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China Warns U.S., North Korea on Collision Course; WikiLeaks Reveals CIA Hacking Protocols; Imagining a World Without Women; A Very Special Japanese Candy. 8:00-9:00a ET

Aired March 09, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:25] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout. To News Stream. Now, sources tell CNN, U.S. forces are on the ground in Syria. As they

help with the fight to retake Raqqa.

Now, China grants Donald Trump dozens of new trademarks, raising new fears of a conflict of interest for the president of the United States.

And modern day slavery through the eyes of teenagers. Now, one school is raising awareness of the problem.

And we begin in the U.S. where controversy seems to follow the president's every move. Now, the state of Hawaii is taking Mr. Trump to court over its

temporary travel ban on six nations that the U.S. considers a security risk. Now, attorneys are to deliver their case to a federal judge next

week to try to put a temporary halt on that ban.

Now, the president is also pushing fellow Republicans to get behind his health care bill, but some conservative groups have blasted the measure as

being too similar to Obamacare. And some hospital groups say millions will lose insurance coverage if the bill is passed.

Now, he's also struggling for support on his explosive claim that President Obama wiretapped his campaign during the election. And new questions are

being raised about a potential conflict of interest after China granted the Trump organization dozens of new trademarks. Now, more on that story in

just a moment.

But first, let's talk about U.S. efforts to fight ISIS in Syria. Now, two officials tell CNN the U.S.

marines have arrived in the country to help local forces in the fight to retake Raqqa. That is the terror group's self-proclaimed capital.

Ben Wedeman has been covering the fight against ISIS. He joins us now live from northern Iraq. And, Ben, U.S. troops, they are in Syria. This is a

visible show of force. Is all of this leading up to a battle to retake Raqqa?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, U.S. officials are saying that this could be this operation to retake Raqqa could happen

within weeks.

Now the marines that have arrived in Northern Syria are part of an artillery battery. They've got 155 millimeter howitzers with a range of

about 32 kilometers. These are heavy, heavy artillery pieces which make up for the deficiencies of the local forces, which are these so-called SDF,

the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are composed of both Kurds and Arabs from that part of northeastern Syria.

Now exactly how this battle is going to play out is not at all clear. U.S. officials believe there are between 3,000 and 4,000 ISIS fighters in Raqqa

itself, and of course, they are also around the city as well, very well dug in.

Now, we understand from the same U.S. officials that some of the commanders of ISIS have actually fled Raqqa to Deir ez-Zor which is further downstream

on the Euphrates River.

But this certainly adds to the already growing contingent of U.S. forces in northern Syria. There are rangers and special forces in the town of Manbij,

whih is about 132 kilometers to the northwest of Raqqa. There they are basically acting as a buffer zone between Turkish-

backed Free Syrian Army fighters and U.S.-backed Kurds and other Syrians.

So it's a very complicated situation. The Turks are also interested inplaying some role in the

liberation of Mosul as, of course, are the Syrians who are backed by Russia, Hezbollah and Iran.

So it's a real mix of forces. And the possibilities of things suddenly going in different directions, south probably, is very high - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, a very complicated and critical operation there in Syria.

And meanwhile, anti-ISIS forces continue to push into western Mosul. What is the latest on that operation?

WEDEMAN: Well, we understand that they've taken -- Iraqi forces have taken two neighborhoods, one to the south and one to the southwest of the old

city where it's believed ISIS is really dug in deep. So, they are now approaching from the south and the southwest trying to basically create a

pincer movement on that area.

We understand that the fighting is somewhat less intense today as Iraqi forces are essentially trying to clear the areas they've already taken,

because oftentimes ISIS will leave behind snipers and other suicide bombers who will make the job of moving forward all the more difficult.

And of course, there are many civilians caught in the middle. At this point, we understand from

the Israqi authorities that more than 70,000 people have fled the city, but there are still hundreds, thousands left, and we understand there have been

a lot of civilian casualties as a result of the intensity of the fighting, as well as the air and land bombardment by U.S. and coalition -- and Iraqi

forces - Kristie.

[08:05:52] LU STOUT: Yeah, unfortunately that was an expected development, but an extremely tragic one.

Ben Wedeman reporting for us live. Thank you.

Now, Republicans, they pulled an all-nighter on Capitol Hill. They're hoping to fast-track an ambitious new health care plan through congress.

And after some 18 hours of deliberation, they managed to get part of it passed. But their plan to replace it is facing criticism, and not just

from Democrats in congress. There's a growing list of powerful lobby groups that are chiming in representing doctors, hospitals and senior

citizens.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONENT (voice-over): As opposition grows to the GOP plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, President Trump

coming up with a back-up plan. Sources inside an Oval Office meeting with conservative and Tea Party groups say the president announced if the plan

fails, he'll allow Obamacare to fail and let Democrats take the blame.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let it be a disaster, because we can blame that on the Dems that are in our room; and we can blame that

on the Democrats and President Obama. But that's not the fair thing to do for the people.

MALVEAUX: The president telling these skeptical right-wing groups he is, quote, "open" to discussing some changes for the American Healthcare Act,

like moving up the rollback of Medicaid expansion to 2018 instead of 2020.

The president also chastising them for their opposition, according to sources. The president claiming they're, quote, "helping the other side."

RYAN: Good afternoon.

MALVEAUX: Conservatives opposing the bill, backed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, argue the proposal doesn't go far enough in getting rid of Obamacare.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R), OHIO: I believe when you look through it is Obamacare in a different form.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a lump of coal.

MALVEAUX: Ryan claiming otherwise, pitching it to his own party Wednesdays.

RYAN: This is a conservative wish list. It repeals Obamacare's taxes. It repeals Obamacare's spending, Medicaid expansion and the Obamacare

subsidies. This returns power from Washington back to doctors and patients.

MALVEAUX: But the backlash is also coming from the nation's leading hospital and doctor groups, concerned about the more than 20 million

Americans currently enrolled in the system. The American Medical Association writing, "We cannot support the American Healthcare Act as

drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And Suzanne Malveaux joins us from Washington for the latest on this.

And Suzanne, as you pointed out in that report, this health care plan is getting a lot of pushback from a number of different groups, including

conservatives. They are calling it Obamacare lite.

So can Mr. Trump rally his own political base to support the measure?

MALVEAUX: You know, Kristie, he certainly is trying to do that. There are a number of ways that he's going about this. One of them was just

yesterday an oval office meeting in which he had a group of conservatives, Tea Party activists, and he said to them quite frankly that if they don't

push something forward that eventually what will happen is that Obamacare will

fail, will fall apart, and that they'll be begging for some sort of resolution here so that now is the time, time is of the essence to get on

the bandwagon here.

But, Kristie, this is going to be a difficult sell for the president, and as we've seen for House

Speaker Paul Ryan for a number of reasons, many of them saying it does not go far enough in dismantling Obamacare and then there are other who have

other issues about it, including the potential cost of this program and the numbers of people who might be without health care insurance.

And that is something that we still don't know yet. The Congressional Budget Office yet to release those figures, very critical figures in terms

of how many people actually lose their coverage and how much it's going to cost.

But the process of this is like if, in fact, it does go to the House, to the full floor, it's going to require approval from the Senate. And that

is where we really see the Republicans battling out the moderates and the conservatives against what has been proposed so far.

And this is something that is also going to be faced with opposition from major hospital

groups. The American Medical Association, AARP, they are all asking simply that 20 million people that are assigned to Obamacare that are on that

health care plan now, how many of those people are going to lose their coverage? That has still gone unanswered, Kristie.

[08:10:12] LU STOUT: This is going to be a tough sell for President Trump. Is this going to be a long, drawnout process? You know, Democrats want to

delay it. The plan is also going to have to be scored by the CBO to find out how much it would cost, how many people it would affect.

How long could this drag on for?

MALVEAUX: Well, this could drag on for weeks. I mean, what we are seeing is the time table here, if you take a look at next week, that is when House

Speaker Ryan and some others say that you will have those CBO numbers. That could come next week.

But every time that there is a change in this legislation, they have to reconfigure and recalculate how much it's going to cost and how many people

will be on the plan.

So, that is something that could be potentially be pushed back. And the budget committee is not going to necessarily hear this - have their own

hearing until they get those scores, that number.

And then you have the senate side which again, you have got a lot of people, including a very

powerful Senator Tom Cotton who this morning sent out a flurry of tweets saying that the House side should not rush the process, that this is

something that they should not -- what he says do, what the Democrats did when it came to Obamacare. That is his argument that he's making. And

that is critical, because they will need every Republican, or most Republicans clearly to actually push forward. If they lose more than

three, the legislation will fail.

And finally, Kristie, I have to tell you, there is a little bit of a charm offensive that's going on with the president. We're learning next week he

is going to be inviting key members of congress, again, many of those conservatives to the White House for bowling and for pizza to see if he

can't change the minds, not only arm twisting but a little bit of the charm as well, because there are a lot of

people right now who are not satisfied and don't have enough information or answers about what's been put forth.

LU STOUT: Wow, pizza and bowling. Whatever it takes to rally up support.

Suzanne Malveaux, reporting for us live from Capitol Hill.

Yeah, thank you and take care.

Now, you can also add Vice President Mike Pence to the list of administration officials sidestepping questions about President Trump's

wiretapping claim. Mr. Trump accused his predecessor of bugging his phones before the election, and now a growing

number of lawmakers are pressing the FBI for answers.

Sara Murray has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There's no reason to believe that he is the target of any investigation.

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The White House attempting to clarify President Trump's unfounded claim that former president Obama ordered

wiretapping of Trump Tower during last year's election, marking yet another day of distraction stemming from Trump's tweets over the weekend.

SPICER: The tweet dealt with wiretaps during the thing, the other is an investigation. They are two separate issues.

MURRAY: Vice President Mike Pence dodging questions about his boss's wiretapping accusations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president alleged that the former president committed a felony in wiretapping Trump Tower. Yes or no. Do you believe

President Obama did that?

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, what I can say is that the president and our administration are very confident that the congressional

committees in the House and Senate that are examining issues surrounding the last election, the run-up to the last election will do that in a

thorough and equitable way.

MURRAY: Now Trump's claim might be backfiring, inspiring a bipartisan group of lawmakers to look for proof.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be careful what you wish for.

MURRAY: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse penning a letter to the Justice Department and the FBI, asking

the intelligence agencies for evidence, writing, "We would take any abuse of wiretapping authorities for political purposes very seriously. We would

be equally alarmed to learn that a court found enough evidence of criminal activity or contact with a foreign power to legally authorize a wiretap."

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The president has asked Congress to look into whether or not his campaign was wiretapped by the Obama

administration. I will take up that challenge.

MURRAY: Meanwhile, the investigation into Russian meddling in the election continues, four senators taking their search directly to the CIA to review

raw intelligence.

SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: We've got even more questions now. We've got more information we've got to get access to.

MURRAY: As the Trump administration continues to forcefully deny any collusion between Russian officials and their campaign.

SPICER: The president has made clear he has no interest in Russia, and yet a lot of these stories that come out with respect to that are, frankly,

fake.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Sara Murray reporting.

Another controversy of President Trump can't seem to shake off, concerns about possible conflicts of interest resulting from his business interest

overseas.

China has just approved nearly three dozen Trump-related trademarks covering a wide range of activities. Now, let's go straight to Beijing.

CNN's Matt Rivers is there.

And, Matt, I mean, China, we know, has granted Donald Trump's organization, his business firm, dozens of new trademarks. Conflict of interest issues

aside, what kind of businesses do these new trademarks cover?

[08:15:09] RIVERS: Well, some of the businesses,some of the -- really it's all about the industries that these trademarks apply to. And some of the

industries you're probably not going to be that surprised about, some of the industries are downright bizarre. But no matter what industry it is,

Kristie, the concern here that will be talked about in the legal community is what kind of conflict of interest is there and what level does that

conflict of interest reach.

President Donald J. Trump now stands to be the proud owner of 35 new trademarks in China. They trademarks are for his name both in English and

Chinese. Four additional applications in the president's name were not approved, though it's not clear why.

The trademarks were filed back in April 2016 and they apply in a wide variety of industries. some you might expect -- hotels and golf courses --

others you may not, industries like body guard service and animal training.

A Trump organization lawyer said the company had been, quote, actively enforcing its intellectual property rights in China for more than a decade.

This kind of protective trademark filing happens in China pretty regularly. Well-known businesses or individuals apply to protect their brands so

others here in China don't steal it, even if they don't intend to operate, say, a bodyguard service themselves.

Donald Trump and his company would certainly be at risk if they didn't do this, but Donald Trump is not your average famous person with a well-known

brand. He's the president of the United States and that's where this gets tricky. Ethics lawyers say that the trademark approvals could be seen as a gift from China, and that would, of

course, be a conflict of interest if not unconstitutional.

The Trump organization denied any potential conflict saying it had been applying for trademark

protections in China for years and that, quote, the latest registrations are a natural result of those longstanding diligent efforts. And any

suggestion to the contrary demonstrates a complete disregard of the facts.

This isn't the first time that the Trump organization has faced accusations of conflicts of interest in China. For a decade, starting in the mid-

2000s, the Trup organization had fought for use of the Trump name with a construction related trademark. Shortly after Trump's election victory in

2016, he won the case. China never publicly explains its deliberations in trademark cases, and the Trump organization said that any accusation of a

conflict of interest was baseless and showed a disregard for the facts.

As for these latest 35 trademarks, the approvals are preliminary. There's a 90-day period when objections can be raised. If none are, the new

trademarks will be certified in late May and early June.

LU STOUT: All right. And let's go back to CNN's Matt Rivers in Bseijing for more on this story. And Matt, as you mentioned just then in that

report, a lot of accusations, a lot of concern about conflicts of interest here, but is there any hard evidence that Donald Trump has received special

favors from Beijing as president for these trademarks?

RIVERS: No, absolutely not.

We have heard absolutely nothing from the Chinese that would indicate anything of the sort. In fact, it was during the daily ministry of foreign

affairs press briefing in Beijing today that this question was raised.

And while the spokesperson would not specifically comment on this particular case involving the president and his business interest, the one

thing that that spokesperson said is that China just followed the same exact protocols that they always followed, the same protocols no matter

what trademark case it is, no matter who it involves, they follow the same thing. And so even if there were some kind of evidence out there, the

Chinese would certainly not be giving that up. And so as of now, Kristie, there is zero evidence that the Chinese were doing this to somehow curry

favor with the Trump administration.

LU STOUT: Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing. Thank you.

Now, the U.S. is directing its frustration with North Korea squarely at Kim Jong-un. Now, tensions are especially high following Pyongyang's missile

test this week. And Washington's ambassador to the UN lashed out at the North Korean leader after a UN Security Council meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UN: We are not going to leave South Korea standing there with the threat of North Korea facing them and not help. We

have not seen any good will at all coming from North Korea. I appreciate all of my counterparts wanting to talk about talks and negotiations. We

are not dealing with a rational person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And that was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley there. You're watching News Stream. And still ahead, right here on the

program, the battle against child trafficking. How students are using theater to raise awareness about the threat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:59] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching News Stream.

Now, thousands of young migrants are making the treacherous journey to Europe in search of a better life. But instead, many of them are finding

themselves victims of human traffickers.

Students in Abu Dhabi are using the arts to educate their peers about this growing problem. Now, Becky Anderson has this installment of the CNN

Freedom Project.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERANTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Millions displaced in the refugee crisis, Among them, children and teenagers, thousands of whom are

now feared to have fallen into the hands of traffickers.

NORA RAMSEY, STUDENT: I saw it, the island, that's where that guy told me needed to be. I

got excited and I turned around and told my momma that we were finally here. Ma!

ANDERSON: Syrian student Nora Ramsey dramatized the story of one teenage refugee who arrives in Germany alone.

RAMSEY: Your momma is buried in the Mediterranean.

ANDERSON: A passionate performance with a serious point.

RAMSEY: Theater and art is one of the most powerful ways to show people what is hidden. When emotion is provoked, there's catharsis and then

there's motivation to go out and do something about it.

ANDERSON: This is why students at the American Community School in Abu Dhabi are using performance to spread the word about issues issues like

modern-day slavery. From public speaking about the enormity of the problem to shocking their public into seeing just how wide spread it is.

RAMSEY: A way for people to get marked, as owned, is getting tattooed. So, if you were stamped on the way in, please stand up.

Imagine, imagine you have all disappeared.

ANDERSON: Dramatic ways to get their message across. The school's advanced theater class is using a technique called verbatim drama after

interviewing victims and those who help them, they are bringing those testimonies to life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They think that they're going to get a job to work in a beauty parlor or a massage salon or get a job as a flight attendant but

that person that's selling them this idea is actually planning to sell them into slavery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that as a student, we should be the ones that know the most about this because we're the ones still learning and are in

school. But we before this topic, we had no idea about any of the statistics and, like, how many people are still in slavery today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe that performance can show a lot of people that these stories are real and since it's a verbatim play, it's everything

that people we interviewed said word by word. So, we didn't make anything up. It's all real.

[08:25:04] ANDERSON: Other students have found their voice in a different way. These sixth graders even composed their own song about freedom.

Students here understand that if all the world's a stage these days, then all the world's an audience, too. So a little performance can go a long

way in helping to raise awareness about what is this global scourge.

Take it away, girls.

(SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: CNN is teaming up with young people around the world for this unique student-led day of action sagainst modern day slavery with the

launch of My Freedom Day on March 14. That's next Tuesday.

And driving My Freedom Day is a simple question: what does freedom mean to you? And here's what some students in the U.S. had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom to me means being able to own my body and my actions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To me, freedom is a fundamental human right for every single person. It means being able to live a life free of exploitation and

having the opportunities and the resources to reach your full potential.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to me means being able to live my life without fear.

CROWD: My Freedom Day!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And we want to hear from you as well. What does freedom mean to you? Just post a photo or video using the hashtag #myfreedomday.

Now, fighting for women's rights in India one video blog at a time. Coming up right here on News Stream, hear from a YouTube star who is lifting the

voices of girls and women with a bit of humor and wit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:04] LU STOUT: Women around the world rallied to mark International Women's Day on Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands of women dressed in red

and pink joining together to call for gender equality.

Now in the U.S., many took the day off work for day without a woman marches to highlight the economic impact women have on society. This statue of a

fearless girl was placed in front of the famous Wall Street bull to drive that message home. And the day was about more than just economic justice,

though. In Ireland, protesters wore black as they rallied against the country's strong stance against abortion.

Now, fight for rights and empowerment it doesn't stop after International Women's Day.

Now, Indian social media star Rickshaw Wali (ph) is taking that fight head on through YouTube. She told me her videos there are to empower girls and

to conquer taboos in a conservative society.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANISHA DIXIT, YOUTUBER: So Rickshaw Wali (ph) is a quirky, extremely crazy person.

Everything which I am not as Anisha. she's basically everything I want to be and the person who would go -- you basically don't know what she's going

to do the next minute. She could jump in the water and dance in it. Is don't know. That's what Rickshaw Wali (ph) is.

LU STOUT: And with Rickshaw Wali, you do sort of girl power centered comedy and you cover a lot of really interest, sometimes controversial,

maybe taboo topics like sexual relationships or the struggles of young Indian women.

DIXIT: Yes.

LU STOUT: Are you attracted to taboo topics?

DIXIT: You know, there is no platform where you can speak up about all those taboo

topics, talk about how girls feel today, how, you know, they don't have anybody to talk to when it comes to periods.

When I wake up in the morning there are red spots on my sheets.

Like in India, you have to understand we have TV and Bollywood movies. And Bollywood movies, sadly, the woman is portrayed in a very different light

and more of a negative side because she is the item girl, she is like the product basically. So girls can't really relate to that, neither on TV.

So for me to bring on YouTube these taboo topics is for me to -- girls can identify, oh, wow, she's also going through the same problem. Oh, she also

has these issues with her families. I basically tell them, you are not alone. I'm also dealing with I at least somebody is speaking up.

Mind you, many of my family members are not excited about it, but for me it is just to spread

that message and the girl power.

LU STOUT: You know, outside of India there is a perception that women here, expecially young women, are under pressure and under threat,

especially given the reports on sexual harassment and sexual violence. Have you been able to address that through your video blogs?

DIXIT: Last month when (inaudible) on a station happened, right, so during that time I made a video actually which talked about the whole incident

where this girl was molested and then the home minister blamed her or like people for wearing short dresses, that is why this is happening.

So, basically, in India, whenever something like rape or molestation happens, many people blame it on the girls and for me I address it

especially in that video where I said, guys you have stop because girls are being fearful in India, especially when things like this happen when there

is - when they got molested or when they god forbid got raped. You know they are scared to approach even their own family, because the family also

is living in India. You know, they have a lot of reputation and with a lot of pride, so they don't want to inflict anything on their pride.

They, like even a lot of - I know some people also were like, oh, don't tell anybody. It's just going to be internally, because what would the

society say? What will everybody say?

So the more we speak online about it, like people like me or other big people who do that, the lesser the pressure is going to become the lesser

the pressure is going to be and the more open girls can live and do what they want to do.

LU STOUT: You are addressing these topics head-on. You're making it noncontroversial and okay to speak openly about sexual harassment, about

menstruation, about girls issues. That's what you're doing to help make India a more girl friendly place. But do you feel something else needs

to happen to make this country a more friendly place for women?

[08:35:11] DIXIT: I personally feel, a, social media is going to help a lot. The more people will be on the internet, the more voices will be

heard. So, you know, if I give you the example about the Bangalore molestation again. So because so many people tweeted about

that incident, it gave pressure on the police in Bangalore. So, because now that became a public

thing, it's no more just, you know, whatever happens in Bangalore stays in Bangalore, no, it actually

became a public offense that you need to go and arrest those criminals who offended that girl. And I think social media is such a powerful tool for

that.

And it's right now it's just a couple of us, right, it's me who is speaking and a couple of other YouTubers and people who speak up.

But I'm telling you, the second internet is coming. More and more to our country, more people will have access to it, they'll have mobile phones,

which is the biggest thing on Earth. The more people start speaking about their opinion, because they all are seeing what's happening in this

country, right, like female infanticide, even things like that. You see every day 2,000 girls are being killed in India even today which is

dramatic and terrible and people are going to notice and people have got to be able

to speak about it.

So more people speak about it, the more of a change can happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Absolutely. That was an Indian YouTube star Rickshaw Wali (ph) talking about the way social media can help rally women and be a tool in

the fight for gender equality.

You're watching News Stream. And still to come, now you see it, now you don't. Mother nature takes a cruel toll on Malta's world famous arch.

We'll show you what happened, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

You're watching News Stream. Now, let's show you the azure window. The jewel in Malta's tourism crown. But overnight, it collapsed when a

powerful storm sent the limestone arch just straight into the Mediterranean sea.

Now, Malta's prime minister posted a photo of what it looks like now and called the scene heartbreaking.

Now, the arch, it may look very familiar to you if you are a Game of Thrones fan. In fact, it was the backdrop in the very first episode and it

was also featured in the movie The Clash of the Titans.

And finally, and a Japanese family has been making a special candy for six generations. It involves sculpting massive slabs of taffy into tiny works

of art. Here's CNN's Will Ripley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the whimsical land of Watanabe-san. His family started this candy shop more than 140 years

ago. Since then, he's the fifth generation to sink his hands into this: larger than life pounds of clumps

of massive globs of sugary candy that almost magically turns into what they have affectionately called Kintaro Ami (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

RIPLEY: Watanabe's great-grandfather made a way to make a candy with the face of a folk hero inside of it. As legend has it, Kintaro had superhuman

strength. He was so strong as a child he wrestled a bear and won.

For decades, he's been Japan's sweetest superhero.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

RIPLEY: Among those trainees is the next heir to this candy factory. From father to son, the tradition continues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

RIPLEY: It takes about 25 minutes to go from this Play Doh-like sculpture to pieces of hard

candy. But within those minutes, the stakes are high.

But that doesn't stop this duo from getting a little creative with their edible portraits.

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGAUGE)

RIPLEY: It's difficult but not impossible. Now the leader of the free world is crystallized into one sugary bite.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: I want to visit that candy factory.

That is it for News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere. World Sport with Patrick Snell is next.

END