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CNN NEWSROOM

Scott Walker Ends U.S. Presidential Bid; Trump and Carson Play on U.S. Fear of Muslims; Interview with Dean Obeidallah; Pope Francis Travels to Cuba; Chinese President's Controversial U.S. Trip; U.S. Troops Ordered to Ignore Afghan Abuse of Young Boys?; Mysterious Disappearance in North Korea; New Defense in the Rhino Wars; Aired 12- 1:00a ET

Aired September 22, 2015 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:00:09] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: With near zero percent support in the latest polls, Governor Scott Walker has dropped out of the race for U.S. president and has some advice for the remaining candidates.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Plus a rock star reception in Cuba for Pope Francis as he wraps up his visit there and heads to the United States.

BARNETT: And coming up later, thousands of people have escaped from North Korea. But their families refuse to believe they defected. CNN goes inside of the isolated country.

CHURCH: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and of course all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Thanks for joining us. We're here for you for the next four hours. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

So the list of Republicans hoping to be the next U.S. president just getting shorter and shorter, isn't it? Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is suspending his campaign and he's urging other Republicans to do the same.

CHURCH: Walker says voters should focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive alternative to the current frontrunner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: Ronald Reagan was good for America because he was an optimist. Sadly the debate taking place in the Republican Party today is not focused on that optimistic view of America. Instead, it has drifted into personal attacks. In the end, I believe that the voters want to be for something and not against someone. Instead of talking about how bad things are, we want to hear how we can make them better for everyone. We need to get back to the basics of our party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And it's worth noting, Walker was considered a top tier candidate just a few months ago, but his support has dwindled. He joined former Texas Governor Rick Perry in dropping out of the race.

Well, Jeb Bush was campaigning in Iowa on Monday when he got word of Walker's announcement. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There have been in the last couple of weeks some surprises in this campaign. No, I'm not talking about Donald Trump for a change.

(LAUGHTER)

In fact, I probably won't talk about him tonight, if you don't mind.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm talking about two principle centered effective governors that are no longer running for president. And I just -- I wanted to make note of the fact that Rick Perry and Scott Walker, who announced today that he's getting out of the race, which was a surprise to me, both were great and are -- Scott still going to serve and continue to do great work in Wisconsin, are great public servants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: All right. Let's bring in CNN political commentator Ben Ferguson to talk about what is happening with Republicans. He joins us live from Dallas, Texas.

Ben, great to see you. I want to be transparent here and let you know that today I became a U.S. citizen. All right. So I have taken the test. I burned up a little material. I even brought my materials and flag here. So I'm much more interested --

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Congratulations.

BARNETT: Thank you for that. I'll be voting in this election. So I'm more interested than usual.

FERGUSON: Sure.

BARNETT: On what you have to say about all of this. Let's talk about what's happening with the Republicans. Scott Walker had a stunning drop in support since Trump entered the scene. He was polling at, what, more than 20 percent among conservatives back in March.

FERGUSON: Yes.

BARNETT: Then less than 1 percent before dropping out. How surprised are you now that he's encouraging, I guess, an anti-Trump movement in the Republican Party realizing that that's why he lost support?

FERGUSON: I'm not surprised. I mean, anytime you drop out you obviously are looking at a life's goal dream that has gone away. And it was a very promising dream for Scott Walker. It was a reality at one point. I mean, he was leading in some of the early primary states. And so when you see Donald Trump come into this and literally because of Donald Trump you lost your chance at the White House that you in many ways have been, you know, preparing for certainly I think you could say for the last decade for Scott Walker and not only that, but to see a lead wither away to becoming an asterisk, that has got to be something that is just devastating to actually be a part of, especially with you as an individual.

But let's be also fair here. Scott Walker had two terrible debates in a row. You can only blame so much of this on Donald Trump. I think Scott Walker really tried to overstretch in the first debate. In the second debate he just did not connect with people. And that happens a lot with presidential candidates. So unfortunately for him, his campaign is over very early, much earlier than his supporters and donors, and even I think he thought it would ever be.

I was shocked how quick this ended for him. But the race has still got a lot of people in it and there's a lot of months ahead that they're going to be fighting with one another.

BARNETT: But he and other candidates have made the point that the Republican candidate who wins needs to have a more positive hopeful message than what he is saying is coming from Donald Trump. More negative and fearful. And despite Scott Walker's troubles, he did have major financial backing.

FERGUSON: Yes.

[00:05:13] BARNETT: He is respected within the party and it's likely he will be working behind the scenes as the weeks go on to undo Trump's support. Do you think that will gain any traction?

FERGUSON: I'm not sure it will necessary gain traction. I do think every time you see somebody like Scott Walker drop out, it does give all the other candidates a better opportunity, a better chance to stand out and to also gain in the polls. I mean, you look at after even this last debate, you had Donald Trump that lost support. You had, you know, Carly Fiorina jump to second place. Ben Carson so very steady there right at second and third. You also had Marco Rubio who was really able to catapult after this last debate.

So there are a lot of people now paying attention. I think every time we have a debate you are going to see probably someone drop out and someone's race get much more realistic of being able to conquer Donald Trump. And I think you might see a unity among the dropouts who say, you know what, anyone but Donald Trump because he ruined our chance by jumping in this thing. And many of them I don't think look at him as a serious and/or realistic candidate for the White House. Even though he is leading for these many months in a row.

BARNETT: So what does it mean then that Donald Trump still leads despite the many offensive things he said? I mean, the reason I bring up becoming a citizen today is because you go through these ceremonies, you know, that the presentation is all about how fantastic immigrants have been to the construction of the country.

FERGUSON: Sure. BARNETT: How the Constitution must be upheld. The Constitution makes

it clear that there is no religious test for people getting into office and all sorts of other things. What does it say to -- about the Republican base that the more inflammatory Trump is the more support he gets. And let's not forget, to become president, you have to win the middle as well. Isn't he running the risk of losing that?

FERGUSON: Well, I think -- look, I think there's two things to look at this or two things to notice. You have Bernie Sanders who is a socialist, who's been giving Hillary Clinton an unbelievable run for her money. In traditional politics you would say that is not possible. She is the establishment candidate. The same thing early on here. You know, Donald Trump is not the establishment. So I think what you're seeing is you're seeing people on both sides of the aisle, whether it be backing Bernie Sanders, who openly says he's a socialist, or backing Donald Trump or Carly Fiorina or Ben Carson, all not politicians.

They're sick and tired of politicians in Washington saying they are going to do something and not doing it all. Not coming close to what their campaign promises are. And so that's what I think a lot of this is about. I mean, the fact that Donald Trump has been able to be so blunt and bold and get away with it, I think the reason why is people are saying, I'd rather have a guy that says things are politically incorrect than have the same old politician go to Washington and not listen to any of us at all. That's why Bernie Sanders is doing well in primary states. That's why Donald Trump is doing well in early primary states. It is literally a completely new political field. Not one that I would have predicted even six, eight, 10 months ago.

BARNETT: But it makes it all that much more fascinating for us.

FERGUSON: Sure does.

BARNETT: Ben Ferguson, our CNN commentator. Thanks for your time. Joining us today.

FERGUSON: Hey, congratulations again.

BARNETT: Thanks, Ben. Appreciate it.

CHURCH: Well, meantime Ben Carson is clarifying his statement that he would not support a Muslim as U.S. president. In an interview with FOX News, Carson said he could support a Muslim president as long as they effectively renounce their faith.

BARNETT: I mean, it's shocking to many. On Facebook Carson said a Muslim candidate would have to renounce Sharia law.

Our chief political correspondent Dana Bash has more on this controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even in a campaign full of explosive comments, this one immediately stood out. DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would not advocate that

we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.

BASH: Ben Carson said that he wouldn't want a Muslim as a president, in answer to a question about whether the Islamic religion is consistent with the Constitution. Some of Carson's competitors distanced themselves.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, the Constitution provides that there should be no religious test for public office. And I'm a constitutionalist.

BASH: There are two Muslim members of Congress both lashed out at Carson.

REP. ANDRE CARSON (D), INDIANA: That is asinine. That's almost like saying that a neurosurgeon could never become the president of the United States of America.

BASH: The Democratic frontrunner for president was quick to chime in, saying, in a tweet, "Can a Muslim be president of the United States of America? In a word, yes. Now let's move on."

The conversation about Muslims in America began at a Donald Trump town hall last week, when he failed to correct a voter who falsely said President Obama is a Muslim, even though he is a Christian.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need this question --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Birth certificate --

BASH: On Sunday, when asked what he thinks about the idea of a Muslim president, Trump stirred the pot, making this not-so-subtle suggestion about President Obama.

[00:10:05] TRUMP: Some people have said it already happened, frankly. But of course, you wouldn't agree with that.

BASH: This, as Trump's status as the Republican frontrunner is starting to slip. He's still on top, but losing ground. Down eight points in a new CNN/ORC poll since early this month. And Carly Fiorina is on the rise, in second place, with 15 percent after a standout debate performance.

(On camera): When it comes to the name of the game, which is winning the Republican nomination, it's hard to see these comments not having an effect. I was talking to a smart Republican, who said there are two kinds of GOP voters. Those who like to have their ideology validated. They are energized by politically incorrect remarks. And another kind, the vast majority, who want to win the White House and are concerned about what is perceived to be an intolerant remark or remarks that might preclude them from victory over Democrats in 2016.

Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now to talk about it is Dean Obeidallah. And he is a Muslim American, political comedian and the host of his own radio show.

Thank you so much for talking to us.

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, COMEDIAN, THE DAILY BEAST: Sure. Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So let's start with your take on what both Ben Carson and Donald Trump are saying about Muslims in America and why you think the GOP isn't saying more about this level of Islamophobia within their own party?

OBEIDALLAH: Well, I think they are actually telling slightly different tales with the same end result, which is stoking the flames of, you know, hate and fear of Muslims. But in different ways. Ben Carson, very straightforward. Ben Carson, a Muslim can't be president because Islam is incompatible with the Constitution and Islam incompatible with American values. Point blank. You got that done.

Donald Trump is much more subtle. He didn't stand up to an anti- Muslim bigot at an event on Thursday in New Hampshire. And he's also subtlety said things like well, maybe Obama is a Muslim. That type of thing. And it wasn't Swedes who attacked us on 9/11. You know, essentially it was Muslims. But at the same time Donald Trump will say, I love Muslims. Muslims are my best friend, that kind of stuff.

So you have Trump being a little bit more dog whistle or coded language. Ben Carson straightforward. And I think in reality they know it plays with the Republican base. Poll after poll has shown that Republicans, a majority think that President Obama is a Muslim and of Republicans they have a much more negative view of Islam than the rest of America. So not just do they think Obama is a Muslim, they don't like Muslims.

That's why they say he's a Muslim. They hate Obama and they don't like Muslims either. And they think it's going to play in their base. Thankfully a few people in this race, Lindsey Graham, Senator Ted Cruz from Texas stood up and said it was wrong. Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey said it was wrong, what Ben Carson was saying. So I think they're getting a little push and pull. And we'll see who the GOP nominee is. If they want someone espousing intolerant views or they want to reject those intolerant views and nominate someone who's more embracing of the diversity of this country.

CHURCH: Yes. We'll certainly be watching the outcome. And you mentioned those polls. How surprised are you that a recent CNN/ORC poll showed 29 percent of Americans think President Obama is a Muslim and more than 50 percent of Trump's supporters think the same thing. What does that tell you?

OBEIDALLAH: It tells you that through years of demonization of Muslims by certain Republicans and to be quite honest, FOX News and certain other media outlets has gotten hold and taken traction. But first, though, we can't dismiss the fact there is ISIS and al Qaeda which are allowing, you know, the work, the horrible acts of ISIS and al Qaeda make their demonization resonate with people because they do see scary images of ISIS and they do see scary al Qaeda and Al- Shabaab. They're real. They are out there.

But these people on the right, certain, not all of Republicans, have ginned up the hate of Muslim Americans to the point where it's really scary to them. And you know, the goal of the Muslim community, and I'm part of this, is to reach out to our fellow Americans, as many as we can, to make it clear what we're really about. The reality is polls showing about 25 percent of Americans have a Muslim friend. So I tell people on my radio show I will be your Muslim friend and I mean that sincerely, that people need to have that counter balance.

CHURCH: Yes. Interesting. And of course we did see the first tweet from Hillary Clinton's aide, Huma Abedin, where she said this.

OBEIDALLAH: Yes.

CHURCH: I do want to read it now.

OBEIDALLAH: Sure.

CHURCH: "You can be a proud American, a proud Muslim and proudly serve this great country. Pride versus prejudice." Now is it about time that this issue got discussed at this level? And what might the result be, do you think?

OBEIDALLAH: First of all, I retweeted Huma's tweet. I think that was great sentiment. I think it's important. She's been attacked a few years ago by elected officials like Michele Bachmann who's a congresswoman at the time, another Republican, alleging that she's in the Muslim Brotherhood somehow. That's sort of a smear campaign we've heard about any Muslim serving in American government, that somehow we're not loyal to this country or part of some nefarious plan to overtake the nation or impose Islamic law.

[00:15:10] I think we should have an honest discussion. I beg people to have an honest discussion. I try to have it through my columns for "The Daily Beast" and also for CNN Opinion where I write just about every week for. On my radio show. One that's not defensive, one that's judgment free where people can ask the questions about Muslims and we have a discussion and engage it and answer it in a way that makes sense. And where we're honest. Because there are certain things in the Quran that if you take out of context I can't defend them. They're impossible to defend.

Now I have interviewed many imams and Islamic scholars will explain that portions of Quran, all portions have to be interpreted within their historical context. So it's not like take page 27 of the Quran and live your life by that. It's more historical. It reveals to the Prophet Mohammed over many, many years. So I think part of our faith is people understand a little bit. But unfortunately there is a void of information and it's been filled in by people who don't know much about us. Sometimes who have an agenda to demonize. So it's -- you know, it's a challenging time. CHURCH: Yes. Let's keep the conversation going.

OBEIDALLAH: Yes, I want to.

CHURCH: Yes. Dean Obeidallah, thank you for being with us.

OBEIDALLAH: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: It's a pleasure.

BARNETT: China's president will be in the U.S. in a few hours from now for some meetings and an official state visit.

Coming up next, why his trip has stirred some controversy and why his first stop is not the White House. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's that time. Time to talk weather. Pedram Javaheri, CNN Weather Watch.

Southwestern United States, the area to be if you like rainfall and plenty of it coming in courtesy of a dying tropical depression over this region. And work your way to the east we're seeing some active weather across the southeastern United States as well. Your temperatures with the moisture in place should cool off just a little bit to the upper 20s around Atlanta and Chicago. Mostly sunny autumn day about 26, late summer day 26, one day before we start autumn across the United States and the northern hemisphere and Los Angeles we get some morning cloud afternoon sunshine.

But again notice the wet weather going to be locked in across the southwest. Over six million people underneath flood watches at this point, near the state of Arizona and New Mexico. And also watching your record-breaking storm system for the Central Pacific. This is the sixth named storm 700 kilometers northwest of the Hawaiian islands. Going to be a fish storm eventually, remnants of an impact the islands later on into the week. But again, opening the record books from the 1980s when it comes to the number of storms that's been named across that portion of the Pacific Ocean.

Now across the Caribbean, temps generally about 31 to 32 degrees. 22, though, around Guatemala City. Some thunderstorms in the forecast there. And the pattern remains rather consistently wet. See Panama, temperatures there again in the mid-20s. Bogota, we make it up to about 22 and Rio 32 degrees with sunny skies there.

[00:29:32] BARNETT: In just a few hours from now Pope Francis will lead a mass before -- in Cuba before heading to the U.S.

CHURCH: And as CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports, the Pope has been warmly received during his four-day visit to the island nation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is no way around it, Cuba is giving Pope Francis the rock star treatment.

"What a cool Pope," chanted these young Cubans in Havana. Certainly much cooler than the weather. Even Cuba's scorching September sun couldn't prevent huge crowds from gathering to greet Pope Francis. Vatican officials said the Pope's Havana mass drew some 200,000 people. Something Cuban officials, perhaps weary of Francis' star power, have not confirmed.

His was the rare message of inclusiveness in a country that demands political conformity.

"And you Cubans, even if you think differently, have different perspectives," he says. "I want you to walk together. So you don't lose hope."

Hope can be a luxury in Cuba, a country that was for nearly three decades officially atheist and where many Catholics face religious discrimination. Francis took a few subtle jabs at the socialism or death mentality of the communist-run government.

"Service is never ideological," he says. "For we do not serve ideas, we serve people."

Observers say Pope Francis is looking not to bring the revolution down, just curb its repressive Marxism.

AUSTEN IVEREIGH, POPE FRANCIS BIOGRAPHER: Not just as a young man, as a young Jesuit, of course he was deeply impacted by the Cuban Revolution. That whole generation was. And he was deeply disappointed when Cuba went communist. And I must wonder whether Francis is now, as you like, reminding Raul about something of what the revolution originally was, before it went Marxist.

OPPMANN: And Pope Francis even met Raul Castro's brother, the father of Marxism in Cuba, Fidel Castro. The Pope met the ailing former commandante at his own near Havana. Cuban state TV showed rare images of Castro's children and wife, who apparently didn't know that wearing white when meeting the Pope is a right reserved for the queens of Catholic countries.

The pope leaves Cuba on Tuesday to head to Washington, D.C.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, Pope Francis has a full schedule planned during his six-day visit to the United States. Hours from now he will fly to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington. His business there includes a speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

BARNETT: And from Thursday through Sunday he will visit New York City and Philadelphia where he has numerous stops scheduled including a speech at the U.N. and a mass at Madison Square Garden.

CHURCH: The Pope will complete his 2015 worldwide travels when he visits the African nations of Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic in November.

BARNETT: Now to some more news we're following for you.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is on his way to the U.S. in what's shaping up to be a controversial visit.

CHURCH: Yes. Before he dropped out of the presidential race, Scott Walker said Mr. Xi's visit should be cancelled over accusations that China has been sponsoring cyber espionage against American companies.

BARNETT: U.S. National Security adviser Susan Rice says that state- sponsored hacking jeopardizes U.S.-China relations but she also says avoiding engaging with China, that is not an option.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I know that some people question why we host China at all. That's a dangerous and short- sighted view. If we sought to punish China by cancelling meetings or refusing to engage them, we would only be punishing ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Mr. Xi's first stop is Seattle, Washington, where he will meet with tech and aerospace executives.

For more on this controversial visit let's go to our Saima Mohsin who's in Beijing.

So, Saima, some analysts suggest this could very well be the most important trip the Chinese president has taken since coming to power, others say it will be a rocky road with issues like, as we mentioned, cyber security front and center. What are the U.S. and China expectations for this visit and what are the issues here?

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, you know, it is a bit of both. It is a pomp and ceremony where you're going to see the importance that the Chinese president is going to want to send back home. The important image of him being in the United States and then there's what's going on underneath, behind closed doors, which is always the case in these state visits, and of course the controversial ones.

[00:25:20] There's a lot of issues for them to clear up. What are the main issues, well, they're looking at things like fugitives just recently of course last week we saw a man that China wanted to speak to returned by the United States to China. That's on the agenda. They're also wanting to talk about the economy. We've seen that amazing slump in the last few weeks. Some say it's a readjustment, it's reality, and it's China transitioning into a democratic market led world. Others are reacting badly as we saw with the markets.

And top of the bill, Rosemary, is cyber security. Huge concern from the United States about Chinese state-sponsored hacking. China, of course, says that it's not involved in that. Itself a victim of hacking and cyber espionage. The United States and President Obama has been ramping up the rhetoric about that. And there is definitely going to be some tough talking as far as cyber espionage is concerned. It's costing millions of dollars. There's a lot of intellectual property leaking out as well.

Having said that, and you just heard Susan Rice's comments there, this is not just something that is being seen as a controversial visit. It could be fruitful, too. And that the United States ambassador to China here in Beijing is reminding everyone of that. Take a listen.

Well, sorry, we're hoping to bring you some -- a clip of his speech yesterday. Well, what he was saying was that, look, this is not just something to be seen as controversial. There are a lot of issues for the United States and China to sort through. And that is as China transitions to becoming one of the world's most dominant economies, it's going to start being and already is a very important plan. So that means there is a land of opportunity which is why he is kicking off his trip with that visit to Seattle-- Rosemary.

CHURCH: And we will be watching this trip very closely. Saima Mohsin, reporting there live from Beijing, many thanks to you.

Well, shocking allegations are raised about the U.S. military's policy toward Afghanistan's long history of boy play. The details still to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:58] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Let's update you on our top stories right now. First up Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is ending his U.S. presidential bid. He's now the second Republican to drop out of the race along with former Texas Governor Rick Perry. Walker was among the early favorites in the crowd of Republican field. But his support disappeared over the past two months.

CHURCH: Pope Francis will lead a mass in a few hours at a shrine in El Cabre, in Cuba, near Santiago, before heading on to the U.S. later Tuesday. The Pope has been warmly received during his four-day visit to the island nation. Vatican officials claim the Pope's Havana mass alone drew some 200,000 people. President Obama and the first lady will greet the Pope when he lands in Washington.

BARNETT: EU ministers will hold a meeting Tuesday to discuss how to relocate about 120,000 people seeking asylum in Europe. The countries disagree on how to share the burden. And some are rejecting calls for mandatory migrant quotas. Government leaders will also meet on the issue Wednesday.

CHURCH: The Pentagon is denying alarming allegations and ordered U.S. forces to ignore the sexual abuse of minors by Afghan officials.

BARNETT: The "New York Times" reports that not only were U.S. servicemen was told not to intervene in the abuse of boys, some were punished when they did. Jake Tapper has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're called dancing boys, tea boys, or by many who have had to turn a blind eye to them, Afghan sex slaves. A subculture of bacha bazi or boy play, is widely known in Afghanistan. But for U.S. service members there, the abuse of these children is infuriatingly hard to stop, especially when the abuse comes from American-backed Afghan commanders there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): I had a boy because every commander had one.

TAPPER: In a 2010 PBS documentary, a former Afghan commander of the Northern Alliance spoke openly, shamelessly, about this sick practice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): If I didn't have a boy, I couldn't compete with the others.

TAPPER: Today "The New York Times" reports that the American military stands accused of ordering troops to purposely turn a blind eye to the abuse in order to maintain good relations with Afghan forces.

CAPT. DAN QUINN, U.S. ARMY (RET.): The reason that we weren't able to step in with these local rape cases was we didn't want to undermine the authority of the local government. We were trying to build up the local government. Us acting after the local government fails to can certainly undermine their credibility.

TAPPER: Retired U.S. Army Captain Dan Quinn tells CNN that he and Sergeant First Class Charles Martland were punished for confronting an admitted Afghan child rapist, a police commander.

QUINN: The confrontation turned physical. I picked him up, threw him onto the ground multiple times. And Charles did the same thing. And basically had to make sure that he fully understood that if he ever went near that boy or his mother again, there was going to be hell to pay.

TAPPER: Quinn says he and Martland were relieved of their duties shortly thereafter. Martland is being involuntarily separated now from the army.

JESSICA STERN, TERRORISM EXPERT: I think the fear is that if we were to intervene, we wouldn't have the kind of close working relationship that we need with Afghan military.

TAPPER: Terrorism expert Jessica Stern says this is far from an isolated incident. She's spoken to several service members who say they were disturbed by what they saw.

STERN: They must have felt that they couldn't respond in the way they would have liked to. It was clearly a very painful subject. TAPPER: Congressman and veteran Duncan Hunter, a Republican from

California, is trying to save Martland's career, writing to Defense Secretary Ash Carter saying, quote, "Martland stood up to a child rapist. I trust you will give the case the attention it demands."

A Pentagon spokesperson told CNN today, "We have never had a policy in place that directs any military member or any government personnel overseas to ignore human rights abuses. Any sexual abuse is completely unacceptable and reprehensible."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:35:09] BARNETT: John Sifton joins us from Washington, D.C. to talk about this. He is the Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch.

John, thanks for your time. This is a disgustingly disturbing story to talk about. But it is important. And in fact the topic of sexual abuse of boys in Afghanistan is something your organization has looked into in depth before.

Just tell us how widespread it is in the country. This practice of bacha bazi or boy play as they call them.

JOHN SIFTON, ASIA ADVOCACY DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Well, the abuse of Afghan civilians generally by security forces is a topic we've covered for years, rape of women, girls, boys, extortion, theft, torture but we have always had our eye on this issue. It would come up again and again over the years. Commanders, a powerful gunman in Afghanistan, would kidnap boys and made them their sex slaves.

It's an outrageous abuse. It's very difficult to pin down the exact scope of the abuse because of the incredible shame that a lot of victims and their families feel about what's happened. But this is --

BARNETT: Why is this done?

SIFTON: This is an -- I mean, this isn't a cultural issue. It's frankly sexual abuse. We were talking about women being raped, nobody would talk about it in some part of Afghanistan's culture.

BARNETT: Now in this "New York Times" report it claims that the U.S. military essentially needs these Afghan commanders. So to challenge them on sexual abuse could undermine U.S. efforts. We have to make the point that the Pentagon denies this.

But you even claimed that after all these years of not just your organization but others also reporting this you say the U.S. military still doesn't have a mechanism to deal with it. How can that be true?

SIFTON: Well, it's one thing to make this excuse in the fall of 2001, 2002, just as the U.S. and Afghan forces are beginning partnership against Taliban insurgents but we are now over a decade later. And that excuse long past its sell date. The U.S. has been funneling billions of dollars into building the Afghan military. That should help and could have included building up their military justice system and making it clear that abuse of this type is not going to be condoned by the United States government.

It's one thing to let the abuse -- it's one thing to have abuse happen and say, OK, well, we can't deal with it for one reason or another. It's another thing to condone it. The U.S. government should have been making clear that this is just the type of behavior that they do not condone, whether it's torture, sexual abuse, and that they need the Afghan authorities to take it seriously and to prosecute the perpetrators. They are important commanders and they need to be told you can't let this happen on your watch.

BARNETT: To those of us hearing about this and hearing about it, it is -- it's just unbelievable.

John Sifton, we appreciate your insight on this issue. The Asia advocacy director with Human Rights Watch. Thanks for your time.

SIFTON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, the mysterious disappearance of a North Korean woman has many wondering if she ran away or was abducted. That story is still to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:41:36] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A U.N. commission says it has found numerous crimes against humanity in North Korea.

BARNETT: And the head of that commission is urging the international community to investigate the cases properly and prosecute, if necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL KIRBY, CHAIRMAN, U.N. COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON NORTH KOREA: Crimes against humanity have been found and it is not open to the world community to turn away. It is the duty of the world community when there have been findings that there is a reasonable case for crimes against humanity, it is the obligation of the international community to respond and to have those matters properly investigated and if found to warrant prosecution brought before an appropriate court or tribunal. That is an obligation of international law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Still North Korea rejects those claims of human rights abuses, as they always have, and says the U.N. only uses the issue to interfere with its affairs.

CHURCH: In the meantime, CNN was recently invited to meet the parents of a woman suspected of defecting from North Korea. Tens of thousands of defectors have fled since the late 1990s. Many telling horror stories of persecution and abuse.

CNN's Will Ripley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This room could belong to any young girl. Full of stuffed animals, figurines.

(On camera): She loves Snow White, obviously.

(Voice-over): Memories most would share on Facebook today kept the old-fashioned way here in North Korea, a nation mostly without Internet, where kids still write letters home.

Like this one from Moon Su Keung (ph), a young waitress at this state- owned restaurant in Cambodia, now closed, telling her parents in Pyongyang, she was just weeks from coming home, her last letter before she disappeared.

"I couldn't believe it," her mother says. "I wouldn't believe it when I first got the news because I strongly trusted and still trust her."

Only the most loyal North Koreans are selected to work abroad at state-owned businesses, often for three or four years, without coming home.

Co-workers say Moon was kidnapped by regular customers who befriended her, South Korean spies, who forced her into a car and drove away. CNN can't independently verify the claims, which a South Korean government official called completely groundless.

(On camera): Does it ever cross your mind that she may have left willingly?

(Voice-over): "Absolutely not," her father says. "She was only 20 when she disappeared. She wasn't fully independent."

Moon's parents say she must have been abducted or deceived, a claim we often hear from the families of North Koreans who disappear. Tens of thousands of defectors have fled South since the late 1990s, many telling horror stories of persecution and abuse in the North.

The North Korean regime says they're criminals covering up their past or victims forced to lie about their homeland to survive. But those claims are at odds with the findings of the United Nations, which cites hundreds of defectors in a scathing report on human rights abuses in North Korea.

(On camera): How often do you come to your daughter's room?

(Voice-over): "Every day I come home from work and I go to her room to see if anything has changed," she says. "If she's come home."

[00:45:06] Moon's parents haven't heard from her in four years. They still keep her university uniforms pressed and ready, just in case.

"I strongly believe you were deceived into going down there. I trust you," she tells her daughter. "Your parents will be here, waiting for you, until the end of our lives."

Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang, North Korea. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, firefighters in northern California had a brushfire of five acres, about two hectares, on their hands Monday that threatened to spread into homes and businesses.

BARNETT: The fast moving fire was in Martinez, California. This is at the edge of a regional park there. And at one point, construction crews even used a garden hose to beat back the flames. That's how desperate they were. The county fire department says it was able to control the fire and of course now has some cleanup to do.

CHURCH: And our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is here to talk about the possibility of a better weather on the way in California.

JAVAHERI: Yes. Parts of the southwestern U.S. it doesn't look like unfortunately it's going to make it to the northern portion of California where some of the recent fires have been. And you know these large fires across northern California now entering the record books as far as how much damage they've done to structures. In fact the Valley Fire, take a look at this. This is California state history in the making here when it comes to the most destructive fire with regard to structures burned and damaged.

The Valley Fire is taking down over 1700 structures, 75,000 acres also burned. This is as of September 2015. Of course and you notice the numbers there, much of them since the year 2000 when it comes to more destructive fires. But we know the Valley Fire right now, Lake County 75 percent contained. Again 75,000 acres consumed. And you can see the structural damage left in place.

And we still have the Butte Fire that is now sitting at 74 percent contained. So certainly improvement across this region. As the weather has eased just a little bit, but we're going to have moisture streaming in as a tropical depression that's locked in over portions of the Sea of Cortez and as it streams in moisture over the next 24 to 48 hours, certainly beneficial rainfall. Some of the rains could be very heavy our around via Phoenix metro, points to the east especially out towards the northern portion of Arizona.

Already seeing one to two inches coming down from Tucson down toward Nogales in the past 24 hours. The radar showing the showers pushing the play there. Even San Diego getting a few light showers this evening. But the pattern again with 6.1 million people under the flood watches right now. The vast majority of them near the (INAUDIBLE) empire and also the southwestern corner of the state of California.

But the storm eventually spreads the rain all the way across portions of the Midwestern United States and also a tropical feature I want to tell you about because we do have Tropical Storm Malla. This particular one sitting just a few hundred miles northwest of the Hawaiian islands. But not going to be an impact to land. Not a major impact to land but the reason I want to bring this to your attention is that it's a record-breaking storm for the North Central Pacific. The sixth storm named so far this season. We've never had these many

storms for this part of the ocean. And of course El Nino has a lot to do with. Warmer water temperatures, lower wind shear. The storm eventually dies as it moves over portions of -- areas of western Alaska as it heads toward the Illusion Island. But leave you with this. The season is changing in about 24 hours. At 4:22 a.m. on Wednesday morning, that's Eastern Time or 8:22 UTC.

Northern hemisphere, autumn officially begins. Southern hemisphere spring will officially begin. And let's face it, the sun will be directly over the equator at that very moment 4:22 Eastern tomorrow morning. And it will mean roughly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night for almost everyone on the planet.

BARNETT: There we go. We like autumn or fall as us Americans say.

CHURCH: Fall, yes.

JAVAHERI: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

JAVAHERI: Errol, brand new American as of today.

CHURCH: We are now. All three of us. There you go. All of us.

BARNETT: All right, Pedram. Thanks very much.

JAVAHERI: Thanks, guys.

BARNETT: See you again.

CHURCH: Thanks, Pedram.

BARNETT: Now anti-poaching teams in South Africa, they're using some old but effective tactics to save the endangered rhino. I know this is a story many of you care about. We'll bring it to you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:51:26] DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, I'm Don Riddell with your CNN WORLD SPORT headlines. Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association after his team's win against Arsenal on Saturday. Costa was seen to put his hands into the face of the Gunner's defender Laurent Koscielny before clashing with Gabriel who was sent off in a match that ended 2-0 to the champions Chelsea.

The FA also charged Gabriel with improper conduct and both teams with failing to control their players. Arsenals are to appeal the sending- off and three-match ban while Costa has until 6:00 p.m. British Summertime on Tuesday to respond to the charge.

Trinidad's attorney general has approved the U.S. extradition proceedings against former FIFA vice president Jack Warner. U.S. authorities want to try the 72-year-old Trinidad native on charges of accepting millions of dollars in bribes. Warner has denied the charges and has been fighting extradition.

The Rugby World Cup is taking a little breather. And there is no doubt about the biggest story so far, the greatest upset in the history of the sport, as Japan beat the Mighty South Africa. And Japan's coach Eddie Jones has warned their next opponent, Scotland, that Japan want to be more than one-hit wonders. Japan were given the Guard of Honor as they left their Briton Hotel, the Cherry Blossoms takes on the Scots on Wednesday.

And that is a quick look at your sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.

CHURCH: A CNN journalist describes our next story as one of the most memorable moments of her life. Rosa Flores is among the dozens of reporters covering the Pope's trip to Cuba and the U.S.

BARNETT: Now you would want to see this because our cameras were rolling when Flores, who is Catholic, had an extraordinary moment with the Pope. Watch here as the pontiff blessed her during that flight from Rome to Cuba. Do we have the video? Because it's really cool. We probably don't. So we're going to show you some still images. They shared a laugh and this happened as the Pope greeted all of the journalists individually.

CHURCH: There it is.

BARNETT: There we go. It's a big moment.

CHURCH: I was going to say we want you to imagine the moment but there it is.

BARNETT: There you go. A big moment for her. Blessed Rosa. And pretty awesome.

CHURCH: Yes.

BARNETT: Well done.

Now Africa's rhino population has plummeted dramatically in the last few years. And that staggering drop has been driven by Asian demand for their horns.

CHURCH: Yes. Now South African anti-poaching firms are using paramilitary tactics to defend the endangered animals.

CNN's David McKenzie spent a night with one team. Here's his report and we do warn you some of the vision is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Heavily armed rangers in South Africa, looking for rhino poachers, but searching everyone. They`ve come to lay a trap.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course I've been told they're coming this way, they're going to be chased this way, and I've got a box them in here.

MCKENZIE: Here conservation is looking a lot more like a bush war.

CHEYNE VAN ROOYEN, PROTRACK ANTI-POACHING: We've always got to look and try to put ourselves into the poachers' shoes and trying to think like a poacher.

MCKENZIE: To do that, rangers like Josiah Malloy (ph) trained for months, to read the signs of the bush.

(On camera): He`s saying that anything out of the ordinary, it`s important to look out for it and call it in because this is out in the bush, litter, foot prints, broken branches, it all could mean that poachers are around.

(Voice-over): Poachers normally work in small groups, with the heavy caliber weapon to shoot the rhino, small arms to protect against rangers. Sometimes they hack the horns while the rhino is still alive. Those horns are more valuable than gold, fueled by Asian demand where they are falsely believed to have medicinal qualities.

[00:55:09] And the poachers are moving deeper into South Africa. No longer confined to the country's eastern border, the war is in now coming from within.

VINCENT BARKAS, PROTRACK ANTI-POACHING: Unfortunately, the feet from the ground with a gun that kill a poacher I believe is the wrong way forward. We're causing more resentment, more hatred towards our wildlife, towards conservation as a whole, than we are any good.

MCKENZIE: But he says all they can do now is train like a military force and fight fire with fire. But they're outmanned, outgunned and often outmaneuvered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the information is good, then you knock the guys. But it doesn`t happen every day.

MCKENZIE: No arrest tonight, but no rhinos taken.

David McKenzie, CNN, Balule, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Some very disturbing images there.

BARNETT: That's the reality.

CHURCH: Yes, it is.

BARNETT: That happens quite often.

CHURCH: And that unfortunately is why people need to see.

BARNETT: Yes.

CHURCH: We do want to thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. We're going to take turns here. Rosy is back in an hour and I'm back after the break with more news from around the world. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)