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CNN Exposes Secret, Private Army That Does Anything Putin Says; Norway Police: We Had Tip About Shooter A Year Ago; Friend Of Accused Dayton Gunman Now Faces Charges; Focus On Epstein Associate, Ghislaine Maxwell; Coach, Givenchy Apologize Over T-Shirt Outcry In China; Hong Kong Mainland Official Says Protests Show Signs of "Terrorism"; Memorial Held for Russian Scientists Killed in Mystery Explosion; New Trump Rule Targets Poor, Less Educated Immigrants; Floods Devastate South Asia. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 13, 2019 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

Coming up, Hong Kong's embattled leader says that protests are pushing the city to the brink of no return as demonstrators at the airport disrupt flights for a fifth day.

A CNN exclusive: our investigated fighting force carrying out Vladimir Putin's orders in some of the world's most dangerous places.

Plus the Trump administration is clamping down on legal immigration, new rules to design to filter out certain people in the United States.

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CHURCH: Hong Kong's chief executive says the city is being pushed to the brink of no return, Carrie Lam spoke hours ago, as more pro- democracy protests take off at the Hong Kong airport, demonstrators flooded the main terminal on Monday.

Hundreds of flights were canceled and disruptions are still being reported, organizers are also launching a hospital sit-in. There were violent clashes over the weekend in many protesters accused police of excessive force. CNN Andrew Stevens is at the airport and joins us now live,

Good to see you, so what is the scene at the airport right now and what are protesters planning to do in the hours ahead as more protesters arrive?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: Well, what we have seen in the last hour or so is a significant increase in the number of protesters who have arrived here to join their fellow protesters in the arrivals hall here at the Hong Kong International Airport.

So you can see pretty much as far as this terminal stretches there is a sit-in in place as the students continue to protest against the police action, what they consider the extreme police action, police brutality, they call it, against the protesters over the past two or three days, particularly at the weekend.

If you look down you can see these sorts of posters and these leaflets are being handed out right around the airport now, there are some fairly graphic pictures here of how students or protesters are being injured in these protests over recent days.

And they wanted the students -- protesters wanted to bring attention to the fact they being the police is using extreme force, unnecessary extreme force. It's interesting Rosemary, if you look, this is the arrival, it's pretty crowded.

But normally this would be full of friends and families waiting to meet loved ones. Now what we see is a row of mainly black clad protesters wearing face masks, some even wearing gas masks as well as the hard hats, holding out these leaflets, talking about police brutality as they see it in their eyes and asking for an international audience to give their support.

This is why they have chosen the airport because they want to get the message out internationally that this is what is happening in Hong Kong. And they're looking for support here.

So far there is been no sign of security, the students are allowed to come in here freely, They are younger protesters and students who are out of study at the moment. This is a very flimsy single barrier which keeps the students in designated areas but at this stage the airport is functioning, Rosemary, flights are taking off and landing.

And as I say passengers are being met with these sorts of scenes and posters and as they make their way through the hall -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Andrew Stevens, reporting live from the Hong Kong International Airport, we will check back an hour from now to see what the situation is there at the airport, many thanks to you for that report.

Well the protest began over a controversial extradition bill, Carrie Lam said it was suspended in June and the protesters want it completely withdrawn, a reporter asked earlier if she has the power to give in to that demand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Do you as Hong Kong's leader have the autonomy to decide to withdraw the bill, yes or no?

Or is this something that Beijing has to approve as well; in other words have your hands been tied by Beijing in not allowing the bill to be withdrawn --

[02:05:00]

QUESTION: -- or is this a point of political pride on your part in not doing this and refusing to meet this demand of the protesters?

Yes or no?

(CROSSTALK)

CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: This question has been answered on previous occasions.

QUESTION: But you have evaded the question on numerous occasions.

LAM: Number one, as we have all heard from the spokesperson of the Hong Kong and Macao affairs office, the central government is still confident that I myself as the government of the Hong Kong as they are, together with the police force, that we are still capable of resolving this crisis.

QUESTION: Do you have the autonomy or not to withdraw the extradition bill?

LAM: Further point I want to make --

QUESTION: Could you answer that specific question?

LAM: -- various demands that we have heard. We have considered all factors and came up with the response that we have rehearsed time and again over the last two months. Thank you --

QUESTION: Do you have the autonomy or not to withdraw the extradition bill?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you please answer the question?

QUESTION: You have not answered the question. You have evaded the question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Holden Chow is a member of the Hong Kong legislative council and vice chairman of the pro-Beijing DAB alliance and he joins us now.

Thank you so much for being with us.

HOLDEN CHOW, LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBER: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So let's follow on from that, I'm sure you saw the questioning of Carrie Lam, the -- Hong Kong's chief executive, why was she evading the question about whether she had the autonomy over that particular decision to get rid of, to basically get rid of the extradition bill which is what is causing this problem?

CHOW: I think about this extradition bill she has already declared many times, it is dead. It's gone. It is shelved and it will no longer be revived -- (CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: But shelving it is very different.

Why not just come out and say it's gone, it's dead, it's not going to be resurrected anywhere?

Shelving it implies that it may have some sort of return.

CHOW: From my perspective or from my understanding, it means the bill is dead, is gone, it's buried.

CHURCH: Well, say that. Just say it.

(LAUGHTER)

CHURCH: Say it.

CHOW: Well, I think the government always has its own way to deal with this sort of problem when they're responding to people's question. But what I would assure you that is the bill is dead and gone and it will never revive.

So that is my understanding and of course why do people keep asking the question of asking for a withdrawal?

It stems from a mistrust between the people and the Hong Kong government, it's really boils down to the problem of trust. There is no trust between the Hong Kong people and the government.

For the time being we see this sort of dispute. But of course, the government has already declared that the bill is gone. And what I would say it is, one of the major things the government can do is how do we restore the truth between the people and the government.

And, of course, as a chief executive, I think she should start off with engaging with people and having more dialogues with people from different sectors.

CHURCH: Right, which they are not doing and they're not doing it, the reason they say they are not doing it is because they don't think there is an apparent leadership within that protest group, which is really avoiding the situation of trying to find a solution here, don't you think?

CHOW: Well, I think there is a problem, I used to point out on this show that there is simply no leaders within the movement.

CHURCH: But there are --

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: -- there are various leaders. It's just there are many different groups that have come to gather, which is what happens in most situations across the globe when you have a protest like this. You will have lots of different splinter groups but you go to the main group, don't you, you go to the main people that have some sort of voice that's listened to by the rest of them and you do attempt to negotiate some sort of solution here by saying that's the end of the extradition bill and moving forward from there.

But I want to move on from here because we're seeing more protesters gathering at Hong Kong's airport in an effort to draw international attention to the violent confrontations with police over the weekend.

How do you justify the excessive force against the protesters, particularly the young woman who lost an eye when shot at close range with a non lethal weapon?

CHOW: First of all I think it is very sad to see the lady get injured in the course of the protests and we wish her a swift recovery, that is one thing.

The second thing is, of course, in the violent --

[02:10:00]

CHOW: -- clashes we see over the past few weekends, on one hand, I think the police face immense difficulty in dealing with this sort of situation because you see the violence or the acts done by the protesters.

The violence is escalating, people start throwing bricks, throwing petrol bombs, setting fire. It is very dangerous for other people too. So I think the police have a very immense difficulty in dealing with this sort of situation.

On one hand they need to make sure they use reasonable and appropriate force when dealing with this situation. On the other hand they need to avoid causing injury.

CHURCH: Isn't shooting a woman at point-blank range in the eye, is that reasonable force?

CHOW: Of course I don't have information on that situation. But rumors are flying around. Some people suggest that police caused injury to the lady but, on the other hand, we see rumors flying around that the lady was actually injured by the fellow protesters by firing their catapult.

So --

CHURCH: There is no evidence of that.

(CROSSTALK)

CHOW: -- the outcome remains to be seen but I think the police have a duty to carry out an investigation into the reason behind it, if there is any sort of wrongdoing is, of course, people should be held accountable.

(CROSSTALK) CHURCH: I do want to ask you too, because we are running out of time, Beijing is now accusing the protesters of showing sign of terrorism and you are implying that yourself, and we have seen a video of a convoy of military police vehicles involved in exercises just across the border.

Is this Mainland China building its case to intervene or is this simply an attempt to intimidate protesters?

CHOW: Well, I have answered this question on many different occasions.

CHURCH: Well, we would like you to answer it now on CNN if you don't mind.

CHOW: The PLA will not come into deal with the situation here because we trust the Hong Kong police and the Hong Kong government has the ability to deal with the situation in Hong Kong.

CHURCH: So it's simply an attempt to intimidate them.

CHOW: It's not intimidation. We are talking about Hong Kong situation so it's about Hong Kong police and Hong Kong as our government, the ability to deal with the situation. And we trust the Hong Kong police is able to deal with that, so the PLA will not come into to deal with the situation, I have to assure you of that.

CHURCH: We will watch to see what happens, the numbers of protesters are increasing and we will be watching very closely to see what happens going forward. Holden Chow, thank you so much for joining, us we appreciate it.

CHOW: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, CNN has extensive coverage of the protests online on cnn.com/hongkongprotestslinks, due to the latest information on what is happening on the ground, updates on cancellations and analysis from our reporters, do check that out.

Tense moments in the Sydney's central business district. Witnesses say a blood spattered man armed with a knife ran through the streets shouting, "Allahu akbar." Bystanders managed to pin the man to the ground with a chair and a milk crate until police arrived on the scene.

One woman was found stabbed inside a hotel room and she was taken to the hospital, where she was reported to be in stable condition.

Questions surrounding an explosion in one of Russia's closed cities continues to go unanswered, five employees of the state nuclear company died in a mysterious blast and all Russia will say is the country is mourning the loss of life. As Fred Pleitgen reports, there are concerns the explosion may have been much larger than previously thought.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There still is a lot that is unclear what took place when the explosion happened in the arctic north of Russia and whether or not radiation was released after that explosion took place.

The Russians have acknowledged that they were testing some sort of missile, engine for a missile when that explosion took place. The official version is that liquid propellant, fuel caught fire and then led to that explosion, now the Russians are now acknowledging that five workers for their state run atomic energy agency were actually killed in that blast.

But whether or not there were radioactive elements that were present is simply something that we do not know at this point. There are certain things that seem quite odd as far as the messaging is concerned, at first the local authorities in that area said that they had --

[02:15:00]

PLEITGEN: -- measured a spike in radiation over a short period of time, however, their statement was then later deleted and the defense ministry later said, no spike in radiation had been registered.

Now the big question is what could the Russians have been testing, so far they haven't said, one of the things that Vladimir Putin has claimed in the past is that in March of 2018 the Russians were working on developing nuclear power cruise missiles so they don't only have a nuclear warhead, they're also powered by nuclear energy.

The Russians say they could potentially fly an indefinite amount of time and also evade American missile defense systems. Whether or not the test of one of these missiles may have gone wrong in that area is unclear, so far there's no official statement as to what has gone wrong -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The Kremlin may not be commenting but the U.S. president is weighing in, Donald Trump tweeted this a little earlier, "The United States is learning much from the failed missile explosion in Russia.

"We have similar, though more advanced, technology. The Russian 'Skyfall' explosion has people worried about the air around the facility, and far beyond. Not good!"

Skyfall is the name of the nuclear power cruise missile prototype that Russia tested last night.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM the Trump administration takes aim at legal immigrants, how a new rule could make it much harder for thousands of people to get visas.

Plus as the floodwaters recede, the extent of the damage becomes clearer, more on India's devastating monsoon floods, we will be back in just a moment. (MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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CHURCH: The Trump administration has announced a new rule that could drastically reduce the number of legal immigrants to the States. A top U.S. official was asked if it means if the U.S. is slamming the door shut for immigrants who don't come to the country with money in their pockets, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE PORTNOY, CBS NEWS CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Is that sentiment, "Give us your tired, your poor," still operative in the United States or should those words come down?

Should that plaque come down off the Statue of Liberty?

KEN CUCCINELLI, ACTING DIRECTOR, CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES: Well, I'm certainly not prepared to take anything down off the Statue of Liberty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN Jessica Schneider explains how that new rule penalizes so many people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This new rule will mark a dramatic shift in the way that immigrants are --

[02:20:00]

SCHNEIDER: -- evaluated during that application process for visas and green cards. Under the current congressional statute the government has long considered how dependent an immigrant is or would be in government assistance when determining their eligibility for permanent resident status.

But up until now, the government has only considered cash benefits that immigrants receive. Under this new rule that was announced today and set to go to effect October 15th, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will also factor in whether they receive public assistance; that is food stamps, Medicaid, housing vouchers.

And the government will consider those as negative factors in an immigrant's application The White House is defending this rule, saying this is a way to ensure and encourage immigrants already here in the U.S. and those looking to come to this country, to ensure that they are self-sufficient.

Of course the critics are already crying foul, saying this amounts to a wealth test that will lead to discrimination against immigrants from poorer countries and will keep families apart and could also prompt legal immigrants already here to refrain from seeking any public aid that they might need.

The National Immigration Law Center has already announced that they will be filing a lawsuit to challenge this new rule that is set to go into effect in the middle of October -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The U.S. budget deficit is ballooning. It's up 27 percent through July, that means the gap grew to $866.8 billion and it is predicted to touch $1 trillion. Keep in mind it has only been slightly more than a year and a half since the Trump administration ushered through a $1.5 trillion-dollar tax cut, which the White House vowed would pay for itself.

The chances of a recession in the U.K. may be higher due to the looming threat of a no deal Brexit in October. But U.S. national security adviser John Bolton has been in London and meeting with prime minister Boris Johnson and throwing his support behind Britain's exit from the E.U. with or without a deal. Here is Kiley Atwood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: President Trump's national security adviser John Bolton walked away with meetings with U.K. officials here in London today, saying, a message, we are with you, that is when it comes to U.K.'s Brexit and even a no deal Brexit.

He says the Trump administration will enthusiastically support Brexit even if it came with no deal, now that means that Bolton was highly aware that this was an issue that the U.K. is focused on and it also means that the Trump administration is willing to table some of the other issues that they hope they could sync up with the U.K., the new leadership, prime minister Boris Johnson and that those issues are issues like Iran, Huawei.

They want to really work with the U.K. on these issues but right now it's all about Brexit and, in that vein, Bolton says that the U.S. and U.K., are indeed working towards a new trade agreement and even if a comprehensive trade agreement between the U.S. and U.K. can't be reached in the short term, they are hoping that they can carve out some sectors and come to some sort of agreement so that there can be an economic relationship that survives after the U.K. does indeed go forth with Brexit at the end of October-- Kylie Atwood, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: To India now, a monsoon flooding has left more than 170 people dead and many more displaced, now the water is receding, revealing the extent of the devastation across a number of Indian states, our Michael Holmes has more.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A crocodile in India lies in an unlikely writing spot, drying out on a tin roof of a house still submerged in floodwaters, villagers across the country have fared far worse, heavy rains and landslides have caused the death toll from this monsoon to climb steadily though some places are seeing some relief with water levels dropping, revealing the scope of the damage caused by the rains.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We have lived outside since eight days, our stuff has been damaged, brinks (ph) destroyed, children have fallen ill.

HOLMES (voice-over): Hundreds of thousands of people have taken refuge, in relief camps while those who stayed behind struggle to save their livelihoods, farmers picking through rain soaked fields to try to salvage what hadn't been washed away, while others hoist their livestock to higher ground to save their cattle as well as themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There are more than 100 animals and there are animals on three or four more terraces. We got them out by using pillows and mattresses from here.

[02:25:00]

HOLMES: Nearby Myanmar is facing many of the same obstacles from the rains and a landslide killed dozens of people, rescue operation is still ongoing in some areas to save the stranded. The lucky ones end up in boats and others are forced to swim to safety.

And the weather also wreaking havoc in Pakistan where cities like Karachi are deluged in knee deep water, bringing some places to a standstill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We cannot get out of our houses, I was going to my office but there is so much water that my bike got stalled. Everything is in disarray.

HOLMES (voice-over): The rainy season for South Asia that is still in its peak, while there is no choice but to endure the wet and wait for the day when the waters recede -- Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHURCH: Still to come, a CNN exclusive report on Vladimir Putin's private army. Technically it doesn't exist but it is fighting battles on three continents.

The gentlemen in the white cap there, there was no sense of fear and no stopping him. He is the hero who subdued a gunman at an Oslo mosque and he talks about what happened in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you now in the main stories we've been following this hour. Hong Kong's chief executive says the city is being pushed to the brink of no return. Pro- democracy protests are still disrupting flights at the city's airport. Hundreds of trips were canceled Monday after demonstrators stormed the main terminal.

An official state of mourning has been declared in the northern Russian city of Sarov. That is where five nuclear specialists were killed in an explosion last week at a military test site. Now, U.S. experts are weighing in on what likely caused that fatal and mysterious blast. They're pointing to what's called the Skyfall nuclear missile. Russia acknowledges the blast but won't say whether it was nuclear.

A sweeping new Trump administration rule allows the rejection of U.S. visa applicants if they don't meet an income standard, and if they've received public benefits like welfare, Medicaid, or public housing. The change is set to take effect on October 15th. Legal challenges are expected.

We have an exclusive new CNN report for you now exposing a secret private army that does the bidding of Russia's Vladimir Putin. CNN has learned the reach of this shadowy fighting force is expanding apparently led by a Putin ally linked to U.S. election interference. Here's CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is Oleg. For years, he says he worked as a hired gun in Syria for a shadowy Russian mercenary group called Wagner that has become a valuable tool for the Kremlin.

OLEG, HIRED GUN, WAGNER (through translator): Wagner is Putin's instrument for resolving issues by force when action has to be taken immediately, urgently, and in the most concealed way possible. I cannot say it's an army in the proper sense of that word, it's just a fighting unit that will do anything that Putin says.

WARD: This is the first a former Wagner employee has agreed to speak on camera and Oleg asked us to disguise his identity. Private military contractors are illegal in Russia. Officially Wagner doesn't exist. But CNN has discovered that the group now has hundreds of fighters operating on three different continents.

And this is the man believed to be behind that expansion. Dubbed Putin's chef because of lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin, Yevgeny Prigozhin is also sanctioned by the U.S. for funding the internet research agency accused of meddling in the 2016 election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm a mercenary. And 90 percent of participants of the company were like me and they were motivated by money.

WARD: What sort of training was it? Where did it take place?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You know, I didn't have any training as such, not then anyway. I spent six days in the training camp in Molkino. I went to a firing range twice and shot a machine gun once. That was it.

WARD: CNN traveled to the remote Russian village of Molkino to try to get to Wagner's training camp and found that the group has a surprisingly close relationship with the Russian military. The only way to get into the Wagner barracks is to get through that checkpoint which is manned by the Russian military because this actually belongs to a Russian Special Forces unit.

Not far from Molkino, there's a monument to fallen Wagner fighters. Visitors are not welcome so we approached with a hidden camera.

[02:35:06] It looks less like a memorial than a fortress.

A guard soon comes up to us. Is the church only for Wagner, I asked. I don't know for whom he says. For the people who were in Syria, I press him. I don't know, I'm telling you, he says. I'm just guarding here. He begins to get suspicious of our questions and we decide to leave.

Yes, we've got to go. Let's go.

They didn't let us inside which is not surprising because in that compound is the only tangible, visible proof that Wagner is real. No surprise perhaps that the monument is funded by a Prigozhin owned company.

It was five years ago in Crimea that mysterious unidentified fighters dubbed little green men helped Moscow rest the province from Ukraine even as the Kremlin feigned ignorance. It was a success and Moscow's use of mercenary forces has since grown. Analysts say none of this could happen without Putin's approval.

Do you think that part of the mission of Wagner is to help Russia restore its role to become a major global superpower again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, 100 percent. This is the top priority for Wagner.

WARD: And so it's trying to be arrival to America?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Russia is trying to suppress the U.S. in every way possible by using legal and illegal means. It's trying to smash it, get the better of it somehow. What will come of it as a result, nothing good I think.

WARD: But for Russian President Vladimir Putin Wagner is still a worthwhile gamble, an expendable fighting force with no accountability. Clarissa Ward, CNN Molkino, Russia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And CNN attempt to reach out to Yevgeny Prigozhin whose company lawyers did not respond. We also wanted to contact Wagner but because it does not officially exist, it has no address or phone number or Web site. And we asked the Russian Ministry of Defence for comment but received no response. Clarissa's team is also investigating Russia's advances into the

African continent particularly in the Central African Republic where her team visited a camp run by Russian mercenaries arming and training the National Army. They also traveled to a Russian controlled mine where the mission appeared less transparent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARD: A way to one of seven sites where a Russian company has been given exploration rights.

One of the challenges of trying to nail down exactly what the Russians are doing here is that once you get outside the capital, this is still a very dangerous and chaotic country. And just last year, three Russian journalists were actually ambushed and killed while working on a story about Russian mercenaries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And you can watch Clarissa's full report on Russia's activities inside the Central African Republic. That's Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in New York 11:00 p.m. in London only on CNN. Well, police investigating the Norway mosque attacks say they received a tip about the shooter a year ago, but they say it was too vague to pursue.

The suspect in the shooting was battered and bruised with two black eyes when he appeared in court Monday. Witnesses say he was overpowered on Saturday by a 65-year-old member of the mosque just west of the Norwegian capital. Mohammad Rafiq described how he stopped the gunman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD RAFIQ, WORSHIPER: When he start a fire --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then he came from -- not from the main door, on the side door which was built of glass. Then he started fighting on the other two people. And then he jumped on him.

RAFIQ: Yes. Then (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then he threw him like this, and the pistol and gun, then fell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Incredible. And police believe the suspect killed his stepsister and then went to the mosque. He's facing charges of murder and terrorism. In the United States, a friend of the accused gunman in the Dayton, Ohio mass shooting now faces charges himself.

Prosecutors say Ethan Kollie bought accessories and helped assemble the weapon that eventually killed nine people. Reid Binion has more on what Kollie told investigators after last week's attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) [02:40:07] REID BINION, CNN PRODUCER: Body armor, an AR-15 accessory, and 100 round drum magazine, that's what federal investigators say this man Ethan Kollie bought for his friend Dayton, Ohio shooter Connor Betts.

BEN GLASSMAN, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO: He purchased these items for Betts and stored them at Kollie's residence in order to assist Betts in hiding the items from Bett's parents.

BINION: The 24-year-old Kollie is now facing federal firearms charges. On August 4th, Betts shot and killed nine including his own sister outside a nightclub in the Oregon district before police shot and killed him. According to a probable cause affidavit, Kollie helped Betts assemble a 100 round double drum magazine in the weeks before the shooting.

GLASSMAN: Mr. Kollie does not stand accused of intentionally participating in the planning of that shooting. We have no evidence of that. There's no allegation of that.

BINION: We're also learning new details about both men's drug use. The FBI says Kollie told them he had taken hard drugs with Betts several times a week between 2014 and 2015, and that he smoked marijuana almost daily. The document also reveals Kollie lied on ATF paperwork to purchase his own weapon.

GLASSMAN: Specifically indicating that he was not a user of controlled substances when in fact he was.

BINION: I'm Reid Binion reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: So what's North Korea's dictator up to now? Kim Jong-un appears to be trying a new strategy involving his pen pal Donald Trump. And a number of high-profile figures are drawing unwanted attention from the Epstein scandal including a member of the British royal family. We'll have the details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he is angry and appalled after accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was found dead of an apparent suicide inside a New York jail. Barr says there are "serious irregularities at that facility and blamed it for failing to supervise Epstein."

CNN has learned that at least one of the two employees on duty at the time was not part of the regular workforce and was filling in as a guard. The Attorney General is also promising justice for Epstein's alleged victims and is issuing a warning to any co-conspirators.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:45:06] WILLIAM BARR, ATTORNEY GENERAL, UNITED STATES: Let me assure you that this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein. Any co-conspirators should not rest easy. The victims deserve justice and they will get it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we're learning more about how prosecutors are pursuing their investigation into possible co-conspirators. FBI agents visited Little St. James on Monday. That is the island Epstein owned in the Caribbean. And their focus is expected to shift to Ghislaine Maxwell.

In hundreds of pages of court documents, the British socialite is accused of assisting Epstein in arranging sexual encounters. CNN's Vicky Ward explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICKY WARD, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: There are other people involved and -- you know, I think that, that the face of this now becomes Jeffrey Epstein's longtime girlfriend. The alleged procurer of a lot of these women, Ghislaine Maxwell.

I mean, she was certainly named in the affidavit of Maria Farmer who was one of the women who spoke to me -- one of the victims in 2002. And her sister Annie Farmer who stood up in court at Jeffrey Epstein's bail hearing, and asked the judge not to grant Jeffrey Epstein bail.

You know, told me that she really blamed Ghislaine Maxwell for what happened to her when she was underage because Ghislaine Maxwell was -- you know, she sounded so sort of aristocratic British reassuring, she told their mother that she would be a chaperone when she invited Annie Farmer, then-16 to come stay with Jeffrey Epstein.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Maxwell has previously denied any involvement in sex abuse or sex trafficking. Epstein's death comes just after newly unsealed court documents revealed new details of sexual abuse claims against him and several high-profile associates, including Britain's Prince Andrew. Our Max Foster has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Business, as usual, it seems for Prince Andrew, pictured on Sunday riding alongside the queen on their way to church.

A bold show of support perhaps as new details placed a spotlight on allegations of sexual misconduct laid against the British royal. Hundreds of pages have previously sealed court filings were released on Friday. Bringing to light fresh allegations which have linked the Duke of York to his former friend and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell on Saturday.

At the heart of the documents connected to a 2015 defamation case are allegations by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims Epstein kept her as a teenage sex slave. Giuffre pictured here with the prince. Says, Epstein forced her to perform sex acts with a number of prominent men, including the Duke of York in 2001. Now, court documents detail fresh allegations that the British royal groped another young woman at Epstein's Manhattan mansion. The other woman whose alleged abuse at the hands of Epstein claims she was forced into sexual acts with Prince Andrew at Epstein's New York City home where she says Giuffre participated as well.

Buckingham Palace has repeatedly denied the allegations. Telling CNN that any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue. However, in a statement to CNN in July, the palace confirmed that the duke of York met with Epstein in 2010, describing the encounter as an unwise decision on the part of the prince.

Whilst the royal family has in the past not been forthcoming in responding to such allegations, the duke of York took to the World Economic Forum in 2015 to reiterate the palaces steadfast denial of underage sex allegations.

PRINCE ANDREW, DUKE OF YORK: I have -- I have just wished to reiterate and to reaffirm the statements which have already been made on my behalf, by Buckingham Palace.

FOSTER: As these unsealed court filings shed new light on the lurid details of the Epstein scandal, questions surrounding the involvement of the financer's high-profile associates are beginning to mount.

While Epstein's death brought the federal criminal case against him to an abrupt end, the scandal is far from over. And prosecutors could still pursue related criminal cases involving the financier's many associates.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

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CHURCH: North Korea is taking a new attack with the U.S. and its president. Kim Jong-un is trying to split Donald Trump from one of America's allies. And experts say he's doing it by appealing to Mr. Trump's ego. Here's CNN's Brian Todd.

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[02:50:14] BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As North Korea's brutal dictator continues to play penpal to the president, he's also trying to drive a wedge between America and one of its most important allies. Kim Jong-un's foreign ministry is threatening to freeze South Korea out of future nuclear talks. And expressing anger over the joint us- south Korean military exercises underway this week.

Kim's regime is accusing South Korea and its president, Moon Jae-in of trying to disguise those military drills by changing their name. Putting out a rare statement in English that reads, "an expletive, though hard and dry still stinks even if it is wrapped in a flowered cloth."

PATRICK CRONIN, SENIOR FELLOW, HUDSON INSTITUTE: This is the kind of bombast that we've come to expect out of Pyongyang's propaganda machine. And being scatological doesn't change the fact that North Korea is basically just dumping on the South Koreans right now. They do not respect Moon, they're looking for equality with the United States.

TODD: In an apparent attempt to win that equality, Kim Jong-un sent another personal letter to President Trump, which the president again, called beautiful.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was hand-delivered, and it wasn't touched by anybody, they literally take it from North Korea to my office, we have a system. The old-fashioned system. You don't have to worry about leaks. Something nice about that system.

TODD: In the letter, Trump says, Kim complained a lot about the joint U.S.-South Korean exercises. And Trump in a tweet said that in the letter, Kim even did the unheard up. Saying, he was sorry for something.

Saying, it was a "Small apology for testing the short-range missiles, and that this testing would stop when the exercises end."

Trump and his team have minimized several short-range missile tests Kim's regime has conducted over the past few weeks. Even though, experts say, they pose a threat to millions, including the roughly 80,000 U.S. military personnel in South Korea and Japan.

ABRAHAM DENMARK, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: As North Korea develops these capabilities, it enhances their ability in a conflict to be able to threaten an attack American civilians and military personnel living across the station.

TODD: Veteran diplomat, say the young dictator is again manipulating Donald Trump's ego in an effort to get sanctions on North Korea lifted. And to peel Trump away from his allies in the region.

JOSEPH YUN, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I believe for Kim Jong-un, this is all about playing to Donald Trump's vanity. Conveying to him that you're the man, you can do the deal that nobody has been able to do before.

TODD: Analysts say that while all this is going on, it's very possible that Kim Jong-un is still manufacturing nuclear warheads, and perfecting his long-range missiles. All in secret. So that if this entire process with the United States breaks down, he'll have new capabilities to show off and to use for provocations.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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CHURCH: Well, first it was Versace, now more outcry in China over controversial t-shirts made by Western luxury brands. We will explain why Chinese consumers are calling for boycotts. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [02:54:53] CHURCH: Well, luxury brands Givenchy and Coach are following in Versace's footsteps. The companies are apologizing for controversial t-shirts that seemingly refer to Hong Kong and Taiwan as independent from China. Now, social media users in China are calling for boycotts against the luxury brands.

CNN's Hadas Gold has more details.

HADAS GOLD, CNN POLITICS, MEDIA AND BUSINESS REPORTER: Some of the biggest luxury brands in the world came under fire by Chinese social media users over the past few days.

What happened with some brands like Coach, Givenchy, and Versace were called out for certain t-shirts they had, which identified places like Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, as completely separate from China, which is not how China sees them as part of their One China policy.

Now, this became such a big deal on Chinese social media that Coach was the number one most searched for term on the Chinese version of Twitter called Weibo. Now, as a result of these Chinese social media users pointing out these t-shirts. That kind of look like band tour t-shirts of different cities listed on the back, but identifying Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan sometimes as separate, versus something like Beijing.

They lost actually some really important brand ambassadors in the country. A Coach lost Liu Wen who's a model. And Givenchy lost Jackson Yee as part of a boy band, and Versace lost Yang Mi, who's a well-known actress. They all separate their ties with these companies over what they said with these inappropriate t-shirts.

Now, all of these brands came out almost immediately apologizing for these t-shirts, saying that they had already removed them or that they were old designs. Givenchy said that the brand has always respected China's sovereignty, and firmly adheres to the One China principle.

And Donatella Versace herself actually went so far as to post on her personal Instagram. Saying never has she wanted to respect -- to disrespect China's national sovereignty and this is why she wanted to personally apologize for such inaccuracy and for any distress that it might have caused.

Now, how quickly all of these companies acted? And how quickly they apologized? And how their apology seemed to so firmly adhere to how China views itself with these places shows you not only the sensitivity in this situation. Especially, with all, that's happening in Hong Kong.

But also how important the Chinese market is to these brands? Chinese shoppers are responsible for a third of global luxury sales, according to a report by the consultancy Bain. That results in about $7 billion a year according to the McKinsey consulting firm.

Hadas Gold, CNN, London.

CHURCH: Thanks so much for that report and thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church, remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter and I'll be back with more news in just a moment. You're watching CNN, stay with us.

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