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CNN/ORC Poll a Snapshot of 2016 Race; Jimmy Carter Reveals Cancer; Massive Chemical Fire, Explosions in China; China Devalues Currency for Third Straight Day; Civil Rights Probe into S.C. Police Shooting; Bic Ad Outrages Women Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 12, 2015 - 01:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:19] JOHN VAUSE, CNN HOST: Trump on top. New polls show that recent controversies have not detailed his presidential campaign.

ZAIN ASHER, CNNI HOST: Also, coming up we're at the site of a powerful explosion in the northern Chinese city.

VAUSE: And we hear from American top diplomat on the eve of the U.S. embassy's ceremonial reopening in Cuba's capital.

ASHER: And warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Glad to be with you the next hour. I'm Zain Asher.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

As the saying goes what does not kill him can only make him stronger. The latest CNN/ORC polls shows Donald Trump still dominating the crowded Republican pact. Mr. Trump has an eight-point lead in the early nominating state of Iowa. Second place for the time neurosurgeon and political novelist Ben Carson. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush surprisingly has dropped to seventh.

ASHER: And you know what, let's be honest, Trump isn't exactly known for his humility, I guess but he expressed something kind of close to at this time when he was talking to CNN's Jake Tapper. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not really looking to offend people, Jake. It seems to be every once in a while that will happen, but I think I was you know, mistreated a little bit but that's OK. And you know, I'm really honored. I'm honored by your call. And 22 percent, that's a big number, that's a really big number. And so, it is a great honor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Meantime on the democratic side, certainly no big surprises here. Hillary Clinton in the lead. She maintains a strong lead, 50 percent over her competitors and Bernie Sanders in second place. Vice president Biden, he is not even a candidate yet, but if he does become one he certainly has some catching up to do. He's there in third place.

VAUSE: These polls are just a snapshot of the 2016 race but they show the candidates who wants considered long shots are gaining popularity are more established contenders.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny takes a look at these spoilers and how they could affect who wins the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A soaring summer for Bernie Sanders, his front page news today barking (ph) over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. His populous cry is catching on.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a message to the billionaire class, and that message is you can't have it all.

ZELENY: And his candidacy is taking off. For the first time, a new Franklin Pierce University poll shows him with a seven-point edge over Clinton. All this as Clinton faces new questions about the private email server she used as secretary of state. She's agreed to surrender it to the justice department. It's given Sanders an opening to be a potential spoiler of the 2016 campaign and he's not alone.

TRUMP: President of the United States. Donald J. Trump.

ZELENY: Republicans have one their own. In Iowa Donald Trump is leading the pact, our CNN poll shows with Ben Carson in second place. These spoilers are up ending the race, sending establishment stars like Clinton and Jeb Bush to the back burner, at least for now.

TRUMP: Jeb and Hillary on the same day. They said Donald Trump has too strong of a tone. The world is cracking up and they are worried about my tone.

ZELENY: But instead of taking on Trump, Bush turned his attacks to Clinton last night in a speech on Iraq at the Reagan library in California.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Where was secretary of state Clinton in all of this? Like the president himself, she had opposed the surge, then joined in claiming credit for its success.

ZELENY: And instead of challenging Sanders, Clinton is fixated on Bush and the GOP field.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have to draw a contrast with the candidates on the other side of the aisle.

ZELENY: While Trump is used to the spotlight, it's a new phenomenon for Sanders, the 73 year old Vermont senator proudly calls himself a democratic socialist. His rallies drawing more than 100,000 people in recent weeks are the biggest of any 2016 candidate.

Are they under estimating Bernie Sanders? SANDERS: People often have under estimated me. I am in this race and

running to win.

ZELENY: Now, Bernie Sanders is smiling a lot these days. He is one of those candidates who is benefitting from an environment where establishment politicians are no longer in as much favor as they were but it is a long, long road until the votes start in about six months.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Now, when you think about establishment politicians, Jeb Bush in the latest CNN/ORC poll is actually up five percent. Such a dramatic poll. And then of course as Jeff mentioned Bernie Sanders leading over Hillary Clinton in the latest Democratic New Hampshire poll. So, could be interesting.

[01:05:13] VAUSE: It is 500 days away.

ASHER: Plus, you can't predict. I know.

VAUSE: It's fun to do though.

ASHER: Another new poll shows the majority of American voters think that Hillary Clinton's emails should be subject to a criminal investigation. The (INAUDIBLE) university survey shows 82 percent of Republicans, 23 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents actually say that an investigation.

VAUSE: Of that split, really, isn't it? It was conducted before Clinton announced she would turn over the private server to the justice department. The issue has become a prime target for Republican candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: If classified information was going over a private server against the rules of the Obama administration, and against common sense, I mean, you are secretary of state. You are the second most important person in terms of the implementation of foreign policy, you want to be behind the firewall that is safe.

TRUMP: I don't know frankly she will be able to run because it looks to me that the whole email thing is a very criminal situation and it could cause problems for years to come.

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: She better hope the Chinese don't do a document dump and reveal her emails. I know Mark Stewart is her good friend and has been advising her on redecorating tips she may want to advise how to survive in prison instead. Orange really is the new black.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And we are going to have more on the U.S. presidential race coming up in this hour including a conversation with a national political reporter for the "Washington Post" on what's driving the latest changes in the polls - John.

VAUSE: Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter says he has cancer and it has spread to other parts of his body. Carter said a recent elective surgery revealed the disease. The 90-year-old says he is now rearranging his public schedule so he can undergo treatment right here in Atlanta. Today's local newspaper has published this cartoon in honor of Mr. Carter who was governor of the U.S. state of Georgia before being elected the 39th president back in 1976.

ASHER: There's breaking news out of -- coming in of a deadly bombing in Iraq's capital. And according to Reuters, police and medical officials say that at least 60 people were killed, 200 wounded in a truck bomb in the satyr city district of Baghdad. Sixty people killed, 200 wounded in the state of city district of Baghdad. We will keep you updated and we will bring you more information as it comes in.

In the meantime, to China now where emergency crews are suspending their efforts to put out a raging chemical fire in the city of Tianjin, at least for now. Officials say they need to learn more about exactly which chemicals they are dealing with here.

Just to update you, a massive explosion at a warehouse overnight set off a series of blasts. At least 17 are dead and that includes nine firefighters. Meantime, though, hundreds are injured.

VAUSE: State of emergency is in effect. Take a look at this. This is the scene a short time ago. That's the thick black smoke billowing in to the air. We know that it is 13 hours since these explosions rocked the city of Tianjin, a city of around 10 million people. It is not far from the capital Beijing. The explosions were so powerful that homes and buildings, entire neighborhoods were in fact set on fire. And it's been reported that the blasts were actually spotted from outer space by a Japanese weather satellite. And in some cases, they were recorded as earthquakes, these blasts were so powerful. About the same power as 21 tons of TNT. And of course there are emergency crews can which had been searching through the rubble looking for anyone who may be trapped beneath that debris. But all of that is now on hold because the bottom line is they essentially do not know what chemicals are in the air and just how dangerous it is right now.

And just to remind that this is a major city in China. You probably never heard of it. It is Tianjin. I actually say home to around 10 million people. And right now, these toxic plume seems to be covering not just the immediate area where this explosion happened, but of course, for miles and miles spreading out from this city. And Will Ripley reporting to us live in fact that some people were in fact feeling the noxious fumes in their throat. I did speak to Will about an hour ago and he has the latest from the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are standing about two kilometers from the blast site itself. But you can see the effects of the shock wave on this car. First of all, it was clearly caught on fire. It's been torn apart. And then if you look at this convention center just beyond the car, you can see the door or what was a door, a kind of an entryway there completely pushed in. A lot of the windows around here are smashed. We visited a housing block earlier and almost every single window of every apartment -- it is too far behind me so we can't zoom in, but many of those windows are gone. There are shards of glass on the ground. And a lot of people who were so terrified running out of their homes overnight when they heard the explosions, they didn't have time to put on shoes or even put out on many clothes. So a lot of injuries at the hospitals are seeing right now and we have hundreds of people in various hospitals around the city, people cut themselves on the broken glass. That's probably the most common injury that we are seeing right now.

And then I want to show you something that is perhaps even more troubling off in the distance there. You can kind of make it out. It is a smoke plume just beyond those apartment block, those buildings. That's where the explosion happened. The fire is still burning right now. They haven't been able to put it out. And there is a bit of a chemical smell in the air. It is not as thick, we are told, as it was during the overnight hours. But it is enough to tickle your throat a little bit and make you wonder what exactly you are breathing in out here. But most people that we see don't have masks. They are not handing them out. Just a couple of police officers and a few emergency personnel have been wearing masks. Everybody else is just walking around in devastated streets trying to figure out what to do next, John.

VAUSE: Will, it is incredible to think that is a mile and a half way from where the blast happened. How do residents describe this explosion? What did they feel at the time?

RIPLEY: We interviewed a couple of people actually here in this parking lot. They ran to this parking lot for safety because the house that they were in, they say collapsed all around them.

What happened first of all during the overnight hours they noticed the orange fire ball outside of their window. They were asleep in their house. And then shortly after seeing the fire ball, so bright that it actually woke them up out of bed, then they heard the loud explosion. And then there was another explosion about 30 minutes later. So powerful that their house collapsed around them. Strangers helped to carry them out of the debris. They just grabbed a few of their belongings and they ran to safety. A lot of people ended up, we are told, here. They have now since scattered about to other areas in the city.

So a terrifying, sleepless night. And those were the folks who survived without any serious injury. There are a lot of people had to go to the hospital. We saw a man moaning as he was wheeled in with very severe burns. And another man, one of the men who interrupted us during our live shot, he was on the ground sobbing saying why did they take her, why did they take my daughter away, why would God take my daughter. We believe his daughter was one of the people killed. Understandably, he and his friends and supporters were very emotional and upset that we were even there. They certainly showed us, John. It's just a sign of how tense things are here after a very terrifying, long, and sleepless night.

VAUSE: So Will, is that essentially the background between that confrontation that you had earlier today with the security officials and some of the residents there that were just upset that, what, international reporters have turned up to cover this?

RIPLEY: That's the impression that I got. As soon as they mobbed me during my live shot and it was, it was civilians, there were police officers in the crowd but they kept shouting in Chinese, delete, delete. Erase your video. Erase your pictures. And I tried to explain I hadn't taken any videos or pictures but I was talking in to Skype but, of course, that was lost in translation. Things got very heated. At one point they were grabbing me, holding on to me, not letting me leave. But we were able to diffuse the situation and after a period of several minutes I was able to walk away unhurt, I'm fine. They are the ones who are not OK. And I understand what they are going through and why they are angry. We are here trying to tell their stories, trying to show people what happened because there are going to be a lot of people who need help as a result of this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Terrifying images out of Tianjin, China. Our Will Ripley there. Authorities still don't know why the warehouse exploded, but we will, of course, keep you updated.

In the meantime, gruesome online images claim to show the beheaded body of a Croatian hostage. Tomislav Salopek (ph) was abducted outside of Cairo on July 22nd. The Egyptian branch of ISIS demanded the release of all Muslim women from prisons within 48 hours or they would kill their hostage. The images have not been verified but Croatian's prime minister said the situation looks horrible -- John.

VAUSE: Well, Zain, Washington is getting some important logistical help in the fight against ISIS. For the first time, the U.S. is using a key base in southern Turkey to launch manned airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria. The Pentagon had wanted access to the Incirlik air base for a long time. The two countries did reach an agreement just last month. The outgoing U.S. army chief of staff said if conditions on the ground do not improve, Washington should consider embedding U.S. trainers with Iraqi forces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:15:03] GEN. RAY ODIERNO, U.S. ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: I believe that if we find in the next several months that we're not making the progress that we have. We should probably absolutely consider embedding some soldiers to see if that would make a difference. That doesn't mean there would be fighting but maybe embedding and moving with them. I think that san option we should present to the president when the time is right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And a Syria's information minister says the Turkish president isn't interested in confronting ISIS with this move.

VAUSE: And Fred Pleitgen spoke exclusively with the information minister in the capital of Damascus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The air raids led by the west known as the alliance raids have been going on a long time. So this is nothing new. But actually what is in the mind of the Turkish president Erdogan is not the intention to confront ISIS. It is to combat the Syrian Kurds and the Iraqi Kurds and the Turkish Kurds. So actually not any intention to confront ISIS.

What do you make of America's air campaign against ISIS?

We have been clear since the onset of the airstrikes by the alliance. We support and we are with any party that combats ISIS by any means. Either we are with them, or they are with us. But the problem lies with America. They say they want to confront is. At the same time they don't want to cooperate with the forces fighting ISIS on the ground which is the Syrian leadership. That's very confusing and suspicious.

You said that in guerrilla warfare it is not always the territory that you win that matters. What do you think victory would look like?

Victory would be a victory over terrorism, not Syrians over Syrians. We'd like the armed Syrian opposition to come and hold talks with us. And when we talk about terrorism, we mean Jabhat al-Nusra, ISIS and (INAUDIBLE) who consider us infidels. This is the mentality we should confront.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: That was Fred Pleitgen speaking with Syria's information minister in the battle against ISIS.

VAUSE: A short break here. When we come back, China's currency falls for the third day. We go to live to Hong Kong for reaction on the financial markets.

ASHER: Plus, once frosty relationships between the U.S. and Cuba are now warming up with a symbolic ceremony on Friday in Havana. We'll tell you about it just after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:21:25] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. China has allowed the currency to fall the third straight day in a row. The people's bank set the reference rate more than one percent lower versus the U.S. dollar.

ASHER: Anna Coren is joining us live now from Hong Kong.

So Anna, China clearly wants to cheapen their exports but of course for international corporations this could really create problems for them, especially if they have exposure to China.

So my question is, could this lead to a currency war? What do you think?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good question, Zain. And some analysts would say a currency war is already taking place. So perhaps, this is the start of currency war. Others say that the currency would have to draw a lot more for it to be an official war. But either way it has rattled the markets. There is no denying that. This is the third devaluation in as many days.

The difference today, however, is that the spot rate of 6.4 percent hasn't really moved much from the fix rate set by the central bank this morning. So that is perhaps encouraging the markets that things are going to stabilize somewhat with and the currency isn't going to fall too much further. Then again, Zain, this is China. Ana as we know, thing s are extremely volatile there at the moment.

The official word out of China, however, is that this is allowing market forces to play a bigger role in determining the value of the Yuan. And remember the United States and the IMF has definitely been pushing for this for years, you know. Perhaps it is a natural correction because the Yuan has appreciated so much, you know, 10 percent since 2014. So this is China certainly being perceived as weakening its grip on the currency exchange rate.

But with the school of thought outside of China, amongst analysts is that this is a clear indication that the Chinese economy is much weak wither than official figures suggest. And, but as you say, by weakening the Yuan, that this certainly makes its exports a lot more attractive, cheaper and certainly much more competitive on the global stage.

And you know, they need to also revive the domestic economy. It is not performing the way that they had hoped. Remember, the goal is seven percent this year. That's what they want as far as growth. That that is now being seriously questioned. Even more so now that the currency has been devalued.

ASHER: Yes, China has had quite significant problem with slower growth. But it is interesting to see the ripple effects. We saw U.S. markets earlier on today. The Dow was down about 300 points and then ended flat.

OK. Anna Coren, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it - John.

VAUSE: We should note, China is not the first country accused of manipulating its currency to improve its trade prospects.

CNN's Richard Quest explains how the two are linked.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: The world of trade is all about sending your goods to different parts of the world. And in doing so, you can use the currency to undercut each other. So, we have the Yuan in China, which can has been devalued by several percent. This will give those goods and services coming out of China a competitive advantage in the rest of world. They will be cheaper.

We have seen something similar before with the Brazilian Real in 2010 where the level was high and the finance minister said he was worried about a currency war. So what happened, of course? They have to manage the currency down so they too could take advantage of more exports.

Now you have the European central bank with quantitative of easing with is a negative for the Euro and European exporters hoping to take advantage of the currency to do business.

What's the effect here? Well, you go to the Scandinavian country and the Swiss, all of whom have their own problems now, meaning negative interest rates because they have to accommodate the currency.

And in to all of this you have the U.S. dollar, mighty as she sails, but the high level of the dollar means U.S. exports are more expensive and of course, who wins, just about everybody else.

Richard Quest, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:25:59] ASHER: Nice word to explain there from our Richard Quest.

VAUSE: Professor Quest.

ASHER: Professor Quest, yes.

In the meantime, another story we are following. A huge moment in U.S. and Cuban history on Friday with the formal opening of the U.S. embassy in Havana. U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry will be there when the flag goes up over the embassy. Clearly very historic moment. He will be the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Cuba to set foot on the island in 70 years, John.

VAUSE: Secretary Kerry sat down with Andres Oppenheimer a columnist with the "Miami Herald" and host with CNN Espanol.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And I believe our ability to support the Cuban people and be there in their interest is enhanced by our presence with an embassy and with diplomats there. There's no question in my mind we will have a better opportunity to stand up and fight for human rights, right there, being there, with an ambassador, with an embassy, able to engage with the people of Cuba. And if that doesn't happen, then, you know, other things are options obviously. Well, I mean, just, this will work. Let's just let this work. Give this an opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: When we come back, new poll shows Donald Trump firmly in front in the key early voting state of Iowa. We will a closer look at his surge to the front of the pub can presidential pact.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:48] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live all around the world. I'm John Vause.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Zain Asher. Let's give you your headlines

A massive chemical fire is still burning in the Chinese city of Tianjin after a series of explosions in a warehouse district overnight. Right now, at least 44 people are dead. That death toll has been rising. 500 are injured in Tianjin, China. Chinese state news agency says dozens of firefighters are missing and authorities still don't now what caused the explosions.

VAUSE: Iraq's ministry of interior said a truck bomb killed at least 36 people when it exploded in a crowded market in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. The military says 75 others are wounded. It is a Shiite area. There's been no immediate claim of responsibility but the Sunni militants of ISIS have claimed attacks in Shiite neighborhoods in the past.

ASHER: The U.S. is launching manned air strikes from Turkey for the first time in its battle against ISIS in Syria. They are part of an agreement reached last month. Washington has long wanted access to the Incirlik Air Base, which will cut flight times to Syrian targets.

VAUSE: A new CNN/ORC poll is giving an indication how candidates would fair with a big hurdle in the 2016 race winning with Iowa. Iowa is the first state to vote in the U.S. primary. The poll was conducted August 7th to 11th among a statewide sample of Democratic and Republican caucus goers.

ASHER: Joining me is a man who has written extensively about U.S. politics and who is watching the Republican field closely. Robert Costa is a national political reporter at "The Washington Post."

Robert, thank you for joining us.

Before we begin, I want to pull up the latest CNN/ORC poll. It shows, you can see, Donald Trump on top once again, regardless of how many people he offends. Are we getting to a point where Donald Trump could actually be the Republican presidential nominee?

ROBERT COSTA, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: You have to look at it objectively. You see his operation on the ground in Iowa. He has Rick Santorum's strategist from 2012 working alongside him in Des Moines, building the ground game there. In New Hampshire and South Carolina, he has extensive staff and volunteers. He doesn't need many ads because he is on TV constantly doing interviews. This is a viable candidacy but it is early. ASHER: To reference that poll again, when you look at the poll, Jeb

Bush is quite low down, at 5 percent. And the Democratic New Hampshire poll you have got Bernie Sanders beating Hillary Clinton. Are we seeing a rebellion against Washington insiders or is something else going on here?

COSTA: I think you nailed it. Not a rebellion against a certain party, Democrat or Republican. It's a rebellion against the political system. There's populous anger, when I'm on the campaign trail in Iowa and New Hampshire and elsewhere, against the big banks, against the government they feel is frustrating their own economic chances. People are unhappy. Whether you are liberal or conservative, you may be floating to Trump or Sanders for that reason.

ASHER: Switching gears, I want to talk about John Kasich. He is someone I find interesting. He spoke in New Hampshire today. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KASICH, (R), OHIO GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I happen to be a Republican. But the Republican Party is my vehicle and not my master.

One thing that frustrates me is you don't know me. I was thinking about this last night. You don't know me. I would encourage you to find out who I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: So, Robert, who is the real John Kasich? He talks about health care and Social Security. He sounds like a Democrat sometimes. Is this someone Republican voters can trust?

COSTA: The Trump spectacle is dominating the race but I find Ohio Governor Kasich to be the most intriguing figure in the field. Someone who served in Congress 18 years, helped Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton to balance the budget, and a personality that is similar to Trump. He loves political combat, lively, doesn't speak with canned talking points. That's appealing to voters. He's won in a swing state. The establishment likes him as well. If you are wary of Jeb Bush, Kasich may be your guy. Kasich and Trump are the two hottest properties right now in Republican policies.

ASHER: And Kasich speaks from the heart.

And I want to talk about Bernie Sanders. Again, as I mentioned, in that latest Democrat New Hampshire poll, Bernie Sanders is beating Hillary Clinton. I think Bernie Sanders is far too much of an ideologue to win the election but should Hillary Clinton be looking over her shoulder?

[01:35:18] COSTA: She should. He could be a real threat in New Hampshire. From neighboring Vermont. So many Democratic activists, when they look at what they want the Democratic Party to be post- Obama, they want it more liberal. An independent Socialist who isn't part of the Wall Street system, who's a political outsider, they see someone who represents their views in the same way frustrated conservatives see something in Trump. That makes Sanders a force.

ASHER: This election is all about outsiders.

Robert Costa, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

COSTA: Thank you.

VAUSE: We have more now on another one of our top stories, that toxic chemical blast in the port city in China of Tianjin.

Vafa Anderson, a teacher at an international school in that city, joining me on the line.

Vafa, there are concerns now by the crews that have suspended their efforts to put out the fire because they don't know what is burning right now. Have you been told anything by officials at this point? Any concern they have expressed to you?

VAFA ANDERSON (voice-over), INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TEACHER IN TIANJIN, CHINA: I haven't really heard much from them other than what's on the news about what happened. There have been reports that, you know, we should wear our masks when we go outside, just to be careful about the air. Other than that, no, not really.

VAUSE: How close are you living to the actual blast site? How much damage was done to where you live?

ANDERSON: That's a very good question. I'm one to two kilometers away from the blast site. We woke up to the first blast and went to check out what was happening of course out the window and saw huge exPLOsion. We have line of sight from where it happened. Only few buildings in the way and the shock wave just blew through our apartment. It blew out the glass. It blew out the doors. You know, just knocked everything over. Knocked out the power. It has really damaged a lot of buildings in my complex that were facing that side and other complexes that were facing other directions. These complexes are 33 floors tall. The windows in all of the apartments are blown out. So it's quite substantial what's happened.

VAUSE: So there was flying glass, essentially in your apartment, like in so many other apartments last night in Tianjin.

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: Were you hurt at all?

ANDERSON: Was I hurt? Yes. I was standing near the window and had my hand on the curtains when the glass blew and cut my hand open pretty bad. I have cuts all over my legs. My wife cut her feet pretty badly and her arm. Just glass and shrapnel kind of exploded everywhere.

VAUSE: We know there were two explosions, the first not as powerful as the second. What did you think when you first heard that blast and then there was a second incredibly powerful exPLOsion? What was your first thought that may be the cause of all of this?

ANDERSON: Yeah, at first, I thought -- first, I thought a bomb went off. Of course, there's nothing like that in China. So I knew something terrible had happened. Just from looking at the fire ball erupt in to the sky, I had to -- it's the craziest thing I ever saw. I had to get away from there. Now that I'm thinking about it, it is a very terrifying experience.

VAUSE: Yeah, always terrifying when you take a moment and think back at what may have been. Of course, we do know the death toll there has risen to 44.

Vafa Anderson, we appreciate you being on the line to give your perspective from where you were a mile or so away from the blast. We appreciate it. Thanks, Vafa.

Zain?

ASHER: Frightening scenes there out of China.

We want to update you on other stories we are following. In South Carolina, the U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting. This time, it involved the killing of a white teenager. 19-year-old Zachary Hammond was killed last month in a restaurant parking lot. Police say the officer fired in self defense as Hammond drove his car towards him. Hammond's family said the shooting was unjustified and a violation of his civil rights.

Hammond's mother also questions the integrity of the police. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGIE HAMMOND, MOTHER OF ZACHARY HAMMOND: I just don't feel the Seneca Police Department is being honest about a lot of things. Their stories keep changing and we have just lost a lot of confidence, confidence that we actually did have with the police. It's just shattered us, totally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:40:10] ASHER: Zachary Hammond's mother speaking there. Hammond was unarmed, important to note, at the time of the shooting.

In the meantime, we will take a break. We'll have more news after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: If you're in the northern hemisphere, take a look up into the sky tonight. You may catch some dazzling celestial fireworks if you're in Europe and North America.

(LAUGHTER) The annual Perseid meteor shower will streak over the Northern Hemisphere with up to 100 shooting stars per hour. 100 shooting stars per hour before dawn.

How is going to be up? Not me.

(LAUGHTER)

This year's meteor show coincides with the new moon and that means the light show will not be washed out by moonlight.

ASHER: And our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri.

(CROSSTALK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: How do you top this?

ASHER: Stunning images. How rare are they?

JAVAHERI: You see it every year this time of the year. But what NASA was supposed to do is high resolution cameras going up to get shots looking down as this was happening. Unfortunately, the rocket exploded on takeoff and the SpaceX Falcon 9 sent up a couple of months ago also exploded.

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: Those guys can't get anything right.

JAVAHERI: -- to get these high-resolution cameras up. So we're not going to get space images. Viewers can hopefully help us out with that.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

[01:44:34] JAVAHERI: This is the earth perspective. And if you are in a major city, get away from light pollution. This is what it looks like looking up from space, down from space. Give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust to the dark surroundings to see this very good year to do so. Look at the weather pattern, eastern United States, southeastern good conditions there. Good conditions to the Western U.S. as well with the intermountain west on the cloudy side the next couple of hours.

Look at Portugal, major fire. 22,000 acres. This is a prominent region of Portugal that burned. Tourist area threatened by this. No major properties threatened. That's what is happening there with a severe drought encompassing 80 percent of Portugal over the past three months.

And the weather pattern next door, when you go in to Spain, exceptional drought taking place. Madrid 38 days above 95 Fahrenheit. 56 straight days above 86. That's above average even for the heart of summer across portions of Spain. We will leave you with images of floods, the opposite, taking place

across portions of Buenos Aires in Argentina. We know major floods and 11,000 people displaced across Argentina. What is odd is you see the video out of Buenos Aires is this is the driest time of the year. They average two inches of rain for this month and have seen eight inches in the last couple of days.

VAUSE: Nothing is as it should be at the moment it seems.

(LAUGHTER)

JAVAHERI: Yeah.

VAUSE: Crazy.

OK, Pedram, thank you.

ASHER: Was that a reference to U.S. politics?

(LAUGHTER)

VAUSE: A reference to everything.

(LAUGHTER)

The popular dating app Tinder and its CEO are breaking up after only five months. The company announced Christopher Payne is leaving and will be replaced by founder, Sean Rad. The director of Tinder says both sides agreed it wasn't working out.

ASHER: The move is after Tinder melted down on Twitter, sending out multiple tweets. It was denouncing a story in "Vanity Fair" magazine that linked the app to what it called an apocalypse in the world of dating, as people seek casual sex opposed to relationships.

(LAUGHTER)

It's getting hot in here, whoo.

VAUSE: The company Bic is apologizing for an ad that sparked outrage on-line.

ASHER: The fuss is about an ad for a pen that was supposed to be a salute to women in South Africa.

David McKenzie has more from Johannesburg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Look like a girl, it claims, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a boss. It was pen maker Bic's attempt at celebrating Women's Day in South Africa. It unleashed a social media storm.

"Bic, please," wrote this user. "Nice dose of sexism," said another.

Bic South Africa responded, "We're sorry for offending everybody," they said.

On the streets, many women aren't surprised.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is like an old way of thinking of what being female and male is.

MCKENZIE: Some say the ad just reflects the way that it is here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It happens to women nowadays where you have to act like a man because it is a man's world.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not offended. I think it is fine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, I actually think it is fine.

MCKENZIE (on camera): It's OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

MCKENZIE: I was surprised that on the streets, South Africans were more mixed than social media. But then, they are used to advertising pushing boundaries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: All of you foreigners must go back where you came from.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Some companies, like a fast-food chain, Nandos, purposely put out controversial TV spots like this to start a conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Do you have anything to add to the conversation? Are you adding in a way that is constructive? My rule of thumb is if you are unsure of the answers to those questions, keep quiet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: This isn't Bic's first unintended offense. Their Bic for Her line designed for women's hands, faced Ellen's wrath in 2012.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLEN DEGENERES, TALK SHOW HOST: Just think, over the last 20 years, companies have spent $20 million making pills that grow men's hairline and fix men's sex lives, and now ladies have a pen.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Right now, Bic is probably wishing they hadn't put pen to paper.

DEGENERES: I wish my mom would have talked to me about lady pens.

(LAUGHTER)

MCKENZIE: David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: More now on some interesting P.R. moves. We'll have to wait and see if this actually turns in to a P.R. disaster. Take a look at this. Uzbekistan Airways says it will begin weighing passengers along with their carry-on bags to calculate how much weight they will be adding to the plane. The airline said the pay-as-you-go weigh structure is designed to ensure, John, flight safety.

(LAUGHTER)

VAUSE: They promise the passenger's weight information will all be confidential and the data will only be categorized as belonging to a man, woman or child. Some airlines introduced weight guidelines back in 2012 that are still in place to day. This is controversial but --

(CROSSTALK)

ASHER: A bit much, don't you think?

VAUSE: A lot of people think, if someone is heavier, they should pay.

ASHER: Pay more. Interesting. That wouldn't work in the U.S., I don't think.

[01:50:00] VAUSE: Possibly not.

OK, coming up, an operator thought he was getting great images of a flying eagle when, suddenly, the flying eagle attacked. We will show you this and other crazy animal-versus-drone confrontations up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: One man in Australia found out not to mess with a bird of prey when an eagle picked a fight with his drone.

VAUSE: That eagle is not alone. Jeanne Moos has a cautionary tale of what happens when animals and drones collide.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[01:54:24] JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When we send in the drones, what must the animals think? It's enough to make a gator glare and a ram wonder. Does that thing bite?

The latest confrontation pitted an Australian eagle against a drone. The eagle used its talons to knock the drone out of the sky.

The videographer wrote, "This is the last thing a small bird sees when a wedge-tailed eagle decides that you are dinner."

The eagle was said to be uninjured.

(on camera): The drone operator had some advice for fellow pilots, "If you see a bird of prey while flying, land."

(voice-over): The same could be said if you see a chimp waving a branch. At a zoo in the Netherlands, Tushy demolished a $2,000 drone and she and her friends had their mug shots taken as they examined the debris.

Who needs a stick when you have horns? A New Zealand ram named Rambro head-butted a drone and then went after the guy who came to retrieve it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cool down.

MOOS: At a zoo in Naples, Florida, an agitated alligator could do nothing but lunge.

While elsewhere in Florida, a swarm of bees engaged in aerial combat.

(MUSIC)

MOOS: The TV news drone --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you see the video it looked like "Star Wars."

MOOS: -- even landing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is trying to sting the lens.

MOOS: For a pair of weeping labs, the drone was nothing more than an expensive dog toy, a Frisbee with blades.

Perhaps the most futile effort to down a drone was made by a golfer who missed by a mile when he threw his club. That doesn't count as a birdie, but this does.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: That last shot had us saying, ooh.

(LAUGHTER)

In the meantime, thank you for watching, everyone. I'm Zain Asher.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause.

Rosemary Church is up next, minus Errol. Two hours of CNN NEWSROOM to come.

You're watching CNN.

ASHER: Hello, my dear.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello.

(LAUGHTER)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)