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Turkish Families Mourn Bombing Victims; Human Rights Group Says Assad's Military Have Occupied New Areas of Syria; Russia Performs More Airstrikes in Syria; Violence Continues in Gaza and Israel
Aired October 12, 2015 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[03:00:12] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOM HOST: Growing anger and profound grief in Turkey as thousands remember the victims of the country's worst-ever terror attack. Defending Assad. Russia's president makes his military intentions in Syria crystal clear. From refugee to rapper. How one Afghanistan girl used the power of music to escape a forced marriage.
Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.
And we begin in Turkey where dozens of families are gripped by grief after their loved ones were killed in bombings that rocked the capital over the weekend. Two blasts tore through a peace rally Saturday, killing at least 97 people and wounding almost 250 others. Anger is rising as people demand answers. Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon has more.
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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why didn't you protect him? You should have protected my baby, the woman softly wails, finding little comfort. She too distraught to speak. The pain of a mother who will never see her son again. He was just 23 years old. He came for peace, his cousin says. Twin bombings on Saturday ripped through a peace rally, organized by labor unions and others, wanting to see an end to the renewed fighting between the government and the Kurdistan workers party, the separatist PKK. Instead, Turkey is now trying to come to terms with the single deadliest attack in its modern history.
But, already the tragedy is playing out in the country's political arena. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government says it was an attack on the state. The pro-Kurdish opposition party, the HDP, says the state is responsible and angry crowds demanded accountability. The pre-existing tensions evident, as opposition members of parliament try to reach the scene of the attack to lay red carnations, and were stopped by riot police.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's exactly what no one wanted to see happen here. All they wanted to do was lay flowers down at the scene where the attack took place. Now, they're being fired on and we're also being pushed back at this stage as well. DAMON: This is all unfolding just weeks before the country's November
1st parliamentary elections. A rerun of those held this summer, whose outcome failed to result in seating a government. The country now further polarized at a time when many say real unity is the only thing that will save it. (Inaudible) witnessed the carnage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I realized one more time how important peace is. How important it is in the world to be together. Not be against each other. Just hold hands and just work for democracy.
DAMON: Many here still in shock, unable to speak of the depths of their pain. For one, best expressed in a sorrowful song that drifts over the others waiting for the bodies of their loved ones. Amid fears that it may not be the last time the country sees suffEring like this. Arwa Damon, CNN, Ankara.
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CHURCH: And the Turkish military says 49 members of the Kurdistan workers party were killed in air strikes on PKK camps in northern Iraq over the weekend. CNN's Phil Black is covering all of this for us from Ankara. He joins us now. So Phil, we do want to get to those air strikes, of course, in just a moment. But, I want to start with the investigation and who is the Turkish government blaming for this attack, given there has been no claim of responsibility so far?
[03:04:45] PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They haven't named a specific group, or suspect, just yet, Rosemary. Although, they do say that there are a number of groups that have the capability to have struck here. One, the obvious perhaps, ISIS. That group just across the border in Syria that Turkey, officially, really entered the conflict with only relatively recently joining the international coalition against ISIS and said it long feared the possibility of an ISIS reprisal here on Turkish soil itself.
The other organization that it has named is the PKK, those Kurdish separatists which I think you may have mentioned just there, the air strikes are still continuing against. Although, you have to think that's pretty unlikely, Kurdish separatists attacking Kurds.
I just want to mention, just at this exact moment, we're about four minutes past the hour of 10:00. Almost the exact moment the first of the bombs detonated here behind me on Saturday. And there are people across Ankara, some of them are just gathering here now at the station, wearing black, wearing images of black ribbons, who have come here to remember this moment. Where you're seeing a crowd gather here to mark this exact time, we're being told there are marches and rallies planned to set off from various parts of Ankara, the Turkish capital, at this exact moment. All on the same day that funerals are still taking place to bury the dead. Other bodies are still being transported back to their hometowns in other parts of Turkey because, of course, the crowd that came here for this peace rally weren't just from Ankara. And indeed, some trade unions have declared strike action for the next couple of days as a mark of respect to what happened here. An expression of mourning. All of this as we stand here outside Ankara's main train station,
where in the near distance, there is a significant police presence. Not to protect crowds, but to control them. These are riot police, trucks with water cannon, that sort of preparation. All of it a sign of the tension that still very much exists here. Because of the very strong belief held by those who are caught up in this attack on Saturday that the government shares responsibility for what happened because it wasn't able to prevent it or stop it. In their view, did not deploy the necessary security protection, policing measures that would have stopped these two suicide bombers attacking such a large crowd, around 14,000 people at an organized political rally. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yeah. And of course, all of this taking place three weeks before a national election. But, we did mention those air strikes. I want to go back to that because it is a little confusing that while all of this is playing out in Turkey, we're learning of these air strikes killing 49 members of the PKK. What are we supposed to make of that?
BLACK: So, it's one of the reasons why the political tension, the atmosphere, is so polarized here at the moment. Around the end of July, effectively, what had been a cease-fire between the Turkish government and the PKK, those Kurdish separatists, considered to be terrorists by many western countries who are largely based across the border in northern Iraq. Well, that cease-fire broke down, hostilities resumed, the Turkish government resumed air strikes, Kurdish separatists began attacking Turkish military positions.
There have been a large number of deaths in that time. Some thousands of Turkish separatists supposedly killed in air strikes. About 150 to 200 or so Turkish security officers have been killed. Now, just after the bombing took place here on Saturday, those separatists declared a cease-fire. At least, up until an election. The coming general election is held at the start of November. They said they would not launch any further military action so as to not influence that event, if you like. That has been rejected by the Turkish government, who have continued these air strikes with the results which you have just been discussing there.
But because Turkey is effectively at war with Kurds again, it is why some of the Kurdish political groups believe that they are suffering, if you like, as a part of a wave of Turkish nationalism. They believe they are being cast as sympathizers or collaborators even though they reject the violence those militants are engaged in. They believe that's possibly one reason why they were targeted at this bombing that took place here on the weekend. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Alright. Our Phil Black covering the many angles to this story from Ankara in Turkey. Many thanks to you.
Well, Russian president Vladimir Putin says his country's main goal in Syria is to support the Assad government. Period. Now, his comments came during an interview aired on Russian state TV. Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday its air force carried out 64 missions in just 24 hours targeting more than 60 ISIS positions. Putin was also asked if Russian intervention could cause problems back home. Take a listen.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: Of course such dangers exist. But it had existed. I want to stress it. Even without our active action in Syria. And in case we wouldn't let them, pardon my bad manners, to squirrel away to Syria, all these thousands of people who are running there now with a coalition called Rifles, they would end up at our territory. And now, we are at least helping President Assad to fight them over there.
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[03:10:11] CHURCH: And Mr. Putin met with Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Sunday, in what's been Moscow's biggest attempt, so far, to reach out to enemies of Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia, one of Syrian leaders' fiercest opponents, has previously expressed concerns over Russia's presence in the region. The meeting ended with both parties agreeing to advance their cooperation.
And U.S. President Barack Obama is speaking out on Russia's role in Syria. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Obama pushed back on claims that Mr. Putin's military action is challenging American leadership in the region. Take a listen.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If you think that running your economy into the ground and having to send troops in, in order to prop up your only ally is leadership, then we've got a different definition of leadership. The fact that they had to do this is not an indication of strength. It's an indication that their strategy did not work.
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CHURCH: And there are signs the Syrian government army is advancing in western Syria. A London-based Syrian observatory for human rights says Bashar al-Assad's military and its Lebanese Hezbollah militia allies have taken control of several areas, including parts of Hama and Idlib province. The Russian air force says it has hit Idlib with heavy air strikes in recent weeks which may have cleared the way for government forces. Syrian rebels currently hold several positions near the government advances.
The Iraqi military says an air strike hit a convoy carrying shadowy ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Iraq says his convoy was struck while traveling through western Anbar province to a meeting with other senior ISIS members. Ian Lee has been following this story for us from Cairo. So, Ian, what do we know about this attack Baghdadi?
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a little information coming out right now about exactly what happened. The Pentagon is not commenting on this right now. But, what we're hearing from the Iraqi military is that al-Baghdadi was pulled out of the convoy. His fate right now is unknown. And CNN cannot independently verify these accounts by the Iraqi military. But what they are saying is that he was on his way to a meeting with other senior members, leaders of ISIS. That meeting was also hit. And the Iraqi military saying that several of those leaders were killed and wounded in that attack. This took place in Anbar province.
As the Iraqi leader was heading to that meeting, he has been, from all reports, that he's been staying in Raqqa, which has been the de facto capital of ISIS' territory in Syria. He has had heavy security around him. His movements are planned carefully to prevent something like this to happen. Now, if he is killed, this would be a huge blow to ISIS. He is really the heart and soul of the organization. When a member joins ISIS, they don't pledge allegiance to the Islamic state. They pledge allegiance to the caliph, which is al-Baghdadi. And he has a very strong reputation among Jihadis. He's been key in keeping the Islamic state in Syria and in Iraq together. So, the question of cohesiveness of that. But, it is a shadowy organization. And really if he is dead, when he does die, what that means for ISIS is really unknown.
CHURCH: Of course, there have been many false reports before. We'll continue to keep a very cLose eye on this. Ian Lee reporting live for us from Cairo. Many thanks to you.
Well, growing deadly violence in Israel and Gaza. Up next, what the Israeli Prime Minister is doing to try to control the clashes.
Iran says there is a verdict in the trial of a jailed Washington Post journalist. We will find out why his newspaper considers his case a sham.
And a former aide calls a congressional review of the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi a sham, targeting Hillary Clinton. Back with all of that in just a moment.
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[03:18:43] CHURCH: After weeks of bloodshed, the deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians doesn't appear to be slowing down. Almost a dozen Palestinians were killed over the weekend, including a pregnant woman and a 3-year-old child. They died in air strikes in Gaza City early Sunday morning. A funeral was held for the little girl later in the day.
Four Israelis were stabbed late Sunday near Hadera. Now, this incident followed several other stabbings over the weekend. Our Erin McLaughlin is in Jerusalem right now and joins us live with more. So, Erin, we understand there has been another stabbing incident. Talk to us about that and whether it's believed that these efforts are coordinated in any way.
[03:19:31] ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Rosemary. Well, we are hearing more information about an attempted stabbing that happened this morning near the Lion's Gate entrance of the old city. Israeli police say that a Palestinian man was walking from the direction of the cemetery when they noticed him looking suspicious. They said he had his hands in his pockets. They asked him to take his hands out. He stopped. When he did, he had a knife. They say he lunged at a member of the border police, stabbing the police officer in his flak jacket. The police officer was uninjured. They, then, shot and killed the Palestinian man.
It is the latest stabbing around the old city. There have been three stabbing incidents around in that area since Saturday. On Saturday, a 16-year-old Palestinian stabbed two Israeli men. Police returning fire, stabbing and killing him. Stills of the incident show the 16- year-old boy with a knife in his hand and then you see his body lying on the ground. What it really does illustrate is that these attackers going into these stabbings know that there are deadly consequences for these actions. In many cases, the attackers end up shot and killed by Israeli forces. And yet, these attacks persist in the face of what is an incredibly heavy security presence, especially, in and around the old city. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yeah. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his cabinet over the weekend. What does he plan to try to do to rein in this violence? Of course, on the other side of the equation, what will Palestinian leaders do as well to try to stop this from continuing?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, out of that security cabinet meeting, the Israeli Prime Minister announced that he was increasing security, calling up some 1,600 additional border police reservists. That, in addition to an already heightened security situation in cities across Israel and Jerusalem as well as the west bank. But, the issue is, is that in many cases, these incidents are lone wolf-style attacks. They're not organized. And they're self-motivated. They become very difficult to prevent. And in terms of what's motivating these attacks, well, Israeli and Palestinian leadership blaming each other. Israeli leaders blaming Palestinian leaders, the Palestinian authority Hamas as well as the Islamic movement in Israel. The Prime Minister Netanyahu releasing a statement out of his cabinet meeting blaming them for inciting this violence, spreading rumors about the status of the holy site known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.
Palestinian leaders for their part, the PLO, issuing their statement blaming the Israelis saying they're trying to incite violence in order to produce a cover for more control, or more influence over the holy site. Now, at the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made two separate phone calls. One to the Israeli Prime Minister, the other to the president of the Palestinian authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in which he urged them to condemn violence, combat incitement, and maintain the status quo of the holy site.
CHURCH: Alright. Bringing us up to date on the many developments from this story. Erin McLaughlin reporting live from Jerusalem. Thanks to you.
In Iran, there is a new twist in the controversial case of U.S. journalist Jason Rezaian. Iranian media report there has been a verdict in the espionage trial of the Washington Post Tehran Bureau Chief. The verdict, and any sentence that comes with it, are still a mystery. CNN's John Defterios has the latest. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sentenced after nearly 450 days behind bars. On Sunday, Iran's judiciary confirmed a verdict has been reached in the trial of American journalist Jason Rezaian. But in a process that has been shrouded in secrecy from the start, even the verdict is not clear. The judiciary says Rezaian and his attorney have 20 days to appeal what has been handed down. U.S. State Department says they are monitoring the situation and continue to call for all charges against Jason to be dropped. Rezaian began working for the Washington Post in Tehran in 2012. In the spring of 2014, he and his Iranian wife, Yeganeh, talked with CNN's Anthony Bourdain about the challenges of reporting from Iran.
JASON REZAIAN, THE WASHINGTON POST JOURNALIST: The difficult part is convincing people on the other side of the world that what we're telling you, we're seeing in front of our eyes, is actually there. When you walk down the street you see a different side of things. People are proud. The culture is vibrant. People have a lot to say.
DEFTERIOS: Six weeks later, Rezaian and his wife were detained. Their home ransacked. Yeganeh was released on bail, but he remained in prison. Nearly five months later, he was charged with espionage. He was put on trial in May of this year, facing a 20-year sentence if convicted. The last court proceeding was held in August and the Washington Post, again, appealed for his release. Iran's judiciary news service has said his arrest has nothing to do with his being a journalist. With one Iranian official saying last week, that Rezaian was linked to quote, a faction in the U.S. Senate who plan to bring about regime change in Iran. Recently, hopes for his release were raised when President Hassan Rouhani suggested that Rezaian, and other Americans in Iranian jails, could be part of an exchange for Iranians convicted in the U.S. on charges related to nuclear technology.
[03:25:25] HASSAN ROUHANI, PRESIDENT OF IRAN: If the Americans take the appropriate steps and set them free, certainly, the right environment will be open and the right circumstances will be created for us to do everything within our power and our purview to bring about the swiftest freedom for the Americans held in Iran as well.
DEFTERIOS: For now, those aspirations have been dashed as a secretive legal process plays out in Tehran.
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CHURCH: CNN's John Defterios reporting there. Well, Iran, meanwhile, says it successfully test fired a new long-range missile that could be a threat to Israel.
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The country's defense minister describes the Emad, or Pillar, the surface to surface missile as Iran's first that can be precision- guided to its target. Iran says the missile can carry a 750-kilogram payload and has a range of 1,700 kilometers, meaning it would be capable of reaching Tel Aviv. And still to come on CNN Newsroom, a former Benghazi committee staffer
is calling the Congressional review of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi a sham. And he says presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is its target.
Plus, the frustrations of one small German town as it deals with an overwhelming number of migrants. We'll have that, and more, when we come back.
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[03:30:22] CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. It is time to update you on the main stories we've been watching this hour.
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Families are mourning in Turkey as they bury the victims of Saturday's bombings at a peace rally in the capital. At least 97 people were killed and almost 250 wounded. Thousands of demonstrators marched in Ankara Sunday. Some say the government should have done more to prevent that attack.
The London-based Syrian observatory for human rights says Bashar al- Assad's military has taken control of several areas including part of Hama and Idlib province. The Russian air force says it has hit Idlib with heavy air strikes in recent weeks, which may have cleared the way for government forces.
More violence in Israel and Gaza after a weekend of stabbings, shootings and air strikes. There's been another stabbing outside Jerusalem's old city early Monday. Israeli police say they killed a Palestinian attacker who stabbed an officer. The officer's vest prevented injury.
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A former investigator for the U.S. Congressional committee reviewing the 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi is leveling some strong charges against the panel. He says the Republican-led committee's investigation has become partisan with democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as its primary target. CNN's Chris Frates has the details.
CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A former staffer with the house committee investigating the Benghazi attacks says the panel's probe has become a politically-motivated inquiry targeting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It's an expLosive charge sure to resonate on the campaign trail as Clinton runs for president. Major Bradley Podliska, an Air Force Reserve Intelligence officer, says that after news broke earlier this year that Clinton used a private email server, the Republican-controlled committee set its sights almost exclusively on Clinton. Podliska says he was fired as a committee investigator because he
resisted pressure to focus on Clinton and because he took military leave. He says he plans to file a lawsuit over his firing and ask a court to give him back his job with back pay. Podliska, a self- described conservative, tells CNN's Jake Tapper, in an exclusive television interview, that what was a broad probe into the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi became a quote, partisan investigation.
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JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What do you say to viewers who think you might have an ax to grind and that you're only talking because you were fired?
BRADLEY PODLISKA, U.S. AIR FORCE RESERVE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: I have a conscience. There's wrongdoing here. And I think it needs to stop. And I do not want the investigation to end. I want the investigation to refocused back to its original purpose. The victims' families are owed the truth. Hillary Clinton has a lot of explaining to do. We, however, do not need to shift resources to hyper-focus on Hillary Clinton. We didn't need to deemphasize, and in some cases drop, the investigation on different agencies, different organizations, and different individuals.
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FRATES: A spokesperson for the committee said in a statement that Podliska's claims are transparently false. Podliska, the statement says, was terminated for cause, including for trying to put together a hit piece on administration officials, including Clinton. The statement said quote, thus directly contrary to his brand-new assertion, the employee actually was terminated in part because he, himself, manifested improper partiality and animus in his investigative work.
CHURCH: Chris Frates reporting there. And U.S. President Barack Obama says Hillary Clinton made a mistake using a private e-mail server while she was Secretary of State. But, he also told CBS 60 minutes it shouldn't be a big controversy during the presidential election.
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OBAMA: It is important for her to answer these questions to the satisfaction of the American public and they can make their own judgment. I can tell you that this is not a situation in which America's national security was endangered.
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[03:34:30] CHURCH: And a new CBS news poll shows Clinton with a strong lead among likely democratic primary voters. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in second place followed by Vice President Joe Biden who hasn't even announced whether he'll run for 2016 yet. Donald trump remains on top of the republican presidential field. Ben Carson is trailing 6 percentage points behind him. While the other candidates are in the single digits.
And of course, we spend a lot of time on the candidates at the top of the U.S. presidential polls. CNN's Poppy Harlow has more now on the other candidates in the democratic race.
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POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPODENT: Chances are you know her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bernie Sanders!
HARLOW: And you know him. But do you know them? Martin O'Malley, Lincoln Chafee and Jim Webb? They don't always make the campaign headlines, but all three will share the stage with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders come Tuesday night.
MARTIN O'MALLEY, 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Weather vanes shift in the wind. I know where I stand.
HARLOW: Let's start with Martin O'Malley. You could say the married father of four, who was born in Washington, D.C., was tailor made for a career in politics. At only 20, O'Malley left college briefly to work on the presidential campaign of Colorado Senator Gary Hart. And by 28, was ready for office himself, winning a seat on the Baltimore City Council. From there his political aspirations grew. First, Mayor of Baltimore, then Governor of Maryland.
Here's something you probably didn't know about Martin O'Malley. He's fronted a rock band. He even used his guitar skills to tease his presidential bid.
On the issues. Gun control. O'Malley wants stronger background checks, assault weapons ban, plus a limit on the size of gun magazines. On immigration, he supports a path to citizenship. And on climate change, O'Malley says it is real and a real threat. He wants stronger regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lincoln Chafee, the one-time Republican U.S. Senator, then Independent Governor of Rhode Island, has announced he's running for the 2016 Presidential Election.
HARLOW: Next, Lincoln Chafee, a former Mayor of Warwick and a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island. He was a republican then, but he became an independent in 2007 as governor. But, now he wants to be the next president as a democrat. On the issues. Health care. Chafee not only likes Obamacare, but if president, says he would take it a step further, pushing for even more Americans to be fully covered. On defeating ISIS, Chafee opposes American boots on the ground in Syria, but insists America must forge stronger alliances in the Middle East. In 2002, Chafee was the only senate republican to vote against war in Iraq. On social issues, Chafee supports a woman's right to choose to have an abortion and supports same-sex marriage.
LINCOLN CHAFEE, 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am unbought and I am unbossed. HARLOW: And then, there's Jim Webb. A highly decorated Marine
veteran, former Secretary of the Navy, former U.S. Senator from Virginia, author, teacher, husband, and father of six. On the issues. Climate change. Webb wants to limit the environmental protection agency's power to regulate emissions and the supports the keystone pipeline and energy expansion. On immigration reform, he wants to see a path to citizenship, but says the border must be secured first. On prison reform, Webb wants there to be more focus on treating mental illness and drug addiction and would push for more dialogue on ways to reduce the high rate of incarceration among minorities. Poppy Harlow, CNN, New York.
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CHURCH: And make sure to join us for the democratic debate here on CNN. Our live coverage from Las Vegas starts at 1:30 Wednesday morning if you're watching in London. And if that time doesn't work for you, we will replay the entire debate at 8:00 Wednesday night in London, 9:00 central European time, only here on CNN.
Well, just ahead, one small German town declares a state of emergency after it's unable to handle a massive number of migrants pouring into the village.
Plus, a teenager escaped an arranged marriage and the Taliban. Now she uses rap as a weapon against subjugation.
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[03:42:08] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Refugees continue to stream out of Syria and into Europe. But now, many towns are struggling with a massive influx. Atika Shubert visited one German village with a proud history of helping refugees. But, its mayor says it just can't take in any more.
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ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Seventy years ago, the tiny village of Friedland opened doors to thousands without homes at the end of the second World War. It had more than 100 emergency barracks to house those streaming back in. It was known as the gates of liberty. Today, Friedland is still welcoming refugees. Nearly 4,000 at its peak. About four times the capacity this historic camp was designed to hold at any one time. Most are from Syria and Iraq. But, also, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Eritrea.
The camp manager has worked here nearly a quarter of a century, long enough to see waves of refugees come and go. More than 4 million have passed through from Vietnamese in the '70s to the Syrians that arrive today. It's open 24 hours, 365 days a year, rain or shine. But, even in this idyllic setting nestled in the German countryside, there is now a problem. Too many refugees. People que everywhere, he says, whether in the registration offices or during meal times, sometimes up to two hours or when refugees get their clothing vouchers. It's a problem. Privacy is almost nonexistent. There are no private places and the infrastructure of the camp is maxed out, he says. A festival tent has been pitched on the kids' sports field, now home to 200 refugees who hang their launry on the goal posts. Mattresses line the office hallways of the camp. Every spare meter devoted to sheltering refugees.
Ideally, refugees are here for two weeks before moving on. But the recent surge of refugees and a backlog of asylum requests has turned weeks into months. In the last two weeks, he said, new arrivals in Friedland are brought to alternative housing facilities within 24 hours. We're seeking to reduce the number of migrants in Friedland by half, which would still be more than double of what our capacity truly is, he explains. Refugees now outnumber Friedland's residents 3 to 1. The mayor says the village has gone above and beyond for refugees, but it can't take any more.
We do not have a problem with Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans, says the mayor. They have received a big welcome and the residents want to help. That said, there is a fine line between wanting to help people and being stretched too thin. Just as it was 70 years ago, Friedland still welcomes those that need shelter. But, it warns even the gates of liberty has its limits. Atika Shubert, CNN, Friedland, northwestern Germany.
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[03:45:21] CHURCH: Alright. I want to talk about waterspouts now. That's a tornado that forms over water.
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And one particular waterspout gave drivers in Tampa, Florida, a terrible scare. Look at this. The Sunday morning twister ripped into a U.S. mail truck on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Fifty-six year-old Randall Lever was behind the wheel when his truck left the ground twice and, believe it or not, he walked away unhurt. So, we want to talk about that and of course, the phenomenon of waterspouts.
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Allison Chinchar is here with us. Just incredible that this man was able to walk away. But they are very different to the tornados on the ground.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN FREELANCE METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Yes, much different. Probably the biggest difference is the intensity. Waterspouts are much weaker than tornados over land generally are. So, that makes them a bit more survivable as this gentleman noticed as he was going through it. They're not quite as strong. Again, that gives a little better chance to make it through. Damage-wide, not much different though. They can still cause damage, especially over boats and a lot of the wildlife that would be out there. Let's take a look at how they form. You've got the cold air above, and then warm air along the water. Keep in mind, around Florida, the best time of year to get this is the later summer months when that water has finally been able to warm up. Now, just before a waterspout will begin to form you'll notice a dark
spot on the surface of the ocean. You can only tell that from the air looking down. If you're in a boat, not very easy to see. Obviously the air begins to lift as it starts to rotate and this is how you get that column of rotating air. Now, as I've mentioned these are weak. They may lift fish up, knock around smaller crafts of boats, but they're not going to cause much widespread damage. However, they can come back onto land. When they do, they change from a waterspout to a tornado. The structure remains the same, just the name begins to change. This also is something similar to what we've seen in Europe just the last couple of days.
Because this time of year, whether you're in the United States or in Europe, you get the clash of seasons as we transition from the warm season into the cool seasons. And that clash of air is what helps to fuel a lot of the thunderstorms providing the tornados. But again, we have a lot of storm reports. Just on Sunday, a tornado report into Greece. A lot of hail, heavy rainfall also being reported with some of these storms. But again, they average about 300 tornados per year across Europe. So, it's not a rarity necessarily to get this. Take a look at the numbers. The countries we see the most, the United States is obviously the highest. But in terms of Europe, the United Kingdom picking up 50 on average per year. Places like Germany and Spain picking up on average about 30. So again, we get them. They're not incredibly common but we still do get them. And again, we still have that system that brought a lot of that severe weather that is continuing to kind of sit along the coast. Now, the good news is we're not really expecting much more severe weather for the remainder of the week, but certainly some showers and something to keep an eye on the next couple of days.
CHURCH: Wow. Absolutely. Good for the heads up. Thanks so much, Allison. We appreciate it.
Well, a baseball play that broke one player's leg has led to a two- game suspension for another player. But there's still debate over whether Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Chase Utley was just playing hard, or made an illegal slide. Take a look at what happened during the National League Playoff game Saturday. Utley was sliding into second when he collided with New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada. Utley is suspended for games three and four of the best of five series. The league says his actions were not intentional but warranted discipline. Unbelievable. A broken leg out of that.
And playing only for their pride, Japan pulled out the victory against the U.S. on Sunday in the 2015 Rugby World cup. An earlier defeat against Scotland keeps Japan from advancing to the next round. Still the 28 to 18 win over the U.S. is a special one for the team. It was the Japanese head coach's last game before stepping down.
And coming up, she was about to be forced into a marriage in Afghanistan, but fought back against tradition through rap music. Her incredible story still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [03:51:00] KATE RILEY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sport headlines. It's been a pivotal day in Euro 2016 qualifying with more teams progressing to the finals in France. Germany knew that victory over Georgia would see them through. They made heavy weather of it needing a late winner to end up topping the group. That meant the victory over Poland, or Ireland, would see them through. And it was that man, Robert Lewandowski with his 15th goal, in his last 447 minutes of the game winner and sent the Poles through. Ireland must make do with the playoffs. Congrats to Romania and Albania. The Albanians qualified for their first-ever major tournament beating Armenia 3 to 0.
In the Rugby World Cup, the quarterfinal lineup is now set on the day that Japan bowed out even though they won their third game. This time around the U.S.A. And a spirited Ireland overcame France 24 to 9. The Irish do have some major injury doubts including Paul O'Connell, whose tournament may be over.
And Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of winning another Formula One title after winning the Russian Grand Prix. Hamilton's ninth win this season means he needs nine more points than Sebastian Vettel and two more than Nikko Rosberg at the next race in the U.S.A. to clinch the title. And that's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: She was supposed to be sold off as a teenage bride. Instead, she became a rapper. Meet 18-year-old Sonita Elizudae. She is an activist, musician, and a force to be reckoned with. An artist who's using her music to fight the practice of forced marriage. Here's her story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SONITA ELIZUDAE, MUSICIAN: I am Sonita. I'm from Afghanistan. I want to change the world with my music. I was born in a poor family. We have to hide because of Taliban. Because of war. And then, my family decided to go to Iran. In Iran, you can't think. It's hard, especially for women.
A few years ago, my mother, she said, there is a man and he's waiting to get married with you. They didn't have money and they were forced to sell me. After that, I wrote a song called Daughters for Sale. My mother, she got mad at me. But now she's very good. And she's waiting for my new song. She doesn't want any more to sell me. Selling girls in Afghanistan, it's a tradition. Everyone has the right to choose their own husband. If I want to get married, I will choose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:56:08] CHURCH: What a powerful story. For an in-depth look at Sonita's life and her message to young women around the world, just head to CNN.com. And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Early Start is coming up for our viewers here in the U.S. For those of you elsewhere, stay tuned for CNN Newsroom live from London. Have a great day.
