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U.S. Senate Race; Climate Change Summit; Wildfires Burn Across Southern California; New York Bombing; Jerusalem Controversy; Trump White House; Kimchi Premium; World Headlines; Beijing Evictions. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired December 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."

Alabama's election is in the global spotlight with a conservative accused of sexually harassing teenagers facing a Democrat in a traditionally

Republican stronghold.

A green agenda. The French president (INAUDIBLE) heads of state and business leaders at a climate change summit in Paris.

And poor and now homeless. China's migrant workers are being evicted on to the cold streets of the capital Beijing.

Now the polls are just opened in Alabama in a high stake U.S. Senate race that has captured worldwide attention. Voters will either elect

controversial Republican Roy Moore, you see him on the left, a man accused of sexual misconduct, or Doug Jones, the candidate vying to become the

first Alabama Democrat to serve in the U.S. Senate in more than two decades.

Keep it right here on CNN for all election updates. We will have more from Alabama coming up in about 10 minutes from now.

World leaders are meeting for the second anniversary of the historic Paris Climate Accord. It is called "One Planet." It is focused on the financing

of climate action towards a greener global economy. President Donald Trump of course pulled the U.S. out of the landmark deal in June, saying that it

was a bad deal for America.

Let's go straight to our Paris correspondent, Melissa Bell, who joins us live. Melissa, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, is the host of the

summit. So, two years after the Paris Accord, what does he hope to achieve here?

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: I think in a word (ph), Kristie, really momentum. This is the president of France who has invested so much

political capital and taking up the mantle of world leader on these environmental issues, and all the more so of course since that now famous

separation on June first by Donald Trump, that the United States was withdrawing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (voice-over): It was the deal that few had imagined possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNTRANSLATED).

BELL (voice-over): A universal and binding climate change treaty aim at keeping global warming below two degrees Celsius about pre-industrial

levels. Francois Hollande may have been the man of the hour on this day two years ago, but it is his successor Emmanuel Macron who has made the deals

rescue his mission.

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE: Make our planet great again.

BELL (voice-over): A message delivered within hours of Donald Trump's announcement on June first of America's withdrawal from the deal.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're getting out.

BELL (voice-over): And in practice also the French president wasted no time in picking up the mantle of global leader on environmental issues launching

with the help of the former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a draft global charter (ph) for the environment and this only three weeks after

Donald Trump's decision.

MACRON (through translator): I doubt about the deal that have emerged with this decision by the president of the U.S. to pull out, but you saw as I

did that it seems to have made no difference at all.

BELL (voice-over): And that is perhaps partly because where the American president left off, other high profile Americans stepped in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here with President Macron. We are talking about the environmental issues in the green future.

MACRON: And now we will deliver together, to make the planet great again.

BELL (voice-over): On Sunday, Macron lit the Alsace Christmas Tree just ahead of a summit that he hopes will be a gift to the world, but can the

Paris deal targets still be met?

JEAN JOUZEL, FRENCH GLACIOLOGIST AND CLIMATOLOGIST: It's still possible to keep (INAUDIBLE). We have obviously to change our development scheme

obviously to go towards look up on society. It will create jobs economically and psychologically it's -- you will win if you do it and you

will lose if you don't do it.

BELL (voice-over): The question is whether Paris has determined as it is has to power to lead even where the United States refuses to follow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Now it is because, Kristie, that particular question, that crucial question still hangs in the balance, does today matters as much as it does?

Because what today is about and the high level meetings between no more than 50 heads of state and government that are going to begin here this

afternoon about is the money.

How is it going to be financed? How are these ambitious targets going to be financed between now and the 2050, between now and the 22nd century,

without the help, without the backing of the United States and can those targets still be met as a result?

At the end of the day, Macron has said that he wants specific proposals, concrete actions, 12 points in all that he hopes people will agree on here

today to ensure,

[08:05:00] to prove in a sense to the world, that those financial targets, those financial commitments can be met.

LU STOUT: Melissa, the summit is about the money. It is about the so-called green financing. It is also about someone who is not there, Donald Trump,

who took the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement. He is not attending the summit. Does Macron and other world leaders there believe that the U.S.

would actually return to the Paris Accord?

BELL: You know, Kristie, it's something that we have been hearing here an awful lot. Because although Donald Trump was not even invited, there are an

awful lot of American players here today.

Amongst them are American companies, people like Michael Bloomberg, who explained a little earlier on that the coalition that was formed just after

Donald Trump's announcement, that was there to show that the United States even if its leadership was not behind the deal, remained very much

committed to it, now (INAUDIBLE) half the American economy.

He said that was a key coalition that held, they intended to back the deal, and therefore (INAUDIBLE) can do nothing about it. Those were his words. We

also spoke to the former secretary of state, John Kerry, who had this to say, Kristie, about the American withdrawal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: Let me be clear about the American withdrawal. The majority of the states in the United States

and the majority of our cities will live up to Paris. They are going to do everything they can in their power to reduce emissions and to do our part

to live up to the Paris agreement. So President Trump personally decided he wants to get out, but the majority of the American people want to stay in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: John Kerry went on to tell CNN, Kristie, that given that the American withdrawal would have to happen after 2020, he believed that the United

States might well stay in altogether.

LU STOUT: All right. Melissa Bell reporting live from Paris, thank you.

Now last hour, CNN's Max Foster hosted a special edition of CNN Talk live from Paris. The show is a chance for you to express your thoughts and

questions on the major news of the day and to get responses from Max's panel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do you say when skeptics come to you and questioned the whole idea of whether we should be addressing this

issue?

MARK LYNAS, CLIMATE AUTHOR: Well the problem with climate science (ph) has become politicized. It's a sort of badge of tribal membership of the

political right, is to be skeptic on climate change. That's not a response to having read the objective scientific evidence. That's, you know, about

political implication and political labeling.

But there is no -- nothing to say and keep repeating is there is no dispute between the scientific community on the reality of climate change and there

hasn't been, for, to be honest, more than 20 years.

FOSTER: On Facebook, Napoleon is saying plant lots of trees for the next generation. Clean erosion. Reduce the use of electronics. And Mary saying

awareness, awareness, awareness, there should be a concerted effort to make this possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Some highlights there from CNN Talk with Max Foster we just recorded live in the past hour.

Now the governor of California warns that climate change is making long wildfire seasons "the new normal." Firefighters are finally reporting some

progress as they battle six raging wildfires. The largest of those, the Thomas Fire, is now 20 percent contained, that's up from 15 percent on

Monday.

Fire crews are hoping improved weather conditions will speed up containment. The fires have destroyed more than 1,000 structures. Let's

take a look at this dramatic image. A Christmas tree stands alone in the front yard of an evacuated home while the flames erupt in the background.

Authorities in New York say that Monday's bomb suspect was not on FBI or police radar. Bangladeshi police also say that Akayed Ullah has no criminal

record in his native country. New York police say Akayed Ullah detonated a homemade device in a subway walkway, injuring himself and five others.

Surveillance captured the moment of the blast. The mayor calls it an attempted terror attack. Ullah has been living in the U.S. since 2011. A

law enforcement official says he pledged allegiance to ISIS and told police he acted in response to Israeli actions in Gaza. Ullah's family has

released a statement expressing heartbreak over the attack.

For a fifth day, Palestinians were out to protest President Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. But these scenes from

Bethlehem are relatively subdued compared to what we have seen over the past few days.

Thousands of protesters run the streets of Beirut by this time yesterday. The biggest rally we have seen in Lebanon so far. And while the anger has

been evident in parts of the Arab world, there is another emotion defining the nature of these protests. A sense of despair. Arwa Damon has more from

Ramallah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The billowing smoke from the burning tires creates a dramatic backdrop as cars

try to weave their way through.

[08:10:00] Youth gather rocks from the ground, their faces covered, both in a vain attempt to diminish the effect of the teargas, but also so that they

are not identified by Israeli forces later.

Parents do try to halfheartedly convince their children to stay away from the clashes. But like any rebellious generation, they are not listening,

especially not now, not now that they feel that Jerusalem has slipped from their hands.

"My parents say don't go and if the Arabs and the big Arab leaders aren't taking action, it is not going to be liberated with rocks or young men and

women," this 19-year-old tells us. "But I do what's in my head."

But the numbers of Palestinians who have taken to the streets remains, relatively speaking, low.

(on camera): This sort of a back and forth, it's pretty much the norm here. In fact, a little muted at least by what the expectations were. People say

that they are exhausted. They say that they still will continue to fight. It just gets that much harder every day.

(voice-over): Yet that is hardly a reflection of what is happening within the population's hearts. The anger of it all. And as Mustafa Barghouli

says, observers should not rush to any conclusions.

MUSTAFA BARGHOULI, EXEC COMMITTEE OF PLO: It's 50 years of occupation, 70 years of displacement. Lots of disappointments, one after the other. Of

course, it has its effects on people's psychology, but I know our people.

DAMON (voice-over): Back in 1987, it was the same, Barghouli explains. The population suffocated by its collective disappointment and that resulted in

what he described as the most fantastic uprising in Palestinian history. The first intifada that led to the Oslo Accord in 1993.

The banner carried in this small demonstration reads, "Jerusalem is the red line and the gateway to peace and war."

The onus is not just on the Palestinian street, but on its leadership and Arab and Muslim nations who many say could and should do so much more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would not say that this is the end of the story. I think what we see today is the beginning of a new chapter, a whole new

chapter in our relationship to Israel and the United States.

DAMON (voice-over): A new chapter that may see America replaced as a mediator, a new chapter with all its unpredictability and unknowns that

people can only hope will be for the first time authored by the Palestinians themselves.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Ramallah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You are watching "News Stream." Still ahead, President Trump faces allegations of sexual misconduct. Now, several of his accusers are

speaking out, and some senators are demanding he resign.

Also ahead, all around the world, bitcoins are trading at sky high prices, but probably nowhere near as high as this country. It's called the Kimchi

Premium. We'll explain when we come back.

[08:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

The Alabama senate race is now in the hands of the voters. Polls opened just minutes ago in the election between Roy Moore, the Republican accused

of sexual misconduct and assault, and Doug Jones, a Democrat fighting an uphill battle in a deeply Republican state.

CNN's Alex Marquardt joins us now from Mountain Brook, Alabama. That's where Doug Jones will be casting his vote. And Alex, thank you so much for

joining us. This is again a race between two men, Doug Jones and Roy Moore. What does Jones needs to do to win this?

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is really an uphill battle for Jones. He really has to get all the votes that

he can get. This is already going to be a very competitive race before these allegations against Roy Moore came out. After they came out, it made

it a very tight race.

Now the reason that Jones has more of a struggle than Moore is because Moore has been known for 40 years. He has this passionate base of support.

This core base of voters that will come out no matter what, despite these allegations, despite the fact that it is a chilly morning in mid[-December,

and this is a special election in an off-year.

So the big question, Kristie, that we are following today is what is the turnout going to be? The secretary of state for Alabama has estimated that

the turnout will be somewhere between 20 and 25 percent. For anyone who knows voting, that may sound like it's a little on the low side, but in

fact the expectation just days and weeks ago, in fact, was expected to be lower.

So that is the name of the game today. That is what we are going to be watching very closely, the turnout in this election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones making their final pitches to voters ahead one of the most unpredictable elections

in Alabama's history.

DOUG JONES, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: It is time that we put our decency, our state before political party.

ROY MOORE, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: I'm going to tell you, if you don't believe in my character, don't vote for me.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Moore, bringing in a number of out of state conservatives, including the president's former chief strategist, Steve

Bannon, who riled up the crowd by attacking Republicans who have been critical of the accused child molester, even appearing to take a shot at

the president's daughter, who told the A.P. last month, "there is a special place in hell for people who prey on children."

STEVE BANNON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF STRATEGIST: There is a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Bannon also naming names, calling out the state's most prominent Republicans, Senator Richard Shelby, who told CNN on Sunday

he did not vote for Moore.

SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R), ALABAMA: The state of Alabama deserves better.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): And former secretary of state and native Alabamian Condoleezza Rice, who released a statement Monday urging voters to, "reject

bigotry, sexism, and intolerance," but did not mention either candidate. Kayla Moore insisting her husband is not a bigot.

KAYLA MOORE, ROY MOORE'S WIFE: Fake news would tell you that we don't care for Jews. One of our attorneys is a Jew.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): While Doug Jones, who has been working to shore up much-needed support from African-American voters teamed up on election eve

with basketball hall of famer Charles Barkley, who had this message for his home state.

CHARLES BARKLEY, FORMER NBA PLAYER : At some point we got to draw a line in the sand. So we're just -- we're not a bunch of damn idiots.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Jones also getting a boost from former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden, who both reported

robocalls for his campaign in the final hours, after President Trump did the same for Moore.

TRUMP (voice-over): Go vote for Roy Moore.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Moore, who denies the allegations against him, letting the president do much of his talking for him in the past few days,

alongside very few select interviews, shunning the national media and instead appearing in a political action committee ad interviewed by a 12-

year-old girl.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what do you think are the characteristics of a really, really good senator?

MOORE: Following the Constitution, just adhering to principle.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Moore defending his near total absence from the campaign trail in the final week of this heated race, saying he was

visiting West Point, his alma mater with his wife.

JONES: Here I am, once again surrounded by this gaggle of media, which I've come to love and enjoy, while Roy Moore was not even in the state of

Alabama over this weekend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT: Now, Doug Jones is expected to vote at this baptist church here in Mountain Brook at some point in the next half an hour. He has a busy day

ahead of him. He will be making five stops at different polling stations to greet voters.

Roy Moore, on the other hand, has a much lighter day. The only thing on his schedule before watching the returns come in tonight is going to vote with

his wife Kayla.

[08:20:00] They will be doing that at the fire house in their hometown of Gallant. Now Moore family tradition dictates that he do that on horseback

and the name of the trusty steed that Moore will be riding is Sassy. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Wow, that will be quite the visual. Alex Marquardt reporting live for us in the U.S. state of Alabama, thank you so much. Take care.

While sexual misconduct has been a major issue in the Alabama Senate race, a similar accusation has reached the top level of the political power, all

the way to the U.S. president. Roy Moore and Donald Trump denied the allegations levied against them. But now three of Trump's accusers are back

in the national spotlight, calling for a congressional investigation. Jim Acosta reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the White House, the questions aren't going away, even if the answers remain

the same.

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has addressed these accusations directly and denied all of these allegations.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Women who accused President Trump of harassment and even assault are telling their stories once again, to join the "Me Too"

movement that is shining a bright light on the issue of sexual abuse in the U.S.

RACHEL CROOKS, PRESIDENT TRUMP ACCUSER: This was serial misconduct and perversion on the part of Mr. Trump. Unfortunately, this behavior isn't

rare in our society, and people of all backgrounds can be victims. The only reason I am here today is because this offender is now the president of our

country.

ACOSTA (voice-over): The women are also speaking out as the president is endorsing Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who is denying accusations

of sexual assault or abuse by four women, including one woman who alleges he molested her when she was 14.

JESSICA LEEDS, PRESIDENT TRUMP ACCUSER: In some areas of our society, people are being held accountable for unwanted behavior. But we are not

holding our president accountable for what he is and who he is.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Press Secretary Sarah Sanders claimed there are eye witnesses who will back up the president's denials.

SANDERS: Several reports have shown those eyewitnesses also back up the president's claim in this process. And again, the American people knew this

and voted for the president. And we feel like we're ready to move forward in that process.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Sanders made that claim despite Mr. Trump being caught on tape with "Access Hollywood" bragging about forcing himself on the

women.

TRUMP (voice-over): I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. I don't even wait. When are you a star, they let you do it.

ACOSTA (voice-over): U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley appear to differ somewhat with the White House view that the issue of the president's past behavior

was settled in the last election.

NIKKI HALEY, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: Women who accused anyone should be heard. They should be heard. They should be dealt

with. I think we heard from them prior to the election. And I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every

right to speak up.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Before the election, the Trump campaign tried to argue past behavior does matter, pointing to women who have accused former

President Bill Clinton of misconduct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bill Clinton raped me.

ACOSTA (voice-over): In an exclusive CNN interview, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined a growing number of Democratic senators who say there is

enough evidence to call on the president to resign from office.

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: President Trump should resign. These allegations are credible. They are numerous. I've heard these women's

testimony and many of them are heartbreaking.

ACOSTA (voice-over): As the president's accusers were sharing their stories, Mr. Trump was lashing out once again at the news media on Twitter.

A line of attack on the American press picked up in the White House briefing room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Journalists make honest mistakes and that doesn't make them fake news, but the question --

SANDERS: When journalists make honest mistakes, they should own up to them. Sometimes, and a lot of times you don't, but there is a difference --

there's a very big -- I'm sorry, I'm not finished. There is a very big difference between making honest mistakes and purposefully misleading the

American people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: As for the press secretary's claim that there are eyewitnesses who will back up the president's denials that he ever engaged in sexual

misconduct, the White House has passed along, a few news reports that came out during the 2016 campaign. They said the president hardly produced

enough evidence or eyewitness to refute all of the claims of abuse directed at the president.

Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

LU STOUT: Now, earlier, we heard from one of the senators calling for President Trump to resign. Kirsten Gillibrand spoke to our Christiane

Amanpour about holding powerful people to account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GILLIBRAND: Elected leaders should be held to the highest standards, not the lowest, and we should be fundamentally valuing women. That is what this

larger conversation is about. Do we value women? Do we make a space for them to come forward? The "Me Too" movement is a powerful movement, and we

want to make sure it is a lasting movement.

It's not just this moment in time, but we reflect on how we treat women. Do we value women in our communities? And then empower more women to be heard.

And I also hope this continues to drive more women to run for office. We have seen overwhelming numbers of women running for office in the last

election. And we need to change the player list, whether it's in congress or whether it's in corporate America or whether it's in small businesses,

[08:25:00] so that we women cannot only change this climate, but hold the perpetrators of this horrible behavior towards women accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Senator Gillibrand there. Just moments ago, Donald Trump tweeted this, "lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for New York

Senator Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for campaign contributions not so long ago and would do anything for them, is

now in the ring fighting against Trump."

You're watching "News Stream." Now, it has been a dramatic year in politics, but also for bitcoin. The cryptocurrency started the year trading

below a thousand dollars, now it's climbing to 17,000. But in South Korea, people are paying even more for the virtual money. Paula Newton explains

what is called the Kimchi Premium.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bitcoin may be a virtual currency, but here in South Korea, the Kimchi Premium is all too real. So

this is kimchi, spicy fermented cabbage, just a staple side this year. So what's the Kimchi Premium?

Bitcoin is in such high demand on Korean exchanges. Traders say South Koreans can pay 15 to 25 percent premium on global prices just to get a

piece of it.

KIM DUYOUNG, MANAGER, COINPLUG: They see us gambling in some ways. They tried to earn more money by using exchanges.

NEWTON (voice-over): So to understand the bitcoin frenzy, South Korea is as good a place to start as any. Virtual currencies might be a fringe play

elsewhere. In South Korea, their mainstream. At least a million people buy it, trade it, cash it in.

It's every day banking and investing for every day people, none more enthusiastic than college students like Isaac Chung. He's in between

classes right now, checking his virtual currency portfolio. He's made thousands of dollars already.

ISAAC CHUNG, COLLEGE STUDENT WHO MADE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TRADING DIGITAL CURRENCIES: It's like the stock market, but it's like 10 times, 100 times

faster.

NEWTON (voice-over): Is it more addictive?

CHUNG: Definitely. The emotions really -- it's more like inflated than like what you get in normal stock market because it's on like 24/7. You have to

be constantly on the radar what's going on.

NEWTON (voice-over): How popular is it on campus right now?

CHUNG: The speculative frenzy is pretty huge right now. The bitcoin prices are these right now. The bitcoin prices are that right now.

NEWTON (voice-over): Bitcoin prices are so obsessively tracked here. Bitcoin exchanges like Bithumb have opened store fronts and customer

service bays to make trading in virtual money much easier.

(on camera): The top 15 virtual currencies exchanges are located here and on any given day, South Korea accounts for more than one-fifth of all

bitcoin trades done around the world.

(voice-over): The government says it worries that virtual currencies are corrupting the country's youth. With so many small investors all in, there

could be a crash out.

(on camera): So just like the kimchi, this isn't a made in Korea problem. The government is already working to ban new virtual currencies, ban the

sale of bitcoin futures contracts and other derivatives and maybe in future taxing virtual currency transactions and profits.

(voice-over): And there are other uniquely made in Korea problems. South Korean government fears virtual currencies are arming North Korea with new

financial weapons, making it easier to hack (INAUDIBLE) money and it warns North Korean hackers will aggressively target virtual currency exchanges in

the year to come.

All good reasons to keep a keen eye on Korean exchanges as virtual currency goes from market niche to market obsession.

Paula Newton, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching "News Stream." Still ahead in the program, China's government has called them the "low end population." Now, migrant

workers in Beijing are being kicked out of their homes. The harsh reality they face when we come back.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he supports Russian athletes competing in the Winter games under a neutral flag. The announcement

follows the Russian Olympic Committee's decision to give eligible athletes its full backing. The International Olympic Committee banned Russia from

the 2018 games over widespread doping.

World leaders are meeting for the second anniversary of the historic Paris Climate Accord, dubbed "One Planet." It is focused on raising $100,000

billion for a greener global economy. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the landmark deal in June, saying it was a bad deal for

America.

New York authorities say Monday's bomb suspect was not on FBI or police radar. Bangladeshi police also say Akayed Ullah has no criminal record in

his native country. Officials say he detonated a homemade device in a subway walkway, injuring himself and five others, and later pledged

allegiance to ISIS.

Thousands of people in Beijing are being forced from their homes into the bitter cold. Authorities have launched a campaign to tear down what they

deemed unsafe housing. But critics say that they are targeting migrant workers in the city's poorest neighborhoods. Matt Rivers has more.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, it of course gets quite cold here in Beijing during the winter months. Tonight, it will get

down to minus 10, and many the city's poorest residents were hoping to ride out those months in what used to be behind me. These were homes, these were

businesses, sometimes combined into one.

They were occupied by migrants, people who have come from other parts of China here to Beijing in search of a better life. As a part of this

government operation over the last several weeks, buildings just like these across the city were knocked down and people were quite literally forced

into the street with little to no warning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS (voice-over): They came on a Sunday, armed with sledge hammers and a government mandate. Workers broke down doors and kicked people out of their

homes. Forced evictions as Beijing's winter sets in.

A few days liter, we meet (INAUDIBLE) who wants $3 for the kettle but settles on $2.50. A week ago, the kettle and the rest sat in her tiny

apartment in South Beijing. Now, it's all laid out for sale in freezing temperatures on a dirty street.

"Our apartment was demolished," she says. "I'm sad. I will be homeless."

She and other rural migrants had been living in this building. But on November 25th, this notice went up. Tenants, please clean out before

November 26th at 5:00 p.m. or there will be consequences.

As promised, the government showed up the next day. Within hours, crews left the building uninhabitable. We walked through to see walls stripped

bare, window's broken, ceilings torn down, and signs that residents had left in a hurry.

(on camera): They had to leave some stuff behind. I mean, there is shoes along this rack right here inside this bedroom. There is a mattress still

on the frame. There are clothes in that dresser right behind me. They're all examples that show how fast these people were forced to leave their

homes.

(voice-over): It's all part of a government campaign to rid the capital of what it calls illegal structures. This after a fire last month killed 19

people in Beijing's (INAUDIBLE) neighborhood. Though often unsafe, these types of structures are all most migrants can afford. Critics accused the

government of using that fire

[08:35:00] as an excuse to force hundreds of thousands of poor migrants out of the city and back to where they came from. The government denies that.

In a rare open letter, dozens of prominent Chinese intellectuals call the evictions "a vicious incident that breaks the law and tramples on human

rights."

The evictions have prompted an outcry online and not surprisingly, authorities have censored talk of the issue on Chinese internet. On the

streets, security has been deployed to keep order, including this plain enforcer who tried to stop CNN from shooting here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a public street. Why are you interfering?

RIVERS (voice-over): Back outside, (INAUDIBLE) apartment, there is 24-hour security as we saw for ourselves.

(on camera): So what's happening right now is we are being forced to leave the building because the security guards say that it's not safe. They don't

want us to film. Even though residents are still having to come in here to try and collect their stuff. I mean, clearly, it isn't that safe. There is

broken glass on the ground, but it shows you the struggle that these residents are facing. They want their stuff, but these guys won't let them

get it.

(voice-over): This place once welcomed migrant workers. Many work low-end jobs in construction and restaurants. And now, some are being forced to

leave the city they helped built.

"I had no choice but to go," (INAUDIBLE) says. "We can't find housing. It's time to go home."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: Kristie, this is an ongoing situation here in Beijing. The government said it would be a 40-day operation, but knowing exactly how

many migrants are going to be forced out of their homes, we can't figure out exactly, because the government won't say. Critics will tell you, it

could, though, number into the hundreds of thousands of people.

But it's clear the government really doesn't want to talk that much about this issue. They don't want us talking about it either. The CNN signal here

in mainland China has been blacked out by government sensors while we've talked about this issue for most of the day. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Matt Rivers there. A riveting reporting by Matt and his team. And we just found out that report was blacked out again inside mainland China.

In some of the first government documents on the so-called cleanup, officials refer to targeting areas with a low-end population. That term

sparked a backlash online. I talked to Beijing-based author and journalist Lijia Zhang about the mass evictions and the use of that term, low-end

people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIJIA ZHANG, BEIJING-BASED AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST: This is a term called the (INAUDIBLE), mainly low-end population. Generally speaking, they refer to

migrant people there. They have low-end jobs, low skillful jobs, and they have low education. Personally, I'm just disgusted by these terms. This is

a socialist China. Everybody shall be treated with respect, you know, equally, not to this kind of insulting term.

Yes, so that's why this caused such an outcry, I know, as some of my neighbors are migrant workers. I think migrant workers (INAUDIBLE) migrants

in China. They are people originally from the village. They can come to the city to work, but they do not enjoy the same benefits or equal access to

health care or educational resources.

But I must say the migrant workers, the so-called low-end population, they are the unsung hero of China's economic miracle. Because their cheap labor,

you know, the cheap labor contribute greatly to China's economic development. And they provide such huge service. They paved the road, they

construct the beauty, they clean up the rubbish, they look up for the children. People cannot function without them.

I think you see such an outrage. Personally, you know, I know my neighbors. I know how hard they work. How terrible the living conditions are. And how

much they made contribution to our society. They shouldn't be treated so badly. And also from a selfish point of view, I worry of how these people

are being treated. How can we survive?

LU STOUT (on camera): Who will be able to deliver your packages? The cobbler on the street --

ZHANG: Yes.

LU STOUT: These types of services. And they also help to build the economy and this modern day city, this metropolis that is Beijing today. What wild

happen to Beijing after the migrant population leaves?

ZHANG: I think the city will lose much of vitality. Any society (INAUDIBLE) society needs diversity. Also, I am worried that, you know, the social

mobility will increase -- will be narrowing. You know, one of the downside of China's economic reform is that in (INAUDIBLE), it has been widening.

You know, before the (INAUDIBLE)

[08:40:00] index measure inequality was (INAUDIBLE). Now, it's (INAUDIBLE). On the other hand, social mobility has been narrowing. So, so people living

the so-called low-end people, it is already very difficult for them to move up the social ladder. By imposing such restrictions, it will be even harder

for them to move upwards.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Some compassion and analysis there. Author and commentator Lijia Zhang speaking to me earlier about those mass evictions in Beijing.

You're watching "News Stream." Still to come, it was a decision that changed this man's life forever. American Charles Jenkins who defected to

North Korea during the Cold War has died at the age of 77.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, a U.S. soldier who defected to North Korea has died in Japan at the age of 77. Charles Jenkins crossed into the North in

1965, while stationed near the demilitarized zone. It later would blame the decision on alcohol. Jenkins appeared in North Korean propaganda movies.

He taught English to North Korean spies. He also met his future wife, Hitomi Soga, a Japanese national who was kidnapped by North Korea. She left

in 2002. And he followed two years later before they were reunited in Indonesia. Jenkins eventually returned to the U.S. with his family. He

faced a dishonorable discharge. He spent less than a month in jail.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END