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New Details on Crash of Russian Airliner; Carson New GOP Front- runner; Pistorius Out on Parole. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 03, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:01]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOM HOST: New details and conflicting interpretations in the crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt, and the U.S. now says a satellite spotted a heat flash at about the time and place of the crash.

Barack Obama mocks Republican complaints about debate questions as a joint effort to reform the process breaks down.

Also ahead, a rare and deadly storm drenches one of the driest places on earth.

Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I am Rosemary Church. This is CNN Newsroom.

We begin with a new piece of evidence, which may provide a clue to what caused Metro Jet flight 9268 to crash. A U.S. spy satellite high above the Sinai Peninsula detected a heat flash just as the airliner went down. Analysts say the flash may indicate an explosion or fire on board the airplane, or it may just have registered the plane hitting the ground. Indeed, there is a lot that still needs to be sorted out and answered here. I want to go to Ian Lee who is on the story in Cairo. So Ian, the pressure, of course, is intense now for investigators to come up with some answers on how this plane crashed, what progress has been made so far amid the rumors and speculation.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, we've been hearing both of the governments, the Egyptians and the Russians urging patience, that this isn't going to happen overnight, they're not going to figure out the cause and that it could take weeks. But this heat flash is just the latest thing we're hearing now from U.S. officials, that we are hearing that military and intelligence analysts are going over it, trying to determine if it happened in the air or on the ground. There are a few possibilities. It could have been from a missile, although that is highly unlikely. As we know, militants in the Sinai do not possess the kind of missiles to take down a plane going and traveling over 30,000 feet. So that means a bomb on board.

But we know until now, they have not detected any bomb residue on the pieces of the plane, but that still will take some time, possibly weeks, to go through all the pieces of the plane that spread out over 20 square kilometers. Now, the other option is it could be a malfunctioning engine that exploded or when the plane hit the ground. And when you see these pictures of the plane on the ground, you can see there are charged parts, most likely a large explosion when it hit the ground. So another thing they're going to be looking at is how many heat flashes there were. So when the plane hit the ground, if there was an explosion and they did detect that, were there other ones prior to that?

So those are all things that are going to be going over. Now, Egyptian officials and Russian officials so far have been more than -- or have so far ruled out a terrorist attack. Now, it is a possibility, but they're looking more at a mechanical issue. That all is going to come out hopefully when they decipher, decode these black boxes, when they look at the data, look at the cockpit, voice recorder, as well as going through the pieces of the wreckage on the ground. So there's still a lot more to do before they determine exactly what happened.

CHURCH: And Ian, what's the Egyptian government saying about the heat flash detected by that U.S. satellite as the plane crashed? Has it responded? Are we likely to hear from the Egyptian government on this?

LEE: Well, they haven't responded so far. But we'll likely hear something out of it. They have been fairly good with releasing statements to the media about the updates to the investigation. And we've also heard updates from the Russians, as well. And between the two, we've had most questions answered at least once that they can answer at this time. So we'll be looking to see what the government says. But they have been, as I said, downplaying this terrorist threat, this terrorist attack. And if there was one, it would likely have been a bomb and that would also raise some serious security concerns about the airport. So right now, it is in the Egyptian interest to look into this thoroughly. They are looking at a mechanical issue, and again, it could be some time before we actually know what happened.

[03:05:01]

LEE: Indeed. Ian lee reporting there live from Cairo, many thanks to you. Appreciate it.

Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin is finally speaking out about the crash. And he had words of sympathy and solidarity for people who lost loved ones on that flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: This is a great tragedy. And certainly we are with you in heart and soul. I want to thank Saint Petersburg for such a reaction, which the whole country sees, all the people of Russia, for their words of sympathy and empathy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is in Saint Petersburg where Russian citizens have been expressing their sorrow. He joins us now live, and Nic, talk to us about the scene in Saint Petersburg as Russian citizens come to terms with the aftermath of the crash of flight 9268.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It does seem President Putin is picking up on what we and so many other people have observed here is that Russians, as they sort of try to come to terms with what's happened, the plane crash, why it happened, how it happened, are shocked, I think -- and touched by the nature that it could have been them on board the flight. But, of course, one of the things that's impacting people here so heavily, just behind me people are leaving more flowers, but one of the things that is impacting people so heavily here is a number of children who were lost aboard that aircraft.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Russia is in shock, so many tears, and so many victims, so many of them children. The youngest, ten-month-old Karina Gorova, she was on holiday with her parents, Tatiana and Alexi, 25 children died. This makeshift memorial, parents count their blessings, a day to hold their children closer.

Vladimir hugs her son, Alexander, as he tells us, it is a horror, and it is a tragedy to lose so many children. We understand, but we can never fill the pain of their families, 7-year-old Olga came to pay her respects.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Luckily, we didn't lose anyone, she tells us. I just wanted those children to be remembered.

ROBERTSON: Her favorite toy adding to the deep carpet of cuddly childhood treasures, overnight, at a rally for victims, hundreds spelled out the word mom in recognition of the children and parents lost of many of many orphans left behind. Russia's soul has been laid bare. Few pause without weeping, Oxana stopped by on her way to work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am a Russian and we need to say what has happened, she tells us. And we need to explain it to our kids.

ROBERTSON: Today, Russians came looking for answers. Found only pain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: One of the hardest days for many of the relatives again today, 196 bodies recovered and brought back from Egypt. So far according to Egyptian authorities, nine of them have been identified by families, and that process continuing today at a morgue not far away from the airport here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: It is horrifying and tragic. Nic, what has been the reaction in Russia to Metro Jet's claim that pilot error and technical problems did not play a part in this crash, but, instead, and I am quoting here, certain impact implying terrorism was the cause? What's being said about that?

ROBERTSON: Well, the head of the Federal Aviation Authority has said that -- that it is too soon to judge what happened and this is broadly what we're hearing from other officials here, that until the investigation is completed, the investigation is under the leadership of the Egyptian authorities, and until that is completed, it won't be possible to say what the precise cause was. But also the Federal Aviation Authority here is investigating the fact that Metro Jet was arrears by two months in its payment of its staff. They're also looking at its other financial accounting. But that said, two of Metro Jet's two other A-321 airbuses have been cleared back for service here.

So the broad message to the public in Russia is don't jump to conclusions. It is too early to get clear analysis. Let the investigation follow through, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Nic Robertson, joining us live from Saint Petersburg, thank you so much.

And you can get more on what the plane's so-called black boxes could tell us about the crash of flight 9268 on our website. That's at CNN.com.

[03:10:01]

Ben Carson now tops Donald Trump as front-runner of the U.S. Republican Presidential race. A new national poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal shows Carson leading Trump 29 to 23 percent. They're followed by Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Jeb Bush. The polls surveyed likely primary voters both before and after last week's debate. This poll comes as the candidates talk about reshaping future Presidential debates. Their campaigns drafted a letter of demands for the media sponsors. But their united front is now crumbling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a new poll shows it is not Donald Trump on top anymore, instead, Ben Carson is now leading nationwide, and that's according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. He's up 29 percent to Donald Trump's 23 percent among Republican voters. But Donald Trump still has some bragging rights. He's leading in a new poll in New Hampshire. That one is from Monmouth University. It is a pretty wide lead. He's about ten points ahead of Dr. Ben Carson, who is in second there. And Marco Rubio has actually seen a big bump since his debate performance in New Hampshire.

If all these polls sound chaotic, it is nothing compared to what's going on with the Republican debate process right now. After all those campaigns huddled together in a room, they came up with a set of agreements, things they wanted from the networks, things like requiring opening statements, all the way down to how cool it had to be in the room. But now it seems like those demands are already falling apart. And it all began with Donald Trump. His campaign saying Trump would negotiate directly with the networks. After that, John Kasich said he would not sign on to this joint letter from all of the campaigns.

Chris Christie followed suit and Carly Fiorina said the exact same thing. So it was a very short lived away for the campaigns to take on the networks and now we're all waiting to see what happens next. Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: Joining me now to talk more about this, is CNN political Commentator Ryan Lizza. He's also the Washington correspondent for the New Yorker. Thank you so much for being with us.

RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: My pleasure.

CHURCH: We'll get to the debate reforms in just a moment. But I do want to start with this new national poll that has Ben Carson beating Donald Trump at 29 percent compared to Trump's 23 percent, and Rubio at 11 percent. What do you make of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey released Monday?

LIZZA: One thing to note about it is the survey wasn't conducted exclusively after the last debate. And these debates do have massive audiences, and they tend to have big impact on the national polls. Now, that said, this is now the third national poll from a reputable organization that has Carson over Trump. So he is experiencing a moment in the GOP primaries. I always say with these polls, the big caveat is that they -- the early polls are not predictive of who wins the nomination. At this point in 2012, you had a series of candidates rise and fall in the polls.

And then, of course, Mitt Romney ended up being the nominee. So it is a primary. There's a lot of fluctuation in these polls. But Carson is having a moment. And what happens usually is he's going to receive some intense media scrutiny, and it will be a bit of a test to see whether he can stay on top of the polls or not.

LIZZA: All right. Well, watch that very closely. As we reported, some of the Presidential candidates are proposing changes to the structure of the GOP debates. What's going on here? Is this a much needed correction or is it all about avoiding tough questions?

LIZZA: I think it is a little bit more of the latter. Every cycle there is always this tension between the news media, which let's -- after all, let's be honest, the news media pays for these debates. The debates are broadcast over the media's air waves. So you know the media holds most of the cards here. What happens is there was a lot of frustration by the Republican candidates over the last debate that was held on CNBC. A lot of accusations that the questions weren't -- were biased and unfair. And so the candidates all got together on Sunday night outside of Washington -- excuse me, the candidates campaign representatives got together and tried to come up with a common proposal to present to the media and say, if you don't do this in the next debates, we're not coming.

Well, tonight, that effort has essentially fallen apart. Several of the campaigns have decided not to sign on to the common set of proposals that came out of that meeting. And I think you're going to see not a whole lot of action, not a whole lot of changes, because all of the campaigns couldn't agree on what they wanted from the media.

[03:15:01] CHURCH: Yeah. Interesting, and all along we heard Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina, they said they're fine with the current debate structure. They want their colleagues to stop complaining. Is there a risk for some of these high polling candidates that they will appear like they're whining?

LIZZA: I think Christie has it right. He may have made a plea for the media, frankly, by siding with us on this. A lot of them seemed like they didn't want to answer the tough questions. Whatever you think of the CNBC debate, it is easier to sit there and be grilled by some CNBC moderators than it is to, say, negotiate with Putin. So I think if you can't get through these debates without complaining and whining, then you don't have much of a chance of being an effective President. And I think a lot of it is what we call, you know, working the refs is what they call it. You know, criticizing the media for being biased to that they kind of ease up on you. And I think that's what most of this drama over the debates is trying to push back against the press and try and soften them up a little bit.

CHURCH: Interesting. There is an expectation if you're running for President. You should be able to answer some of these questions, right?

LIZZA: Absolutely.

CHURCH: Ryan Lizza, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

LIZZA: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And on that very point, President Barack Obama is poking fun at the candidates' complaints from last week's debate. He weighed in on the controversy at a fund-raiser in New York. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: Have you noticed that every one of these candidates say, you know, Obama is weak. He's -- you know, Putin is kicking sand in his face. When I talk to Putin, he's going to straighten out. Just looking at him, it is going to be -- and then, it turns out, they can't handle a bunch of CNBC moderators at a debate. I mean let me tell you, if you can't handle -- if you can't handle those guys, you know, then I don't think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: He's having a lot of fun there. Voters in Ohio Tuesday will cast ballots on whether their state should be the latest to legalize marijuana for recreational use. This vote is a bit different than others we've seen in the U.S. And there's some irony when it comes to who's against it. Some groups that want pot legalized in general, say this measure is riddled with problems. That is because the main initiative would allow for commercial marijuana cultivation on just ten farms. And those ten farms are owned by wealthy investors. There's also a competing measure on the ballot that could nullify that provision if Ohio voters approve both the whole thing would likely have to be sorted out in court.

Another brand is being tarnished by the Volkswagen emissions scandal. We will tell you whose reputation is at risk now. That is up next.

Plus, we will have the latest on a rare tropical cyclone hitting Yemen, which could drop several years' worth of rain across the country.

Plus, a California Police Department is taking their newest crime fighting tool straight from the movies. We'll explain when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:23:01]

CHURCH: All right, we're taking you live to South Africa right now where the Supreme Court of Appeals is hearing the prosecutor's argument that Oscar Pistorius should be convicted of the more serious crime of murder. You see there, Jerry Nell speaking right now as we take these pictures. Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. He's out on parole right now. If his conviction is changed, he faces a minimum of 15 years in prison. We'll keep a very close eye on that.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulators have accused Volkswagen of cheating emissions tests with more of its vehicles, this time implicating the luxury brand Porsche. The EPA cited 10,000 vehicles with the 2015 Porsche -- diesel and several Audi models included. The agency identified a particular type of engine as the common factor among the models affected. Volkswagen is denying the accusations saying in a statement, "No software has been installed to alter emissions characteristics in a forbidden manner."

Well, Candy Crush, one of the most popular mobile phone games in the world is being sold for $5.9 billion. Gaming company Activision said Tuesday, that it will buy King Digital Entertainment, the company behind Candy Crush. Activision is known for blockbuster games like Guitar Hero and Call of Duty, but it didn't have much of a stake in the mobile game business until now.

All right, we do want to turn now to Yemen. The war-torn country is facing a disastrous new threat right now, flash flooding and mudslides. A rare tropical cyclone made landfall just a few hours ago with hurricane strength winds. It is expected to dump two to three years worth of rain in just one day. And meteorologist Allison Chinca joins us now to talk more about that. Such an abundance of water and the ground is not at all in a position to absorb that. That is what is causing all of the problems.

ALLISON CHINCA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is one of the driest places on earth, and so when you talk about this amount of rain that gets inundated into those areas, the ground simply doesn't know how to handle it. And the mountainous terrain makes a big issue of mudslides. One positive though, is that the storm winds are starting to decrease back down, now down to just 140 kilometers per hour, still gusting up around 165. The good news with this storm is it is expected to weaken very, very quickly. But before it does, it is going to dump a lot of rain. This would be normal terrain. When you have rain, the rain comes down, it gets absorbed into the ground, and goes down into what we refer to as the water table.

In Yemen, the sun bakes the top surface into a crispy layer. It basically sits on top, and all of that water remains there. Then you factor in the mountainous terrain, which is all along the coastline. All the rain that falls into the mountains now flows back down into the valleys of the same spots that have flooding. They're going to weaken very quickly. We're talking in less than 24 hours, winds will be barely 55 kilometers per hour. The rain totals, most of them are in the central part of the region, several areas picking up over 200 millimeters of rain. Take that into account what they normally see in a year, which is 80 to 100 millimeters.

Now they're expecting two to three years worth of rain in just the single day that it comes through. Also, the Arabian Peninsula, not really a place where we tend to see tropical cyclones, they've had three severe tropical cyclones.

[03:28:01]

Florida, a place we normally see storms has had zero in that exact same time. So the irony of it, and we were talking about this earlier, a lot of it is due to El Nino. That plays a huge role in this particular instance.

CHURCH: It all gets back to El Nino, doesn't it? All right, many thanks for you bringing us up to days on the situation there. Appreciate it.

An unusual sight in the night skies over Thailand, dash cam video captured a sizable green fireball believed to be a meteor shooting across the Bangkok sky on Monday. Look at that. According to local media, this spectacular fireball was spotted in several other provinces across the country.

With so many questions about the crash of the Russian airliner in the Sinai, there are new theories about whether or not a missile might have been involved. Ahead, we will hear from a former CIA operative about that, back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

[03:30:01]

I want to update you now on the main stories we've been watching this hour. A new national poll shows Ben Carson leading the U.S. Republican Presidential race. He's at 29 percent and Donald Trump is at 23 percent. But the polls margin of error possibly makes them closer. In another poll, Trump still leads the field in the early voting state of New Hampshire. Pakistani authorities are investigating a hard landing by a private

airliner at the airport in Lahore. None of the 112 people on board was hurt. Airport sources say the plane had a problem with its landing gear, blew a tire and veered off the runway.

A U.S. satellite detected an infrared flashover the Sinai Peninsula around the same time that Metro Jet flight 9268 crashed. Analysts say the heat flash may be a vital clue for investigators, 224 people died in the crash.

Oscar Pistorius is out on parole. But if prosecutors get their way, he could return to prison for a long time. Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide in the shooting death of his girlfriend. Prosecutors want that conviction changed to murder.

David McKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg with details on this. David, give us an idea. What does the argument hinge on here, and what are some of the states' challenges to win the appeal?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, it is really a question of law. And it is complex argument that's been given right now in that the supreme court of appeals in South Africa. Now the prosecutor here right now is laying out his argument in front of a five judge panel, why he says the judge got the law wrong in the Oscar Pistorius case and they should convert that to murder. There are several legal hurdles for the prosecutor to go over, one of them whether this should be hearing by the appeal court, another being whether he can convince them that the judge got this wrong. Let's listen in for a few seconds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That would allow this court to do that. Which I just suggested -- the difficult that the state has is section 3224.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: This is a very different feel from the trial itself, because -- is facing at times sympathetic and at times tough questions from that five-judge panel, and is really being kept on his legal toes. He is saying and the state is saying that the judge ignored key circumstantial evidence. They're saying that this is an issue of what South African law calls effectively when Pistorius shot through the bathroom door, whoever was behind that door, he knew whatever he was doing likely would kill that person, and it is irrelevant of who that person was. So they want a much tougher sentencing for the disgraced Olympian,

Rosemary.

CHURCH: And, David, when are we likely to get a decision on this, and could Pistorius go back to jail?

MCKENZIE: Well, yes, he could. But it is not the end of this legal battle. And this case has certainly grabbed the attention of South Africa, even this appeal being played out on live TV here in South Africa, even though it is a complex, lengthy legal discussion. The judges have already seen a written argument, as well as bridge versions of the trial proceedings. We may get a sense from the judges when they'll make a verdict. We don't expect them to make that judgment today. But if the state is successful and they do convert this to murder, it could be that Pistorius is sent back to prison for a very long time, more than a decade, in fact.

CHINCA: All right, David Mackenzie reporting live there from Johannesburg. Thanks for that.

Well, if a new court decision stands, comedian Bill Cosby will have to appear for another deposition. A California judge has ordered the comedian and his former attorney to testify in the Janice Dickinson defamation lawsuit. Dickinson is one of the women accusing Cosby of sexual misconduct. Jean Casarez has the details.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A California judge has ordered Bill Cosby must sit for a deposition in the defamation case of model Janice Dickinson, and it has to take place before November 25th. In her complaint for defamation, Dickinson alleges that Cosby defamed her by calling her a liar after she came forward in 2014, saying Cosby drugged and raped her in Lake Tahoe when she was a young model, approximately 1982. This is the second deposition that Cosby will have to give testimony for in the span of two months. Earlier in October, Cosby's deposition was taken by Gloria Allred in a California civil sexual assault case of Judith Huff.

Huff alleges that Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1974. Attorney's for Bill Cosby say that the court has erred in allowing this deposition to go forward. They say they will appeal. Attorney Lisa Bloom says she will be taking Cosby's deposition and looks forward to continuing to fight on Ms. Dickinson's behalf, Jean Casarez, CNN New York.

[03:35:01]

CHURCH: Yazidi Forces prepare to take on ISIS in northern Iraq. But members of the religious minority say Mount Sinjar itself may be their biggest enemy. We will explain next here on CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The Pentagon says U.S. special operations forces will be on the ground in Syria within weeks. Their goal is to help local fighters take on ISIS. But the Pentagon is also considering sending more special ops forces for raids against ISIS leaders and possibly U.S. forward air controllers on the ground to help identify air strike targets. U.S. President Barack Obama insists he's not breaking his promise against boots on the ground in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Keep in mind, we have run special ops already. And, really, this is just an extension of what we were continuing to do. We are not putting U.S. troops on the front lines fighting fire fights with ISIL. But I have been consistent throughout that we are not going to be fighting like we did in Iraq with battalions and occupations. That doesn't solve the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, a U.S. official tells CNN Russia is expanding its operations in Syria, now flying from a third airbase. An extremist rebel group is using Syrian government soldiers and their families as human shields. The army of Islam says it is protecting against indiscriminate air strikes. The group is one of the most powerful rebel factions operating near Damascus, and is not backed by the United States.

Across the border in Iraq, Yazidi families are preparing for a harsh winter on Mount Sinjar. The religious minority has been tormented by ISIS for more than a year now, and as fighters prepare for battle, hundreds of Yazidi girls are still being held capital by ISIS. Senior International Correspondent Nima Elbagir has this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIMA ELBAGIR, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mount Sinjar, these desolate slopes claimed the lives of dozens of children last winter. This year, the Yazidis are bracing themselves for the worst.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Mountain is so cold, you can see there is nothing up here.

ELBAGIR: Bora is 30. She and her nine daughters escaped the ISIS onslaught last year. This year, she says she worries it will be the mountain winter that kills them.

She tells 34th 17 of them live in this tinny tent. And everything you see here, the clothing they're wearing, the pots, the pans, this is it. This is all that they have in the world, and they are facing another incredibly brutal winter up here on the mountain.

Smoke plumes rise over Sinjar. Coalition air strikes intensifying as preparations begin for the push to retake the town, Sinjar and the mountain that looks over it are at the heart of the homeland of the Yazidi minority. In the foot hills, the men are training for the fight ahead. The shrine of the founder falls along a crucial ISIS supply route, linking ISIS strong holds in Iraq and Syria. Last year, the world watched as thousands of Yazidis were massacred during the ISIS push for Sinjar. Hundreds of Yazidi girls are still held by ISIS groups. Every moment in her day, no matter the task, she told us she spent thinking about them. As the offensive draws nearer, she worries they're still in the town below.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are they? Will they take them even further away? Will they be caught in the fighting?

[03:47:01]

ELBAGIR: Below, the Yazidi soldiers are standing guard. Many of the fighters here have families up on the mountain slopes above. Today, a local folk singer has come to rally them all. But they know too well what they're fighting for, their very existence. The force commander tells us they need all the help they can get.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We needed help in weaponry, especially now. We stood against ISIS with nothing but machine guns. We need your help.

ELBAGIR: For now, the Yazidis are clinging on, desperate to stay within sight of their abandoned homes. Zero hour is approaching. The Yazidis are getting ready. Everyone hopes this will finally be over and soon, even as they prepare themselves for what awaits them in the town below.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Nima joins us now live from Iraq. How are these Yazidi men going to match up against ISIS fighters if they don't get any outside help? Just how prepared are they for that?

ELBAGIR: Well, that is a very good question, Rosemary. They will part of a broader Kurdish force. But you saw there how ill equipped they have. They told us that they with stood ISIS with just automatic machine guns, but it hasn't got much better since then. They really don't have the basics that you would need to withstand such a well armed, well trained fighting force. What they do have is this conviction that they need to push ISIS back, that the Yazidis will never be safe. The Yazidis and their faith fundamentally for ISIS are abhorrent as a concept. They believe them to be utterly -- and the Yazidis know as long as ISIS continues within sight of their homeland that they won't be safe.

And it is that that is pushing them on to fight, Rosemary, in spite of these enormous odds they're facing.

CHURCH: It is just horrifying to think what lies ahead for the Yazidis. Nima Elbagir, thank you so much for joining us in Iraq.

Police are considering a new gadget for their tool belt. But this one is a little old fashioned, even ancient, in fact. We will tell you all about it when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A California Uber driver is attacked by his passenger and it is all caught on video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out of my car or I will call the police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I tell you something you (AUDIO GAP) (AUDIO GAP) (AUDIO GAP).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I am giving you...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Shocking. Benjamin Allen Golden apparently turned violent when the driver asked him to get out of the cab, because he was upset when his Uber driver refused to continue his ride because he thought Golden was too drunk to give directions. He then repeatedly slapped the driver before being pepper sprayed. Golden has been charged with assault and public intoxication, unbelievable.

Police are more often confiscating nun chucks than using them themselves. And to most people, the weapon is a kung fu movie prop, not a tool for modern police work. But CNN's Dan Simon found one California police department that thinks the weapon just might be a useful crime fighting tool.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is the weapon that helped make Bruce Lee an iconic film star. Since then, nun chucks have mainly been thought of as a fierce fighting tool. But in the northern California town of Anderson, police may be helping to change the perception of this ancient martial arts weapon.

When you heard that this department was going to start using nun chucks, what did you think?

[03:52:01]

CASEY DAY, POLICE OFFICER: Well, I was skeptical. You know I had no experience with nun chuck myself.

SIMON: But Sergeant Casey Day, the department's in-house instructor says he immediately saw the benefits.

DAY: Stop resisting. Down, down, down, in the car.

SIMON: In a series of demonstrations, he shows us how these modern nun chucks can be an effective restraining tool and a replacement for the baton by applying the right amount of force. Each pair will cost the department about $100. The real advantage of having nun chucks is a few tools in one. Also give you the ability to strike when necessary.

MICHAEL JOHNSON, ANDERSON POLICE DEPARTMENT: Its primary use is not a striking tool. It is more of a grappling tool. So you'll see it is used kind of like chopsticks. The two sticks are used, there's a cord in between, and it is used to apply pain and pain compliance is basically what it is.

SIMON: Chief Michael Johnson says nun chucks were first used by police departments in the '80s, but believes lawsuits and the growing use of Tasers limited their use in law enforcement. From Ferguson to Baltimore, he says the strained relationships between law enforcement and American communities made him consider a new weapon.

JOHNSON: It doesn't hurt to add another weapon in your arsenal, which is more compassionate and safer and causes less injury.

SIMON: The Colorado company that sells the nun chucks has been preaching that for years. Kevin Orcutt, a retired officer says that at one time, as many as 200 departments in the 1990s used them, but he doesn't have a reliable figure today. He says the courts have upheld their usage and hopes more departments like Anderson will consider them. Citing one example, he believes they could have prevented the controversial death of Eric Garner, the unarmed African-American man who died last summer after a New York police officer put him in a choke hold. He says a trained officer using nun chucks will have gone low for the ankle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that would have ended the confrontation, guaranteed. In today's environment, I'll stand this tool up against almost anything.

SIMON: Orcutt's program requires officers get at least 16 hours of training before being allowed to use them. Whether more departments pick them up remains to be seen. For civilians, nun chucks are illegal in California, but for officers here in Anderson, they believe they could make a real difference on the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not have that option?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down, down, down.

SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN, Anderson, California.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Interesting.

Before we go, we do want to leave you with an unprecedented view of the sun. NASA is sharing fiery new video of the solar planet in ultra high definition. And to get these incredible views, NASA's solar dynamics observatory captured images of the sun in ten different wave lengths every 12 seconds. The different colors you see in this video correspond to a unique wave length. NASA says it actually takes ten hours to make just one minute of the video. The full video is about 30 minutes long and certainly worth a look.

Thanks for your company. I am Rosemary Church. Early Start is coming up for our viewers here in the United States and for those of you elsewhere, stay tuned for some news from the CNN Newsroom. Stick around.