Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Florida Shooting Survivors Demand Action At CNN's Town Hall; Trump Holds Listening Session On School Shootings; Second Netanyahu Confidant A State Witness; Families Struggle To Survive In Eastern Ghouta; World Food Programme Eastern Ghouta Needs Food Aid; Fighting For Dignity For Domestic Workers. Aired at 8-9a ET

Aired February 22, 2018 - 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 ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: It has been a week since the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. And a lot of emotions boiled over at a CNN town hall on guns in

America.

Hell on earth, politicians, U.N. and aide groups wants a bombardment on Eastern Ghouta to stop. We go underground in the battered enclave. And

honoring a pastor of peace, we have reaction from Asia to the passing of evangelist Billy Graham.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And we begin in Florida where raw emotions boiled over at that CNN town hall on guns in America. This comes just one week after the

shooting massacre at a high school, less than 25 kilometers away.

Students, parents and teachers, they let lawmakers know that they were fed up and they want change now. Town hall follows a day of action by

survivors of the shooting, bus loads of student flooded the Florida State capital, with a stark warning for elected officials, take action on school

safety or we'll vote you out.

President Trump declined CNN's invitation to attend the town hall. Instead he held a listening session at the White House for students and parents

affected by the shootings.

Mr. Trump will hold a second session in the coming hours, this time with state and local officials. The last 24 hours have been filled with

emotional peaches and some pretty tense exchanges.

All of it on display at CNN's town hall, where Florida students and parents confronted Florida Senator Marco Rubio and the NRA -- Rubio was the only

Republican lawmaker willing to take the stage. Dianne Gallagher reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN DEITSCH, STUDENT, MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL: Why do we have to speak out to the capital? Why do we have to march on Washington

just to save innocent lives?

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Republican Senator Marco Rubio coming face-to-face with survivors of the high school massacre, defending his

opposition to an assault weapon ban despite being heckled at times from the crowd.

FRED GUTTENBERG, FATHER OF A STUDENT KILLED IN THE STONEMAN DOUGLAS SHOOTING: Your comment is weak and those of our president have been

pathetically weak. My daughter, running down the hallway at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, was shot in the back...

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: Yes, sir.

GUTTENBERG: ... with an assault weapon -- the weapon of choice.

RUBIO: Yes, sir.

GUTTENBERG: OK? It is too easy to get. It is a weapon of war. The fact that you can't stand with everybody in this building and say that, I'm

sorry.

GALLAGHER: Rubio breaking with the NRA on a number of key issues, announcing that he supports raising the age requirement to buy a rifle from

18 to 21 and that he's reconsidering his support for large-capacity magazines.

RUBIO: I do believe that in this instance it didn't prevent -- it wouldn't have prevented the attack, but it made it less lethal.

GALLAGHER: The Florida senator is saying that he disagrees with President Trump's solution to arm teachers.

TRUMP: This would only be obviously for people that are very adept at handling a gun. And it would be -- it's called concealed carry, where a

teacher would have a concealed gun on them. They'd go for special training. And they would be there, and you would no longer have a gun-free

zone.

RUBIO: The notion that my kids are going to school with teachers that are armed with a weapon is not something that, quite frankly, I'm comfortable

with.

GALLAGHER: One student grilling Rubio on the 3.3 million dollars he's received from the NRA over his career.

CAMERON KASKY, STUDENT, MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL: Can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA?

RUBIO: No. The answer to the question is people buy into my agenda, and I do support the Second Amendment.

GALLAGHER: Tough questions also directed at NRA's spokesperson Dana Loesch, who repeatedly stressed that enforcement of mental health laws

rather than new gun restrictions are the answers to prevent school shootings.

DANA LOESCH, NRS SPOKESPERSON: None of us support people who are crazy, who are a danger to themselves, who are a danger to others getting their

hands on a firearm. And I'm not just fighting for my kids. I'm fighting for you. I'm fighting for you. I'm fighting for all of you.

SCOTT ISRAEL, BROWARD COUNTY SHERIFF: You just told this group of people that you are standing up for them. You're not standing up for them until

you say, I want less weapons.

GALLAGHER: CNN's town hall followed an emotional listening session at the White House with students and families who have lost loved ones in school

shootings telling President Trump their stories.

ANDREW POLLACK, FATHER OF A STUDENT KILLED IN THE STONEMAN DOUGLAS SHOOTING: All the school shootings, it doesn't make sense. Fix it. It

should have been one school shooting, and we should have fixed it. And I'm pissed, because my daughter, I'm not going to see again.

SAMUEL ZEIT, SURVIVOR OF FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING: I turned 18 the day after, woke up to the news that my best friend was gone.

[08:05:00] And I don't understand why I can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war.

NICOLE HOCKLEY, MOTHER WHO LOST CHILD IN SANDY HOOK SHOOTING: Consider your own children. You don't want to be me. No parent does. And you have

the ability to make a difference and save lives today. Please don't waste this.

GALLAGHER: Across the country, hundreds of students staging walkouts in support of the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

(CHANTING)

GALLAGHER: Outside Florida's state capitol, survivors demanding changes from state lawmakers. Calling for a ban on assault-style weapons like the

one used to kill 17 of their classmates and teachers.

SHERYL ACQUAROLI, STUDENT, MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL: We stand for the people who were slaughtered like animals at our school.

SOFIE WHITNEY, STUDENT, MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL: Help us so children don't fear for going to school. Help us so mass shootings aren't

inevitable. Help us so our children, our grandchildren and their children after that don't have to march for their lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: I'm so inspired by the conviction of these students. So, that's, Dianne Gallagher, reporting. And you heard, Dianne, mention

President Donald Trump's idea on how to protect the students.

It seems that he is taking exception with how his remarks are being interpreted. Infact, a short time ago, he took to Twitter to say this,

quote, I never said give teachers guns, like what was stated on fake news, CNN and NBC.

What I said was look at the possibility of giving concealed guns to adept teachers with military or special training experience, only the best.

Twenty percent of teachers would now be able to immediately fire back if a savage sicko came to a school with bad intentions. He ends by saying

attacks would, end.

Now you also heard some of the exchange on Mr. Trump's idea on CNN's town hall. I want to bring you a bit more of the really standout moments, such

as encapsulated, how the gun debate is playing out and the passion behind all those involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASKY: Senator Rubio, it's hard to look at you and not look down a barrel of an AR-15 and not look at Nikolas Cruz, but the point is you're here and

there some people who are not.

And I need to ask two things of you. Number one, Chris Grady, can you stand up? This is my friend who is going to the military. I need you to

tell him that he's going to live to make it to serve our country. And then we'll get to the other one.

(APPLAUSE)

RUBIO: Not only are you going to live to serve our country, you and you, and all of you have a chance to change our country. Change not just our

laws but the way we talk about our laws, so absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Incredible poise from the students and the founder of the Never Again moment -- movement there. Now the NRA spokes person who was also at

the town hall, she referred to the Florida gunman as nuts, and she blame the massacre on flaws and the background check system.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA LOESCH, SPOKESPERSON, NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: Do you guys want to stop mentally insane individuals from getting firearms. Yes? They have to

be in this system, if they are convicted.

You can convict them, you can adjudicate the mentally unfit, if a state does not report it to the National Crime Information Center, when you run

that form, this individual -- this madman passed a background check.

How was he able to pass a background check? He was able to pass a background check because we have a system that's flawed. The Southerland

Springs murderer was able to pass a background check because the Air Force did not report that record.

EMMA GONZALEZ, STUDENT, MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL: I think I'm gonna interrupt you real quick and remind you that the question is

actually, do you believe it should be harder to obtain these semi-automatic weapons and modifications to make them fully automatic, such as bump

stocks?

(APPLAUSE)

LOESCH: Well, I think the ATF is deciding about bump stocks right now. The president ordered the DOJ to look into it.

GONZALEZ: I'm asking your opinion, as a representative of the NRA.

LOESCH: What the NRA's position has been. The NRA came...

GONZALEZ: What's yours?

LOESCH: I'm talking for them. These are the 5 million members that I'm here representing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Compassionate exchange there. You can find more on CNN.com. Turning now to the Russia probe and the White House is trying to push back

on the narrative that President Trump hasn't been tough on the Kremlin over its election meddling.

Administration officials say that the U.S. has warned Russia, including Russian President Vladimir Putin not to interfere with the 2018 midterm

elections.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to Facebook to say that he will continue to lead the country not long after second close confidant

agreed to testify in the corruption investigations, targeting Mr. Netanyahu and his inner circle.

Shlomo Filber once consider the prime minister right-hand man is now a state witness. Now CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now live from Jerusalem.

And, Oren, wow, this is someone from inside Mr. Netanyahu's inner circle who has agreed to testify against him. How big a blow is this for the

prime minister?

[08:10:03] OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the past year and a half, which is the length we have know about the Russia investigations,

this is arguably the biggest blow to Prime Minister Netanyahu because he has such a small -- such a tight knit inner circle.

So somebody from within that circle or who was within that circle turning on him, and agreeing to testify in these investigations that target him,

and other people closest to him is an incredibly big blow to the prime minister.

The question is, what exactly will he testify to? He's a witness in one of five different cases. Two of those already mentioned Netanyahu as a

suspect. And the question is, what will happen in the other three.

The biggest potential threat to Netanyahu is that he implicates the prime minister in another one of those three cases. So that is what could come

out of this. And that is what Netanyahu is facing as Shlomo Filber agrees to work with prosecutors here.

LU STOUT: Now, Benjamin Netanyahu has regularly used Facebook to defend himself. So what is he saying now about the increasing pressure he's

under?

LIEBERMANN: As you pointed out, he continues with this attempt to portray everything as businesses usual, a sense of normalcy here that he will

continue lead the country.

He's spoken at a conference in Jerusalem yesterday. He didn't mention the investigations at all, but right at the end he said I'll see you here next

year, an attempt to say look, guys, nothing is wrong here.

He also posted a poll on his Facebook page, showing that if he were to call elections, his lead party would go from 30 seats to 34 seats, an attempt to

say look, the more you attack me, the stronger I get. The more my base supports me. He's not backing down at all right now. Kristie.

LU STOUT: He's been accused of corruption but what exactly are the allegations against Benjamin Netanyahu?

LIEBERMANN: So it will take some time to walk through all of these five investigations known as Case 1,000, 2,000 , 3,000, et cetera, to 5,000. In

1,000 and 2,000, he is suspected of fraud, bribery and breach of trust.

One of those deals of accepting gifts from overseas multi-millionaire, that is Case 1,000. Two thousand is about working on a deal with a newspaper

publisher to get more favorable coverage in exchange from hampering the circulation of a rival paper.

Case 3,000 which does not names him as a suspect is about some multi- billion dollars submarine deal with Germany and 4,000 deals with a relationship between the ministry of communication and an Israeli telecom

firm, notable that Netanyahu was the minister of communication during the time being investigated.

And then 5,000 is the last of these investigations, the most recently revealed, so there's a lot here and we'll see how it plays out, especially

how it affects public opinion of not only Netanyahu but his party over the coming months.

LU STOUT: Oren Liebermann, reporting live from Jerusalem, thank you. You're watching News Stream, coming to you live from Hong Kong, right here

on CNN.

And still to come, the U.S. singles out Russia for supporting what it calls a barbaric regime in Syria. We will bring you the latest from the

devastated region of Eastern Ghouta, next.

[08:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is News Stream. People who live in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta say that

they're waiting for their turn to die.

Activists say shelling at air strikes by pro-government forces have killed more than 300 people in three days. The U.N. has called for an immediate

end to attacks on the rebel held enclave.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: I am deeply saddened by the terrible suffering of the civilian population in Eastern Ghouta,

400,000 people, that live in hell on earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The U.N. Secretary General there. Now the bombardment who sent residents of Eastern Ghouta underground. Sam Kiley, reports on what that

life is like and a warning these images are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These children have lost their relatives to war. They now live underground, singing to keep hope -- any hope, alive.

Above her, East Ghouta is being ground down, literally -- a death toll of close to 100 a day, carnage on the edge of Syria's capital unleashed by

Syria's president, and as ever, many of his victims are Syria's children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through a translator): Smiles have disappeared. But our duty as the future children's center is to visit orphanages during

relatively safe times and help them forget what's happening, give them two hours of fun.

KILEY: A new bombardment by their government is driving Ghouta's citizens to live where only rats have flourished. Even the newly born are taken

beneath the earth. Here rebel-held East Ghouta's only neonatal unit has been moved into a basement. It's an unforgiving kind of safety.

RAAM ABU AHMAD, NURSE (through a translator): The cold is killing the children. They're barely surviving. We have only eight incubators and one

intensive care room. Sometimes, we put the children on chairs.

KILEY: East Ghouta, a rebel stronghold on the edge of Syria's capital Damascus, has been besieged for nearly five years. Food is short.

Medicinal supplies so rare the staff have resorted to recycling.

ABU AHMAD (through translator): We have reached the point of not only using expired medicines but of also recycling medical supplies. Sometimes

we reuse the syringes.

KILEY: Meanwhile, in its latest propaganda video, the Syrian government has pledged to destroy the rebels in their enclaves. The leader of the

unit known as Tiger Force said, "I promise I will teach them a lesson in combat and in fire.

You won't find a rescuer, and if you do you will be rescued with water like boiling oil. You'll be rescued with blood." Sentiments that may haunt this

child for the rest of his life. Sam Kiley, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A human catastrophe is unfolding in Eastern Ghouta and a powerful voice emerging from the conflict is coming from a boy trapped

inside the war zone.

Fifteen-year-old Muhammad Najem is calling what is happening in Eastern Ghouta, genocide and he says global silence is allowing it to take place.

This is his plea for help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MUHAMMAD NAJEM, CALLING FOR HELP IN EASTERN GHOUTA: I am Muhammad Najem. I am 15-year-old. I live in Eastern Ghouta.

(INAUDIBLE)

NAJEM: The humanitarian and medical situation is difficult to describe with words. What is happening with out genocide?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The children of Ghouta are without food and drinks.

[08:20:00] NAJEM: (Inaudible).

NAJEM: I love football so much. I want to follow my studies. I want to become a reporter when I grow up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: He is just a boy and he's seen so much. You can see more of Muhammad Najem's extraordinary story online. Just go to

cnn.com/international.

Now, the World Food Programme in Syria says that there's got to be a cease fire, so it can desperately get needed food and aide to those trapped in

Eastern Ghouta.

The program's country director for Syria, Jakob Kern, joins me live from the capital of Damascus. Thank you so much for joining us here on the

program, sir.

Of course as you know, the bombardment and the words of the U.N. secretary general has turned Eastern Ghouta into hell on earth. You are on the

ground in Syria. You have actually been to Eastern Ghouta. What's happening there now?

JAKOB KERN, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME SYRIA: Well, the situation is really bad because after eight years of war, any area is

already depleted of any assets and you add bombardment, you add fighting inside East Ghouta to that. You can imagine how dire the situation is for

those 400,000 people that live in that enclave.

LU STOUT: So the World Food Programme, along with other aide agencies is calling for a cease fire so you can get there. You can gain access and

deliver much needed aide. How dire is the need for bread, water, basic food aid in Eastern Ghouta?

KERN: The last time the -- Syria had access to this but it was almost three month ago. Last week we had a convoy this food for 7,000 people, but

in an enclave that has form 1,000, that of course is drop in the ocean, so we ask for a ceasefire for a month.

That would allow us to bring enough convoys, bring enough food to the 400,000 people for a month, so our packages of food for a family of five

for a month. We need that ceasefire on end but they're going in parallel and it's just at the moment it's too dangerous to go in.

The situation is bad. People are living underground. We -- the bakeries we heard, reportedly destroyed. The two are still working. They were

producing up to 40,000 bundles a day. That's almost for everybody in the enclave. But at the moment, people are probably scared to go out and --

even get any food that is still available.

LU STOUT: You know, the people of Eastern Ghouta are desperate for help. You mentioned that the last time you were able to deliver a convoy there,

you were only able to help some 7,000 people, 400,000 people remain trapped there.

You say you need a month to be able to deliver aid for them. A ceasefire hasn't even been brokered yet. A ceasefire let alone for a month. Do you

fear what would happen to Eastern Ghouta if there is no ceasefire, if there is no aid delivery to the people there?

KERN: Well, we've seen that happen in East Aleppo about a year ago and we fear similar situation is developing here, so that's why we're so desperate

of having a ceasefire.

A month is the minimum, obviously anything longer would be much better. People need a break. People need a break in the fighting. They need a

break in getting supplies.

It's not just food. It's medicine, it's clothes, it's sanitation material, everything is missing because it has been besieged now for almost two

years, if not more.

LU STOUT: Jakob Kern, the World Food Programme. Thank you for joining us and thank you, and the team for all the important work that you do. We do

hope that there is a ceasefire for the people of Eastern Ghouta, thank you and take care.

Now, two people were killed and at least 11 others injured at a major explosion at a bank in Northeastern Myanmar on Wednesday. It happened in

the city of Lashio in Shan State, and also where several ethnic insurgent groups are fighting the Myanmar military.

And police say an investigation is underway, but they are not elaborating. No one is claiming responsibility. We have been bringing you the latest on

the Philippines' decision to ban its worker from going to Kuwait, after the deaths of several women and rampant report of abuse.

[08:25:02] Loved ones held a wake for Joanna Demafelis, the 29-year-old had gone to work in Kuwait to provide for her family back home. Her body was

found stuffed in her employers' freezer.

Well, the last time her family heard from here was almost two years ago. Abuse and exploitation of domestic workers is widespread across Middle East

and East Asia.

But, is the Philippine government making the right move? The real solution may be in changing social attitudes about domestic workers. Earlier I

spoke with Claire Hobden of the International Labour Organization. And here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAIRE HOBDEN, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION: I think domestic workers around the world are going to work to earn an income like everybody else,

and support their families.

And they often do it knowing that they're going to face extremely strenuous conditions and also very abusive ones. So they are really coming face-to-

face with abuses that they don't have that much control over.

And they need governments to extend labor protections and to implement, you know, different systems to ensure that households are able to comply with

these labor laws. So really it boils down to the household.

How are households going to learn to respect domestic work, to see it as dignified work than ultimately these workers are providing really the most

essential care services to our households.

They're cleaning, they're cooking, there taking care of our children and our parents, so it's really as you say, a question of raising the level of

dignity, and respect with the work force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Claire Hobden of the ILO there. You're watching News Stream. And coming up, the globe throttling preacher who converted millions to

Christianity -- we will look at the influence Billy Graham had on the world and the legacy he leaves behind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Students, parents, survivors and families of those killed in the Florida school massacre demanded action, a CNN's town hall on gun violence.

They urge politicians to support a ban on assault style weapons and to stop taking money from the National Rifle Association.

The United States has singled out Russia's support for Syria as the cause of escalating violence in Eastern Ghouta. The rebel held area has been

devastated by showing from forces loyal to the president.

Russia has fired back, saying it is those who support the terrorists who are responsible. Around 80 schoolgirls have been rescued by the Nigerian

army, after they were kidnapped by suspected vulgar hackers in Nigeria on Monday. Officials say the kidnappers raided the girls' school in northeast

Nigeria on Monday, but the military was able to rescue them after receiving a tip.

A wake in the Philippines for Joanna Demafelis. He body arrived from Kuwait four years after she left the Philippines to be a domestic worker. She was

discovered stuffed into a freezer. That led the president of the Philippines to bring workers in Kuwait back home.

Back now to CNN's emotional town hall. Listen to how one grieving father confronted Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

FRED GUTTENBERG, FATHER OF SCHOOL SHOOTING VICTIM: Your comments this week and those of our president have been pathetically weak.

(APPLAUSE)

GUTTENBERG: So, you and I are now eye to eye. Because I want to like you. Look at me and tell me guns were the factor in the hunting of our kids in

this school this week. And look at me and tell me you accept it and you will work with us to do something about guns.

(APPLAUSE)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: Now, I think what you're asking about is the assault weapon ban.

GUTTENBERG: Yes, sir.

RUBIO: So let me be honest with you about that one. If I believed that that law would have prevented this from happening, I would support it. But

I want to explain to you why it would not.

GUTTENBERG: Senator Rubio, my daughter running down a hallway at Marjory Stoneman Douglas was shot in the back --

RUBIO: Yes, sir.

GUTTENBERG: -- with an assault weapon, the weapon of choice, OK?

RUBIO: Yes, sir.

GUTTENBERG: It is too easy to get. It is a weapon of war. The fact that you can't stand with everybody in this building and say that, I'm sorry.

RUBIO: Sir, I do believe what you're saying is true.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: CNN's Dianne Gallagher was there at the heated debate, and she has the latest from the capitol of Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has been an incredibly emotional past 24 hours from Tallahassee to Washington. Tense exchanges

with those who were impacted by mass shootings and their elected officials.

Perhaps nowhere was that more apparent than right here at the state capitol behind me and last night right outside of Parkland at that CNN town hall

where survivors, students, parents of students who passed away confronted their senators, their representatives, a representative from the NRA, and

their sheriff about what they can do to make their community safer and the nation safer.

Now, here in Tallahassee, about a hundred of those students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School rode buses up here. They met all day with

lawmakers. They had meetings. They talked about gun control. They talked about mental health. They talked about, awareness and what children should

do in their schools to prepare for shootings.

One of them, a senior at Stoneman Douglas, her name is Kaira (ph), she says during her meeting with Governor Rick Scott, the Republican governor of

Florida who chose not to accept the invitation to CNN's town hall, she said that she played a video that she recorded from inside her school while the

shooting was happening.

And she asked the governor to close his eyes, listen to the chaos, the screams and cries of the children and to imagine those were his children,

his grandchildren in that school, and what he would want done if that were the case. She said the governor just kind of froze for a minute, that it

was a very emotional moment for all of them.

Kristie, most of the students that I talked to say they felt like that particular meeting with the governor was productive. He is tomorrow

supposed to let us know about a proposal to address gun safety here in Florida. And a little bit later today, Kristie, we're going to see

President Trump meeting with state and local officials to talk about how to keep our schools safer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: CNN's Dianne Gallagher there. World renowned evangelist Billy Graham will be laid to rest next week on March the 2nd. A private family

prayer services set for Saturday and public viewing will be held in the following days.

Graham died Wednesday at the age of 99. He was one of the most well known and influential Christian leaders of the 20th century, preaching the gospel

to almost 250 million people around the world. The current and former U.S. presidents are reacting to the death of Billy Graham. Donald Trump offered

condolences,

[08:35:00] tweeting, Melania and I join millions of people around the would in mourning the passing of Billy Graham. Barack Obama who visited

Graham at his home in 2010 called him, a humble servant who prayed for so many, and who with wisdom and grace gave hope and guidance to generations

of Americans.

Graham sparked a revival in more than just American churches. Reverend Kim Jang Whan was a translator for Billy Graham during his 1973 trip to Seoul,

and he spoke to CNN about Graham's influence in South Korea.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

KIM JANG WHAN, TRANSLATOR FOR BILLY GRAHAM: When I met him, he is such a famous and a great leader of the Christian world. Everybody is intimidated.

But he is such a humble man, and he was such kind and gracious. Probably no one realized how humble, how gracious, how kind Mr. Graham is. And I was

very impressed with the humility of Mr. Graham.

Before he came, I was pastoring a church, baptist church, around 300 people, and there was no mega-church as such here at that time. And once

(INAUDIBLE) crusade is over, every Korean pastor has a passion for winning the people for Christ and subsequently my church reached up to 20,000

people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, his preaching was heard in 185 countries around the world.

You are watching "News Stream" And coming up, pancreatic cancer is extremely tough to detect, but one teenager could be helping to change that

with his invention.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back, this is "News Stream."

As you probably heard, the chicken, one of the world's most chicken restaurants has flown the coop. KFC has just switched to a new delivery

company this week that definitely did not deliver and 800 restaurants in the U.K. were closed, some for an entire week. Few stores tried to wing it,

limited menus, most chickened out.

(INAUDIBLE) don't worry the sky is not falling they say, and this is a quote, its teams are working around the clock. That is a direct quote

there. Hard to imagine KFC without the "C" though.

Now for the next two weeks, CNN is telling the stories of young scientists, entrepreneurs, and inventors in a new special series. We are calling these

people tomorrow's heroes. And today's hero has come up with a way that could help detect pancreatic cancer. Here is his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: More than seven out of 10 people with pancreatic cancer die within one year of their diagnosis.

Many scientists agree early detection is the key to saving more lives. Before he even turned 16, Jack Andraka came up with an invention that could

become a vital component in the fight against this deadly cancer. That's why he is a tomorrow's hero.

[08:40:00] JACK ANDRAKA, SCIENTIST AND RESEARCHER: Pancreatic cancer detection is really difficult. All the methods that we're currently using

can only detect the cancer where it's in the latest stages, when you have less than two percent chance of survival.

My name is Jack Andraka. I'm 21. I'm a global health researcher at Stanford University in California. At age 15, I created a new way to detect

pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancer that costs three cents and takes five minutes to run.

A close family friend who was like an uncle to me passed away from the disease. It was a really devastating tragedy and it really inspired me to

try and find new ways of detecting pancreatic cancer.

My breakthrough moment really came in my eighth grade biology class. I was reading this article and all these really impressive properties of

(INAUDIBLE) materials and at the same time we are learning about these certain classes of biological molecules. And all of a sudden, I was just

like, what if I combine these two ideas?

I contacted 200 different professors. I got 199 rejections. It was about like eight months since my lab work. Nothing had been working. But then I

did my tenth test of like this test strip and finally (INAUDIBLE) results. It worked out into this beautiful curve. It was one of the happiest moments

of my life.

It's based of this amazing properties of (INAUDIBLE) particles that only react to one specific molecule. This is a protein that circulates in your

blood when you have these cancers. So what you do when you combine them, you end up with a carbon substance that will only react to that one protein

that indicates that you have a cancer.

It can actually detect pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancer all simultaneously. Also simply (INAUDIBLE) of it, it can detect entire

different diseases, Alzheimer's, other forms of cancer, even HIV and heart disease.

So far we've run a couple of preliminary experiments with this test strip and it has over 90 percent accuracy in the sample size. Things change in

clinical trials but it's going to be a lot more accurate. There are existing (INAUDIBLE) around 60 to 70 percent accurate. It's really been a

life-changing experience. At age 15, one typically doesn't get to skip school to go to the White House.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Jack, stand up.

(APPLAUSE)

ANDRAKA: It's been a really amazing experience and it really changed how I live my life. I didn't even know what pancreas was when I started this. So

if I could create a new way to detect pancreatic cancer at age 13, just imagine what you can do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Interesting story, but there is still some skepticism amongst some of the medical community about Jack's work while it undergoes further

testing.

And that is it for "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