Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

North Korea Nuclear Tensions; School Fire; Rohingya Refugee Crisis; Trump White House; Aftermath of Irma ; Russia and Belarus kick off military exercises; Clinton: Comey blew email probe out of proportion; Trump denies making new deal with Democrats. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired September 14, 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."

South Korea's president tells us he does not want to trigger a nuclear arms race. We'll have more from President Moon's first T.V. interview since the

north's latest missile test.

Desperately seeking shelter and medical aid. We hear from some of the Rohingya refugees who are now in Bangladesh after fleeing violence at home.

A sense of hopelessness in the hurricane-ravaged islands of the Caribbean. Many people are now worried about dwindling food and and water supplies.

We begin with the sweeping promise from the leader of South Korea in the face of an increasingly bold North Korea. President Moon Jae-in says that

there will be nuclear weapons in his country. He spoke to CNN in his first T.V. interview since Pyongyang claimed it successfully tested a hydrogen

bomb. It was believed to be the regime's biggest nuclear test yet, prompting a fury diplomacy focus on how to reign in Kim Jong-un.

The top U.S. diplomat, Rex Tillerson, is in London where he met with Prime Minister Theresa May to discuss the ongoing threat. Let's turn now with a

view from South Korea.

Paula Hancocks joins us from Seoul where she just spoke to the president of South Korea earlier today. Paula, tells us more about what President Moon

told you, especially about building up his nation's arsenal in the face of the North Korean nuclear threat.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, President Moon Jae-in was very clear, saying that there would be no nuclear weapons in

South Korea. He also mentioned that his government policy hasn't changed when it came to talking to North Korea. He said he still supports dialogue,

but the reason he is focusing more on pressure and sanctions right now is because he is trying to prevent war breaking out.

He says it is now up to North Korea to try and make the right conditions for peace and for talking and dialogue. He also spoke about the sixth

nuclear test happening just last week. I asked him for his reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOON JAE-IN, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA (through translator): The North Korea continues to make very wrong decisions. So, I'm very frustrated and I'm

saddened to see this. It's a very reckless choice made by North Korea that is not helpful to North Korea itself or inter-Korean relations and

threatens world peace.

HANCOCKS (on camera): Kim Jong-un has stated he will never give up his nuclear weapons. It is part of state's ideology. He has written it into the

constitution. Do you truly believe that you can convince Kim Jong-un to give up nuclear weapons?

JAE-IN (through translator): I believe maybe North Korea through its development of its nuclear program wants to guarantee regime security and

maybe North Korea through being accepted as a nuclear power state wants to sit down at a negotiating table with the U.S. for North Korean-U.S.

normalization. However, the international community will never accept a nuclear North Korea and in particular, my country will never accept a

nuclear North Korea.

HANCOCKS (on camera): Mr. President, South Korea relies on the United States for the nuclear umbrella, the protection from Washington, but now

the United States is potentially at threat from North Korea as well. Is it time for South Korea to have its own nuclear weapons?

JAE-IN (through translator): We need to develop our military capabilities in the face of North Korea's nuclear advancement. I do not agree that South

Korea needs to develop our own nuclear weapons or relocate technical nuclear weapons in the face of North Korea's nuclear threat. To respond to

North Korea by having our own nuclear weapons will not maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and could lead to a nuclear arms race in northeast

Asia.

HANCOCKS (on camera): Mr. President, we certainly sent a stronger military response from South Korea to the North Korean tests, the long-range missile

tests, the decapitation drills. Does South Korea have an assassination squad that's ready to take out Kim Jong-un if need be?

JAE-IN (through translator): South Korea and the U.S. have firmed combined defense capabilities to neutralize a threat in the early stage if North

Korea actually make nuclear or missile provocation. However, we do not have a hostile policy towards North Korea, we do not have the intention to

attack North Korea, and we do not have the intention to reunify the Korean Peninsula in an artificial way or in the manner of absorption.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:05:00] HANCOCKS: I also asked the president about the U.N. Security Council resolution early this week, the sanctions to cap the amount of

crude oil or petroleum going into North Korea. He said that those sanctions were unprecedented, but if they don't work and they don't stop the

provocations from North Korea, they can also be tightened, saying there is much more that they can do. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Yes, that will certainly be up for discussion next week when President Moon goes to New York for the U.N. general assembly. I want to

get your additional thoughts on that mind from the president -- the South Korean president making a pledge that there will be no nuclear weapons in

his country. How that squares his popular opinion in South Korea, I mean, given the threat posed by North Korea, its advancing nuclear prowess, is

there a greater appetite for yes having a nuclear deterrent inside South Korea?

HANCOCKS: You know, it's interesting, Kristie, a year ago, we wouldn't have been having this conversation. There was barely anybody who was talking

about it publicly. It was definitely a minority of South Korea that was considering tactical nuclear weapons or any kind of individual or

unilateral program to be even considered. But now, it is being talked about in the national assembly, in parliament.

The defense minister was asked about it and said potentially they could look into it. There was a recent Gallup poll which showed that of those

polled, more than 60 percent said they wanted nuclear weapons or they thought it was a good idea.

So that is definitely a growing core for this within the country, but President Moon Jae-in has effectively put that to a stop right now by

saying he will not consider it. It will not happen. Kristie?

LU STOUT: All right. Paula Hancocks reporting live from South Korea after interview with the president of South Korea, his first T.V. interview since

North Korea's sixth and latest and most powerful nuclear test. Paula Hancocks, thank you.

CNN's Will Ripley just came back from North Korea, and he is giving us a glimpse into the secretive nation on Instagram. There, you will find

pictures showing snapshots of life in Pyongyang such as this one showing high school students playing on the beach. And this was showing a man who

claims that he is a Buddhist monk in a country where religion is discouraged. You can find that on Will's Instagram account, willripleyCNN.

This weekend, Will is giving us another exclusive look inside North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Down another windy road, another sight North Koreans consider sacred, a cabin near Mount

Paektu, North Korea claims is the birthplace of General Kim Jong-il. Outside, historians say he was actually born in Russia. But here, our guide

tells the story of his supposedly mystical birth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): So it was really cold and the weather was not normal, but somehow the day the general was born, the

strong winds stopped all of a sudden. The sun began shining through. Everything was bright. And the quiet calm took over. The flowers bloomed.

And in the sky was a particularly bright star.

RIPLEY: Is that a legend or did that actually happen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Yes, it actually happened. It's not a legend. Our general is really a person who heaven sent to us. So he

changed the weather too. It's a true story.

RIPLEY: People from the outside hear the stories and they wonder how any of these could possibly be true.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's hard to explain in one word, but our general is so great. We can't say it's only a legend. Nature

actually transformed itself to announce the birth of our general to the whole world, blessing it. That's how it happened.

RIPLEY (voice-over): I realized, for North Koreans, this is their faith. Just like the Bible, Quran or Torah. When they come to Mount Paektu,

they're making a pilgrimage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Watch "The Secret State: Inside North Korea." It airs this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. in Hong Kong, 9:00 p.m. in Seoul. Only on CNN.

Malaysian officials are investigating a deadly school fire in Kuala Lumpur. At least 21 students and two adults were killed when flames tore through

the religious school on Thursday morning. Witness said children were trying to kick open grills covering the windows, but just couldn't get out.

Officials say the school's license was under review and it wasn't even supposed to be in operation. It is believed the student victims were all

teenagers.

The government of Myanmar says almost 40 percent of villages were Rohingya Muslims used to live are now empty. A security crackdown in Rakhine State

sparked a mass exodus. Some 380,000

[08:10:00] Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in just the past few weeks. On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council condemned the violence. The U.N. chief

says something must be done to stop it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: The humanitarian situation is catastrophic. When we met last week, there was 125,000

Rohingya refugees who have fled into Bangladesh. Death number is now tripled to nearly 380,000. Many are staying in makeshift settlements or

with those communities who are generally sharing what they have. But women and children are arriving hungry and malnourished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The The journey across the border to Bangladesh is filled with dangers. Alexandra Field visited a hospital in Chittagong to talk with

Rohingya refugees who are being treated there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is no way that you can't see or feel the pain of this crisis more than at this hospital. We

are seeing Rohingya men, women, and children who tell us that they have lost their families, run for their lives, there's nothing left in their

homes, and the ones who are here are the most badly injured.

I spoke to a doctor. He tells me that he is seeing victims with gunshot wounds. He is seeing landmine injuries. I spoke to one woman. She is 30

years old. She says that she was shot while she was trying to escape, trying to run to safety from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Her three young

children were shot and killed at her side. In total, she lost five members of her family.

A 13-year-old girl talks about the fact that she was trying to escape on foot for 10 days, she was half an hour from the safety of Bangladesh when

she was shot. Her mother took three bullets. Another man who is the victim of a landmine explosion has lost parts of both of his legs, he is here at

the hospital. He keeps pointing to his face. He is saying something and the doctor translated. He tells us that this man is pointing to his eyes and

saying that he can't see. He's gone blind.

There are more than 100 Rohingya refugees who are now being treated at this hospital. More than 370,000 Rohingyas have crossed the border into

Bangladesh from Myanmar since violence broke out in Myanmar towards the end of August. The government there says they're conducting a clearance

operation targeting militants. But the refugees that I am speaking to here say that they have come under attack from a military that has set fire to

their villages, set fire to their homes, and shot at them while they're trying to run with their families for their lives.

They're here right now trying to heal. They are being treated by doctors. Once they leave here, they tell me, they don know where they're going.

Their best guess is that they will be sent back to overcrowded and under- prepared refugee camps where surviving members of their families may have ended up by now. That's the best hope that they tell me that they have for

now. Alexandra Field, CNN, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A heartbreaking reality for the victims of the violence. We have devoted a special section of our website to the crisis coming out of

Myanmar to learn more about the Rohingya minority, the controversy over their history, and updates on how the world is responding. You can find it

at cnn.com/rohingya.

Question, did President Donald Trump make another deal with the Democrats? Well, that depends on who you ask. We have a live report from Washington

straight ahead.

And authorities, they want answers on the deaths of at least eight nursing home residents after Hurricane Irma hit Florida. How a power outage may be

to blame.

[08:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: We are live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is "News Stream." U.S. President Donald Trump is heading to Florida to assess the aftermath

of Hurricane Irma. But before leaving Washington, he denied claims that he has made another deal with Democrats.

Democrats say Mr. Trump agreed to protect undocumented migrants who came to the United States as children. They also say he agreed to border security

legislation that does not include a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

President Trumps says there was no deal, so who is telling the truth? Senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns is standing by with the latest.

Joe, what happened here? I mean, did President Trump strike a deal with the Democrats or not?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, it certainly sounded at least like an agreement to agree and also seemed like it was

signaling where the president was going on this issue. But this morning here in Washington, he tweeted firmly that there was no deal and that

occurred after strong objection from some of the president's strongest conservative reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): Democratic leaders are hailing another agreement with President Trump to protect hundreds of thousands of DREAMers from being

deported in exchange for beefed-up border security. Key details about the agreement are unknown, but we do know it does not include the president's

controversial border wall.

House and senate Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi say, "we agree to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly and to work out

a package of border security, excluding the wall, that's acceptable to both sides."

But White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders disputes their characterization, tweeting, "while DACA and border security were both

discussed, excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to."

A senior administration official tells CNN the wall discussions were the same as the White House publicly suggested this week. The president will

keep pushing for a wall, but it doesn't have to be part of this agreement.

The framework hashed out at a White House dinner over Chinese food with Pelosi and Schumer. They were joined by eight others to discuss tax reform,

DACA, and health care. Notably absent, the top Republicans in congress: the senate majority leader and the speaker of the house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not also invite Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan?

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Look, you've got the leader of the Republican Party sitting at the table.

JOHNS (voice-over): This potential deal on DREAMers comes after comes after the president infuriated his own party last week when he brokered a three-

month deal to raise the debt ceiling and speed up relief funding for hurricane victims. But the president insists there's no reason to be

skeptical.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: More and more, we're trying to work things out together. It's a positive thing, and it's good for the

Republicans and good for the Democrats.

JOHNS (voice-over): The new approach a far cry from his usually harsh rhetoric.

TRUMP: I think the losers are Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: Now, about those conservative supporters and reporters would certainly include Breitbard, the conservative website here in the United

States, overnight, labeling President Trump amnesty Don, two words that went viral on social media.

Another conservative congressman here in Washington, Steve King, indicated that if an associated press report on this issue was true, the president's

base is blown up, destroyed, irreparable, disillusioned beyond repair. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Incredible to hear the criticism coming from Breitbart and from Trump's own base. Now, the bigger here, Joe, deal or no deal, what does it

mean, this ongoing trend of Trump sidelining his own party and making deals with the Democrats? What does this mean?

JOHNS: Well, it's a clear indication that the president wants to get things done. He knows how difficult it has been to get signature legislation

through the congress. So, it appears, number one,

[08:20:00] that he is trying to get some things done. He is also sending a very clear signal to Republicans on Capitol Hill that they need to get

their act together to work with him. He has been very disappointed with both the speaker of the house and the majority leader, Mitch McConnell. So,

it's a signal to them and Republicans on Capital Hill that if his own party won't work with him, he will work with the Democrats.

LU STOUT: Joe Johns reporting live from the White House. Thank you, Joe.

Now, turning to the challenges and dangers that are just beginning in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Authorities suspect a power outage may be to blame

for the death of at least eight residents of a nursing home in Florida.

The home said it was prepared for the storm with a working generator and a week's worth of food and water, but it may not have been prepared for Irma

to knock out the air conditioning in the oppressive heat.

For three days, staff scrambled to keep the residents hydrated and cool. They were kept in hallways near portable air-conditioning units and fans.

Early on Wednesday morning, the facility was finally evacuated after three calls to 911 over residents in distress. The deaths prompted checks of

other nursing homes in the area as well and the criminal investigation has been launched.

Over three million customers in Florida are still without power. The death toll for Hurricane Irma is now at 77. While Florida fears it could take

weeks to restore power, in the Caribbean, it could take many months. On parts of the British Virgin Islands, 90 percent of the homes there are

severely damaged. The U.K. has pledged $75 million in aid and hundreds of military troops and police officers.

CNN's Polo Sandoval tells us how the island of Tortola is coping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Tortola's east end was no hiding from Hurricane Irma's wrath.

ROBINSON GUZMAN, RESIDENT OF TORTOLA: The roof, gone. Gone.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): The eye of the deadly storm swept across the largest of the British Virgin Islands just over a week ago. Wicked winds consumed

this once lush countryside. As Robinson Guzman describes it, it's as if a bomb went off in the middle of this Caribbean paradise.

GUZMAN: If I look around with a different island, it's like a fire feeling with the island. We'll lose the island. That's really terrible.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): This is the reality for the island of Tortola and its residents. Irma destroyed infrastructure. Critical supplies like food,

water, and fuel are limited.

GUZMAN: We need international help because the island is destroyed completely.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): The damage only seems to worsen as we drive down the winding hillside roads into the island's capital. Crippled communications

are sending residents to phone and internet businesses, their only hope of connecting with the outside world, picking up a wi-fi signal. Not far from

here, we found one of Guzman's neighbors facing a challenge of her own.

SHAMMICA STEVENS, RESIDENT OF TORTOLA: Need prayers. Pray for us. Pray for us.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Shammica Stevens waited hours with her son for medicine at a local hospital.

STEVENS: I don't know. I can't talk anymore because it's so devastating. I've never seen my country like this.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Back at Steven's east side community, neigbors seem to be coming together.

GUZMAN: We got to stay here, to help the island stand up. We got to rebuild it and make it again.

SANDOVAL (voice-over): Amid the rubble, there are signs of resilience of rebuilding. Though these islanders have a long way to go, they're already

on the path toward restoring their paradise. Polo Sandoval, CNN, on the British Virgin Island of Tortola.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: The U.S. and European governments have stepped up their efforts in the Caribbean, but many victims of Hurricane Irma say that they still

feel abandoned. Clarissa Ward is in the hard hit island of St. Martin. She joins us now live. Clarissa, are residents fending for themselves? I mean,

how much food, health supplies is there for them on the island?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to the residents that we have been speaking to, Kristie, basically the role that the French

military and authorities who have been kind of managing relief efforts here have been playing so far is to supply some minimal rations in terms of food

and drinking water.

The rest at this stage is up to the locals and you really see that. I want to show you some drone footage right now that we've managed to shoot

yesterday after we arrived. It's just extraordinary, from up above, you really get a sense of those powerful winds of Hurricane Irma, how they just

battered this island.

[08:25:00] You can also see residents have been trying to clear some of this debris themselves by hand often. And the real concern though now, if

you can see along that street there, bags and bags and bags of garbage, Kristie. I'm talking more garbage I think I have ever seen in my life. The

smell was just choking. Putrid trash smell. And of course, the big concern is where you have trash, you have rats. Where you have rats, you have

disease.

We spoke to one local who said they have already seen a lot of rats now. And their real fear is that there is potentially going to be some kind of

outbreak. Because in addition to the huge problem with trash, you are also seeing a real problem with sanitation. There is no running water here.

That means, there is no way for people to dispose of human waste. They haven't yet been able to bring in sort of disposable chemical toilets.

Those will be particularly essential at this sort of choke points like the airport and a checkpoint that has been set up about just under a mile away

from the airport to cope with the volume of people, the crush of people who are trying to get out of here every day.

So, it is still a desperate situation here, Kristie. People can't even really think about trying to move on with their lives. I asked one man, I

said, do you live here? He said, we're surviving. So, I think that tells you what you really need to know there, Kristie.

LU STOUT: You are describing this as a desperate situation there on the island. You know, people are very afraid of potential outbreak of disease.

Clarissa, there have also been report of looting. On top of all, growing lawlessness on St. Martin after the hurricane.

WARD: So, to give the authorities here some credit, the military has flown in hundreds and hundreds of personnel. I believe it's now over a thousand

militarily personnel. They do appear to be getting a grip on the security situation. They are going out on patrols every day. There has been a curfew

which has been in place from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. every single night. That curfew is not supposed to happen tonight because the situation in the

past few days does appear to have improved.

But for those first few days, Kristie, we spoke to a lot of people who said it was downright scary. There were just gangs of men roaming around,

looting. Many of them carrying machetes. We saw one man ourselves yesterday carrying a machete down the street. You know, he didn't appear to be

attempting to do anything with that machete.

But still, obviously, unnerving. What it meant was all the food in those stores, all the medicines in those pharmacies, all of that was looted. All

of it is gone. That leaves locals of course in a very vulnerable position. But as I said, security situation does appear to be improving as the French

military stages these patrols, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Good to hear that the security situation has improved as you have been reporting. Still not enough food, water. Sanitation is

dire as well. And all of that has to be addressed to avoid just another tragedy, another disaster hitting the island. Clarissa Ward reporting live

for us. Thank you so much and take care.

You are watching "News Stream." Still to come, Russia is carrying out a massive show of fire power and military prowess with Belarus. Why these war

games are drawing international attention, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00] 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: South Korea's President Moon Jae-in tells CNN that there will be no nuclear weapon in his country. This is having such weapons could lead

to a nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia. He also says South Korea needs to further develop its military capabilities in the face of the North's

actions.

U.S. President Donald Trump denies that he's made another deal with the Democrats but Democratic Congressional leader is saying Mr. Trump has

agreed to enshrine DACA protections into law for undocumented migrants brought to the U.S. as children. They also said that he's agreed on a

border security package that does not include a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The government of Myanmar says almost 40 percent of Rohingya villages in Rakhine State are now empty. The ethnic minority have been fleeing is

security crackdown over the past few weeks.

Presidential spokesman said the Rohingya abandoned their homes after family members linked to terrorist told them to leave. The people who have fled,

these civilians are being tortured and killed in the security cracked down.

At least 21 students and two adults were killed in a fire in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Police have said they saw children trapped inside, unable to

kick open grills covering the windows. Others have said the religious school's license was under review and it should not have been operating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Russia has just kicked off during war games at Belarus. It is called Zapad 2017 and it will spread out across nine training sites. It is

said to be Russia's biggest war games since 2013.

Moscow says about 12,700 service members are taking part. It is expected to be a show of firepower by Russia and with up to 70 military aircraft and

helicopters in the skies in the next two days, as well as about 250 tanks and 10 warships.

NATO is keeping a close eye on the war games and for more on this, standing by is CNN contributor Jill Dougherty, she joins us live in Moscow. And

Jill, tell us more about what's happening during these massive military exercises and what are Russia's main objectives here?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, what is happening is we have forces from Russia and from Belarus uniting in a test of whether they can work

together and whether they can project the firepower that used -- you are talking about in an area which is located in Russia and Belarus.

It's a demonstration of what they can do, how they can be coordinated. It's a message to the west that unconventional power. They have changed

that they are now a modern fighting force.

And it could also be warning. Some in that region, especially the Baltic countries are taking it as a threat. Now I think it's important to point

out that NATO is on the other side, watching this very carefully.

And so far NATO, the Secretary-General of NATO, Mr. Stoltenberg says, they see no imminent threat. So why there is tension, well during number of

reasons, Kristie. And I think you just have to look at the location of where this is taking place.

Obviously this is the Russian border. They have a right to be exercising and practicing on that border but it happens to be right in a neighborhood

with a lot of -- a lot of tension between the Baltic, Ukraine, Poland is very sensitive area. So that's one point.

And then there are others that the number of forces is dispirited. The Russians are saying they have to combine 12,700 forces combined, Belarusian

forces and Russian.

And why that is significant is that according to agreements with OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, if they get to 13,000.

[08:35:00] They have to open it up observers who can do the command from NATO, who could talk with the soldiers, observe, et cetera.

And so they are just under that ceiling, and NATO was saying that they believe they actually have more forces than simply call it, 12,700 and that

is that really is a point that illustrates the lack of trust on both sides which is another exacerbating point in all of this, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yes, this round of major military exercises comes at a very interesting time when Russia's relations of the West are at an all-time low

and a time to build of strength for Vladimir Putin and for Russia. So what do these drills mean for Russia? Is this a showcase of Russian national

power?

DOUGHERTY: Well, yes, but I mean, you could get even more specific. I think if you look at what Russia has, that state of its military since,

let's say 2008 when there was a war with Georgia.

And even just a few years ago in Ukraine, they are quite a different army at this point with military. They are much more sophisticated. Their

weapons are better. Their training of their military is better.

So I think that you have a message from Russia saying to the West, look, we have now a conventional force which is where they have been weak in

comparison to NATO that they are much stronger, that they can project power and also, you know, it's a warning.

I think it have to say that they can move into that area very quickly. And than raises a lot of this issues, because the area involved -- there is an

area that's called, the Suwalki Gap and that is a very narrow split of land that goes between NATO countries and the Baltic.

It is very vulnerable, should Russia want to take action in the Baltic which Russia says it does not. But this is what we're talking about. It's

a message for Russia on both an immediate military bases and then a larger picture that Russia really is now a very much a conventional force to

reckon with.

LU STOUT: Jill Dougherty live from Moscow with us. Thank you, Jill. You're watching News Stream, and still to come, defeated U.S. presidential

candidate, Hillary Clinton is speaking out about the election. She had a lot to say to out Anderson Cooper. Stick around for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear that he is no fan of former FBI Director James Comey, but neither is Hillary Clinton. She

discussed the election, Comey, and host of other issues in a wide-ranging interview with our Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You said about Jim Comey that he shivved you...

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes.

COOPER: ... which is a very -- I mean that's a strong word.

CLINTON: It is a strong.

COOPER: And it also implies that this was a personal or that he was trying to get you.

CLINTON: He's never been clear about his motivation. And what bothered me the most as the time went on after the election is, and we learned more

about the open FBI investigation into the Trump campaign and their connections with Russia, that had been going on for quite some time.

[08:40:00] The American people didn't know about it. He was specifically asked, why didn't you tell the American people about that investigation?

And he said, well, because it was too close to an election.

So ask yourself, a closed investigation that ended the prior July, an ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia, one deserves to

be blown out of all proportion, nothing to be found one more time.

And the American people don't have the information that there is a legitimate investigation going on about Trump and Russia before they vote.

COOPER: Do you think it is personal?

CLINTON: I have no idea.

COOPER: Do you think that was personal?

CLINTON: I can't inherently tell you. I know that there had to be some pressure on him because Rudy Giuliani announced two days before that letter

came out, that something big was coming in two days.

And people have speculated was he under pressure from Giuliani and others within the FBI or the broader law enforcement community. I don't speculate

on it. I just talk about how really hard to understand it was and the impact that it have.

COOPER: Well one of the things though that Director Comey gave for that press conference in July was the meeting that your husband had on tarmac

with the attorney general -- Attorney General Lynch.

You're right about it in the book but what you don't mention in the book is what you said to your husband when you heard about that meting.

CLINTON: I didn't hear about it for days because it was so inconsequential to both of them and then when I heard about it, I didn't really think much

of it, and I think this was a rationalization that was used for being able to do what he did.

But you know, what's important to me going forward is I say, I think it's important to focus on what happened because lessons can be learned but the

more important lessons that will affect our democracy going forward and not about him and his investigation.

He I think forever changed history but that's in the past. What's important is the fact that the Russians are still going at us. He himself

admitted that before Congress. People I really respect like that Jim Clapper and John Brennan, and others who knew what the Russians were doing,

have been sounding the alarm.

I will tell you this, Anderson, if I had been elected president under the same circumstances, so that you know I lost the popular vote, I speak to

the Electoral College and evidence came up that the Russians for whatever reason were trying to help me.

I would've said on the first day in office we're going to launch the most thorough investigation, no nation particularly an adversary nation can mess

with our democracy.

I would've had an independent commission. I would have done everything I could to get to the bottom of it because it's not going to stop.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that Anderson Cooper speaking to Hillary Clinton. We want to update you on the bog story coming out, the Washington this day, U.S.

President Trump visit in to Florida to assess the aftermath of hurricane.

But before leaving Washington, he denied claims that he's made another deal with Democrats. Well the Democrats say that Mr. Trump agreed to protect

undocumented migrants who came to the U.S. as children.

They also said that he agreed to border security legislation that does not include a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. He address that a short time ago

before heading to Florida. Let's tack a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, we're working on a plan that could be getting national border involved. We're working on a

plan for DACA. People want to see that happen. You have 800,000 young people brought here most long of their own.

So we're working on plan. We'll see how it works out but we're going to get national border security as part of that and I think something is going

to happen. We'll see what happens but something will happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quick question about Florida with nearly 5 million people concern about power (OFF-MIKE), can you address a decision so that

it doesn't happen in the future.

TRUMP: Yes, they are doing a great job on power. They are doing a great job. Historically, there's never gone anything like this but the United

States alongside FEMA, working along with Governor Scott, they certainly done an amazing job.

And power is being repair on rapidly. The power company -- we have the largest assemble of human beings ever in one area of power, and rapidly

it's being repaired on, so we're very happy with that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: The wall with come later. We're right now renovating large sections of wall, massive sections, making it brand new. We're doing a lot

of renovations. We're building (Inaudible) for example of the wall that you would like we're going to do and the wall that's going to be built that

it will be some a little bit later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As to Florida a real quick.

TRUMP: Well, we want to get national border security and I think that both Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, I think they are here with it.

[08:45:00] But we've met last night with you know, Schumer, Pelosi and the whole group and I think we're clearly close but we have to get national

border security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there anything (OFF-MIKE)...

TRUMP: Oh, I think he's on board, yes. Mitch is on board, Paul Ryan is on board, we all feel -- look, 92 percent of the people agree on DACA but what

we want is want very, very powerful border security, OK? We're going down to Florida. We'll see you in Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: OK, fresh sound from the U.S. president that we have slide in there. U.S. President Donald Trump on route to Florida to survey hurricane

Irma devastation there but saying that there is no new deal with the Democrats, but he is working on a deal when it comes to DACA. So we'll

watch the space.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout but don't go anywhere, World Sport with Alex Thomas is next.

END