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President Trump's First Address To U.N. General Assembly; Terror Threat Lowered After Two Arrests In Tube Case; New Storms Headed Toward Caribbean; Anguilla Dj Becomes Voice Of Storm Survival; Us Considers Closing Havana Embassy After Attacks; Protests Continue Over Acquittal In Police Shooting; U.S. & South Korean Defense Against North Korea; U.N.: 409,000 Rohingyas Flee Myanmar in 3 Weeks; Stars Descend on Hollywood for Emmy Awards. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired September 18, 2017 - 02:00   ET

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

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: This week for the first time with Donald Trump as US hopes, but North Korea will likely top the attention.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Plus Hurricane Maria churning toward the Caribbean and there are fears it could follow the path of Hurricane Irma.

ALLEN: An impressive night for women at the Emmy Awards as Julia Louis Dreyfus and others make television history (INAUDIBLE). We'll have that for you.

Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the US and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. NEWSROOM starts right now.

Around the world, good day to you. Two AM here on the US East Coast and fair to say a very important week set in New York with world leaders coming together for the United Nations General Assembly session. One topic that will be front and center, the threat of nuclear - provocation of North Korea.

The US President Donald Trump arrived at New York Sunday. This will be his first appearance, his first address to that body. And the question, what will he say on that big stage on the issue of North Korea and a variety of other topics come Tuesday.

ALLEN: Though he's been critical of international organizations in the past, he is expected to push for backing in pressuring Pyongyang to stop its weapons program.

As Athena Jones reports, world leaders will be paying close attention to Mr. Trump's foreign policy message.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is a huge week for President Trump. It's his first turn on the most high-profile stage in the world. We're talking about 193 member nations taking part in the United Nations General Assembly.

And a lot of those world leaders are going to be eager to take the measure of President Trump and eager to hear what kind of message he has to deliver on Tuesday when he's set to address the General Assembly, especially given the fact that candidate Trump was a huge skeptic of the United Nations on the campaign trail.

We have heard him talk about what he called the utter weakness and incompetency of the United Nations and we heard him to say that the UN is not a friend of democracy, not a friend of freedom and not a friend even to the United States.

Now, it's not clear how much he might temper his criticism of the United Nations in his speech on Tuesday.

But we did get a little bit of a preview, a part of the message he'll deliver from his National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster, who spoke on "Fox News" Sunday. Watch.

H.R. MCMASTER, UNITED STATES NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Well, he thinks the speech is a tremendous opportunity, obviously, to reach so many world leaders at the same time and to emphasize really three themes.

First is to protect the American people. The second is to promote American prosperity. And the third is really to help promote accountability and sovereignty.

JONES: So, there you heard Gen. McMaster say this speech will be a tremendous opportunity for the president to address so many world leaders gathered together in one place.

It's also going to be an opportunity for those leaders to hear how the president is going to promote his America First agenda at what is a meeting of a global organization geared towards solving global challenges together.

It's important to note, of course, the president will have a series of important meetings and events that he will be hosting, during which he'll be discussing a long list of agenda items, among them ISIS and Syria, Venezuela.

One meeting he is going to be having, a very important meeting towards the end of the week, is a lunch with the leaders of South Korea and Japan. North Korea and its nuclear provocations will be high on the agenda at that lunch.

Athena Jones, CNN, Somerset, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Let's talk more now about this important week for the US president. Joining us from Los Angeles Michael Genovese, a political analyst and the president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University.

Thank you so much for joining us to talk about this.

We just heard Athena lay it out. This is a big week for the US president. And the interesting thing is how will he sound, how will he work with the UN and will he be scripted or will he be more of Donald Trump being Donald Trump.

MICHAEL GENOVESE, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE AT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: Well, he'll be very scripted.

This is an opportunity for the president to move the needle and to change the tone. So, the question is, will he be big or small? Will he in his speech, which will be teleprompter Trump - will he be going off-script and making his asides that sometimes get him into trouble or will he stick with the script.

He has a very big opportunity here to make a bold move on North Korea. He is going to be addressing the North Koreans who will be sitting, we are told, in the front row during the speech. And he can really make a bold challenge to the North, saying I invite you to one-on-one discussions. Let's have them in Beijing. Or this is how we can develop a formula to deescalate this problem or this is a concrete offer that we both can have.

[02:05:09] It gives the North Koreans an opportunity to also move back, but it also puts them on the defensive. If President Trump gives them a really good legitimate offer and they say no, that strengthens the US position in opposition to the North.

ALLEN: And it's also a chance for him to reach out to countries, our allies on this important issue and other issues, of course, on the table as well and show his heft, if you will, at diplomacy.

GENOVESE: Well, he goes into this speech with a lot of countries, friends and foes, who think lightly of him or critical of him. So, he could prove his mettle if he can stick to his speech, be teleprompter Trump, not do his little offside messages which so often result in an open mouth, insert foot.

And so, it's a test for the president and it's a test on a global stage. The stakes are very high for him.

ALLEN: Absolutely. We have to mention there something he tweeted out though this weekend. It's a precursor to this huge week.

He shared a GIF that someone else created of him swinging a golf ball and hitting Hillary Clinton in the back. It's tacky, it's mean- spirited. And coming right before this important week with all these issues that matter to the world for our safety and security, to do something like this, it's just kind of undermines the job he has to do, doesn't it, in a way?

GENOVESE: Well, that's where we're always with pins and needles with President Trump. Will it be Trump being big and presidential or small and petty?

The golfing video that he sent around was - it was childish. It was unnecessary. It's what a 14-year-old boy does. Why kick her when she's down? You won the election. Leave her alone.

And so, the question is, can he resist? Does he have this instinctive desire inside of himself to be small, to be petty, to go on the attack? If that's what Trump - the Trump that shows up on Tuesday, then the United States is really going to be undermined.

ALLEN: Absolutely. Let's talk about Obamacare for a minute because it seems the Republicans aren't finished yet trying for a repeal. They have one last chance of a party-line vote because that chance expires September 30th.

And there's also a report I want to ask you about, Michael, that this Congressional Budget Office - that President Trump's plan meantime to let Obamacare implode as he would like it to do, he has said, could happen because of White House policies leading to rising premiums and decreased enrollment in individual insurance markets over the next year. What's your reaction to these two developments?

GENOVESE: Well, we've been down this road before. We've been down it a few times. In a way, the Graham-Cassidy proposal is a last-ditch effort by the Republicans. They don't have much time. You're right, they have about 17 days. And after that point, some of the procedural powers that they have, which would allow them to vote without the Democratic ability to filibuster, will expire.

And so, the president has said he backs the Graham-Cassidy proposal, but his tepid response has been not reassuring at all to the Republicans in the Senate.

There is a bipartisan alternative, and that's by Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray, but the Republicans seem not to have warmed up to.

And so, think about the president allowing or even giving a nudge to Obamacare going off the cliff. Think of how many Americans are going to be hurt. Think of how much confusion that will cause for Americans or the markets.

It's a bad idea anyway you cut it. And so, either you're going to leave Obamacare in place and let it ride and try to prop it up for six months and then make some changes or you're going to have nothing but horror stories.

ALLEN: Absolutely. Michael Genovese, as always, we thank for your analysis.

GENOVESE: Thank you so much.

HOWELL: Now to the United Kingdom, authorities say they are making rapid progress in the London tube bombing investigation. Over the weekend, they arrested two suspects. They also searched two sites west of London.

ALLEN: The investigation is not over, but officials say there is no longer an imminent threat of another attack. They have now lowered the UK's international terror threat level from critical to severe.

HOWELL: CNN's Nina dos Santos has been on this story from the start, live for us in London this hour.

Nina, is there a sense now among authorities that they have a better idea of exactly how many people may have been involved in this plot?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it would indicate, considering as they have downgraded that threat level to severe, that they may have all of the individuals in their sight, they believe here, and that this may not have been a wider plotting network, if you like, planning to carry out perhaps other attacks or a more deadly attack further down the line.

[02:10:00] And they, as you said, arrested an 18-year-old man in the early hours of Saturday morning in the Port of Dover. We still have to find out whether or not that individual was trying to leave the United Kingdom because that is a major gateway towards the European continent.

And then, later on Saturday, they arrested another 21-year-old man as well, again, on suspicion of preparing, instigating or planning terrorist acts. Those two individuals are still being questioned under the terrorism act at the South London Police Station, which means that police officers will have time and be able to apply for extra time to question them further and keep them in detention. Such is the seriousness of the offenses that they have been arrested under at this point.

As you pointed out, the level has come down one notch. Despite all of that, though, the Metropolitan Police and the Home Secretary say they've decided to maintain a heavy police presence on the streets of London, in the transport network on this busy Monday morning commuter rush hour.

Remember that the rush hour is just getting going right now, George. And a lot of people having seen the scenes on the Friday morning rush hour in Parsons Green on that train, they'll be little bit more nervous perhaps of taking the London underground, which, of course, is so crucial to the life of the capital.

Over the weekend, we saw the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Cressida Dick had a walk-around with a number of her colleagues, joining members of the public, reassuring them, keep calm and carry on with your daily lives. George?

HOWELL: Nina dos Santos live for us on this investigation in London. Thank you for the reporting.

ALLEN: Well, this may be hard to believe, but the storm-battered Caribbean is bracing for yet another one. Hurricane Maria. Find out where Maria may be headed next here on CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCAIL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORT HEADLINES)

[02:15:37] ALLEN: Good news for some Florida residents. More than a week after fleeing Hurricane Irma, residents of Florida's lower Keys have finally been allowed to go home. Florida Governor Rick Scott says crews have fixed 90 percent of the state's power outages.

HOWELL: This is good news. Authorities, though, kept parts of the Keys closed. They're worried about what would happen if people returned to no running water or no power there.

They estimate a quarter of the houses in the Keys were destroyed. Even as people recover from Irma, there is hurricane trouble coming in the Caribbean. This is news, Natalie, I know a lot of people do not want to hear, but -

ALLEN: Horrible.

HOWELL: - we've got to get it out there to let people know. Our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is following new storms. Pedram?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METERIOLOGIST: There's a lot going on at this hour. Not just Maria sitting out there across the Leeward Islands, but, of course, Jose sitting not too far from the United States, Lee back to the east of it.

Lee, the only element of good news here. Really not a major player. We don't expect it to strengthen nor become any threat to land.

But I want to show you what's happening here because, of course, that track of Irma that it took right across the Leeward Islands eventually just north of Puerto Rico, that's where we had George, of course, stationed right there and then north of the Dominican Republic.

That's the track we saw last week. Look at this with what is now Maria. We expect this to strengthen dramatically over the next 24 hours, going from a 1 potentially to a Category 3. That would be a major hurricane.

And notice, kind of parallel to that track of Irma and eventually pushes right through Puerto Rico on into portions of the Turks and Caicos, where we know a Category 5 landfall was made last week with Irma, a Category 3 to be made again going into this week.

I want to show you this because, at this point, it doesn't look very organized, doesn't look very strong, but this is precisely where we saw - where Irma went from a Cat 1 to Cat 3 overnight. This is what the National Hurricane Center explains across this very warm body of water for this storm system to do rapid intensification.

And notice, inside the next three days, we're talking 10, 15, some areas 20 inches of rainfall. So, this is far more water than what Irma had to offer.

Irma was predominately a wind event, but this could be both wind and rain. And notice, high concentration on the models take it in right towards Puerto Rico, make that right turn into the Turks and Caicos and beyond that.

We think a northerly track would be at least initially away from the United States, but this is the area of concern right now - from Dominica towards Guadalupe, works her way into Antigua and Barbuda. That's an area we think could be spared from the hardest hit, which Irma, of course, had a northerly track. This storm takes more of a southerly track into the southern Leeward Islands and then beyond that.

We watch this very carefully because notice, as we go in from Tuesday night into Wednesday, a Category 4 landfall could happen potentially right there across eastern Puerto Rico with the storm system.

And then, it kind of skirts right across the island of Hispaniola, very mountainous islands across this region. If this makes direct landfall across that area, this could weaken the storm, but at this point the National Hurricane Center believes this could remain a Category 4 potentially down to a Category 3 as it goes over Turks and Caicos, which would be devastating for an area that was already very hard hit just about a week ago. So, this is an area we're watching carefully.

And I want to show you how this plays out as we go in over the next couple of days because, beyond that, both the American and the European model - keep in mind, the European indicated in blue did a fantastic job as far as its location was forecasting with a right turn over portions of Cuba towards southern Florida.

Right now, they make that right turn and bring it in off the Eastern United States. It is about seven days out before we get to that point. So, a lot could change, but, of course, that is uncomfortably close for what would be a significant storm, if it makes it to that point by this time next week.

So, there are a lot of people in the path of the storm system, guys.

HOWELL: Well, on deck, right now, it seems Puerto Rico. They do feel - many people I spoke with felt that they dodged a bullet there. They felt the intensity of the storm, but could have been much worse. Now, they have another storm coming that way.

Pedram, thank you.

ALLEN: Thanks, Pedram. Well, in Anguilla, a radio DJ known for spinning hits, became a voice of hope and survival when Irma hit.

HOWELL: CNN's Michael Holmes explains how Jean Claude Patterson became a life line during that storm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CLAUDE 'DJ JEANIE' PATTERSON, ANNOUNCER, ANGUILA RADIO: Yes, that's right. Eleven days after Hurricane Irma and you've got to latch on (ph) Kool FM 103.3.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before hurricane Irma, radio DJ Jeanie Patterson's role at Anguilla's main commercial radio station was to play music and keep up a lively pattern.

PATTERSON: It's kind of mind-blowing actually, the type of reception I'm getting from everyone because it changed from me being the person to get the party started to you're the guy we're looking to for all the information now.

[02:20:02] HOLMES: Irma changed his job description and his life. Since the storm, Jeanie and his fellow workers here at Kool FM 103.3 have switched from DJs to lifelines.

PATTERSON: You don't need to go in the line or in the queues to get gas if your tank is on half. There's no gas shortage.

HOMES: This island was battered by Irma. And the days that followed were brutal. No power, damaged infrastructure, and a shattered communication system. The station's transmission mast was a casualty of Irma's fury. Ripped off its base and flung over the building next door.

(on-camera) Now, the mast clearly has been destroyed. But the humble studios next door survived. Staying off air was not an option. So, DJ Jeanie and his colleagues knew they had a job to do.

PATTERSON: When we came out and saw the damage, we're like, OK, we're off air. You know what? We need to get back up.

HOMES (voice-over): One jury rigged mast later, 103.3 Kool FM was back on air. Just outside, listeners take advantage of a makeshift barbershop, using the stations generator power.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the radio station, always important. We understand what is going on with the hurricane, this and then -

HOLMES: People turned to Jeanie and his fellow DJs for information, guidance, and comfort here and on other islands around the Caribbean.

Tell me about how important the radio station was after the hurricane had gone through?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very important in getting information around. To know the whereabouts and what is happening is very vital to our community.

HOLMES (voice-over): Vital to communities throughout the region, through Irma. And now, another storm, Maria is headed their way. The job isn't done.

PATTERSON: I've been in entertainment for almost 15 years. And I've never saw myself as a reporter or someone people would be looking to for motivation and information of that nature, of course.

So usually, it's, yo, Jeanie, when is the next party? Or, you know, stuff like that. So, being called for this is crazy.

HOLMES: When not on the radio, Jeanie DJs at clubs on this and other islands. Clubs that are closed for repairs now or, in some cases, no longer even exist. Like so many of his neighbors, his job and his life has changed dramatically. But not his sense of humor. PATTERSON: It has me here in a state of flux because now I'm out of

one of my primary incomes. So, I'm here trying to figure out what my next move is. Maybe I might get into journalism and take your job.

HOLMES: Michael Holmes, CNN, Anguilla.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: I'll switch. I'll go DJ on Anguilla.

HOWELL: Cool music on an island. Now, that sounds like a fun gig.

So, we're learning some new information about the United States that's considering shutting down its embassy in Havana, Cuba. Relations between the two countries have been strained after a mysterious acoustic attack that injured American diplomats.

ALLEN: Yes, that's so bizarre. US officials are looking into who was responsible, while they consider shutting down the embassy. Patrick Oppmann has more for us from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is an increasingly strange story that the United States is taking very seriously.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson threatened to close down the US embassy in Havana if there isn't clarification over who has been carrying out alleged acoustic attacks against US diplomats in Havana.

While US officials say it is unlikely that the embassy will be closed, at least not right away, surely, it is an escalation in the worsening relations between Havana and the United States.

Late last year, US diplomats began to complain of attacks by a mystery sonic weapon that caused very real physical harm to them - everything from nausea to headaches to concussion-like symptoms to permanent hearing loss.

The Cuban government has denied any role in these attacks, has allowed the FBI to come to the island to investigate. And it still remains uncertain who is carrying out these alleged attacks and why.

But US officials say they do not believe that Cuba knows as little as they're claiming to, to carry out this kind of intelligence operation in Havana under the eyes of the Cuban government without them knowing seems very unlikely, US officials say.

So, they are pressing Havana for answers. And while the Cuban government would like this story to go away, that seems very unlikely.

The United States wants to know who is behind these attacks and why.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: All right. We turn to the US now. Protesters taking to the streets for another day and night in Saint Louis, Missouri. Demonstrations during the afternoon had hundreds lying down on the street, rallying against what they're calling police brutality.

HOWELL: The anger there, it is over a judge's verdict. The decision that found the former police officer, Jason Stockley, not guilty of murder. He was acquitted in the shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith, an African-American man, killed back in 2011.

[02:25:09] CNN's Ryan Young takes a look now at the protests that played out late Sunday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The cleanup has already started here in St. Louis after another night of unrest. Someone tried to break the window here. And as you walk down, you can see another glass that was shattered here. We saw someone picking up large objects and trying to throw them into the window.

Now, if you look back this direction, you can see the flower pots they turned over. And what they did was they tried to pick up these pieces and throw them into the windows as well.

We watched police officers all night trying to chase down some of the suspects. We know they made a few arrests. But, right now, everyone is on edge about what's going on, what they see in the streets.

Now, this is after a day of peaceful protests, where we saw people marching for miles and miles with no issues. But all of a sudden, late at night, once again, this is exactly what happens. A small group will start running through the city and creating issues.

Now, you'll see the officers right here, as they're doing their patrol, this is what they're doing at night. They're trying to make sure that the small pockets of people who won't go home cannot cause any more trouble.

And, right now, after the aftermath of this last unrest, you can see someone is already starting to work on putting some boards up against a window.

That's the back of a hotel. People were inside that bar area when something was thrown through the window. People are hoping this unrest stops sometime soon. We've seen a lot stronger force from the police hitting the streets tonight than we have before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Ryan Young, thank you. Also, to tell you about a story right here in Atlanta, Georgia, investigators are looking into a fatal shooting of a Georgia Tech college student by campus police.

This confrontation captured on cellphone video late Saturday night just outside of the university dorm. Officers have their guns drawn as the student, Scout Schultz, walks toward them.

ALLEN: Police shot the a 21-year-old, who later died at a local hospital. Schultz was a fourth-year computer engineering student and had grown up in a nearby Atlanta suburb. That's all we know about this story right now.

HOWELL: Yes, the investigation on that continues. Yes.

North Korea has its weapons pointed at the South Korean capital of Seoul, but that city's military -- nation's military is ready to respond.

A CNN exclusive, a look at the impressive defense system next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:49] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Always A pleasure to have you with us. I'm George Howell.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNNN ANCHOR: I'm Natalie Allen.

Let's update you on our top stories this hour.

(HEADLINES)

HOWELL: The United States and South Korea are promising to take a harder stance against North Korea after recent missile tests and launches. The U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, by phone over the weekend.

ALLEN: He agreed that washington and Seoul need to work more closely moving forward.

The national security adviser says North Korea has only one option, get rid of his nuclear weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. H.R. MCMASTER, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: He has to give up his nuclear weapons. The president said he is not tolerating this regime threatening the United States and our citizens with a nuclear weapon.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: So you're saying if he doesn't give up the nuclear weapons, the president will strike?

MCMASTER: He's been very clear about that, that all options are on the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: That would be a serious option to look at.

Ian Lee joins me, live, from Seoul, South Korea. This will be an interesting week, Ian. You have South Korea and

United States pledging to work more closely. But what more can they accomplish when it comes to North Korea?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's going to be the topic of discussion when they meet later this week at the U.N. General Assembly. You have Donald Trump who is going to be meeting with the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, as well as the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, discussing what measures they can take in the diplomatic realm.

On the military realm, we're hearing today there's another South Korean/U.S. military exercise that involves four F-35s, as well as two B-1 bombers. It's that preparedness that is crucial. I met with some soldiers who are preparing for what could be preparing for a war. They say while they hope it doesn't happen, they'll be ready if it breaks out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

LEE (voice-over): A war in Korea could start like this, volley after volley of North Korean artillery raining down on Seoul. Thousands of weapons are pointed at the South Korean capitol, home of 10 million people. Defending it is priority number one for her generals and politicians.

The U.S. Army granted CNN exclusive access to the 6th Battalion 37th Field Artillery. The unit's workhorse, the Alpha 1, also known as Steel Rain.

Staff Sergeant Kabon Isabelle (ph) gives me a tour of the multiple launch rocket system.

STAFF SGT. KABON ISABELLE, U.S. ARMY: It's about being able to provide support fires in a timely manner and being precise at the same time.

(EXPLOSION)

LEE: The MRMS can fire 12 rockets or two missiles up to 300 kilometers with GPS precision.

And its ability to shoot and scoot makes it hard for the enemy to target.

ISABELLE (ph): This one, I have more firepower, I can hold two pods. And it's tracked. I can get anywhere I need to. It's not very common these get stuck.

[02:35:05] LEE: Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur Hsui (ph) is in charge of this live-fire exercise, just kilometers away from the border with North Korea.

It's his responsibility to make sure the unit is ready to fight tonight.

LT. COL. WILBUR HSUI (ph), U.S. ARMY: For us, it's about going out to train and practice and make sure that we have mastered the fundamentals. And make sure this thing can shoot far and shoot fast.

LEE: Hsui's (ph) artillery unit is part of a bigger picture of advance aircraft and missiles protecting Seoul, according to assembly member, Kim Jong-dae.

KIM JONG-DAE, ASSEMBLY MEMBER (through translation): When North Korea fires its long-range artillery, we can analyze the trajectory and calculate the point of origin within a short time. That data is related to our artillery which fires self-propelled and multiple launcher rockets to destroy the target.

LEE: But the national defense committee member worries that the tens of thousands of potential shells could carry a deadly passenger.

JONG-DAE (through translation): What's scarier is that North Korea is storing about 5,000 tons of chemical weapons. They are also thought to have biological weapons like anthrax. Long-range artillery can be used as a delivery method for these weapons of mass destruction.

LEE: If North Korea prepares an attack, Kim says it's up to Hsui (ph) and his troops to deliver a counterpunch. Failure could turn Seoul into what both North and South Korean officials describe as a sea of fire.

(EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: Natalie, at the UNGA, it's likely we'll hear this freeze-freeze proposal again, which has been brought up by Russia and China, where North Korea will freeze its missile and weapons programs, and the South and the United States will freeze their military exercises. While speaking with the troops, while they didn't want to talk politics, they said, when it comes to readiness, these exercises are crucial -- Natalie?

ALLEN: Ian Lee, for us in Seoul. Thank you.

HOWELL: "Wall-to-wall human suffering," that's how one aide worker describes the humanitarian crisis facing Rohingyas. Next, we take you inside a refugee camp where many people are desperate for food and desperate for water.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:34] HOWELL: Welcome back. They are often called the most persecuted minority in the world, the Muslim Rohingya of Myanmar. In that country, entire Rohingya villages have been destroyed during a violent military crackdown.

The United Nations says it seems to be ethnic cleansing. ALLEN: At least 409,000 have escaped to Bangladesh, making a

dangerous trek, risking walking into land mines or getting shot. Bangladesh says it would build shelters after the refugee camps cannot accommodate all these people. Many people are living in squalid conditions in the mud, desperate for food and water. Most of them are children.

HOWELL: That desperation for food and water has turned deadly. A woman and two children were killed in a stampede as they were trying to get their hands on some water.

CNN's Alexandra Field has more on this story from Bangladesh.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED ROHINGYA REFUGEE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of people wait in line for hours for basics. Hundreds of thousands still have nothing at all. And they're getting desperate.

(CROSSTALK)

FIELD (on camera): Some locals here were handing out whatever they have. We can see that the children are running to collect. International aid organizations are trying to take a more organized approach. You see the chaos this creates. But the people who live here, they want to provide help to so many who are in such need.

(voice-over): An estimated 800,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees are living on Bangladesh's border. Nearly half of them arriving in the last three weeks, fleeing a violent military campaign in nearby Myanmar.

UNIDENTIFIED ROHINGYA REFUGEE (through translation): (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

FIELD: This woman remembers bullets were flying around like rain.

(on camera): This is what they escaped to, an overcrowded camp with tens of thousands of people in it. We are seeing children that are running around without any cloths. The clothing is soiled. There are piles of feces almost everywhere you step. This is one makeshift washroom that we've seen.

(voice-over): Aid organizations are building toilets, working to provide clean water, and vaccinating children to try to stop the spread of disease.

UNIDENTIFIED AID WORKER: I would describe it as wall-to-wall human suffering.

FIELD: The crisis is already too big for Bangladesh's government to bear alone. UNIDENTIFIED AID WORKER: This area, the population here is already suffering from depravation. And the strain on services that this is causing needs to be address as well, education, housing, and counseling as well.

FIELD: This aid worker said the camps are trying to help the Rohingya with what they've already seen, what they survived. At least 1300 children are still separated from families that fled as their villages burned.

She says, "Government forces carried out attacks late at night and early in the morning. Their forced those hiding in their homes to come."

Myanmar's military insists it's doing what it needs to wipe out terrorists after an attack on border guards. The United Nations calls it a textbook case of ethnic cleansing of a minority Muslim group that has lived for generations in a predominately Buddhist country.

"The government forces are torturing U.S., kidnapping and hacking the young men and boys," she says. "Raping when a girl. That's why we ran away and came here."

All she's found now is this spot off the side the road. She can stay dry here during the end of monsoon season.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: It is surreal what these people are dealing with.

If you would like to help, go to CNN.com/impact. You'll find out about groups trying to bring in food and water and shelter to this crisis.

[02:44:24] HOWELL: We'll be back after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Stars of the small screen descended on Hollywood for the best and brightest on TV and on your iPhone.

HOWELL: That's true. The 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. They were hosted by comedian and late-night host, Stephen Colbert.

With the help of a surprise guest, Colbert got a little political.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, LATE NIGHT WITH STEPHEN COLBERT: What really matters to Donald Trump is ratings. You have to have the big numbers. I certainly hope we achieve that tonight. Unfortunately, at this point, we have no way of knowing how big our audience is. Is there anyone who could say how big the audience is?

Sean, do you know?

(APPLAUSE)

SEAN SPICER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This will be the largest audience to witness an Emmys, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

ALLEN: That was cute.

HOWELL: One of the biggest nights, for sure.

One of the biggest winners was HBO's "Big Little Lies." It won awards, best series, supporting actress and lead actress. But the top prize for outstanding drama went to "The Handmaid's Tale." Elisabeth Moss won lead actress.

ALLEN: Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus made history by winning a sixth Emmy for her performance in "Veep." No other performer has been honored that many times. And let's not forget all she won for "Seinfeld."

(CROSSTALK)

ALLEN: And like many before her, Julia used her acceptance speech to go political.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:50:09] JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, ACTRESS: We did have a storyline about impeachment but we abandoned that because we were worried someone else would get to it first.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Another win for the history books, Lena Waif won outstanding writing for a comedy series. She was the first black woman to be so honored. She shared the award with actor and writer, Aziz Alsari.

HOWELL: Joining us is Rebecca Sun, with the "Hollywood Reporter," joining us from Los Angeles.

Good to have you with us today.

ALLEN: Hi, Rebecca. Thanks for being with us.

REBECCA SUN, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Thanks for having me.

ALLEN: Was there a theme to the programs that dominated. There was a theme to the acceptance speeches going political during this one. SUN: Yes. I think that was somewhat inevitable given that politics

is on everybody's mind. It's what everybody talks about around the watercooler in the workplace. It's only natural that Hollywood and the actors and tv creators would do the same thing. In terms of a big theme, if you look at the shows that won big tonight, "Big Little Lies" and "Handmaid's Tale" tackle gender issues in a political climate when people think that women's rights are up for discussion.

HOWELL: You talk about politics. And the United States, clearly a very polarized society right now. Some people see one thing, others see another. Sean Spicer, on stage, the former press secretary. Let's find out how that played out. Some people might have thought that was incredibly funny, especially, playing out that role from "Saturday Night Live." Others criticized his appearance and said it normalized Sean Spicer and normalized the Trump White House.

SUN: That's a good way to distill it. The shock you saw on the faces of the celebrities in the audience. It was equal parts, ha, ha, is this happening? And the fact that Sean Spicer is coming out and kind of making a joke about the fact that he used to wildly exaggerate things, he was quite seriously about, when he was in that position at the White House. Yes, joking about inauguration crowd sizes is purely trivial. The fact he's saying, ha, ha, I made stuff up in that job, when he there was serious stuff he was talking about, that could rub people the wrong way.

HOWELL: There were journalists that were asking questions for the American people so they could know information. To hear that he exaggerated --

(CROSSTALK)

SUN: Exactly. The fact he acknowledged that on stage. Oh, you are telling us this was a joke.

ALLEN: Melissa McCarthy was in the audience. She played Sean Spicer, almost to a tee. Alec Baldwin won for his portrayal of Trump. Did he accept it, did he play himself or as President Trump?

SUN: It was great. The biggest thing that will get under the president's skin was when he mentioned that he and his wife didn't have a child this year. And basically, playing the orange man was a big turn-off for her. That's the kind of thing that will absolutely drive the president crazy. So, it was clever. I think Alec has spent enough time channeling Donald Trump that he knows what will bother him.

HOWELL: Natalie mentioned this a minute ago. Let's talk about Lena Waif, the first African-American woman to win outstanding writer for a comedy series.

SUN: That's a huge milestone. I think she had a warm reception, you know, when she took the stage. People gave her a great ovation. And that episode was great memorable and critically acclaimed. If you haven't seen it, it's semiautobiographical. It's about her own experience of coming out to her family. This was, she was not only honored, but her story, the idea of a lesbian woman of color. That story was honored. There were other milestones. The first Asian man to win an Emmy. You know. 39th edition.

ALLEN: That's pretty cool.

How did original series on Netflix fare to traditional TV shows?

SUN: Well, you know, I think that - Netflix, specifically, it did all right. They had "the crown" and a lot of nominations for "Stranger Things." They went home empty. "Black Mirror" had a win for TV movie. As well as best writing. They did OK. But when it comes to traditional, "This Is Us," was represented by the best actor win. But HBO continued to dominate thanks to "Veep" and "Big Little Lies," sweeping their categories. And you also had Hulu sweeping their categories.

[02:55:26] ALLEN: What would be the one you suggest that people haven't seen, what would you tell them to check out? I tried "Pretty Little Lies." I couldn't get into that one.

SUN: "Big Little Lies." What's great, is among the winners there's so much variety, if you haven't checked out "Atlanta" yet. It's a quirky comedy that is sometimes not a funny comedy. But really artistically interesting. I would suggest checking that out. If you haven't seen "Handmaid's Tale." and if you haven't seen "Veep," jump right in.

ALLEN: Rebecca Sun, thank you so much.

HOWELL: Thank you, Rebecca.

Thank you for being with us this hour. The news continues here on CNN. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen. We're on the small screen. We're not stars. We'll be back on the small screen for you.

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