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North Korea Missile Launch; Harvey Expected To Strike Again. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired August 29, 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] (JOINED IN PROGRESS)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: . was in the air for around some 15 minutes and then broke into pieces over the Pacific Ocean about

1200 kilometers off the coast of Japan. This is North Korea's fourth missile test in just four days. As neighbors are very quick to condemn this

latest action by Pyongyang, Japan is taking this one extremely seriously. It is the first time North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan.

Japan's Prime Minister and U.S. president agree on an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. South Korea responded with a display of military

strength. Four fighter jets dropped munitions of the bombing rage a few hours after the launch. It was meant to show, quote, the capability to

destroy the North Korean leadership.

But while North Korea's neighbors are given high-profile statements, Pyongyang did not broadcast the news to its own people. We have full

coverage of this. Will Ripley is the only western TV journalist inside North Korea. Paula Hancocks also joins us from Seoul. Will, let's go to you

first. What did North Korea accomplish with this latest missile launch?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It accomplished several things, Kristie. First of all, they sent a very strong message to the United States and

specifically the Trump administration. Remember, it was just a week ago President Trump was saying that North Korea respects him for his fiery

rhetoric when he threatened fire and fury and said the U.S. nuclear arsenal was locked and loaded.

But the sense that we have gotten from North Korean officials on the ground here, this country is furious, not only about that talk from the U.S.

president, but also about the ongoing joint military exercises with South Korea. So, they send that message. They also gained valuable technical

knowledge with a launch like this.

They proved they have the capability to send that missile over the trajectory over Japan, but also they could potentially ascend it south

towards Guam, a threat that they made several weeks ago, but have yet to carry out. Also, by launching it over Japan and not towards Guam, they

perhaps avoided a confrontation militarily with the United States.

In fact, Japan's foreign minister indicated that may be a sign North Korea is backing down. The North Korea would of course deny that and say they are

doing anything but. And then it is where they launched the missile front that is also very significant here, Kristie. They launched it from the

Pyongyang Sunan Airport.

That is about 20 miles from where I am standing right now in the heart of the North Korean capital. This is the airport that we flew into over the

weekend, that we are flying to regularly along with tourists and business people and humanitarian aid workers visiting the country.

To launch a missile from the region right around that airport is very significant because normally North Korea chooses remote areas away from

population centers, but now by doing this, they're showing that they can roll out missile launchers even near major cities which makes it much more

difficult for the U.S. to launch some sort of a preemptive strike on North Korea's missile launching capabilities because just imagine the

humanitarian consequences if they were to attack on missile facility in an area like Pyongyang, home to more than 3 million people, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Interesting. North Korea is showcasing with this mood today. It's mobile missile technology sending a message of defiance without going all

the way targeting a U.S. territory. From Will Ripley in Pyongyang, let's go to Paula Hancocks in Seoul. Paula, today, we know that the South Korean air

force conducted that bombing drill. What message was that trying to send to the North?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, it was a pretty fast reaction from the South Korean military. It is not the reaction that we usually see.

They usually talk about a firm response. But this time, within hours, we saw the air force full F-15 fighter jets dropping eight one-ton bombs onto

a shooting range. So it was a bombing drill that they said was in direct response to that North Korean missile launch.

It is a very clear message as well within this statement saying that it was to show the capability that South Korea have to destroy the enemy's

leadership. So a very clear reference there to the North Korean leadership that can fill in the very explicit threat that the South Korea is ready to

be able to respond to any kind of threat. Earlier in the day, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea had asked for a strong response, a very

different kind of response that we hear from him.

He is quite often talking about dialogue, talking about engagement with North Korea. But this missile launch today was significantly provocative

for the South Korean to decide they wanted this military action. And then also we heard that the security advisers from the South Korean side and the

the U.S. side spoke, and there was a discussion about a potential deployment of strategic assets to the region.

This means we could see more U.S. military hardware coming to the region. In the past when there have been these missile launches, we've seen the

U.S. move an aircraft carrier, for example, to the waters of Korea or Japan. We've seen some bomber overflies by U.S. assets from Guam. So

something like that could be a potential. We know it has been discussed that maybe

[08:05:00] strategic military assets need to be moved in. Kristie?

LU STOUT: From Paula Hancocks in Seoul, we got Andrew Stevens standing by in Tokyo. Andrew, the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, he called the

missile launch a serious and grave threat. Can you tell us more about the response in Tokyo and what are plans to do next to reign in North Korea?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it can't do much to reign in North Korea. It has a very defensive posture military anyway, Kristie, as part of

its pacifist constitution. What it has been doing though is really putting pressure on the United Nations, the international community, to take

further measures, to take tough action against North Korea.

Now we already seen the Japanese prime minister and Donald Trump have a 40- minute telephone conversation this morning at which they both pushed for the U.N. Security Council emergency meeting that seems to be going ahead.

South Korea joined them and pushing for that. As I say, just putting more pressure on North Korea.

But there is no doubt that Prime Minister Abe was very, very angry by this move by North Korea, given the fact that just a few days ago, North Korea

launched three short-range missiles (INAUDIBLE) three times in the space of as many hours. Just listen to what he actually had to say about North

Korea's action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHINZO ABE, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): The missile which passed over our nation represents the greatest and gravest threat to our

nation ever. It also is an egregious threat to the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: Gravest threat to our nation ever from North Korea. They have very, very strong words, Kristie. Interestingly, it coincide with with the

drills today of the Japanese self-defense forces showing the new PAC-3 missile system actually inside the U.S. base for the first time just

running through the drill on how that works. This is the second line of the last line of defense if you like currently deployed by Japan. It is state

of the art, but as I said, it is a defensive posture that Japan has.

LU STOUT: OK. Andrew Stevens live there. Let's go back to Will Ripley in Pyongyang. Will, the big question now is, what is North Korea going to do

next? We have those defensive military drills underway in Japan. The joint U.S.-South Korean drills are underway. The U.S. is saying all options are

on the table. Do you think Pyongyang will up the ante even further?

RIPLEY: It's certainly a possibility, Kristie, because it was just yesterday that South Korea's National Intelligence Service briefed

lawmakers about activity that they have observed. We don't know exactly when they observed it, but they have observed activity at the Pyongyang re-

nuclear test site, that mountainous region of North Korea near the border with China where North Korea has conducted its previous five nuclear tests.

The last nuclear test, you may remember, was last year right around this time. It was just one week after those U.S.-South Korea joint military

drills ended. We don't know if the test had to do with that or if it was to mark North Korean holiday on September ninth, but we do know that there is

activity being observed and six nuclear test officials have believed for months it could really happen at any moment.

All that the North Korea is waiting for is its leader, Kim Jong-un, to give the order, and that test could happen with little or no notice. Back in

April, many including the United States and South Korea thought a test was imminent. It did not happen in April. Some people thought it was perhaps

because of heightened pressure from China, although the North Koreans have very strongly denied that.

But now you have a different dynamic at play. You have this very heated exchange of rhetoric with the U.S. President Donald Trump. China voted in

favor of the seventh round of United Nations sanctions along with Russia, unanimous vote, and no sanctions have even kicked in yet. So, more

sanctions are really a threat or fear for the North Koreans at this point because they have said to me on the ground here repeatedly that they would

cut many other programs before they would ever consider cutting their missile and nuclear programs.

In fact, they only want to accelerate those programs even more quickly given this high international pressure. Does North Korea want a dialogue

with the United States? I believe they do, but they're not going to come to the table from a position of weakness, Kristie. They want to come to the

table from a position of strength and upping the ante by escalating things even further could be a way for them to do that. We just have to watch and

wait.

LU STOUT: Watch and wait. Let's get more of that anticipated possible new North Korean nuclear test. Let's bring you back to Paul Hancocks in Seoul.

Puala, it was South Korean officials who said that Pyongyang may be preparing its sixth nuclear test. Look at evidence have they been

providing.

HANCOCKS: Well, Kristie, we do have to put a strong caveats on this. The briefing from the NIST Intelligence Agency here was on Monday, they were

briefing lawmakers, but they didn't give us the timing on what sort of timing they were looking out.

[08:10:00] Did they have satellite imagery that was very recent? We have heard consistently over the past many months, six months, eight months,

that North Korea is ready to conduct its next nuclear test. We heard this from U.S. officials. We heard it from the monitoring system in the U.S. 38

North which scrutinizes the satellite images.

And the U.S. officials in 38 North have not come up with anything new this Tuesday. So it would suggests that the briefing from the NIF may have been

new, but not necessarily new evidence that they are talking about, that they are giving more of a background to South Korean lawmakers. So, simply,

we have heard consistently, North Korea is ready. All that they are waiting for is the green light from the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

We heard this for many, many months. Yes, every so often, we do get this piece of information that they may be preparing for another nuclear test.

But as far as many officials are concerned, they are already ready for that. It is just the political will that they are waiting for. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Got it. Let's take it back to Andrew Stevens in Tokyo. Andrew, we heard from Paula just then, North Korea is ready to conduct that sixth

test. It is just about getting the green light from Kim Jong-un. What are your thoughts then about the overall threat level? Where we stand now? We

have that anticipated new nuclear test that could take place once it is okayed.

We also have the foreign minister of Japan who said, because of the trajectory of today's missiles launch that perhaps North Korea backed down

a little bit on its threat to Guam. So, where do we stand now in terms of the threat that North Korea poses?

STEVENS: Well, maybe backed down on the threat to Guam, but certainly it increased the tension with Japan by sending that missile over Japanese air

space. In the past, Kristie, the North Koreans have fun rockets towards Japan, in the direction of Japan, ballistic rocket missiles that had a very

steep trajectory with the idea that they would come down in water between Korea and Japan, not go over Japanese soil.

That's a calculation tossing the trains by Kim Jong-un. Now, what this missile has shown, what a lot of people are saying is that these

intermediate-range missiles do have the capability, the distance, the range to reach U.S. territories in the Pacific. So even though it wasn't pointed

to Guam this time, there was an indication that with this successful missile launch and going across Japanese air space, it can do that.

So as far as the threat level is concerned across the region, it is very, very hard. Indeed, it has ratcheted up a lot considering we always have a

short-term, short-range missiles. Now to see this is a bigger, a much bigger step forward. So, it's interesting also to watch the reaction here

in Japan. Japan has been living with this bellicose belligerent neighbor for a long time with this nuclear threat for a long time.

The talk to people on the streets of Japan today, there is a change of mood. People are genuinely concerned. A lot of people we were speaking

through the day talked about being scared. It was now a scary situation. They saw in their local television stations (INAUDIBLE) sirens going off.

That there were broadcasts saying that a missile was coming in to seek shelter, to seek shelter in a strong building or basement.

There were texts being sent out. These will be relayed across the country (INAUDIBLE) north of Hokkaido. It was -- that had a real reaction in Japan,

here in the capital, in Tokyo. People are genuinely worried now about what North Korea might do next.

LU STOUT: Just imagine just waking up to the sound of those sirens warning you of a North Korean missile being launched over your home, over Hokkaido.

Andrew Stevens joining us live from Tokyo. A big thank you. Take care.

North Korea's biggest ally is calling fro calm following the missile launch. A spokesman from China's Foreign Ministry said this, quote, the

U.N. Security Council has set clear regulations on North Korea's launch activities that use ballistic missile technologies.

Under the current circumstances, China urges the relevant parties not to take actions that would provoke one another and escalate tension in the

region. We hope to see the relevant sides exercise restraint and preserve peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, unquote.

You're watching "News Stream." Just ahead, tropical storm Harvey has recharged. It is poised to strike southeastern Texas a second time. The

city of Houston is already overwhelmed by flooding, but it is bracing for more. We'll bring you the very latest.

[08:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is "News Stream." Now, to our other top story this hour. A deadly and destructive

storm is set to make a landfall the second time bringing more rain and more catastrophic flooding to parts of eastern Texas and western Louisiana.

Authorities in Texas say it is believed nine deaths have now been linked to lingering storm. Harvey first made landfall as a powerful hurricane along

the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday and since then, it has been drenching the region as a tropical storm. America's fourth largest city, Houston, is

seeing unprecedented flooding. The community in Texas is pulling together.

Thousands are being rescued from flooded homes. Churches, convention halls, schools all being used to shelter evacuees. Average annual rainfall in the

city of Houston is 127 cm and about half that fell over the weekend and that amount could double by Saturday. CNN's Alexander Marquardt shows us

that means a lot more than just numbers especially if your home has been flooded and you're still waiting to be rescued.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Block after block of homes now swimming in the rising flood waters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all right?

MARQUARDT: These quiet suburban streets turned into dark rivers. Tanny Evans (ph) with his boat responding to the call for everyone to pitch in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have been trying to call FEMA and the Coast Guard, a lot of people weren't prepared for the storm. People didn't get enough food

and water, and didn't make plans. We never expected something catastrophic like this to happen but they said it was going to happen from day one, and

it sure enough happen.

MARQUARDT: They're releasing it from the reservoirs. In this house, three people were forced upstairs by the water. This is the situation a lot of

people are dealing with. They're debating whether to leave or not. Right now, the flooding on the ground floor isn't that bad.

These neighborhoods weren't supposed to be badly affected. Now, the flood water is rising. People are realizing they have to get out. And so right

now, they're making a tough decision whether to stay or to go. Just one decided to leave, the others staying behind.

(INAUDIBLE) that you will totally evacuate?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Totally upset, totally upset.

MARQUARDT: Do you have any sense that this is going to be this bad?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Not -- I mean, I know it's going to be bad, but not to this extent.

MARQUARDT: Neighbors pointed us to the home of an 86-year-old man living by himself. Evans found Ed Wendler (ph) in his dark bedroom with no power,

unaware of the danger outside.

We helped him into the boat and he looked around at the place he's called home for almost 40 years.

How does it feel to see the neighborhood like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doesn't (INAUDIBLE). I heard commotion after and there's boat after trying to pass over there. I said (INAUDIBLE) around picking up

people.

MARQUARDT: This water flowing directly from two nearby reservoirs. The dams open to prevent more catastrophic flooding in the city.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: This is a place that Texas and FEMA will be involved in for a long, long time.

MARQUARDT: Officials warning the worst is yet to come. The rain is expected to keep falling all week. It's all hands on deck, all 12,000 Texas National

Guard now involved,

[08:20:00] the Coast Guard carrying out air and water rescues, carrying more than a thousand people to safety, and armies of everyday people now

mobilizing.

ABBOTT: There are so many heroes in Houston who literally save the lives of their fellow Texans. Texans helping Texans, that is what we do as a state,

and I don't think anybody does it better.

MARQUARDT: Now the water level here has gone up significantly during the course of the day. It wasn't supposed to be this bad in this area but there

has been so much rain that those two reservoirs I mentioned were overflowing.

The Army Corps of Engineers decided to open up the dams essentially making the flooding here worst from preventing worst catastrophic flooding

elsewhere in Houston. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Incredible to see the government rescues especially the citizen rescues take place in the disaster zone. It is estimated that some 30,000

people will need shelter after being rescued in the coming days. Some 9,000 spent the night at Houston Convention Center. CNN's Rosa Flores joins us

now from there with more. Rosa, please describe the scene around you.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, people here are still grappling with the fact that they were rescued from rising waters. Some of them

locked from their roofs, others rescued by boat, by high water vehicles. So, there's a lot of trauma here this morning as people wake up and grapple

with the fact that they have lost everything and their having to start their lives in a shelter.

Now, you probably can see behind me that this is the area where people are staying and there's really long line, of course, people are waiting for the

food, they are waiting for blankets, for clothing. There is also an area for kids so that the kids can entertain themselves while their parents

figure out exactly what to do next. There's a mini pharmacy. There's a mini hospital as well. We just heard from city officials moments ago saying that

this is a mixed population.

They got homeless people here also, but there's a security check as they come in. They are trying to make sure that everybody is safe and secure and

they feel safe, so there is a security check point actually before entering the facility to make sure that everyone here is safe. Kristie, a

lot of things going, of course, through the minds of the people that you see behind me as they begin to grapple with the fact that their home is

completely underwater.

They probably lost (INAUDIBLE) that they can't replace, photographs, all those sort of things. What they do tell me, the people that I've talked to

is, that they just feel blessed to be alive and they feel blessed to be in a dry high ground space where they can restart their lives.

LU STOUT: They have lost so much and witnessed so much. It must be such a relief for them to find refuge there at the Houston Convention Center. You

mentioned there is a pharmacy there. Food being supplied there. Beds, even an area to look after small children. Are there enough supplies there? Are

there enough volunteers to look after the thousands of displaced who are there?

FLORES: You know, we just heard from city officials that they have plenty of volunteers, actually asking people who want to volunteer to register

with the Red Cross first before arriving at this location. This shelter started off with a capacity of 5,000, they had 5,000 cuts (ph), but the

Red Cross telling us this morning that more cuts (ph) are coming because as you mentioned, there's 9,000 people here, so many of them sleeping on the

floor.

So more cuts (ph) are coming, more supplies are coming as well, and the Red Cross telling us this morning as well that they are working with their

partners to bring in a kitchen that will serve more than 20,000 people. So as you hear the numbers of evacuees growing, as we hear that the numbers of

people being rescued keeps on growing, you know, they're bringing in more supplies and they're trying to to do their best to try to accommodate

everybody.

But, you know, I asked the question to the city officials, what happens next week or, you know, the week after that when these people try to figure

out what to do next, because their homes are completely underwater and the places where they work are completely underwater. And he said, you know, at

this point were going and were looking ahead 12 hours at a time, 24 hours at a time and they're adjusting as they go.

LU STOUT: Looking at only just half a day at a time, not looking beyond what is going to happen next week, but still thankful for being on dry

land, for having to help in the (INAUDIBLE) around them at the convention center there, one of many evacuation centers in the state. Rosa Flores, we

thank you for your reporting, and please take care.

Meteorologist Chad Myers joins us now. He's got to look ahead at what is likely to be

[08:25:00] a second landfall for this relentless storm. Chad, the rescues are underway, people are trying to find these evacuation centers like the

one that Rosa was at just now, and more rain, another landfall of the storm. What is going to happen next?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST AND SCIENCE REPORTER: I believe New Orleans is in the way of that landfall so is Lake Charles, Louisiana to tells you

probably have heard of, but Houston has already taken the brunt of it. Forty inches of rainfall and I can do the conversion, that's over a meter,

and that is going to continue to run off and flood Houston for months to come. It's pretty flat land here, not many hills.

So, everywhere you see the white, that is 500 millimeters of rainfall or more that has fallen in the past four days. Here's a number map, you'll see

South Houston, 1092 millimeters of rainfall. There was just a tweet from Las Vegas, really in a desert although it does rain there in the summer.

This year, that right number, is how much rainfall south Houston picked up in four days.

They said the last time we picked up that, you have to add up all the days, all the way back to 2005, for us to get that much rainfall. So what a 13-

year rainfall or 12-year rainfall in Las Vegas is a four-day rainfall in Houston. There goes the storm. It's going to make landfall again very near

Lake Charles or Port Arthur, Texas.

We are going to see some very heavy rainfall here, already seeing it right now over New Orleans, that is the town that is built below sea level. To

pump that water out when it rains, those pumps have had some problems lately, we will keep you advised at that. If a couple inches come down,

that's no problem, the pumps can handle it.

But, otherwise, if we get eight to 10 inches of rainfall, that city will be in trouble as well. There is the storm. This is the next 12 hours of

rainfall, still making rain east of Houston, all the way down to the Houston Ship Channel. This is a major petroleum production center in the

United States. And if people can't get to the petroleum production centers, they can't turn them on and they can't distill and they can't ship and they

can't put it in the pipeline.

So this is something else. Not only the surge we are worried about, but the flooding now, people actually can't even get to work. More rainfall from

Galveston to Alexandria, Louisiana. I'm only really worried here, this will drain off. This is a lot of low land. It will flood, but it will drain.

What we are really concerned about is over here in the New Orleans area because it won't drain. You can't drain an area that's below sea level. You

have to pump it out. And we'll keep watching, make sure those pumps work all day and all night. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Absolutely, and thank you for keeping tabs on this, and during slow-motion disaster. Chad Myers reporting, take care.

You're watching "News Stream." Just ahead, President Donald Trump is about to see the scale of destruction in Texas firsthand. I'll tell you what his

response to disasters have been so far from a series of tweets to asking congress for help.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream and these are your world headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The Coast Guard says it rescued more than 3,000 people in southeast Texas on Monday as floodwaters continue to rise there. It is to

believe nine deaths are now linked to Harvey. It came ashore as a hurricane on Friday and has been installed over the area, it's a tropical

storms since then.

Our forecasters just say the storm is recharging in the Gulf of Mexico and is said to do more damage in the coming days. Millions of people from

Southeast Texas to Louisiana remain under flood watch.

An emergency U.N. Security Council meeting in a few hours after fired a missile over Japan's northern island. Now sirens rang out across Hokkaido

early on Tuesday morning, urging residents to take shelter.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says this is a grave and serious threat. And U.S. President Donald Trump says all options are on the table. The

president of the European commission says that absolutely none of the documents the U.K. published ahead of the latest round of Brexit talks is

satisfactory.

Jean-Claude Juncker says there is still an enormous amount of issues to settle. According to them papers are, quote, products of hard work and

detailed thinking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now President Donald is to see the wide scale damage in Texas firsthand in the coming hours. Texas governor says the president called

him earlier to pass along to first responders the president's gratitude and how impressed he is with the disaster response.

Mister Trump says he believes Congress will act quickly to provide funding for disaster relief. Joe Johns is at the White House.

He joins us now live, and Joe, President Trump, he will soon leave the White House to go to Texas. When he gets there, what's going to be on his

agenda?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In part I think you have to say he will act on his role as the consoler-in-chief. He is expected to go first to Corpus

Christi, Texas and Sundown, get a briefing then on to the capital, Austin, Texas.

He will visit the emergency center there as well sit down with the governor and FEMA officials and talk over the response -- the federal response to

this hurricane. It's still obvious it is going to be a work in progress because the storm is not over yet and there's a lot more water to fall on

Texas, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yes, so he will be there to survey the damage from afar. He will be seeing clear of the flood zone areas like Houston, Texas.

Joe, I want to get your thoughts about funding to respond to this disaster, the question now is can Congress put aside the political discord and

division to provide disaster relief for Texas quickly? What is Trump saying?

JOHNS: That's a very good question to get back from their August recess on September 5th and there's quite a lot on their play. They have to pass

stopgap measure to keep the government operating.

They also have to increase the American government debt limit, that's always controversial and there are some Republicans on Capitol Hill who are

concerned about the dollar amounts that go through for emergency funding.

The president for his part has promised that action will be quick to help Texas and that they'll get all the money they need. So it remains to be

seen how easy that will be given all the other things on the plate of the Congressional leaders.

LU STOUT: Got it. And how President Trump is dealing with this disaster, we -- we are waiting for him to leave the White House, to leave Washington

D.C. to go to Texas as planned and scheduled today.

But he has been doing a lot of crisis communication through Twitter ever since Friday morning. The count has been and Trump has sent about two

dozen tweets about the storm, and about the floods in Texas. I want to get your thoughts on how effective this mode of crisis communication is from

the Twitter president?

JOHNS: It was brave new world, isn't it on social media?

LU STOUT: Yes.

JOHNS: The president has in some regard, trying to be the unifier for people in Texas talking about how people are getting together, neighbors

helping neighbors, but there has been an exception to that.

[08:35:00] I think an important one and that of course is the issue of the pardon of the controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The problem with that was the timing that the president's pardon came right as the storm was looming over Texa and he was immediately criticized by

some who said he did it to try to if you will, minimize the media impact of what would be regarded by some as an unpopular decision.

The president for his part of course suggests they had a news conference here at the White House that he wasn't trying to minimize it.

He thought this was going to improve the ratings of you will, suggesting perhaps he was trying to maximize the media coverage of this part.

So that has been the diversion otherwise the president has tried to unify the country and talk about Texas and essentially console, and watch very

carefully the activities of the federal government as it tries to respond to this crisis in motion.

LU STOUT: Absolutely, this is about a lot of debate as you point out about the timing of that pardon as everyone in Washington D.C. and around the

world watches Donald Trump's every move and especially how he's going to respond to the disaster in Texas.

Does the White House recognize that this is the moment -- that this is a fining moment of the Trump presidency?

JOHNS: It certainly appears that way and it certainly appears that the president understands the importance of appearing president and motivated

on this crisis because it certainly can define presidency as George W. Bush found out with Katrina in 2005.

The president clearly trying to not repeat the mistakes of the last Republican administration nonetheless it's also important to say that this

is definitely going to be a marathon.

And not a sprint the officials at FEMA say they expect to be there not months but years and that is quite a responsibility if you will for this

administration to stay focused on the issues in Texas as we forward.

LU STOUT: Absolutely, just stay focused into unite country in crisis. Joe Johns as always, we thank you for your reporting. Take care. Houston

isn't the only city in Texas dealing with the aftermath of tropical storm Harvey.

The town of La Grange Texas is more than 150 kilometers away from Houston and has seen a record-breaking flood. CNN's Miguel Marquez is there. He

filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the Colorado River here. Typically it's about quarter-mile in that direction safely in its banks.

But it is way over flood stage.

It crested at 54.5 feet. Flood stage here is considered 26 feet. So they're way over twice over flood stage here. I want to show you how high

it got here in a La Grange, Texas.

This is a shop here that was flooded not terribly, not as bad as some of them but there's the water line here for this shop.

This is a County that has several thousand people and at Fayette County, about a thousand people in total were displaced in this neighborhood and

this area about 200 homes and businesses have been completely inundated.

But the good news is for this place, the waters as high as it's going to get. It is starting to receive now but that crest is now moving down the

Colorado River, places like Columbus, Texas are in for it next.

The water there expected to cross between nine and noon central time on Tuesday. Miguel Marquez, CNN, La Grange, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. Still ahead, we've got more North Korea firing a missile over the Japanese Island of Hokkaido. We'll see how

Japan is responding, a country that has certainly no stranger to the threat posed by North Korea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: All right welcome back. You're watching News Stream and let's bring up some live pictures and in the White House right now as the U.S.

president -- well, actually you're looking at live pictures there.

The U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is at the State Department giving address joined by his German counterpart. Let's listen.

REX TILLERSON, STATE SECRETARY, UNITED STATES: (OFF-MIKE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: OK, and you just heard a few comments there from the U.S. secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, offered some words of comfort on the

back of now tropical storm then hurricane Harvey and the devastation that it caused in Texas there.

He was there with the German Foreign Minister, we'll continue to monitor for any additional reaction from him or from that meeting.

But now let's continue our coverage of Korea's first ballistic missile to pass over Japan, which happened earlier today that Tokyo has long taken

this threats on Pyongyang very seriously.

Just take at this image. This image of patriot missile defense system that Japan had deployed as part of the schedule drill and when this latest

launch came, the response was fast and it was precise. Andrew Stevens has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ANCHOR: The first warning signs rang out across Northern Japan, just after 6 A.M., followed by broadcast and the government

to take those alerts.

All saying missile launched, missile launched. It seems from North Korea evacuate to a building with the strongest structure or a basement.

Minutes later, another broadcast, the danger over the missile test. It left people on the northern island of Hokkaido shaken and the Prime

Minister in Tokyo, angry.

SHINZO ABE, TOKYO PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The missile which passed over our nation represents the greatest and gravest threat to our

nation ever. It also was an egregious threat to the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region.

STEVENS: I spoke to the media three times in as many hours. He also had a 40 minute telephone conversation with Donald Trump. The president have I

said had told him the U.S. was 100 percent with Japan.

They also discussed tough new action against Kim Jong-un's regime starting with an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. It's almost 20

years since North Korea successfully fire the missile over Japanese soil without any warning.

Previously missiles have been fired from North Korea on a state trajectory to crash back into the sea before crossing the Japanese air space, with

this provocative new move, that strategy may have changed. On the streets of Tokyo, this latest launch has come as a shock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We cannot control North Korea but as a neighboring country this feels scary, says this man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was really surprised by the evacuation warning. I thought must be a real emergency.

[08:45:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I feel really scared, we cannot stop North Korea.

STEVENS: The launch came on the very day Japan was showing off its air defense hardware, the patriot missile system or PAC-3. Japan has conducted

drills like this but this is the first time Japan's military has placed a system like this inside a U.S. base.

This symbolism could not have been played up, Yokata Airbase is the home of the American forces in Japan and having the Japanese defense forces in

here, underlines just how close they are becoming on security matters facing a common enemy.

Japan has packed three batteries in several locations across the country and as tensions rise, these types of thrills are likely to become more and

more common. Andrew Stevens, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream and coming up, tropical storm Harvey has left huge parts of America's fourth largest city virtually

unrecognizable. Up next we'll show you some of the most powerful images as Houston copes with record-breaking flooding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: OK, welcome back. You're watching News Stream. You're looking at pictures from the White House that happened just moments ago, President

Trump as also first lady preparing to leave the White House for Texas.

They're on their way to state to survey the damage from now tropical storm then hurricane Harvey. Now the president, he plans to avoid some of the

flood ravaged areas of Texas including Houston, America's fourth largest city, much of it now underwater.

This visit comes after the U.S. president told reporters on Monday that he believes Congress will put aside political division to quickly provide

disaster relief for Texas.

There you have pictures of the U.S. president, the first lady boarding the helicopter leaving the White House.

This is from the few moments ago and of course everyone in Washington and around the world, watching closely for Mister Trump's response to the storm

and to see if he can provide his words of comfort and to be a uniter -- to unite the country in this moment of crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The monster storm that is still dumping rain in Texas and Louisiana has left parts of Houston unrecognizable. Highways and entire

neighborhoods are now become rivers and waterways.

Houston is susceptible to flame because it is so flat and the heavy rain and then certain bodies of water, known as bayous are overflowing.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is also began releasing water from some dams in the western part of the city and that does make flooding worse.

One engineer said it's better to start with controlled releases then to allow uncontrolled release to go over the edge of the dam.

Emergency teams, they have been working so hard and around-the-clock, the air, boats, on the ground racing to reach victims still trapped in their

flooded homes. Our Brian Todd has been right there at some of the rescues unfold in Houston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:50:00] BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Floodwaters are still rising in Houston at its suburbs making rescues an urgent priority in house after

house, stranded residents signaling for help.

Maralyn Rice and her daughter Lisa said overnight, the waters in their house rose and rose.

MARALYN RICE, HOUSTON FLOOD VICTIM: Everything started floating and we picked up what we could try to save but it didn't do no good because the

water just took over everything.

TODD: They were up all night and were huddled on the hood of their car until they were rescued by good Samaritans. What do you say to these

gentlemen here?

RICE: Thank god of these gentlemen.

TODD: Another resident, Beverly Johnson was waiting on her car since last night when it was too dark for rescue teams to see. The rescue who were

leading this is Seth Roberts says he came to this neighborhood last night and try to find people.

Try to get people out of their home, he said, it got pitched black, he couldn't find anyone to rescue because he just couldn't see anything.

These people have been waiting on their cars since last night and Seth and his team finally I got to them.

Flood rescues are the top priority now in Texas as rain from hurricane Harvey continues to pour down. Houston's mayor says more than 2,100 people

have been rescued from high water, some even by Coast Guard helicopter.

But countless more have been saved by private individuals which the head of FEMA said could make all the difference.

BROCK LONG, ADMINISTRATOR, FEMA: We need the whole community, not only the federal government forces but this is a whole community effort from all

levels of government and it's going to require to citizens getting involved.

TODD: Private individuals have stepped up using jet skis, paddles, even canoes, rescued families carrying what little they can with their most

precious valuables in plastic bags.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much water is in your house?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About 7 feet maybe.

TODD: This comparison by the New York Times shows how deep the water is just west of downtown Houston. On the left is a normal day and on the

right, was the flooding now.

Flooding will only worsen in the coming days. Forecasters say about 25 inches more rain could fall in addition to about 25 inches that has already

come down.

More than 6,000 victims have already been evacuated to centers in Houston and Friendswood, and authorities are bracing for that to reach up to 30,000

as flooding worsens on the continuing rain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to have to leave because it's just too much water.

TODD: Overnight, authorities made an excruciating choice intentionally releasing water from two dams in West Houston because they are so full.

MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON: If they don't do it, let's say they hold back the water and it deals up, and then it will be full, it will go

around attics, and the situation would be exponentially worse.

TODD: But that means even more floodwaters will hit the neighborhood downstream. We've got to go. The water is coming up really fast.

Residents downstream force evacuate even though their streets are not flooded, yet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have given until no time. It's already up, so we're out.

TODD: The leader of the rescue team we were with, estimates he has pulled hundreds of people from their homes so far and his work is not done yet.

Authorities are also telling people in those neighborhoods to put large towels -- display large towels outside their windows so that rescuers can

get to them because in these conditions, address is almost impossible to find. Brian Todd, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: All right, U.S. President Donald Trump is making his way to Texas. You're looking at live pictures from dumpees, Andrew is there in

Maryland, helicopter is there.

We are waiting for Donald Trump and the first lady to emerge, and to step on the plane, and to go to Texas. Moments ago, we showed you that video

that was recorded from the White House lawn showing you Donald Trump and Melania Trump as he prepared for this visit.

They are going there to Texas to survey damage from this biggest national disaster since he took office, hurricane Harvey. President Trump says that

he believes Congress will move quickly to provide disaster relief from the White House.

On Monday he said this, to the people of Texas and to the people of Louisiana, we are 100 percent with you. The governor of Texas Greg Abbott

says that President Trump called him earlier and want to make sure that he passed along the words to first responders on how impressed the president

is with their response to the storm in Texas,

But we are waiting for the U.S. president to emerge along with the first lady to make that trip to Texas, to review recovery efforts there in the

wake of hurricane Harvey. He may travel to San Antonio, Austin, Texas.

He will be avoiding flood ravage areas including Houston and as the cameramen wipes off the lens, we are waiting for the U.S. president to

emerge and to come down the steps in the helicopter there.

Everyone in Washington and around the world closely watching this moment just what immediately is happening here but how will he continue to respond

to the storm, you know.

We know that since Friday morning, President Trump has sent about over two dozen tweets about Harvey, broadcasting an image that he's vigilant, that

he's on top of things.

[08:55:00] That he's you know, control in crisis mutations during this very testing time for the United States, especially for the people of Texas in

affected areas like Galveston and Houston.

But also what has become a defining moment perhaps for the Trump Presidency. We heard earlier from CNN's Joe Johns reporting from the White

House how -- that the White House recognizes that this is a moment for President Trump -- a defining moment of the Trump Presidency.

His first major natural disaster that he must provide words of comfort, to be comforter in chief, as well as to unite the country after much political

division discord.

There you see U.S. President Donald Trump along with First Lady Melania Trump holding their umbrellas as they move from the helicopter to Air Force

One leaving Washington for Texas where they are set to -- to survey the storm damage, to review the rescue relief recovery efforts and to perhaps

from a comfort for -- for the people of Texas during this very, very trying time.

He is traveling to Austin, primarily Democratic city but at this time, it's a time to put politics aside and to really focus on the needs of the

displaced on the thousands of people as you saw earlier where house and evacuation centers like you is on the Houston Convention Center.

Where our Rosa Flores was reporting earlier who are thankfully provided for that are still waiting for help and waiting for answers about what will

happen once when the floodwater is received they any have to figure how to rebuild their lives.

Live pictures there, U.S. president on board the plane and that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout but don't go anywhere. CNN Money with Maggie

Lake is next.

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END