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Afghan Doesn't Have Enough Troops to Take on Taliban; U.S. Pulling Spies Out of China Following OPM Hack; Georgia Executes 1st Female in 70 Years; Obama Says Syria's Assad Must Go; U.N. Raises to Raise Palestinian Flag; Donald Trump Ends FOX News Feud with Interview; Bill Clinton Calls Trump Campaign Fact Free, Comments on Hillary, Presidential Race; Report: U.S. Fails Stopping Foreigners Joining ISIS; Teacher Strike in Kenya. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired September 30, 2015 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:15] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: As the battle rages on in Afghanistan, a police official says they don't have enough troops to take on the Taliban.
ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, the U.S. state of Georgia executes the first female inmate in 70 years, despite a plea from the pope.
CHURCH: And in a matter of hours, the Palestinian flag will soar above the United Nations for the first time ever.
BARNETT: We are here for you for the next two hours. We want to welcome our viewers in the states and those of you from all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: I'm Rosemary Church. Thank you for joining us. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
News just in to CNN. A fierce battle raging in northern Afghanistan. Afghan forces are trying to push the Taliban out of the strategic city of Kunduz and a police spokesman says air strikes overnight killed more than 100 Taliban insurgents, along with the Taliban's most senior commander in the province.
BARNETT: Now, Afghan forces were overwhelmed when the militants attacked from several different directions on Monday. Kunduz is the largest city to fall to the Taliban since 2001. An Afghan security official tells Reuters about 5,000 troops massed at the airport and Taliban fighters were driven back with help from a U.S. air strike. But many see the air strike as evidence as the continued reliance the Afghan government has on the U.S.
CHURCH: Sune Engel Rasmussen joins us now from Kabul.
So, Sune, this has been a major blow for the Afghan government. And a major boost for the Taliban. Now we are hearing that Afghanistan doesn't have enough troops to take on the Taliban. But we've also heard that they've killed a number of Taliban. What are we to make of all of this? What is the situation on the ground?
SUNE ENGEL RASMUSSEN, REPORTER, THE GUARDIAN: Well, part of the reason there is not enough troops in Kunduz to fight the Taliban is a lot of them ran away when the Taliban advanced on Monday. That's one thing they're not mentioning. And the reports coming out about it, those reports are being repeated all over the Afghan news, intelligence services are saying it. The U.S. Military who allegedly conducted the air strike are not commenting on these claims so we don't really blank to make of that. From what I hear, from reporters and locals in Kunduz, that claim seems dubious so it is a little unclear what is going on at the moment.
CHURCH: The Taliban took control of Kunduz with very little resistance. Why was it so easy? And could this have an impact, perhaps, on the timing of U.S. plans to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan?
RASMUSSEN: Apparently, the Taliban didn't, that's what security officials say off the record, is that they didn't necessarily attack Kunduz with a lot of people but they attacked during the holidays. So they didn't necessarily have to overwhelm or overpower the security forces, but infiltrated the city in the hiding of the holidays. And it will have an impact on the discussion, whether or not the U.S. troops were supposed to stay here longer than 2016, President Obama's deadline. There are people here including the Afghan security forces and the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan who think that the U.S. should stay longer and also provide more support for the gags on the ground. He sow whether or not that will happen is of course, up to politicians in Washington but this will reignite that debate.
CHURCH: So I know it is difficult to gauge this. But how long might it take for Afghan forces to regain control of Kunduz?
RASMUSSEN: Yeah. That is difficult to gauge. A lot of people had ant participated this to be a swift fight but it is not going to be. Part of the reason is that Kunduz is an urban area. We've seen Taliban in the rural areas willing to sacrifice a lot of men. They are not strategically important. Kunduz is immensely important to the Taliban if they can hold it so they're probably willing to dig in and stay for a long time. And urban areas make it difficult for the Afghan Army and the U.S. to use heavy artillery or conduct air strikes because of the fear of injuring or killing civilians. So I think with the recent developments, they have consolidated control and pushing toward the airport, I think this fight has a long way to go yet.
[02:05:18] CHURCH: Indeed. We'll be watching the progress of this effort to retake control of Kunduz.
Talking there with "The Guardian" reporter, Sune Engel Rasmussen. Many thanks to you.
BARNETT: A U.S. official says the country is pulling its spies out of China following the recent cyber attack on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The U.S. believes Chinese hackers were behind the breach.
CHURCH: The personal data of more than 21 million U.S. government workers was stolen. Now U.S. intelligence officials are worried hackers could use that information to identify agents assigned to China.
BARNETT: This comes days after U.S. President Barack Obama met with Xi Jinping in the U.S.
For more, let's bring in our Saima Mohsin, joining us live from Beijing.
Saima, Obama and Xi discussed cyber security in person not too long ago. No deal was struck. What type of understand dg they even reach ahead of this major development, which seems to be as relevant as ever?
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This just shows how deep that hacking goes at the OPM and how wide ranging and what a massive impact it could have. That deal that you talk about between President Xi and President Obama last Friday was struck, made some head way but not really. This wouldn't have affected this kind of hacking. That's considered cyber security. What they agreed was cyber espionage or the theft of trade secrets, intellectual property. That's when hackers go into companies and steal business plans and take them for commercial gain. What the U.S. had been saying for a long time because of pressure within the company of the U.S., the Chinese backed hackers are doing this and it needs to stop. That's what President Obama was pushing for. He wanted to draw that line between cyber espionage for national security. Targeting one another's intelligence agencies. So that would not have impacted this.
BARNETT: This just underscores that cyber attacks are a new reality. China and the U.S. have both been victims of things like this. How much of a setback will this particular attack be for the U.S. And when you think about the information that was gained, how many of a win is it for China? Even though China says it is not behind it?
MOHSIN: Potentially, this is a huge win. The finger prints are 5.6 million government workers. And CNN has discovered U.S. officials say they're now having to pull out people who work for the NSA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA. The CIA, by the way, direct data has not been impacted. Potential workers who are right here in China right now that will have to be pulled out. Because maybe, there is no confirmation but maybe their information has been exposed. Now, that is a huge concern, of course. And how far this goes as far as the China/U.S. deal is concerned. It is a big concern. Does China have the will to stick to it? And an Internet conference yesterday on cyber security, one person, a director of the China Institute for Innovation and development, a form of the PLA, People's Liberation Army, general said, "We trusted America until one day Snowden told us the United States continuous massive monitoring on the international society is unexceptional, whereas asking other countries to strictly control themselves and remain within the bounds. This is unsymmetrical thinking."
So how long will China stick to a deal like this? Who knows -- Errol, Rosemary?
BARNETT: Saima Mohsin, live for us in Beijing. Saima, thank you. Authorities in the U.S. state of Georgia of executed Kelly
Gissendaner, who had been sentenced to death for convincing her lover to murder her husband in 1997.
CHURCH: She has spent her time in prison studying theology and counseling fellow inmates. She also had pushed hard to get her sentence commuted.
Martin Savidge has more on Gissendaner's desperate last weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The effort to spare Kelly Gissendaner's life went well beyond the time when she should have been dead. Prison officials put the 47-year-old convicted murder's execution was put on hold to let the process run its course.
[02:10:06] UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: She was very strong and very assured in whatever the process was going to be. And she hand herself with the poise that was beyond belief.
SAVIDGE: But the last court turned her down, time and home ran out. She and her attorneys weren't the only ones fighting on her behalf. Her grown children begged to have her life sentence commuted.
KAYLA GISSENDANER, DAUGHTER OF GISSENDANER: She is so supportive to me. I can talk to her about anything. Any troubles that I want to celebrate, I know she is my biggest cheerleader. My brothers and I want her to live. She is all that we have left.
SAVIDGE: Even the Vatican weighed in with a letter from an emissary of the pope. Quote, "Please be assured of my prayers as you consider this request from Pope Francis for what I believe would be a just act of clemency," it read.
But others felt her sentence of the 1997 murder of her husband was just. Doug Gissendaner's parents said in a statement, quote, "As the murderer, she's been given more rights and opportunity over the last 18 years than she ever afforded Drug who is, again, the victim here. She had no mercy, gave him no rights, no choices, nor the opportunity to live his life."
Kelly Gissendaner planned the murder but did not do it. The beating and stabbing death was committed by her boyfriend, Gregory Owen. Owen got a lesser sentence of life with the possibility of parole.
The disparity between his sentence and hers, what appointed attorneys and death sentence opponents focused on, as evidence of a flawed judicial system.
There was also the life after her conviction in which she turned to her faith, studied theology and counseled fellow prisoners.
In a strange twist, two previous execution dates were postponed, once by a winter storm, and another when authorities said the chemicals that made up her lethal injection looked cloudy. With her execution, Gissendaner earns two very different distinctions,
the first woman executed in Georgia in 70 years, and the last woman on Georgia's death row.
Martin Savidge, CNN Center, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Let's get you new information from the United Nations. President Barack Obama and Cuba's leader are laying the ground work for better relations. They met for the first time ever on U.S. soil Tuesday
CHURCH: Meanwhile, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country will provide $1.6 billion to help Syrian and Iraqi refugees and help build peace in the Middle East, but he said Japan will not take in any Syrian refugees.
BARNETT: And Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, is slamming Russia's plan to fight extremism in the Middle East. Poroshenko says Moscow is supporting insurgents in eastern Ukraine.
CHURCH: U.S. President Barack Obama says the only way to defeat ISIS in Syria is for President Bashar al Assad to step down.
BARNETT: Mr. Obama led an anti-extremism summit of more than 100 countries at the U.N. He says the U.S. approach for fighting the terror group will take time but all countries must do more to keep ISIS from recruiting new fighters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Poverty does not cause terrorism, but as we've seen across the Middle East and North Africa, when people, especially young people are impoverished and hopeless and feel humiliated by injustice and corruption, that can fuel resentments that terrorists exploit, which is while sustainable development, creating opportunity and dignity, particularly for youth, is part of countering violent extremism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will address the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday. That's just before they raise the Palestinian flag outside the headquarters. It will join more than 190,000 others. Traditionally, only member states' flags are on displayed.
CHURCH: The Palestinian Authority has nonmember status at this time.
CNN's Oren Liebermann has been talking to Israelis and Palestinians about their reaction to the flag raising. He joins us now live from Jerusalem.
Oren, how significant is this for the Palestinian people and how are the Israelis responding to the raising of the Palestinian flag? OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a very prideful moment for
Palestinians to see their flag raised at the United Nations. But more, it is about the statehood, the question of what happens about it being on the agenda of the United Nations, where it has been the last couple days. President Obama didn't mention it, which disappointed some Palestinian leaders. So it is a way of getting it back in the spotlight, the question of Palestinian statehood. Of course, this has angered the Israelis. The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations said, instead of raising the Palestinian flag, the U.N. should raise a white flag of surrender to its principles. So that gets to the controversy and emotion surrounding of the Palestinian flag.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[02:15:23] LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Nothing is simple in and around Jerusalem. And symbols can carry tremendous significance. Perhaps no symbol stirs up more emotions and controversy than the Palestinian flag. You'll see the flag in Bethlehem and the West Bank and now at the United Nations.
The Palestinian flag will be raised at the United Nations. What does that mean to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It means for us as Palestinians, that maybe this is the beginning to get the freedom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the first step forward. I hope it will be followed by other steps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will be happy when we see our flag. But we don't want to see only flag.
LIEBERMANN: What does it change here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing much in theory or ideology. It means that people are beginning to recognize us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I waited a long time ago for this moment.
LIEBERMANN: No surprise that we got very different answers when we asked Israelis the same question.
The Palestinian flag will be raised at the U.N. for the first time. What do you think about that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't agree with it.
LIEBERMANN: What do you think about that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very happy for that. I hope it means it's only the beginning for something more than official action.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've had many opportunities to bring peace to their land, to flourish. Our leaders have offered them amazing deals. I feel that at this point in time, to give them any credence in the world is just totally insulting to humanity. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LIEBERMANN: As the Palestinian flag is raised at the U.N. here, the focus is on the tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem that have been growing in the last few weeks. So, Rosemary, we will see how all that plays out with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' speech today and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech tomorrow.
CHURCH: Yes, indeed, we'll be watching that very closely.
Oren Liebermann joining us live from Jerusalem. Thanks for that.
BARNETT: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is criticizing Donald Trump's campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The thing about branding is you don't have to be -- you can be fact-free.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And we'll have more of Clinton's comments on Trump as he answers questions about his wife's race to the White House.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[02:20:08] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning to you. Pedram Javaheri, this is "CNN Weather Watch."
(WEATHER REPORT)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Donald Trump has ended his FOX News boycott by doing an interview with host, Bill O'Reilly. Their discussion focused on Trump's newly unveiled tax plan.
BARNETT: O'Reilly also pressed Trump on a recent comment he made about rival, Marco Rubio. He called him a crown. But Trump says Rubio hit him first. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I don't really know him. All of a sudden, he attacks me about nothing. But really attacked me quite viciously and I fought back. Again, I'm a counterpuncher. He hit me all of a sudden --
(CROSSTALK) BILL O'REILLY, FOX NEWS HOST: Calling him a clown, that's not
presidential.
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: OK, final question.
TRUMP: Excuse me, Bill. He was a member of the Gang of Eight, which was a disaster. He was totally weak on immigration.
O'REILLY: That's fine.
TRUMP: And by the way, he hasn't changed.
O'REILLY: But it is the clown stuff that is not fine.
Last question.
TRUMP: Well, OK. I can understand that.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: But he hit me very viciously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: That's as close as you get to an admission of any fault. OK, just maybe.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton took a jab at Donald Trump Tuesday, calling his campaign "fact-free." During an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Clinton defended his wife Hillary, the Democratic presidential front-runner.
CHURCH: He highlighted some of her accomplishments and touched on the e-mail controversy. It was a response to Trump's remarks that Hillary Clinton's four-year tenure was a failure. Clinton also commented on current political issues. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST, OUTFRONT: You say Donald Trump could be the nominee. I have to play this. This is something he said about your wife and I want to play it for you and get your reaction. Here's Donald Trump in my interview yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I always respected him. I liked him over the years. When we look at what's going on in the world, when we look at the job Hillary did as secretary of state, she goes down as perhaps the worst secretary of state in history. And when I run against her evenly in the polls, I'm doing very well against Hillary and beating her. And if you look throughout the world at her reign, and the reign of Obama, the whole world is blowing up. We've lost our friendships. We've lost everything. (LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: The thing about branding is you don't have to be -- you can be fact-free.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: So even the Republicans admit that the sanctions on Iran were well done. And that it was a major achievement to get Russia and China to agree to sign off on these sanctions and to enforce them. She did that. That's what made the talks possible. So even people that don't like the Iran deal, like the sanctions.
I trust the American people. They are innately fair. But they have to have more disclosure. She wants her e-mails released. The State Department and the intelligence agencies are arguing about whether any of them should be retroactively classified. That will play out however it does.
But she is the only secretary of state in history who said, just release them all, all my work-related e-mails. And, so far, as I said, you get the record out, I think she looks great. I think she did a great job. And I think she's been doing a good job answering these questions now.
[02:25:21] BURNETT: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, at the U.N., they met. They're deciding what happens with ISIS and Syria. They gave dueling speeches. The hand shake was icy. How worried are you in.
CLINTON: Well, only a little bit. What I'm worried about is that Putin potentially changed the direction of Russian foreign policy in general and decided to go all in on defining Russian greatness in the 21 century in terms of their ability to control their neighbors and to have an influence in the Middle East, at least, that depends upon, at least to this point, they're increasing their influence at the expense of the United States and Europe. And that ignores what I think should be the priority, which is using their influence vis-a-vis Europe to build the relationship. If they thought of Ukraine as a bridge between Europe and Russia, everybody would win. If they thought of how we could all help to stabilize the Middle East, everybody would win. That's the real problem. But I think it is possible to maybe reach an agreement with him. See, he wants President Assad to stay in power. That keeps Russia's position in the Middle East stronger.
BURNETT: Why is that a bad idea though?
CLINTON: A lot of people believe, if you look at his father's success. There was a lot in the beginning. Then he developed a king of exclusive authoritarianism. And there were more women in government in Syria than most countries in the region. There was a place for the minority religions and sects here. It seems clear to me that the Syrian people would like a more representative government.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: At the United Nations General Assembly in New York Tuesday, the Danish foreign minister mistakenly addressed Vice President Joe Biden using the wrong title.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIAN JENSEN, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Mr. President -- vice president, sorry. Well, could have been. Can be. Who knows?
(LAUGHTER)
If you have something new to tell us here, please let us know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
CHURCH: A slip of the tongue.
BARNETT: A slip of the tongue there. We should note, Biden is still considering his run for the 2016 presidential race. He may appear in the next CNN debate. We've allowed him to even decide on the day, but he is as of yet undecided.
CHURCH: A short break here. Still to come, a strike by teachers for better pay is leaving millions of Kenyan children sitting at home or spending the day at movie theaters. Back with that in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:32:28] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. Thanks for staying with us.
An update on our top stories begins with new developments in Afghanistan's fight to retake the city of Kanduz from the Taliban. A police spokesman says air strikes overnight have killed more than 100 militants, including the most senior commander in the province. Afghan forces were overwhelmed Monday when Taliban fighters launched a fight from different directions.
CHURCH: It's a big day ahead for the Palestinian Authority at the United Nations. First, the group's president will address the General Assembly. Later the U.N. will raise the Palestinian flag at its New York headquarters. Traditionally, only member state flags are on display.
BARNETT: ISIS has claimed responsibility for gunning down an Italian citizen on the streets of Bangladesh and threatens more attacks. Officials say the 54-year-old victim was jogging home when the shooting occurred. Italian embassy officials say it is too early to say whether or not ISIS was, in fact, behind the killing. CHURCH: A congressional task force says the U.S. has failed to stop
the flow of foreign fighters from joining ISIS. It estimates more than 25,000 have gone to Syria and Iraq since 2011. More than 7,000 in just the past nine months.
BARNETT: While most come from the Middle East and North Africa, thousands of Westerners, including 250 Americans, are now fighting in this conflict. The United Nations is cracking down on a group of people it says are helping ISIS.
Sharice Phan (ph) reports from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHARICE PHAN (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four British citizens accused of links to ISIS now sanctioned by the U.N.
Sally Ann Jones, authorities say she is a convert who traveled to Syria with her husband, Omar Hussein (ph), who has appeared in propaganda videos and is described as a recruiter.
Octa Mahmoud (ph) just 19 when she left the U.K. to join ISIS in Syria.
And Nassa Rutana (ph) a former medical student who appeared in this ISIS recruitment video.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Worldwide across all U.N. countries these British citizens can't travel or have anything made available to them. There is an extremely far-reaching power that they've used.
PHAN (ph): The British government is targeting these four because of their aggressive online recruiting efforts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The public reason to say they have been stirring up support for ISIS and glorifying it online. It is on YouTube and Twitter and on social media as well as the glorification of ISIS and of terrorism.
[02:35:17] PHAN (ph) (on camera): The British government made the request amid growing concerns about the number of Britains seeking to join ISIS. Officials say it will send a message and discourage people from joining the group.
(voice-over): But it is unclear how effective sanctioning these individuals will be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are not seeking to operate in the national spheres, not seeking to fly anywhere or to use their bank accounts, so it is purely symbolic.
PHAN (ph): Meanwhile, Britain is playing a key role in the propaganda fight against ISIS. Prime Minister David Cameron at the U.N. General Assembly proposing a $15 million London-based unit to counter the recruiting message from the militants.
Sharice Phan (ph), CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: We turn to Kenya, where a dispute over teacher salaries is keeping million of Kenya school children away from class.
BARNETT: Teachers are out on strike. The government says it's just unable to pay them their court-ordered increase. But the strike is keeping more than 12 million Kenyan children a home all day or spending all day in cinemas.
CNN correspondent, Robyn Kriel, joins us live from Nairobi with more.
Robyn, a court of appeals, ordering the government to increase teacher's pay by at least 50 percent. That is significant. But the president says that won't happen. That must have fueled the anger already evident on the street there.
ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Definitely, anger, Errol. From teachers we saw strikes and rallies from opposition parties last week. Anger from parents as well, many who both hold jobs and have to leave their children unattended at home.
But we caught up with some of those children and found they are forced to find other ways to fill their days. Here's what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRIEL (voice-over): One of the summer's hottest blockbusters. While the movie is like the original, kids passed the day here with discounts for double features. Outside there are popsicles for those who cents to spare, and a spin on a bike for those with 20. In this Nairobi slum, very little come free.
(on camera): What does this mean?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It means no free.
KRIEL (voice-over): Across Kenya, 12 million children, about a quarter of the country's population, are exactly where they shouldn't be. They've been left at home for a month because of a teacher's strike.
The government says it can't pay the 50 percent wage increase demands upheld in court, which are now on appeal.
(SHOUTING)
KRIEL: But many Kenyans are crying foul, pointing to government corruption as the problem.
What U.S. President Obama on his visit in July called Kenya's biggest impediment to growth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you cannot pay your teachers, we have completely failed. (APPLAUSE)
KRIEL (on camera): Since the strike started, how much do you come here?
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Every day. We are just entering. It is not fear.
KRIEL (voice-over): For now, some have taken the time to make an extra buck or care for a sibling.
It can't compare with school but it is the best they can do to keep the little ones out of trouble while waiting for the grown-ups to start doing the same.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KRIEL: The labor court on Friday ordered teachers to return to the classrooms. The union says they will stay on strike until another agreement is reached.
This term, Errol, is a crucial term for many students, the third and final term. Many are writing exams. And while government says say those exams will go ahead, you can only imagine how disruptive this must be to students -- Errol?
BARNETT: That's the biggest loss. You don't want them to learn their education and it is crucial. We hope the adults get their act together.
Robyn Kriel, live for us in Nairobi. Robyn, good to see you.
CHURCH: Electric carmaker Tesla delivers it's highly anticipated SUV. Get a close-up look next here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:43:09] BARNETT: Welcome back. Lots of heavy rainfall in China to tell you about after Typhoon Dujuan made landfall on Tuesday.
CHURCH: Chinese state media reports more than 300,000 people in eight Chinese cities have been evacuated. Airports are canceling flights and train travel is affected as well. The deadly typhoon killed at least two people when it hit Taiwan.
In the U.S., all eyes are on the tropics as a potential hurricane moves toward the northeast of the country.
We turn to our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri with an update on the situation there.
What's going to happen here?
JAVAHERI: A lot of uncertainty with this. We know it could be incredibly highly effective. The biggest weather story in 2015 if it pans out. And I want to show you what has transpired. Taking you out across 30 Christmases of rain. You take a look. Work toward the Arlington, Virginia. We've had images coming in. Beginning to put some water into people's properties. We have James Madison University. You can see the students there having a little fun. The rainfall has been tremendous. The concern is we're watching a tropical disturbance. We're on the final day of September. And for the first time, we have not had a hurricane this late into the system. This is poised to become the first hurricane as we work toward October. 70-mile-per-hour winds. I want to show what you the models are doing and taking it toward an area very hard hit. The bottom portion of the screen. That shows a track with a landfall of a potential category 1 hurricane. We have the European model. A lot of widespread discrepancy between the models as far as what will play out. We've seen flooding rain. Take you to the northeast. 50 million people could be at on the order of four to six inches of rainfall. Look at northern New England. Six-plus inches when you get to the purple colors. You're talking about ten inches. This is before we get toward the potential hurricane in the forecast. The models, better agreement on what will happen. They're taking it to the coastline. Somewhere between Del Marva region and the corner of the U.S. by Sunday, more than normal. So again, a lot of time left before we see what happens. We have heavy rainfall already coming down as we saw the flooding images. Adding this to the mix, a danger scenario across the northeast -- Guys?
[02:46:11] BARNETT: I know you'll watch it carefully.
Pedram, thank you.
JAVAHERI: Thanks.
CHURCH: Thank you.
BARNETT: If you drive a Volkswagen, surely you want to know about the controversy that's erupted. The company says it has an action plan to combat the scandal. The world's biggest automaker says it is preparing to refit up to 11 million cars that currently have the software. The company is accused of installing the software to rig emissions tests.
CHURCH: Volkswagen says it will give regulators its plan by late October and insist the fix is not a recall.
For Tesla car enthusiasts, the wait is over. The Model X just rolled off the production line in California. The CEO Elon Musk helped show off the crossover on Tuesday.
BARNETT: So what do you all think? Tesla unveiled a prototype in 2012. It was supposed to hit the market in 2014 but production was delayed until now.
Earlier, we asked an auto expert to weigh in on the design of this new electric vehicle. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON ROBINSON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CAR & DRIVER: The car is extremely complicated. Even if a main stream car company were building this car, it is quite an engineering headache. They should call it Elon's headache rather than the Model X.
(LAUGHTER)
One of the headaches beside these falcon wing doors is the seats. The middle seats actually sit on these pedestals that slide back and forth. To the average person, they might not look that complicated. From an engineering standpoint they're extremely complicated. They have to stand up to a lot of loads. You have to think about putting a 250-pound guy in that seat and then crashing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Now, a legendary fashion designer is stepping aside at his own label. Ralph Lauren will no longer be the CEO of his fashion empire. It's likely an attempt to rejuvenate the brand and its dismal performance. The stock has plummeted more than 40 percent this year alone.
CHURCH: Lauren will remain the executive chairman. Stefan Larson will replace him. Larson is the president of Old Navy, the value- priced chain owned by Gap. The world's second-largest retailer, H&M, is making headlines, not for
a new fashion line, but for one, its models.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Look chic, look shape, be a princess, be boring, take a stand, be uniform, be liberated, be old, be new. There are no rules in fashion, but one, recycle your clothes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Now despite that message, all the attention has been on one of the models seen at the top of the ad and her hair covering.
CHURCH: It's the first time the retailer has used a Muslim model. This was her debut as a model.
BARNETT: Still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, a high-wire movie in 3D. Audiences expect a thrill. But some are having a less pleasant reaction. I'm sure you can guess. Stay with us. We'll explain all.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[02:50:59] DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, I'm Don Riddell with your CNN "World Sport" headlines.
There's been a compelling night of Champions League football, with 27 goals scored in eight matches. Reigning champions Barcelona were given a scare by Barca, with the Germans leading until the final 10 minutes, but then Barca burst into life, scoring twice in as many minutes to snatch the points and show there is life without Lionel Messi, who is out with injury. And former Barcelona managers once again witnessed a striking master class from Robert Leavendoski, whose hat trick in a in a 5-0 win made it 10 goals in just a week for him.
Elsewhere, it was another miserable night for the English. Jose Mourinho made his name but his return with Chelsea was a nightmare. Andre's goal was canceled out, but they restored the lead and they held on for a 2-1 win. And twice, Arsenal came from behind, but the Greeks still won 3-2.
Michel Platini may not be the subject of a criminal investigation, but he's accepted the fallout from the FIFA scandal could damage his bid to become the next president. Platini spoke with the Associated French Press and he denied any impropriety for waiting over nine years to take payment from FIFA for work he did in 2002. He's still determined to run for the presidency.
Those are your headlines. I'm Don Riddell.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A dispute over a red car during a football match got out of hand when a referee pulled out a gun. This happened in Brazil over the weekend. The ref claims he was threatened and assaulted by the visiting team.
BARNETT: We should note that referee also works as a police officer. The head of the commission says the man won't be disciplined and that he used his gun correctly by not using it at all.
But why take it out?
A movie with dizzying special effects is promising to put viewers in the shoes of a famous high-wire walker.
CHURCH: As CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, the movie is doing more than just entertaining. There have been reports of a few moviegoers getting physically sick with vertigo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is not really walking a high wire between the Twin Towers. It is all special effects. But it is having an especially nauseating effect on some.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: To me, this is life.
MOOS: For others, a trip to the restroom.
Tweeted one entertainment writer after a screening of the walk, "Reports of guys vomiting in the men's room post the walk. True. Witnessed it. Came close. Bad visual trigger for vertigo suffers."
At a press conference given by casting director, one reporter confessed. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: I am terrified of heights. And I kept wanting
to leave.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: The movie tells the story of Philippe, a man on wire, who sneaked atop the World Trade Center in 1974 and walked back and forwards between the towers eight times. Even laid down.
There are photos, but no moving pictures. And that inspired the director to re-create the walk. His goal?
[02:55:19] UNIDENTIFIED DIRECTOR: Was to evoke the feeling of vertigo.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: Even critics who panned some of the film marveled at the actual walk. "Try watching this segment without moaning or groaning or gripping your knees. Give it a shot. The words holy and (EXPLETIVE DELETED) will stay in your mine."
(on camera): We hate to spoil a great case of vertigo but the star of the movie was only ever 12 feet off the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They built a beautiful set of the top two stories and then surrounded it green.
MOOS: The famous green screen that allows digital effects to be inserted.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Then I have to dare to look down.
MOOS: Just don't dare to look down into a toilet bowl. The walk to the restroom is one you don't want to take.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Was that all guys vomiting?
(CROSSTALK)
CHURCH: I didn't hear any stories about the women doing that.
BARNETT: Weak stomachs, I guess.
CHURCH: Looks that way.
(LAUGHTER)
Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. We're back for another full hour. Stay with CNN.
