- this is the timing here, the U.S. is four weeks away from a presidential election. Both Clinton and Trump have been talking about safe zones, no-fly zones in Syria. How does the S-300 change the calculation of that?

FRANCONA: It makes it difficult for the planners. The Russians haven't deployed many of these systems. They have least one battery there and they say it is to protect the naval base at Tartus. That's fine, but if the United States was going to take action to guarantee a safe zone, they would have to ground the Syrian air force. Though you can probably do that with cruise missiles, this system is optimized to knock down ballistic and cruise missiles. So it really complicates the plan. You could probably overwhelm it with a mass volley of cruise missiles but this is really something we don't want to get in to a shooting war that the Russians will be involved in. This brings us closer to this thing. We have been talking about for sometime now, is this inevitable confrontation between American and Russian pilots in Syria. We don't need this.

VAUSE: It feels as if it is inching towards that scenario. But also what we are seeing as part of this stepped up military offensive on Aleppo, bunker-busting bombs. Have they been brought in to destroy the civilian infrastructure which they have built underground?

FRANCONA: Yeah, that's exactly what they are doing. They're trying to -- and we have heard the phrase, they are bombing civilians in to submission. I think the Syrians, with their Russian support, have probably done this -- I hate to say they have done it well -- but they have done it effectively. Let's use that word. What they have done is they have caused so much damage to the infrastructure, the civilians, who are not part of the opposition, want to leave. And the Syrians are going to give them that opportunity to do that. Once the people that want to leave are out of there, the Syrian army, backed by Iranian support and Russian airpower, will go in there and roll up the enclave. I don't see how they can stand that much fire power. As we've talked before, John, I think Aleppo has a short life in the hands of the rebels.

VAUSE: Questions of when, not if at this point, I guess.

FRANCONA: Right.

VAUSE: Colonel, thank you for being with us, sir.

FRANCONA: Good to be with you, John.

VAUSE: In the midst of Syria's grinding civil war, a secret library once provided a brief respite for those trying to escape the violence.

Fred Pleitgen takes us in this now-abandoned refuge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(EXPLOSION)

[02:35:15] FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For almost four years this was the reality in Daraya --

(EXPLOSION)

PLEITGEN: -- a suburb of Damascus controlled by the rebels but besieged by Syrian government forces.

Amid the shelling the shortages of food, water, and medicine, a space of quiet, of reading, of solace, a secret underground library. The chief librarian, a 14-year-old boy named Amjad (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: The children are gone.

PLEITGEN: "I like the place and I like learning things. I like to read," he told us. In August, the rebels made a deal with the Syrian government for free

passage out of Daraya in return for government control of the district.

We were one of the first crews to make it in after the evacuation. Amid the flattened and damaged buildings, all of a sudden, we noticed soldiers taking books from a basement, the former secret library of Daraya. Books strewn across the floor, many volumes already gone, but the order of a library still visible.

(on camera): Almost during the entire time of the siege, the underground library was a sanctuary, especially for the children of Daraya, many who would brave the dangers to read in peace.

(voice-over): All civilians have now left Daraya but we found the former librarian, Amjad (ph), in a displaced camp outside Damascus. His eyes lit up when we told him we found the library.

"I would work for hours in the library," he said. "I would go in at 1:00 and come back at 5:00. I was responsible for everything."

For years, the library was the only escape he and others had for from the shelling that killed and wounded so many.

Amjad (ph) is clear on just how special it was.

"I cried the last time I was there," he said. "I used to love it so much."

Daraya is now destroyed and abandoned. The underground library is gone. But it will always hold a special place for Amjad (ph) and the others, a quiet space in the hell they faced for almost four years.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN Daraya, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Nine Australian men arrested for stripping down to their swimwear at the Formula One Grand Prix in Malaysia are now free to go. Court official says they were let off with a warning after promising they wouldn't do it again. Pictures of them drinking beer, wearing brief swimwear with a pattern of Malaysia's flag promoted mixed feelings. Many say they were in bad taste and disrespectful to Malaysia. Others called their celebration harmless.

British pop star, Robbie Williams, is catching some heat for his latest song. Some say the lyrics and the music video for "Party Like a Russian" is borderline racist.

CNN's Jonathan Mann has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:40:13] (SINGING) JONATHAN MANN, CNN HOST, POLITICAL MANN (voice-over): The new video

from British pop star, Robbie Williams, features ballerinas, beats, and according to some critics, crude stereotypes of the Russian people.

(SINGING)

MANN: Williams sings about Russian vodka, nesting dolls, and samples the famous ballet "Romeo and Juliette."

(SINGING)

MANN: His lyrics include, "Ain't no recruiting, I'm a modern Rasputin."

(SINGING)

MANN: There's speculation the song is poking fun at Russian President Vladimir Putin, with at least one Moscow tabloid demanding Williams never be allowed to perform in Russia again.

But the pop star defended himself on Twitter saying, "This song is definitely not about Mr. Putin."

On the streets of Moscow, reaction to the song was mixed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): It's different. The atmosphere, the way the people are is different. It's not like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): I wouldn't say it was like this in Russia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): It's similar to Russia, but the Russia of the 18th century. It's pretty. I like it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Russians can go out and party harder than that.

MANN: While on Russian state TV, a Moscow music producer claims Williams is just trying to cash in by courting controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We're currently at a time when Russia is news maker number one, and it seems Robbie Williams has tried to increase his popularity with this.

(SINGING)

MANN: For his part, Williams tells a British newspaper he wasn't out to offend Russians, and even toned down his original lyrics to make the song more politically correct. Whether that worked, the answer would appear to be "het."

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Finally, police captured an Italian mafia boss found hiding behind the kitchen cupboards of his home. Antonio Pelle spent five years on the run and could spend 20 years in prison for drug trafficking. Police say he had a secret room, small mattress, a little bit of toilet paper and portable fan. Now he will have a cell.

You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

Stay with us. "World Sport" starts after a short break.

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[02:44:28]AMANDA DAVIS, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hi. Thanks for joining us. Welcome along to "World Sport" with me, Amanda Davis.

Maria Sharapova may have been cleared to get back to tennis action next April but before she puts her doping ban behind her she is having her say how she has been treated. The former world number one said the tennis governing body, the ITF, could and should have done before to avoid the situation. Sharapova was banned for two years in June for taking a substance that anti-doping authorities say added to performance. It was only added to the prohibited list at the start of this year, and Sharapova and her team claim they were unaware. The ban was reduced to 15 months. They said while she bares some degree of fault under no circumstances can the player be considered an international doper. The five-time champion told Alex Thomas that she feels let down by the tennis authorities.

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MARIA SHARAPOVA, TENNIS PRO: I took responsibility of my mistake from the first day. Two days after I got the letter of my violation, I came out to the world and spoke about my story. And my story is the same it from that day to it is now. There's so many things that the ITF could have done to avoid this mistake. So I think it is a responsibility on both of our parts. There are -- if you compare it to what other federations did to notify their players of a substance change, a substance that was legal for the years that I was taking it, and in January 1st of this year it became banned. It's so common in Russia. It is sold millions of packages. It is protected by the government on the vital and essential list. It is treated as aspirin in the United States. My grandparents use it. So the knowledge of how common it is in Russia, I think it would have made more sense for the international federation to let their athletes know this was becoming banned and they did not do that.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: The Court of Arbitration for Sport said this is not a case of an intentional doper. But it wasn't a complete success. They reduced your ban to 15 months. Do you feel you clear your name?

SHARAPOVA: I didn't delegate the way my manager at the end of last year was checking the prohibited list. I have been asked the question if I had been treated fairly or not. The ITF asked for me to be banned for four years. Is that fair, I don't believe it is fair at all.

THOMAS: If you could tell us where you were, who told you and how you reacted when it came to hearing your ban had been reduced?

SHARAPOVA: I was -- I heard it from my lawyer on a Friday morning. I was in my bedroom. It was quite early in the morning. I yelled in Russian to my mom who was down stairs that I'm coming back. She took it as good news and I gave her a big hug.

THOMAS: How do you hope you will be received by fellow players when you return to action?

SHARAPOVA: I don't know if that is something I will be focused on very much. In that moment I will be so dedicated to giving everything I have to commit myself to the sport to the way I have since I was a young girl to being ferocious and not giving up and inspiring people like I have many years of my career.

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DAVIS: In terms of former players, Pam Shriver criticized Sharapova as what she describes as throwing the ITF under the bus with her comments. While the tennis governing body declined their invitation to come on CNN, they have sent a statement that reads, "The ITF believes the appropriate steps were taken to publicize any changes to the prohibitive list. Nonetheless, we have reviewed and will continue to review our processes for communicating changes to the prohibited list to players with the aim of ensuring no player can claim they had not been fully informed."

As Sharapova said, the ITF initially wanted her to receive a four year ban. And she believes she was treated unfairly. It surprised many that her sponsor heads have supported her so vocally. Their CEO told Alex earlier that he felt there had been a degree of anti-Russian sentiment throughout.

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UNIDENTIFIED SHARAPOVA SPONSOR: One of the benefits, if you suspend the contract, which you can in instance like this, you don't have to pay the athlete. In our case, we chose to do what we believe is right which is stand behind her. I like to add apparently the substance was banned because of the prevalence of Maldonan use by Eastern European athletes. Maybe has some Russia bashing in it. I don't think that politics and sports should be mixed up.

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[02:50:07] DAVIS: Right. Who is Barcelona's best player? No, not that Barcelona. In this case, you can make a case for Thomas. The Croatian went at it today against one of the NBA's best.

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DAVIS: Welcome back. It has been a disappointing day for fans at the Japan Open with top seed and home favorite forced to retire through injury. He hopes to recover in time for the Shanghai Masters next week.

Better news for the world number two, Andy Murray, at the China Open in Beijing. He crushed his opponent in straight sets. That means he will play for a place in the semi final. Another week in what has been a fantastic summer for the 29-year-old for the 29 year old.

Here's Pat Cash more from "Open Court."

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PAT CASH, CNN HOST, OPEN COURT: It was a summer of blockbuster sequels for Scotland's Andy Murray. In July, he won a second Wimbledon crown.

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ANDY MURRAY, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: It's very special. (INAUDIBLE)

CASH: The world number two won in straight sets on center court. There was a familiar face in Murray's box. Ivan Lendl had agreed to coach Murray again.

MURRAY: We worked well in the past together. We got on well and enjoyed it. Last time I worked, we spoke a bit. Last few years about maybe trying to do it again, if it works out. Now it has and I'm happy he is back part of the team.

CASH: The partnership paid quick dividends and Murray came out with his sights on defending the gold medal he won at the London Olympics.

MURRAY: The Olympics was amazing. Winning Olympic gold in London, few people get the chance to do that. You know, it's an once-in-a- lifetime opportunity.

CASH: In Rio this summer, Murray got another shot at the gold. He beat Argentina in the final.

MURRAY: The opportunity doesn't come around very often. You want to make the most of it when it does. I have been lucky enough to win two gold medals.

CASH: The perfect finish to a golden summer of tennis.

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[02:55:13] DAVIS: That's our Pat Cash there.

The Cavaliers have taken to their home court for the first time since June with three weeks until the start of the NBA season proper. Some other sides have been traveling further afield with six international cities hosting the NBA's global games this year. Wednesday in Barcelona, where the basketball team that plays under the same umbrella as the world famous football side have been holding a children's clinic with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Barsa played in the European League. They have a number of American players on their side. They have former Grizzlies star, Navarro. The Thunders' defeat by Real Madrid Monday night. Westbrook and

company were given another challenge by the host. As for the game itself after the Thunder's defeat, Michael Westbrook given another challenge. It was tight until the end. Thunder got a one point lead with a minute on the clock. With two seconds left, Barsa had a three to tie but the effort was short. Thunder walking away with their first win of the preseason.

Spain's two-time Formula One world champion, Fernando Alonzo, is making the most of his time ahead in Tokyo ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. He has been busy on social media showing his fans the sights and he showed fans this picture, Metro time, smiling on the underground system. Looks like more relaxed journey than his time in the car this season. He is down tenth in the standings with five races of the season to go.

That's it for me and the team for this edition of "World Sport." Thank you for watching. I'm Amanda Davis, at CNN Center this week. We'll see you next time. Goodbye.

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[03:00:13] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Bracing for Matthew. The deadly hurricane --