Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

South Korea: North May Be Ready For New Weapon Tests; Trump Visits China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam And Philippines; Probe Digs Into Trump's Inner Circle; At Realdonaldtrump Briefly Goes Offline; CNN: Kushner Turns Over Documents To Mueller's Team; CNN Speaks To A Family That Fled Raqqa; Terrorist's Son, Hamza Shown In Newly Released Video; World Headlines; Ivanka Trump at Women's Conference in Tokyo; CNN Gets Exclusive Look at U.S. Marines Drill; U.S. Created 261,000 Jobs in October; Hanoi POV; Mysterious Chamber Found in Great Pyramid of Giza; Study: Spaceflight "Squeezes" the Brain. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 3, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now this hour, President Trump is set to leave the White House and begin his long trip to Asia. North Korea is high on the agenda as

signs emerge that Pyongyang could be preparing and do weapon tests. And inside Raqqa, the incredible story how one family survived under ISIS rule.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, it's set to be the longest trip to Asia by a U.S. president more than 25 years and just about an hour from now, Donald Trump leads the

turmoil in Washington and sets off on a 12-day tour.

He is set to visit Japan, South Korea and China as well as Vietnam and the Philippines, and some of the particular issues could be dealing with

include trade relations, drug trafficking and of course, North Korea.

Now as for North Korea, we think Pyongyang maybe getting ready to test new weapons. Paula Hancocks has more from the South Korean capital of Seoul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All eyes are on North Korea, a head of the U.S. president's trip here to the Asia region. We heard from the

intelligence agency here in South Korea on Thursday, they said that they had seen some kind of active movement of vehicles, arrived a missile

research facility in Pyongyang, in the capital.

And they said that could mean is that North Korea is preparing another missile launch. They also talked about the nuclear area of Punggye-ri.

This is where the underground nuclear tests have taken place in the past.

They say that they believe tunnel three is ready to go. Should North Korea want to conduct another nuclear test and they are at this point, excavating

tunnel number four.

Now the fact that DNIS is suggesting that North Korea could be preparing for additional nuclear and missile tests, that really not surprise many

people. Officials here in the region and certainly experts do not expect North Korea to end their missile and nuclear program.

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made it abundantly clear that he will continue to perfect his capability. But we do have one indication

today as well it just has sensitive issues are in the region point ahead of Trump's visit.

We had a very swift response from state-run media KCN, fluming what they saw as the B-1B fly over by U.S. bomber, flanked by South Korean and also,

Japanese aircraft. They say that they thought that it was a surprise nuclear strike drill, calling the U.S. warmonger.

Now the U.S. did respond fairly quickly saying that this was preplanned. It was part of the drill. It was certainly not in response to anything

that was happening in the region. So that swift response from the U.S. really showing that there is an understanding of sensitivity.

There is a desire not to have any kind of misunderstandings ahead of the Trump visit. Now certainly, it will be an interesting time but tense time

in some ways that everyone watches to see whether North Korea will react, whether there is missile launch.

If there is, what kind of range trajectory, in which direction it will be flown in, and of course, if there is in fact some kind of a launch, what

will the U.S. President Donald Trump's response be, so really, an awful a lot to be looking out for over the next 10 days or so. Paula Hancocks,

CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, the United States stated that it sees China as the key to reining in Kim Jong-un and President Trump is set to meet with the Chinese

leader next week.

So let's bring in, CNN's Matt Rivers. He joins us live from Beijing, and Matt, what can Donald Trump and Xi Jinping realistically achieve when it

comes North Korea?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Realistically on this particular meeting, probably not much when you consider how since the beginning of the Trump

presidency, both sides have really staked out their positions.

You haven't really heard much change. Donald Trump from the time he got in the office and frankly, while he was a candidate, for office has been

saying that China needs to do more to reign in North Korea's missile program by using its economic leverage to force Pyongyang to stop doing

what it's doing.

China is very much of its own corners saying, that's not going to work. We are doing what the international community wants us to do. We are not

willing to go too far to cause collapse on the -- to cause the collapse of the North Korean regime because that would just make things worse and the

only way forward is through direct negotiations.

So in terms of what's actually going to be accomplished here, the question is, will either side change their positioning on -- on the way forward

here.

[08:05:00] And if they don't, then it's really unclear exactly was going to change when Donald Trump comes to Beijing.

LU STOUT: And the question about the power dynamics here because we know that China just recently wrapped-up that big Party Congress. It was sort

of a coronation for Xi Jinping. He has consolidated his power.

Xi is in this very strong position right now. Donald Trump is under fire at home in the U.S. over Russia, over domestic issues, do you think that Xi

is going to have a clear advantage in talks to Donald Trump?

RIVERS: Well, he certainly might have less distractions. I mean he does have less distractions. I mean, let's face it, Xi Jinping is the most

powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong and so when he walks into this meeting, he is not really thinking that much about his domestic issues

because frankly, he doesn't have that many of them.

I mean he has consolidated his power. His party is behind him and there is at least in any public forums, so he really doesn't have a lot to worry

about domestically at least at this point.

Donald Trump has got Russia, he's got tax reform, he's got the faculty, he hasn't really passed any major legislative achievements, and so he

certainly has a lot more to think about.

And so if you are thinking about the mindset, when you're walking into this negotiation, thinking Xi Jinping is probably walking in as the more self-

assured leader at this point.

LU STOUT: And Trump is also the Twitter president. His Twitter account was just reactivated. Will Trump be able to tweet while they're in China?

RIVERS: Yes, for those viewers who might not know, Twitter is blocked here in China. The only way we can do is, be in something called the VPN on our

cell phones, but not that hard to do.

I'm sure the president's I.T. folks will be able to help him out with that but one thing that he might not be able to do, Kristie, we know the

affinity if you will that he has for our network.

And we know that China oftentimes block CNN's feed when we say things that they don't like. So Donald Trump in his hotel room, watching the T.V., he

might not get to see all of CNN's coverage while he's here.

LU STOUT: Yes, he'll get to experience perhaps the censorship regime at work. Matt Rivers reporting live for us in Beijing, thank you so much,

take care.

Back in Washington, the Russia investigation appears to be touching the president's inner circle. There are serious new questions about Attorney

General Jeff Sessions and his memory or lack thereof.

CNN has learned Mr. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner has turned over documents to the Special Counsel in the Russia probe in recent weeks. Joe

Johns has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest bombshell in the Russia probe, President Trump did not dismiss the idea of a campaign advisor arranging a

meeting between Vladimir Putin and Trump during a campaign meeting in 2016.

According to a person in the room, it's the first concrete evidence that Mr. Trump was personally told about ties between the campaign advisor and

Russia despite fierce denials.

TRUMP: I have nothing to do with Russia, to the best of my knowledge, no person that I deal with this.

JOHNS: Court documents revealed that during this March 2016 National Security meeting, former Trump campaign Foreign Policy Advisor, George

Papadopoulos pitch idea of a meeting between Putin and Trump.

Trump campaign advisor J.D. Gordon seen here with then candidate Trump, Jeff Sessions and Papadopoulos. Gordon says, Mr. Trump listened to his

idea and he heard him out. The White House denying the president had any recollection of this.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Papadopoulos suggesting the meeting between then candidate Trump and Vladimir Putin, did he recall that?

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, PRESS SECRETARY, WHITE HOUSE: No, I don't believe he does.

JOHNS: Attorney General Sessions rejecting the idea of a meeting with Putin according to the source but Sessions never disclose the conversation

during multiple Congressional hearings when he was asked directly about such communications in the Trump campaign.

SEN. AL FRANKEN (D), MINNESOTA: You don't believe that surrogates from the Trump campaign had communications with the Russians? Is that what you are

saying?

JEFF SESSIONS, ATTORNEY GENERAL, UNITED STATES: I did not and I'm not aware of anyone else who did, and I don't believe it happened.

JOHNS: Now, Senate Democrats want to question Sessions about those denials. The highly anticipated testimony from former Trump foreign policy

advisor, Carter Page, fueling even more questions about what Session knew regarding ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

Testifying behind closed doors for more than six hours before a House panel, Page revealing that he told Sessions about a trip he was taking to

Russia during the 2016 campaign, though Page said the trip was unconnected with the campaign. This is another conversation Sessions failed to mention

during hearings.

FRANKEN: He seems to have problem saying the truth on this subject.

JOHNS: The attorney general forced to recuse himself from the Russia investigation after failing to disclose his own contacts with Russia's

ambassador to the U.S.

SESSIONS: I have never met with or had any conversation with any Russians, or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any

campaign or election in the United States.

[08:10:00] JOHNS: In the wake of indictments of three Trump foreign policy advisers, the president continues to insist that Hillary Clinton should be

the one investigated.

TRUMP: Well, the saddest thing is that because I'm the president of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice

Department. I'm not supposed to be involved with the FBI. I am not supposed to be doing the kind of things that I would love to be doing and I

am very frustrated by it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Joe Johns reporting there. Now you heard President Trump on the radio in that report. Of course one of his favorite ways to communicate is

by Twitter, but his Twitter account was taken off-line for 11 minutes on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Twitter has confirmed, Mr. Trump's personal account was deactivated by an employee. During the outage, this air message appeared

when user searched, at real Donald Trump.

In a statement, Twitter said this quote, through out investigation, we have learned that this was done by a Twitter customer support employee who did

this on the employee's last day.

We are conducting a full internal review. The president reacted on anywhere else but Twitter, a short time ago he tweeted quote, my Twitter

account was taken down for 11 minutes by a rogue employee. I guess the word must be finally be getting out and having an impact, unquote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now you are watching News Stream, still ahead, another major blow to ISIS in Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now government forces are claiming victory in the group's last stronghold. And he is the world's most infamous terrorist and now, a look

at his private life, six years since his death, more on that, next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is News Stream. Now earlier in the program, we mentioned documents the President

Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner has handed over to Robert Mueller's team.

And that Mueller could be using them to build an obstruction case in the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Now joining us more on the story is

Shimon Prokupecz.

Shimon, thank you so much for joining us here in the program. We have been following your steadfast reporting on Miller probe. In relations to Jared

Kushner, tells us more what are these documents?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Yes, so these are documents that Kushner voluntarily turned over and they're related to the

campaign and his time during the transition. Now these documents mostly have to do with his contacts with Russia were told. And they are similar

to the ones Kushner gave to Congressional investigators.

Now this comes at a time when investigators have begun asking questions about Kushner's role in the firing of the former FBI Director James Comey

which has you know all created quite a controversy when it started and caused the Special Counsel to be appointed.

[08:15:00] LU STOUT: Yes, why is the Special Counsel interested in the -- in Jared Kushner's role in the firing of James Comey?

PROKUPECZ: Right. So, we're told that investigators have been asking witnesses or witnesses would come before the Special Counsel and during

interviews, his role -- Kushner's role, questions about his role have come up.

But we've heard different accounts from various sources while were saying, Kushner was the driver of the president's decision, others are saying, he

simply didn't oppose it and that it was something the president had already made his mind up about.

And some sources close to the White House -- at White House says that based on what they know and we just don't know how they know this, that Kushner

is not a target of Mueller's investigation but you know, important to note that this is a sign that Mueller could be building a case for obstruction

of justice against the president for that firing of the former FBI director.

LU STOUT: so how big -- how significant is this latest development?

PROKUPECZ: So Mueller's team is asking questions about Kushner are assigned, you know, that this is reaching into the president's inner circle

and this investigation as we know is now extending further into some of the actions that have been taken by the White House and by some of some -- some

high officials there.

A White House official said that Mueller's team's questions about Kushner are not a surprised and that you know, you would expect given his role at

the White House and his closeness to the president that investigators -- Mueller's investigators would be asking questions about him.

A lawyer tells us -- a lawyer for Kushner tells basically, would not comment. You know the White House has refused to comment and so basically,

we now wait and see what happens as a result of these requests from Special Counsel's office.

LU STOUT: Got it. Shimon Prokupecz, many thanks indeed for giving us the latest developments in the investigation. Thank you and take care.

Now ISIS claims that the suspect who carried out that attack in New York City is a quote soldier of the caliphate. They made the claim is a

newspaper on that. Now the terrorist drove over pedestrians and cyclists on a busy bike path on Tuesday and killing eight people.

He told police he was inspired by ISIS video. ISIS is not provided evidence to had knowledge of the attack or that it was involved in the

planning. The Syrian army says it is driven ISIS out of Deir Ez-Zor, the group's last major stronghold in the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: According to state media, the Army has restored security and stability to the eastern city. Deir Ez-Zor has been a flashpoint in

fighting for the past three years. ISIS has been losing territory in both Syria and Iraq. It was last month push from Raqqa, the de facto capital of

it so-called caliphate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Arwa Damon has covered the fight against ISIS across the region and earlier, she looked at the remarkable story of how one family survived

under ISIS rule in Raqqa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: She rips open her black abaya and is almost hysterical in her relief. She and her children throw themselves at their

savior's feet. It's a miracle they are alive.

An air strike hit the five-story building they were in during the last days of the battle for Raqqa. When we meet Najah al-Hamid, some ten days after

they got out, the family is still in the same clothes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

DAMON: They are now at the main refugee camp but kept in an isolated segment under armed guard. Along with others who were the last to escape.

Many of them are suspected of being the families of hard-core ISIS fighters. Najah says she and her family had nothing to do with ISIS, that

they tried to flee so many times. The 5-year-old mimics what the ISIS fighters would say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (though a translator): I swear to God, I will put a bullet in your head.

DAMON: They say they were held as human shield as Raqqa crumbled around them, terrified, under siege, with barely anything to eat. ISIS kept any

available food for themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

DAMON: Haneen (ph) is just 9-years-old.

(CROSSTALK)

DAMON: (Speaking Foreign Language)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

DAMON: (Speaking Foreign Language)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

DAMON: One day, she somehow managed to beg a tiny piece of meat off of ISIS. Just the sight of it made the children shriek with joy. It's such a

heart-breaking depiction of just how deprived they were of even the most basic of things.

Haneen (ph) would also scrounge through abandoned, often bombed-out homes looking for food. Haneen (ph) had to go, not just due to her bravely, but

because Najah says, her older children couldn't.

[08:20:00] ISIS was conscripting youth and 15-year-old Shaimaa (ph) had to stay hidden. An ISIS fighter had already tried to take her as his bride.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

DAMON: The fighter even offered $10,000. She says she would never sell her daughter no matter the cost.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

DAMON: In the last weeks, the children's father said ISIS asked for his 11-year-old. The family stayed hidden with no electricity, in pitch

darkness once night fell, yet somehow still able to giggle despite the horrors.

A handful of photos show how they tried to pass the time, even playing dress-up. Najah said she never prayed in the past, spent her time reading

the Koran. She's an avid smoker, something banned under ISIS, and now she relishes every drag.

But where and how do they even begin to find that comfort and stability of home? Their lives, their reality have been so up-ended. They don't even

know how to begin to come to grips with all they have endured.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Hard to imagine that living under the constant terror of ISIS. Now Arwa Damon filed that report. She joins us now live from London.

And, Arwa, in that report you show the terror, the terrible humanitarian conditions in ISIS-held territory. You know, after ISIS has cleared out,

what's needed next to rebuild these communities? What -- what is the need and what is the priority?

DAMON: And that really is key issue at this stage, Kristie, because the need is so vast. These families -- that family, they managed to somehow

survive but right now, they're languishing in these overstretched, overcrowded refugee camps.

And when you look at the destruction that has been wracked upon Raqqa, they literally don't have anything to go back home to and the key issue is,

unless the international community somehow give support to the local council in Raqqa in their rebuilding efforts, in their clearing efforts and

their attempt to try to at least get the city to state where is safe enough for these families to go back.

They are going to continue to fester in these camps and this is especially critical not just because of the pure humanity of the fact that they should

be allowed a life of dignity.

They should be allowed a life where their children can go to school but also because of the reality that all they know up until now -- all they

have known for the better part of the last four years has been violence, destruction and terror.

And if those cycles are to be broken, then they need to be shown a different way of life. It is absolutely vital. It is just as if not more

important than the war effort itself -- the rebuilding effort.

LU STOUT: Yes, and the rebuilding its physical, it's mental to emotional, so much needs to be just up from the ground up. The fall of Deir ez-Zor

and Raqqa, they are both major, major defeats ISIS, they have lost their territory there.

They lost their caliphate. You thought in the future of ISIS, Especially after that attack in New York City. Is the battle moving on? Is it

evolving?

DAMON: It will always be evolving when it comes to one organization like ISIS, as we have been seeing it evolve, pretty much since 2014 when what

was back then, al-Tawhid wal-Jihad led by Zarqawi first emerged and then, throughout all of this incarnations over the next 13 years became what we

now know today as ISIS.

Yes, ISIS' lost a lot but not most of its territory in both Syria and Iraq at this stage but also remember that those desert lands in Iraq of Al Anbar

Province, that ISIS' leadership old stomping ground. They have already gone to ground there in the past.

They did very successfully from 2010 to 2013 but what is more significant right now is that ISIS is not necessarily an entity that is fully reliant

on holding territory.

It had a much more capable and impactful presence online whether it's directing attacks or inspiring attacks like the one that we saw tragically

taking place in New York, and trying to fight that kind of a battle, takes a lot more nuanced than trying to physically push ISIS outside of territory

that it controls.

And it can potentially have much more reach through cyberspace. In fact, just briefly, one former ISIS mid-ranking member who we also spoke to in

Raqqa said look, ISIS has been planning for the fall of it so-called caliphate from the day that it declared they have a plan in place.

[08:25:00] LU STOUT: Yes, how do you battle an ideology that challenges remains. Arwa Damon, reporting for us, as always, thank you.

Now, the CIA has released thousands of files found in Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan. They include new video of bin Laden's son who some

believe is being groomed as a leader of a resurgent al-Qaeda. Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The physical resemblance to his father is evident and showing for the first time, images of Osama bin Laden's

favorite son, Hamza an adult or made public.

This video is from the CIA. It's part of nearly 500,000 files the spy agency has just released that were seized in the 2011 raid that killed

Osama bin Laden. The files are being analyzed by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Previously, the only public images of Hamza bin Laden were as a young boy. In this video, he seems at times smiling sheepishly. Children are auburn.

Officials say the video is at Hamza's wedding which has believed to have taken place before 2009 in Iran.

BILL ROGGIO, SENIOR FELLOW, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: In the video, Hamza is being married to the daughter of a senior al-Qaeda leader.

Osama bin Laden in his documents is very interested in the growth of Hamza as a young man.

TODD: Osama bin Laden in hiding at the time clearly couldn't attend Hamza's wedding but analysts say he was eager to see the video and he made

sure senior al-Qaeda figures were in attendance.

U.S. officials say Hamza bin Laden was at his father's side right before and after 9/11 then went on the run. Earlier this year, Hamza now believed

to be in his mid to late 20's released a recording calling for lone wolf attacks on America and its allies.

HAMZA BIN LADEN, SON OF OSAMA BIN LADEN (through a translator): If you are able to pickup a firearm, well then good. If not, the options are

many.

TODD: A senior U.S. counterterrorism official tells CNN, a resurgent al- Qaeda now could be grooming Hamza bin Laden for future roles. Analysts say he could be in line to become the terror group's next overall leader.

MATTHEW LEVITT, DIRECTOR, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE'S STEIN PROGRAM ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE: Because he is bin Laden's preferred son

because he has the right name. He's got the blood in his veins. (Inaudible), is a sandpaper of a personality not much love.

TODD: Now we've learned what SEAL team six were covered from the bin Laden compound in Abbottabad was a large video collection of popular American

films, like Ice Age and Cars. And even a funny viral YouTube video of a young British boy and his infant brother.

Well, since there were young children in bin Laden's compound of the time he was killed, those videos could well have been just for them but the fact

that he had those videos in his possession is interesting analysts say because bin Laden's personal diary which was also part of this new release,

indicates that he went to Great Britain as a young man and came away with a hatred of the West, thinking it was to decadent. Brian Todd, CNN,

Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You are watching News Stream and coming up we have an exclusive first had look at the annual U.S. military exercises off the coast of Japan

as tensions grow over North Korea.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines.

Moments from now, U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House for his first official trip to Asia. North Korea is expected to be a major

topic during the five-nation tour. It comes as South Korea says the North seems ready for new weapons test.

ISIS claims the suspect who carried out an attack in New York is "soldier of the caliphate." The terrorist drove over pedestrians and cyclists on a

busy bike path on Tuesday, killing eight people. He told police he was inspired by ISIS video.

The Syrian army says it is retaking Deir Ezzor from ISIS, the group's last major stronghold in the country. According to state media, the army has

restored security and stability to the eastern city. ISIS has lost significant territory and was last month pushed from its de facto capital

of Raqqa.

Ivanka Trump is already in Japan ahead of her father's first trip to Asia. At a women's conference, she said the workplace often fails to treat women

with respect and harassment can never be tolerated. And she said the U.S. and Japan need to lead the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: In some countries, women are not allowed to own property, travel freely or work outside of the home

without the consent of their husbands. Countries like the United States and Japan cannot be complacent. We must continue to champion reforms in our own

countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Meanwhile, the U.S. president arrives in Japan at a pretty stressful time for the region, thanks to the lingering threat from North

Korea, and that is something on the minds of U.S. marines in Japan. They have been holding the annual exercises off the coast of Okinawa. Our Ivan

Watson got this exclusive look at the drill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pounding through the Pacific Ocean, a U.S. Navy transport vessel approaching the

flooded belly of a much larger warship.

We are watching now how one of these landing crafts come on board the dark landing ship. It's a remarkable piece of engineering. And it takes a

coordination of dozens and dozens of sailors.

Some call this complicated procedure "taming the dragon." We have been invited to see annual military exercises off the coast of Okinawa on board

the USS Ashland. This is a ship that can transport dozens of vehicles and house hundreds of sailors and marines. A small floating city, where a

visiting officer marks an important step in his military career.

A ceremony at sea where Marine Lieutenant Jesse Schmitt (ph) receives a promotion to the rank of captain. The U.S. commands the world's largest

navy, but in two separate incidents last summer, navy ships from the seventh fleet collided with merchant vessels, killing 17 sailors. The navy

concluded, these accidents could have been avoided. Commanders say they've served as a wake-up call.

STEVEN WASSON, COMMANDER, U.S. NAVY: Not being complacent and use all means available to evaluate your current situation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coming upstairs. Steady on course. One, two, zero. Checking one, two, five.

WATSON (voice-over): In response, the navy fired eight senior officers and stepped up training and monitoring from the decks of these giant vessels.

Every night, the chaplain leads the ship in prayer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

WATSON (voice-over): At dawn, hundreds of marines prepare for the day's big event, assimilated assaults on a beach in Okinawa. Amphibious assault

vehicles splash up the back of the Ashland. And line up for the invasion. This operation on land, sea, and air --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Push, push.

WATSON (voice-over): -- requires the coordination of thousands of sailors, marines, and soldiers.

(on camera): These exercises help prepare the armed forces for the possibility of conflict. But they're also about sending a message of

deterrence to U.S. enemies like North Korea which continue to engage in a war of words with Washington.

[08:35:00] (voice-over): Senior commanders say these annual war games also send a message to U.S. allies.

KEVIN NORTON, COLONEL, U.S. MARINES: They're well over 22 countries in the Pacific that are friends and allies training, working together, and that

network, quite frankly, provides stability and security throughout the entire Pacific.

WATSON (voice-over): The U.S. has been the preeminent military force in the Pacific since World War II. In the era of "make America great again," some

wonder whether the U.S. can or wants to continue playing this role here.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Okinawa, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: U.S. President Donald Trump will be kicking off his Asia trip in Japan. He is to arrive Sunday morning local time. We will be following his

trip the entire way, so do stay tuned over the weekend.

The keenly awaited U.S. jobs report has just been released and the U.S. economy added 261,000 jobs in October. That is less than economists have

predicted, but it's the best month yet under President Trump. The jobless rate also fell to 4.1 percent, the lowest level in 17 years.

We'll have much more in the jobs report on "CNN Money" with Maggie Lake in about 25 minutes from now.

Just ahead right here on "News Stream," advances in space travel are aimed at putting men and women on Mars, but we are only beginning to learn about

the effects that long-term space flight can have on the human body. A new study shows us what it does to the brain. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Vietnam's capital Hanoi is a bustling city with millions of people, so finding a quiet place to relax can be a challenge.

On today's Hanoi POV, a writer shows us the local haunt he visits to put his mind at ease.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN QUI DUC, VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN WRITER AND JOURNALIST: My name is Nguyen Qui Duc. I grew up in Vietnam. I left at the end of the war in 1975.

Most people think of me as a writer or a former journalist. But really, in my adult life, (INAUDIBLE) not necessarily looking for food or shelter, but

looking for myself.

I love to go the Temple of Literature in Hanoi because it's a quiet place here. It's a beautiful garden. It's quieter and sometimes with the trees

and the leaves and the canopies, the leaves, you can forget the big buildings, you can forget the growth of Hanoi, and you can see the

reference for the scholars.

Young children or students these days go there in the hopes of getting good luck for the exams. I truly think of writing as the most important part of

my life. I write pretty much everyday, even a line of poetry. It's complete luxury to have a time in a modern society to sit and think of a word. I

started Tadioto as a bar

[08:40:00] and art space in Hanoi with a gallery, but it became unmanageable. I was never asleep. I was drinking too much. But I joke about

it as a place for thinkers and drinkers. I think the focus is on the drinkers. Sometimes I sit with my friends, we joke, why didn't I get born

as the son of a Swiss banker?

But I'm born in Vietnam during a war. My father was captured by the communist soldiers when I was 10 for 12 years in prison. I ended up living

inside his library reading books of poetry. So I had that love of poetry since I was a child.

In the past, I had been able to organize a lot more poetry readings or musical events and art events, so people can slow down, think about what's

happening to the city, to the country and to reflect on our history. It's an amazing history of warfare and changes and revolution and growth, so

hopefully the bar is a place to sit down and slow down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: It's really, really appealing. Now the Great Pyramid of Giza has another secret waiting for archaeologists. It turns out there is a

mysterious empty space in the tomb. The mission ScanPyramids picked up a 30-meter long void using a new particle tracking technique. It's right

above the queen's chamber. A smaller one is down below.

This is the first major discovery inside the pyramid since the 19th century. Researchers say it's probably not another burial chamber. It will

take some time before they can find out. Any kind of drilling is banned. So the secrets in the room will stay sealed in stone for a while.

Astronauts are spending more and more time in space and we're only beginning to learn what that does to the human body. Now, a new study

published at The New England Journal of Medicine shows how floating in zero gravity can actually squeeze the brain. And it is pretty shocking when you

see it on an MRI scan.

On the left here, an astronaut's brain before the mission. And on the right, after long-term space flight. Researcher explains how increased

cerebral spinal fluid in the head squeezes the brain and makes the space between brain regions appear smaller. Lead author of the study says a

disturbance in the balance of the fluid can cause changes in cognitive brain function but more research needs to be done to find out how long

lasting those changes might be.

That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Christina Macfarlane is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END