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Kim Jong-nam's Alleged Assasin Accepts Plea Deal; U.S. Cutting Aid To El Salvador, Guatemala And Honduras; Lawmakers To Vote On Options As April 12 Deadline Looms; British Public Unsettled By Parliament Stalemate; Maduro Announces Plan To Ration Electricity; Egypt Mediating Talks Between Israel And Hamas. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 01, 2019 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:00] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: No death penalty for the remaining woman accused of killing Kim Jong-un's half-brother. We'll go live to Hong Kong with the story for you. Plus, it's no joke. A comedian is leading the pack in Ukraine's presidential election.
And a global garbage hunt, the viral trash tag challenge calls on people to clean up their communities. We talk with the man who started it all. You don't just clean up you've got to send the before and after photo and apparently, a lot of people are doing it. Thanks for joining us I'm Natalie Allen in Atlanta and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
We are following a developing story out of Malaysia where one of the women accused of killing Kim Jong-un's half-brother has been sentenced in a plea deal. Doan Thi Huong was given three years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to a lesser offense with the dropping of the murder charge.
She and another woman were accused of killing Kim Jong-nam by smearing poison on his face at the airport. Huong's sentence includes time served so she could be released as early as next month. Ivan Watson joins us now from Hong Kong with a closer look at the story. What more can you tell us about these developments, Ivan?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this appears to be bringing an end to the trial for one of the most brazen assassinations in recent history. That is the murder of the North Korean dictator's half-brother in Kuala Lumpur Airport with VX Nerve Agents.
Now the first suspect was abruptly released after charges were dropped last month. It was an Indonesian woman named Siti Aisyah who was home within 24 hours of that surprising turn of events after much lobbying from the Indonesian government on Malaysia.
And now we have the remaining suspect, this Vietnamese woman Doan Thi Huong who has pled guilty after prosecutors dropped the murder charge and then pressed a lesser charge which amounts to "voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means," essentially a plea deal. The judge explained that she could face up to ten years in prison, a fine, and whipping.
However, he said women are not to be whipped in Malaysia and that given this was the first time offense and that she was the youngest of five children, that she would face a total of three years four months in prison. By our calculations that would get her out by June of next year, but Doan Thi Huong's defense are saying that she could be released as early as May because of some kind of technicality that lets people out on shorter jail sentence/
If that is to be the case, then you would have the two key suspects basically released after this murder takes place in 2017. The remaining people who face or wanted by Interpol are North Koreans who have gone missing and are awaiting justice perhaps, but nobody really knows where they are.
ALLEN: Right. Both the women claimed they were tricked by whoever was behind this. Ivan Watson with the latest, thank you, Ivan. Now we look at Ukraine's presidential election. It appears to be headed for a runoff. Exit polls show a comedian and political novice, that's him, Volodymyr Zelensky has won the first round but he fell short of an absolute majority.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, UKRAINE (through translator): I want to thank everyone. You've seen recently as well as I have some exit polls. There are lots of exit polls but there is only one winner. Thanks for all the Ukrainians who did not cast their vote as a joke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Yes. Remember he has no political experience but he played a politician on T.V. Well, polls also show incumbent president seen here Petro Poroshenko finished second. He responded on Twitter telling young voters he hears their concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETRO POROSHENKO, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): It is up to you to see where Ukraine will go, who will be the supreme commander, who will represent Ukraine at international negotiations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: The top two candidates will face each other in the likely runoff in three weeks. In Turkey, preliminary results show that President Erdogan's ruling party is leading in the majority of the local municipal elections, that according to state media. And even though ballots are still being counted, Mr. Erdogan is already celebrating.
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RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY (through translator): This they need to know. I will remain for four to five years further as the president of Turkey, right? And AKP will be ruling right? So we'll be in the as the public's alliance, right? We will continue the same way just as we came here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:05:21] ALLEN: Turkeys main opposition party leader says his party won the local elections in Istanbul and Ankara. We'll bring you more on the election results as details become available.
The White House is defending President Trump's threats to close the U.S.-Mexico border. The President went on a Twitter offensive this weekend firing off this. The Democrats, he wrote, are allowing a ridiculous asylum system and major loopholes to remain as a mainstay of our immigration system. Mexico is likewise doing nothing, a very bad combination for our country.
The President also closed with what could be a vague threat writing Homeland Security is being so very nice but not for long.
The White House isn't just threatening to seal the border, the State Department says it is cutting off aid to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Mr. Trump has accused them of setting up migrant caravans. The acting White House Chief of Staff backed his boss on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Look, there's a lot of good ways to help solve this problem. Congress could do it but they're not going to. Mexico could help us do it. They need to do a little bit more. Honduras could do more. Nicaragua could do more. El Salvador could do more. And if we're going to give these countries hundreds of millions of dollars, we would like them to do more.
That, Jake, I would respectfully submit you is not an unreasonable position. We could prevent a lot of what's happening on the southern border by preventing people from moving into Mexico in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Customs officials say there's crisis at the border and it's pushed them to the breaking point. They're dealing with the surge of people from Central America and releasing them by the thousands in local communities. CNN's Martin Savidge is in Brownsville, Texas.
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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the Brownsville bus station in downtown Brownsville, Texas. It's also the processing point now for the migrants as they are dropped off by ICE, that's Immigration and Customs Enforcement or of CBP that's Custom and Border Protection. It's essentially where what is a federal problem now is dumped into the lap of the city of Brownsville.
Fortunately, they've had a couple of days now to sort of streamline and really get into a rhythm of things. It's been reported that about 2,000 migrants have come into the Rio Grande Valley. It is still not known how many more thousands could potentially come this way. There is a real concern that if it's too many it might overwhelm the facilities that the city already has set up.
What they do is that city and county officials will meet the migrants. They basically check their documents and then they work on transportation because the idea is to quickly move them along. In most cases, the migrants are able to get on either a plane or a bus and go off to family members elsewhere in the United States and do all of that within a day.
However, in case the travel plans take a little longer to organize, then city shelters have been set up here. The problem is that is costing Brownsville money. They are essentially paying and helping to pay for a federal problem. They will only be able to do that for so long. Martin Savidge, CNN Brownsville, Texas.
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ALLEN: Joining me now is Liz Schrayer, President and CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition which advocates for strong U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy. Ms. Schrayer, thanks so much for being with us.
LIZ SCHRAYER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, U.S. GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COALITION: Thanks for having me, Natalie.
ALLEN: All right, let's talk about this situation. First, why are so many people coming in mass from these countries that make up the northern triangle, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador? What are the systemic problems in these countries?
SCHRAYER: Such an important question, Natalie. Let me start by saying this is a very dangerous policy to cut aid to Central America. You know a to our -- American aid is not a charity. This is in our national security interest especially when we're talking about Central America.
If we cut this very small amount of aid we are doing it at our own peril. And in answer to your question, what we are investing in is we're investing in actually addressing the root causes of people that are really driving people from their homes. When you think about what's happening at -- in these northern triangle areas, it's brutal violence, it is hunger it is instability.
And when I think about what it would mean to cut off this aid, this is going to exacerbate the problem in the unrest. I think about what makes a mother or father actually begin this perilous journey and it's really the alternative is so much worse. So cutting this aid is going to exacerbate the problem not help it.
[01:10:12] ALLEN: can you give us more examples of what -- just choose a country. What people are dealing with and why they don't see a way out other than death, get to the U.S. border.
SCHRAYER: Well, let me give you an example of not only what they're dealing with, but what our programs are actually doing. This is a very small amount of money we're talking about. You know, we get about one percent of all of our federal budget to foreign assistance. We give to the Central America region two percent of the one percent. We've actually cut it about 20 percent in the last two years.
So let me talk about one of the programs about what people are dealing with and how we're addressing it. This region is some of the most difficult murder rates in the world. So we took a program a playbook actually out of some very high-risk neighborhoods in our country, Los Angeles.
We built a program USAID actually administrates it in El Salvador. The program addresses actually these homicide rates. These -- they're -- what we have found is for every ten murders, six children actually go to our borders.
So these programs that we've seen in Los Angeles, we brought them to El Salvador. They're like a youth center where we actually take kids out of the streets. We give vocational programs. In El Salvador where these programs exist, the homicide rates drop 78 percent. So these are programs that are really making a difference in the region.
ALLEN: What about -- is there a country that the U.S. has assisted that you saw did turn things around?
SCHRAYER: You know, one of the best examples of success of our foreign assistance programs is in this region, Colombia, Plan Colombia. In the mid-1990s, Colombia was a narco-terrorist country causing enormous security problems not only for the region but for own country.
Democrats, Republicans over multi administration's got together with defense, our defense programs, our development, and our diplomats. We invested in it. Today, not only is Colombia a great security partner but they're also an economic powerhouse for us. We export $15 billion to Colombia. We've increased our exports over 400 percent just in the last decade.
ALLEN: We appreciate your insights very much. Liz Schrayer joining us, thank you, Liz.
SCHRAYER: Thanks for having me, Natalie.
ALLEN: It is becoming a familiar refrain out of the U.K. The British Parliament is scrambling to save Brexit. On Monday lawmakers are set to vote on alternative options for how the U.K. could leave the E.U. A customs union with the E.U. is thought to be the most likely preference.
After Parliament shot down the prime minister's withdrawal deal for a third time last week, time is running out before the April 12th deadline. This would be April Fool's Day today of course. Everyone including Theresa May supporters is ready for a decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID GAUKE, JUSTICE SECRETARY, UNITED KINGDOM: My view is that the best outcome is the Prime Minister's deal. But if that is not the favored outcome of Parliament, then we would need to consider what Parliament does want to do at the moment. All we've seen is what Parliament doesn't want to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: British media report that Theresa May is expected to hold a fourth vote on her withdrawal bill and if it fails again, their speculation she might call a snap election. One of her party members was asked if they were planning on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CLEVERLY, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UNITED KINGDOM: We're not planning for a general election. The Conservative Party --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you preparing for one?
CLEVERLY: I'll be completely straight with you, we've got a -- we've got a minority government in a turbulent time. So we you know just in terms of sensible pragmatic planning but we are not seeking, preparing in in in that kind of sense that I think you mean for a general election.
What the -- what the government, what the party or MPs are focused on for the most part should be focused on is delivering Brexit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Even with votes scheduled in Parliament and a creeping deadline putting pressure on lawmakers, anything is still possible with Brexit. So what could be next? Well, one option the U.K. could leave the E.U. with no deal on April 12th. For some that is a worst- case scenario.
The U.K. also could ask the E.U. if it can stay in the European Union for a much longer period. If that happens, the U.K. will have to hold elections for the European Parliament in May of this year. Theresa May's offer to resign was conditional on the passage of her Brexit deal. Her political future is now in doubt.
[01:15:08] The Prime Minister could also ask the queen to dissolve Parliament and call a general election. Well, many Britons have already lost faith in the Brexit process because, after nearly three long years, it still seems to be going nowhere. CNN's Hadas Gold spent some time in a leave town in northern England to see how everyone's feeling now.
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[01:15:36] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think anyone knows, I've nothing -- but worst for is the people I supposed to know in parliament don't know either. So, it's all just a political game. Isn't it like no one knows what to do, people are just trying to score points (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They need to get a move on with Brexit, that's been going on since 2016. I think Theresa missed stuck in the route. She needs to just make a decision. Let's just sit and squabbling like children.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out, let's get out. We survived to gloss (INAUDIBLE). And we'll -- yes, we'll go down, but we'll climb out again.
HADAS GOLD, CNN POLITICS, MEDIA AND BUSINESS REPORTER: Mike Hill, the M.P. for the area said his constituents don't want a second referendum.
MIKE HILL, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, UNITED KINGDOM: But when you look at the polls and you hear people say "no", you know, that the people now want people's vote. The polls have never closed that much. They've narrowed naturally at times but not sufficiently to say this town now once remained. It doesn't. It clearly doesn't.
GOLD: Has the opinion of your constituents hardened in the last few weeks when it comes to Brexit?
HILL: And quite early so, and understandably so. And the people are upset. There is upsetting out the pool as they -- as they are right across the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: A desperate sense of frustration is growing in Venezuela. Power outages continue across the country leading to more protests. Ahead, how the government is responding.
Also ahead here, a sliver of hope from efforts to lighten restrictions on the people of Gaza.
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KATE RILEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN Sport Headlines drama in the English Premier League because on Saturday Manchester City took over the top spot with a 2-0 win at Fulham. Liverpool though on Sunday with a chance to reclaim it. And first, they would have to get past Tottenham.
The Reds started off hot Roberto Firmino finishing off across from Andrew Robertson just 16 minutes in, a latent to the second half. Lucas Moura would equalize, but we would have to wait to the 90th minute for a known goal from Spurs and Jurgen Klopp's men get the 2- 1win. They were hoping for their back on top city. Do you have a game in hand, they host Cardiff on Wednesday.
To Bahrain we go for the second event the new Formula One season, is a clean sweep for Ferrari in qualifying, the race had a different outcome though. It looked like a sure win for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. But, after engine failure, the 21-year-old would have to settle for a third-place finish that paved the way for a 1-2 win for Mercedes. Hamilton in first, Valtteri Bottas in second.
And speaking earlier of Cardiff, they were up at 1-0 on Chelsea. Blues fans in the stands, Even booing their manager Maurizio Sarri at one point. But then, six minutes from time, Cesar Azpilicueta says are a spell equator equalizes. And in stoppage time, Rubin Loftus- Cheek would finish off a cross from Willian. Chelsea win this one, 2- 1. And that's a look of "WORLD SPORTS" headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
[01:19:59] ALLEN: And welcome back. Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro is responding to the country's ongoing blackouts by calling for shorter work days and announcing a 30-day plan to ration electricity.
The blackouts have created even more devastation in this already troubled nation.
Venezuelan's frustrated with the algae's have set up street blockades, protesting the government. Some neighborhoods say they have gone days without power or water. Mr. Maduro, says the rationing plan will focus on getting water to people.
The anger is being felt all across the country. In Caracas, a man delivered an emotional message to Mr. Maduro blaming the president for the death of his wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She died because there was no personnel in the hospital because there was no medicine. That is why the woman of my life died. That is why the mother of my daughter died. And all because of the criminal that is in the government. We are being killed through hunger, being killed through our health. I'm not scared. Do what you want Maduro, do with me what you want also. You killed my wife, kill me too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: And certainly see his rage there. Meanwhile, Venezuela's public hospitals say they are enduring war zone conditions as they struggle to treat patients. That man expressing what happened to his wife. They're not being able to get the attention that she needed.
And workers who voiced their frustrations, though risk dismissal even threats to their safety as we learn from our Paula Newton.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Take a close look. This is an emergency pediatric ward in Venezuela. Overcrowded, unbearably hot, rundown, rudimentary treatment everywhere you look. And from nearly every bed and every child, a heroine story. Like this one.
Natalia Roxas has not named her baby girl born in early March during the first countrywide blackout. She's restless, feverish, doctors suspect meningitis, there's no way to find out. She needs several tests, Natalia, tells me in a scan of her little head as she puts it. But it can't be done here. Scans, x-rays the, blood lab, haven't been operational for month.
We have been given exclusive access to two pediatric ward by outraged medical staff, who say they can take no more. There are shortages of every medicine and medical supply, not even a special formula that malnourished, any bear is so desperately in need of.
As we walk through abandoned wards with decrepit equipment, there is no sanitation, no water, little power.
These conditions, you have to understand are normal in Venezuela. We have seen them again and again in hospital after hospital.
And now this, brush fires just outside the hospital. No water they are left to exhaust themselves, smoke and ash coming into the windows. CNN contacted hospital administrators and the Venezuelan Health Ministry about the conditions and did not receive a reply.
"When we have an emergency," she tells me, "we have no way of resolving the situation in most cases. We have to improvise, it's like we're combat doctors." And doctors here tell us they're at war in more ways than one. As pediatrician, says she does not want to be identified for fear of reprisals, she says doctors and other medical staff are threatened with dismissal and sometimes even physically abused if they speak out.
It's been three years since Dr. (INAUDIBLE) risked his career to give you a rare look inside a crumbling Venezuelan hospital. Since he is not only been fired for speaking out but just a few weeks ago, he tweeted that authorities had come to arrest him after he met with a visiting U.N. mission to raise the alarm about the hospital conditions. He is still in hiding.
ALEJANDRO CRESPO FREYTES, SPECIALIST IN PEDIATRICS, MARACAY, VENEZUELA: It's definitely become worst.
NEWTON: Dr. Alejandro Crespo is a friend of Dr. Ronnies, and he says there can be no debate, Venezuela's health system has collapsed.
FREYTES: You can ask the mothers, and they're not going to lie to you. They have their kids dying in a hospital bed because they lack of medicine, and they can do nothing.
NEWTON: Medical staff tell us they feel as if they're sent into battle every day, knowing they will lose. Leaving weary patients to plead for their children's health. As Venezuela's political conflict rages, this remains its frontline. Paula Newton, CNN in Aragua State, Venezuela.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: OK, other news that we are following for you. The Israeli Ministry of Defense says two crossings between Gaza and Israel have now reopened. This after three people were killed in protests along the border fence, Saturday.
As Michael Holmes reports, it also comes as Egyptian mediated efforts continue between Israel and Hamas.
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[01:25:08] MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After the protests, three funerals in Gaza on Sunday. This one for17-year-old Tamir Abu al-Khair shot say Palestinians by Israeli soldiers while taking part in the Great March of Return protests on Saturday.
The death and injury told them lower than at other weekly protests at the border. Hamas and Israel both apparently showing restraint in pursuit of something bigger. Egyptian mediated talks continue between Israel and Hamas to lighten restrictions on Gaza and its 2 million residents. In return for no rockets from or violent protests in Gaza.
GHAZI HAMAD, SENIOR OFFICIAL, HAMAS: From time to time, we'll find calm. After that confrontation, firing missiles, military attacks. This cycle will not be broken I said until we achieve a complete political solution.
HOLMES: It's difficult for outsiders to fully comprehend how tough life is for Gazans living under Israel's economic blockade. 70 percent of people under the age of 30 are unemployed. There are shortages of everything from fuel to even clean water. Electricity comes and goes. And sewage flows untreated into the ocean.
All those things and more are on the table in the negotiations but nothing is locked in and likely won't be before Israel's election, April 9. And there are many in Israel who feel Hamas should be given nothing that will strengthen the organization. It's only a week since a rocket was fired hitting a house near Tel Aviv. Injuring seven including three children.
Hamas denied having an interest in firing that rocket, but Israel's Education Minister Naftali Bennett expressed sentiments shared by many of his fellow citizens.
NAFTALI BENNETT, MINISTER OF EDUCATION, ISRAEL: Hamas has established a full Hamas on terror state in Gaza. Time and again, they're initiating unprovoked attacks on Israeli citizens, villages, homes, and their cities. It's time for them to feel the full thrust of Israel's force. And they will pay the price for what they did.
HOLMES: One positive sign at the Kerem Shalom border crossing closed for a week because of rocket fire from Gaza open on Sunday. Goods permitted by Israel moving in. If concessions come from both sides, and they stick, it will give short-term relief here that not a long- term solution.
As the funerals continue, the reality is that restrictions on Gaza have been eased before. And then, quickly reimpose when someone does something. Any understanding between Israel and Gaza could quickly fall apart again. But, perhaps, for now, some sliver of hope of some relief along suffering Gazans. Michael Holmes, CNN, Gaza City. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: The war against ISIS may be over on the battlefield, but the groundwork for the terror group's re-emergence, appears inevitable. Arwa Damon has an exclusive report coming next.
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[01:30:07] ALLEN: And welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories this hour.
One of the women accused of killing Kim Jong-un's half brother has accepted a plea deal. She could be released next month after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means.
In 2017, Doan Thi Huong and another woman were charged with killing Kim Jong-nam by smearing poison on his face. Her alleged accomplice, an Indonesian national was freed in early March after all charges were dropped against her. Both women claim they were tricked.
Algeria's president has appointed a new caretaker government, that according to state-run media, which also reports the Defense minister has kept his job. This comes amid protests calling on Abdelaziz Boutelflika, who's still suffering the effects of a stroke, to end his 20-year presidency.
The White House is defending President Trump's threats to close the U.S.-Mexico border and cut off aid to Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. This as officials say they are struggling to process Central American migrants.
President Trump blamed Democrats on Twitter. He also gave what could be another threat, saying Homeland Security has been nice, but may not be for long.
A police force says the rapper Nipsey Hussle died Sunday after a shooting near a clothing store he was associated with in Los Angeles. Two other people were injured during that shooting, and they are in stable condition. We have no information about a suspect or motive yet. The rapper though was set to meet Monday with L.A. police to discuss solutions to gang violence.
After years of war, ISIS' once sprawling caliphate across much of Syria and Iraq has been reduced to a tiny sliver. But as CNN's Arwa Damon reports ISIS appears positioned to rebuild and reign terror once again.
She spoke exclusively with ISIS fighters, ISIS families, and some of the terror group's victims about what lies ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is western Iraq's no-man's land. Historic terror hiding grounds, hard to control terrain, far flung areas without a permanent security presence. It is in these lands that once (INAUDIBLE), ISIS gangs attack, kill, and plunder with impunity.
We are heading to the site of a recent horrific ISIS assault. Within minutes, of veering off the main road on to a dirt track, we arrive at what is a little more than a cluster of mud homes.
Death has never come to 72-year-old Yusuf Hawasi's (ph) village this way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My emotions, I'm devastated.
DAMON: There are still bloodstains on the ground.
Yusuf's older brother and five other relatives were murdered in the dead of night just days ago.
She has been cleaning up, or trying to at least.
Fatima (ph) is one of the victims' relatives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The villages around us are attacked every two to three months. WE were all afraid, just waiting for our turn.
DAMON: This is how they found one of the bodies of the women. And what we're being told is that she was taken to here -- the shower area, and this is where they executed her.
Despite having been declared defeated, ISIS has not died. It is lurking in the shadows, waiting for the groundwork that will allow it to rise again.
Iraq security forces have rounded up tens of thousands of accused ISIS members. In Baghdad, we meet this four men who have already been sentenced to death. They admit they were a part of the terrorist network, two were fighters, one a nurse, and one transported suicide bombers.
Like all captured fighters we have spoken to over the years, they too say joining ISIS was a mistake. But this is how one of them justifies it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were abused by the security forces. Where we lived there were a lot of arbitrary detentions. When ISIS came and controlled the area, we had security.
[01:34:58] DAMON: That sentiment of being abused by the Shia-led government, of a desire for revenge, was and will continue to be central to ISIS' ability to seduce people into its ranks.
When we ask if they still believe in its ideology, the question is ominously met with silence. The men unwilling to immediately condemn the twisted thinking that gave them a, as seen in these photographs, such intoxicating power, a purpose, a sense of control over their lives and the lives of others.
In a nearby building is the courthouse where those on this day awaiting trial don't want to appear on camera. But their cases are classic examples of the Sunni population's grievances.
There are six men here who are facing terrorism charges. Half of them say the charges against them are politically motivated going back to 2011. The other half aren't even sure exactly what they are being accused of. But they all say that they were forced into confession under torture.
Human rights organizations have long criticized Iraq for its culture of rampant torture and flawed trials. But Judge (INAUDIBLE) says Iraq upholds international standards and abide by its own anti terrorism laws.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I sentence someone to death or to life in prison, I am giving the victims their justice. But I am also giving a deterrence to society.
DAMON: The issue is that also caught in a dragnet are those who are innocent -- victims of Iraq's historic polarizing dynamics, pitting it s Sunni and Shia populations against each other.
It's a dynamic that is amplified at the sprawling refugee camps for those who fled the fighting but are still unable to go back home. Those who were affiliated with, or just suspected of being affiliated with ISIS are afraid of retribution.
In one tent, we meet the parents of three men who were detained and then disappeared into Iraq's murky judicial system. Their mother Shum (ph) says the she hasn't seen or heard from her sons since they were picked up three years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The security forces came at night. Now our sons are gone. They are innocent.
DAMON: As she talks her anguish becomes overwhelming. She does not know where they are or if they are even alive.
We meet one of her detained son's children, their mother does not want to appear on the camera.
The kids are having problems. they're being harassed by other children who know that their father isn't here and they're telling them, oh, your dad is ISIS. Your Dad is ISIS.
Their mother tells them it is a lie, but it still tarnishes their young lives, condemns them to a life of isolation and rejection.
There is but one story, one example of what many in the Sunni population believe is part of a revenge campaign by the Shia-led government, another emotional paradigm ISIS can prey on.
It's a sentiment that reverberates through these destitute camps with their prism like feel, dreams traced in dust. The sense of despair. Especially vulnerable are the children of those whose fathers, brothers, uncles -- innocent or guilty, were disappeared, killed, or detained.
The director Sola Hassan says the government cannot afford to abandon the younger generations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: they pose a danger for the future. When all the children hear from their mothers, your father was killed by the government, disappeared by the government.
DAMON: The hatred that festers within them instills yet another complex emotion that ISIS can easily manipulate.
There is little that has been done to emotionally or physically rebuild the ruins left behind by Iraq's war on ISIS. And so far, the government has not dispelled the factors that allowed ISIS to emerge. The sense of abandonment, of being perpetually punished, arbitrarily targeted. Unless that changes, the next incarnation of terror seems destined to haunt this country once more.
Arwa Damon, CNN -- Mosul, Iraq.
[01:39:44] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: Two men have been arrested following a series of stabbings in London over the weekend. Four people were stabbed in Edmonton in northern London. Police say the attacks appear to be random.
Such assaults have become an epidemic in London and now the prime minister is stepping in to host a summit about it after being criticized for inaction.
CNN's Nina Dos Santos has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what the U.K. knife crime epidemic looks like, filmed in south London more than a year ago a man tries to smash his way into a car with a Rambo knife after its traveler pulls out unexpectedly.
Another scene this time at a fast food outlet in the north of the capital. A fight breaks out and within seconds three blades are brandished.
Knife attacks claimed 285 victims across Britain last year -- the highest tally since records began in 1946.
Rachel -- thank you very much for going to tell us your story. Please sit down.
Rachel Webb's 15-year-old son Kylen (ph) died a year and a half ago after a trivial dispute with two other boys.
They young boys were in their group and they've made a song, and (INAUDIBLE) snapchat video that he didn't like. And that potentially is the reason that we were given as to why he is no longer walking the earth.
DOS SANTOS: Kylen wasn't a gang member, his mother say. But he was found to be carrying a knife at the time. Five months after losing one child, another of Rachel's sons was also stabbed. He survived but the scars remain.
RACHEL WEBB: Those three individuals that were involved in that incident on October 17. It left my son dead but it left young boys in prison. But the ripple effect destroyed three families.
My youngest who they claimed (INAUDIBLE) they're not frightened of seeing teenagers. Knife crimes rose 30 percent last year across the country to almost 43,000, a trend blamed on cuts to policing and community services.
Are all of the youngster who are carrying knives in gangs.
[01:45:01] DAL BABU, FORMER CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT, U.K. METROPOLITAN POLICE: No I think a very small minority are in gangs. I think what's now happened is that young people carry knives for protection and the bizarre thing is statistically seven out of ten individuals who get stabbed get stabbed by their own knife.
DOS SANTOS: So that -- that's what Kylen at the time when he died?
Rachel says the solution isn't just policing but better prospects for youths. She plans to meet here sons killer in jail this year with a message to turn his life around.
WEBB: You now need to complete what Kylen was building. You've got potential. I don't want to hear "I'm sorry". I want you to now you making something of your life.
DOS SANTOS: A message to --
(CROSSTALKING)
DOS SANTOS: -- to prevent scene like these.
Nina Dos Santos -- CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: We have an encouraging story coming up. It involves teenagers around the world. They are tweeting pictures of trash and they're quite happy about it. What's going on? We'll tell you about this unique viral talent coming next.
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ALLEN: Check this out, a dashboard camera in a driver's car caught an incredible sight Saturday. A meteor -- did you see it -- streaking across the sky over Gainesville, Florida just before midnight. Look at that. How cool.
[01:50:04] The National Weather Service confirmed on Twitter that a meteor was recorded on its lightning mapper around the same time. The meteor likely broke up as it moves through the earth's atmosphere
That's our video of the day. And here is some more as far as video of the day, a new viral Internet trend is making the rounds. But unlike other viral challenges of the past, this trend is having a positive effect on our environment.
It is called the trash tag challenge. And here is how it works. First you take a before picture of an area with lots of trash, like that gentleman did at the top there. Like a beach, park, for highway. And then you take another photo after you've cleaned it all up.
The feel-good challenge is catching on around the world. Here is some examples. In Nigeria, this man in helped cleanup a major waterway and shared it on Twitter.
And the federated states of Micronesia, this team of volunteers cleaned up trash through the international airport. The challenge even reached Chernobyl -- dozens of volunteers who wore protecting gear, if they pick up trash around the site of a nuclear disaster.
ALLEN: How about that for dedication?
Well, let's talk to the man who started it all. Byron Roman joins me now from Phoenix to talk about his trash tag challenge.
Hy there -- Byron, how are you doing?
BYRON ROMAN, TRASH TAG CHALLENGE: Very good -- Natalie. Thank you.
ALLEN: Yes, Thanks for coming on. So tell us, how did you come up with this idea?
ROMAN: Well, actually -- this challenge has been going around for a few years. And I was sitting at the office on Facebook, and I had this photo of before and after of this young man who was sitting in a pile of rubbish, and then there's -- the after photo showed him in the clean area with all the trash in the bags.
So I thought, well, look at this. He's doing a great job and no one is really paying attention to him. Usually means your follow's negative ads and you know, things are going on.
So I just ended -- the challenge was actually in Spanish. And I just said, I challenge us and someone would challenge him to people. So I took the photo then and instead of you know, sharing it -- I took the photo and I added. Here's a new challenge for -- your board team. I figures well, let's get some excitement into this, and see if any young people want to do the same thing that this young man is doing.
And I posted some Facebook on March this was on March 5th. So that' very much how it got started and then the trash tag which was started in 2015 by Stephen Reinhold -- and I think it's a in North Carolina or South Carolina.
Basura challenge was taken up in Latin America and the Uniscan (ph) challenge was a young man from Algeria. At that time I did not know who he was. And then by Friday, it started picking up steam and it had more numbers, more shares, more likes. It just kept doubling by the hour. And by Saturday I had about 3,000 likes and it just kept adding in shares too. So the shares were pretty much double of the likes --
ALLEN: And don't I have this right, that you kind of also were playing off the fact that teenagers get involved in these kind of silly challengers, like I remember the cinnamon challenge, I think my kids did that. And then there was the laundry pod challenge -- what was that, to eat a laundry pod?
So you were thinking, let's try something else and see if it works. So what does that tell you about teenagers around the world?
ROMAN: Well, they're willing to do something positive. You just guide them the right way. Just like when I was a teen, I was bored too and I probably did things I should not mention here, but --
ALLEN: Didn't we all?
ROMAN: -- it's easy to get bored and find the next thing going on.
ALLEN: Well, what you think about the impact of this, do you think this is a fad or do you think this is something that will continue?
ROMAN: So far, I thought it was going to end last week. But so far, it is still going on. I don't think many people are posting as usual the trash tag, but it is still going on. And I'm still getting letters, and messages through Facebook, you know, pictures of before and after. So it's still going on, more on the quiet end.
But it's something that's been going on for a few years, too. This is not the first time anyone's been out there to pick up trash. I mean Boy Scout troops do it. Girl Scout troops do it --
ALLEN: Right.
And people do it on Martin Luther King Day. He was supposed to do a community service.
But you know, you've got some teenagers out there, you know, and got them out there doing something worthwhile. I mean are your friends and family going hey, Byron, what di you just do? Are they surprised about how this has taken off?
ROMASN: Well, they are no more surprise than I am because when my son called me and said hey, your posts is being shared in Reddit and Instagram, and I had no clue what a Reddit was. And so I actually started a subscription so I could see what was going on there, too.
Everyone's surprised and yes -- it's amazing.
[01:55:06] ALLEN: All right. Well, we look forward to seeing what you come up with next. Maybe you're on a roll, Byron. What do you think? ROMAN: Well, the next challenge is actually to reduce our waste, and
be more responsible about it, just because we throw something in the trash doesn't mean we're done with it. So all the trash that's going around, floating in the oceans and rivers -- it's our trash. We need to take ownership of it.
ALLEN: Right. We all have really gotten the idea, at least hopefully that we've got way too much plastic out there. That's for sure. And it's sickening to see what's happening to our oceans.
Well, we think it's a really cool story, what you did just goes to show the power of one.
ROMAN: Yes.
ALLEN: Byron Roman -- thanks so much, Byron. We appreciate it.
We'll be looking for the pictures. I just started following you on Twitter, so I'll be looking for them. Thanks a lot.
ROMAN: Ok. Thank you.
ALLEN: Thanks -- Byron.
And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Natalie Allen in Atlanta, the news continues next, don't go anywhere with my colleague Rosemary Church, you're watching CNN. and we appreciate it.
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