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China's Economic Data; Trump to Skip Thursday's Fox News Debate;
Remembering a Holocaust Hero; Kerry in Beijing to Discuss North Korea;
FBI Arrests Oregon Occupiers; Crisis in Madaya; Apple's Sales Slowing;
London's Stressful Commute. Aired 2-3a ET - Part 2>
BARNET: And coming on the hills of the town hall where Hillary Clinton have such positive things to say about President Obama again even saying that they have a friendship. Peter, I wonder from you, why hasn't President Obama endorsed Hillary yet because he seems to have done everything but that at this point.
BEINART: Right, I mean, I think they decided early on. Remember when it was a possibility that Biden might run, that they were not going to official endorse but there have been a series of moments over the last year where Barack Obama had essentially made it pretty clear that he's with Hillary Clinton, many of his top As with Hillary Clinton. He gave her a big boost in that interview because he really -- he made it much easier for her to run as his heir by essentially anointing her that. And so I think you see basically a White House and a Clinton campaign that are working in great congruity right now.
BARNETT: But there is the bit of Discord among Democrats because the candidates have now essentially added a debate five days before the New Hampshire primary organized by the biggest news paper there. This was initially not sanctioned by the DNC. Jeffrey why has the DNC had so few debates in the first place? LORD: Well, in truth, I think that the DNC favored Hillary Clinton and they thought that she was their frontrunner. Not unlike the sort of Republican establishment view of Jeb Bush earlier on. And suddenly, there's turning out to be a fair amount of opposition for Hilary Clinton form the inside the Democratic Party. So, they need to pull back and be careful with that thing because if it does in fact lead to Bernie Sanders in Iowa or New Hampshire, they've got a problem on their hands.
BARNETT: And Peter, I saw you nodding there, are you agree with that? The DNC was kind of in it for Hillary?
BEINART: Right, and I think they haven't actually -- ironically they haven't done her any favors because she's been good in these debates. What you've seen is that these debates that have actually been opportunities for her to blunt Bernie Sanders momentum. She does well and she also can use the practice. So, I think that in an attempt I agree with Jeff. I think in attempt to actually insulate Hillary Clinton from the competition, they've actually ended up hurting her.
BARNETT: What do you know, we're going to end on a fight where you both agree. Thanks to you so much for speaking with me.
LORD: We're both very reasonable.
BARNETT: There you go, CNN commentators Peter Beinart and Jeffrey Lord thanks for you time.
BEINART: Thank you!
LORD: Thanks a lot.
BARNETT: Now, the FBI has arrested several protesters in the U.S. who've occupied the federal wildlife refuge in Oregon for weeks. Surely you know about this, Ammon Bundy and some of his followers are facing felony charges related to the occupation. Another protest LaVoy Finicum was killed as law enforcement confronted the group during a traffic stop on Tuesday.
Now, a law enforcer official says, shots were fired during the arrest, but it's not who fired first.
[02:40:00] An official says everyone obeyed the orders to surrender expect Finicum and Bundy's brother Ryan. But in a statement on Facebook ,the Bundy Ranch says this, "Levoy Finicum was shot and murdered in cold blood today in Burns Oregon by the FBI and state law enforcement. He and his -- he had his hands up and was shot three times." CNN cannot verify those claims. Earlier the Bundy brothers' father weighed in on Finicum's death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLIVEN BUNDY: He was a wonderful man. He has a wonderful wife and family. He was a, you know, a student of the constitution and he was interested in freedom and I think he gave his life probably where he felt like it was best. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: The people occupying the wild life refuge are protesting at U.S. federal land policies.
Now U.S. federal officials say they thwarted a massacre at a temple in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The FBI has charged 23 year old Samy Mohamed Hamzeh with illegally possessing guns. He was arrested Monday after buying two automatic weapons and a silencer from under cover agents. A criminal complaint says, Hamzeh plans it a mass shooting at the Masonic Temple hoping to kill at least 30 people.
According to that complaint, he said, "If I got out after killing 30 people I'd be happy 100%, 100% happy because this 30 will terrify the world." He also allegedly said, "All the Mujahedeen will be talking and they will be proud of us and we are Muslims defending Muslim religion." The mayor of Milwaukee commended federal agents on the arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BARRETT, MILWAUKEE MAYOR: We should be incredibly thankful to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for acting do decisively and so quickly to apprehend this individual and thwart this treat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Now, we should also add that the criminal complaint alleged Hamzeh had also been planning an attack on Israelis in the West Bank.
Now, the situation is desperate for people starving in Madaya, a rebel held Syrian town. An aid convoy delivered food and medicine more than 10 days ago. The activists say 10 people have died from malnutrition since then and others remained hungry.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh brings us more and we have to warn you here. Some of what you're about to see is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ISIS has now gripped the town of Madaya, adding to the siege and starvation gnawing (ph) away of what's left of life here. Aid came briefly along with global attention but now it's gone. In the week here are still said to be down --
WALSH: This is Doctor Mohamed (ph). He shows us his father Sayif Alden (ph) age 50. So malnourished, he can't cope with food, only drip feeds. Held here, almost a ghost edging towards death. But his grand daughter Namar (ph), just nine months old. She seems dazed. We were told two people died in Madaya Monday from hunger but can't confirm it independently. For more than seven months, we've not had electricity explains the doctor with many run out of wood. Now plastic is often burned. The weakest and mobile, activist Abdullah (ph) shows us.
ABDULLAH: This child here is very ill. He is at least three weeks and he gets sick until hurt in her stomach. His stomach is really, really hurting. He needs immediately, go to the hospital outside and Madaya.
WALSH: Well, the little food here probably won't save the acutely malnourished who need urgent medical health. But it is handed out slowly.
ABDULLAH: And actually after a war, they don't bring food for people. The people here will die because of starvation.
WALSH: Here in a makeshift hospital, struggling to keep the lights on is where they come hoping to find help. In the past 10 days since the arrival of relief supplies, the doctor says, there had been 10 deaths. Schools of people have arrived at the clinic unconscious. We have around 500 sick people in the town that need hospital treatment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I --
WALSH: Syrian rebels have said, they won't talk peace until sieges like these by the government are lifted. The rebels too have been sieging (ph)other towns in the north. Hunger a weapon of war leaving 400,000 Syrians without the food they need either truly alive nor dead.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Now we have some new information into CNN just in these past few minutes. Denmark saying a hospital there is reporting Europe's first case of the Zika virus.
[02:45:00]This is according to the Reuters News Agency. Meanwhile the CDC has added the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands to it's travel alert list for pregnant women. There are now 25 countries on that list. This mosquito born virus is linked to a dangerous neurological birth disorder. Some countries are advising women to delay getting pregnant. U.S. President Barrack Obama met with his health and national security advisers on Tuesday to discuss the virus.
Joining me now from Dallas is CNN medical analyst, Dr. Seema Yasmin. Doctor, thanks for joining us and speaking with us about this today. You know, all of a sudden it seems this Zika virus just started spreading rapidly. The CDC now saying it causes microcephaly in newborns which for this type of virus is actually new. Explain why that is.
DR. SEEMA YASMIN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Yeah, Errol, we have to be very clear that the link between Zika virus and this very serious thirst defect called microcephaly hasn't been proven by scientific studies. So, what Brazilian authorities has been doing is really good. They've been saying, "Look, there could be a link between this massive outbreak" that they've been seeing in Brazil since last May. And a very big increase in the number of babies born with abnormally small heads and brains. So, we still need to prove that connection right now if suspected. But it is concerning enough, the health of our seater (ph) and other parts of the world to say that women should not travel to a list of 20 countries. And that list keeps growing where there is an outbreak of Zika virus because of the potential harm i t could do to the fetus.
BARNETT: And why is this relatively new virus spreading rapidly now?
YASMIN: Probably a few reasons, one if that we are probably bad with doing surveillance. So, it could've been causing sickness, just well, only weren't seeing it. Another reason that this might be the first time we're seeing it in such large numbers is because it can be really hard to control these types of mosquitoes and because we haven't seen this outbreak before.
It's kind of like a catch 22 situation where the general population doesn't have immunity. So, more people are becoming sick right now. So, it's a combination of these factors that's causing these really big outbreaks in a growing number of countries.
BARNETT: Well, Toronto researchers estimate that some 63 percent of Americans live in places where Zika may spread when the seasons change and things warm up. The scariest part seems to be the fact that 80 percent with the virus show no symptoms. So, what can we all do to make sure we don't get it?
YASMIN: It really comes down to avoiding getting bitten by a mosquito in the first place. Sadly, you know, we saw this with Ebola but we were 10 steps behind the virus and the situation is the same here, we don't have a Zika virus vaccine and development, we don't have medicines that can treat it. So, what you have to do is make sure you don't get infected in the first place. And that really comes down to basic mosquito control.
Sounds a lot more straightforward than it is because these bugs really get around and you have to make sure that your whole are outside the home doesn't have any standing water, doesn't have places where the mosquitos can breath. And it's really important to remember that these mosquitoes bite during the day time.
So, during daylight hours, even when it's hot outside, it's really important to cover up, wear long sleeves, wear insect repellant. And I have even more bad news about these Zika virus mosquitoes, they like to come indoors with us as well. So, if you can, crank up the air conditioning if you have it. Keep windows closed and make sure your window screens are intact and don't have any tears in them.
BARNETT: It's always good to have someone as calm as you, talk about things as frightening as this. Dr. Seema Yasmin, our CNN medical analyst. Thanks for your time, joining us from Dallas.
YASMIN: Thank you.
BARNETT: Now, rush hour in London may be one of the busiest in the world. Coming up next, see why authorities there are shutting down some of the city's famous tube stations during peak hours.
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[02:50:00]
(WEATHER REPORT)
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BARNETT: Apple has posted the biggest quarterly profit in U.S. history, reporting a 2 percent increase in sales of nearly $76 billion. But as CNN's Samuel Burke reports, investors aren't impressed.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's really a fascinating story because here, Apple has record breaking profit of $18.4 billion and the market is frowning. That's because Apple at the end of the day, it's the iPhone company. And even through they sold 75 million iPhones in the last quarter. That was actually the slowest rate of growth for the iPhone since they debuted in 2007.
So, imagine going to your boss and you say, "Well I sold four million this quarter, then the next quarter eight million." Will you go to your boss and then all of the sudden you only sell two million. Well, then investors aren't going to be happy because they're thinking about the long term. I know the reason that investors aren't quite so happy with this report.
Apple was saying, for the first time they're seeing economic softening, they called it in China. And Apple has invested so much money in China. Now Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple is sounding a beat and he says that things will look better as the year moves on. Analysts however are thinking that maybe Apple's days as a high flying growth stock, growth being the key word, are coming to an end. I'm Samuel Burke in New York. Back to you.
BARNETT: All right, now for many people in London, getting to and from work can be a very stressful experience. Everyone packs themselves into the overcrowded trains for long and quite expensive rides on the city's subway lines or the underground. Max Foster has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oxford circus, the center of London's west end, the beating heart of this global city. Commuters, tourists, and the iconic double decker buses stream from dawn to dusk. And beneath this all, an intersection of multiple metro lines. And down they go, some of the nearly hundred million passengers that make their journey down to this tube station every year. It's now that much fun but these are the lucky ones.
For these days, even making it underground is a challenge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congestion, do not enter.
[02:50:00] Congestion, do not enter.
FOSTER: This is now a common sight for passengers. Gates pull shut, knocked out, frustration probable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not ideal of a scene especially when you just -- you've finished work and you just want to come home straight away.
FOSTER: Information obtained by CNN reveals that Oxford Circus had to close on 40 percent of weekdays in the 12 months to October 2015. Passengers had to wait an average of nearly nine minutes with some locked out for up to 20. Transport for London says it's to prevent dangerous overcrowding on the station platforms. "The safety of our customers is our top priority. Major upgrade work is well underway which will significantly increase capacity for the whole are." With nearly $13 billion spent in the area every year, local retailers have reason to be worried.
JACE TYRRELL, CEO NEW WEST END COMPANY: We need a plan for the next ten years to take the West End to the next level and, you know, Times Square, very successful in New York. They pedestrianized the area, they made it about the shopper and the pedestrians.
FOSTER: Experts say, having a major transport hub that regularly grinds through a halt is simply unsustainable.
TONY TRAVERS, PROFESSOR, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: London's population is expected to 9 then 10 million of it's current figure of 8 and a half million. And so, these problems can only get worse.
FOSTER: Max Foster, CNN London.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not enter. Do not enter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: At least everyone seemed polite while they were waiting. This is CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Errol Barnett. Next hour, live reports from South Africa and Jordan plus news as it breaks. Stay with me.
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[02:55:00]
(Byline: Errol Barnett, Arwa Damon, Jomana Karadsheh, Amara Walker, Oren Liebermann, Sara Murray, Jeffrey Lord, Peter Beinart, Nick Paton Walsh, Seema Yasmin, Samuel Burke, Max Foster)
(High: As Denmark approves a controversial new law targeting refugees, people in Norway intent to protest in support of migrants. A look at Syrian families facing another winter in one of Jordan's refugee camps. The man in charge of China's economic data is under investigation for possible corruption. An American soldier captured by the Nazis during World War II is hailed as a hero of the holocaust. Donald Trump to skip Fox News's Thursday night GOP debate over clashes with Megyn Kelly. Now, the FBI has arrested several protesters in the U.S. who've occupied the federal wildlife refuge in Oregon for weeks. Now, the situation is desperate for people starving in Madaya, a rebel held Syrian town. An aid convoy delivered food and medicine more than 10 days ago. The activists say 10 people have died from malnutrition since then and others remained hungry. Denmark saying a hospital there is reporting Europe's first case of the Zika virus. Apple has posted the biggest quarterly profit in U.S. history, reporting a 2 percent increase in sales of nearly $76 billion. For many people in London, getting to and from work can be a very stressful experience. Everyone packs themselves into the overcrowded trains for long and quite expensive rides on the city's subway lines or the underground. )
(Spec: Donald Trump; Media; Fox News; Debate; Politics; Elections; Television & Radio; Oregon; Police; Violence; Madaya; Syria; War; Middle East; Zika Virus; Diseases; Health & Medicine; London; Transportation; Apple; Business; World Affairs)
