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NEWS STREAM
CNN's Rare Access Over The South China Sea; North Korea Criticizes U.S. Officials But Not Trump; Mike Pence Announces Space Force; Asylum Seekers Deportation Blocked By Federal Judge; Ghazni City Attacked By Taliban Forces; Probe Urged By U.N. On School Bus Hit By Airstrike; War In Yemen, Worst Humanitarian Crisis; World Headlines; California Wildfires; Portugal Wildfires; Southern France Flash Floods; "Crazy Rich Asians"; Australian Discovery of a Lifetime; Beyond Plastic; A Trip Down Manafort Drive. Aired At 8-9a ET
Aired August 10, 2018 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream."
A contentious flying over. CNN gets a rare look at China's military expansion in the South China Sea.
Playing the blame game. North Korea says some U.S. officials are going against agreements from the Singapore summit.
And state of emergency. A raging wildfire in southern California leaves evacuees wondering if they will have a home to return to.
CNN has gained rare access on a U.S. military flyover taking a closer look at the highly disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It's an area
where China has build up extensive military bases on man-made islands. Ivan Watson shows aboard the P8-A Poseidon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane and CNN is getting very rare access to come onboard as
it conducts a mission flying into the South China Sea to get a look at these controversial man-made islands that China has constructed and is
fortifying in contested waters claimed by many other countries.
We're now flying full speed into the South China Sea, and the U.S. Navy has really provided us remarkable access aboard this reconnaissance plane and
if you want a sampling of some of its capabilities here, Petty Officer Nakagawa Cruz, his monitor here has maps showing just the incredible amount
of ships on the surface of the water in the surrounding area, and not long ago he was actually able to film with the plane's cameras, two Chinese
warships for a distance of some 40 miles away.
LAUREN CALLEN, U.S. NAVY: I've been on this mission several times. Again, it's to continue presence in the South China Sea. (Inaudible) we're
monitoring and maintaining inside international airspace and maintaining the economic exclusions zones that every country should be able to enjoy.
WATSON: You're also scrutinizing these man-made islands. What are you on the lookout for?
CALLEN: We're really just trying to see the change that has occurred over the past several years. Observing any new buildings that might be coming up
and really trying to see if there is any militarization that could be occurring.
WATSON: The powerful camera onboard this plane gives us really good look at China's island-building project and just the extent of the
infrastructure onboard what was once just a coral reef in the middle of the South China Sea. Now it's got air strips, it's got airplane hangars, radar
towers, four and five-story concrete buildings. China making clear it's not going anywhere anytime soon and completely ignoring the competing claims of
other countries, like Vietnam and the Philippines.
Our plane has been warned several times by the Chinese military to stay away from these man-made islands, and the navy crew has responded saying
that we have every right to be here. We are flying in international airspace. Ivan Watson, CNN aboard a U.S. Navy plane over the South China
Sea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And again, that was senior international correspondent Ivan Watson. He was onboard the P8-A Poseidon reconnaissance plane. He joins me
now live from Okinawa, Japan. And Ivan, you saw it. You witnessed China's build out in the South China Sea -- airports visible in the middle of the
ocean. In addition to the fly-bys, what more can the United States do to stop this?
WATSON: Well, they also conduct these Freedom of Navigation operations where they send warships much closer to the man-made islands than the
reconnaissance plane that we were on. And you know, Kristie, this was a first time in years that journalists from CNN have gotten a look at China's
man made islands.
And we were able to make some comparisons and see some of the evolution of some of these islands. For example, our Jim Sciutto was with a CNN team
aboard a similar plane in 2015, and he saw one of the reefs there. It's Fiery Cross Reef and was able to photograph it from the plane. And then we
could match that shot some three years later with our own camera and you can just see the extent of the infrastructure there.
[08:05:07] Just what a massive investment China has made not just in that island, but in at least also three other man-made islands that we saw with
our own eyes during this flight. And of course, the Navy plane was not welcome there. We were hailed repeatedly, challenged by the Chinese
military. Take a listen to this radio exchange.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.S. military aircraft Papa 8 Alpha. This is Chinese military. China has sovereignty of the Nansha Islands including the reef
and these adjacent waters. Leave immediately and keep far off to avoid any misunderstanding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a sovereign immune United States naval aircraft conducting lawful military activities beyond the national airspace of any
coastal state in exercising these rights guaranteed by international law. I am operating with due regard for the rights and duties of all states.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
WATSON: Though the U.S. Navy insisted they don't recognize any coastal barriers or boundaries there, they did take care, we were told, to remain
at least 12 nautical miles off the shore of these man-made islands, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Up there in the skies, you're looking at progress being made by China with these military build outs in the region there. Has China already
won in the South China Sea? Has its military buildup already reached the point of no return?
WATSON: Well, it's clearly established fact not on the ground, but in the water, by constructing these islands, which clearly are not going to go
away anytime soon. So, this is a remarkable way that China has staked its claim and effectively conquered a corner of the South China Sea, ignoring
the rejections and the challenges coming from other countries that have also laid claim to the same maritime territory.
Now, there's been response, Kristie, from -- not from the Chinese government to our reports today and the images that we saw, but from a
state-owned newspaper, and that's "The Global Times" which did not like our reporting writing, "This isn't the first time CNN journalists prying into
China by taking a ride with the U.S. military. They are obviously offering a helping hand to the U.S. military and parroting its message."
I have to add, CNN asks multiple times a year of the Chinese authorities to please allow us to visit some of its archipelago of man-made islands. We
have never been accepted to visit those islands. I might also add that on a visit to the White House in 2015, the Chinese leader, Xi Jin Ping, he
insisted, he defended China's right to defend its sovereignty and its territory, but also pointed out that China did not intend to pursue
militarization of the South China Sea.
Well, last April, China conducted military exercises in the South China Sea with some 10,000 troops, 48 ships, 76 fighter jets and the Pentagon has
accused China of placing surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles and landing warplanes on some of these man-made islands. So, there
is clearly a sharp discrepancy between how Beijing views what's going on there and how Washington views it, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Got you. CNN's Ivan Watson reporting live for us with that CNN exclusive from Okinawa. Ivan, thank you.
Now, North Korea is accusing the U.S. of breaking the spirit of President Trump's agreement with Kim Jong-un by stepping up international pressure on
Pyongyang even as the North says it is moving toward denuclearization. Now, in a statement, North Korea says, "it cannot guarantee denuclearization if
the U.S. does not shift its position."
I want to bring in CNN's Will Ripley who also returning here from Hong Kong. And Will, when you read that statement, did you get a sense of deep
frustration on the North Korean side?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely. I mean, this has really been brewing ever since the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to
Pyongyang in early July and by all accounts it was a very contentious meeting. The United States making these demands for North Korea to give up
a large portion of its nuclear arsenal upfront.
The North Koreans categorically rejecting that and they went back and forth and back and forth to the point that both sides ended up so frustrated that
Pompeo was widely perceived to be snubbed by North Korea 's leader Kim Jong-un, who did not meet with him.
And then after Secretary Pompeo left North Korea, he started talking publicly about North Korea not living up in the U.S. view to its pledge
that was signed in Singapore between Kim Jong-un and President Trump. And you heard the U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley talking about sanctions
(inaudible) and you heard National Security adviser John Bolton, you know, beating the drum about North Korea not living up to its pledge and whatnot.
And so there has been this very public back and forth. North Korean state- media has been stepping up its anti-U.S. commentary, talking about the fact that there needs to be a peace treaty before denuclearization can even
happen.
[08:10:04] And then there is this statement from the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York North calling into question even U.S.
intelligence reading in part, "that the U.S. is inventing a pretext for increased sanctions by mobilizing what North Korea calls their servile
mouthpieces and intelligence institutions to fabricate falsehoods on the nuclear issue.
Does that sound familiar? Questioning U.S. intelligence? Are they taking a page from President Trump's playbook perhaps because the one person they
don't criticize here or in any of their state-media coverage is President Trump? They continue to say that his vision to improve U.S.-North Korea
relations is what keeps them going.
Which is why a source told us earlier this week, Kristie, that the North Koreans really feel that they don't want to negotiate with lower level
members of the administration who they are now frustrated with. They want to negotiate directly with President Trump.
LU STOUT: So, they are not criticizing Trump here, they are criticizing some high-level officials, in their words. Now, what is the overall
progress report here? How much progress has been made on both sides since that summit in Singapore?
RIPLEY: Well, the U.S. hasn't conducted any joint military drills. North Korea hasn't launched a missile or conducted a nuclear test since November.
So the overall situation on the Korean Peninsula as far as the tension that we really felt for a couple of years that really reached its fever pitch at
the end of last year, that has subsided at least for now.
North Korea claims they have dismantled their nuclear test site. They returned what they say are the remains of U.S. service members, 55 sets of
remains of Korean War service members, which was, you know, part of this effort on the North Korean side to kind of build up trust. But there have
been no tangible steps towards actual denuclearization. No agreement for transparency. None of the things that the United States said needed to
happen.
There is really now gridlock in the process and it's a process that could frankly fall apart if they're not able to work this out. The North Koreans
also said in their statement, no guarantee that this period of stability is going to continue unless the United States changes what it's expecting. So,
we'll just have to watch and see what happens.
LU STOUT: Yes, especially after that very forceful statement from the North Koreans. Will Ripley reporting for us live. Will, thank you.
Now, if President Donald Trump gets his way, the U.S. military would soon have its first new branch in more than 70 years and it's called the Space
Force. It's a mission to counter the threat from anti-satellite weaponry. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr breaks it all down for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Space Force. Space Force! So we have the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines, the Coast Guard.
Now, we're going to have the Space Force because it's a whole -- we need it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Pentagon, Vice President Mike Pence unveiling the White House plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The time has come to establish the United States Space Force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR (voice-over): Pence making the case the U.S. is under threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENCE: Russia and China to North Korea and Iran have pursued weapons to jam, blind, and disable our navigation and communication satellites.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR (voice-over): In 2007, China used a missile to destroy one of its own out of date satellites. What if it had been targeting U.S. satellites?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: What that means is that it put every single thing that we have in space at risk. That includes GPS
communications. It includes all of the communication satellites that we have. All of the things that we depend on nowadays for our daily life was
all of a sudden put at risk by that one action by the Chinese in 2007.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR (voice-over): The Kremlin working on a similar threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENCE: Russia has been designing an airborne laser to disrupt our space- based system, and it claims to be developing missiles that can be launched from an aircraft mid flight to destroy American satellites.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR (voice-over): Defense Secretary James Mattis was initially unenthusiastic about adding more bureaucracy to the Pentagon, telling
Congress in 2017, "I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations."
Mattis now says he's onboard with the plan. Congress would have to approve a new branch of the military and there are questions if more military
offices are the right solution for a 21st century threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEIGHTON: I think this is maybe the wrong bureaucracy for the problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR (on-camera): And what if there was an attack against a U.S. satellite? One analyst says it could push American life back into the 1940s
and `50s. Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And people who like the idea of a new Space Force can buy merchandise promoting the idea. The Trump re-election campaign says it will
sell a new line of Space Force gear. It's asking for votes on a logo for the proposed branch.
[08:15:04] The campaign says the merchandise will celebrate what it calls Mr. Trump's groundbreaking endeavor.
Now, two asylum seekers from El Salvador are back in the United States after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting them.
The judge blasted the administration when he and the attorneys representing the immigrants learned during the hearing that the women were already on a
plane headed home.
He even threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt. The two asylum seekers were turned around and flown to Texas once they landed.
Now, there are growing calls for an investigation after a Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a school bus and killed dozens of children. We got
the details just ahead.
Emergency services are battling some of the worst wildfires in California history. We are live on the scene a bit later in the program.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream."
The Taliban launched a coordinated attack in Afghanistan's Ghazni City and according to one local official, 16 people have been killed, most of them
Afghan security forces. Ghazni is just south of Kabul. A government spokesman says the militants converged from four sides of the province. The
Taliban claimed they took over important institutions and security checkpoints in Ghazni City.
But U.S. forces in Afghanistan say Afghan soldiers were able to maintain control of all government centers. This is the latest attack since the
Afghan government called off a cease-fire that was in place for the Eid al- Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
The U.N. chief is calling for a prompt and independent probe after a Saudi- led coalition air strike hit a school bus in Yemen. The images we have of the aftermath are brutal and graphic. They depict children maimed, burned
and mutilated. And these are just the images that we're able to show you. The rest of the video is just far too graphic to air.
CNN, we are unable to independently verify the videos which were released by a rebel-backed T.V. station. This child, this little bo is reportedly
one of the 77 people wounded in the strike. Some 50 people died, many of them children under the age of 10.
For more on the reaction, let's bring in Nima Elbagir from London. Nima, thank you for joining us. Again, last night you showed us for the very
first time the graphic and horrifying footage of these child victims. How is the Saudi-led coalition and its ally, the United States responding to
and defending this air strike?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Saudi-led coalition after a slightly confusing statement from their spokesperson
hasn't really elaborated further.
[08:20:09] All that that they will say is that this strike was aimed at a legitimate target. That it was based on solid intelligence that led them to
believe they were, as they called them, terrorist assets on the ground. But eyewitnesses who were there when the strike occurred told CNN that this was
a direct hit on the bus.
The United States' State Department has said that they would like to see a thorough investigation but admit that they don't have much information on
what happened and how this could have happened. And since then, we now know that there are still three children missing, Kristie. I want you to take a
look at this. This is one parent desperately trying to look for his son on the phone here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in foreign language).
(END VIDED CLIP)
ELBAGIR: Just the anguish in that man's voice. It tells a story all on its own, and yesterday, parents like him buried their children. We spoke to
some on the ground who said that even in that moment they were unable to give full reign to their grief because so many of them were scared of
further targeting.
Because, Kristie, the airstrikes have continued. We have here some figures. In to the morning, just in one district of the Yemeni capital Sana'a, there
were 21 airstrikes. There are believed to have been civilian deaths sustained in that. The figure we're hearing is seven but are working to
confirm further.
So, this is still continuing, and the reality is that although we have heard from the U.N. and we have heard from the U.S. State Department, the
kind censure, the kind of level of international condemnation that we are used to seeing in these kind of incidences just hasn't come And that really
for the people on the ground is the tragedy right now, Kristie.
LU STOUT: There is anguish but there is not enough international outrage in the back of what happened yesterday, that airstrike that killed dozens
of children in Yemen. Nima Elbagir reporting for us live, as always, thank you.
Now, a reminder on this ongoing conflict in Yemen, the Houthi rebels allied with Iran, they took over much of the country including the capital of
Sana'a in early 2015. In March of that year, a Saudi-led coalition backed by the U.S. began a military campaign against the Houthis and the crisis
escalated into a multi-sided war allowing Al-Qaeda and ISIS to grow stronger.
In August of 2016, peace talks failed to end the conflict. In November of 2017, Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile at Saudi Arabia's capital
prompting Saudi Arabia to tighten a blockade on Yemen worsening the humanitarian crisis there.
And in June, Saudi-led forces began an attack on the Yemen port city of Hodeidah, the main port that brings in badly needed food and aid. And
reports of civilian casualties at the hands of Saudi-led airstrikes, they have continued since 2015.
The United Nations had labeled the civil war in Yemen the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Joining me now is Lise Grande, U.N,
resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. She joins us now live from Amman, Jordan. Lise, thank you for joining us here on the program.
The airstrike that happened yesterday is just the latest grisly incident in Yemen to capture the world's attention. What is the overall humanitarian
toll on civilians especially children, in this conflict?
LISE GRANDE, U.N RESIDENT & HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR YEMEN: The United Nations characterizes the humanitarian crisis in Yemen as the most severe
and the worst in the world. There are 22 million innocent Yemenis civilians who require some form of humanitarian assistance or protection in order to
survive. That's three quarters of the country's entire population.
There is no other country in the world where 75 percent of the population needs help in order to survive. The crisis in Yemen is the direct result of
the war. Humanitarians are doing everything we can to support civilians, to give them the help they need, but we can't solve this crisis.
Only the belligerents who started the war are the ones who can end it. And that's why humanitarians everywhere are demanding, insisting, begging, that
the belligerents and parties to the conflict get to the peace table and negotiate an end to the hostilities.
LU STOUT: Especially after what happened yesterday that deadly airstrike that maimed and murdered so many children. Humanitarians around the world
are saying enough is enough. So, what needs to happen next for peace, for there to be a conflict -- an end to the conflict in Yemen?
[08:25:09] GRANDE: The United Nations has a special envoy. The exceptional Martin Griffiths, who has been working tirelessly around the clock for
months now to bring the belligerents and the parties to the conflict to the table to discuss a way forward. To discuss what has to be done so that
hostilities end and peaceful break (ph) out and Yemen people can begin to rebuild their lives.
The special envoy, Martin Griffiths has announced that on the 6th of September, peace discussions will begin in Geneva. For humanitarians, this
can't happen quickly enough. The human cost of this war is completely unacceptable. What happened yesterday should never happen again.
LU STOUT: And before there could be any end to the violence or any brokered peace, what is the United Nations doing now to provide relief and
aid to the civilians who are suffering on a daily basis in Yemen?
GRANDE: The humanitarian operation in Yemen is, in fact, the largest in the world. Every month the U.N.'s World Food Program provides direct food
assistance to 7.5 million starving Yemenis. This month in August, the World Food Program will be able to increase the amount of food it's providing to
reach 8 million people.
Eight and a half million civilians are starving in Yemen, and that's why the work that the World Food Program is doing is so important. UNICEF, the
World Health Organization, UNFPA, UNHCR and countless front line nongovernmental organizations are providing every form of assistant, from
emergency health care to emergency kits. We're helping ensure that the water and sanitation systems in the country are operational.
We are doing absolutely everything we can. And the front line humanitarian workers that are doing this work, they are working under some of the most
unimaginable conditions in the world. The most difficult, complex conditions are facing humanitarian workers in Yemen right now. What they
are doing is heroic.
LU STOUT: Yes. And people are suffering, the violence is sickening, and that's like humanitarians all around the world are saying enough is enough.
Lise Grande of the United Nations, thank you so much for joining us here on the program. Take care.
You're watching "News Stream." We will be live in California after the break, where those massive fires continuing to burn across the state. We
got the latest on an uphill battle there, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:01] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream." your world headlines.
CNN has gotten rare access on board a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane as it flew over the hotly contested Spratly Islands. The aircraft received six
warnings from the Chinese during the flight, telling them they were inside Chinese territory and to leave immediately to avoid any misunderstanding.
In Afghanistan, Taliban fighters launched a coordinated attack on the city of Ghazni in the early hours of Friday. Afghan soldiers fought back
assisted by U.S. helicopters and a drone strike. One local official says 16 people have been killed and dozens injured, most of them Afghan security
forces.
The governor of California has declared a state of emergency for two counties near Los Angeles. And these images show the holy fire. It is only
five percent contained. It forced thousands of people to flee their homes. Authorities have a suspect in custody who was accused of starting the
blaze.
CNN's Nick Watt is live for us in Lake Elsinore, California with more. He joins us now. And Nick, since we last spoke, the fire has been edging
closer to residential areas. What's happening out there?
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has. Listen, Kristie, yesterday, there was a little bit of optimism. They were saying that the weather was going
to get better, temperatures were going to drop and then in the afternoon, the winds whipped up and brought those flames within feet of homes. It's
frankly miraculous that firefighters managed to save those homes.
Of course, there had been multiple air drops of flame retardant that helped amend. Later in the afternoon, you see behind me, the fire started
spreading to this hillside. We are now looking at about seven and a half thousand homes under threat.
But wildfires are exceptionally unpredictable. As I said, yesterday, they were saying it is going to be OK, then the wind whips up, and today they
are saying that the weather conditions are not going to get much better. We are still going to have high temperatures and this afternoon there could be
more gusts of wind coming over those hills from the ocean.
If they do and if those flames are still there, then that could push this fire down into this neighborhood. That is why in the past few hours, we've
been seen helicopters going back and forth dropping water. We've seen crews on the ground controlling these flames, trying to save this town. Kristie?
LU STOUT: Nick, you're reporting seven and a half thousand homes under threat. That means the residents need to get out. They need to get out of
harm's way. Are they heeding evacuation warnings?
WATT: Yeah, I mean, there are about 21,000 people under mandatory evacuation orders. Most people are leaving. You can see some people are
just packing up their stuff and getting ready to go at a moment's notice.
One guy I spoke to yesterday said he is refusing to leave because he doesn't want his home to be looted. We have seen that at other fires but
the police here in Lake Elsinore say they are upping patrols, that no homes are being broken into, and that people should heed these orders. Kristie?
LU STOUT: Nick Watt, we appreciate your reporting. To you and the crew, please stay safe as the holy fire continues to burn out of control there,
Lake Elsinore, California. Nick, thank you.
Firefighters, they are also working overtime in Southern Portugal where a popular tourist region is in flames. The wildfire has been raging for more
than a week. Nina Dos Santos has the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hundreds of people are evacuating as wildfires close in on homes and hotels in Portugal's southern tourist
region. The fire in Monchique is now the largest this year in Portugal.
Thousands of hectares have already been scorched. Dozens of people injured as well, including several firefighters. The thick smoke and flames are
coming down the hillside, and it's worrying many.
ROBERTO CONDE (ph), HOTEL OWNER IN PORTUGAL (through translator): It's not easy. You want to sleep but you can't, because you want to see what's
happening. But you can't see anything because all you can see is smoke.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It doesn't look good at all. It's bad. We are here, and our lives are at risk. But we must persevere.
DOS SANTOS: More than 1,300 firefighters are on the ground battling the blaze with the help of hundreds of fire trucks and more than a dozen
aircraft. Portugal's prime minister warns that this massive fire could take days to put out. The blaze started more than a week ago. Crews fear the
wind could pick up and re-ignite the flames.
KEN MANCHFIELD (ph), TOURIST FROM U.K.: It's a tragic, tragic episode, really. With all the people that live out here further out (INAUDIBLE), but
it's -- it's very, very sad. And it needs more help.
DOS SANTOS: Nina Dos Santos, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And in Southern France, the problem is too much water there. Torrential rain has caused flash flooding in the area.
[08:35:01] One man from Germany is missing, and 1,600 people have been evacuated. Some 120 children had to be rescued from a campsite north of
Marse (ph). Hundreds of firefighters are helping in rescue operations.
You're watching "News stream." And still to come right here on the program, a special honor for Paul Manafort. Well, kind of sort of. We'll explain, up
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now based on the best-selling book, the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" is gearing up for its premiere and making history while
it is at it. It has been more than two decades since a major Hollywood studio has released an English language film with a primarily Asian cast.
And the film tells a story of a Chinese-American woman who gets culture shock when she meets her impossibly wealthy boyfriend's family for the
first time in Singapore.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mom, this is Rachel Chu.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just thinks you're some, like, unrefined banana.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) fingers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yellow on the outside, white on the inside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: CNN's John Vause spoke with two of the stars of "Crazy Rich Asians" about how this movie could mark a watershed moment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANICE KOH, ACTRESS, "CRAZY RICH ASIANS": It's a universal story, in that it is about love, it's about family. It's also about sacrifice. Nothing
that no one across the world couldn't identify with, especially the concept of family and what it means to love and to lose someone because they are
not accepted.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some Asian friends also, this is the first time they have seen what looks to be their real life depicted in a movie.
SELENA TAN, ACTRESS, "CRAZY RICH ASIANS": Yeah, at the same time, you know, it is their real life depicted in a movie, but the director has
really sort of put a very modern twist to it, so the soundtrack is great. You feel really uplifted. Everything is moving at a pace that is very
modern and very up-to-date now. You just feel like it is cutting edge movie.
VAUSE: A report from New York Times on diversity in television and films, according to a recent study, 64 percent of television series in 2015, 2016
series did not have a single Asian-American regular. Another report revealed that the top 100 films in 2017, nearly two-thirds did not include
a single Asian or Asian-American female character.
So, if we look at "Crazy Rich Asians" here, it is a breakthrough film. At the end of day, it is all about the box office. You guys do really well
with box office. Money talks.
KOH: I think the success of this movie is very important and critical to whether or not there will be a tipping point.
TAN: Yup.
KOH: But I feel that the movie alone cannot carry the burden of changing perceptions and mindsets overnight.
VAUSE: Yeah.
KOH: And what it can only do is to start the ball rolling and hopefully the momentum will continue and people will be a lot more accepting and open
to diversity casting, because it cannot on its own carry that responsibility.
TAN: Although I see it makes a really brave and really strong start to that movement.
VAUSE: Yeah.
TAN: Because, you know, I mean, it's 100 percent of the movie, there are Asians. Not like, you know, majority of us were Asians in the cast, this is
really --
VAUSE: Yeah.
TAN: -- big step and I think it will have that momentum to push us forward to a sequel, three books now.
VAUSE: Yeah.
TAN: And other movies, other stories to be told.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Got to go see it. Something else I want to share with you. An Australian teacher and fossil enthusiast stumbled upon a discovery of a
lifetime on a beach not too far south of Melbourne.
[08:40:02] His discovery? It was a 725 million-year-old mega shark teeth that belonged to a mega extinct shark.
The great jagged narrow tooth shark is almost double the length of today's great white. It is the first discovery of its kind found in Australia and
only the third one in the world, according to a local museum.
And New Zealand has become the latest country to outlaw single-use plastic shopping bags. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that they will be phased
out over the next year, describing the announcement as a meaningful step towards reducing pollution. Single-use plastic bags are among the most
common items found in coastal litter in New Zealand often harming marine life.
And finally, as the Paul Manafort trial continues in Virginia, some speculated about whether he will ever turn on President Trump. But in one
Connecticut neighborhood, drivers are turning on the former Trump campaign chairman. Well, you don't believe me? Here is CNN's Jeanne Moss.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In New Britain, Connecticut, they're not afraid to cross Paul Manafort or even turn on him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Turn left on Paul Manafort Drive.
MOOS: You may be used to seeing his name in the news, but here they see it on signs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Turn right on Paul J. Manafort Drive.
MOOS: How did he get from being on trial to being on GPS? Well, actually - -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not him, it's his father.
MOOS: The late Paul Manafort Sr. was a three-term mayor of New Britain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): He is a hero.
MOOS: That's the word at Elmer's Place at one end of Paul Manafort Drive. The road stretches a mile or so alongside Central Connecticut State
University. For those who reside on Paul Manafort --
What kind of street is this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Loud.
MOOS: Just like some of Manafort's jackets, think python. After his indictment last year, local motorist Dan Russell (ph) was driven to start a
petition to change the name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): It's just definitely not something to be proud of.
MOOS: But the mayor's chief of staff told the Hartford Courant the name was meant to honor Paul Manafort Sr. and they would leave the road the way
it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Paul Manafort was a respected man in our community.
MOOS: Many of the locals didn't know either Manafort, father or son.
Paul Manafort, the guy who is on trial?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no, I didn't know about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Manafort Drive?
MOOS: Yeah. Does that ring a bell?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he do? I don't even know who he is.
MOOS: If they ever do change the name, maybe they ought to change it to "Paul Who Drive." Other possibilities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could become Donald Trump Drive someday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Change it into Fred Shirley (ph) Street.
MOOS: Fred Shirley (ph), is that you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, that's me.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Need my own street.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: Fred Shirley (ph) made a left on to Paul Manafort. For some, Manafort Drive was a mouthful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hmm (ph).
MOOS: OK.
Jeanne Moos, CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Turn left on Paul Manafort Drive.
MOOS: New Britain, Connecticut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: 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)
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