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ISIS Is Under Siege But Putting Up Resistance In Its Last Syrian Enclave; Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Has Touched Down In Afghanistan For An Unannounced Trip; Another U.S. Government Shutdown Could Be Just Days Away; Senator Amy Klobuchar Of Minnesota Announced Her Run For President On Sunday; Desperation In Venezuela As Mothers Struggle To Feed Their Families. Aired 12m-1a ET

Aired February 11, 2019 - 00:00   ET

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

CYRIL VANIER, ANCHOR, CNN: The last ISIS enclave in Syria. Follow CNN's correspondent near the front line as U.S.-led forces close in on the insurgents. Another U.S. government shutdown looms, negotiations on border security breakdown? President Donald Trump says Democrats are behaving irrationally. And the Grammys, Childish Gambino wins song of the year for "This is America," the first rap song to ever win the award.

All right. Joining you live from the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I am Cyril Vanier, thanks for joining us.

ISIS is under siege but putting up fierce resistance in its last Syrian enclave. U.S.-backed forces launched an assault on the town of Baghouz Al-Fawaqani Saturday. They say some of the most hardened ISIS fighters are dug in using a network of tunnels to repel the attack. CNN's Ben Wedeman is on the ground covering the battle from Eastern Syria. He has more in this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN (voice over): The final battle began just after sunset with coalition air strikes pounding the last dot on the map held by the state that calls itself Islam. The town of Baghouz Al-Fawaquani in Eastern Syria.

But there was no calm before the storm as gunners with the U.S. backed Syrian Democratic Forces reigned heavy machine gunfire down on to ISIS targets. While civilians who had stuck it out in the town made their way to safer ground.

A mortar round exploded near 14-year-old Mahmoud Nahzed days ago, his wounds still fresh. His brother, Thamir says they couldn't afford to pay the ISIS fighters $1,000.00 apiece to leave, and thus had to sneak out under cover of darkness.

An hour before the final push began, Arab tribal fighters danced, a useful morale raising exercise, perhaps before the coming battle.

The bombing of the town continued throughout the night, intensifying at first light. WEDEMAN (on camera): The battle to take the last enclave of ISIS in

Syria is now into its second day. Syrian Democratic Forces have made good progress within the town, but they are encountering some resistance from the ISIS fighters, this despite the constant heavy coalition air strikes on the town.

WEDEMAN (voice over): But as the day wore on, the going got tougher and the air strikes increased. "It is a hit," he says. ISIS has dug a network of tunnels and trenches, its fighters some of its most experienced in battle hardened. "This battle will not end the war on ISIS. When ISIS the state is replaced by ISIS the terrorist insurgency," Jumar Zin (ph), an Arab fighter tells me. "It will be tougher still."

"This war is easy," he says. "We are fighting them on a front. It will be different when it becomes guerilla warfare." Victory of sorts is at hand. Peace in this tortured land, still elusive. Ben Wedeman, CNN, outside Baghouz Al-Fawaquani in Eastern Syria.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

VANIER: You can get the latest on the fight against ISIS in its last Syrian enclave any time, just go to cnn.com. And the top general at U.S. Central Command also warns that ISIS could remain a threat. General Joseph Votel is responsible for operations in Syria and the Middle East. He is to set to step down from the command. He said this on a farewell tour Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL JOSEPH VOTEL, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I mean, I would -- I am kind of in a bind where the intelligence community is in on this. They've kind of sought -- they talk about tens of thousands that have been dispersed and disaggregated from the area, so they are spread from, you know, kind of areas in Iraq to other areas in Syria and they are disbursed and disaggregated, but there is leadership there, there are fighters there, there are facilitators there. I mean, long-term through the course of the withdrawal.

[00:05:07]

VOTEL: The President's orders are very clear us to. We understand exactly what he has directed in all ground forces out of Syria and that's - we've got plans to do that and we're on track.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: I am joined now by retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton. He is a CNN military analyst and the former Deputy Director for training at the U.S. national security agency. Colonel, what happens when this battle is over?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, RETIRED U.S. AIR FORCE COLONEL: Well, Cyril, I think that really depends on how we win this particular battle, and by we, I mean the coalition, as well as the Syrian Democratic Forces. So if we get into a situation where the ISIS fighters that are remaining in Baghhous disperse, then it will be this quiet period, but they will resurface again, just like General Votel warned in the piece that you just showed.

There is going to be a situation where these ISIS fighters come up and they will come up probably in individual cells. They will come up not only in the Middle East, but possibly in areas close to the Middle East, and possibly even further afield, but I think it will take them a while to get there. The most dangerous area is going to be in Syria and probably neighboring Iraq, for U.S. forces and for coalition forces after this battle is over.

VANIER: And we heard one of the fighters in Ben Wedeman's report saying pretty much that. That it was actually going to get harder after this particular battle that they are waging, that a conventional war he was saying, a conventional war to retake ISIS territory was probably easier than a shadow war against ISIS terrorists.

LEIGHTON: Oh, absolutely. Because in a shadow war, Cyril, what you find is you are going to be able to run into your enemy in all kinds of situations, and sometimes these are not situations of your own choosing and that's really the big problem when you are dealing with a force like ISIS. It is very dispersed. It is going to go into many different areas. They, you know, will take advantage not only of the tunnels in places like Baghouz, but they will also go into places such as the cities, such as, you know, potentially even going back to Mosul or other cities within Syria.

So there is going to be a situation where that fighter was absolutely right. These guys are going to be tough because they will be so dispersed, in some ways, it will be easier to pick off individual cells, but it will be much harder to find the leadership.

VANIER: So should U.S. force be pulling out of Syria in this context?

LEIGHTON: Not yet. I think, certainly, we are getting to the point where we can see those forces leave Syria but, you know, we have to make sure that first of all, Baghouz is taken and I think we are well on the way to doing that, but just because Baghouz is that last enclave of ISIS fighters in Syria, but what we also need to make sure is what happens next is, you know, who controls this territory?

Is it in our interest to have it revert back to the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad or is it in our interest to or have the Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces take that area? And that's really the question that policy makers are going to have to answer and they are going to have to answer that one very, very quickly.

VANIER: And so what lessons in that case should the U.S. learn from the last time it found itself at a similar crossroads? You know, the U.S. had been here before with al Qaeda where they thought they defeated the insurgency in Iraq, they left, only to see al Qaeda reappear in an even more vicious form as ISIS. What are the lessons there?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think the big lessons, Cyril, are that if you leave a place too soon, a place that you've fought over and bled over, it is going to come back to haunt you. It is going to be something where you can get into a situation where not only you are going to have to come back, but you are going to have come back and make some sacrifices that you weren't intending to make, and that I think is the real lesson from this.

You have to go in to a place like this, realize that you are going to stay up to a certain point, but then also have an exit strategy where you leave the place in a bit of a more peaceful form than when you found it, and that is really the biggest challenge.

VANIER: All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much for joining us today.

LEIGHTON: You bet. Cyril, any time.

VANIER: And the acting U.S. Defense Secretary has touched down in Afghanistan for an unannounced trip. Patrick Shanahan's visit comes ahead of the Munich security conference later this week. It also comes after U.S. ceasefire talks with the Taliban and reports of a partial U.S. troop withdrawal. Shanahan insists that he has not been told to step down the number of U.S. forces in the country.

[00:10:00]

VANIER: Another U.S. government shutdown could be just days away if Democrats and Republicans can't come up with a deal on border security funding. The bad news is negotiations have reportedly stalled. Now, they only have until Friday to decide on a budget for new sections of border wall, detention centers and personnel.

President Trump is blaming Democrats for making quote, "terrible offers." He tweeted, "I actually believe they want a shutdown." Earlier Mr. Trump said he reserved the right to declare a state of national emergency to get the wall money that he wants.

The political showdown gets more intense as the clock ticks down toward Friday and there are a lot of accusations flying around the White House about why lawmakers can't get a deal done. Boris Sanchez explains.

BORIS SANCHEZ, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Sources familiar with both sides of the negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on keeping the government open and funded past Friday's deadline indicate that both sides are at an impasse not only on funding for President's long promised border wall, but also specifically on a cap proposed by Democrats on funding for a specific number of beds inside ICE detention centers.

Democrats have argued that they want to make sure that Immigration and Custom Enforcement are detaining criminals and not just regular migrants. On the other side, Republicans are arguing that Democrats are trying to limit the ability of ICE agents to do their jobs.

Now the President weighed in on this several times on Twitter over the weekend arguing that Democrats involved in these negotiations are being held back by Democratic leadership and that they are acting irrationally. The President also sort of misrepresented where Democrats actually stand on that bed cap issue.

Further, his acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney suggested that the possibilities here are still very broad, we could potentially see a government shutdown, we could see a deal, we could potentially see some sort of executive action. Here is more from the acting Chief of Staff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICK MULVANEY, ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: We cannot definitively rule out a government shutdown at the end of this week. You absolutely cannot and here is why. Let's say for the sake of this discussion that the Democrats prevail and the hard-core left wing Democrats prevail. There was a Democratic Congresswoman who put out a tweet yesterday about zero dollars for DHS, so let's say that the hard-core left wing of the Democratic Party prevails in this negotiation and they put a bill on the President's desk with say zero money for the wall or $800 million, or some absurdly low number, how does he sign that? He cannot in good faith sign that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now with talks completely break down, a Democratic aide told CNN that Democrats in the House are prepared to offer up a bill that would keep the government open and fund the Department of Homeland Security through at least September. There is zero indication at this point that the Republican led Senate would actually even vote on a bill. No question, it is unlikely to get a signature from the President if it ever actually reaches his desk. Boris Sanchez, CNN at the White House.

VANIER: The crowded field of Democrats hoping to take Donald Trump's job just got even larger, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota announced her run for President on Sunday in the middle of a heavy snowstorm. She told supporters the time has come for a change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY KLOBUCHAR, U.S. SENATOR, MINNESOTA, DEMOCRAT: We are tired of the shutdowns and the showdowns of the gridlock and the grandstanding. Today, on this snowy day, on this island we say, enough is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: In response, President Trump mocked Klobuchar on Twitter saying, "She talks proudly of fighting global warming while standing in a virtual blizzard." Klobuchar hit back saying, "Science was on her side and wondering how his hair would fair in a blizzard."

So now, at least 11 Democrats are either running or exploring a run for President. Six of them are women. CNN senior political analysis, Ron Brownstein is standing by. Ron, the fact that Donald Trump, or the President attacked Amy Klobuchar, does that means he takes her seriously?

RON BROWNSTEIN, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, CNN: You have to surmise that, right, I mean, he has attacked several. It is a new dynamic to have the White House and the sitting President engaging with the Democratic field so directly.

I am struck that by and large, the Democratic candidates as we saw in 2018 from the House candidates generally speaking are taking the bait. They are focusing more on their kind of affirmative agenda and assuming that the voters who are antagonized from Trump don't need a lot of reminding about why they don't like him. But we will see.

You know, we are heading toward the largest Democratic field ever with '76, '72, each time as primary process is really the beginning of the modern primary era, they had about 15 candidates, they could get to that and it is certainly going to be the most diverse ever as you point out with the most women, but also, the most minority candidates.

So it is a different Democratic coalition and it is reflected in the field of candidates, they will have to choose from over the next year.

VANIER: And right now, who do you have as the biggest threat to the President's reelection chances?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, you know, I believe the fundamental thought line, some hard choice Democrats face really goes to your question. There are two different theories about how to beat him.

[00:15:10]

BROWNSTEIN: And empirically, I think at this point, it is hard to choose among those two theories. One theory is what I call the reassure theory which says, as we saw in 2018, there are literally millions of traditionally Republican leaning, center right, mostly white voters who have pulled away are the Republican coalition because they don't like Donald Trump.

We saw that in all of those white-collar suburban districts around the country and this theory says you need is a Democratic nominee who would reassure them that it is okay to vote for the party and that would be someone more centrist. Joe Biden, certainly, the most prominent among them, but also some of the former Governors who are looking at running like John Hickenlooper of Colorado, or Terry McCullough, of Virginia.

The other theory says, don't worry about trying to reel in these center right white voters, focus on mobilizing the elements of the Democratic coalition that really, really don't like Trump but don't always a turn out and that's minorities and young people, and people who kind of fit in that kind of mobilization strategy would be Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirstin Gillibrand.

I think we are going to see those theories contend. It wouldn't shock me to see a ticket that had one of each in the end, but I think that is going to be one of the big choices Democrats face, reassure or mobilize as their way of going head on with Trump in 2020.

VANIER: Okay, on to the border wall negotiations. They have broken down. As far as we know for the moment, they have broken down, the Democrats aren't budging, yet the President according to the reporting would rather avoid a shutdown. What is the way forward?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, look, you know, Mitch McConnell who doesn't talk that much has said there is no education in the second kick of a mule. Which is I think a very apt, aphorism here. Another government shutdown would be kind of lunacy for both parties given A, the history, the government shutdowns never get you what you want. I mean, that has been true going back to the Bill Clinton shutdowns and B, given how strongly the public reacted against it.

So you would think they would find a way around this, the problem is, there is a core disagreement, primarily over the wall, the constituencies that elected this Democratic Congress preponderantly oppose the wall by margins of two to one or more, and there is very little incentive and a lot of disincentive for the Democrats to give the President much of what he wants apart from the limited amount of fencing in areas that both parties can agree on.

But, Cyril, there is a larger problem, too, which is beyond the wall, Democrats by and large view Trump's immigration enforcement strategy as excessive and cruel, and if the only issue on the table is how much money you give him to execute that strategy, you can see why there would be some resistance to that on the Democratic side and that is an issue that has kind of raised itself here in the 11th hour.

VANIER: All right, Ron Brownstein, good to talk to you, thank you very much.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

VANIER: Desperation in Venezuela as mothers struggle to feed their families. Ahead, we speak with women forced to take drastic measures to survive. And it is the 40th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution, did it really achieve what it set out to do. We will hear what they are saying in Tehran in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:20:00]

VANIER: As Venezuela's power struggle continues, President Nicolas Maduro is beefing up the country's defenses to prevent foreign aggression. During military exercises on Sunday, he announced the purchase of thousands of surface to air missile launchers from Russia. Mr. Maduro specifically warned the United States against taking action in the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (Through a translator): We are a peaceful country, but we do not want anyone to get into our business. That Donald Trump does not threaten us. Out Donald Trump from Venezuela, out your threats. Here, we have Armed Forces and here are the people to defend the honor, the dignity and respect of the nation that has more than 200 years fighting for its future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: Meanwhile Mr. Maduro continues to prevent humanitarian aid from entering the country despite growing calls to accept the relief shipments. Stefano Pozzebon has more from Caracas.

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: There is no end in sight at the humanitarian aid stalemate on the Columbia-Venezuelan border. On Sunday, doctors from Venezuela protested at the border demanding the opening of a humanitarian aid channel, demanding these humanitarian aid that is stockpiled in the city of Cucuta coming from Columbia and from the United States to be allowed into the country.

A cause made by the leader of the opposition, Juan Guaido who on Sunday here in Caracas demanded the opening of the border to let the humanitarian aid in, but at the same time, Nicolas Maduro, the embattled Venezuelan President who still has the support of the Armed Forces is having none a of it and reiterated his intention to keep the aid out of the country or keep this aid out of the country, calling it a vessel of interference and endurance inside Venezuela.

And he made it even clear how he wants to treat these interference from abroad by announcing the purchase of thousands of thousands of surface to air missile launchers from Russia, saying that these are weapons that will be used to defend the Venezuelan fatherland.

So while we see the humanitarian aid still at the very bottom of this political stalemate here in Caracas, neither of the two leaders is walking down from the pressure, and is able to find a common ground with the other side and try to broker a peaceful end to this dramatic stalemate. For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Caracas.

VANIER: And the Venezuelan crisis has also had a huge impact on working women. Before the downturn, many of them worked, lawyers, nurses, but after the crisis hit, they were forced to take desperate measures just to survive. CNN's Isa Soarez has more.

ISA SOAREZ, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN (voice over): On the street corners in the main squares of Colombia's border city of Cucuta, Venezuelan women hide their pain behind their faint smiles. It is here I meet Marissa, who trembles as she tells me her story.

[00:25:10]

SOAREZ (voice over): As a nurse back home, she worked 15 days for a bag of flour. Frustrated, desperate, and unable to find work in a city with the highest unemployment in Colombia, she now sells her body to feed her children back home, earning a mere $6.00 per man.

MARISSA: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): With each tear comes a drop of anger.

MARISSA: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): But the shame is overpowering and keeping the secret is tearing her apart. [Speaking in foreign language].

MARISSA: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): On a different square, just down the road --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): I meet an experienced attorney, also selling sex to feed her two children and parents back in Venezuela.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): But the impossible she tells me has become a burden. [Speaking in foreign language].

Isa Soarez, CNN, Cucuta, Colombia.

VANIER: Stay with us. We will be right back.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: -- at an especially tense time. Relations between the U.S. and Iran are the worst they've been in years. That familiar chant, "Death to America," ringing out across the streets of Tehran. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[00:30:15] FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Tonight a show of defiance against the U.S. during Iran's celebration of 40 years of the Islamic Revolution, many saying they're not impressed by what President Trump says is his tough stance against Tehran.

"Trump is a stupid and crazy man," this Iranian navy SEALer says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The United States' policy is doomed to be exploded. To the collapsed.

PLEITGEN: Many in the crowd mocking the U.S. One children's stand even had what appeared to be a Bugs Bunny type figure in "death to America" chants.

Iran's Islamic Revolution culminated with Ayatollah Khomeini, returning from exile in 1979. On February 11 of that year, the U.S.- backed shah was officially overthrown.

Iranian students later overran the U.S. embassy in Tehran, holding more than 50 Americans hostage for 445 days. U.S.-Iranian relations never recovered.

Speaking exclusively to CNN, the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard corps ripped into Washington.

"The Americans and other big powers know that conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran would fail," he says. "So they've started a soft war, a cultural, political and economic war against us; and our people have understood that. They're resisting, and they're prepared."

The Trump administration scrapped the Iran nuclear deal last year and has since hit Iran with crippling economic sanctions. The White House saying Tehran is destabilizing the Middle East with its plastic missile program, Iran says its missiles are for self-defense, the country's president vowing to continue the development.

"We have not asked and we will not ask for permission from anyone to develop our missile capabilities. And we will build a wide range of missiles that include ground to air, air to air, land to sea and ground to ground," he says.

Forty years after the Islamic Revolution, Iran is arguably one of the strongest nations in the Middle East. But also one in economic turmoil as sanctions continue to take their toll.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, they came looking for food. Polar bears forced to search further than ever before because of the impact of global warming. And they found what they wanted in a village in northeastern Russia. But the arrival of the polar bears has sent locals running in fear, others refusing to send their children to school.

We get details now from CNN's Matthew Chance, reporting from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think this is a particularly vivid illustration of how a changing climate in the arctic is having an impact on the local wildlife and leading to these potentially lethal encounters with humans.

Russian officials say dozens of polar bears searching for food have gathered in and around this remote settlement in Novaya Zemiya off Russia's northeast turn arctic coast. Local residents have recorded them rifling through a local garbage dump, searching for scraps. Even entering apartment blocks, desperate for something to eat.

Now, the bears would normally be hunting seals, but a lack of pack ice means that those seals are out of reach.

Of course, this is absolutely terrifying for the human population of the area. Local Russian officials have released statements saying that the bears have already chased and attacked a number of people. They say locals are scared to leave their homes or to send their children, of course, to school.

Now, because polar bears are a protected species in Russia, a decision has been taken not shoot the animals dead. Instead, Russian officials say they're planning to sedate them and to transport them away from these human settlements.

However, the bigger picture again is that the rapidly changing climate in the arctic is throwing up these extraordinary challenges for all of its inhabitants.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, it was a haunting and disturbing song 30 years ago dealing with an issue few ever discussed, but now the song "Janie's Got a Gun" is changing lives and helping the victims that Aerosmith once sang about.

(MUSIC: AEROSMITH, "JANIE'S GOT A GUN")

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[00:40:02] GRAPHIC: Behind the Brand

FRED NOE, MASTER DISTILLER, JIM BEAM: You know, there's a lot of markets that don't know what bourbon's all about. My name is Fred Noe, and I'm the master distiller at Jim Beam.

GRAPHIC: The Beam family has been producing bourbon, an American made spirit, since 1795.

Bourbon is whiskey distilled from a grain mash primarily made of corn. There are strict rules and regulations for bourbon production. When aging bourbon, new barrels have to be used. No other flavors or colors may be added to bourbon. Ninety-five percent of the world's bourbon is produced in Kentucky.

NOE: Oh, I think the future is very good for the bourbon industry as a whole, because the world is starting to learn about bourbon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: It's been 30 years since Aerosmith recorded "Janie's Got a Gun." For a band not known for tackling social issues, they went all in with this song about sexual abuse, rape, incest, victim blaming and murder. This song would earn Aerosmith their first ever Grammy Award.

And now all these years later, they were back together on Grammy night in Los Angeles, not to celebrate their success but the power of a song which has made and is making a real difference in so many lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVEN TYLER, SINGER, AEROSMITH: I'm deeply honored and humbled to see each of you here for Janie's Fund. Look at this room. I love us. I love us.

VAUSE (voice-over): Frontman Steven Tyler wrote the lyrics. His inspiration was a magazine story about parental child abuse, an issue rarely discussed and almost neglected at time.

But Tyler always wanted to do more beyond this one song. And from "Janie's Got a Gun" came Janie's Fund, a charity for abused and neglected children.

And just like last year, on Sunday night, Tyler, Aerosmith and some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry raised some serious cash for his charity, $2.8 million.

TYLER: One in five girls are sexually abused before they are 18 years old. That means mentally, physically and emotionally, as well. But experts confirm that the abuse is vastly under reported. So it's likely many, many more children are harmed in this way.

VAUSE (on camera): It's a long way from when Tyler started the foundation in 2015 with half a million dollars of his own. But at 70, of the hardest living rock 'n' roll stars of a generation says he's finally found what's good for his heart and good for his soul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three.

VAUSE (voice-over): This is Steven Tyler's second scarf-cutting ceremony at Janie's house in Tennessee, which will accommodate up to 14 girls at a time, all victims of abuse and neglect. Here, they'll go to school, receive counseling, and deal with the kind of trauma most could never imagine.

TYLER: Here I am 70, and this kind of stuff is still happening to me. It's just -- it's God. Just when the world feels over, you can turn into a butterfly.

VAUSE: Janie's house grew its wings from one of Aerosmith's biggest hits.

TYLER (singing): Janie's got a gun.

(speaking): Well, I sat down at the piano and I started plinking out, "Janie, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah," and then I said, "Janie got a gun," and I thought, "Wow, all right, well, that's as good a lyric as any."

(singing): Janie got a gun. Janie got a gun.

VAUSE: The Grammy Award-winning song was a hit worldwide at the same time Tyler, who has his own checkered past with drugs and sex, has had to deal with his own demons.

TYLER: I went away to a place for co-dependency, and I happened to meet many, many of the girls there that had been physically, verbally and emotionally, and obviously sexually abused. The years went by and just the right time happened. I just suggested, you know, "What if we had a Janie's House?"

VAUSE: The first Janie's House opened in Georgia two years ago. And to continue to fund his charity, Tyler went where he knew there was no shortage of money: Hollywood, hosting a star-studded Grammy Awards viewing party for the second year. This one gathering on Sunday raised almost $3 million.

JANE LYNCH, ACTRESS: When you talk to Steven about Janie's Fund, he's -- his eyes light up, and you're -- you can't help but get wrapped up into the joy of this work for him. Which is helping abused and neglected girls and giving them a second chance at life.

SHARON STONE, ACTRESS: The majority of people, of families, have, in some way, been touched by sexual abuse, which means that we should be talking about it openly every day.

VAUSE: And there alongside Tyler on Sunday, the Janie's girls he's helping.

ADRIENA TURMEL, JANIE'S HOUSE RESIDENT: The day-to-day life is pretty difficult, but with good supports like Steven, and all these wonderful people here, we're actually able to work towards, you know, making those days better.

TYLER: For the time that they're there, there is poetry on the walls and they've got bunk beds. And one gets the top and one gets the bottom, and they can write on the wall. And it's their place of solitude and safety.

(singing): Janie's got a gun.

VAUSE: And so what began with those four dark and haunting words, "Janie's got a gun" has now evolved. Janie's got a home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!

TYLER: All right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT is up next. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON RIDDELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, there, and welcome. It is time for WORLD SPORT. I'm Don Riddell at CNN Center.

Let's start today with a bit of a surprise in the world of tennis. Actually, it's a really big surprise.

The world No. 1, the reigning U.S. Open and Australian Open champion, Naomi Osaka, has announced that she's no longer working with her coach, Sascha Bajin.

In the last few months, the Japanese star has really come of age on the biggest stage in her sport, winning back-to-back majors at the tender age of just 21. Many gave Bajin some of the credit in what was his first coaching role, but it's suddenly all over.

Osaka broke the knows on Twitter, saying, quote, "Hey, everyone, I will no longer be working together with Sascha. I thank him for his work and wish him all the best in the future."

[00:45:02] He responded, thanking Naomi: "I wish you nothing but the best, as well. What a ride that was. Thank you for letting me be part of this."

It all seems to be very polite, but there may be more to this story that is all we have for now, though.

Football fans are going to be really spoiled this week. The Champions League is back, and there are some mega ties in the round of 16.

This is the knockout stage: eight games to be played over two legs between now and the middle of March. And four of those ties are going to kick off this week.

On Tuesday a massively intriguing fixture at Old Trafford. Manchester United against Paris Saint-Germain, while last year's semifinalists, Roma, will host Porto.

On Wednesday the reigning champions Real Madrid are at Ajax. But this is going to be a really big test for the Dutch giants, because Real Madrid, of course, have won four of the last five Champions League titles.

Also on Wednesday, we've got Tottenham Hotspur at home to Borussia Dortmund.

It's the game in Manchester that warrants special attention today, though, because so much has changed since the draw was made back on the 17th of December. At the time, remember, Man U. were in complete disarray. The team was hemorrhaging points and morale in the Premier League. A toxic environment was pervasive under Jose Mourinho.

But Mourinho was fired the very day after the draw was made, and the black cloud lifted almost immediately. Look at what they've done since under their caretaker manager, Ole Solskjaer. They're unbeaten in all competitions. And in the Premier League, they've won eight of their nine games, scoring 23 goals and conceding only six.

They've also advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup, beating Arsenal on the way. Solskjaer believes that his team is ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER, COACH, MANCHESTER UNITED: We're giving us the best possible opportunity on the way we've gone into this game now. Because we're confident. We've found out what kind of -- I found out what team we have. We're looking -- looking like a team, the playing style that Anthony was talking about, that we -- we are agreeing on how we should approach games. So if there was ever a chance or any time to go into big games like this, it's now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Of course, as a player, Solskjaer was instrumental in United's epic treble-winning season of 1999. The memory of his last- gasp goal in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich is still so vivid that it hardly feels like it was 20 years ago.

Now he's preparing to lead them into Europe as a manager for the first time.

Wayne Rooney is another iconic United striker. He's been telling CNN how Solskjaer helped him in his own career and how he's turned the club around in just a matter of weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE ROONEY, MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYER: Ole is a fantastic person, and after you play with him, he actually -- I always -- I pass advice on which Ole gives to me. I pass onto some of the younger players now.

And I remember as a young lad, I was on the bench and I was -- sat next to Ole Gunnar. And he said to me, "Just keep watching the strikers and their defenders. Watch them. Watch their movements and keep visualizing them, what moves you can make when you come onto to get behind them and score."

And every time I'm on the bench, I always do that; and it's a bit of advice he gave me years ago which I pass on.

It sounds strange, but you think that can't be all he's done, but he's just brought smiles back to the players' faces and brought enjoyment back to the players. But also to the staff who work behind the scenes. They're really enjoying it a lot more.

And when you have players who've got the quality of the players that Manchester United have, sometimes that's all it takes. And -- and allowing the players to make mistakes. Sometimes that just frees the mind up a little bit, and you get results like DPM (ph).

(END IDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: So that is the Manchester United half of the equation.

It's not quite so positive for Paris Saint-Germain, though. PSG are one of the richest clubs in all of Europe. They routinely win their domestic competitions in France. But this is the one they really crave.

In recent weeks their form has been slipping and two of their star forwards, Neymar and Edinson Cavani are both out injured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS TUCHEL, PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN COACH (through translator): It's true. We're missing key attacking players. But changing our whole identity because of that, I'm not sure it's the right time. We traditionally play offensively. We're Paris. We're used to playing offensively and creating chances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: As someone who will have a big say in this game could therefore be PSG's experienced veteran goalkeeper, Gigi Buffon. He's a World Cup winner with Italy. He won countless trophies with Juventus and played in three Champions League finals for Juve.

[00:50:01] He lost them all and is hoping to win the one trophy that's eluded him with Paris Saint-Germain.

He spoke exclusive with CNN's Becky Anderson and told her that Neymar's loss will be significant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIGI BUFFON, PSG PLAYER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Yes, I think this is a problem for us. I'm not sure if it's a big problem or a little one. I hope it's only a small problem and that we nevertheless as a team thrive without him. This would give us great strength and confidence.

But I must say that without a player of Ney's caliber, it's going to be heavy going, particularly because in the last two or three months, he's been in excellent condition, both physically and mentally, and he would have been of enormous help.

But nevertheless, we have to do our best in order not to have any regrets and play the quarter finals and semifinals with Ney back. And this would be the best present we could give to him, and I'm sure he would return the favor by playing in those two matches.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: We'll see.

Athletes can seem invincible, but none can go on forever. And we said good-bye to a couple of skiing legends over the weekend. However, both made sure that their last ever races were pretty darn good. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RIDDELL: We're now just over six months away from the Rugby World Cup in Japan, and on WORLD SPORT all this week, we're going to be taking a closer look at rugby in the first Asian country to host the tournament. Here's a sneak peek at what's to come from Japan's captain, Michael Leitch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL LEITCH, CAPTAIN FOR JAPAN'S TEAM: The last World Cup, people often saying Japan has never won a game at the World Cup. Japan's chances of getting out of the pool stages this time around is very high, but it won't be easy. And every game -- we've got four games to play, and every game is very crucial.

So the teams are very focused; and our main goal is not to get out of the pool stages. It's to keep on winning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: All right. Tune in at the same time tomorrow when we'll set up our four days of coverage, with a look at the rise of Japan rugby and how a record defeat to New Zealand back in 1995 led to a rugby revival.

There was a prevailing theme at the World Ski Championships over the weekend: so long and thanks for all the memories. Two of the sport's legends skied for the very last time at Are in Sweden, and they both went into retirement in a familiar pose: with medals around their necks. For alpine edge (ph), Patrick Snell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At the bottom of the men's downhill in Sweden the stadium was packed with Norwegian flag wavers to support Olympic champion Aksel Lund Svindal in his final race before retirement.

[00:25:00] In a daring display, it was Svindal's compatriot, Kjetil Jansrud, who set a blistering quick time.

But three skiers later came the man they'd all turned up to see, Svindal closing his 17-year career as he crossed the line just two hundredths of a second behind his teammate, making it a one-two finish for the Norwegians.

KJETIL JANSRUD, NORWEGIAN SKIER: It's an honor to be on the podium with him when he retires. This feels like a poetic end to, you know, an amazing career.

SNELL: The pair's close friendship was evident in their celebrations, Svindal savoring the applause for one last time.

AKSEL LUND SVINDAL, RETIRING FROM SPORT OF SKIING: This is as close to perfect as it will ever get. So I'm really, really happy with my run and, I think, with the atmosphere we had earlier in this area, too, with all these Norwegians, we gave them a really good show. And I don't think we could have done any better.

SNELL: The follow day saw the turn of the women and another momentum retirement, for it was the final foray of America's most decorated skier, Lindsey Vonn.

Throwing caution to the wind and herself downhill, she overcame a spate of recent injuries and delivered a career-closing performance worthy of her legacy.

Reigning downhill champion, Slovenia's Ilka Stuhec, capturing gold but Vonn's third place stealing the limelight.

LINDSEY VONN, RETIRING FROM SKIING: To be on the podium one last time, you couldn't have come up with a better scenario.

I willed myself down. I skied with all of my heart. And, you know, for me, today bronze feels lime gold.

SNELL: Vonn and Skindal's retirement parties will go on long into the night, but tomorrow sees the dawn of a new generation of alpine athletes, hungry to break the records set by two of the sport's living legends.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIDDELL: It's going to take a while to break their records, though.

That's it for WORLD SPORT today. Thanks for your company. I'm Don Riddell at CNN Center. See you soon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Ahead this hour, the terrifying imaginary world of Donald Trump, where El Paso, Texas, was a crime-ridden hellhole saved by a border wall. It wasn't true when he said it during the State of the Union. It is still not true in a campaign rally held in El Paso. So why does Trump keep lying?