Return to Transcripts main page
NEWS STREAM
Super Typhoon Meranti Headed For Taiwan And China; Flooding Crisis In North Korea; Trump And Clinton Vow To Release More Medical Information; Clinton Pneumonia Diagnosis Fuels Transparency Debate; Syria Claims It Shot Down Israeli Warplane; U.S. Stages Show Of Force Over South Korea. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired September 13, 2016 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:14] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to NEWS STREAM. An aid agency's appeal for international
assistance in North Korea after deadly floods leave many homeless as winter approaches.
Taiwan braces for a super typhoon, Meranti, the strongest storm of the year so far.
And as a cease-fire appears to hold in Syria, Israel denies that one of its jets was shot down by Syrian forces.
A dangerous storm season here in Asia. The strongest storm on the planet this year is just hours away from Taiwan. Super Typhoon Meranti with the
force of a category 5 hurricane is also threatening China and will affect the Northern Philippines.
Meanwhile, in North Korea, frantic efforts are underway to find hundreds of people missing after torrential rains and flooding. More than 100 are
confirmed dead. This year's scale of the disaster has led North Korea unusually to ask for help.
Now earlier, I spoke with Chris Staines from the International Red Cross about Pyongyang's rare request and the dire situation on the ground inside
North Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS STAINES, HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS DELEGATION OF NORTH KOREA (via telephone): We believe that 100,000 people have been displaced from
the floods, and latest reports are that 538 people have died or are missing, presumed dead.
LU STOUT: How unusual is it for North Korea to give this public appeal for aid and for help?
STAINES (via telephone): Well, it's important that the needs of the people are responded to, and, certainly, the authorities have mobilized their
resources to do that. We saw evidence of that last week. Thousands of people on the roads repairing roads and making the best they can to try and
support people who have been affected. And recently, the government here in Pyongyang has announced other measures to try and support people,
mobilizing, I'm told today, 200,000 people to try and provide support for the people affected by the floods.
Of course, the international community has its role to play in that and provide support and encouragement, particularly humanitarian support, to
the people that have been swept up in this terrible flood disaster.
LU STOUT: And in concrete terms, what kind of humanitarian support is needed in the disaster zone in North Korea, especially when time is of the
essence before winter sets in?
STAINES (via telephone): Winter is the big factor that's driving things, because people now are living in very desperate situations. Their homes
have been destroyed. In the communities we visited, we saw that the flood waters were both high and very fast moving, and, accordingly, their houses
have been basically washed away and destroyed. People have lost everything. They've lost all of their belongings, they've lost their
kitchen gardens, they've lost their livestock, their chickens, their pigs, they've lost crops, and all of that is going to affect how they live for
the next weeks and months ahead.
They may have problems with accessing safe drinking water and all the problems that go with that, including the risk of infectious diseases,
communicable diseases, and also the big issue, another big issue that's looming is about food security. People having enough food during the
winter and in the months ahead into next year.
LU STOUT: So you're saying that the flooding crisis right now will affect the chronic food shortage that the people of North Korea suffer year after
year?
STAINES (via telephone): It's certainly going to impact on that. There's no doubt that the crops which were only a few weeks away from being
harvested will be decimated. The statistic I saw was 16,000 hectares of cropland impacted.
In the DPRK, there hasn't been an impact on food security where things are always, always quite tight in terms of food production and the need for
food. So it will definitely have a longer-term impact. But the big issue is for the people right now, the people that don't have safe shelters, the
people that don't have safe access to water, who don't have the essential medicines and things they need to be safe on the ground right now.
LU STOUT: You're painting this picture of just immense human suffering inside North Korea. We know that the country has issued this rare public
appeal, this international appeal for help. Are you afraid that there could be less help offered to North Korea because of the country's
relentless nuclear drive?
[08:04:54] STAINES (via telephone): People help other people, and that's what we need to focus on. It's always a matter of humanitarian action and
support. The Red Cross and our work is always focused at the humanitarian. Other issues are not something that we become involved in. And we call on
people everywhere to provide humanitarian support to the people in DPRK who have been affected by this terrible disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And that was Chris Staines at the International Red Cross, speaking to me earlier from North Korea. Still in the region, Taiwan and
China are bracing for the super typhoon Meranti, which is expected to strike early on Wednesday. It is the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane,
packing wind gusts of over 300 kilometers an hour. Chad Myers is at the World Weather Center with the very latest on the storm. And Chad, when the
super typhoon makes landfall, what kind of impact is it going to make?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it depends if it hits the southern tip of Taiwan at a 300 kilometer per hour storm, or does it miss and then
slam into China as a monster wave maker? This is going to be a storm surge like 15 meters in spots. People will be just leaving the beaches, leaving
the area here to the north of Hong Kong. Hong Kong not in the eye of this thing, thank goodness. Taipei not, as well.
But right now, 295 kilometers per hour, gusts estimated at 360 kilometers per hour. That's faster than any formula one car can go on any
straightaway. The incredible speed that this storm is building right now over very warm water. Right on top of where we saw Nepartak ago, just a
few months ago.
But there's the storm. It looks like at least the center of the cone does miss the island, but the surge will not. The winds will not. Even this
brushing, glancing blow here to the very, oh, mudslide prone area of southern Taiwan will get slammed with an awful lot of rainfall. Could be a
half to a full meter of rain on top of those mountains.
Now luckily, this is what the light sees, the satellite looking down, looking for lights on the ground. That's not a real populated area there.
The northern sections, the western sections of Taipei and of Taiwan, that's where most of the people live.
It's not going to be easy. We're still going to have winds of 120 kilometers per hour, maybe even close to Taipei, so this is so wide and so
broad, there will be effects, it's just not will be called landfall.
There's Nepartak. It hit right there on the southern tip of Taiwan. And then there it goes again. This is the next storm, Meranti. And if it
slides by, all the sudden, it's not going to lose any power, and it's going to slam into China. If it hits Taipei a little bit, if it hits Taiwan a
little bit, those mountains will kind of take the stuffing out of the storm, it will go from a 300 kilometers per hour storm to maybe a 180, to a
200 kilometers per hour storm as it moves into China. I'm very worried about this coast of China with the flooding. The same story that we just
had on the air about the North Korean flooding happened because of lion rock as it kind of interacted with the mountains of North Korea and another
low pressure system offshore.
So a lot of times, we only worry about the wind, but more people are killed by the flash flooding sometimes because of all the rain that's going to
come down. And there's another one back out to the west, way out here, Malakas. We believe that will turn and eventually go towards southern
Japan. We'll keep watching that. You can see the big turn here across Okinawa. Could be a storm, could be a typhoon, but right now a dying
typhoon as we think it's going to get into colder water up here. That will be late in the day on Sunday.
Obviously right now, our focus in the next 18 hours will be on Meranti. It will be a devastating storm for some.
LU STOUT: Yes, a number of storm systems spinning out there, but all eyes on Meranti. And just in what, a window of 24 hours, it got so powerful so
quickly, transforming from a category 1 to category 5 storm. Just how unusual, how challenging is that kind of rapid intensification in a storm?
MYERS: We talk about severe weather and how storms in the plains of the United States or in Europe get strong because of wind sheer. That's when
you have that winds aloft at maybe 100 kilometers per hour but the winds at the surface only ten. That's blowing the storm but making it bigger if
it's one thunderstorm. If you have no wind aloft and no wind at the surface other than the hurricane itself, the lack of sheer in a hurricane
or in a typhoon or in a cyclone, that's when the storm really explodes.
This storm had absolutely no sheer, had very warm water, and that explosive development is not rare, but certainly you take it and you look at it and
go, oh, we didn't need that. It certainly happens -- it happens a lot, when you go from just a tropical cyclone all the way up to a typhoon and
then what they call a violent typhoon. This is a big, severe, super typhoon right now. It happens when the atmospheric conditions are right,
and they were this time.
LU STOUT: All right, Chad Myers reporting for us. We'll speak again soon. Take care.
[08:09:55] The U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is explaining to the public why it took her campaign two days to disclose that
she has pneumonia. She says that she just didn't think it would be that big a deal, but it's raised a whole host of questions about transparency in
her campaign. Here's CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE (via telephone): I'm feeling so much better and, obviously, I should have gotten some rest sooner.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINTON CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Hillary Clinton speaking to CNN from her home after days of trying to recover from
pneumonia.
CLINTON (via telephone): I just thought I could keep going forward and power through it.
ZELENY: The Democratic nominee responding to critics who have slammed her campaign for not disclosing her diagnosis sooner.
CLINTON (via telephone): I just didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal.
ZELENY: She's trying to turn the transparency spotlight back on Donald Trump, who has yet to release his tax returns and medical records.
CLINTON (via telephone): Compare everything you know about me with my opponent. I think it's time he met the same level of disclosure that I
have for years.
ZELENY: Clinton pledging to return to the campaign trail this week, texting her supporters that she's feeling fine and getting better. And
calling into the San Francisco fundraiser she was forced to miss.
CLINTON (via telephone): I wish so much I could be there.
ZELENY: Clinton tells CNN she never lost consciousness when she lost her balance while leaving Sunday's 9/11 memorial service.
CLINTON (via telephone): I felt overheated. I decided that I did need to leave, and as soon as I got into the air-conditioned van, I cooled off, I
got some water, and very quickly I felt better.
ZELENY: Her husband Bill Clinton says this isn't the first time she's had such an incident.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Rarely, but on more than one occasion over the last many, many years, the same sort of things
happen to her when she just got severely dehydrated.
CLINTON (via telephone): I think really only twice that I can recall. It is something that has occurred a few times over the course of my life.
ZELENY: Back in 2012, Clinton fainted at her home, suffering a concussion, which her husband said took her six months to recover from. At the time,
the State Department downplayed it as a stomach virus and dehydration.
Trump on the campaign trail unusually quiet about Clinton's health as both candidates vow to release more medical information this week.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE (via telephone): I'll be releasing very, very specific numbers.
CLINTON (via telephone): We'll have more information, but I've already released information about my health in this campaign, as well as nearly 40
years of tax returns. We've already met a high standard of transparency, and we know the least about Donald Trump of any candidate in recent
American history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And that was Jeff Zeleny reporting there. He's our Senior Washington correspondent. He joins us now live from New York with more on
the story. And Jeff, the Clinton pneumonia diagnosis, it's raising questions about transparency on both sides. Both candidates, Clinton and
Trump, are senior citizens. Neither have released extensive health information. Is there now more pressure on both of them to change that?
ZELENY: Yes, there absolutely is, without question. This has shined the spotlight on both of their health and their age. And you're right about
that. Secretary Clinton is 68 years old, she turns 69 next month. Donald Trump is 70 years old. They are two of the oldest candidates to run for
president here in the U.S. And they have released not very much information.
Now she has released more than he has. She has released a doctor's letter, giving some vital statistics and health history. Donald Trump has released
virtually no information. He says he will do so later this week, but that is why it matters. There are, you know, throughout the history of time
here, a lot of presidents in the U.S. and elsewhere have sort of masked some of their illnesses and things. So that is what they're facing. But
the Clinton campaign also is trying to battle back the fact that they're hiding anything. So they're really trying to turn the page here, and she
was doing it directly in the interview with Anderson Cooper last night, trying to remind folks that, look, people know more about her than people
may know about Donald Trump.
LU STOUT: All right, Jeff Zeleny reporting for us. Thank you very much indeed for that. Let's dig into this issue further, especially on the
media angle, with our CNN Money Senior Media Correspondent, Brian Stelter has been covering the follow up (ph) from all of this. He joins me now
live from New York. And Brian, Hillary Clinton in that interview with Anderson Cooper -- she said that she's feeling better. She also said this
about the late pneumonia disclosure, saying quote, well I just didn't think it was going to be that big a deal. But it is a big deal. Tell us why.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN MONEY SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and if she didn't realize that, her aides should have realized that. Clinton made a
bad situation worse by withholding information early on, by keeping the press and the public in the dark on Sunday, and that's why, it's one of the
reasons why it remains a big story today.
I don't want to use that line, it's not the crime, it's the cover up, because there's no evidence of a true cover up here, but it often, with
Clinton, and with other politicians, comes down to when and how issues are disclosed.
[08:15:04] I think we should be honest, Kristie, most voters are not going to make up their minds based on when and how Clinton shared information
about her health, but this much broader issue of whether she is fit to serve is crucial to this election. She says she is fit to serve, her
physician says she is, and there's not evidence to the contrary. But when you see that really devastating video of her stumbling there on the
sidewalk, it does raise alarm bells in people's minds and that's why health is going to be an issue for this election all the way to election day.
LU STOUT: It's also raising calls for Trump to disclose his medical record, too, as Jeff Zeleny was reporting. But how is Trump capitalizing
on this moment when we're so close to the vote? Because his campaign, again and again, has raised the issue of Clinton's stamina, physical
fitness, as well as issues of secrecy. How does this late medical disclosure play into that and affect the Trump campaign?
STELTER: I think Trump is letting his allies and letting conservative media, and frankly, letting journalists who are trying to cover the story
objectively, let them, let us make it a story, cover the story. He recognizes there's no need for him to weigh in any further. It will be
interesting to see how he handles this at the debates in two weeks if he brings up any veiled references to her health. But for now, he's focusing
on her comment from last Friday about half of Trump supporters being deplorable for various reasons.
LU STOUT: There's a health issue and there's also the wealth issue. Even at this stage of the race, there are calls growing for more medical, as
well as financial transparency from both candidates.
STELTER: That's absolutely right. And I think this is a proud moment, frankly, for the American press, to be standing up, being more forceful,
and to say, we need to see more information, more records for both of these candidates. In the case of Clinton, the spotlight is on her health and her
medical history. In the case of Trump, the spotlight is one again being pointed on his tax returns and the fact that we have not seen his
information about his wealth, about his taxes, because he says he's not able to share it because it's under audit.
There's a lot of reasons to be skeptical of that claim, of that excuse, and I think the pressure is going to continue to mount on Trump to share more
of those records. It is clear that every time Clinton aides are asked about her health, they are pivoting to Trump's lack of disclosure about
taxes. Both sides need to share more information about both of these issues, and that's what voters deserve in this race.
LU STOUT: Yes, transparency front and center for both candidates in the U.S. presidential race. Brian Stelter reporting for us. Thank you, Brian,
take care.
STELTER: Thanks.
LU STOUT: Now two developing stories out of Germany. Officials there say that they've arrested three Syrian nationals who are now being investigated
in connection with November's terror attacks in Paris. Two of those arrested are teenagers and one man is in his twenties. They were allegedly
sent by ISIS to Germany to form a terror cell. The investigation suggests that the same organization who brought in the Paris attackers also brought
in these three suspects into Germany. They arrived in the middle of November last year by a Turkey and Greece.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. Still to come right here on the program, uncertainty surrounds a cease-fire in Syria. We'll tell you how a truce
there is holding up so far.
And, a show of force on the Korean peninsula. American bombers in the skies over South Korea. We'll tell you what message they were trying to
send.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:20:28] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching NEWS STREAM. A cease-fire in Syria appears to be holding for the
most part, but aid groups say that they need some security guarantees before they even attempt to deliver aid to besieged areas.
Both the Red Cross and the U.N. say that they are ready to deliver to Aleppo, but first, they need to be sure their aid workers will be safe.
CNN's Arwa Damon joins me now live from the Turkish-Syrian border. Arwa, we are in the initial stages of the cease-fire and it appears to still be
holding.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does, bearing in mind, of course, when we talk about calm and cease-fires holding in a
country like Syria, given all of the violence that has transpired there over the last five years, everything is relative. That being said, though,
the sound of fighter jets overhead no longer being reported. The incessant, relentless bombardment of rebel-held areas, that is no longer
being reported either at this stage. And in fact, one resident of eastern Aleppo that CNN spoke to said that he was able to actually sleep for the
first time in months.
Of course, what people are waiting for right now is aid, especially into the besieged areas. We're mentioning that there earlier, Kristie, and the
issue isn't just guarantees of safe passage from the various different parties on the ground. It's also guaranteed that the trucks will be
allowed through.
If you look at the different routes from Turkey into Aleppo, all of them would require aid trucks to cross through both rebel and regime
checkpoints, and that means that all sides need to agree to allow these aid convoys access. And at this point, that is still a key issue that's still
being negotiated. Kristie --
LU STOUT: And Israel has mostly been sitting on the sidelines of this civil war in Syria, but that was not the case today. Tell us exactly what
happened.
DAMON: Well, the Syrian-Arab news agency, the state run government news agency reported that they shot down an Israeli fighter jet, which the
Israelis then staunchly denied, and most certainly said was not the case. There has been some cross-border fire, however. There has been fighting
inside Syria between some extremist groups to include those affiliated with al-Qaeda. They have by and large been fighting mostly with regime forces
there, but as has happened a number of times in the past, you do get artillery that ends up landing on the Israeli side of the border. Whether
or not it is deliberate, that is never entirely clear, but the Israelis did respond to that, which is something that they have also done in the past,
but the bottom line is, the Syrian-Arab news agency reported that the Syrians had shot down an Israeli fighter jet and the Israelis basically
said that that was not the case. Kristie --
LU STOUT: All right, Arwa Damon reporting for us live from the Turkish- Syrian border. Thank you very much indeed, Arwa.
Against a backdrop of rising tensions over Chinese island building in the region, China and Russia have begun Navy military exercises in the South
China Sea. It's an annual joint exercise that will see drills carried out over the next week, but it has new significance after that landmark ruling
against China's territorial claims in the region. According to China, surface ships, some marines, aircraft, and amphibious armored equipment
from both navies will take part.
The United States has made a powerful statement about the strength of its alliance with South Korea. American B-1 bombers flew low over an air base
near Seoul in a show of force after Friday's nuclear tests by North Korea. Paula Hancocks has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The show of force on Tuesday was the United States saying to North Korea, if you threaten one of
us, you threaten both of us, trying to show that the alliance between the United States and South Korea is still very strong.
Now, earlier Tuesday we did see two B-1 bombers flying over South Korea. They were flanked by U.S. and South Korean fighter jets to show that the
military alliance is strong. And we heard from general Vincent Brooks. He's the commander of U.S. forces in Korea, and he said North Korea's
nuclear test is a dangerous escalation and poses an unacceptable threat.
Now this is not the first time the U.S. has done this. We saw back in January after the false (ph) nuclear test, they flew a B-52 bomber over the
peninsula.
[08:25:06] Then in February when North Korea carried out a satellite launch, which much of the world assumed was an intercontinental ballistic
missile test, they then flew F-22s over the peninsula, similar situation back in 2013 when tensions were very high.
Up until this point, though, these kind of flyovers have not swayed North Korea in any way. There has been some political movement, though. We saw
this Tuesday that Sung Kim, the top U.S. nuclear envoy was here in Seoul meeting his South Korean counterpart. He's just come from Tokyo. He's
spoken to his counterpart in China and in Russia, so he's really trying to garner support, not only for further sanctions against North Korea, but
also for closing some loopholes of existing sanctions.
SUNG KIM, U.S. NUCLEAR ENVOY: We are, of course, working very closely with the United Nations Security Council, our six party (ph) partners, and the
broader international community, to ensure full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolution 2270 and other existing resolutions, and to
take additional significant steps, including new sanctions, to demonstrate to North Korea that there are indeed serious consequences for its unlawful
and dangerous actions.
HANCOCKS: Sung Kim says that more than 80 countries around the world have so far condemned the nuclear tests, but Pyongyang at this point does not
seem too concerned. On Sunday, they called this effort to look at new sanctions laughable. Paula Hancokcs, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now, the politician who led the impeachment of former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been ousted himself. Lawmakers voted to expel
Eduardo Cunha, the former speaker of the chamber of deputies. He was accused of lying during a corruption investigation into the state oil
company, Petrobus. He's also accused of hiding millions of dollars in offshore accounts. The scandal has already brought down some of the
country's top politicians.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. Still to come, Chinese police crack down on a village five years after it became a symbol of Democratic reforms.
And euthanasia is a deeply controversial topic, but one paralympian says just having that option actually gives her strength to live on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching NEWS STREAM. These are your world headlines.
A cease-fire in Syria appears to be largely holding. Aid groups say they need to be sure their workers will be safe before they send convoys into
besieged areas, including East Aleppo. All this amid a dispute between Syria and Israel. The Syrian military claims it shot down an Israeli war
plane and a drone near the Golan heights. Israel denies it.
The North Korean government has made a rare appeal for help to cope with the country's flooding disaster. So far, 133 people have been killed and
395 are missing after torrential rains caused chaos in the north. The international Red Cross says more than 100,000 people have been displaced
and need urgent aid.
The U.S. has made a powerful statement about the strength of its alliance with South Korea. On Tuesday, two American B-1 bombers flew low over an
air base near Seoul in a show of force after last Friday's nuclear test by North Korea. The bombers were joined by U.S. and South Korean fighter
jets.
Hillary Clinton is speaking out about why it took her campaign two days to reveal that she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. She told Anderson
Cooper she just didn't think it was that big a deal. She's promising to release more medical records, but says she's already met a high standard of
transparency about her health.
When the Chinese village Wukan rose up against corrupt officials five years ago, and became known as a rare example of successful grassroots activism
in China. But today, we're seeing scenes like this. Police in full riot gear clashing with villagers. And this comes after authorities raided
several homes and took 13 people into custody. Residents have been protesting the arrest of the village chief, who was sentenced to prison
last week. Wukan is a fishing village in southern province of Guangdong. It grabbed global headlines five years ago when residents angered by
officials who seized land and sold it to developers took to the streets. Thousands of protesters showed up as police surrounded the village. It
lasted for months, and to diffuse the standoff, senior officials held talks with residents. In an unusual move, not only did they agree to expel local
communist party leaders, they also allowed Wukan to hold democratic elections. Of the next year, villagers elected protest leaders and the key
positions that many felt that more could be done. Earlier this year, reports say the village chief began pushing for residents to be compensated
for their land, but in June, he was arrested and charged with taking bribes. Just last week, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Turning now to Rio, where the Paralympic Games are under way, and one Belgian Paralympian is using the occasion to discuss a controversial
subject, assisted suicide. She suffers from a painful condition, and says, knowing she has the option of euthanasia is actually what gives her the
strength to live on and to compete. Sashta Darlington has more.
[08:32:57] SASHTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another medal for wheelchair racer Marieke Vervoort. Silver in the 400 meters. Her third
Paralympic trophy to-date, but the focus here in Rio has been rumors she could resort to assisted suicide after the 2016 games are over. At a press
conference, Vervoort who suffers from a degenerative spinal condition, set the record straight, saying she does not plan to resort to euthanasia right
after the Olympics. But, she said, knowing that she can legally take her own life when she is ready is what keeps her going.
MARIEKE VERVOORT, PARALYMPIAN ATHLETE: I hope that euthanasia is also something that for every country that means not murder, that it means that
it gives - that it gives a feeling of rest of - to the people. If I didn't have got those papers, I think I did already a suicide, because it's very
hard to live with so many pain and suffering and in this unsureness. Every year, it's going more and more less, so I'm really glad with those papers.
And I'm still alive and still can enjoy every little, little moment in my life.
DARLINGTON: Vervoort was diagnosed with the condition when she was just 15 years old. First, it meant she didn't have the use of her legs, but she
said, each year, it gets worse. Now, it's affected her vision. Sometimes the pain is so bad she just can't sleep, which is why back in 2008, she
signed the euthanasia papers in her native Belgium.
VERVOORT: What's the next? What's coming? I'm really scared, but those papers give me a lot of rest in my mind, because I know when it's enough
for me, I have those papers, so I find that's a good thing, because it's not easy to get them.
DARLINGTON: Vervoort says she does plan on retiring after the 2016 games, but for now, she wants to enjoy more time with her family, friends, and her
therapy dog, Zen. Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
LU STOUT: Now, these runners prove they're not only the fastest in the Paralympics, but they're faster than the Olympic medalists who competed at
the same track, just one month ago. The top four finishers in the 1,500- meter race clocked faster times than the gold medalists of the same race in the Olympics. Abdellatif Baka who won the event on Sunday even set a world
record for the event. They're competing in the T13 category, where competitors are visually impaired, so no one was using blades or other
devices. You're watching NEWS STREAM.
And coming right up, his stories are known for spunky kids magic and, of course, wild adventures, but they also champion the scared and the weak.
We'll look at the legacy of Roald Dahl.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[08:37:59] LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, the U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte may be trying to move past his Rio Olympics controversy by appearing on the
U.S. TV show "Dancing with the Stars," but some aren't so quick to forget. Several protesters rushed the
stage, cutting off the judges' critique of Lochte's dancing skills.
CARRIE ANN INABA, DANCING WITH THE STARS JUDGE: And I really do feel that you brought your best to this bar. You have a long way to go. Swimming
isn't - excuse me. Hey, back off! Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me. Off, off. Excuse me.
TOM BERGERON, DANCING WITH THE STARS HOST: Wow. OK. Easy, easy. I'll tell you what. All right, we're going to - we'll take a break, we'll get
the rest of the judges' comments. Take a deep breath. We'll be right back.
LU STOUT: Of two of the suspected protesters were handcuffed and led away afterwards. One of them called Lochte a liar. Lochte had lied about being
robbed while in Rio. Lochte himself said that he was really heartbroken by the protests, but said he had to brush it off and was glad he was on the
show.
There is a bizarre new conspiracy theory swirling around the internet about Hillary Clinton after her pneumonia diagnosis. Now, skeptics want to know
how she recovered so quickly after falling ill during Sunday's 9/11ceremony. Our Jeanne Moos tells us some say she uses a body double.
[08:39:25] JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Literally loaded into a van to a peppy rebound a couple of hours later.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you feeling better?
HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes, thank you very much.
MOOS: The speed of Hillary Clinton's recovery was too much for some.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was not Hillary. Uh-uh, sorry.
MOOS: And thus was born #HillarysBodyDouble. Believers say she resurfaced looking slimmer and younger. Personal trainers hate her, she lost 30
pounds in two hours with this one simple trick. The photo on the right is an old one. Some found it odd she reappeared without her entourage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody is around her. Well, why not?
MOOS: The Secret Service was there, just hanging back. The body double believers pointed out physical differences, saying the real Hillary's index
finger is longer than her body doubles, along with side-by-side photos. One person tweeted, now I understand the Stronger Together slogan.
CLINTON: We are stronger together.
MOSS: If Hill can't do it, her body double can. A Hillary supporter joked she has two body doubles to explain differences in photos. One is named
"Angles" and one is named "Lighting." Other Hillary fans were stunned. "Think I may have seriously underestimated human stupidity.
MOOS: Next thing you know, Hillary supporters double down with #TrumpsBodyDouble. The Donald was compared to everything from a cat to
Cheetos, fried, orange, and full of air. There were plenty of references to "Weekend at Bernie's," showing Hillary's team propping her up like a
dead movie character. Read one tweet, "If she doesn't want to raise concern, she shouldn't dress like Bernie." It's enough to make a candidate
want to call in sick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Madam Secretary, how are you feeling?
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened? What happened?
LU STOUT: And finally, a very special anniversary. It is Roald Dahl Day. Now, the late beloved author would be 100 years old today. There are
events planned in schools and bookshops around the UK. Dahl is known for his children's books, beloved stories that continue to live on in games,
plays, and movies. Sophie Dahl honored her grandfather in "The Guardian," saying that his legacy for children, are heroines and heroes who are brave,
scared, funny, and always innovated in the face of adversity. Now, she recalled a Syrian teenage refugee whose first English book was "James and
the Giant Peach," but something her friend told her captures the appeal of Dahl's tales, "He loved my grandfather's books because they don't
patronize, they don't dumb down the fear that we all feel sometimes. Often, they celebrate it." And that is NEWS STREAM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout,
but don't go anywhere, "WORLD SPORT" with Amanda Davies is next.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[08:45:15] AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, thanks for joining us. Welcome along to "WORLD SPORT" live from London with me, Amanda
Davies. It was less than four months ago, we were in Milan as Real Madrid celebrated, lifting the champions league trophy. Today, the road to the
2017 final begins in earnest, and what would Gareth Bale give to be celebrating again, this time in the Welsh capital of Cardiff. It is match
day one. There is plenty to get excited about. Here's Alex with more. Alex?
[08:45:44] ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLDS SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, but like the Super Bowl, anyone get close to the Champions League final in terms of global
viewership that kicks off last week. This week, it's the Champions League. Arguably the most prestigious club football competition on the planet, even
if it isn't quite the richest, say, compared with the Premier League here in England. More stars from more different countries you find even at a
World Cup. This is the 62nd running of the Champions League, previously known as the European Cup. 32 teams, 17 different nations, spread into
eight groups of four. Spain and England with the most representatives, four teams each for them. 30 former champions in the field, two
debutantes, including England's title holder Leicester City. The top two from each group go through to the last 16. Knockout from then on, lose or
go home, up to the final in June the 3rd. In wales, opening matches taking place today and Wednesdays. Tuesday's games including the French
champions, Paris St. Germain against Arsenal. Amazingly, the first time they've faced each other in this tournament.
Group C looks incredibly tough. Manchester City's Pep Guardiola drawn against former side Barcelona, although they have to wait to play each
other, as will the two giants in Group D, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid. Although, much has been made here in England, Arsenals' faltering
start to the season. Paris St. Germain appear to still be adjusting to life without (INAUDIBLE) the league winners the last four years running are
only seventh in the table. Bayern Munich's new coach Carlo Ancelotti already is one of seven men to have lifted the European Cup as both a
player and manager. If he leads Germany's champions to glory this season, he'll be the first coach to win it four times with three different clubs,
and Pep Guardiola, who we've mentioned before is also one of those people to have won a Champions League as a player and coach. He hasn't done it
for five years, though. He says it is possible to claim England's Premier League and the Champions League in the same season, although he's starting
to play down Manchester City's chances, despite that impressive win over United on Saturday.
PEP GUARDIOLA, MANCHESTER CITY MANAGER: We'd be good because (INAUDIBLE) play in United, the Old Trafford, and the way we played, but we are far
away. We're far away from the best. We are looking forward the team to compete to win the Premiere League, to compete the best teams in Europe.
We are far away. Today was difficult for us, especially, of course, (INAUDIBLE) is there. But especially with Gladbach. Gladbach, I know
them. It is a very, very good team.
DAVIES: Well, Alex is here with me. It's interesting, Pep Guardiola, somebody so synonymous to Champions League success. Actually been quite a
long time since he's won it. And you have to say it is a tough ask to claim the trophy that Manchester City have wanted so much, but in this
first season.
THOMAS: And it's almost one of those urban myths about Pep and the Champions League, because Germany won 14 major trophies in four seasons at
Barcelona. Only two Champions League titles. So, I mean, that's impressive, we'd give anything to have two Champions League titles to our
name, but he did go to Bayern Munich (INAUDIBLE) while winning the league in impressive fashion, three years running, didn't go far than the semi-
finals, and that shows the fine margins. He can get the team to semi- finals every year, but this needs a bit (INAUDIBLE) over the line. Manchester City setting up the quality, but he's right to play down their
chances for now.
DAVIES: And there's been a lot of talk in recent times about the problems for English clubs. England does not traditionally do its own teams any
favors in the Champions League, where perhaps some of the other team or the countries around Europe do help out their sides.
THOMAS: Yeah, no English winners since Chelsea, what, five, six years ago, and even then that was a really backs-against-the-wall efforts against
Bayern Munich in their home city. And they haven't really looked likely again since then, although City did get to the semis last season, so
they've got the quality in their squad. But if you look at their four teams in the Champions League, two of them, Tottenham and Leicester City,
don't really have the consistency of being there year and year out. No Manchester United, no Chelsea this year, so you can't say their chances are
improved and, of course, there's still the only major European league not to have a winter break.
DAVIES: Do you think we're going to be looking at the traditional power houses of recent times? Can we look past the likes of Real Madrid, Barca,
perhaps the Italians?
THOMAS: If I'm using my head, the answer is no.
DAVIES: Yeah.
THOMAS: If I'm using my heart, the answer is yes, because let's not forget that this season's Champions League is against the backdrop of these
threats of a breakaway super league amongst the top European clubs.
DAVIES: And they'll be aware of that. They'll want to put on a show, won't they?
THOMAS: Of course, they will. I think UEFA, and certainly, hearing this from the candidates after the presidential election happening tomorrow in
Greece, are saying, you know, what about the smaller teams, they may be less, because EUFA already conceiving (INAUDIBLE) more places to English
clubs and to Spanish clubs. It'd be lovely to see the (INAUDIBLE) the Russian side making its debut in the Champions League or Leicester making
them stay the champion, have a good year, and to show it's not just about Bayern, Real, Barca, and the rest every season.
DAVIES: A pretty tasty side, PSG against Arsenal. PSG like Manchester City, one of these clubs that have set it as their mission to win the
Champions League, but compared to last year, they're just not as good.
THOMAS: Yeah, I mean, four successive appearances in the quarterfinals, hence the changing coach. You know, (INAUDIBLE) coming in, so much success
with (INAUDIBLE) in the Europa League, so it shows he can do it in the European knockout competition, which may explain maybe why PSG had a
slightly shaky start in League, only 7th (INAUDIBLE) after only four games. (INAUDIBLE) note that (INAUDIBLE) as well, some big characters out of their
dressing room. They need a strong start. Arsenal, you know, in the same boat as PSG, lots of consistency in the Champions League, but struggling to
get those latter stages and challenge the cup itself.
DAVIES: Alex, thanks very much indeed. We will, of course, have complete coverage of the opening day of fixtures throughout the day here on CNN and
"WORLD SPORT." But up next we ask what's next in the NFL protest movement.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[08:53:25] DAVIES: Welcome back. The NFL action continues and so does Colin Kaepernick's protest against racial inequality in America. The San
Francisco 49ers' star kneeled for the national anthem once again ahead of his side's 28-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Here's CNN'S Dan Simon with
the story from Santa Clara.
[08:53:46] DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amanda, the San Francisco 49ers shutting out the L.A. Rams in their home opener here at Levis Stadium. Of
course, the organization wants that to be the focus rather than on their back-up quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who once again took a knee during the
national anthem. He was joined by his fellow teammate Eric Reid. I have to tell you, it was a somber atmosphere in the stadium as the crowd observed a
moment of silence to remember the 15-year anniversary of 9/11. In addition to Kaepernick and Reid kneeling during the anthem, we also had a number of
players, four players, two on the Rams side, two on the 49ers side raising their fist, which, of course, is also a powerful symbol. As for fan
reaction, it was predictably mixed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe in what Kap is representing, we don't mean no disrespect to the, you know, to the military or the country. I'm going
to stand up and put my heart - my hand on my heart when the anthem comes on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's their right. I mean, you know, they can do that if they feel that's what they need to do to get the message out they want
to get out. Ultimately, especially after 9/11 being just yesterday, it's somewhat disrespectful, but that's their right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really support, actually, what he's doing. And I think that, you know, in this day and age, there's so few athletes that
have, you know, an opportunity to do what he's doing. I think this is a league where most people are endorsing, you know, Campbell's Soup and car
insurance, and you've got a guy that says, "I'm going to use my position to stand up for people who don't have a voice."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like his cause, but it's not the right forum. I come from a family of military servicemen, and also my father was a detective in
Houston, Texas. So, you know, a police department family, you know what I'm saying? So when I look - and I got two Eagle Scouts as a father, and I
look at the flag, it means so much more, you know, than his cause.
CHIP KELLY, 49ER'S HEAD COACH: I think again like we've said since day one, we recognize their right to do it, it's their constitutional right.
Our president said the same thing, you know, and that's part of what it's like to be an American, they do have the right to choose, and that's what
he's choosing to do.
SIMON: Well, Kaepernick continues to be a popular figure on the team, just based on the number of fans, we saw wearing the number seven jersey. It
continues to be one of the top selling jerseys in the NFL store, and Kaepernick says he will donate all of the proceeds to charity. Amanda?
DAVIES: That's Dan Simon. Now, I took up para-sprinting only two years ago, but New Zealand's Liam Malone is now a Paralympic champion and record
holder, having broken the T44 200-meters record set by South Africa's Oscar Pistorius, a 22-year old double amputee, whose blades were paid for by
members of the public, took gold in Rio in the time of 21.06 seconds, smashing Pistorius' previous record of 21.30. It gave Malone his second
medal of the game, having claimed silver in the 100 meters on Friday.
Well, the T13 1,500-meter race for visually impaired runners produced some stunning results with the top four finishers, running quicker times than
the Olympic Games' gold medallist. It was Algeria's Abdellatif Baka who claimed gold, setting a world record time of 3:48.29, that was a whole 1.7
seconds faster than America's Matt Centrowitz, who took gold at the Olympics a couple of weeks ago. Incredible times there, but that is it for
me and the team for this edition of "WORLD SPORT". Thanks for watching, I'm Amanda Davies in London. I'll be back with more in just under two
hours' time. But CNN "MONEY" with Maggie Lake is next. Good-bye.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END