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NEWS STREAM
Trump White House; U.S.-Russia Relations; U.S. Health Care Debate; Foxconn to Build Major New Plant in U.S.; Deadly Floods; Armistice Day; CNN Freedom Project. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired July 27, 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)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Welcome to "news stream." Another tweet causes a storm inside the
Trump White House, but this one did not come from the president.
A surprising call by President Trump to reinstate a ban on transgender people serving in the military draws widespread opposition. While
Republicans hail the U.S. president after Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn says it will build a factory in the United States.
The White House is accepting up its campaign to plug leaks to the media, something that President Trump has repeatedly complained about, and now his
new communications director is raising his voice. Anthony Scaramucci claims his financial information was disclosed in a news report and announced in a
tweet.
He called on the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate, but that tweet has raised questions about a possible new rift in Donald Trump's
inner circle. At the same time, Mr. Trump is facing a backlash over his tweet, announcing a band on transgender people serving in the military. Joe
Johns breaks it all down for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Anthony Scaramucci ramping up his rhetoric against leakers, tweeting that he will
be contacting the FBI and the Justice Department about the alleged leaked hashtag swag before tagging White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.
Ryan Lizza, a reporter for "The New Yorker" tweeting shortly after that that he can confirm that Scaramucci wants the FBI to investigate Priebus
for leaks.
RYAN LIZZA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that Anthony Scaramucci believes this, and that was exactly his
intention when he tweeted this.
JOHNS (voice-over): Scaramucci deleted that tweet over two hours later calling reports that he was going after Priebus wrong, although Lizza
stands by his reporting. Hours earlier, Scaramucci told "Fox News" he believes the leaks are coming from the top.
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: One of the big problems here that I'm discovering in the comms team is that senior people
are really the guys doing the leaking and they ask junior people to leak for them. And so I'm very proud to be reporting directly to the president,
so I can hermetically seal off the comms team from this sort of nonsense.
JOHNS (voice-over): The Justice Department responding to Scaramucci's interview with a statement noting, like the attorney general has said,
whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail, and we will aggressively pursue leak cases wherever they may lead.
Scaramucci taking a page out of his boss's playbook by taking to Twitter to air grievances with his fellow colleagues, while President Trump continues
to publicly attack Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Twitter, despite growing backlash from conservatives and his senior advisers urging him to
stand down.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: I don't fully understand why the president has said what he said, but I think Jeff deserves better treatment.
JOHNS (voice-over): The turmoil in President Trump's inner circle comes as the Pentagon was left scrambling after Mr. Trump abruptly announced on
Twitter a ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military. A stark reversal from the promises that president made to the LGBTQ community on
the campaign trail.
REP. TED LIEU (D), CALIFORNIA: I serve on active duty in the military and I can tell you, we don't care about gender orientation or identity or who you
love. We just care you can shoot straight and complete the mission.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now, you heard in Joe Johns' report there about President Trump's reversal on his campaign pledges to the LGBT community. Take a listen to
what Mr. Trump said on the campaign trail last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: LGBT is starting to like Donald Trump very much lately. You tell me who's better for gays, who is
better, tell me, who is better for the gay community and who's better for women than Donald Trump? As your president, I will do everything in my
power to protect our LGBTQ citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: What a difference a year makes. Now transgender people who are serving in the U.S. military are expressing dismay over President Trump's
decision.
[08:05:00] Blake Dremann, a transgender service member spoke to Jake Tapper.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LT. CMDR. BLAKE DREMANN, TRANSGENDER SERVICE MEMBER, U.S. NAVY: I was definitely shocked and upset. As transgender service member, I'm doing my
job and continuing to serve with honor and dignity. This was definitely something that has taken me aback, at least for the foreseeable future.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Have you heard from your superiors? Are you worried about being separated from the military against
your will?
DREMANN: I am absolutely worried about being separated. I've already talked to my superiors and they're just as shocked as I am and they wanted me to
know that they completely support me and support the work that I do as far as within the military and that they'll continue to do so until the
military tells me it's time to hang up my boots.
TAPPER: A study directed by the defense department found that the military would spend less than a quarter percent on readiness and health care for
transgender service members. The president disagrees obviously. He also said in summarizing transgender service members are a disruption. Has the
military ever had to make a special accommodation for you? Did the military pay for your surgery?
DREMANN: I prefer not to talk about my surgeries, but yes, we provide medical care for service members that need medical care, that's the
premise. Being transgender is a medical issue that can be treated and that's what we've done.
So, no different than anybody that needs a knee surgery or a shoulder surgery or is pregnant, you know, if a medical issue comes up and you're
already actively serving, we treat it and we go back to serving just like anybody else.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: There are also strong reactions from the tech community. CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on Facebook saying this, quote, everyone should be able
to serve their country no matter who they are. CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, says this, discrimination in any form is wrong for all of us, and he adds
the hashtag, let them serve.
The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook tweets this, quote, we are indebted to all who serve. Discrimination against anyone holds everyone back. And Google CEO,
Sundar Pichai, says this, I am grateful to the transgender members of the military for their service.
U.S. lawmakers are in a fast track in a bill that includes sanctions against Russia straight to the desk of U.S. President Donald Trump. Now,
house and senate Republicans have come to an agreement on a legislation that punishes Moscow, accused of being involved in last year's U.S.
election. It also imposes new sanctions on North Korea and Iran.
Now, the bill passed easily in the House of Representatives. It could hit the president's desk by the end of this month. CNN's Phil Black is
following reaction from Moscow. He joins us now. Phil, again a deal has been reached to send this Russia sanctions bill straight to the oval
office. What kind of response did it get from the Kremlin?
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, the response from Russian officials might not be quite what you would expect, not a lot of
outrage but more a sense of regret and sadness as Russian officials and politicians come to terms. They see it an unfortunate reality.
They believe that not only will this sanctions bill cause the relationship between Russia and the U.S. to deteriorate in the short term, but more
significantly, they believe it pretty much kills off any chance of Russia and the U.S. improving what is already a fairly dismal relationship.
There had been some optimistic hope that President Trump because of all of warm words and language he'd used as a candidate and even as a president
regarding Russia and its president and the hope to work for more constructively with Moscow, they'd hoped that all of that could begin to
turn things around in reality, that the words could in fact turn into a genuine change in the way that Moscow and Washington relate to one another.
It was always a cautious hope, though, because for all that they appreciated Trump's intentions or stated intentions and they liked the way
he got on with Russian President Putin and so forth, there has always been this knowledge or perhaps really a deep suspicion and fear, that other
American politicians, really the bulk of them, really continue to view Russia with great sense of distrust. It's why the congress is often
described by Russian officials here as a hive of anti-Russian hysteria.
And so their view is that this almost unanimous process that has been taking place in congress simply confirms that fear, that Trump, for all his
intentions, is held hostage by the bigger and greater and more significant will of the American political establishment. Because this package of
sanctions effectively locks in the sanctions that will put into place under President Obama,
[08:10:00] increases them somewhat, but more significantly takes away President Trump's usual discretion of being able to lift sanctions. It
could only happen in accordance with this legislation with the approval of congress. So, for that reason, what has set in here is really a deep sense
of pessimism about where the Russian-American relationship can go from here. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Just moments ago on "New Day," we heard from the new communications director in the White House, Anthony Scaramucci, signaling
that Trump may sign the Russia sanctions bill or may veto it to negotiate an even tougher deal against the Russians. I know it surely got reaction
from the Kremlin, but that adds additional calculus to expectations about what Trump will do.
BLACK: The Kremlin, Kristie, has been very cautious in its official response so far. It expressed sadness and regret. But beyond that, the
Kremlin isn't saying specifically what it will do in response. There have been calls for retaliatory measures, something swift and sharp to hurt
America.
That's what some of the lawmakers here have been calling for. The Kremlin is saying that it's just a draft, it hasn't finished its progress through
both houses of congress, hasn't gone to the president's desk for his signature yet.
We don't know precisely what's going to happen. So the Kremlin officially is saying, we're going to hold off and see precisely what the final version
of the bill looks like before we declare or decide on just what our response will be. It is very likely that should this pass, Russia will
retaliate in some way.
It usually does although as recently as late last year it didn't when President Obama expelled diplomats to call to the couple of diplomatic
compounds in the U.S. in response to Russia's said interference in the American election process. Putin held off on that occasion saying, we are
going to see how things go.
But in this occasion, it is likely there will be a response, but we just don't know yet what that will be. The Kremlin says it's taking a wait-and-
see approach for the moment. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Phil Black, reporting live from Moscow. Thank you so much. It looks like one step forward, two steps back for Republican leaders in the
U.S. senate. They managed to scrounge together enough votes to open debate on health care reform, but so far, two of their proposals have been
rejected.
So what is going to be voted on next? Well, the answer to that, Phil Mattingly joins us now live from Capitol Hill. Now, Phil, we know a repeal
only bill is dead. A repeal and replace bill also dead. Now we have something called a skinny repeal. What is that?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, basically trying to find any way possible to cobble together the votes once again, Kristie,
to actually move this forward. Here is what skinny repeal would actually contain. It would be a repeal of the individual mandate and the employer
mandates in Obamacare, the requirement that individuals have to buy insurance.
It would also cut back on the medical device tax, something that's pretty much unpopular on a bipartisan level. Now, if you're thinking this doesn't
do anything the Republicans said they really wanted to do from kind of a broader scale on policy, you're right. But here is the rational here, at
least that I've been told by senate Republicans, is they want to just keep this process moving.
They know this isn't the end of the game they want. They know this isn't the final proposal. They would want to vote on in the end. They want to
make sure that they don't shut the process down. They move it forward and then kind of go back to the situation where house and senate Republicans
would be negotiating in trying to figure out the next steps forward.
LU STOUT: Yes, trying to find a way forward on health care has been difficult from the very beginning on this. Phil Mattingly, reporting for us
live. Thank you.
President Trump may be facing a setback on health care, but he is taking credit for another campaign promise. One of the world's biggest
manufacturers is coming to the U.S. Up next, will the investment bring the benefits it promises?
Also next, north and South Korea mark the anniversary of the day hostilities in the Korean war ended. Seoul (ph) hopes Pyongyang accepts its
offer to hold peace talks. A report from the Korean Demilitarized Zone straight ahead.
[08:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream." President Donald Trump says he is making good on a campaign
promise to create jobs in the U.S. by bringing in an Asian manufacturing giant. Foxconn is best known for making electronics such as iPhone for
Apple, but its new investment in the U.S. comes with some uncertainty. Let's get more now from Matt Rivers in Beijing.
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, Foxconn has less than a stellar reputation here in China for a number of different
reasons. When you couple that in with questions over things like the amount of jobs that this investment will actually create and issues over
automation in the future, it's fair to cast a critical eye over the kind of announcement that ostensibly would seem to be a good thing for the state of
Wisconsin and American manufacturing.
RIVERS (voice-over): A big win for the Trump administration as one of the world's biggest manufacturers announces plans for a plant in the badger
state.
TRUMP: It will be about the biggest there is anywhere.
RIVERS (voice-over): Taiwan-based Foxconn will build a $10 billion plan creating LCD panels and 13,000 jobs, according to Wisconsin Governor Scott
Walker. Billions of dollars in state tax incentives helped make it happen.
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: This is a great day for America. It is a great day for Wisconsin and it's a great day for Foxconn.
RIVERS (voice-over): It's the kind of thing that Trump has promised, recreating American manufacturing jobs that fled decades ago. American
companies found cheap labor sources elsewhere along with higher profit margins.
In fact, that's exactly what America's richest company, Apple, looked for when producing its iPhone and iPad, so it turned to none other than Foxconn
to do it, some of the world's favorite tech gadgets made on the cheap by hundreds of thousands of low-paid workers and factories in Southern China.
CNN was granted access to one of the secreted campuses back in 2010.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The workers are a little more than the machines there.
RIVERS (voice-over): The employees live and work in the same place. Several years ago, the company dealt with a rash of worker suicides amidst activist
claims of being severely overworked and underpaid. Foxconn maintains their workers are treated well and they instituted some changes aimed at reducing
worker stress.
Any plant built in the U.S. would of course be subject to much more stringent labor laws like higher wages and less hours. But questions still
remain over how much of a boon to Wisconsin's economy this will be. Despite Governor Walker's talk of 13,000 jobs, Foxconn itself is only promising
3,000 with only the potential for 10,000 more.
Skilled laborers are needed to fill those jobs and it's not clear if Wisconsin or any state for that matter has that kind of workforce ready to
go. And Foxconn has talked for years about moving manufacturing to the U.S. even promising a $30 million Pennsylvania plant back in 2013. It's yet to
be built.
That is also ignoring Foxconn's pension for automation. The company has slashed tens and thousands of jobs worldwide in favor of robots over the
years, the kind of moves analysts tell CNN will happen again and again in the coming years.
RIVERS: But for now, Kristie, all we have is the announcement of thousands of jobs amidst a presidential promise to create them. You know, well paid,
stable work is of course a good thing for everyone. It's just not completely clear yet that Foxconn can deliver on that in the United States.
Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right. Matt Rivers, reporting there for us. French authorities say the massive wildfires reaching across Southeast France are
now mostly under control, but they are on the lookout for new fires starting.
The flames have burned through thousands of hectares since Monday and forced more than 10,000 residents Torres (ph) to flee the coastal town of
Bormes-les-Mimosas. Portugal is also dealing with forest fires. Strong winds and dry conditions in Europe are fueling the flames.
[08:20:00] And as Europe deals with extreme dry conditions, parts of Asia are dealing with extreme rain. Thousands have been displaced in India
(INAUDIBLE) monsoon rain and floods. And dozens of people across several districts have died. (INAUDIBLE) to number of countries across the region.
Let's get an update now from CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. Chad, countries throughout Asia, China, India, Bangladesh, they have been vulnerable to
flooding for decades, but the danger seems to be growing now.
CHAD MYERS, METEOROLOGIST, CNN: It does. I'm afraid that likely has something to do with the warmer air of global warming. You can't put your
finger on any one event or any one year and put in on global warming. You just can't do that. But if the air is warmer, it can hold more moisture. If
there's more moisture in the air, it can create heavier rainfall.
Here is the (INAUDIBLE) here of Sanka (ph) moving over parts of Thailand, moving over parts of Vietnam, being Bangkok. Now, we've had about 17, 15,
to 16, 17 centimeters of rainfall from this storm but more coming from Bengal all the way over toward Bangkok.
Some spots could pick up another 25 centimeters of rainfall, as many as 500 millimeters of rain is not unlikely with this storm. Here comes
(INAUDIBLE). Now, here is Luzon. This is Manila, Philippines and so on. We are going to put a lot of rain on top of the island of Luzon, the northern
part of the Philippines, but that's not where the storm is going.
It's going toward Taiwan and eventually across to the strait end into China. Let me show you some pictures of the Yellow River in China, what it
looks like right now. Pictures from overnight, raging waters all the way through this province. Everything that goes up to the top of the world up
there has to run back down to the ocean, and this is what it looks like from overnight pictures.
Now, the more impressive pictures were from last week. I just want to kind of give you a compare and contrast, because what looked like just water
going to a field, now looks like water going to cities. And here are the pictures, how fast the water is moving. All these people are completely in
the way when you are in a town and the water is just rising.
That's what happens when you get so much rainfall at one time. And we are worried about (INAUDIBLE) bringing more rainfall to that area. Now, for
today, China is going to be hot. Taiwan is going to be hot. But when the next storm comes through (INAUDIBLE), we are going to push that rainfall
right back up here, this is where the Yellow River is, that's where the rainfall again will be heavy.
If we pick up 500 millimeters, possibly even 75 centimeters of rainfall in that same area, that flooding is going to get worse again. It's just one
storm after another. And Europe can't even pick up any rain at all, it all back out here in the Southeast Asia area.
LU STOUT: Chad, it's incredible. When you look at that video, you can see quite clearly just how dangerous these major floods can be. Even after the
water recedes, there's still danger from the introduction of water-borne diseases, et cetera.
MYERS: Absolutely.
LU STOUT: So, what's the solution here? What do governments in Asia, city planners, what do they need to do to mitigate the threat from flooding?
MYERS: When you put so many people in the way, in the river valleys, in the fertile farm fields, you're going to get this type of event. Not every
year, but every five years. There needs to be a systematic way of getting the water out of that area because you know eventually it's coming. It's
the drainage canals. It's the areas that will move the water around the cities, around the population, and not through the populated cities like
we're seeing now.
LU STOUT: Chad, you got to improve the infrastructure. Chad Myers, reporting. As always, thank you so much. Take care.
Now, both side of the 38th parallel on the Korean peninsula, are marking the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean war. The north celebrates
the occasion as victory day and put a large display of military might. The South Korea's prime minister attended the ceremony with Korean war
veterans, but decades after the fighting, relations between these two countries are still very, very tense. Will Ripley has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This area near the demilitarized zone that separates north and South Korea continues to be a
very dangerous flash point there. There are military on both sides keeping an eye on each other. We've seen a lot of patrols here.
We've also confirmed with South Korean official that the south's offer to the north to sit down for peace talks has gone unanswered, even on this
significant day, which was supposed to be the deadline. South Korea has now extended the deadline to the 27th of July, the anniversary of the signing
of the armistice, the end of the Korean war back in 1953, although the two countries still remain technically at war.
North Korea calls it their victory day. It is the day that they often used to project power in military strike. But so far, we haven't seen a
ballistic missile launch. There was rain in the area of the
[08:25:00] launch site on Thursday, which may have impede any plans to launch a missile. We know from the state department from intelligence
analysts that heavy machinery had been rolling into that launch site, machinery that could be used to test the ballistic missile. Also reports
that North Korea tested a component for a submarine launch ballistic missile just within the past day.
This area where I'm standing used to be a point of transfer between north and South Korea. That's the freedom bridge that has since been closed and
sealed off, and even though civilians are allowed here, remains a heavily fortified area as it is along the 38th parallel that divides the north and
south. Barbed wire fencing, military patrols, soldiers in every corner, and a whole lot of conventional weaponry from each side pointed at each other.
The question now, will there be a flare up of tension on this very important armistice day. The North Korea tried to project strength in the
past. They've had military, they've had weapons test. We haven't seen that yet, but we're continuing to monitor the situation. Will Ripley, near the
DMZ, in South Korea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Facebook has reached a limit of how many ads it can cram into your news feed and that is showing in its profits. Its five quarter of
sales booming 50 percent or more has ended. Drop down too is still strong, 45 percent growth from last year. It's looking to put more ads in its other
apps like Instagram and WhatsApp.
(INAUDIBLE) WhatsApp has more than a billion daily active users, that's a massive market for advertisers. It could look similar to ads in Facebook's
own Messenger app. Facebook is also looking to start a video service which could compete for TV advertisers. Still to come right here on "News
Stream," a new beginning for a teenager in Cambodia. How he escaped a life of child labor. That's after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream." These are world headlines. A new White House communications director,
Anthony Scaramucci, is trying to crack down on leaks to the media and says that he himself was a victim when his financial information was disclosed
in the news report.
Now, a tweet which has been deleted since, tagged Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Scaramucci denies speculation that he wanted Priebus investigated
saying that he's just serving notice that all senior administration staff are helping to plug the leaks.
And Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Finland to discuss bilateral issues. His trip falls on the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence
from Russia. Hanging over the visit, a new U.S. sanctions bill that appears to be
[08:30:00] on track to hit President Trump's desk by the end of the month.
Taiwan manufacturer Foxconn says it is building a new plant in the U.S. and will hire thousands of people. The CEO announced the plan at the White
House, joined by President Donald Trump. Foxconn says it will invest $10 billion in the facility to be based in the state of Wisconsin.
At least 105 people have died in Venezuela in months of unrest. Thousands are protesting a key vote that could see the constitution rewritten.
(INAUDIBLE) says it will not ignore President Nicolas Maduro's effort to, quote, undermine democracy.
Now back to our top news story. Now, the White House stepping up its campaign to plug leaks to the media. White House Communications Director
Anthony Scaramucci was on CNN's "New Day" a few minutes ago. Here is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCARAMUCCI: As you know from the Italian expression, the fish stinks from the head down. But I can tell you two fish that don't stink, OK? And that's
me and the president. I don't like the activity that's going on in the White House. I don't like what they're doing to my friend.
I don't like what they're doing to the president of the United States or their fellow colleagues in the west wing. If you want to talk about the
chief of staff, we have had odds, we have had differences. When I said we were brothers from the podium, that because we're rough on each other.
Some brothers are like Cain and Abel. Other brothers can fight with each other and get along. I don't know if this is repairable or not, that will
be up to the president. But he's the chief of staff, he's responsible for understanding and uncovering and helping me do that inside the White House,
which is why I put that tweet out last night.
When the journalists who actually know who the leakers are, like Ryan Lizza, they know the leakers. John (ph) could explain it actually. You guys
know who the leakers are. I respect them for not telling me because I understand and respect journalistic integrity.
However, when I put out a tweet and I put Reince's name in the tweet, that are all making the assumption that it's him, because journalists know who
the leakers are. So if Reince wants to explain that he's not a leaker, let him do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Anthony Scaramucci there speaking to CNN's "New Day" earlier.
All this week, the CNN Freedom Project is exposing needs of children and bonded laborers in the brick kilns of Cambodia. A young boy spent three
years working at a kiln until an accident mangled his right arm. Alexandra Field has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Peter Chanteng (ph) is 16 and only in first grade, but his teachers believe in
him. He's done harder work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I was 11, I started working at the brick kiln. It was very difficult. I loaded bricks on the cart, and
then I pulled the cart full of brick to dry. But one day when I was putting clay on the machine, I slipped and my arm got caught in the engine.
FIELD (voice-over): Chanteng (ph) was 14. His mother says she was in debt to a brick factory owner. The whole family was making bricks to pay it off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Since my son got injured, I have never asked my kids to work again. I don't even allow them to get close.
FIELD (voice-over): Lukti (ph) said she took a twelve dollar loan from the kiln owner 15 years ago. She kept borrowing money so her family could
afford the basics. Today, her debt has ballooned to $2,800.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I can't even reduce the debt because what I make is just enough for food for one day. This is the life
of a brick kiln worker. It will continue to our children and grandchildren.
FIELD: There are more than 300 brick factories across Cambodia and a big concentration of them is right here on the outskirts of the country's
capital, Phnom Penh. We stopped in at four different brick factories and in all four of them, we see children working. The conditions are tough. The
work is hard. But their parents say there is just no other way.
FIELD (voice-over): In 2006, the government cracked down on child labor in the kiln. Identified 100 child labors in the brick factories and another
2,900 considered at risk. They removed the children and gave them educational opportunities. The labor ministry claimed that by 2012, they
had successfully wiped out the problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hardly see the case of child labor in the brick sector anymore. The employer who employs the children as child laborer,
they will get death penalty. And we will not allow any perpetrator out of this issue.
FIELD: So, the owner will be charged?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will be charged.
[08:35:00] FIELD (voice-over): We're told by the ministry that 600 inspectors now oversee the country's kilns. Their work hasn't led to the
prosecution of a single kiln owner. A 2016 report from the Cambodian NGO Licadho says child labor is still rampant in the kilns, a claim rejected by
the labor ministry.
We saw children on the job at every one of the factories we visited. The labor ministry counters that workers may be older than they look and that
while labor is illegal for children under 15, light work is allowed for children 12 and up. That's not the kind of work Chanteng (ph) was doing
just two years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Seeing my injured arm makes me scared. I don't want to go to the brick kiln anymore. I get scared when I
see the machine.
FIELD (voice-over): The goal is to keep children in the kilns from working by getting them to school, the labor ministry says. Chanteng (ph) is
finally getting that chance. With the help of the Catholic mission from Australia, he's living at a school for children with disabilities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's making good progress as well. He's a good, strong lad with great personality.
FIELD (voice-over): Twenty five miles from the kiln, Chanteng (ph) has found a new beginning, one that starts at the very beginning. Alexandra
Field, CNN, Phnom Penh.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Tomorrow, the CNN Freedom Project brings you the story of a young man who not only overcame child labor in Cambodia, but became a national
champion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): This is (INAUDIBLE) in Phnom Penh. And he's the man of the hour, (INAUDIBLE). A 22-year-old local kick boxer comes
in at 112 pounds. Last year, he won big, becoming a national champion in his weight class. His nights in the spotlight are a fight for a better
life. Far from the one he lived two years ago working under the scorching Cambodian sun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My family was very poor. My father had died and my mother didn't have a job, so I started working at a brick
kiln.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: It's an incredible story. See how this young fighter made his way from the brick kiln to the ring. Friday. Only on CNN. You're watching "News
Stream." And coming up, a plumber's mission to save the planet. How a Jordanian woman is helping to save the country's water supply one pipe at a
time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, in Jordan, one woman is stepping up as one of the country's first female plumbers, and it's all because she wants to help
save the planet. Here's Nemah Kawadja's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEMAH KAWADJA, PLUMBER IN JORDAN (through translator): Jordanian society has a lot of traditions and cultural limitations. People don't like women
to develop and step up into things like this. And so they were asking, what is this profession? What do you do? My name is Nemah Kawadja. And I train
to become a plumber because water is the most precious thing in the world.
[08:40:00] (INAUDIBLE) is an area that receives water approximately once a week. We created awareness instructions for housewives and campaigns for
students on how to reduce waste. And sometimes, we volunteer to fix pipes that are creating wastage in homes.
We installed water saving devices at homes and we went back three months later. After installing the water saving device, the water wasted was
reduced. Their water bills which were once up to $70 got reduced to as little as $8.
TEXT: One hundred sixty seven Jordanian and Syrian refugee women have received training to become plumbers.
KAWADJA (through translator): From the beginning we had to prove our creativity and our hard work. People started to accept the idea little by
little.
Even our religion encourages us to preserve water due to its importance. Water is a main ingredient in human survival so humans have to care about
water, whether in Jordan or abroad, even in rich countries.
I love plumbing. I really love it. Had I not loved this, I would not have excelled in anything. I love training the girls getting things done. When I
get things done, I feel accomplished. I feel like I've reached a good standard, but I still want to continue to develop.
The entire our world must contribute in reducing water waste, and I hope that we all work together on this. We female plumbers support this cause
and I hope that awareness is increased and we accomplish more, God willing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Well done. And up here on the news program, we got more troubles for this guy, Justin Bieber. A photographer who got too close to his truck
ended up in the hospital. Police say that Bieber was trying to drive away from an event in Beverly Hills. The moment happened was caught on video.
They say the paparazzo has minor injuries. Officers say that Bieber stayed at the scene during the investigation and that no citations were issued.
Bieber has been spotted around L.A. after he canceled the remainder of his worldwide tour citing unforeseen circumstances.
That's "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere. "World Sport with Christina Macfarlane" is next.
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[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)
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