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Trump Names Rex Tillerson Secretary of State; Rebel Forces on Brink of Collapse in Aleppo; In Search of the Franklins Bumble Bee. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired December 13, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:26] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream. Now, activists report mass executions inside

Aleppo. as Syrian government troops move closer to retaking the city from rebels.

Donald Trump chooses the CEO of ExxonMobil as his secretary of state, but opponents want to examine any close ties with Russian leader Vladimir

Putin.

And a critical part of the food chain is disappearing. We follow one man who is determined to save the bees.

And we begin with Aleppo where rebel forces appear to be on the brink of collapse.

Now, Syrian government troops are moving on what's left of rebel-held territory in the city. But as they advance, the humanitarian situation is

getting worse. Activist there report mass executions. The United Nations says it has received reports of pro-government forces killing 82 civilians.

They were shot on sight.

Now, CNN has not verified the accuracy of that report.

Now, a victory for President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo would end a bloody four years of fighting in what was once Syria's largest city.

Now, before the war, Aleppo was the commercial heart of Syria. It sits north of the capital of Damascus, close to the border with Turkey. And it

was once a bustling city of more than 2 million people.

But anyone traveling through east Aleppo today would see nothing, but a devastated war zone with entire blocks just reduced to rubble.

Now, Fred Pleitgen was recently in Aleppo. He joins us now live from Beirut. And Fred, 100,000 people are trapped in this city. We're getting

reports of executions. A very grim picture is emerging from inside Aleppo.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, certainly it is a very grim picture that's emerging. And it's very difficult to verify

many of these reports.

It was interesting to hear the UN talking about this when they said that they've gotten information about up to 82 people, civilians, allegedly

having been executed on sight there. And they say that they got these reports from people who had been credible in the past. They also said they

hope that these reports aren't true. But certainly it is something that offers them cause for grave concern.

Now, so far, the Syrian government forces and all those forces allied with them, including, of course, the Russians and the Iranians, have not

commented on any of these reports. But certainly at this point in time there are many people who are very vulnerable as the Syrian government

forces, the pro-government forces, continue to make gains there on the ground.

They claim that they're in the final stages of their operations in Aleppo. They say that the rebel enclave is very, very small, only a few streets, a

few blocks, maybe a neighborhood, still left there in eastern Aleppo. But of course as all this is happening, there are civilians who are struggling

to come to safety.

And you just mentioned that number of about 100,000 that the UN says might still be trapped inside those areas that are held by the opposition that of

course at this point in time are getting pounded by some very, very heavy munitions. It's unclear how many are actually in there, whether that

number is accurate. Of course tens of thousands have been fleeing over the past couple of days, over the past couple of weeks, to try and get out

harms way. But certainly they do still appear to be a considerable amount of civilians trapped inside those besieged areas.

And one the thing that UN is very concerned about is that there do appear to be lots of children among them as well, including UNICEF has just put

out a statement saying 100 children who seem to be trapped inside a house in those areas in east Aleppo of course very much in harms way at this

point in time, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, very much so, Fred. And when civilians do manage to flee, and I'm referring to the mass exodus that you were able to witness and

report on. How much help is on the ground and is available for them?

PLEITGEN: You know, it's not enough. And the organizations on the ground certainly are struggling.

There are various organizations that are operating there -- the Red Crescent is trying to do what it can. The UN is there as well. It tries

to coordinate a lot of the aid. And then there's some smaller aid groups. There's some Iranian aid groups. The Russians, of course, also are

supplying some aid, some aid convoys as well. There's even some from the Syrian government, also.

So, basically what happens to people who manage to flee eastern Aleppo is the first thing they have to do is they have to try and cross the front

line. They have to get out of the city.

There are some buses that take people usually to a central shelter for displaced people, which is around the Aleppo airport. And it's a facility

that is very bare bones. It has a roof over people's heads. It's a former cotton factory, so it has some big sort of factory floors. There's some

mattresses there. There's some blankets there. But it is clearly not enough, especially now that you have this escalation in people trying to

get out of those areas. And those of course people who not only are trying to flee, but these are people who are very vulnerable, who are very weak,

people who have been often subjected to starvation over the past couple of weeks, people who have not received the medical attention that they need.

Many of them are wounded, and all of them, at least the ones that we saw, appear to be heavily traumatized as well.

So, it's a dire situation, and one where aid organizations that are there certainly are having more than trouble trying to keep up making sure that

these people get the aid that they need to survive over the next couple of weeks, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, they are vulnerable. They are weak. And they are increasingly losing hope.

Fred Pleitgen reporting live for us from Beirut. Thank you, Fred.

Now, for more on the humanitarian crisis as well as what a victory for President Assad in Aleppo could mean for the Syrian war, our chief

international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, joins us now from London.

Christiane, again we have 100,000 people trapped behind battle lines in Aleppo. Talks have yielded nothing. What hope is left for the civilians

inside Aleppo?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, I'm sorry I've just gone dark as the studio lights have gone off, but in terms

of just the information, Rupert Colville, the spokesman for the human rights organization, put out this sound bite today talking about a complete

collapse of humanity and amplifying the reports that you and Fred have been talking about about the suspected execution of civilians, including women

and children.

Listen to what he just said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUPERT COLVILLE, SPOKESMAN, UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: Yesterday evening, we received further deeply disturbing reports of

numerous bodies are lying in the streets, but residents were unable to retrieve them due to the intense bombardment, and their fear of being shot

on sight.

In all, as of yesterday evening, we've received reports of pro-government forces killing at least 82 civilians, including 11 women and 13 children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Now, that's just 82 that they think they know about. They say they have sources who they believe are reliable.

The ICRC, he International Committee of the Red Cross, is saying also that thousands and thousands of those trapped there have nowhere safe to run.

That's a huge worry.

And, again, Rupert Colville and the UN human rights community is calling on the government of Syria to respect the laws of war, in other words, to

respect the civilians and non-combatants and to maintain their right to life. And that is massively important, because executions in cold blood at

the end of a battle as you know constitute grave violations of the Geneva conventions. And people from the beginning of this war have been already

talking about war crimes possible accusations and trials for President Assad, also for his backers Russia and Iran.

So, this is incredibly important right now.

And let me just say that Fred Pleitgen, who did this amazing job while he was in Syria a few days ago and went with regime forces ahead and following

them as they pushed forth into eastern Aleppo. As he was doing that, we were also contacting people on the other side of these front lines. And

one of them, among many, an English teacher, Mohammed Edel predicted that if government forces reached the final holdouts, the final enclaves, that

they would all be killed. This is what he said to me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED EDEL, ALEPPO RESIDENT: I would like to send a message to the whole world. It's to save our poor souls and to help us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Well, actually, what he went on to say, and the important part of that interview, was that I asked him what if the rebels take, or rather

the government forces take his neighborhood, he said. I am going to be killed. That's what's going to happen. I'm going to be killed. And not

only me, but also a lo of civilians are going to be killed, too.

So, that was most definitely the fear of people still trapped behind the besieged front lines ahead of government forces reaching there -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: We have scores of civilians trapped by the fighting, all out violence all aroudn them. Aleppo was on the cusp of falling to the regime.

What does this mean? We know this is a turning point, but what does this mean overall for the civil war in Syria?

AMANPOUR: Well, it is something that they have been hoping for, for a long time -- the Assad government. And it's clearly something that the

Russians, with their massive air power, and the Iranians, and other Shiite militias with their massive ground forces, including Hezbollah and other

such militias on the ground, have been trying to produce this kind of victory for Bashar al-Assad.

And most importantly, as we've seen it play out now at this intense level over the last two weeks. This is something that all parties on that side

wanted to accomplish before Donald Trump takes the reigns of the presidency.

In other words, while they believe there was a lame duck administration in the White House and there was the (inaudible) period between two

presidencies, this is when they wanted to get this accomplished, so-called create new facts on the ground and move ahead from there.

But, even Assad himself, and certainly many people who are watching around the world, and especially in that region, do not believe that this will

signal the end of the war, although it is the most important turning point in this five-and-a-half year civil war, because it puts a huge amount of

important urban territory, a contiguous belt of territory under the control of Bashar al-Assad, but it does not put the whole country in the control of

the whole country under his control. And there are, and will be, presumably, still pockets that will hold out.

And most importantly, or equally important, while Russia, Assad and Iran have said that they've been going after ISIS, clearly that is not their

main priority, since ISIS has now popped up and retaken, according to reports, Palmyra, from which they were chased many weeks ago, Krsitie.

[08:11:29] LU STOUT: And that underscores just how fluid the battlefield is inside Syria. Christiane Amanpour reporting for us live from London.

Thank you.

Now switching gears to U.S. politics now. Donald Trump has named ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be the U.S. secretary of state. Trump says

that the 64-year-old has brought experience and a deep understanding of geopolitics as well as relationships with world leaders. But one of those

relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin has sparked concern among Tillerson's critics.

Here's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This morning president-elect Donald Trump picking ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. Sources say

Tillerson was recommended by former Republican secretaries of state including James Baker and Condoleezza Rice. Tillerson chosen after Trump's

very public vetting of a string of high profile candidates, including an unlikely courtship with one-time rival Mitt Romney. Sources say Trump

called the 2012 GOP nominee personally last night to say it wasn't all a game.

Tillerson's nomination already generating controversy with no formal foreign policy experience. The business titan instead forming close

relationships with many world leaders by closing massive oil deals, including Russian president Vladimir Putin, sparking criticism from both

sides of the aisle.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: Anybody who's a friend of Vladimir Putin must disregard the fact that Vladimir Putin is a murderer, a thug, a KGB

agent.

CARROLL: This as Trump and his top advisers continue to attack the CIA over their findings that Russia meddled in the election.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It smells like politics, plain and simple.

CARROLL: Trump's camp offering no proof of their claims as a bipartisan group of senators calls for a congressional inquiry.

MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY) SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I think we ought to approach all of these issues on the assumption that the Russians do not

wish us well.

CARROLL: President Obama reiterating calls for a review to prevent Russia from impacting future elections.

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This was not a secret running up to the election. The president-elect in some of his political

events specifically said to the Russians, hack Hillary's e- mails.

CARROLL: Trump's team says he won't interfere with an investigation.

CONWAY: He's the president of the United States. The legislature can do what it wants.

CARROLL: For his part, Trump delays a news conference where he promised he'd address how he'll handle the conflicts of interests with his business.

Trump tweeting late Monday he will be leaving his businesses before January 20th, and two of his three children, Don and Eric, plus executives, will

run the companies, notably no mention of his daughter Ivanka who is likely to step away from the businesses and serve as an advisor to her father.

Trump also promising no new deals will be done during his terms in office.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Jason Carroll reporting.

Now, joining us now is senior political reporter Manu Raju with more on the reaction from Capitol Hill. Manu, the big question now is, yes, we know

Tillerson. He may be Trump's pick, but can he get confirmed by the senate?

MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He can get confirmed by the Senate, but it could be a challenge, Kristie, because of Republicans. This is the first

nominee from Donald Trump that has gotten some pushback from his own party, because of Tillerson's ties to Vladimir Putin.

And of course, a number of Republican senators want Trump, and want the new administration, to take a hard line on Russia, especially in the aftermath

of allegations of Russian meddling in the United State's elections.

Already, four Republican senators have voiced some level of concern about Tillerson's nomination because of his ties to Russia. And remember, there

are going to be 52 Republican senators in the congress next year. That means, only three Republicans can afford to defect from the party line in

order for that nomination to be confirmed, especially if Democrats stay united in opposition.

So, Tillerson and the Trump camp, the Trump administration, will have a lot of salesmanship to do in order to get him through, Kristie.

[08:15:48] LU STOUT: Absolutely. And just to clarify here, among senators, their main concern with Rex Tillerson is his close ties with Russia. But

what about his time at ExxonMobil, as the CEO of that firm, and the company's record on climate change and the environment?

RAJU: You know, that's one of the areas in which folks will explore, you know, as the ExxonMobil CEO he has taken a more -- a softer approach on

climate change and, say, Donald Trump did during the campaign when Trump took a very hardline approach and wanted to pull out of the Paris Climate

Accords. Rex Tillerson supported the Paris Climate Accords, that could go over well with some Democrats.

But, it all goes to speak to this: Tillerson is an unknown quantity on Capitol Hill in terms of his view on foreign policy. And that's something

that senators on both sides are going to explore.

The Russia issue a red flag right now, but there could be other things that come up to the process of a very thorough confirmation proceeding next

year, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Manu, I wanted to get your thoughts on just the way Donald Trump has been naming his cabinet, you know, just sending out these kind of

teaser tweets, a public spectacle, some people have compared it to almost like a reality TV show. How unusual is this approach?

RAJU: Very unusual. This is done in a very secretive process. And we hear about it as it comes out. Donald Trump has done this almost publicly,

parading the candidates through Trump Tower, which are picked up on by the cameras, and of course that now infamous dinner that he had with Mitt

Romney which cameras picked up and took pictures of them eating dinner and Mitt Romney now getting passed over now for Secretary of State. It ends up

looking very poorly on the people who he is passes over.

But this is a brand new world. And a lot of the people who are in contention for positions simply they're just going to have to deal with it,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, a brand new word to say the least. Manu Raju always appreciate reporting. Take care.

RAJU: Thank you.

LU STOUT: Now, China may well be sending a military message to the president-elect after a bitter war of words. Now, or the first time it has

flown nuclear capable bombers over the South China Sea. The H6 jets tracked along the so-called nine dash line, which extends around a part of

the sea claimed by Beijing.

Several other countries, along with Taiwan, say it belongs to them.

Now, Mr. Trump has been slammed by China in recent days for accepting that phone call from the president of Taiwan and questioning Washington's One

China policy.

Now, you're watching News Stream. And still to come on the program, the soaring death toll in the Philippines war on drugs. We'll be speaking to

Human Rights Watch as we learn just how violent President Duterte's crackdown has become.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:48] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now, for months here, we have brought you harrowing accounts of the Philippines deadly war on drugs. And now we have the numbers to show just

how bloodied the crackdown has been under President Rodrigo Duterte.

Since the beginning of July, almost 6,000 people have been killed. The country's national police ays more than 2,000 of those deaths happened

during police operations, the rest were extrajudicial or vigilante style killings. Authorities have also arrested some 40,000 suspects.

Now, Vice President Leni Robredo is a staunch opponent of Mr. Duterte's crackdown. Now, Robredo is a former human rights lawyer. And now she is

leading a movement within the government to convince the president to stop the bloodshed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LENI ROBREDO, PHILIPPINES VICE PRESIDENT: It is not as if we are against the war on drugs. We do agree with the president that it has -- it has

reached a level where the government must really do something about this, where government has to be really creative in coming up with ways and how

to solve it. But, you know, doing it this way, we think only makes the problem more complex.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, let's bring in Phellim Kine, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch Asia. He joins me now live from Indonesia's capital Jakarta.

And Phellim, thank you so much for joining us here on News Stream.

Again, there have been 5,927 deaths linked to Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs since July 1. We've learned that more than 3,000 were the result of

vigilante style killings. And what's you reaction to these shocking numbers?

PHELLIM KINE, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ASIA: Well, this is nothing less than a human rights calamity. And President Duterte is delivering with a

vengeance on his electoral platform promises that he would use mass extrajudicial killings as a quote, unquote crime solution. And those

people who are paying for that are Filipinos. As you say, almost 6,000 people, people who never saw a lawyer, never made it to a court room, who

have paid with their lives due to the fact that President Duterte has declared this drug emergency that has trashed rule of law and has attempted

to steam roll all opposition to this horrific bloodletting.

LU STOUT: Now, you condemn the killings, and you also want President Duterte to disavow his threat to target lawyers of alleged drug dealers.

Are lawyers under threat as well?

KINE: This is the -- this just shows you how increasingly sinister President Duterte's so-called war on drugs is becoming in that last week he

declared that he perceived that lawyers who were able to legally get suspected drug users and drug dealers out on bail should be also included

in the targets of this drug war.

He has recently also said that human rights advocates who speak out in defense of rule of law and in defense of constitutional guarantees to

rights -- to suspects' rights should also be targets. And the fact is the lesson of the last five-and-a-half months since President Duterte took

office is that those groups and individuals that he declares as targets, usually end up dead in large numbers.

LU STOUT: Now, human rights groups, such as yours, I mean, you've been very critical of what's been happening in the Philippines under Duterte,

but he remains extremely popular in the Philippines. In fact, a great number of citizens approve of him and approve and support his war on drugs.

So, how do you start to change opinion end this deadly crackdown?

KINE: Well, there are two answers to that. And the first is that in those popularity polls, the numbers that really show up is that the vast number

of people polled say that anyone who is suspected of drug use or drug dealing should be arrested, not killed. So, the majority of people in the

Philippines are opposed to this killing.

And the second thing is, is that President Duterte has systematically eviscerated any meaningful domestic opposition within the Philippines to

this war on drugs. And that means that people are just simply too frightened to challenge the president.

And the vice president, to her credit, has broken that silence, to a certain extent, and hopefully can lead opposition to this abusive campaign.

[08:25:34] LU STOUT: And finally, this is according to Mr Duterte. The U.S. President-elect Donald Trump told him that he's fighting drugs, quote,

the right way. So, do you fear that President Trump will not just fail to condemn what's happening in the Philippines, but actively encourage Duterte

in this deadly crackdown?

KINE: I can't speak for what President-elect Trump may or may not have said to President Duterte, but what I would say is that it's really the

obligation of all close bilateral allies of the Philippines, whether it's the United States or the EU to make it very clear that this abusive

campaign, this anti-drug campaign, which has killed almost 6,000 Filipinos in five-and-a-half months is unconscionable, unacceptable, and is going to

result in changes in how these countries deal with the Philippines, unless there is a 180 degree change in policy.

LU STOUT: All right, Phellim Kine of Human Rights Watch joining us from Jakarta, thank you.

And you're watching News Stream. Still to come in the program, we're going to take a closer look at Donald Trump's choice for U.S. secretary of state

and why does it have some U.S. lawmakers up in arms. We'll talk about that in a live report just ahead.

And scientists warn the buzzing of bees in the wild could soon end. Now, the hard workers of the insect world, they are vanishing at alarming rates

and our very food supply is at risk. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:30:44] LU STOUT: I want to get more on the reaction to Trump's new secretary of state pick who is both praised and criticized for his

relationship with Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Matthew Chance joins us now live from Moscow with more. And Matthew, Trump wants Tillerson to be his chief diplomat. Does the Kremlin warmly welcome

the news?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It hasn't reacted yet, in fairness, to the actual announcement, but yes, certainly the reaction so

far when it was speculation that Rex Tillerson would be the nominee for secretary of state was extremely positive. He's somebody who has got

longstanding relations with Russia. He spent many years working here as not least the CEO of ExxonMobil.

Donald Trump, of course, announced his decision as he does with many of his decisions over Twitter saying I have chosen one of the truly great business

leaders of the world. And he wasn't talking about himself, he was talking about Rex Tillerson, the chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil to be secretary of

state.

Of course, Mr. Tillerson has no experience with government, very little with diplomacy, in fact, in terms of foreign policy. But it is known for

being an extraordinary dealmaker and for having very close ties indeed to Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: He's so Kremlin friendly, the Russian president personally pinned a friendship medal on Rex Tillerson's chest, in fact one of Russia's

highest civilian honors.

The Exxon CEO had recently agreed one of the biggest ever oil and gas exploration deals with the Russian state worth nearly half a trillion

dollars. He's certainly a figure with whom the Kremlin appears happy to do business.

Even before Trump formally announced his choice for secretary of state. Russian officials were heaping praise on the Texas oil man. President

Putin's spokesman told CNN he's very professional and has numerous contacts with our representatives.

The head of the Russian parliamentary foreign affairs committee Alexei Pushkov (ph) went even further. The selection of Tillerson is a sensation,

he tweeted. The choice confirms the seriousness of Donald Trump.

It also gives us a sense of what a Trump/Tillerson policy towards Russia might look like. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, fomenting a brutal

war in eastern Ukraine, Tillerson criticized as ineffective the economic sanctions imposed by Washington.

Exxon says it could have lost up to $1 billion in profit because of them. And there's concern as secretary of state, Tillerson could advocate easing

off.

It's that sympathy to Russia, which has many hard liners questioning Tillerson's suitability.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: I have obviously concerns of reports of his relationship with Vladimir Putin who is a thug and a murderer.

CHANCE: But for others, including Donald Trump himself, high level Kremlin connections make the Exxon chief an ideal pick.

If a deal is to be done with Russia, as secretary of state Tillerson may be the man to pull it off.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: Well, shortly after making his announcement on Twitter, Donald Trump tweeted something else. He said the thing I liked best about Rex

Tillerson is that he has vast experience in dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments. But when it comes to his confirmation at the

senate. It's his dealings with the Russian government that is going to be most under scrutiny --

Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah. Absolutely. Now that we know that he is a friend of Russia.

Matthew Chance reporting live for us from Moscow. Thank you.

Now, the president-elect is building a White House cabinet and staffing a new government day by day. And analysts say that Donald Trump seems to be

going on instincts and personal relationships. During his campaign, he pledged to drain the swamp, meaning keeping Washington insiders out of

federal power, but wealthy donors and business people are grabbing up influential positions.

His picks range from a Treasury secretary who spent nearly two decades at Goldman Sachs, to a Commerce secretary who made billions off of the steel

industry, or how about his choice for secretary of Education who is a billionaire Republican donor?

You're watching News Stream. And still to come: bees, they are small creatures but their impact on the world is huge. And their future

uncertain. After the break, we'll hear from one man who is determined to save the bees.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:36:55] LU STOUT: Now, all this week we are looking into the impact climate is having on our planet. And today, we're drawing attention to the

busy, but humble bumble bee.

Now, the insect, it may not be popular with everyone, but they are responsible for the survival and growth of many plants, including our

crops. And now this integral part of our global ecosystem is vanishing at alarming rates. John Sutter has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBBIN THORP, RESEARCHER: He wants to hang on (inaudible). And there she is, just another one of the common bumble bees.

JOHN SUTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The vacuum in one hand and net in the other, Robbin Thorp is on a quest.

THORP: So, we're coming in to the area where I last saw Franklins.

SUTTER: He's searching the mountains of Oregon for Franklins bumble bee. It's a species he's believed to be the last person on Earth to have seen

alive.

And he's got a sample of the bee in the back of his truck. It's from the 1950s.

THORP: And this is Franklins. And you can see, she has a black face, a little touch of whitish hair there that's pretty subtle.

SUTTER: This is a bee that could be extinct in the wild.

THORP: Could be. I'm not willing to give up on it, but I'm hoping it's still out there under the radar.

SUTTER: The last time you saw it was 2006, exactly 10 years before he invited me to join him.

Thorp is 83 now, a retired professor from UC Davis. And mostly he works alone day after day, year after year. It's like something out of

Hemingway, the old man and the bee.

THORP: You know, at times it's kind of a lonely task, but I don't really get wrapped up in that. I've got the bumble bees for company, basically.

And I enjoy that.

SUTTER: And bees already are showing signs of rapid decline. Scientists say that pesticides, farms, climate change and disease all are to blame.

SARINA JEPSEN, SCIENTIST: Franklins is a particularly dramatic example, but a quarter of our bumble bees in North America face extinction risk.

I think it's an alarming number if this happens. And many of our bumble bee species do go extinct. We might start to see a loss in some of the

ecosystem function that bumble bees provides.

SUTTER: You also should know that bees pollinate 35 percent of the world's crops. That's a service that's worth billions of dollars per year.

RON MOES, FARMER: So, basically when we get the bees, they come in a box like this.

SUTTER: As wild bees disappear, commercial bumble bees are becoming popular in greenhouses like this one in British Columbia.

The bees are raised in a factory some 2,000 miles away and then they're flown in by plane. Think of them almost like cows on a farm. They're

domesticated insects.

MOES: They're great workers. They put in a lot of time. They basically go from sunup to sunset. And they work seven days a week, so they do a

great job for us.

SUTTER: The bees buzz each flower, shaking out pollen and helping it reproduce. Without them, tomato growers would have to pollinate their

crops by hand.

But here is the irony, the commercial bee industry may be contributing to the decline of wild bees. The research isn't conclusive, but Robbin Thorp

and others believe that greenhouse bees are carrying diseases into wild bee populations and that that may have killed Franklins bumble bee.

Moes told me that his greenhouse takes precautions to prevent that. Queen bees are trapped in their boxes so they don't create new colonies, and the

bees are incinerated after eight weeks in the greenhouse.

No one knows for certain what caused Franklins bumble bee to disappear from California and Oregon, but it's clear we're doing something to cause these

once common species to vanish.

Is there a gut that Franklins bumble bee is still out here somewhere?

THORP: I'm hoping so. That's about the best I can say. Obviously, since it hasn't been seen in 10 years, every year that goes by it makes the

chances of finding more and more doubtful because they have to reproduce every year.

SUTTER: Just have to keep searching.

THORP: Yeah, right. That is basis for the quest.

SUTTER: I spent two days looking for Franklins bumble bee with Thorp. I found the work absolutely maddening.

THORP: The ones that you hear fly by your ear. I'm always -- well, that must have been a Franklins.

I don't think you can put an economic value on a species. They're all priceless really. But Franklins is one that I've had a lot of personal

investment in. And, yeah, I feel an attachment and kinship to it.

SUTTER: I'm sure whether he'll it, but maybe that's beside the point. The truth is that for anyone to know a species like Franklins bumble bee had

vanished, someone like Thorp has to be looking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now biologists warn that three-quarters of all species on our planet could vanish if we don't make drastic changes now. And tomorrow,

we'll look at how frogs in Costa Rica are on the path to extinction, leaving behind this hunting silence in the wild. Now the full report, our

special program, is called Vanishing: The Sixth Mass Extinction airs just a few hours from now at 5:30 in London, 12:30 p.m. in New York.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with

Amanda Da vies is next.

END