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Second Arrest in London Tube Terror Attack; North Korea Threat; Trump White House; Hurricane Irma's Aftermath; Hamas to End Association with Fatah; Rallies and Protests Fill Capitol Mall; Myanmar Crisis; Preview of 69th Emmys. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired September 17, 2017 - 05:00   ET

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


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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Forty-eight hours and two arrests later, Britain's terror level remains at critical. The latest from Scotland Yard's investigation into the bombing in a London tube Friday.

Also ahead this hour, the Paris climate accord.

Is the U.S. in or out?

The White House denies reports that President Trump is reconsidering plans to back out of the deal, this as the U.S. president prepares to speak to world leaders. His first U.N. general assembly session.

And in the Atlantic, three major storms now churning as the Caribbean islands struggle to recover from Hurricane Irma.

Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, we want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: We begin with breaking news this hour out of the United Kingdom. Authorities say they have arrested a second person in the investigation in the London tube bombing. Earlier in the day authorities arrested an 18-year-old suspect at the port of Dover. Police say the area was searched. They say a number of items were recovered.

They're also searching an address in this area west of London. Officials say the current terrorism threat in the United Kingdom remains at critical. That is the highest level. This is what a police official had to say about potential attacks -- listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a very considerable threat. My colleagues in the intelligence agencies would say that this is a shift in threat. It's not a spike. I won't go on in detail about that but it is a changed threat.

That does not, by any means, necessarily mean that people have to get used. In fact, God forbid, that they should get used to repeated attacks. We're doing everything we can. We're working really closely with the government.

There's clearly a lot of soul-searching that is going on and needs to go on about how we can really reduce this threat to a much, much lower level as soon as we possibly can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Let's get the latest live now from London. CNN's Nina dos Santos following this investigation and live this hour.

Nina, what is the significance of these latest developments?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: The fact that there's a second arrest here that's been made is being viewed as rather significant because, obviously, it widens the potential net here. Authorities saying that they're keeping a very open mind about whether or not this could have been a wider network than just one individual.

And we know that this individual who's been arrested late yesterday evening but we only heard about it about an hour or so ago, George, is a 21-year-old man, who was arrested, as you mentioned there, in the borough of Houndslow in West London; That's about nine miles away from Parsons Green.

And this adds to the 18-year-old man, who was arrested in the port of Dover. Earlier on, on Saturday, authorities again not releasing his identity or the identity of the 21-year-old. We do know that throughout the course of yesterday afternoon and still into the course of today, a property at Sunbury-upon-Thames about 12 miles away from Central London again, to the west of the capital, is under lockdown. It has been searched by police officers.

There's been a lot of speculation about who resides at that property and a lot of talk in the British media about how it is home to an elderly couple, who have been known for fostering children all the way back since the 1970s.

They've reportedly received accolades from the queen herself for their foster work and taken in a number of refugee children, including those from war-torn parts of the Middle East and also Africa.

That has not been confirmed by the Metropolitan Police. At this hour, all they're telling us is that that search in that property at Sunbury-upon-Thames is still underway and the home secretary Amber Rudd, who said it's too early to say at this stage who these individuals are publicly and whether they were known to authorities before being arrested under the suspicion of preparing to commit terrorist attacks.

They're currently being held at a South London police station -- George. HOWELL: OK, so that's the latest on the investigation, Nina. But we heard the police official just a short time ago mention the fact that the terror level, it is at critical, you know, the question for many people, how long will it remain that high?

So all of this pressure on the prime minister, how is the prime minister handling so much pressure, given the latest attacks and this heightened threat level?

DOS SANTOS: She is the only prime minister in the last 12 years to have faced a concerted security, high security level, concerted level of threats to this country, let's put it plainly. With five attacks taking place in the United Kingdom so far this year under Theresa May's time and also four of them targeting the British capital, this is the most sustained period of insecurity that this country and the --

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DOS SANTOS: -- capital city has faced, all the way back since the heyday of the IRA bombing campaigns in the 1970s.

And that is something that is being personally directed toward her as criticism for her time as home secretary, when she famously cut salaries, curbed salaries for police officers, including some here at New Scotland Yard and also cut the police force down by around about 20 percent.

So those decisions are coming back to haunt her once again, as they did at the aftermath of the Manchester attack. But as you quite rightly point out, the situation is still at a critical level when it comes to the security threat.

That means that another attack could be imminent from here, despite these arrests. Authorities have not decided to reduce that security threat level although it is constantly under review.

The Metropolitan Police will tell you and it normally stays at a critical level when it is upscaled to this for about two to three days, based on what we've seen after the last time it was raised in the aftermath of the Manchester attack. Whether or not now that there is a second arrest that has been made, it will stay at critical or come down. We'll just have to see from here -- George.

HOWELL: Nina dos Santos, live in London, following this investigation, again, a second person arrested in this case. We'll stay in touch with you, Nina, thank you.

More pressure on North Korea through sanctions. That was the agreement made between the president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, and the U.S. president, Donald Trump, during a phone call just hours ago.

The two leaders condemned North Korea's latest missile test on Friday and they also discussed the need for Washington and Seoul to work more closely together moving forward.

The leaders plan to continue their discussions when they meet later this week for the U.N. general assembly session in New York.

The Trump White House says it has not changed its position on quitting the Paris climate accord.

Earlier, a European diplomat told reporters it appeared the U.S. had softened its position on the issue. He said U.S. officials had indicated recently the United States would review the terms of the Paris accord and would not seek to renegotiate it.

But the White House says President Trump's announcement in June, that announcement still stands. Listen.

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TRUMP: As of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country.

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HOWELL: So the confusion here, the question is, is the United States in or out of the Paris climate accord?

Our Athena Jones has more on how the confusion over the White House position came into focus.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there. right. The White House is pushing back on this "Wall Street Journal" report. This is the statement we got from deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters.

She said, "There has been no change in the United States' position on the Paris agreement, as the president has made abundantly clear.

"The United States is withdrawing unless we can reenter on terms that are more favorable to our country."

Now that very much echoes what we heard from the president in that Rose Garden address back in June, when he said we will start to negotiate and we will see if we can make a deal that's fair.

That has been a key to the White House's argument here, that this deal is not fair to the U.S., that it hurts the U.S. economy and U.S. workers. And we should mention that this is a campaign promise, this is something that candidate Trump ran on doing. He ran on canceling the Paris accord.

Now it's important to remember that, even though he announced the U.S. would be withdrawing in June, this is a lengthy process under the terms of the Paris agreement. It was something that was going to take until November of 2020.

It's also important to note that the U.S. sets its own goals when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions under this agreement. And so that is something the U.S. could look to change, to change those targets that it set for itself.

But this has now become something of a muddle, now that you have this E.U. official telling reporters what a White House official told the E.U. official. This is something that the White House is going to have to address at the United Nations general assembly in New York next week.

Top economic adviser Gary Cohen was already set to meet on the sidelines of that summit with climate ministers from about a dozen countries. They're going to want to hear what the White House's stance is on this, if there has been any change.

But this also speaks to the larger challenge the president faces, heading into the U.N. general assembly, which is how to promote his America first agenda at a meeting of the United Nations, a global body that is all about addressing global issues; 195 countries signed onto this climate accord.

They certainly see this as a global issue, the issue of climate change. So we'll have to wait and see whether the White House has any more to say about their stance on this in the coming days. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Athena Jones with the reporting, thanks.

Now let's bring in Brian Klaas. He is a fellow in comparative politics at the London School of Economics --

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HOWELL: -- live in our London bureau this hour.

Brian, always a pleasure to have you here on the show. Let's start now with these reports. The White House either softening or reconsidering its position on the Paris climate accord. Again, this is something the White House denies firmly.

But the decision itself, to back out of this agreement, part of the president's America first position, what impact would you say that's had on the U.S. standing around the world so far?

BRIAN KLAAS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Well, the U.S. position on climate change under Trump and the U.S. position on trade under Trump are the two things that are most out of step with the rest of the world.

And it is something he will have to address in the U.N. general assembly this week because most of the world got on board with this agreement that the U.S. led.

And then after that, now there's been this signaling that there's going to be a withdrawal. And Trump's position seems to be the same as it was in June, other than this bit of a blip. So he may have another issue to address in front of the world in terms of climate again.

HOWELL: Right. So there's this issue, the rumors about a tweak, at least a tweak to climate change, again, something the White House denies.

There's also been the talks the president had had with Democrats about DACA, which came to the surprise of his own party. So we've seen more ideological advisers of the president leave the White House.

Is this a sign, Brian, that perhaps more traditional Republicans are gaining some ground here?

KLAAS: I don't think so. I think Trump is still governing like a Republican but he's still an impulsive person. I don't think he's changed dramatically. I think that his signaling his willingness to work on something that is overwhelmingly popular, which is to keep DACA DREAMers in the country, does not show some sort of new political courage; it shows that can he read a poll.

And more than 85 percent of Americans are on board with that opinion. So I don't think that we've seen some new and totally different Trump so far. And I think that the world, going into the general assembly, is really worried about his leadership.

We've seen, in surveys around the world, a massive decline in U.S. confidence, confidence in global -- America's global leadership, in countries like South Korea, it's down 71 percent. In Germany, down 75 percent; here in the U.K., down 57 percent.

So as he goes into this, he's willingly sacrificing America's diplomatic power, because a lot of these issues that he doesn't have the same sort of moral authority on globally are not playing well in the rest of the world. And that's something that's a very big problem for America's leadership in shaping the world in its image.

HOWELL: Well, Brian, though, to push back and ask you this question, I mean, is this not, though, a more pragmatic Donald Trump, given the fact that he saw ahead of him the possible shutdown of government?

He also had not passed major legislation, so shifting over to Democrats, was this the president actually applying strategy here to have a success?

KLAAS: Yes, these are bright spots. I mean, I don't want to pretend otherwise. But we have to also be realizing that they are small bright spots in a sea of otherwise impulsive leadership.

So you have, effectively, Trump agreed not to shut down the government. That's not something to be celebrated; it's to be expected. He agreed to pay the U.S. government's bills that we've already accrued for three more months. That is to be expected, not celebrated. And he's also not kicking children, who came to the country through the actions of their parents, out of the country, which most Americans agree with.

Again, these are things that are good. But they're also things that we expected of our leadership in normal times. So I think to read into them this idea that, all of a sudden, Trump has turned a page and we should forget the last two and a half years, is a mistake. And it's a short-sighted one that would lead us to believe something about Trump that I believe is untrue.

HOWELL: No, there is certainly a lot that has happened since the president has taken office. There's a great deal of political back- and-forth to cover, for sure.

Let's also look ahead. So the U.N. general assembly is set to host world leaders this week in New York. One big topic in front of world leaders, North Korea.

Should we expect anything new, do you surmise, from the U.N. or even possibly China doing more, as the U.S. president has been pushing?

KLAAS: Well, Trump is going to try to push Russia and China to be more on board with sanctions. To be clear, there is no solution of the North Korea problems that does not involve coercive diplomacy. There is a military option involved. There is not a military solution. Any sort of military option being invoked will lead to likely hundreds of thousands of deaths and a very likely possibility of nuclear war.

So the U.N. is supposed to be the body, the deliberative body for the world, in which you can solve problems without nuclear war breaking out. And we'll see if Trump is up to the task this time in trying to get more nations on board to have these sanctions bite.

He has inherited a problem that is the collective failure of his three predecessors. It is not something that he created. But now he is tasked with solving and we are all counting on him because, fundamentally, this is the biggest threat to international security facing the world right now.

HOWELL: Brian Klaas, live for us in London, with context and perspective, we always appreciate having you. Thank you so much for your time.

KLAAS: Thank you.

HOWELL: Moving on now to the U.S. state of --

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HOWELL: -- Missouri. Authorities in the city of St. Louis say they have arrested nine more people during weekend protests against police violence.

The demonstrations started when a former police officer was found not guilty of the murder of a shooting death of an African American man back in 2011. CNN correspondent Ryan Young has this report for us.

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RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are on Delmar Boulevard. If you look behind me, you can see the heavy machinery behind me that the police brought in here. That's is a Bearcat. And the officers in their riot gear. About 50 percent of the businesses are coming down Delmar Boulevard look like they suffered some sort of damage. We were starting in the crowd.

Look, the organizers told peaceful marchers to go home, but about a half hour after that, we saw another group that decided to stay here. And that started to build and there was a confrontation between police and those protesters.

At some point, someone started throwing rocks and bottles at the officers and started breaking out windows of businesses. Officers started to advance and try to arrest a few people and then it was total bedlam. People started running. We saw people being pushed down in the streets and we saw cars racing down the streets and we saw officers advancing.

At this point, right now, you can see how they staged right here to make sure that that property damage should stop. I can tell you, though, there were some tense moments that were very scary here. You thought it was going to get out of hand. Police got it back under control in about 30 minutes -- Ryan Young, CNN, St. Louis.

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HOWELL: Ryan, thank you for the report.

A week after Hurricane Irma devastated much of the Caribbean, many people on the island are struggling to deal with the destruction that was left behind. We head to St. Martin after the break to see how recovery efforts there are playing out.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

Thousands of people who evacuated the Florida Keys in advance of Hurricane Irma, they are finally able to return to their homes or many returning to what's left of those homes.

Homeowners in the Upper Keys were allowed to return Saturday. Others are cleared to go home on Sunday.

But the mayor of Key West told CNN's Martin Savidge, residents need to be prepared for the conditions; you see there the conditions that many will return home to.

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CRAIG CATES (PH), KEY WEST MAYOR: I tell them that you be prepared to be shocked when you get here. Don't expect all the services you need, that you can just call somebody --

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CATES (PH): -- and they're come over and fix it. Be patient. If you do come back, don't be upset when things don't go exactly how you planned. And if you're going to come back, be part of the solution, not a problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Such a strong storm, a lot of devastation and it's going to take time to rebuild. And here's something that many in the Caribbean may not want to hear but important to forewarn, more misery appears to be headed for the Caribbean islands that are already devastated.

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HOWELL: Stay with us here. I want to talk about the recovery in St. Martin. So the island still struggling; this is a week after Hurricane Irma roared through as a category 5 hurricane. And this map gives perspective.

The north of the island administered by France, the south by the Netherlands. The residents there are in desperate need of help. Our Clarissa Ward takes a look at how people are coping on the French side of the island.

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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From above, you can see the true scale of Irma's violent force, roofs ripped off, trees battered bare. Down on the trash-clogged streets, locals work to rebuild their lives with little more than their bare hands. Time here has stood still since Irma hit six days ago.

DAVID RICHARDSON (PH), ST. MARTIN: (INAUDIBLE) right now, the momentum is desperate. We are in desperate need of help.

WARD (voice-over): President David Richardson (ph) says garbage is the biggest threat.

RICHARDSON (PH): We still see a lot of rats. And (INAUDIBLE) those carry some diseases that we really don't need at this time, though. And that's my biggest concern. If we get a break, what are we going to do?

WARD: Scenes like this are playing out across many parts of the Caribbean. House after house, street after street, largely devastated. And the basic aid that is trickling in is just dwarfed by the scale of the need.

Christopher Terrasse says many feel abandoned.

CHRISTOPHER TERRASSE, ST. MARTIN RESIDENT: On top of this, I have a wife who has cancer. She needs help. And we don't get any help. Because we have no roof. We have no water. We have no electricity. No medication. You know, when you have a cancer, you know you're going to die. At least to die, better than that, you know.

WARD (voice-over): Every day, desperate families are trying to get out. The military has --

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WARD (voice-over): -- set up a check point where they wait, just half a mile from the airport.

After more than 14 hours in the steamy heat, a lucky few are chosen to go, leaving behind the battered remains of Irma's wrath. Most have no idea when they will be able to return -- Clarissa Ward, CNN, on the French side of St. Martin.

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HOWELL: Clarissa Ward reporting, thank you.

Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, the Palestinian group Hamas is paving the way for possible reconciliation between the West Bank and Gaza. We'll explain ahead.

Plus, world leaders come together in New York for the United Nations' general assembly session. A preview of the global get-together is ahead.

CNN live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, to viewers here in the United States and around the world, stay with us.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. It is good to have you with us. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

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HOWELL: The Palestinian group, Hamas, is opening the possibility of reconciling Gaza and the West Bank. Hamas says it is ready to dissolve the committee that rules Gaza and hold general elections. CNN's correspondent Oren Liebermann is following this story, live for us in Jerusalem this hour.

Oren, this is a big statement.

The question though, where does it go from here?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a very significant statement and it comes after Egypt led days of negotiations in Cairo between Gaza, which runs the West Bank, and Fatah, which is the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank -- I'm sorry, Hamas runs Gaza.

The statement coming from Hamas early this morning was that they would dissolve their administrative committee, they were ready for a unity government and they work toward general elections.

Hamas established the administrative committee earlier this year. It was a way -- and it derided as a shadow government by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. And they saw it as a way for Hamas to try to entrench their control of Gaza.

So the fact that Hamas has made this statement, saying they're willing to dissolve their administrative committee and work with Fatah, work with the West Bank on creating a unified Palestinian people, it's a big statement.

The problem is, the Palestinian public has heard similar statements to this, talks of reconciliation, of unity governments; and that's why, as of right now, it is only a statement. It depends on the follow-up actions taken not only by Hamas but also critically right now of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. We haven't yet gotten a statement from them.

How they respond will be critical here. If they accept the statement from Hamas, it could be a big step toward reconciliation.

But if they put some sort of qualifier or some sort of condition on accepting, then this may end nothing more than a statement with no followup actions -- George.

HOWELL: OK.

So Oren, pushing forward on the idea of the unity government, how might that work, moving toward general elections?

LIEBERMANN: So the Palestinian Authority, as it stands right now, is essentially run by Fatah in the occupied West Bank. There is no Hamas involvement and there hasn't been for a decade now. The idea of a unity government would be to bring in Hamas and it would be a government that represents all of the different Palestinian factions.

That hasn't happened ever since 2007, when Hamas kicked Fatah and kicked the Palestinian Authority outside of Gaza.

How it would work beyond that depends crucially on general elections. Part of the context here that's important to remember is the humanitarian crisis inside Gaza.

The U.N. has said Gaza could be unlivable by 2020. And in an attempt to exert pressure on Hamas and pressure on Gaza, President Mahmoud Abbas has, from the West Bank, cut salaries inside Gaza, reduced the electricity to Gaza and even limited some of the medicines going in. That was an attempt to pressure Hamas.

It widened the rift. And, again, that's why this is such an significant statement from Hamas, saying they're willing to reconcile. They're also in a very difficult situation. They're in need of cash, they're in need of help. They've turned to Turkey, the UAE, Iran and Egypt.

And this follows all of that, this big statement saying they're willing to dissolve their own control of Gaza and work with Fatah and work with the West Bank, bringing up that possibility of a Palestinian unity government.

HOWELL: Oren, that's so many moving parts. One other question to you.

How might this be received by Israel?

LIEBERMANN: That's an excellent question. We haven't gotten a response yet. Netanyahu is on the other side of the world at this point; he's in South America or in North America now, getting ready for the United Nations general assembly. So we haven't heard a statement from the government.

But in talking to Palestinian officials in the past, many of them have pointed out that only the Israelis benefit from the split between the West Bank and Gaza. So this would be a major change but one whose fallout, at least from Israel's perspective, isn't clear yet at this point.

As I said, the U.N. General Assembly is coming up; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will speak. It will be critical to watch how they play this and where this goes from here.

HOWELL: Oren Liebermann, live in Jerusalem, following this story, Oren, thanks for the report and we'll of course stay in touch with you on it.

Coalition forces say a Russian attack injured members of the U.S.- backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The strike hit the rebel group near the former ISIS stronghold, the city of Deir ez-Zor. You see it there, Deir ez-Zor, Syria. Both Russian troops and coalition forces, they're trying to push ISIS fighters out of that area.

It is not a coordinated effort, though, as the U.S.-backed forces, who want to overthrow the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

This week the U.S. president will make one of the most significant speeches of his presidency. He'll address world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly session for the very first time. And in that large hall, sitting just feet away from him, will be the delegation from --

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HOWELL: -- North Korea, a country whose aggressive nuclear program presents the world with one of its most pressing challenges. We get a preview from CNN's Richard Roth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The flags are up. It's time for another United Nations General Assembly global get-together. As always, the United States is the host country. A host with an edge from the very start of the year.

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: For those that don't have our back, we're taking names.

ROTH: Much of the world's big names will attend. None bigger than President Trump, himself, whose name has been just up the street from the U.N. for years. At the Trump World Tower Building.

RICHARD GOWAN, PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: This general assembly is about one man, Donald Trump. And the big question is, will Trump insult the U.N. or will he try to make friends with the U.N.?

ROTH: Trump, a New York real estate mogul, has not always embraced the U.N. Nearly five years ago he tweeted, "The cheap 12-inch square marble tiles behind speaker at U.N. always bothered me. I will replace with beautiful large marble slabs if they ask me."

No one asked. Despite years of renovation at the U.N. After his election Trump said the U.N. was a club where people like to talk.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Welcome to the White House.

ROTH: Trump was more conciliatory when members of the U.N. Security Council visited the White House in April.

TRUMP: I have long felt that the United Nations is an underperformer, but has tremendous potential.

ROTH: President Trump will speak to the entire world for the first time from here at the General Assembly rostrum the leader who vowed fire and fury if Kim Jong-un threatens the U.S. will be closer to the North Koreans than he ever has been in his life. The North Korean delegation will be seated here in the front row just 20 feet away from where President Trump speaks to the general assembly.

There have been some memorable speeches inside the General Assembly. Libya's Muammar Gaddafi tore a page of the U.N. charter, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez warned the devil in the form of George W. Bush had been in the chamber.

HUGO CHAVEZ, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (through translator): And it smells of sulfur still today.

ROTH: U.S. presidents are usually more measured in tone.

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: I think you're going to have the president who did the bombing on Syria from the chemicals, the one that has gone against ISIS in both Syria and Iraq at record pace.

ROTH: Other first time speakers include President Emmanuel Macron of France. It is also the first U.N. General Assembly for Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: The most dangerous crisis we face today is the crisis related to the nuclear risk in relation to the Democratic People Republic of Korea.

RICHARD GOWAN, PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Donald Trump has made the U.N. unexpectedly relevant. We thought that Trump was going to trash the organization but his single biggest foreign policy priority containing North Korea is being handled right here in the Security Council.

ROTH: Trump will also call for more reform of the U.N. Unclear if he, again, demands changing of the marble -- Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Richard, thank you for the report.

The Pentagon says transgendered troops are allowed to re-enlist in the United States military. This coming from the Pentagon as officials review President Donald Trump's ban on transgender recruits.

The president's recent order sparked controversy, many critics calling it discriminatory. Transgendered troops have been openly serving in the United States military since June of 2016.

Multiple protests took place in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. One significant protest was in support of President Donald Trump. Others, though, were standing up for Black Lives Matter and one group was marching on behalf of the most hated band in the world. Our Ryan Nobles has a look at the opposing rallies.

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RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There was a heavy police presence in Washington, D.C., on Saturday as a number of rallies from a variety of different perspectives that took place.

One of them was the mother of all rallies. This was a group of Donald Trump supporters that gathered near the Washington Monument, not under the banner of Republican or Democrat but just with the goal of uniting behind President Trump.

And there was a moment that could have turned out bad, that's when a group of Black Lives Matter supporters approached the stage. One of the people on stage speaking on behalf of President Trump actually invited those Black Lives Matter supporters on stage and this is what happened.

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HENRY DAVIS: This is what I want y'all to do. I want y'all to listen to me very carefully. I want y'all to listen to me very carefully. My name is Henry Davis. I'm a brother. I'm a brother. I want y'all to step back behind that line if you want to be on this stage with me. I want y'all to get behind that line and don't come past that line.

All right?

I'm giving y'all a chance to put your fists up. Don't say a word. Don't disrespect my platform.

Is -- are we clear?

No, you're not going to say nothing. If you want to say something, you got to go down now. This is my platform. I'm giving you a chance to stay up here. Don't nobody want to hear you scream.

[05:40:00]

DAVIS: Security, get them off the stage.

NOBLES: Protesters from Black Lives Matter ended up leaving the stage peacefully. There was no violence at any time. In fact, there were a number of instances where there were some minor skirmishes with people from different perspectives; they all ended amicably.

Which was the goal of this rally, to speak on behalf of the president but do it in a much different way than what happened in Charlottesville. And the organizers feel as though they were able to pull that off successfully.

So, overall, a very peaceful but vocal day here in the nation's capital -- Ryan Nobles, CNN, Washington, D.C.

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HOWELL: Ryan, thanks for the report.

This person, a Nobel laureate celebrated around the world. But Myanmar's de facto leader is being criticized for her response to a violent crackdown on Muslim Rohingya. Next, what may be behind her silence.

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HOWELL: They're often called the world's most persecuted minority. And now the Muslim Rohingya are also facing a humanitarian catastrophe. At least 409,000 Rohingya have now escaped the violent military crackdown in Myanmar.

The U.N. says it seems like ethnic cleansing. The Rohingya are making the dangerous trek back to Bangladesh. And there's no more space at refugee camps there. And many of the people, they are in need of water, desperately in need of food.

In cities around the world, protesters are demanding Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, do more for the Rohingya. Our senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir, has more.

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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Humanity's heroine --

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ELBAGIR (voice-over): -- a light in the dark or just simply The Lady.

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi sacrificed much of her life fighting for what she believed in. Those of a revolutionary leader who was assassinated after fighting for independence from British rule, she later spent nearly two decades under house arrest as a political prisoner.

But from seeing her children grow up and her husband die of cancer.

Her dedication to human rights and democracy, her time in captivity inspired her country and won her a landslide election victory in 2015.

Internationally, she was also recognized with a Nobel Peace Prize and became known as Asia's Mandela.

But now the prize and her halo have been tarnished. She's now criticized for her silence over her country's brutal crackdown on the minority Rohingya Muslim population in Rakhine State, which the U.N. describes as a textbook ethnic cleansing.

Suu Kyi's fellow Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus, agreeing (ph), has called on her to speak her conscience.

MUHAMMAD YUNUS, NOBEL LAUREATE: I'm very disappointed. She's an icon of the whole world. She has stood for democracy, she worked for people, she's put a lot of sacrifices.

And the whole world was behind her. They wanted to see her dreams come true. And luckily, her dreams came true. She was overwhelmingly elected.

And then what happened?

ELBAGIR (voice-over): The government says it's carrying out what it calls clearance operations, targeting terrorists suspected of masterminding an attack on police posts in late August and saying they're trying to avoid collateral damage.

Aung San Suu Kyi said last week that Myanmar would try to protect everyone in the conflict zone.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI, MYANMAR: We have to take care of our citizens, we have to take care of everybody who is in our country, whether or not they are our citizens. It is our duty and we try our best. ELBAGIR (voice-over): But the refugees who fled tell a different story. More than 300,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh in the past few weeks. They accuse the security forces of atrocities, burning villages, firing on civilians indiscriminately, gang-raping women.

The rest of the world has been slow to criticize, with condemnation from many Muslim nations but only muted comments from the Western countries that have supported her cause for years.

Her supporters say her hands are tied. The military still holds the balance of power in Myanmar's government and institutions and it can retake overall control at any time if they decide the country is unstable.

But at what price power?

YUNUS: Then she completely lost herself. She's now become sort of a spokesperson for the military regime. So that's very disappointing and I feel very sad about it.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Aung San Suu Kyi has a tricky balancing act, to try to lead the country's progress while keeping peace with the generals, who could tip the balance of Myanmar's future; even as a worsening humanitarian crisis unfolds and the hopes of a nation ride on her back, the message to Aung San Suu Kyi is clear, as The Lady tries to hold on both to power and the political progress it took her so long to achieve. Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

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HOWELL: Nima Elbagir, thank you so much for the report.

Some call it justice. Others say it's civil disobedience. But just about everyone in Spain has something to say about next month's planned referendum, an independence vote that brought together more than 700 mayors from across the country's Catalonia region Saturday to show their support.

Madrid considers the referendum illegal. Catalonia's president says that's not preventing supporters of the vote from moving forward on it. Listen.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): To those who threaten us, like Mr. Rajoy, for those who look somewhere else or just avoid their crisis, for those who keep denying what is evident, do not underestimate the strength of the people in Catalonia.

They can have a lot of laws. But there's something they don't have. They don't have you. They don't have the people of Catalonia. They don't have it.

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HOWELL: In Catalonia's informal 2014 vote, 80 percent supported independence.

CNN NEWSROOM right back after the break. Stay with us.

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HOWELL: So it's that time of year again, time to gather with a few thousand of your closest friends and raise your favorite beer. The 184th annual Oktoberfest kicked off Saturday in Munich, Germany, with the traditional tapping of the first keg by the city's mayor.

Millions of visitors are expected to come together in the Bavarian capital over the next 18 days. Fair to say there will be plenty to drink there.

What is expected to be one of the biggest nights in U.S. television, it is just hours away, the annual Emmy awards. Our Stephanie Elam previews this year's contenders.

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ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR, "DONALD TRUMP": I won the election fair and square and everyone knows that, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, Mr. President. You say that literally all the time.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The 69th annual primetime Emmy Awards will celebrate the best of the small screen.

MELISSA MCCARTHY, COMEDIAN, "SEAN SPICER": I want to begin today by apologizing on behalf of you to me.

ELAM (voice-over): And with politics refueling its satirical engine, this year it's all about "Saturday Night Live."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was a tremendous year for "SNL." It got tied for the most nominations this year. And I think it was just because it was a great political year. They were on fire.

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ELAM (voice-over): With a late start, "Game of Thrones" is ineligible this year, so it's the robot cowboys of "Westworld" dominating the drama categories. The sci-fi saga is up for 22 trophies, including Best Drama. It will face off with "Better Call Saul," "The Crown," "The Handmaid's Tale," "House of Cards," "Stranger Things" and ratings sensation "This Is Us."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we said...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big three.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a popular hit. I think everyone loves it. So I would be surprised if "This Is Us" doesn't take the Best Drama trophy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to reform. We need to reaffirm the third R.

ELAM (voice-over): The White House high jinks of "Veep" wrapped up 17 nominations, including Best Comedy Series. The HBO mainstay is up against "Atlanta," "Black-ish," "Master of None," "Modern Family," "Silicon Valley" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"

STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: I've memorized the categories. Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Garment, Outstanding Mixed Martial Arts Fighter --

ELAM (voice-over): Stephen Colbert will host the shot, almost a guarantee that politics will take center stage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the choice of Stephen Colbert and certainly given that he's done so well in the ratings, reflects how much he's talked about Donald Trump. Donald Trump is the biggest TV story of the year and so his name is going to mentioned and it's going to get mentioned a lot on Emmy Night.

ELAM (voice-over): Much like politics of late, expect the Emmys to serve up plenty of surprises -- Stephanie Elam, CNN, Hollywood.

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HOWELL: A lot of people will be watching.

Thank you for being with us. I'm George Howell. For viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next. For other viewers around the world, Erin Burnett "OUTFRONT" starts in just a moment. Thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.