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NEWS STREAM

President Trump's Legal Team Is Digging Into Robert Mueller's Background; Digital Censorship In China; New U.S. Air Base For Drones In Niger; Marawi City Has Been Under Siege For Two Months Now By ISIS; Clashes In Jerusalem Between Israeli Police And Palestinians Worshippers; Earthquake Between The Turkish And Greek Coasts; South Korea Military Talks With North Korea Has One Week Validity; O.J. Simpson Will To Be A Free Man Soon; Chester Bennington, Dead At 41; Scotland's Cheap Green Energy. 8-9a ET

Aired July 21, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDREW STEVEN, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. Welcome to "News Stream." Investigating the investigators. Reports that

President Trump's legal team is digging into Robert Mueller's background trying to undermine the man leading the Russia probe.

An inside look at China's digital censorship after WhatsApp is partially blocked inside China.

And we take an exclusive look at a new U.S. air base in Niger for drones.

Donald Trump is continuing to push back hard against the Russia investigation. According to new reports out today, the U.S. president is

shaking up his legal team, team unhappy, with how they're fighting a stream of allegations. Well this week, he lashed out at the man heading the probe,

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and now reports say the president's lawyers are trying to limit the investigation. Here is Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The "New York Times" and "Washington Post" reporting that the president's lawyers and aides are

looking to undermine the special counsel's investigation. The "Times" says Trump's team is scouring the professional and political backgrounds of

Robert Mueller and other investigators looking for conflicts of interest they can use to discredit the investigation.

The "Post" also reporting that the president has been asking about his authority to pardon aides, family members and even himself in connection

with the probe. Attorney General Jeff Sessions refusing to answer questions about whether he's discussed pardons with the president in testimony before

Congress last mountain month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm not able to comment on conversations with high officials within the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS (voice-over): All this as the Russia investigation appears to be widening. Bloomberg reporting that Mueller is expanding his probe to

include a broad range of financial transactions involving Trump businesses and associates.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

HABERMAN: Would that be a breach of what his actual charge?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would say yes. I would say yes.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

JOHNS (voice-over): The president warning Mueller against delving into his finances earlier this week.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president is making clear that the special counsel should not move outside of the

scope of the investigation.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

JOHNS (voice-over): The "Washington Post" reports that the president has told aides he's especially disturbed after learning that Mueller would be

able to access his tax returns. The president has refused to release them citing ongoing IRS audits. Mueller has broad latitude.

Sources say the president has also vented in recent weeks that his legal team has not done enough to beat back allegations. Sources tell CNN Marc

Kasowitz, the president's long time attorney and lead lawyer on the Russia matter will see his role reduced after the spokesman and communications

strategist for the legal team resigned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, does Jeff Sessions still have your full support?

TRUMP: Thank you everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP))

JOHNS (voice-over): President Trump ignoring questions about his embattled attorney general after blaming him for the special counsel probe.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TRUMP: Sessions should have never recused himself. And if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would

have picked somebody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS (voice-over): Sessions signaling Thursday he has no plans to step down despite the president's remarkable public rebuke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SESSIONS: We love this job. We love this department and I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: That was CNN's Joe Johns reporting. Now, there is deepening frustration within the president's own party over his lambasting of the

attorney general. Some Republican lawmakers shared their concerns with our Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I spoke with four Republican senators today to see what they thought about what the president

said in this interview. One spoke to me on the record, the other three spoke to me on background because they didn't want their concerns to

devolve into a food fight with President Trump.

Republican senator number one told me, quote, I'm very disturbed that the president would throw Jeff Sessions under the bus. I think Sessions did the

right thing ethically and the right thing legally. To undermine the Attorney General is very bad form for the president.

That senator continued, one gets the impression that the president doesn't understand or he willfully disregards the fact that the Attorney General

[08:05:00] and law enforcement in general, they are not his personal lawyers to defend and protect him. He has his own personal lawyers and of

course the White House has the White House counsel office. The Attorney General is America's top law enforcement official. It's unclear if he

understands that, and that's pretty disturbing.

Again, that was a Republican senator. A second Republican senator told me, quote, I know Jeff Sessions to be a person of real integrity which is why

he recused himself. I don't think it's good for any president of the United States to undermine the federal judiciary.

A third Republican senator told me, quote, if you're Jeff Sessions, it's got to be tough to come to work the next day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Jake Tapper there. Now, President Trump also told the "New York Times" though it would be a violation (INAUDIBLE) to look into his family's

finances as part of that Russia investigation, and he did not rule out firing Mueller. Well, Jake asked the senators their reaction on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Third Republican senator told me he was stunned by this remark, quote, maybe I shouldn't be at this point, he said, but this one seemed to

go a little further. Any thought of firing the special counsel is chilling. It's chilling, that's all you can say. And that would certainly cause

Congress to hire its own somehow. I can't imagine it happening, but many of us couldn't have imagined he'd fire Comey either knowing would it lead to

Mueller or something like that.

Republicans senators one and two expressed concerns about the appointment of a special counsel which they view as often leading to fishing

expeditions. But regardless, they could not believe the president was saying that he possibly would fire Mueller if he looked into Trump's

finances, if he crossed that red line, quote, that's just making the bad situation he's in worse, said senator one. Not smart, said Republican

senator two. You've got a special counsel, let the individual do his work. Don't comment. Don't interfere. Just let the special counsel do his job.

Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine is the only senator who would go on the record. She is not one of the other three senators I referred to.

She said, quote, it would be catastrophic if the president were to fire the special counsel. Mr. President, these are Republican senators, some of whom

are considered strong supporters of yours, all of whom want you to succeed. And their message to you on this issue is cut it out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Away from the controversy swirling around the White House, President Trump was briefed by the Pentagon on Thursday about troop

deployments in the fight against ISIS. The administration is cutting aid to anti-Syria rebels but maintain support for Kurdish Arab forces fighting

ISIS in Syria. Before spending two hours with defense leaders, Mr. Trump told reporters ISIS is quite falling very fast.

And in the Philippines, another battle with ISIS two months after the city of Marawi came under siege. President Rodrigo Duterte made his first trip

there since the fighting broke out. He met troops at a command center while the battle was in full force. Well, the siege of Marawi could be the start

of a wider Asia problem, that's according to a new report from a regional think-tank. Earlier, I spoke to Sidney Jones, its director and I asked her

how the assault in Marawi could create a new threat in with rest of Southeast Asia.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SIDNEY JONES, INSTITUTE FOR POLICY ANALYSIS OF CONFLICT: It's already changed the destination of choice from Syria to the Philippines. So,

there's a kind of euphoria about the ability of the fighters to hold out this long, there is a euphoria about the ability of the fighters to hold

out this long. There's a euphoria about the fact that somebody in a region could actually keep the Philippines military at bay.

But then I think there's a bigger issue of what happens afterwards and I think we have a problem of some of the fighters from the rest of the region

leaving Marawi and coming back home. There they will have enhanced prestige as a result of having taken part in this battle.

STEVENS: And does that mean then more terror attacks across Southeast Asia?

JONES: I think it does. I think it doesn't mean that there's going to be a dramatic rise, but I think what we will see is first of all a desire to

prove that ISIS still exists in the region. I think there will be an incentive to undertake attacks in the aftermath in part maybe as a

retaliatory gesture.

And I think because of the enhanced leadership and capacity of the groups with some of these foreign fighters back, I think the capacity to do damage

will be higher than it's been in past years.

STEVENS: Just how big is the pipeline do you think, how many foreign fighters are likely to be heading into Southeast Asia to swell the ranks of

local ISIS related groups?

JONES: First of all

[08:10:00] it's important that we're talking about the return of foreign fighters from Marawi to the rest of the region first. I think the bigger

danger is that we will see more coordination among extremist from Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia because of the kind of coordination

that has taken place in the Middle East and the coordination that's taken place in Marawi.

STEVENS: Just to put this in perspective, Sidney, how big is the terror threat today compared with the early 2000s? And I'm thinking of the Bali

bombing of 2002, more than 200 people died. How big is the threat today compared with it back in the early 2000s?

JONES: It's a very good question. I think that it's probably not as high now as it was at the height of Jemaah Islamiyah's powers and at the height

of al-Qaeda's influence in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq. But I think compared to five years ago, we're at

a level that is much higher now where the risk has risen dramatically because of ISIS' presence in Southeast Asia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Sidney Jones. I was speaking to her a little bit earlier. Turning now to Jerusalem's old city and clashes again after Israeli police

tightened security, two officers were killed there a week ago.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

STEVENS: Look at those scenes there as Israeli police and Palestinian worships battled near one of the world's holiest places on Thursday night.

And those clashes continued into Friday. There have been daily confrontations since the officers were shot. Let's bring Ian Lee now as he

joins as live from Jerusalem. Ian, it's certainly looking like the violence is increasing markedly in that part of Jerusalem. Is there any sign that

it's going to abate anytime soon?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Andrew, right now there seems to be a bit of a lull in the fighting over the past two hours. We saw fierce clashes between

police and protesters and just to kind of show you the intensity of that, this is the no man's land if you will where this battle was taking place.

You can see rocks, this kind of concrete that has been broken up, used as a projectile. At times the air filled with this sort of projectile. Also, you

have this right here which is a sound grenade, and this is what the police have been using -- we see in the news. They throw into the crowd. It

creates a loud noise and that pushes the protesters back.

We've also seen rubber bullets used. And just to show you some of the damage over here, we have this car, you can see its windshield has been

smashed. We saw one vehicle catch on fire. Dumpsters put on fire as well. And the police and the protesters really battling it out, but right now

things have remained calm, but clashes still ongoing in other parts of Jerusalem, Andrew.

STEVENS: We don't have particularly god line at the moment Ian but I'll ask you what is the Israeli authority is saying about this? How are they

treating this protest? Are they actually doubling down on the number of security personnel involved there now?

LEE: There have been thousands of extra security personnel deployed around Jerusalem and the old city preparing for today's prayers and inevitable

clashes. And we've seen violence every night since last Friday since those two Israeli police officers were killed by three Arab Israeli men.

They instituted new security measure around the Temple Mount also known as a noble sanctuary to Muslims, and that's really what's caused a lot of

anger for the Muslim worshippers and a lot of the Palestinians here because they feel that that's Israel encroaching on their sovereignty, their

control of parts of the Temple Mount.

So, you have the anger and so it's been simmering and the police have been trying to contain it. They've been trying to cordon off groups of people so

those crowds wouldn't get too large. But just two hours ago, there were thousands of people where I'm standing right now, Andrew.

STEVENS: Ian, thank you. Ian Lee joining us live from Jerusalem.

Well, at least two people are dead and dozens more injured after a strong earthquake hit between the Turkish and Greek coasts. The 6.7 magnitude

quake struck near major tourist destination including the Greek island of Kos. Some historical buildings there suffered extensive damage. Ferries are

currently unable to dock at the

[08:15:00] islands port of damage there. Crews are working to restore those services.

Well South Korea says its offer to hold military talks with North Korea is valid for one more week. So far South Korea has heard nothing from the

north. David McKenzie reports from where the talks are to take place if they ever get under way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're here in the de-militarized zone separating North and South Korea. You know I've heard the propaganda

blasting from the speakers just on the other side. This is a heavily fortified area but it's very strange because it's a strange mix of tension

and tourism. Tourists coming here from all over the world to see how Korea is divided north and south and even U.S. soldiers who are deployed in South

Korea will come here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My grandfather was in the Korean War back in the day. It's different being at a spot where anything can happen at any time you

know what I mean. And I'm going to be one of the people that's going to be responding to it. I'm sure there are people on both sides that want to be

together again.

MCKENZIE: I cannot express with words how I am feeling right now, he says. It's truly painful in my bones. It's the only place in the world divided

quite like this.

This is the DMZ train. It brings tourists from Seoul into the de- militarized zone. It was 10 years ago at least since the last South Korean delegation went on a train like this and had negotiations with the north.

Though many of these people want some kind of reconciliation with North Korea because the North keeps on pushing its missile program and pushing

its nuclear program, it makes it very difficult for that reconciliation to happen. David McKenzie, CNN, in the DMZ.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Well, censors in China are tightening their grip on the internet. Some of their target is a popular messaging app and a cartoon bear. More on

that just ahead.

Plus, former American football star and Hollywood actor O.J. Simpson will soon be a free man. Hear the reasons he told a parole board why he deserves

to be released.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: We're across Victoria Harbor there looking to downtown Hongkong. Welcome back. You're watching "News Stream" live from Hong Kong.

China is ramping up its censorship of the internet. Web users are reporting problems with WhatsApp, that is a messaging platform especially popular

here in Asia and more sensitive words and images are being banned including pictures of certain Disney characters. Matt Rivers explains.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you are not a fan of online censorship and full disclosure, neither are we, then it's been a tough week here in

China for a number of different reasons. Let's start with one of the world's most

[08:20:00] popular messaging apps.

You've likely heard of it called WhatsApp owned by Facebook. It's been allowed in China for years. But this week it was at least partially

blocked. It worked for some people but not for most. Experts told CNN it was likely the government's doing. As to why, we're not sure. Government

agencies haven't commented and neither has WhatsApp.

Next up, Winnie-the-Pooh. That's right, the lovable honey eating children's character is no taboo in China because of this picture. It's Chinese

president Xi Jinping on the left and former U.S. president Barack Obama on the right. People online said it bared a striking resemblance to this,

portly Pooh and his taller skinnier pal Tigger. When the image started floating around again recently, the censors crackdown. You can't hardly

find Pooh anywhere on Chinese internet. No word on whether Piglet or Eeyore would be next.

On a much more somber note though, we saw the passing last Thursday of prominent Chinese political dissident and Noble Peace Prize winner Liu

Xaiobo, imprisoned since 2009 for writing a pro-democracy manifesto. He died of liver cancer in a Chinese hospital. Critics worldwide blamed the

Chinese government for his premature death. Fearing domestic backlash, government censors went to work.

Social media post mentioning the Liu's name were deleted. Online searches with his name were blocked. Even simple candle emojis were deemed illegal

on some sites. CNN signal in China has been cut by government censors every time we mentioned his name. One of the last known photos of Liu was with

his wife. Liu Xia.

At first glance, unremarkable. But notice the mugs they're holding. Yes, that's Winnie-the-pooh on there. Perhaps a final subtle act of defiance.

Finally, in order to get work done, most foreigners use something called a Virtual Private Network or VPN. It allows us to access the internet through

servers based in other countries. That gets us around China's firewall and allows us to access sites that it blocks -- think Facebook and Twitter.

Bloomberg reported that China might try and ban individual VPNs by next February making access to outside internet that much harder. CNN hasn't

confirmed those reports. The Chinese Government has denied it. What is clear though is that the Chinese government's paranoia over what happens

online is here to stay and perhaps even growing meaning that censorship is alive and well in China. Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: And that censorship active right up to this second. Matt's report there was blocked on the night there (ph), we've just been told that.

Now, if you're a Justin Bieber fan, listen up. You can catch him on stage in any one of a number of Asian cities during his third world tour but it

won't be Beijing. The city's Bureau of Culture has banned the Canadian pop star for, quote, bad behavior. Officials say Bieber's antics while living

abroad and during earlier performances in China have caused public resentment. Well, CNN called a Chinese website that is selling tickets for

two Bieber concerts. They say that they will refund ticket holders if necessary.

Former American football star and Hollywood actor O.J. Simpson has been granted parole from prison. He's doing time for armed robbery, kidnapping

and assault. Jean Casarez has the details of his release.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Simpson, I do vote to grant parole when eligible and that will conclude this hearing.

O.J. SIMPSON, FORMER NFL HALL OF FAMER: Thank you.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a unanimous decision, former NFL hall of famer O.J. Simpson set to walk free as early as October

after serving nine years in prison for an armed robbery at a Las Vegas hotel room.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you humbled by this incarceration?

SIMPSON: Yes, for sure. As I said, I wish it would have never happened. Nine years away from your family is just not worth it and I'm sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ (voice-over): Speaking for over an hour, the 70-year-old was apologetic and at times defensive before shocking viewers with this eyebrow

raising remark.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMPSON: I've always thought I've been pretty good with people and I basically have spent a conflict-free life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ (voice-over): Simpson's comment blatantly ignores his double murder trial and his long history of domestic abuse allegations against his ex-

wife Nicole Brown Simpson.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're sending the police. What is he doing? Is he threatening you?

NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON, O.J. SIMPSON'S EX-WIFE: He's (BLEEP) nuts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, just stay on the line.

N. SIMPSON: I don't want to stay on the line. He's going to beat the (BLEEP)

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CASAREZ (voice-over): Provoking criticism from her family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TANYA BROWN, SISTER OF NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON: There is a sense of denial there and a lack of sense of responsibility still today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ (voice-over): Simpson's lawyers arguing his stiff sentence for the robbery was payback for his controversial acquittal in the murders of Brown

and a friend, Ron Goldman, in 1995. The parole board stressing the acquittal had no bearing on their decision deeming him a low risk release.

Simpson avoided taking full responsibility for the kidnapping,

[08:25:00] armed robbery and assault that led to his incarceration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMPSON: I had no weapon. They didn't feel threatened by me and from what you said that I threatened them. It was the other two security guys that

did that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ (voice-over): The most striking testimony coming from a friend of Simpson who was the victim in the heist arguing that Simpson deserves a

second chance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE FROMONG, VICTIM: This is a good man. He made a mistake. And if he called me tomorrow and said Bruce I'm getting out, will you pick me up?

Juice, I'll be here tomorrow for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Jean Casarez reporting there. The front man for the American rock band Linkin Park has died.

(MUSIC VIDEO PLAYING)

STEVENS: Distinctive tones there. Chester Bennington performing the song "Numb" with his band Linkin Park. Now, the 41-year-old musician was found

dead in a home near Los Angeles on Thursday morning. Authorities are investigating the case as a suicide. Bennington is survived by his wife and

six children and it comes only months after Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, a close friend of Bennington's committed suicide.

We often hear of tragedy on the seas as migrants try to cross into Europe, but this fragile and remote town lies on another human smuggling route in

the vast desert of Niger. Just ahead, why the U.S. is moving its drone operation right next door.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines.

Jerusalem has seen a new round of clashes between Israeli police and protestors just a week after two officers were killed in the old city.

Police have barred men under the age of 50 from entering the area for Friday prayers.

A deadly earthquake hit off the coast of Turkey and Greece in the early hours of the morning. At least two people one Swedish and one Turkish were

killed on the Greek island of Kos. Dozens of injuries have been reported.

The "New York Times" and "Washington Post" say the legal team for U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to undermine the Russia investigation.

The reports say Mr. Trump's lawyers are trying to dig up conflicts of interest to push back against the probe led by Special Counsel Robert

Mueller.

The U.S. may soon ban its citizens from traveling to North Korea, that's according to two companies that offer the tours after the

[08:30:00] death of the U.S. student Otto Warmbier who had been detained by Pyongyang. One of the companies had already stopped taking Americans to

North Korea.

Now, the U.S. is expanding its war on ISIS and al-Qaeda beyond the Middle East and plans to build an advanced predator drone base in Niger. It is a

region crisscrossed by smugglers and stranded migrants. CNN's Arwa Damon has this exclusive look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is no man's land. There is a serious threat of kidnapping, but the real

danger, that is the very desert itself.

We're on a mission to rescue stranded migrants. It really only takes a few moments in the back of one of these trucks to begin to gain an appreciation

of just how tough it is out here.

The Sahara is too vast for any army to control. And a recent government crackdown has meant smugglers are keeping off the main tracks and away from

water points.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We saw they know was when everybody was giving up (INAUDIBLE).

DAMON (voice-over): People were dying.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, people were dying.

DAMON (voice-over): Around you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. We just had one jar or can of water.

DAMON (voice-over): Beth (ph) somehow managed to survive for 24 days in the desert, but most of those who were with her they didn't. Out of 27

people, only three women survived. We met her at a transit center in Agadez that's run by the IOM. She's waiting to return to Nigeria.

Agadez is the gate way for migrants en route to Europe. Last year, the E.U. pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to Niger to crackdown on smuggling.

But what the crackdown has done is drive the operations underground and destroy the city's economy. Just about everyone here lived off the migrant

trade.

Agadez is a World Heritage site that's been turned into a tinderbox. And it's also about to become the site of 21st century warfare's most modern

technology.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the largest troop-related project in Air Force history.

DAMON (voice-over): Just outside of Agadez, the U.S. is investing $100 million building up Nigerian Air Base 201. And it is from here that the

U.S. will launch its MQ9 Reapers, a hunter killer drone with advanced intelligence gathering capabilities. The reapers at AFRICOM Niger

headquarters are currently based out of the capital, Niamey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a nexus area or kind of a focus area of multiple threats to the United States, be it Libya in the north, al-Qaeda

in the Islamic Maghreb to the west or Boko Haram to the south. Niger is a central location from which the United States can operate.

DAMON (voice-over): The American military mission to Niger is clear, but proposed foreign aid cuts by the Trump White House has thrown its long term

humanitarian commitment into question.

IN Agadez, a U.S. Civil Affairs team is already trying to reach out to the local population.

This is a dental hygiene workshop.

On site we meet a group of women leaders and their top concern is youth unemployment.

Zara (ph) Ibrahim says terrorism is all around them and that's why they don't want the youth to be idle so that they are not recruited by something

else.

But it's really only in the desert that you begin to understand the innumerable challenges that come with physically securing this lawless

land, and why the U.S. aerial presence is so valued by Niger's government.

Finally some 10 hours after we leave Agadez, we see lights signal. The migrants have been stranded here for three days after their truck broke

down. They don't want their identities revealed. As we speak, one of the women starts

[08:35:00] praying under her breath.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

DAMON (voice-over): We hear the agonizing wails of another woman and go to speak to her.

I heard you crying.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to see my kids.

DAMON (voice-over): She says that two of her four children were on another truck and the convoy just kept going toward Libya.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't want to go without my children. I prefer to die her if I cannot see my children.

DAMON (voice-over): It's only at daybreak that we truly understand the remoteness of where we are. The migrants ready themselves. They pile into

the back of the trucks. They are reluctant to leave. They want to keep going to Libya and not back to Agadez. This is the cross roads of the war

on terror, of hope and despair. Arwa Damon, CNN, Agadez, Niger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: U.S. and European officials say that they've taken down two major illegal online markets. Authorities busted the site AlphaBay in early July

and then its competitor Hansa Market. The U.S. Justice Department says the black markets were used to sell drugs, guns, stolen documents and child

pornography. And now officials are promising to go after other cyber criminals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Make no mistake, the forces of law and justice face a challenge from criminals and transnational criminal

organizations who think they can commit their crimes with impunity by going dark. This case pursued by dedicated agents and prosecutors says you are

not safe. You cannot hide. We will find you. Dismantle your organization and network and we will prosecute you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: The two marketplaces are part of the dark web. It's a part of the internet that normally uses com access without using special software or

without authorization.

Now, it looks like child play, but it's not. This new project in Scotland aims to create green energy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: Welcome back. Now, Scotland is a pioneer of green energy as companies from around the world come to this windswept part of the world to

test their projects. Nina dos Santos now takes a look at the latest initiative to create cheap power.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ready for liftoff in one of the windiest spots in the U.K. These kites are the next great hope for

the wind energy industry and have attracted more than

[08:40:00] $9 billion of investment.

DAVID AINSWORTH, KITE POWER SYSTEM: We see our first commercial deployments in the early 2020s and that's when we sort of see us rushing to

making significant impact on the energy mix in the U.K. and other locations.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): Kite Power Systems is the U.K.'s first company to fly kites in search of energy, setting up an air field near Stranraer in

Scotland.

AINSWORTH (voice-over): This kite sitting behind us is around, I think it's about 17 or 18 meters squared. Now that's enough for around 40

kilowatts of electricity. So 40 kilowatts of electricity is enough to power around 60 to 70 homes. But if the scale is up to 500 kilowatts, 500

kilowatts is going to get us close to 600 to 700 houses.

It's almost a limitless resource. Kite is a top (INAUDIBLE) more like the engine and underneath those you have a control mechanism with which

physically steers them which is the port. And then there is a tether that then connects that to the ground. And all the power is then generated on

the ground by the whip (ph).

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): The infrastructure is small and cheap and easily portable. So cheap in fact that Kite Power Systems hopes to operate without

subsidies once up and running. A boon for any government.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we look at the future, so our level of cost of energy will be such that it will be significantly lower than (INAUDIBLE)

electricity. And at that point we should be subsidy free.

Well, it gets really exciting what's happening with (INAUDIBLE) Scotland I think. But Scotland is definitely a form of innovation when it comes to

renewable and it's not just in wind, we've seen it in wave and (INAUDIBLE) power and even in solar power believe it or not in Scotland. And there's no

place where companies want to come and test the basis.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): Companies including Norway's Statoil which is building the high wind project. It's the world's first floating offshore

wind farm cutting out the need for costly deep sea moorings. Scotland generates over 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources

according to the WWF.

AINSWORTH: So this kite is the baby. The ones that we've just built are now roughly five times the size of that 70 square meter. So we have enough

funding at the moment to actually build a 500 kilowatt system and demonstrate the 500 kilowatt system and hopefully take that to commercial

readiness.

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) Bill Gates has invested billions in greens technology and he's identified kite systems like this one in

(INAUDIBLE) Kennedy a perspective magic solution to the world's energy needs. Kite Power Systems have their eyes on the skies and very much hope

he's right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Nina Dos Santos, and that brings us to the end of this week of "News Stream." Have a great weekend. I'm Andrew Stevens. Don't go anywhere,

"World Sport" with Christina McFarlane is just ahead.

[08:45:11] (WORLD SPORT)

END