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HALA GORANI TONIGHT

Two Million Priceless Artifacts Destroyed In Brazilian National Museum Fire; Boris Johnson Attacks Theresa May Over Brexit; Cuba Accused Of Launching Microwave Attack On Embassy Personnel; Taliban Lays Out Demands For Afghanistan Peace Talks; Protester Yells At Archbishop Facing Sexual Abuse Scandal; Two Reuters Reporters Found Guilty In Myanmar; American Restaurant In Mexico Hires Deportees; Man Dances To Fund Fight Against Modern-Day Slavery; Apple Self-Driving Car Involved In California Crash. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired September 3, 2018 - 15:00:00   ET

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


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[15:00:00] HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London. I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, a treasure-trove of history

lost forever as Brazil's National Museum is engulfed in flames destroying countless irreplaceable artifacts. We are live in Brazil.

Also, I ahead this hour, a court in Myanmar sends to journalists who were investigating the killings of Rohingya people. We'll speak to the head of

the U.N. in Myanmar about the outrage.

And Apple's self-driving car gets into its first fender-bender and says a human was to blame.

We begin in Brazil this hour where part of our cultural and scientific heritage as human beings has been lost and it's been lost forever.

Brazil's National Museum was home to 20 million unique pieces of history. That's more than double what the British museum houses and the number

almost equivalent to the population of Sri Lanka. These are some of the images of the building going up in flames.

Some artifacts dated back a staggering 11,000 years. But it took a single night of fire to destroy almost everything. Take a look at these pictures.

They've come into us in the past hour. They are aerial images showing the aftermath of the devastation. Really the building is a shell, everything

inside is gone. In a minute we'll ask how this happened and if it could have been avoided. But first Shasta Darlington takes us through what's

being called a national tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Rio de Janeiro rare exhibits and priceless artifacts dating back centuries were destroyed. Residents and

museum employees gathered in the area as news of the blaze spread and watched in horror as firefighters struggled to contain the flames.

SERGIO KUGLAND DE AZEVEDO, FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM (through translator) It's a loss for the world. This can never be recovered. For

the people, the building there is no way to get it back.

DARLINGTON: Founded in 1818 by the Portuguese royal family, the museum was commemorating its bicentennial this year and was home to at least 20

million ancient relics. The museum's collection included thousand of works from the pre-Columbian era. Mummified Andean skeletons. In the oldest

human remains ever to be discovered in Brazil.

DE AZEVEDO (through translator): Thankfully, no one died but the loss can never be recovered.

DARLINGTON: The building itself was a piece of history now destroyed in the flames. A former imperial palace it was converted into a museum two

years ago. Brazil's president said the loss of the collection is too great to be calculated. The cause of the fire remains unknown and an

investigation has been opened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: And live with me from Brazil, you're joining us on the phone. How did this fire start and how was it able to spread so much? Because this

was a devastating, devastating blaze.

DARLINGTON: That's right, Hala. They're obviously still investigating the cause of the blaze. There are a few theories, but this could take a while

before they figure it out. So many people are arguing this could have been prevented or at least contained more quickly if it had for example a proper

sprinkler system.

This museum is 200 years old, colonial building. And for years the museum administration, the administration officials have been requesting more

funds to upgrade the building and specifically put in a sprinkler system. Now, that hasn't happened. They finally did get approval for a loan and

then it was decided they couldn't access it until presidential elections in October.

So, there's a ton of frustration there. And that was really just one element and firefighters also when they showed up in the middle of the

night the two hydrants closest to the museum didn't have enough water pressure. They had to go to a local pond to get water out of it and bring

in water trucks. A lot of people are saying in some ways this is a reflection of the state of destruction in Brazil and the years of

underinvesting in architecture.

[15:05:00] GORANI: So, authorities had been warned asked the fact there wasn't even enough water pressure in the fire hydrants outside this

historic building where no sprinklers had been retrofitted, even though museum officials had been asking for that particular add onto the building

for many years, who's going to take responsibility for this?

DARLINGTON: I think everyone's trying to place a finger at someone, but the fact is this has been accumulating for years. Just today we had

hundreds of protesters showing up at the museum. This was cherished museum. It really had fallen into disrepair, it was decaying. But it was

the museum everyone went to as a kid.

You had all these protesters showing up blaming the current president who's really only been in power for less than two years, for the cuts to the

architecture budget under him. The fact is the budget has been slowly declining for many years, and it got worse in 2014 when the economy fell

apart. So, there will be a lot of finger pointing, but the fact is there's a lot of blame to spread around, Hala.

GORANI: Right. Well, I guess people would say you found money for the Olympics, for the world cup, why didn't you find money for this, your

national treasure?

DARLINGTON: Absolutely. And I think even more than that people are pointing to what has been this endemic political corruption that has been

uncovered. People on social media sharing these pictures of suitcases full of cash found in one politician's apartment, pointing out all of that cash

could have financed the museum for years. It isn't just misuse of funds but outright stealing of funds in a political bribery scandal that has also

come to light in the last couple of years.

GORANI: Thanks so much. Everything was finished. Earlier it's deputy director told us almost everything was incinerated with some precious

exceptions. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUIZ FERNANDO DIAS DUARTE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL MUSEUM: The only things that were safe from the fire were those that were housed in adjacent

buildings, the main, the central library and so the collection of dried plants and the ark logical collections, all were turned into ash

completely. There was nothing left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Let's speak to our analyst, a professor of history at Howard University in Washington. You've been tweeting about this. Help us

understand how much was lost.

ANA LUCIA ARAUJO, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, HOWARD UNIVERSITY: It's a day of tragedy in Brazil and not only in Brazil, it's a tragedy for world heritage

because you are talking here about 20 million items that were lost. We're talking about a building that is Brazilian building of the 19th century.

And in addition to that of course the graduate program of anthropology was housed in this building, of course researchers from around their world they

based their researches on the collection of this museum. It's a major tragedy, but a tragedy that reflects what's going on in Brazil with its

tangible and intangible heritage.

GORANI: We have some pictures after it was destroyed. There was a very important ancient Egypt collection. There was a mummy. Talk us to for

instance, what was in the Egypt collection that was lost.

ARAUJO: I am not familiar with the Egyptian collection, but we are talking here about 700 items. These items were bought to Brazil in the 19th

century to a collector who sold at the time some of his items. And after that the emperor visited Egypt and got some of these items as gifts and

then purchased other items. This was a very important collection. In addition to that there were other objects, artifacts of indigenous

population in Brazil that are very valuable and a significant African collection then with artifacts that were given as gifts by the king of the

president day Republic of -- in the early 19th century that were brought and given to the king and other artifacts belonging to different present-

day countries in Africa.

[15:10:00] GORANI: From an anthropological point of view this is huge loss, the oldest remains in Brazil, 11,000 years old believed to have been

destroyed as well in this fire.

ARAUJO: This fossil was called Lucia, and this has been there since the 1970s. And this is the kind of treasure that future generations in Brazil,

children, especially then children of modest families, underprivileged children who were able to go to the museum and see these collections

because this was a public museum then, that the only opportunities perhaps that these children would have to see African artifacts and this kind of

treasures that all is now lost.

GORANI: And give us a sense what it would take to even start reassembling. Obviously, you're not going to be able to replace the 13,000 remains, but

if you want to restart populating with treasures, where do you begin?

ARAUJO: I cannot even answer that question. You know the annual budget of this museum now is $130,000, the annual budget. Imagine what does it mean,

for example, for the British Museum, what the British Museum can do with such an amount. This is what is the annual budget, and this is museum

publicly funded by the federal government. It's a very accurate portrait of what the state of the chaos of Brazilian institutions of this kind, this

is tragedy that we could expect to happen. It can happen next week with other important archives in Brazil, housing for example documents related

to the Atlantic slave trade, and the national library is also in a great state of decay. And I think it's important for us to understand these in

this bigger context.

GORANI: Yes, we see it. We've heard the alarm go off in Brazil and other countries where there were disasters where people said we need funding, we

need these buildings, we need these infrastructure projects to be looked at, they weren't and then accidents happen. Doctor, thanks so much for

joining us from Washington there with more on what this loss means for all of humanity. We'll revisit it a bit later in the hour.

But now of course the clock is ticking for the UK and for the European Union. And I'm talking of course about Brexit. And the former foreign

secretary Boris Johnson has once again entered the scene. He's attacked the U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for Brexit which is due to

happen in March of next year. He has a regular column for the "Daily Telegraph," and Johnson says the so-called Chequers plan means disaster for

the U.K. The Chequers plan is what Prime Minister Theresa May proposed. He said I'm afraid the inevitable outcome is a victory for the E.U. with

the U.K. lying on the flat on the canvas with 12 stars circling symbolically over our semiconscious head.

Downing Street responded by saying Boris Johnson had, quote, "No new ideas." Let's get more on that now with our international diplomatic

editor Nic Robertson. Boris Johnson, is he making a play for Theresa May's leadership role here in the U.K.?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's certainly playing to the hard line Brexiteers of still half in the E.U., not in the driving

seat in any way, in his column he said Britain would essentially be in the boot of the car as the E.U. is driving it along. You know, he said that

Britain -- Theresa May was going into this negotiation essentially waving a white flag from her lead tank.

[15:15:00] So, he's challenging Theresa May's plan, and facing push back not just from Boris Johnson but the E.U. well.

GORANI: So, Boris Johnson was foreign secretary for two years. David Davis who supported him was the Brexit secretary for two years. They're

blaming the government, they're blaming themselves. It's not like they've been out of government for ten years.

ROBERTSON: In the second half of his column Boris Johnson lays out an idea, not a new idea and only cherry picking some statistics about a

solution for the border with Northern Ireland. Which is a big conundrum of course and Brexit. But as many people have said since he wrote this, as

you say, he was there for two years and didn't find a solution for it.

This is serious. Theresa May is facing push back on the same Chequers plan from Michel Barnier. We're getting into the final negotiating period, new

session of parliament tomorrow. Of course, this is part of the timing of Boris Johnson's column as well.

GORANI: Is the U.K. really going to crash out of the E.U. in March? There's very few experts and economists who think this is good idea at all.

Economically they believe it's a bad idea. It's a bad idea for the pound, for U.K. businesses. Jobs are already relocating on the continent. Is

the country still getting the go ahead with this just because it doesn't want to --

ROBERTSON: Britain is already a long way behind the time frame that was laid out by the E.U. -- a year ago almost they were supposed to have agreed

what was the divorce. And even that still isn't agreed today, never mind what the future plan will be. The reality of where we seem to be headed

right now, we heard this from Theresa May over the weekend, she will not be forced into making concession that are not in Britain's national interest.

You can hear in here some language that indicates maybe there will be some concessions on her checkers plan. But we've laid our position, we've heard

from Barnier but it's up to the E.U. to make a move. We can expect this to go to the 11th hour in the 59th minute, and the last-minute deals are

hammered out in the early hours of the following morning when everyone's been up all night because it's not going to be easy. Is it going to crash

out? This is E.U. style that it will go down to the wire and look we're still more than six months out. A lot more to come.

GORANI: It's such a fundamental deal.

ROBERTSON: It's raising concerns, no doubt. Businesses are moving. They're taking steps already to protect their business interests and we're

likely to see more of that.

GORANI: Nic Robertson as always thanks so much.

Still to come tonight, it was an attack so shocking that we can't even show you all the pictures of it. An air strike on a school bus in Yemen. Now

we have a response and a stunning denial from for the Saudi led coalition.

And a new theory about those weapons use in those strange attacks on diplomats in Cuba and China. The latest after a break.

([15:20:00] COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: It was an attack that shocked the world and led to deeply troubling questions about the targeting of children. I'm talking about

last month's air strike on a school bus in Yemen. Now we have the results of a Saudi-led coalition investigation, and they are stunning in their own

right. Nima Elbagir explains.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, the Saudi led coalition has announced its findings and they are doubling down on their

assertion that the bus attacked on August 9th was a legitimate target.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TURKI AL-MALIKI, SAUDI LED COALITION SPOKESPERSON: War crime is not found in Yemen. War crime or any systematic targets of civilians was not found

in our operation in Yemen. We are applying the highest standard and best practices, special instruction and also for the air operation directives.

This is the story of the Houthi again. The JIAT is an independent team. We have announced we are accepting the outcome and the finding.

We have given all evidence that we have for the JIAT. And if the Houthi, they are telling the story and other organization, it's been proved by the

information that we have as intelligence information, it's not a school bus because there's no school time outside at that time when this had happened,

and also, we had shown all the videotape. We never observed or noticed any kids in the bus, and it being announced that some of the Houthi fighters

they were inside that bus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELBAGIR: So, a legitimate target. They also say there are no war crimes being committed in Yemen despite the findings of that U.N. panel of

experts. They believe they've learned their lesson, they'll be changing their rules of engagement and things will be different going forward. But

the concern of mean we are speaking to if they are unable to acknowledge what so many people believe to be true, that there were children on that

bus, that sufficient care was not taken, then can lessons truly be learned? Hala?

GORANI: Thank you.

Scientists may now have an answer to those strange health problems reported at two American embassies. Weaponized microwaves. For months staff

complaints from the embassy in Cuba sounded like a plot twist in a spy novel. At first experts thought some type of sonic weapon may have caused

the unexplained headaches, loud ringing, dizziness and sleep problems.

But no hard evidence was found for that. And now after similar reports in China the question is could these microwave weapons have been beamed from

locations outside the embassy or the diplomats' homes. Experts did brain scans on the injured personnel and now say everything fits with their new

theory that a microwave was the culprit.

Patrick Oppmann is covering the strange story for us in Havana. What is a microwave weapon, first of all? This is my first-time hearing of such a

thing.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and like sonic weapons and your unconventional weapons, there's been a lot of findings but it hasn't been

proven how effective they are. They've been used for everything from crowd control. There's been some research they could be used for missile

prevention, to blow up incoming missiles or be used for psychological warfare.

But again, it's a lot of talk, and they've not as far as we know been used much in practice. But scientists working for the U.S. government say

they're very precise, much more portable than sonic weapons and they feel they are the only weapons that really can explain how diplomats both here

in Cuba and China could have experienced brain trauma without any physical trauma.

[15:25:00] It's been compared to having a car accident but not actually having been in a car accident. I just talked to a Cuban investigator, and

he also is rejecting like the sonic storyline, now rejecting the microwave attacks saying it just does not add up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITCHELL VALDES-SOSA, CUBAN NEUROSCIENCES CENTER: If you look at the alleged events there have been reports that there are several people in a

room with thick walls and thick windows and that only one was targeted. This is I think is a kind of weapon which doesn't exist. This kind of idea

does not fit into the physics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OPPMANN: And Cuban researchers say they're working on a paper now refuting the microwave weapon theory, and as well U.S. investigators say they don't

have any physical evidence to back this up. They believe that the microwave theory makes sense, but they don't have any proof to back it up.

And remember, Hala, the FBI has gotten rare cooperation from the Cuban government. They've come here multiple times and found nothing. But

people who believe in these theories say that is the point of these type of weapons, they don't leave any trace.

GORANI: What's the status of these workers now, are they still suffering from these symptoms?

OPPMANN: Some have conditions of hearing loss, problems with their memory and may not be able to return to work. A majority of all that have been

affected have left Cuba and China. And now you have a skeleton staff in Cuba. It's only essential personnel, and that means it really is an

embassy in name only, and that's had a huge impact as you would expect on U.S.-Cuba relations, which were already fragile to begin with.

GORANI: And the U.S. diplomats believe who is behind this?

OPPMANN: That is the million-dollar question, and certainly an article "The New York Times" points out Russia has a microwaves weapons program

going back decades. But it doesn't really add up in terms of who could do this, get away with it? They'd have to be someone close to Cuban

government or somehow got the Cuban government to not name them. And how do you have an attack in China?

Again, the Chinese who have been treated very differently from U.S. and Cubans, and the Cuban government has said there's been a double standard

here. It's quite a tale, and it doesn't quite add up. Even people who believe there have been attacks carried out, can't quite explain it. I'm

dying to know myself. But if you talk to these people who were diplomats, they say there are a handful of them that have permanent damage and that's

not something they could have imagined.

GORANI: Patrick Oppmann, thanks very much.

Still to come tonight, critics say a ruling in Myanmar today has dealt a hammer blow to the rule of law. We'll see why two journalists have been

sentenced to seven years in prison.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: U.S. officials working on an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan are pushing an alternative to the two-state solution. They've asked Mahmoud

Abbas, if he would accept a Palestinian confederation with Jordan, an idea long-favored by many on the Israeli right and rejected by the way long

before this proposal. The Palestinian authority president reportedly revealed that during a meeting with Israeli peace activists. Two of them

told CNN that Abbas signaled conditional support if such a confederation also included Israel, which would not be part of the proposal.

Now to an update on a story we've been following. The U.S. has confirmed that the head of ISIS in Afghanistan was, in fact, killed in air strike a

little over a week ago.

The air strike happened in an eastern province of the country. CNN previously reported the ISIS leader in Afghanistan and 10 other fighters

were killed in that strike carried out by Afghan and coalition forces.

Meantime, an apparent insider attack on NATO forces in Afghanistan has killed one American soldier and wounded another. Details about the whole

thing are scarce, but it comes as NATO installs a new commander in the region. The coalition forces are focused on defeating ISIS, and they may

find an unlikely partner in the Taliban.

Our Sam Kiley has this report from Afghanistan

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM KILEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Emerging from the deserts, a glimmer of hope. Coming from Taliban commanders on the ground to offer to

talk and to talk about peace.

In this exclusive video, Mullah Sher Agha, laying out terms.

"Peace negotiations should be among Afghans and for Afghans. We should not wait for Pakistan, Iran, Russia, or America to bring peace to Afghanistan.

If people from government die, they're, Afghans. If Taliban die, they're Afghans, foreign countries are playing in Afghanistan to weaken Islam," he

says.

Taliban leaders outside Afghanistan have inched towards peace talks. But it's a rare offer from fighting commanders.

Just weeks ago, the Taliban overran Ghazni, a city only 81 miles from the capital. It was recaptured and it's being rebuilt.

But this brief Taliban victory has showed that they may enter negotiations if they have a position of strength, an increase in violence, a prelude to

talks.

Have you recognized by the outgoing U.S. commander?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Signed, Austin Scott Miller.

KILEY: Has he handed over the NATO mission to the former head of American Special Forces?

GEN. JOHN NICHOLSON, OUTGOING NATO COMMANDER: I believe that some of the Taliban want peace also. But they are being encouraged to keep fighting.

KILEY: His successor suggesting that the focus should be directly on fighting terrorist organizations.

GEN. AUSTIN S. MILLER, COMMANDER, RESOLUTE SUPPORT: There are groups in Afghanistan who want nothing more than to harm others. These groups thrive

in ungoverned spaces. They raise money, they recruit, they plan, they inspire attacks. We must maintain pressure on them.

KILEY: There's a degree of optimism being shown inevitably by the generals handing from one command to the other here. But the experience of 17

years, they acknowledge means that the Taliban have to be brought in from the cold. They have to join the political process and that leaves ISIS so-

called Daesh, as the main focus both for the international community and ironically, also for the Taliban.

"Our enemy is first, ISIS, and then, government. A common enemy in ISIS does not make the Taliban friends with the Afghan government or the U.S.,

but it may be a rare platform for agreement in future talks.

Sam Kiley, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, it was an unusual scene after Sunday mass, a mass. An outburst from a parishioner confronting the archbishop of Washington.

He is facing accusations he mishandled clergy sexual misconduct while he was bishop in Pittsburgh. He was speaking after mass when one parishioner

shouted said his anger at the cardinal. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARDINAL DONALD WUERL, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON: We need -- we need to hold close in our prayers and our loyalty, our Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Increasingly, it's clear that he is the object of considerable animosity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you.

WUERL: At each mass, we pray for him by name.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Shame on you, one man shouted. Rosa Flores was in the pews after mass and joins us with the very latest.

What was the reaction from the cardinal? Do we know who shouted shame on you?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we do know who shouted shame on you. This individual didn't want to go on camera, Hala. But he said he

was fed up with the reaction of the church to the Pennsylvania grand jury report. And he was asking the church to be transparent and also to be

accountable.

Now, it's unclear if this was scripted or not, but the cardinal also used the word shame right after that moment that you just played. Take a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WUERL: Yes, my brothers and sisters' shame. I wish -- I wish I could redo everything over these certain years as the bishop. And each time get it

always right. That's not the case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:35:12] FLORES: Now, some context is important, Hala, as you know because for the most part, this mass was uneventful. It was at the very

end of the mass when he started speaking about the clerical sex abuse issue that emotions erupted.

GORANI: And there were other protests as well, perhaps more silent ones but there were other protests in that same church yesterday.

FLORES: There was. There was a woman who stood up, she crossed her arms and gave the cardinal her back. Also sharing some of that same sentiment

of the gentleman who spoke out. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY CHALLINOR, TURNED HER BACK IN PROTEST AS CARDINAL SPEAKS: I still think that he should resign. I think he should step aside. I think it's a

better way to say it as a sign of support for a radical change in the way the church deals with this problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: And we asked the archdiocese about these protests, Hala, and here's what they told us, "Cardinal Wuerl has spoken extensively over the

past two months, conveyed his profound sadness, apologies and contrition and addressed every issue as it has arisen in a straightforward and

transparent manner."

And, Hala, the other thing we asked him about is for these calls of this cardinal to resign. And according to his spokesperson, the cardinal does

not plan to resign.

GORANI: And so anymore action to be taken? Because the cardinal saying, I won't resign, that's made quite clear. What else, though, will the church

do to try to respond to some of the concerns that people have, still, this isn't being addressed, that the cover-up especially was not addressed?

FLORES: You know, those are some of the questions that we're asking the church because from everyone that I've talked to here in Washington, the

people here, Catholics are asking for accountability. They're asking for transparency.

And, Hala, the number of high profile Catholics here that are pushing for this particular cardinal to resign and for other cardinals to resign is

growing. About this particular cardinal there's an attorney general of Washington, D.C., catholic schoolteachers, a priest that used the pulpit to

ask for his resignation, the president of a catholic university.

There's a petition online with more than 5,000 signatures of people who want accountability and transparency. And I think that that's one of

things that the church, at some point, is going to have to respond to because they're not -- Catholics in the United States are not taking

silence as an answer.

A lot of them pointing to what we saw in Chile. You know, you've covered that extensively as well. I was with the pope -- traveling with the pope

when that story broke. And as you know, we saw all of the bishops in Chile summoned to Rome and then they offered their resignations to the pope.

Now, we don't know if that would happen here in the United States. But that's the type of accountability that people, Catholics in the United

States are asking for.

GORANI: Rosa Flores, thanks very much in Washington.

Still ahead, Myanmar is once again facing worldwide criticism. It had sentenced two journalists to prison. We'll look at the verdict that

critics are calling punishment for exposing atrocity against Rohingya men and boys. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:32] GORANI: Today is a sad day for Myanmar and for the press everywhere. Those are the words from the editor-in-chief of Reuters after

two of his journalists were ordered jailed by a court in Yangon.

Critics are calling it punishment. Why? Because these two reporters exposed the atrocity committed against Muslims as CNN's Alexandria Field

reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The verdict from a court in Myanmar causes international outrage. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, two

Reuters journalists sentenced to seven years in prison for violating the official secrets act and returned to the prison they've been in since

December. Kyaw Soe Oo says they're not exactly shocked by the verdict. While Lone calling it a challenge to democracy.

Their families, their young children in court for the ruling widely seen as an assault on the press.

STEPHEN ADLER, PRESIDENT AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, REUTERS: Without any evidence of wrongdoing, and in the face of compelling evidence of a police

setup, today's ruling condemns them to the continued loss of their freedom and condones the misconduct of security forces.

FIELD: Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone say police handed them secret documents in December and then other officers arrested them for having secret documents.

Retribution, the journalists say for a report they were working on. An investigation later published by Reuters into the massacre at a village in

Western Myanmar of 10 Rohingya men, part of a long persecuted ethnic minority group.

The military later admitted its forces had a role in the killings, killing seven soldiers for the crimes. The journalists who worked to expose the

slaughter, still behind bars.

PHIL ROBERTSON, ASIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: This is about the military guarding its secrets, and it's about the investigative

journalism not being welcome in Myanmar.

FIELD: Myanmar's military leaders already face mounting international pressure accused in a new U.N. report of genocide for violence against

Rohingya Muslims that started again a year ago.

The country's de facto leader, Nobel Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi accused in the same report of failing to use her moral authority to stop the

violence.

Now, there are mounting calls for the country's government to pardon the two journalists who were seeking the truth and sentenced to seven years.

Alexandra field, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Aung San Suu Kyi, by the way, Nobel Peace Prize winner has said nothing about this. She's been roundly criticized for being silent about

the plight of the Rohingya, not even uttering the name itself.

By the way, the Reuters regional editor for Asia spoke to CNN earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN KROLICKI, REGIONAL EDITOR FOR ASIA, REUTERS: It's a heartbreaking result for the families of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo who have already been

imprisoned for eight months. And, you know, it's also very clearly a threat to the rule of law and the free press that any democracy requires.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, last week, the United Nations they called for Myanmar's top generals to stand trial for genocide for the crimes

committed against the Rohingya. Is this the very issue that your colleagues reported on and as a result prompted the state to come after

them?

KROLICKI: Well, as the report noted, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were looking into a massacre, a mass killing that happened in a village called Inn Din

just over a year ago. It was compelling evidence at the trial that the police arrested them to block that reporting. And unfortunately, today's

verdict lends support to those in the police department who sought to cover-up evidence of a real crime, a real crime that would not have come to

light had it not been for the reporting of these two men.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Some brave reporting there. Two Reuters journalists sentenced to many years in prison for doing their jobs.

Well, it is today -- today is Monday. It is Labor Day weekend. And Americans usually grill or barbecue on that day.

Just south of the border in Mexico many expats will head to a restaurant that's serving up some traditional U.S. barbecue. It's also taking stand

in the heated immigration debate. And Patrick Oppmann has this report from Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It turns out that selling authentic American barbecue in Mexico is a pretty good business to be in.

Eight years after first opening their doors, Mexico City's El Pinche Gringo, that slang for "darned American" has two locations, more than 50

employees and loyal customers lining up for the tender ribs and brisket.

[15:45:11] Even in the era of Donald Trump and rising tensions between the U.S. and Mexico, the restaurant's American co-owner, Dan Defossey says he

feels at home.

DAN DEFOSSEY, CO-OWNER, EL PINCHE GRINGO: I've been so grateful in the last couple of years with all the rhetoric going on, all the things that

I've never gotten anybody telling me go back to the U.S.

OPPMANN: But Defossey said he has seen an increase in Mexicans who have been deported from the U.S. seeking work and made a conscious decision to

hire them. So far, seven deportees are on his staff. It's not charity he says, the deportees are some of his best workers.

DEFOSSEY: You know, sometimes I speak to them in English and they kind of have nostalgia for because they miss the United States and they miss their

lives and they miss their family that still lives in the United States. So if we have a sanctuary, they appreciate that and then they work hard.

OPPMANN: One of those deportees, Hugo Hernandez says he was deported following an arrest for DUI and sent back to Mexico after a decade living

illegally in the U.S. Coming home was not easy.

HUGO HERNANDEZ, DEPORTEE WORKING AT EL PINCHE GRINGO: You know, I sense changes and the way you behave, your culture changes. Like everything is

different. So they see you like you're not from here.

OPPMANN: Changes that make finding work even more difficult.

When people are deported, they often come back to a country they haven't been to in years, sometimes decades and don't even recognize anymore. One

of the hardest parts about re-assimilating is finding a job.

Defossey hopes he can inspire more kindness on both sides of the border despite the current political climate.

DEFOSSEY: I can't control what's done over there. All I know is that we have a little bit of barbecue diplomacy here.

OPPMAN: Because just like making great barbecue, changing minds takes plenty of time and patience.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: More to come including authorities reveal a self-driving Apple car was involved in a crash in California last month. Would you -- ride as a

passenger in one of these cars? Also, what happened? We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: A man who lives a year in London is taking his fight against modern-day slavery, all the way to the streets of America. He's on the

second leg of his journey to dance across the famous Route 66 highway through eight states. He's sharing all of that with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[15:50:12] CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: Blaring an eclectic mix of music, sporting a neon and yellow headband and tutu, Ben Hammond is a sight to

behold, boogying along one of America's biggest roadway.

With each hop and twist, the self-proclaimed Planet Prancer is raising funds for Anti-Slavery International, an organization fighting human

trafficking around the globe.

BEN HAMMOND, SELF-PROCLAIMED PLANET PRANCER: The dancing I felt was a really good symbol of the freedom that I have. Like when I'm dancing and

I'm dancing free, you know, I feel free. So, why not take that and take that message out to the world?

And I thought, well, why not take this message of freedom to the land of the free? So America it is.

VANIER: The teacher and lecturer from London began his journey in April starting in Santa Monica, California, he plans to dance all the way to New

York.

But working full time, Hammond can only progress during summer holidays, making this a long-term endurance dancing feat.

HAMMOND: In all honesty, it's probably going to take me about four years to get from beginning to end, but I'm committed to this, and, you know,

going to give it a go, all I've got.

VANIER: So far, he's moved through California, Arizona, and part of New Mexico. Self-tracking his progress on his Web site. He logs anywhere from

14 to 60 kilometers a day depending on terrain. All while battling the heat.

But for Hammond the strenuous challenge is part of a much larger message.

HAMMOND: I can go out and do whatever I wanted, I could dream big, and I could realize those dreams. And so, in a sense, what I'm doing is trying

to shine a light on those people that still in the 21st century don't have the freedoms that you or I might have.

VANIER: As he prances along Route 66, pulling along supplies and a buggy he nicknamed Barbara, the enthusiastic Brit says his message has been

surprisingly well received.

HAMMOND: I would not blame anyone if they cross the road, turned their car around, fled in the opposite direction if they saw a guy, and I do wear a

tutu as I'm doing it to symbolize freedom and fun. It is a bit weird. So what makes it amazing is when people kind of process what I'm doing, and

come and say hello, and wave and sometimes give a jig as well. I think it's amazing.

VANIER: Hammond finished the first leg of his challenge this week after covering more than 1,200 kilometers. But rest assured, you can see the

Planet Prancer moving and grooving again soon when he returns to Route 66 next summer.

Cyril Vanier, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Many people still have reservations about self-driving cars and authorities in California have revealed that one of Apple's was in fact

involved in a minor crash last month. Samuel Burke has the details here. So, what happened?

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS CORRESPONDENT: I think a lot of people who are probably seeing at home tonight saying, "Apple has a

self-driving car program?"

GORANI: I didn't know. Yes.

BURKE: It's very little is known about it. The only thing we do know about is because all of these companies have to file paperwork with the

state of California. So when this car was in an accident, we were able to see from the DMV there in California what exactly happened. It looks like

the Apple car was trying to merge on to the highway at about one mile an hour.

There's some big differences between how humans drive and machines drive. And so, then a car came up from behind it and rear-ended it. So, it looks

like that car was at fault.

But there's a real issue here about cars learning how humans drive and humans learning how these cars drive. Because sometimes they'll just put

on their brakes very quickly, and of course you don't want to be tailgating, but they do it sometimes faster than humans would. So we see

lot of issues with self-driving cars stopping quickly and then the humans - -

GORANI: If you ram into someone -- I mean in most places I've driven, you're the one at fault.

BURKE: Yes. And that looks like exactly what happened here that it's the other person's fault.

I just want to point out that Apple is not making the cars. This is actually a Lexus. Apple cars -- so it looks like Apple is making the

software for these cars. There won't be an iCar anywhere soon. A lot of people making --

GORANI: Right, of course. But this isn't the first accident with this self-driving car.

BURKE: Oh, no. And I mean, if you compare it to what happened with Uber back in March where a pedestrian was actually killed in a self-driving car

accident, this is nothing in comparison to that. A lot of people have called on Uber to even divest from their self-driving program. Though it

does look after a late deposit, they're moving forward with that.

GORANI: So apparently there's something called Scroll Free September.

BURKE: Yes.

GORANI: What does that mean?

BURKE: It's here in the U.K., but a lot of people are looking at it trying to get people to use their technology less.

I mean, actually, it was interesting. All of a sudden, you stop showing up in my Facebook feed and I wondered if you had deleted me.

[15:55:03] GORANI: Me?

BURKE: Yes, you were --

GORANI: I don't -- I told you I don't -- I mean, I still have the account, but I just don't -- I barely look at it.

BURKE: You were really one of the first people I knew before the whole --

GORANI: I had nothing to do with privacy issues. I just got tired of constantly scrolling. And it's mindless. I wasn't gaining anything from

it.

BURKE: The real issue I have is that you see all these pictures, especially on Instagram and I think like all I should do are sit-ups all

day long. And I realize most people don't look like that. Just so a lot of people --

And I just want to put up on the screen tips for trying to get off this addiction from technology. Number one, turn off nonessential

notifications. Put it somewhere where you can't reach. This is very effective. My fiancee will tell you about my phone addiction.

And automatic do not disturb mode, this is on the iPhone. You can set it to be on from 10:00 p.m., for instance until 7:00 a.m., in my case. You

cannot call me, unless you call me twice in a row, that way it's just not on. I'm not getting phone calls, but in an emergency.

GORANI: I don't know. I just find like I can't. None of it works for me. Look, I have my phone here. It's ridiculous.

BURKE: You're not on the social 24/7 like before.

GORANI: Well, I like Instagram. I'm not going to lie.

By the way, there's some celebrity merchandising going on that you might find interesting.

BURKE: OK.

GORANI: Where are we? We're here -- we're here. Hello. With a little retail therapy, you can dress like Kanye, smell like Kim and even pout like

Kylie. I don't even --

BURKE: This is what you wanted to do.

GORANI: Right, exactly. But now finally, you have the chance to take things to the next level people, by getting in bed with Lionel Richie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIONEL RICHIE, AMERICAN SINGER: All night long, all night, yes, all night long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: All right. Mr. Richie knows a thing or two about how to spend the night. And if that's something that interest you, how about sliding

between the sheets of his latest home wear collection?

BURKE: I did not know where this was heading. I thought the charity auction.

GORANI: The singer of the hit, "Penny Lover" is appropriately launching the range at J.C. Penney, as well as betting. You can also drink from

Lionel Richie cups, pat yourself dry with Lionel Richie towels. If that doesn't satisfy your endless love, scent your room with his candles,

nothing yet for your ceiling, though.

Well, you can dance on -- OK, no. I'm not going to say that, but here you go.

BURKE: We've been holding out for the HALA GORANI TONIGHT collection.

GORANI: It's in the works. Hala Gorani notepads and prompters coming your way soon.

Samuel, thanks very much. That's going to do it for me. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:00:55] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. No closing bell. The U.S. Markets are closed for Labor Day. But hey guys, we're still working hard around

here. It's Monday, September 3rd.

Pulling out all the stops, Argentina's president introduces emergency fiscal measures as he prepares asked the IMF for help.

END