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Officials U.S. Navy Planning Exercises To Warn China; Paris Park's Dark Secret; Saudi Critic Enters Consulate And Goes Missing; Merkel's Visit To Israel; U.S. First Lady On Visit To Africa; U.S. Emergency Warning Test; U.K. Blames Russia for Cyber Attacks; Indonesian Village Wiped Off from Map; Vote on Kavanaugh Underway. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 04, 2018 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN HOST: Multiple countries accuse Russia of worldwide state sponsored cyber attacks. We got details on the allegations of the targets straight ahead.

The FBI finalizes its investigation of Brett Kavanaugh in less than a week. And Senate Republicans are pushing ahead with the nomination despite concerns about the judge's candor during his testimony.

And the staggering scale of destruction in Indonesia. Rescuers come across an entire village that the tsunami wipes out of existence.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. And this is CNN Newsroom.

Britain, Australia, and New Zealand are accusing Russia's military intelligence of a series of global cyber attacks, including attempts to disrupt the U.S. presidential election two years ago. But these allege attacks go far beyond politics.

The U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says reckless indiscriminate attacks also targeted businesses, media and sports. That they serve no national security interest for Russia. Instead, he says these attacks meant to disrupt people's daily lives causing the world economy millions of dollars.

Now we have CNN's Nina Dos Santos coming this hour from London, and Fred Pleitgen, live for us in Moscow. Hello to you both. Nina, we begin with you. Now Russian hackers we know that they have been active but now the British government is singling out the GRU, Russia's military intelligence service. Tell us more about what the British government is saying about that.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPPONDENT: Well, that's quite significant. The fact that they are pointing the finger here, this intelligence gathering of the Russian military basically indicates that they believe that these kind of hack attacks on a global scale could only really have been sanctioned at the highest level.

A security analyst that I've been speaking to as well also says that there is the possibility that they are trying to say or suggest at least that the GRU is acting in an indiscriminate manner and causing damage on a larger scale but perhaps even the Kremlin itself understands.

The fact that they're pointing at the GRU is significant at a time like this, Kristie, because obviously it comes months after the Salisbury poisonings which the U.K. government has firmly pointed the finger at the GRU for. And so the message here is these actions both off line and online had tangible consequences.

Now highlighting four examples, in particular, the hacking of course of the DNC service back in 2016 before the U.S. election, that's probably the most famous of the examples that they are highlighting here. But also, the hacking of people's medical records, famous sporting stars medical records when the Word Anti-Doping Agency was hacked. And a number of their files were leaked online, also transport network in Ukraine and (Inaudible) an unidentified U.K. television station as well.

So, the GRU since the annexation of Crimea has been known to be the sort of go-to agency for the Kremlin, if you like, largely because of its ability to engage and also hybrid warfare activities from hacking to disinformation campaigns and also as I said in the case of Salisbury according to the British government, boots on the ground type of activity.

So, the fact that we are seeing the British government in tandem with other countries around the world that are part of its Five Eyes intelligence sharing agreement is pointing the finger not just to Russia but this time at a specific military intelligence gathering operation inside Russia is significant. Kristie?

STOUT: Let's get the Russian response to that. Fred Pleitgen is standing by. And Fred, you know, the GRU being specifically pointed out hire. Russian military intelligence being accused by the British government of being behind a number of major global cyber attacks. How is Moscow responding to that?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the story obviously broke overnight, Kristie. So far there isn't any official response from the Russians just yet. But of course we are working the story.

We've reached out to the Russian foreign ministry, for instance, and they're telling us that they're going to to have a briefing in about 25 minutes from now set to begin. And they say there is going to be a response, an official response from the Russian federation then.

Now the way they've responded to these kinds of allegations in the past, because this isn't the first time that the GRU and also of course the Russian state has been accused of things like hacking. And of course we have that whole complex around the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

They said look, no evidence is being presented in this specific case. They'll probably also say that they don't see very much in the way that is new. And a lot of these allegations, of course, we've known for a very long time about the 2016 presidential election allegations and around that from various reports by U.S. intelligence agencies and some of these other allege hackings as well.

[03:00:00] One of the things that especially since the case of the Skripal poisoning has been happening is that the Russians are saying that they believe that the Brits in particular are doing a lot of this for political purposes.

They say that the government of Theresa May is embattled that they're coming out with these allegations at a time when obviously she's fighting for her political survival. Her government is fighting for her political -- for their political survival or for its political survival. They're obviously not doing very well in the Brexit negotiations.

So the Russians really are trying to say that this is a political attack, if you will. But their main thing that they've been saying really since 2016 since a lot of these allegations have been coming out, as they say that they don't believe that evince is being provided.

They obviously are saying that they're not behind any of these attacks. And they say that only if publicly and officially evidence is provided will the Russians then respond. They say so far that simply has not happened, Kristie.

STOUT: Fred Pletgen live for us in Moscow, and Nina Dos Santos, live in London. A big thank you to you both.

Now the drama over Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee will be coming to a head this weekend. Senators are expected to start reading the FBI's updated background report on Brett Kavanaugh Thursday morning.

The full Senate could vote on his confirmation as early as Saturday. More than a thousand law professors have a letter in the New York Times urging senators to reject Kavanaugh. They say that he has demonstrated that he does not have the temperament or demeanor for the Supreme Court.

CNN's Jim Acosta has more and President Trump's defense of Kavanaugh.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR White House CORRESPONDENT: It was a stunning moment, with the crowd of supporters laughing along, President Trump incredibly mocked Christine Blasey Ford, the accuser who says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How did you get home? I don't remember. How did you get there? I don't remember. Where is the place? I don't remember. How many years ago was it? I don't know. I don't know.

(CROWD CHEERING) TRUMP: I don't know! I don't know! What neighborhood was it? I don't know. Where is the house? I don't know. Upstairs, downstairs, where was it? I don't know. But I had one beer, that's the only thing I remember.

And a man's life is in tatters. A man's life is shattered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The White House response to deny reality and try to convince the public the president was only stating facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Isn't there something wrong with the president of the United States mocking somebody who says, she was sexually assaulted.

SARAH HUCKABEE-SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It seems to me that he was stating facts that Dr. Ford herself laid out in her testimony. Once again every single word that Judge Kavanaugh has said has been looked at, examined, picked apart by most of you in this room.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: One big problem with the president's performance he had just praised Ford as credible less than a week ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you think of Dr. Ford's testimony?

TRUMP: I thought her testimony was very compelling. But certainly she was a very credible witness. She was very good in many respects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Key GOP senators who may ultimately decide Kavanaugh's fate aren't laughing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: I thought it was -- obviously insensitive and appalling frankly. There is no time or place particularly to discuss something so insensitive at a political rally. It's just wrong.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: The president's comments were just plain wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Still the president appears to be following the lead of Kavanaugh's fiercest defender like Senator Lindsey Graham who was portraying the judge as the victim, even Graham was critical of the president's comments. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I don't like what the president said last night. I'm the first person to say I want to hear from Dr. Ford. I thought she was handled respectfully. I thought Kavanaugh was treated like crap.

(CROWD BOOING)

GRAHAM: Yes. Well, boo yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The president is all but attempting to start his own he too movement, saying, he, too, can relate to accusations of sexual assault.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Think of your son, think of you husband, think -- I've had many false accusations, I had it all -- I've so many, and when I say it didn't happen nobody believes me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Even as his top aides are making the case that Ford has perhaps been handled too delicately.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISOR: She's been treated like a Faberge egg by all of us beginning with me and the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Thanks to CNN's Jim Acosta for filing that report. Now joining me now Richard Johnson, lecturer in U.S. politics and international relations at Lancaster University in England. Thank you very much for joining us.

Now within hours, U.S. senators they will get their hands on the FBI's Kavanaugh report. They'll read through it. Is it going to change any votes?

RICHARD JOHNSON, LECTURER IN U.S. POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LANCASTER UNIVERSITY: I suspect not. I suspect that what this process has show laid there is that the Supreme Court now is viewed as partisan an institution as any other part of the American government.

And that actually, you know, historically the Supreme Court was an outlier in the American political system for having this non-partisan outlook.

[03:10:05] I mean, even the bureaucracy in the United States has been politicized and has been partisan. So, I suspect that we're going to see that the majority party is going to vote in bloc for this position. Yes.

STOUT: Yes. It's very likely that senators will just vote along party lines. Now about what's inside this FBI report, we don't know at this stage. You know, maybe it may leak in the coming hours. But what about Kavanaugh's drinking habits and his truthfulness about it? Should that have been a major part of that report in this FBI investigation?

JOHNSON: Well, again, I mean, you expect that the Senate advise consent role will entail that it would take seriously questions about the competence or perhaps character of the people who stand out in court. Only when the most recent close nomination before President Trump's not appointees Clarence Thomas in 1991, that was the nub of it. It wasn't really so much about that the partisan bent of Clarence Thomas, although that might have been in the background.

But I think now partisan considerations have outweighed everything, including the past behavior of the nominee.

STOUT: And if Kavanaugh gets on the Supreme Court what does it mean for the midterms? Is it going to help or hurt the Republicans especially with women, with female voters?

JOHNSON: Well, there's two theories to this. One is a kind of median -- median voter theorem where the key voters are some swing voters and they might not react so well to this. But I think there's an emerging theory in American politics which is that elections are won by ginning up your base. And I think that this nomination riles up both bases. I think we heard that with the president's rally this week.

And if you look at the polls that he won down in the battleground states like Missouri, Indiana, questions about whether a Democratic senator has vote for against Kavanaugh would make people more less likely.

It was about even, about as many people said that a vote against Kavanaugh would make them more likely to vote for their senator as though, as you said they wouldn't.

So it may not actually have that much of a net effect, because it will just rile up an evenly divided country.

STOUT: Yes. And let's, you know, pull the lens way back here. You know as you look at this increasingly divided country, your view from Lancaster England there, you know, this entire process, do you feel that this has become a moment of just cultural reckoning in America?

You know, you saw in Jim Acosta's report, you know, the video of Trump mocking Christine Blasey Ford, you know, Trump calling for a he too movement, saying this is a scary time for men in America. Has this become a moment of reckoning that will last far beyond the midterms?

JOHNSON: Yes. I mean, I often see American politics as quite cyclical. And I feel that the Supreme Court is going back to its heavily partisan identity that it once had. I mean, it used to be very common for politicians to be on the Supreme Court. Warren famously was the governor of, Republican governor of

California. But you know, we forget that 100 years ago, in 1916, the Republican nominee for president was a Supreme Court justice, Charles Evans Hughes. And that, you know, when Franklin Roosevelt was president there was sparring over there size of the court whether he should add more or less justices.

And I think that, I think we have reached the kind of a pivot point but I think that in some ways, it's a return to politics. A highly partisan politics of the court of hundred years ago.

STOUT: Absolutely. And your thoughts on President Trump, you know, Kavanaugh was his man, was his pick. You know, if Brett Kavanaugh makes it to the Supreme Court will President Trump chop it up as win no matter what the cost?

JOHNSON: Yes. And I think that one of the reasons why, you know, nine in 10 Republicans voted for Donald Trump in 2016 in spite of how heterodoxy is on a lot of Republican policies like trade, for example, was because of the recognition of the importance of getting these justices on the Supreme Court.

And you know, if Donald Trump has nothing else, having two appointees on the Supreme Court is a major legacy. There's still one federal court judge who is appointed by Lyndon Johnson who is still active on the federal district court. So, this could, you know, for decades Donald Trump's legacy would be cemented by having two justices on the court.

STOUT: Richard Johnson, I appreciate your analysis. Thank you so much. Take care.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

STOUT: Now you're watching news -- Newsroom from here live from Hong Kong. Still to come, the ground it turned to liquid. An unimaginable consequence of the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia. And as a result an entire village now wiped off the map.

[03:14:56] And a close call at sea. Another strain of relations between the U.S. and China. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Now rescues and evacuations are happening right now in Indonesia nearly a week after that devastating earthquake and tsunami but hopes of finding anyone alive in the rubble are fading fast.

More than 1400 people are confirmed dead and there are fears many more bodies may still be buried under collapsed buildings. Those fears are especially evident in Petobo.

Indonesian Red Cross was the first to reach this tiny village home to nearly 500 people. Rescuers say it was obliterated. The village you're looking at it now simply no longer exists.

More from CNN's Matt Rivers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The village of the Petobo is gone. Earthquakes destroy a lot of places but not many ends up that way by being sucked into the ground.

When this one struck the land acted more like a lake, it's called liquefact. So what happened during his natural phenomenon was that the ground that was solid underneath these houses and the people and the cars of this village essentially became like a liquid, which meant all the things on top got subsumed into the ground below, while mud rose up.

And the result is this, this hell escape that rescuers have really no chance of digging through quickly, which means that we know there are still people buried inside this ground that have no chance of being rescued.

The destruction here is utterly complete, 744 houses were buried. Many with people inside. Researchers looking for them are exhausted and out massed, all of that is the reality facing those who made it out. In this makeshift tent across town we find an extended family all from Petobo sharing one tent. To the person, a story after story of just surviving.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I saw houses rolling and the ground breaking open a lot of people fell inside. It's thanks to God I am alive now with my children.

RIVERS: Muriatsing Galanu (Ph) knew the only way to escape was to take her family and run.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We fell down into the mud. It looked like the mud was sucking us in. The mud was a alive.

RIVERS: They pulled their way out. Her parents didn't, she believes they are among the dead.

[03:19:58] Riski Puts (Ph) that he got stuck in the mud as well holding her three-month-old daughter, the mud got up to her chest before she was saved.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I lifted up my baby. I was so lucky because there are people who help me.

RIVERS: She made it out, but her mother was stuck too, her mom told her to leave.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I said my daughter, please, just leave me, let me die here. The most important thing is to save your baby, your baby is much more important. But she said, no, no. I want you to live. I surrendered.

RIVERS: And three generations of family made it out safely. It was against the odds for all of the people in the tent to make it out, their cuts and bruises and bandages showed that. They call themselves the fortunate ones. Here in Sulawesi calling yourself lucky as the low bar these days.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Palu, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: How devastating portrait of misery and grief there.

Now the U.S. Navy wants to send a message to China that it is ready and able to counter any of Beijing's military actions. A U.S. defense officials they say the Navy's Pacific fleet has drawn up a proposal to send ships and aircraft near China's territorial waters for a military exercise.

This comes just days after the navy said one of his destroyers came close to colliding with the Chinese warship in the South China Sea.

Amara Walker has more.

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pictures tell the story a dangerously close encounter between a U.S. Navy ship and a Chinese warship in the South China Sea. So close the U.S. Navy says, just 45 yards or 41 meters apart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When it comes the two warships at the high seas these things don't turn on dime. This was extremely close and extremely dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: The navy as the U.S. guided missile destroyer, the USS Decatur was conducting a freedom of navigation operation near the disputed Spratly Islands when the Chinese ship approached. The U.S. Navy says the Chinese vessel conducted a series of increasingly aggressive maneuvers while warning the U.S. ship to leave the area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By all accounts, have the Decatur not taking emergency maneuvers they would've hit the PLA and shift. Now what would happen then if anybody's guess, but a very well could have resulted in the loss of life on both sides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: The Chinese said the U.S. presence in the area is a threat to Chinese sovereignty. A Chinese defense ministry spokesperson said. "The Chinese military will resolutely perform its defense duties and continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard our sovereignty and the regional peace and stability."

You see China claims much of the South China Sea overlapping claims from other countries including the Philippines. The U.S. rejects China's claims that Beijing has put up enormous infrastructure in the disputed area.

Earlier this year, CNN's Ivan Watson flew at the U.S. Navy reconnaissance team and captured these images of emerging cities built by China in the middle on much of the disputed territory.

Sunday's encounter comes amid worsening relations between Beijing and Washington over everything from the trade war to Beijing's purchase of weapons from Russia.

Last week, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis called off a scheduled visit to Beijing. According to U.S. officials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Short-term these tensions are going to keep escalating. More long-term regardless of who is in the Oval Office competition, high level competition like this between the U.S. and China across every aspect of relationship, economic, security, and political is the new normal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And experts say it's just a matter of time before the next encounter in the South China Sea.

Amara Walker, CNN.

STOUT: British Prime Minister Theresa May tells her party that they've got to stick together on Brexit or there is no deal at all. But before she offered that warning at the conservative party conference she busted out some dance moves and she told a few jokes.

Bianca Nobilo has more.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN PRODUCER: The Prime Minister Theresa May dance her way to a successful end of a conference that got off to a bumpy start. Theresa May gave her (Inaudible) dress to close the conservative party conference today and she entered in a surprising way.

After showcasing her sense of humor the prime minister address Brexit. She said that the party needed to unify or risk no Brexit at all. She also addressed the people's vote campaign for a second referendum saying the people have voted and they voted to leave.

Here's what she said about the possibility of walking away without a deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Some people ask me rule out no deal. But if I did that I would weaken our negotiating position and had to agree to whatever the E.U. offers.

[03:25:09] And at the moment that would mean accepting one of two things. Either a deal that keeps us in the E.U. in all but name, keeps free movement, keeps vast on your payments, and stop the signing trade deals with other countries, or a deal that carves off northern island a part of this country, effectively leaving it in the E.U.'s customs union.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: For politicians not known for her ability to command a room or be charismatic, Theresa May's conference speech today will be seen as a success, and it comes off the back of a rocky conference beginning that was an embarrassing data breach on the first day of conference exposing contact details and personal information of key members of government.

And then Boris Johnson, despite only arriving yesterday dominated the headlines of the early part of conference. He then arrived on Tuesday and gave a rousing address where he encourages his audience to chop Theresa May's Checquers plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Do not believe them finally when they say there is no other plan and no alternative. This is the moment to chop Checquers.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: May's speech received an overwhelmingly positive reception inside the hall. It sounds her own M.P.s called it her best speech yet. But how far that speech resonated outside of the conservative party conference remains to be seen, it does seem likely though, that for a premiership still surrounded in constant speculation about how long May will survive as leader, the speech today has brought her a little breathing space.

Bianca Nobilo, CNN, Birmingham.

STOUT: Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, a disturbing look of sex trafficking in the city of light and why probation police are having a tough time stopping it.

Plus, a critic of Saudi Arabia's government vanishes not long after walking into his country's consulate in Turkey. The latest on the mystery is coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Kristie Lu Stout.

Our top stories. Now the U.K. and Australia and New Zealand say Russia's military intelligence service orchestrated a series of cyber attacks around the world targeting businesses, media, sports and politics, and that includes the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Britain's foreign secretary says the attacks were reckless and served no national security interest. [03:30:00] U.S. Senators are expected to start reading the FBI's

updated background investigation of Brett Kavanaugh in the coming day. Now Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will vote on the Supreme Court nominee this week regardless of what's in the report.

Republic leader Mitch McConnell says the senate will vote on the Supreme Court nominee this week regardless of what is in the report.

U.S. Defense officials say that the Navy is throwing up flags from major show of force of warning to China. The proposal is to sail ships and to fly aircraft near China's territorial waters in the South China Sea and Taiwan. Neither the Pentagon with the Navy's specific fleet are acknowledging or commenting on the proposal.

Hundreds of Nigerian women had been traffic into Paris as sex workers lured by the promise of a new life only to find themselves trap in the cycle of abuse and exploitation. The young women are often found in naval, where the city wooded parks and police there having tough time stopping it, CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now from that park. Melissa, human traffickers there apparently thriving and operating this force prostitution rings, tell us more about what is happening there and about the victims.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the (inaudible), Kristie in the very heart of Paris to the east of the Paris biggest park. It is morning rush hour and along the streets across the park you can see people are heading to work. Cyclist all around, joggers. It is a picture of health, really, but what happens here during the nighttime hours between about 6 p.m. Local time and 5 a.m. Right here along this street beside me is something that you really couldn't imagine possible in the heart of Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

BELL: Nighttime exchange in Paris's largest park the Bois de Vincennes. With just a nod a prostitute is led into the bushes. In France it is buying sex rather than selling it, it is illegal, but the police say that most of the women who work here are slaves.

Nadesh, not her real name used to be o of them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ask questions, 90 percent ask solution. 90 percent.

BELL: Parisian Police agree. For every woman dancing freely here, they say nine are not. By day the park is a beautiful spot popular with dog walkers and ball players. By night, it becomes a place where men can buy sex for very little. The police believe that 150 slaves work in this park. Like the others Nadesh was in the hands of a network in which she gave all of her earnings and like the others she took an oath before leaving Nigeria finding her (inaudible). A traditional West African belief system.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Imagine you lie inside a casket, a coffin. Which means if you read the rules you do not come back to this coffin. It is so powerful BELL: So powerful that during the ceremony the women are physically

branded with scars that identify them back in Nigeria as cursed women. In 2017, the U.N. International migration said that there been a nearly 600 percent increase in potential sex trafficking victims arriving from Italy since 2014. 80 percent of them were Nigerian. Our cameraman wore a hidden device to get a sense of how these conversation takes place. And where the women came from.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From Nigeria.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are from Nigeria.

BELL: Local charity say that the women who walk the streets are getting younger and that their apparent freedom is an illusion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have no access to their documents. They have lost their identity, they have lost their age. And they have no freeness. The only freeness they have is to go to a prostitute and to give back money.

BELL: It is so shocking to see these women lined up on the streets of this park. We asked Parisian police how this could be allowed to continue. They are simply isn't very much they can do. The women are afraid to talk to them because of the network. And they say they are moved around Europe very often. And then explain the police, there's a problem that there is an apparently never ending supply of Nigerian women desperate to come to Europe.

A slave among so many others in the park. That is what Nadesh said that she was for eight months. It was the birth of her son that, gave her the strength to go into hiding, but she said, no one ever really escapes.

[03:35:07]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No matter what I am tomorrow, I still to be useless. Because I can't promise them (inaudible). I can't probably tell the world who I am, I will always be in the dark. It is not easy. To be transported to Europe just like a bag of fruit and sold for men to eat for money. But I just thank God I'm a survivor.

(END VIDEO)

LU STOUT: And joining us again more on her reporting Melissa Bell. Melisa, now that this dark secret is out. What is it going to take to end this practice as you point out in this report, there is never- ending supply of women from Nigeria. It will what is needed to break the cycle of human trafficking?

BELL: This is such is a difficult problem for authorities, because although we have focus on the investigation, Kristie on one part, trying to get an idea precisely what happens here in the Bois de Vincennes, you're talking about something that is replicated the police all over Europe in all of this major city and the problem explain the authority here is that the women who are taken across the Mediterranean by the trafficking network will begin that journey for them, of course back in Nigeria. Once they are here, as you heard on my report without a papers,

without the confidence to speak to anyone around them since they had been told, they had been almost brainwashed into speaking to no one but their networks and handing over all of their earnings to them. These are women who are usually vulnerable and of course because they are move around, European authorities, even when they are trying build cases here, by managing to reach out to one of them, by getting her to say that maybe she will speak out about what happen to her. Building those cases, taking those networks (inaudible), so much time that often the girls and women have been moved around to other European cities by the networks before they can be heard in court.

So, you have this huge problem of massive arrivals of Nigerian women and it is staggering Kristie, we are talking about 15,000 Nigerian women who cross the Mediterranean in 2014, according to the IOM, that rose to more than 11,000 in two years later. 80 percent of them once again are likely sex trafficking victims.

So you have European flooded really with these very vulnerable young women and authorities legal system that simply aren't equip.

LU STOUT: Yes, this is happening in Paris, it is happening across Europe. This is a cycle of exploitation that needs to end. Melissa Bell reporting live for us from Paris. Melissa, thank you.

Now a critic of Saudi Arabia's government walked into this country's consulate in Turkey and he never walked out. That's according to Jamaal Khashoggi's fiance. She hasn't seen the journalist since he went inside the Council on Tuesday to get documents. That the couple need to get married. CNN's Jomanah Karadsheh joins us live from Istanbul for the latest on this mysterious disappearance and Jomanah, again this journalist enter the Saudi consulate in Istanbul 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday. He is not seen her from since. What happened to him?

JOMANAH KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is the big question, Kristie. So many people are asking yesterday, I met fiance outside the Saudi consulate here in Istanbul and she was really emotional asking that question, where is Jamaal? Has he been kidnapped and has he been detained, has he been jailed, where is he are right now and one point she broke down in tears blaming herself for this situation, because the reason he went into that consulate is because he needed to obtain paperwork from Saudi Arabia that would allow him to get married to his fiance here in Turkey where they wanted to settle down and she says that before that visit. He was quite reluctant. She was really concerned about are going to the consulate. This is a man who left Saudi Arabia last year feeling very uncomfortable staying in his country during that crackdown on critics and human rights advocates in the kingdom.

So, you know this has been his concern for some time but she said she only a short after an initial visit on Friday, he spent a couple of hours in the consulate and she said she was really welcomed by officials there, so he left and told him he would be back on Tuesday after a brief trip 1 p.m. Tuesday local time he walked to the consulate, gave her his phone before he went in to standard procedure and that was it. It hasn't been seen since having been heard from since and we heard from the Turkish government, here, a senior advisor to President Erdogan say what they know is that he is inside the Saudi consulate. They are monitoring the situation they say, because this has some serious implications under international law under Turkish law and humanitarian implications as he put it.

[03:40:11] And then you have the other version of events coming from Saudi Arabia, the government, they are saying that he did visit the consulate, but they are insisting that he left shortly afterwards and so many people you are asking the question saying that if he had left the consulate. Why didn't Saudi Arabia just released that CCTV surveillance or footage from the consulate showing him leaving, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Jomanah, the greater worrying trend here what is his disappearance say about the current Saudi government and its aggressive pursuit of those critical of the leadership?

KARADSHEH: See that is the real concern here as you know, because there is the sphere that this is part of this trend that we've been seeing over the past year. This crackdown by the Saudi government on human rights advocates, women's white advocate, and so many people who human rights organizations. They are behind bars in Saudi Arabia. Now Jamaal is a very prominent journalist in the Arab world, an analyst in a columnist that so many people know and all he's seen for years as an insider very close to the Saudi royal family and advisor for a few years to some of the top members of the Royal family. But over the past, he has become a bit critical. The way he's describing, he does not like being seen as a dissident or an opposition figure. He describes himself as a nationalist, someone who cares about his country and that way you put it, he was really concerned about what he described as one man wore. He is concern that his country was moving in the direction of that under the leadership of the crown Prince there, the young Mohammed Bin Salman, so the real concern here is of course, we don't know if and where he is right now, but the concern is that this is part of what we have been seeing over recent months. This crackdown by Saudi authorities on anyone who is critical of the regime.

LU STOUT: Jomanah Karadsheh reporting live from Istanbul. Jomanah, thank you. Up next, German chancellor Angela Merkel pays a visit to Israel where difference is over Iran and the Palestinians are expected to be front and center. Plus, Melania Trump's tour of Africa includes a visit to force slave outpost in Ghana, but the U.S. first lady saw and learned, next.

[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: And now to Africa, where the U.S. first lady is on her first international trip without President Donald Trump. Melania Trump will be in Malawi just a few hours. She has spent the last two days in Ghana where she learned about the country's tragic history in the slave trade. David McKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg. David, the first lady has just wrap up her visit to Ghana, tells more about what she saw there.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly there was a poignant moment where Melania Trump, the first lady tweet the slave fortress of the infamous site where the (inaudible) slave trade move from Africa looking at of course the door of no return into the dungeons with some of the male slaves were kept. It seem that the first lady was very touched by the history of walking alone with the tour guide in the Cape Coast of Ghana. She actually made rare comments to the press of how much it meant to her, to visit facts of their historic site. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: It is very a (inaudible) place. I will never forget. It is an incredible experience and the story that encourage gentlemen (inaudible). And the dungeons that I saw was really something that people should see and experience what happen so many years ago. It is really a tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Well, Kristie, this trip has had less of the fan faded maybe you saw during previous first ladies who saw those trips with consonant, but in her quiet ways, certainly Melania Trump making distinction from the chaos behind in Washington that her husband is dealing with and they are moving on to the (inaudible) where we expected her to focus on girls and young people's education, Kristie?

LU STOUT: David, in her own quiet way, Melania Trump is torn Africa learning more about the continent in is this visit, the first lady's visit their completely at odds with her husband's policy on Africa?

MCKENZIE: Well, it is some say at odds. I am not sure if it is completely at odds. There has been very little focus on Africa by President Trump when he has dealt into African issues. It's often been criticized by leaders on the continent, particularly when you refer reportedly to countries in Africa and very derogatory terms. So in some way they will be looking to manage those offenses with the African nations, but also at odds perhaps is the focus on foreign aid and some of President Trump policies have look to cut foreign aid assistance, which is very important in African context in Malawi where she will be visiting. They are also trying to push new concept of the way the U.S. is dealing with foreign aid on self-reliance trying to move countries and programs of dependence on U.S. money towards self- reliance.

So it is something that you will be pushing alongside with the USAID officials traveling with her. And she will also be heading to Kenya and in Kenya, the president of Kenya, a president Kenyatta seems to have develop a more personable personal relationship with President Trump of the last few months. So we might see more of a focus on a larger welcome. One might expect in Nairobi when she touches down and later this week. Kristie.

LU STOUT: David McKenzie reporting live for us. David, thank you. Now differences over the Iran nuclear deal, and the Israeli parliament consulate are high on the agenda is Angela Merkel arrives in Israel. The German Chancellor began her day by laying of Reese at a Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. She is expected to sit down with his Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Our CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now from Jerusalem. Oren, Merkel is there to promote ties, but there are major differences between these two nations. What is this visit going to achieve?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORESPONDENT: you are absolutely right. The Israeli and German governments are of different opinions on some of the biggest issues in the region that includes as you pointed out, the Iran nuclear deal, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and one of the biggest stories here right now, is the impending Israeli demolition of a Palestinian veteran village known as Al Khan al Ahmar. Yet despite that there is major overlap between these two governments. Israel sees Germany as one of his biggest supporters in Europe and strongest allies and it's not just transfer Angela Merkel here meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He draws a dozen of the highest members of her own government here for a true government to government meetings.

[03:50:00] So, the meeting itself, instead of focusing on where they disagree. There is plenty that they do agree on and that's what is these governments will focus their meetings, economics, trade, research and development, security, cyber and that's where a lot of this meetings will focus, the two will meet here at a press conferences here that is Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Netanyahu at the King David Hotel. This is where the government meetings will be before Chancellor Merkel returns to Germany.

LU STOUT: Oren, we know that there are these sharp differences, you know, between these two nations over Iran, over the passports and peace in the Middle East. Has Donald Trump and his presidency has he made those differences even more pronounced.

LIEBERMANN: I think you could say some more pronounced shopper and perhaps even more exaggerated, especially from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has moved the position of the Israeli government towards the Trump administration position and that subsequently means away from the European position. And we have seen that in differences and disagreements Netanyahu has openly criticized Europe for wanting to stay and salvage the Iran nuclear deal. And yet, again despite those differences, Israel and Germany have strong ties here and that's what these ties are all about. Kristie, it is always significant what German leader comes and visits the Israeli Prime Minister. We saw that with Chancellor Merkel's visit to (inaudible), the Israeli Holocaust Museum in this visit is certainly no different, especially as Merkel won't be visiting the Palestinians on this trip.

LU STOUT: All right, Oren Liebermann reporting live from Jerusalem as we look at this live pictures on our screen. Benjamin Netanyahu, Angela Merkel there, together on her to the visit the region. Oren, thank you. You are watching CNN Newsroom and still to come, a presidential alert and how could America into a joking mood. That's next and the program. It will be here.

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LU STOUT: Death by selfie and sadly it is a very real phenomenon. But researchers in the all Indie Institute of medical Sciences reports four to six years of these reports and found that some 259 people around the world have died while taking photos of themselves. Most of the victims were men and within 30. India accounted for more than half of the total followed by Russia, the U.S. and Pakistan with the most selfie death. The most common cause drowning people being washed away by waves and beaches or falling off boats, for example, now the second leading cause of death by selfie is by transports, just people trying to snap a quick picture in front of a moving train out to Boise here, oh my goodness he was just injured. He was one of the lucky ones.

Out tied for third are fires and falls from high places. His photos from cliff edges and yes, daredevil selfie's like this one have become more popular. Now the U.S. number of selfie deaths involving guns. One of them was in 2015, when a 19-year-old with a firearm shot and killed himself all trying to take a selfie in Houston Texas. A year later the same thing happened to a teenage boy in India and Russia selfie deaths has become such an issue in 2015, that the police put out a brochure urging people to take photos of themselves safely, they warned against selfies and precarious situations of animals on rooftops and with exposed live wires.

Now millions of Americans receive a presidential alerts on the mobile phones on Wednesday. It turns out it wasn't actually from President Trump but it was the first nationwide test of a government system designed to warn of an emergency.

[03:55:06] Our CNN's Jeanne Moos reports. Americans took the test in stride and with a great deal of humor.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Never has an emergency alert in so much fun.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there are 250 phones in the audience. Is everyone ready?

MOOS: As the government use to do on TV has now been expanded the wireless phones nationwide, inspiring a game of who gets the alert phone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I won.

MOOS: Are you startled or are you expecting it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was expecting that I even set an alarm ready for it.

MOOS: An alarm for an alert, scheduled for 2:18 p.m. Eastern.

This woman had a flip phone, you didn't get an emergency alert?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, what is the emergency?

MOOS: There is no emergency. It was just a test.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a test, oh you are so beautiful.

MOOS: Thank you. The alert was beautiful when it finally happen.

It is called the presidential alert. The president didn't right it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is true.

MOOS: You know that because there are no misspelling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.

MOOS: And it is not in all caps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, man.

MOOS: Because it is called the presidential alert. It became fodder for jokes about what President Trump might text.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your phone would be like, I'm on Fox and friends at 7 a.m. Enjoy and also a tsunami is coming, sad.

MOOS: Just allured presidential made it unwelcome to (inaudible).

There were cracks like Tiffany Trump, sees first ever text from father.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I don't think I feel comfortable having him have my number. All I can imagine is like 2:30 in the morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My first response somebody said, you know, it is alike an amber alert and I said, of is he missing?

MOOS: This mock presidential alert was for different missing person. I haven't seen the Melania in months. At least the new wireless alerts seem to keep everyone alert.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO)

LU STOUT: thank you for joining us, I'm Kristie Lu Stout, the news continues with Max Foster. You are watching CNN.

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