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Trump White House; Weinstein Scandal; Rohingya Crisis; Building the Case Against ISIS; Palestinian Rivals Hamas And Fatah Agree To Reconcile; Super Bowl Winner Meets Human Trafficking Survivors; Trump And Eminem Once Friendly, Not Anymore. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired October 12, 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 and welcome to "News Stream."

The president of the United States of America threatens to silence his own country's news media.

Harvey Weinstein's behavior was said to be an open secret in Hollywood, so why did it take so long for allegations of sexual abuse to become public?

And more, harrowing tales from Rohingya refugees. Over half a million have fled Myanmar since August.

It's no secret that Donald Trump likes to vent about the press. He once called the media the enemy of the American people, but he has never gone as

far as he has now, saying the licenses of some TV networks should possibly be revoked.

It comes as North Korea's foreign minister says that Mr. Trump has lit the wick of war just with his fiery rhetoric. We are going to look at the

standoff with Pyongyang more closely in just a moment. But first, Joe Johns has the latest from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump sounding more like an autocrat than the leader of the free world,

tweeting that network news licenses must be challenged and if appropriate revoked, after saying he does not favor limitations on the media earlier in

the day.

TRUMP: No, the press should speak more honestly.

JOHNS (voice-over): Republican Senator Ben Sasse, a frequent Trump critic, firing back asking, Mr. President, are you recanting the oath you took on

January 20th to preserve, protect, and defend the first Amendment?

TRUMP: The one thing with the Democrats, they stay together like glue. We have great policies, but the Republicans tend not to be as unified.

JOHNS (voice-over): Sources tell CNN the president is growing increasingly frustrated with stalled legislative agenda and a new article in Vanity Fair

describes a White House in crisis with advisers struggling to contain a president who is increasingly unfocused and consumed by dark moods.

The report cites two senior Republican officials who say Chief of Staff John Kelly is miserable, but remaining in his post to keep Mr. Trump from

making a disastrous decision. Speculation about Kelly's future growing Wednesday after his deputy chief of staff was nominated to replace the post

he vacated as homeland security secretary.

One White House source telling CNN, they don't see Kelly remaining on the job for long without her, and that he may have been giving her somewhere to

land before he ultimately leaves. According to one of Vanity Fair sources, the president's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has said, he thinks

the president only has a 30 percent chance of making it through his full term.

Bannon reportedly telling the president that the main risk to his tenure is the 25th Amendment to the constitution, which allows the cabinet to vote to

remove him. The White House is disputing these accounts as the president denies any rift with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

TRUMP: We have a very good relationship.

JOHNS (voice-over): But making it clear that his own strategic opinion matters most when it comes to North Korea.

TRUMP: I think I have a little bit different attitude on North Korea than other people might have. And I listen to everybody but ultimately, my

attitude is the one that matters, isn't it?

JOHNS (voice-over): This as CNN learns that a tense and difficult meeting at the Pentagon prompted Tillerson to call the president a moron back in

July. An official telling CNN, defense employees were ashen at Mr. Trump's direct questioning of his commanders and his lack of a nuanced world view.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Joe Johns reporting there. While President Trump escalates his threats against the press, his administration is calling on Turkey to

respect the media. This week, a Turkish court sentenced a Wall Street journal reporter to prison in absentia. The charge, spreading what it calls

terrorist propaganda.

U.S. State Department responded with this statement saying, "freedom of expression, including for speech and the media, even speech which some find

controversial or uncomfortable, strengthens democracy and needs to be protected. More voices, not fewer, are necessary in challenging times."

One of the challenges that Washington is facing right now, of course the standoff with Pyongyang. The North Korean foreign minister tells Russian

news agency, President Trump has lit the wick of war.

[08:05:00] Let's bring in Alexandra Field from Seoul with more on this. Alex, new tough language from the North Korean prime minister, who was

recently promoted, Ri Yong-ho. What else did he say about the U.S. in the ongoing stand off?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) way with words when it comes to rhetoric. When you talk about lit the wick of war,

(INAUDIBLE) little bit of context behind that statement. He says that the president lit the wick of war with the speech that he made to the U.N.

General Assembly that was just about a month ago.

And during that speech, he sort of (INAUDIBLE) the U.S. ability to destroy North Korea if necessary and went on to taunt North Korea's leader, Kim

Jong-un, calling him "Rocket Man." In this interview, the foreign minister goes on to say that it is the fault of the U.S., that the tensions on the

peninsula have escalated to the point that they are now at.

He calls the sanctions that have been leveled against North Korea acts of aggression. And he goes on to say that this is not the time to be talking

about talks. He reaffirms the position essentially of the regime that missiles and the nuclear program are not on the negotiation table so long

as the U.S. continues its policy of aiming to crash North Korea. Those are his words.

Of course, Kristie, it isn't just the North Koreans who are casting doubt that dialogue will lead to the resolution of this crisis that we've watched

unfold. Frankly, that's been what appears to be the message from the White House, at least from the president in recent days or weeks.

We know that the administration has said so many times repeatedly that a diplomatic solution was the best possible solution to this crisis, but you

have had so many cryptic messages from the president talking about how only one option will work and seemingly undercutting the secretary of state who

has been out here in the region talking about opening up channels of dialogue. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Now, also you have been watching in the region, there has been yet another U.S. military show of force. How is North Korea likely

interpreting that?

FIELD: We know that every time the U.S. flexes its military muscle so to speak that Pyongyang interprets that as a provocation and they often

respond either with harsh rhetoric or with provocations of their own. Don't forget, this is a country that has conducted some 14 missile launches

(INAUDIBLE) intercontinental ballistic missile launches. They set missiles over Japan. They conducted their sixth nuclear test.

So, they have, you know, had a series of these provocations that have really garnered the world's attention and resulted in some of the stiffest

sanctions ever leveled against North Korea. You are talking I think about the flight of these B-1B bombers, the flight that happened over the Korean

Peninsula just about two days ago. This is a move that is seen as very provocative, highly provocative by North Korea.

In the past, they even threatened that they would take down B-1B bombers. There is nothing to suggests that they have the capability to do that, but

this is certainly something that they see as a direct upfront and defense. You will remember, Kristie, that it was just this summer that the regime

was threatening that they would launch missiles in the waters around the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, that is of course the base that these

bombers depart from.

There has not been a direct response from Pyongyang to the latest flight of these B-1B bombers, but later this month, we learned that there will be

joint naval drills between the South Korean and the U.S. military. That is something that Pyongyang also always objects too. So, we are going to stand

by and wait to see how they interpret these repeated shows of force.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. Alexander Field reporting live for us from Seoul. Thank you, Alex. Take care.

Mr. Trump is also appearing to lash out at Puerto Rico. Just minutes ago, he quoted American journalist. He tweeted this, "Puerto Rico survived the

hurricanes, now a financial crisis looms largely of their own making, says Sharyl Attkisson. A total lack of accountability say the Governor. Electric

and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes. Congress to decide how much to spend. We cannot keep FEMA, the military and the first

responders, who have been amazing under the most difficult circumstances in P.R., meaning Puerto Rico, forever."

Mr. Trump's tweets, this comes as the death toll from Hurricane Maria, which struck weeks ago, rises to 45. Now, aid, more aid is moving in, but

the recovery has been painfully slow. The vast majority of the island still to this day has no power. Hospitals are running low on medicine and fuel.

CNN's Leyla Santiago is on the ground in San Juan. She is more on the desperate plight of the residents of Puerto Rico.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As we went around the island in the last two days, got outside of where we are right now in San Juan, what we

realized is FEMA aid is moving. But at the end of the day, those most vulnerable are not getting the aid and the help that they need. Let me give

you one example. As we went out to Anasco, it is on the western part of

[08:10:00] the island, we went into a very remote area where they had actually cleared off the debris on a road there. But the concern is that

when it rained, it's back to the way it was before. Washed out roads, floods, and mud that make it really hard to get to the people who are so

isolated right now.

I met one woman, her name is Lusalenia Rivera. And when we went to her home, she was by herself, she had no power, she had asthma, she has

arthritis, and she cannot get out of the community where she is right now. She tells me help is minimal. The only person who has come by was someone

from the mayor's office. I want you to listen to my exchange with her.

She says she needs power, she needs light. She needs her daily medicines. These are basic things. These are basic things. Three weeks after Maria,

she can get.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: That was Leyla Santiago reporting. There is also fear of disease. The mayor of San Juan says people are so desperate that they are drinking

contaminated water from the creek. As a result, at least two people have died.

Now, more accusations are coming out against disgraced Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein. Actress and model Cara Delevingne is the

latest woman to accuse him of inappropriate behavior. She says that Weinstein he made unwanted sexual advances towards her early in her career,

but she never spoke out, in part because she didn't want to hurt his family.

Many Democrats received big campaign contributions from Harvey Weinstein over the years. Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she will

now donate Weinstein's money to charity. She spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria about the latest allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I was just sick. I was shocked. I was appalled. It was something that was just intolerable in every way

and, you know, like so many people who have come forward and spoken out, this was a different side of a person who I and many others had known in

the past.

FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN FAREED ZAKARIA GPS HOST (voice-over): Would you have called him a friend?

CLINTON: Yes, I probably would have. And so would so many others. And people in democratic politics for a couple of decades appreciated his help

and support. And I think these stories coming to light now and people who never spoke out before having the courage to speak out, just clearly

demonstrates that this behavior that he engaged in cannot be tolerated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Be sure to tune in Sunday to see Fareed Zakaria's entire interview with Hillary Clinton. That's airing 3:00 p.m. London time, 10:00

p.m. in Hong Kong, only right here on CNN.

The journalist Ronan Farrow wrote about the allegations for The New Yorker. Earlier, he spoke to CNN about the bravery of the women coming forward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RONAN FARROW, JOURNALIST: They were terrified. Terrified is exactly the word. Over and over again. And, you know, look, it's not that I enter into

it. This was hard because they -- I had to work with them as they relived this trauma over and over with nothing to gain.

They got nothing out of this except truth. And, you know, I said the truth because each of these claims went through a very rigorous fact check

process. These were not women who were, you know, running, banging down the doors of reporters.

These were women who had been grappling with this for a long time. And over and over again, as they told me, they finally spoke out, because they had

realized from other women often that this was a pattern. And they thought that they could speak out and maybe end this and protect the next woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Ronan Farrow there. Some Hollywood insiders say that Harvey Weinstein's reputation for sexual harassment was pretty much an open

secret, so why did it take decades for the news to surface? CNN's Randi Kaye has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Film producer Harvey Weinstein's alleged harassment and assault of women, an open secret in

Hollywood, often finding its way into comedy scripts, like this 2012 scene from NBC's "30 Rock."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, please, I'm not afraid of anyone in show business. I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three

occasions out of five.

KAYE (voice-over): Funny then, not so much now. Weinstein's reputation for flexing his Hollywood muscle and using his power to inappropriately touch

or assault women apparently well-known among Hollywood insiders. Still, the jokes continue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 2012 nominees for best performance by an actress.

[08:15:00] KAYE (voice-over): During the Oscar nomination in 2013, actor Seth MacFarlane read the names of the actresses up for best supporting

actress, then joked.

SETH MACFARLANE, ACTOR: Congratulations. You five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.

(LAUGHTER)

KAYE (voice-over): There, at one of Hollywood's biggest moments, a disturbing nod to Harvey Weinstein's reputation. We reached out to Seth

MacFarlane asking why he joked about something so serious. His rep directed us to his statement on Twitter released today, which explains a friend of

his in 2011 had confided in him about Weinstein's alleged advances, and that he couldn't resist the opportunity to take a hard swing in his

direction. Make no mistake, this came from a place of loathing and anger.

In response to our request, the Academy of Motion Pictures would only say, it finds the conduct described in the allegations against Harvey Weinstein

to be repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical to the high standards of the academy and the creative community it represents. We also asked NBC about

poking fun at Weinstein's alleged abuses but were told no one was available to respond.

KAYE: Still, the question is, who knew what, when, and how could anyone think any of this was funny? Actress Rose McGowan certainly isn't laughing.

The New York Times reports that in 1997, when McGowan was just 23, Weinstein paid her a $100,000 settlement after an "episode" he had with her

in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival.

In a new twist, McGowan is now attacking actor Ben Affleck in response to his statement about Weinstein on Tuesday. In it, Affleck said, "I find

myself asking what I can do to make sure this doesn't happen to others." An enraged McGowan took to Twitter, implying Affleck knew of Weinstein's

behavior and told her about it years before.

Quoting Affleck in her tweet, she posted this. God damn it! I told him to stop doing that. You said that to my face. The press conference I was made

to go to after assault. You lie. McGowan later confirmed to The New York Times, she was indeed accusing Affleck of lying by not acknowledging he was

aware of Weinstein's alleged behavior. Telling the paper, I am saying exactly that. Our attempts to reach both McGowan and Affleck were

unsuccessful. Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Rose McGowan later posted on Instagram that Twitter has suspended her account.

Coming up next right here on "News Stream," building a case against ISIS. International lawyers and investigators are determined to see ISIS pay for

its war crimes. They are risking their lives to collect the evidence. An exclusive report is next.

[08:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is "News Stream."

Now, an alarming surge of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar is being reported. The U.N. says more than 520,000 have crossed to Bangladesh

since August. For those who are still inside Myanmar, this is what's left in the places they once called home. People living in make-shift tents

after their homes went down in flames.

The U.S. says security forces are deliberately burning homes and crops to prevent the Rohingya from returning. Earlier, we spoke to a representative

of the U.N. Refugee Agency, and he told us what Rohingya refugees are telling him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FELIPE CAMARGO, SENIOR EMERGENCY COORDINATOR, UNHCR: They arrived and came from (INAUDIBLE) where they are reporting that the local population has

been setting in fire markets, setting in fire villages, pretty much forcing people to flee. They are walking through the hills. They are arriving in

very difficult conditions.

They reported that most of the villages that they cross are empty already, that there is nobody left in many of these villages. They have been

threatened both by army and by Rakhine population, other Myanmar ethnicities. They are really arriving in a very rare (ph) condition,

already separated families, sick, pregnant women, and walking for days to reach the border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Myanmar denies it is persecuting the Rohingya, saying it is just cracking down on terrorists.

Now, international investigators are determined to bring ISIS to justice for their many atrocities. Among their war crimes, kidnapping Yazidi women

and children from Iraq and trafficking them as sex slaves. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh spoke exclusively with some of the investigators who are risking

their lives to make sure that the terror group pays for their crimes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Caliphate ISIS declared three years ago now lies in ruins. Its fighters dead, captured or

on the run.

(GUNFIRE)

KARADSHEH (voice-over): ISIS ravaged much Northern Iraq, but their organized campaign to destroy, kill, and torture left behind a trail.

Thousands of documents, phone records, and videos.

As ISIS retreated, investigators moved in quietly, combing through the offices of the so-called Caliphate, like this one. Their goal, to find the

evidence that would allow teams of lawyers to build cases against the men who directed the horror.

For more than two years, a team of western and Iraqi investigators from the Commission for International Justice and Accountability worked undercover

with Kurdish authorities in Northern Iraq. ISIS had left plenty of clues.

Speaking to CNN on the condition we can seal his identity, one investigator describes the inner workings of ISIS.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATOR: The bureaucracy of Islamic state's leadership and its council upon council upon council where very

little happens without various stamping and signing of document, will enable them to be so effective, is actually helping us to demonstrate the

whole structural organizational chain from the guys that committed the atrocities to the senior leadership.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): In a secret location in Europe, evidence retrieved in Iraq is analyzed, links are made, and cases built by international

criminal lawyers. Bill Wiley has worked for more than 20 years in high profile international tribunals.

BILL WILEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CIJA: (INAUDIBLE) is to get basically electronic devices of any kind of -- anything with a hard drive basically.

These things because obviously the capacity of a hard drive hold so much material.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): We found that the commission whose work is independent, it's ISIS investigation is funded mostly by the Canadian

government.

WILEY: The key focus for us or certainly in an international criminal prosecution is what is on what we call linkage. And that's establishing the

connection between the low-level perpetrators, who are not ultimately of interest for prosecution, running up the linkage that runs up to the

highest level perpetrators, ultimately, al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic state.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The commission has two work crimes cases ready for prosecution. They are related to ISIS's assault on Sinjar, home to Iraq CCD

minority. Thousands were captured then executed, women enslaved and raped.

WILEY: There is -- if I can put it this way, a creativity in their criminality, which I have not witnessed anywhere else. I'm quite accustomed

to mass murder.

[08:25:00] I've worked in Rwanda, Balkans, and the eastern Congo. So, if you will, mainstream routine murder, torture, sexual offenses and so forth,

myself and my colleagues are quite familiar with it and I've never seen in my whole career and I have been in this field for over 20 years. I've never

seen an organized sexual slavery before.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): And ISIS boasted about it. This 2014 video purportedly shows ISIS militants joking about buying and selling Yazidi

women, $300 this fighter says, but he will pay more if she is younger.

Two dozen ISIS leaders and members with links to the persecution of Yazidis has been identified. According to Wiley, the top level leadership sets the

overall policy, but when it comes to the day-to-day criminality, ISIS's governors are the key players. Suspects include ISIS's former governor of

Mosul, Abu Layth, believed to have been killed. And this man, Abu Hamza, a local Emir who remains at large.

Witness testimony has been critical. Dozens of rescued Yazidis have been interviewed by investigators. And as the Caliphate crumbles, survivors

emerge. This 21-year-old rescued just weeks ago from Syria says she was a slave for nearly three years, raped repeatedly by an American ISIS fighter.

Free to reveal her identity, she tells us she was sold four times, yet the hardest thing she endured was being separated from her mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, FORMER ISIS YAZIDI SLAVE (through translator): When got out and didn't find my family, it felt like ISIS had taken me again. I

can't stop thinking of my family. I was liberated but I don't feel free.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): She wants ISIS fighters tried and punished as criminals. Even so, she tells us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, FORMER ISIS YAZIDI SLAVE (through translator): Nothing will bring back our families and erase what happened. Nothing will give us

back our lives.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Whether this evidence will ever be heard in court is tied up in the complex politics of Iraq and the Kurdistan region, both

gathering support for special ISIS prosecutions, while many ISIS leaders may never face justice. For the lawyers pursuing the worst of the worst,

this is about holding an organization accountable for its crimes and telling the world, this is what they did. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Northern

Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Sickening account of sexual slavery by ISIS there. Still ahead, the program, CNN's Freedom Project, explores a darker side of the Dominican

Republic. Coming up, how one football player and his mom are helping survivors of human trafficking there.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, you're watching News Stream and there are your world headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Donald Trump is escalating his attacks on the media. On Wednesday, he twitted this quote, network news has become so partisan

distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and if appropriate, revoked.

Now this follows an NBC report that said that he wanted a tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Mr. Trump says that is untrue.

Now President Trump also commented on the stand off in North Korea. He said the U.S. is in a position to deal with that threat with some $800

billion being spent on heating up the military.

The Pakistani army says an American and a Canadian husband are free five years after being taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The couple

was taken hostage during a backing trip. They were released along with their three children who were born in captivity.

The family last appeared in a proof of life video released by the Taliban back in December when asked U.S. President Trump to secure their freedom.

Well, Spain celebrates National Day with a large military parade in Madrid. Meanwhile, a rally has been taking place in Barcelona, the capital of a

Catalonia region. The displace come a day after the Spanish government set a Monday deadline for Catalonia to clarify whether it is declared

independence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now bitter rivals in the Middle East, the Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah have struck a reconciliation deal. (Inaudible) tried

several times to form a power-sharing government in Gaza and the West Bank.

And these new unity talks were also mediated by the Egyptian government. Now CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Ramallah in the West Bank. He joins us

now, and Oren, what more are you learning about this reconciliation agreement that was reached and will it lead to unity that will hold?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, a lot of the things from both Fatah and Hamas that allegations that are still in Cairo and have

them for the last few days, a lot of that things was directed right at Egypt for hosting these talks and pushing them forward.

Not only, his direct talk between the two sides but also indirect talks last month and their efforts over the course of the recent pasture to make

this happen. And to bring together these two bitter rivals and create a national unity government.

But there wasn't much more in the statements, thanking each other, thanking the Palestinian people, but in terms of details, what is this look like and

what are the concessions the two sides that made towards each other to bridge what has seemed like unbridgeable gaps.

We don't know much there because the statements simply didn't include them. There was talk at border crossing, the Palestinian authority which is

Fatah, which governs the West Bank will take over the border crossings. That was big issue for Hamas and a major concession.

But there was no discussion of what happens to Hamas' military wing, al- Qassam Brigades in what happens to their weaponry, in addition, what about stance on big diplomatic issues, for example opposition on Israel, will

Hamas moderate their position at all.

Those are the questions we still have at this point, as well as other questions, for example, what happens to Hamas employees in Gaza. Do they

become Palestinian authority employees and what happens to their salaries.

All of this needs to be hammered. If it hasn't been hammered out already those details and it's the details where previous reconciliation times that

falling apart in the past.

Those details need to be put forward and they need to work our for this attempt in reconciliation, from this attempt at a national unity government

to hold.

So far, the sings was strong. We have seen optimism on both sides here. In fact, we know from Hamas' official Twitter account that Hamas' leader in

Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, had made a phone call to Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas congratulating him.

So far that means, at this point, the signs are strong, the signs are certainly optimistic, it doesn't mean this is solid yet, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Signs are optimistic but the details, they have to be released. Oren Liebermann reporting live for us. Thank you, Oren.

And all this week, CNN's Freedom Project has been shedding light on slavery in the Dominican Republic. Now, it maybe a beautiful tourist destination

but there is a dark side to this island paradise.

CNN's Don Riddell introduces us to professional American football player who is spending his off-season helping survivors of human trafficking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How will they remember you when you're gone? Will it be the tackles, the blocks, the championship rings or

perhaps something else?

Max Garcia has only been in the NFL for two full years but already he's a Super Bowl champion. The giant Denver Broncos guard is now trying to make

an impact off the field as well.

MAX GARCIA, FOOTBALL GUARD, DENVER BRONCOS: When you're done playing, when the lights are off, you know, and no one else wants to talk to you anymore,

when you're not famous anymore, you're going to look back and say what did I do that really made a difference in this world?

RIDDELL: So that's why he ventured to the Dominican Republic to get a firsthand look at something others often turn a blind eye to.

[08:35:00] The trafficking and the exploitation of children in a country where a reported one out of every 10 victims of commercial sexual

exploitation is a minor.

GARCIA: It's unbelievable that that's norm. That no one, you know, even bats an eye at that.

RIDDELL: Before the start of the new season, Garcia and a handful of other NFL players made the trip. Some brought their wives and girlfriends to

lend a hand. But Max brought his mom.

GARCIA: I immediately thought of my mother. She's been here three times before and I just thought it would be a great experience for us to have

together.

SONIA GARCIA, MAX'S MOTHER: It means a lot because I think his passion on helping others is just seen how he cares for everybody else.

RIDDELL: In 2017 alone, pro-athletes and their families have donated $1 million to IJM. But it goes beyond just the money. In Santo Domingo these

players met young girls who've been exploited but who are now trying to rebuild their lives.

On this occasion, Max heard from a young woman, only 18, who shared her story about her exploitation and what she went through to survive.

GARCIA: You know, it has been super emotional. You know, just hearing her testimony. So you just don't realize, you know, how good you really have

it. You don't realize the type of evil that there is in this world. I felt angry, you know, that someone would try to take advantage of a person

like that.

RIDDELL: But it's not just young girls who are trapped and victimized but boys, too. These children have been rescued and they're in the process of

being rehabilitated.

And even though it was only for a few precious hours, Max was able to make them smile again, something that wasn't lost on Fernando Rodriguez, IJM's

local Field Officer Director.

FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ, FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR, IJM DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: It's also just a great opportunity for these young survivors that are going to

be able to play some games where they can engage, enjoy, and just fun, because sometimes it's a little bit scary for them.

GARCIA: You know the world and have fun. I mean, they don't really know who we are but that doesn't matter.

S. GARCIA: For him to experience this, see what's happening in the real world, is a lot. And I know he's going to take all of these with him and

spread the word.

RIDDELL: Between IJM hosted speaking events and supporting them during the NFL's My Cause Week, Max will take what he's learned here and help deliver

the message to a wider audience. He also thinks that things will now be different between him and his mom.

GARCIA: In a lot of way I'm the way that I am because of her and the life that she's led. I think it's something that we'll both look back on and

say this really was a pivotal moment in our relationship as a mother and son.

RIDDELL: Don Riddell, CNN, Dominican Republic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Such an important work there and you can watch all of Don Riddell's reporting from the Dominican Republic on the CNN Freedom Project

webpage CNN.com/freedomproject to find it there. We've got more News Stream after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Earlier this hour, we told you about President Trump's escalating attack on the media.

[08:40:00] He called the network news partisan and said some station should probably have their licenses revoked. Now freedom of the press and freedom

of speech are of course enshrined in the First Amendment.

And that allows music artist like Eminem to launch scaling attacks on Mr. Trump. Jeanne Moos has the recent tirade that may have change the

president's earlier opinion of the rapper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rapper Eminem went nuclear on the President Trump.

EMINEM, RAPPER: Because what we got in office now is a kamikaze that will probably cause a nuclear holocaust.

MOOS: In a video that aired during the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

EMINEM: Racism is the only thing he's fantastic for.

MOOS: The rapper didn't tiptoe around.

EMINEM: I came to stomp, that's why he keeps screaming drain the swamp because he's in quicksand.

MOOS: The takedown was quickly picked up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eminem unleashed.

MOOS: No wonder known for kneeling quarterback Colin Kaepernick tweeted, I appreciate you, Eminem.

EMINEM: This is for Colin, ball up a fist.

MOOS: For the good old days when Eminem was actually endorsed by Donald Trump. At a 2004 publicity stunt rally for fake candidates, Slim Shady,

Eminem's alter ego, met Trump's plus-size ego.

TRUMP: I'm Donald Trump. I'm always great. Slim Shady is the winner.

MOOS: The same year Trump told Playboy magazine, I think Eminem is fantastic and most people think I wouldn't like Eminem. And did you know

my name is in more black songs that any other name in hip-hop. Black entertainers love Donald Trump. Russell Simmons told me that. But now

there's a wall between these two.

EMINEM: He's going to build that thing up taller than this.

MOOS: Some of those who are now cheering Eminem for trashing President Trump used to be disgusted when the rapper bashed gays and women while

portraying Slim Shady. And while Ellen sent her love, some Trump supporters said they would boycott the rapper.

EMINEM: And any fan of mine who's a supporter of his, I'm drawing in the sand a line, you're either for or against.

MOOS: Trump used to be for Eminem.

TRUMP: And he's got Donald Trump's vote.

MOOS: Maybe not after this rap-attack.

EMINEM: Hate Trump.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And if you haven't seen Eminem's takedown in full, it's worth a listen. And that is it for News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout but don't go

anywhere, World Sport with Christina Macfarlane is next.

END