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CNN NEWSROOM

Belgian Police Have Arrested Two People Suspected of New Year's Eve Plot; Father Suing Chicago After Son Killed by Police; Americans Worried About ISIS Attacks at Home; "Affluenza" Teen Caught in Mexico; No Indictment for Shooting of Tamir Rice; Donald Trump Targets Bill Clinton; Comfort Women Unhappy with Japan-Korea Agreement; Motorhead's Lemmy Dies. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired December 29, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:01]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I am Rosemary Church. Thanks for joining our second hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

And we have this just in to CNN, a Belgian federal prosecutor says police have arrested two people suspected of plotting militant attacks in Brussels on New Year's Eve. Reuter's news agency reports the arrests came in different parts of the country on Sunday and Monday. Police say they found military clothing and ISIS propaganda, but no weapons or explosives during their searches. Prosecutors say those searches were not linked to last month's Paris attack.

Well, Iraqi forces are declaring a victory in a major blow against ISIS. The Iraq army says it has pushed ISIS out of the strategic city of Ramadi. On Monday, Iraqi soldiers raised their flag in the city's center. Even as they celebrated, the sounds of gunfire could still be heard. There are pockets of ISIS fighters still in Ramadi. A top general says it may take up to three weeks to push them all out. CNN's Nima Elbagir has the details.

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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Declaring victory in Ramadi. Video broadcasts by Iraqi state TV shows soldiers raising their national flag over the city's government compound, celebrating the Iraqi military's first major victory over the so-called Islamic state.

YAHYA RASOUL, IRAQI MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Ramadi has been freed and the armed forces and the antiterrorist group, and also we've raised our flag on the government's building in Anbar.

ELBAGIR: In May, ISIS fighters seized Ramadi's capitol from the Anbar province west of Baghdad, as the government troops fled in defeat. U.S.-trained Iraqi forces returned launching an assault in the city last week, making their final push to seize the century located government complex on Sunday. It showed Iraqi troops advancing through Ramadi, street by street amid piles of rubble and collapsed houses. Even amid the celebrations, Iraqi officials say government troops still need to clear some remaining pockets of insurgents in the city. Once secured, Ramadi will be handed over to local police, and the Sunni tribal force and they'll win support in the local community.

After that, Iraq's government has said their next target will be the northern city of Mosul. With an estimated pre-war population of 2 million, Mosul is the largest population center controlled by ISIS, and either Iraq or Syria, and a crucial source of tax revenue, if it's retaken it will take down much of the infrastructure underpinning ISIS' claim to state hood.

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CHURCH: And Nima joins us now on the line from Baghdad. So Nima, how significant is this given there are many challenges ahead in the effort to deliberate all of Ramadi with these pockets of resistance that you talked about there in your report?

[03:05:01]

ELBAGIR: Well of course, we all remember those images of the Iraqis fleeing Ramadi back in May of this year in humiliation. The sense that it was as much about the failures of the U.S.-led coalition and their strategies in Iraq as it was about their failures. The Iraqi government is prematurely, if they are, calling this liberation. This is as much about them as it is about Ramadi. This is a break from that. This will be the first major city taken by the Iraqi army without those mobilized Shia groups. We've seen them fully liberating it very quick and claiming credit for that -- the training that they've been giving the Iraqi forces.

Those we're speaking to say the similarities here are tough to beat. The security campaign as they're calling it. The sources in the Iraqi military are calling it. That will take a little bit of time to clear to out the remaining pockets of ISIS. They are seeing an extraordinary victory going towards the end of the year and what their hopes are in the city in the coming next year, Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yeah, and Mosul is very much in their sights. We'll continue to watch this story, Nima Elbagir joining us on the line there from Baghdad, many thanks to you.

Well, Mexican authorities say they have detained a Texas teenager known as the Affluenza teen wanted in the U.S. for allegedly violating his probation. Ethan Couch and his mother were taken into custody near the resort town of Puerto Vallarta. Couch was sentenced two years ago to probation in a drunken driving crash that killed four people. He's attorney's argued Couch suffered from what they called Affluenza because his parents never taught him right from wrong. Police say Couch missed an appointment with his probation officer earlier this month, and he and his mother disappeared. Couch and his mother are expected to be turned over to U.S. marshals.

Well, at least 43 people have been killed in severe weather across the U.S. in the past week, and it's not over yet. Flash floods in Missouri are blamed for several of those deaths. The state's governor has declared a state of emergency. Farther west, blizzard warnings are in effect. In Dallas, Texas, people are trying to recover from deadly tornadoes. Nick Valencia reports.

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JOSH WHITE, HOME DESTROYED BY TORNADO: I thought I was dead, you know? I was waiting for the tornado to suck me out, but it didn't. Life gave me a second chance.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For Josh White, the chance to walk away from a deadly e-4 tornado in Garland, Texas almost didn't come.

WHITE: I was running towards my closet. The doors and everything started caving in. Stuff started flying through the windows. Things were hitting us.

VALENCIA: He hid with his wife and 5-year-old son with just a mattress to protect them from winds up to 200 miles per hour.

WHITE: This has made me realize how fragile life is.

VALENCIA: Eleven people were killed in Texas alone this weekend when tornadoes ripped through the state, tearing apart buildings, leaving skeleton structures and shattered wood behind. The destructive winds are a part of a massive storm system wreaking havoc across the nation with a deadly mix of tornadoes, ice, blizzards, and flooding stretching from New Mexico to Maine. At least two dozen people have died and more than 100 million more could be affected by severe storms, flooding and snow from this same system. White gathers his belongings and just a sweatshirt, while others in the lone star state are digging out of frigid blizzard conditions, just part of the bizarre and brutal weather here.

Texas is among the hardest hit states along with Illinois and Missouri, each reporting multiple deaths. At least four international soldiers stationed at Fort Wood perished in Missouri this weekend when their car was overtaken by rising water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We found two men in the car and two men outside the vehicle in a creek.

VALENCIA: Now as hundreds of Americans are beginning to see the destruction left in the storm's path, millions more are bracing for what's next. Josh White says he'll be there to help anyone who needs it.

WHITE: Everybody never expects this. Once you go through it, it changes your life. You want to help people now, you know?

VALENCIA: The recovery efforts in Garland, Texas, continue. Residents at this apartment complex have slowly started to trickle back to see if they can salvage any of their belongings. The structural damage is so severe that many of them have yet to be let back inside, Nick Valencia, CNN, Garland, Texas.

(END VIDEO CLIP) [03:10:01]

CHURCH: And northern England is also dealing with severe weather. The region has been rocked by extensive flooding with a month's worth of rain coming in just a day in some areas. British Prime Minister David Cameron toured the flood zones in York on Monday, seeing the widespread damage firsthand. He pledged he would help with whatever was needed.

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DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Here in Yorkshire, for instance, we've spent 100 million pounds on flood defenses since be I became Prime Minister. We're planning to spend another 280 million, almost three times as much. That's of no comfort, obviously, to the people who have been flooded in York. To be flooded is a terrible experience anyway, and it's even more terrible when it happens at Christmas or New Year, a time when people are meant to be home with their families and celebrating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Prime Minister David Cameron there.

And Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now with the latest on the conditions there. So Pedram, talk to us about when people in that region can expect the water level to subside and the weather to improve.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's of course, across that area, Rosemary, a couple of days before we begin to see some improvement. It seems to be a seesaw battle. Conditions improve, go back downhill, and we improve again. This pattern persisted across the southern U.S. -- Midwestern United States where nearly 70 tornadoes spawned in the past seven days, the most number of tornadoes in the month of December. When we take a look, six consecutive days of tornado reports in the month of December, the last time this happened in 1982. The only other time we had six straight days of tornadoes in December was in 1953. Both years were by the way, El Nino years.

Of course, there's a flooding concern across the United States as well, 430 reported rivers reporting flooding at this hour. High risk of flooding that was in place on Monday. Improves a little bit come Tuesday. Look what happens when we come into Wednesday -- flood warnings still in place across this portion of the world. The images look something like this. Of course, when you tie in this on a global scale we know, take a look at the floor perspective, the graphics here. El Nino pattern that's displaced the jet stream, we have a wet weather pattern across the U.S., Seattle and Portland, Oregon have 28 straight days in the month of December.

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CHURCH: Understood. Also received a tweet from someone in Ireland saying there are problems in terms of flooding as well, many thanks to you, Pedram, for covering that. Appreciate it. Well, severe flooding is also affecting large parts of South America.

More than 160,000 people have been displaced by torrential rains. Argentina's vital tourism industry is suffering because of it. Many people are beginning to worry about lasting damage. CNN's Diego Laje reports.

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DIEGO LAJE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The situation in Concordia in northeastern Argentina is concerning. There are more than 10,000 evacuees only in this town. Add to the figure of 160,000 evacuees in the region combining Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina. In this town, one in ten has lost their homes. That's probably not the biggest part of the drama here. The biggest part is that many businesses are gone. The water already above roof levels in many -- in many businesses. Together with that, this is the beginning of the summer season, the beginning of the travel season. This town depends heavily on tourism.

Here, many people are very worried they will not make enough cash flow for the rest of the year. They depend on the summer travel season to make money to live through the year, through 2016. That is exactly what most people are concerned with right now. In the meantime, authorities are mobilizing police, army, and rescue personnel to try and bring shelter to those that have been displaced. The crisis is expected to last for many, many months to come, Diego Laje, CNN, Concordia.

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[03:15:01]

CHURCH: Iran has shipped more than 25,000 pounds of low enriched uranium to Russia. The U.S. calls it a significant step in Iran honoring the nuclear deal reached with major world powers earlier this year. Under the deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from a number of economic sanctions. Tehran committed to reducing its supply of low enriched uranium to below 660 pounds.

Well, there will be no indictments for two police officers in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, coming up, why his family is accusing prosecutors of sabotaging the case.

Also ahead, U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump has more harsh words for the Clintons, back in a moment.

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CHURCH: A grand jury in Ohio has decided not to indict two police officers involved in the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy. The family of Tamir Rice says he was murdered. They've issued a statement saying, "Prosecutor McGinty deliberately sabotaged the case, never advocating for my son, and acting instead like the police officer's defense attorney."

And we get more now from CNN's Jean Casarez.

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JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty announcing the grand jury's ruling on the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.

TIM MCGINTY, CUYAHOGA COUNTY PROSECUTOR: The grand jury declined to bring criminal charges against Craven Police Officers Timothy Lowman and Frank Armbeck.

CASAREZ: The prosecutors said that newly enhanced video made it indisputable that Rice was drawing a gun from his waistband as the officer's patrol car pulled up alongside him.

MCGINTY: It is likely that Tamir, whose size made him look much older, and who had been warned that his pellet gun might get him in trouble that day, either intended to hand it over to officers and show them that it wasn't a real gun, but there was no way for the officers to know that.

CASAREZ: And tragically he never had the chance. Rice was shot just two seconds after the officers arrived on scene. That was 13 months ago. Rice was walking back and forth in a Cleveland park playing with a toy gun. A witness called 911.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guy keeps pulling it out. It's probably fake. Trying to scaring -- (AUDIO GAP).

CASAREZ: In addition to reporting that the gun was probably fake, the witness added that the black male was probably a juvenile. Dispatchers failed to relay those two pieces of critical information to the officers who believed they were responding to an active shooter in a high crime area.

MCGINTY: A moment later, as a car slid toward him, Tamir drew the replica gun from his waist and the officer fired. Believing he was about to be shot was mistaken. He had reasonable belief given the high stress circumstances and his police training, he had reason to fear for his life.

CASAREZ: Shortly after the press conference the Rice family issued a statement slamming the prosecutor. Tamir's family is saddened and disappointed by this outcome but not surprised. It has been clear for months now that Cuyahoga County prosecutor Timothy McGinty at this was abusing and manipulating the grand jury process to orchestrate a vote against indictment, Jean Casarez, CNN, New York.

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CHURCH: And I spoke earlier with CNN Legal Analyst Sunny Hostin about her reaction to the grand jury's decision. She told us she was shocked. SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: As a former prosecutor, I know that

a prosecutor controls the grand jury. I know that a prosecutor controls the flow of information to the grand jury. The prosecutor decides which evidence is presented to the grand jury. And quite frankly, in the United States if a prosecutor wants an indictment, a prosecutor gets an indictment. In this case, I think it's pretty clear that this prosecutor was not seeking an indictment. He indicated just today during a press conference that he recommended that no charges be filed, and he even questioned this family's motives. He suggested that Samaria Rice, Tamir Rice's mother who I have interviewed, had some sort of economic motive.

We're talking about the death of her 12-year-old son. I think -- I am surprised that this prosecutor proceeded this way, given what we now know about one of the two officers that were on the scene that day. The officer that shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice had been let go from one police department because they felt that he was immature emotionally, they felt that he had a dangerous loss of composure during firearms training, and one supervisor indicated in writing that he did not believe that any training would be able to change or correct the officer's deficiencies, yet the Cleveland Police Department hired this officer without looking at his personnel file.

And the suggestion somehow that the officer acted reasonably given the fact that he shot Tamir Rice just two seconds after leaving his police car is just astounding.

CHURCH: CNN's Law Enforcement Analyst Cedric Alexander joins me now to talk about the grand jury's decision not to indict the two police officers involved in the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Thank you, sir, for joining us. What is your -- what was your first impression when you heard the decision was made?

CEDRIC ALEXANDER, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, you know, I was very sad. A 12-year-old child lost his life in the park that day. Police officers who were assuming that something was there that we learned later was just an innocent child with a toy gun is a very sad thing. It's sad for the community and I imagine it's going to be a sad day across this country, but the unfortunate part of this is there's loss everywhere. A small child loses his life. A community loses faith and trust in the criminal justice system, in the law enforcement organization there.

[03:25:01]

CHURCH: So what's the answer in a situation like this? How -- how do you make this system work better? We've got the family of Tamir Rice accusing the prosecutor of sabotaging the case. So when you have -- when they've lost so much faith in the justice system to that degree, how do you make it better?

ALEXANDER: Well, that's going to be the challenge. That's not just the challenge in Cleveland, that's the challenge right now across America when it comes to building these relationships and legitimacy in our communities. All of us right now in law enforcement are struggling, working hard to build, maintain those relationships. When we have any type of shooting that becomes any question to the community at large, we have to do everything that we can to be as transparent and open with our investigation. It must not be a heard investigation but it must be an investigation of course, that is complete and thorough, both to the fairness of everyone that's involved.

But we've got to go back. We've got to look at our training and we have to look at who we hire and who we maintain inside our organizations as well, too. Certainly, there was some question to this officer from previous history that has been noted. So there are a variety of things that we need to look at.

CHURCH: Why did that not appear to play into this? When you also look at the video, you see the two officers arrive and within seconds they've shot and killed this young 12-year-old and of course, we find out as you mentioned some questionable problems with one of those officers, the one who actually shot him?

ALEXANDER: Well, I think it will come into play. It won't come into play in terms of this being a criminal case, but it will come into play in regards to public opinion, and it's going to need to come into play in regards to that department in terms of how it hires, who it hires and making sure that they do adequate background investigations and do really complete, thorough psychological exams which are going to be very, very critical.

CHURCH: Cedric Alexander, thank you ao much for joining us and sharing your perspective. Appreciate it.

ALEXANDER: Thank you.

CHURCH: A father is suing the city of Chicago after his son was killed by police over the weekend. An officer shot 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier while responding to a domestic disturbance call on Saturday. Police say LeGrier had a metal bat. Authorities say 55- year-old Bettie Jones, a neighbor, was accidentally shot and killed. According to the wrongful death lawsuit, the officer shot LeGrier without justification and used excessive force. The incident is bringing increasing pressure on Mayor Rahm Emmanuel who has ordered changes on how the city's police are trained. The Mayor is cutting his family vacation short to return to Chicago.

Despite some gains being made against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Americans are worried about ISIS militants launching more attacks at home. How President Obama is responding. That's still to come.

And a heartbreaking loss seen around the world, a Syrian family has an emotional reunion in Canada.

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[03:33:01]

CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I am Rosemary Church. Want to update you on the main stories right now. A Belgium prosecutor says police have arrested two people suspected of

plotting militant attacks in Brussels on New Year's Eve. Police say they found military clothing and ISIS propaganda, but no weapons or explosives during their searches.

The Iraqi military says it has now liberated Ramadi from ISIS. After days of intense fighting, only small pockets of ISIS fighters remain in the strategic city. An army spokesman says it will take two to three more weeks to push those fighters out.

Mexico is expected to turn over the so-called Affluenza teen to U.S. authorities. Ethan Couch and his mother were found near Puerto Vallarta after they disappeared in early December. Couch is wanted for allegedly violating his probation in a 2013 drunken driving crash that killed four people.

A grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio has decided not to bring charges against two police officers in the shooting death of a 12-year-old boy. Tamir Rice was holding a pellet gun when an officer in training shot him last year. Rice's family says the prosecutor deliberately sabotaged the case.

The Iraqi military has declared victory in Ramadi is some rare good news for the Obama administration in the battle against ISIS. Jim Acosta reports many Americans are losing faith in the President's strategy.

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: With the U.S.-led coalition at war with ISIS half a world away, President Obama just got a fresh reminder during his vacation in Hawaii. Americans are worried the terrorists are winning the fight. A new CNN/ORC poll shows Americans have lost confidence in the Obama administrations ability to defeat ISIS and prevent another terrorist attack, 64 percent disapprove of the President's handling of ISIS and just 51 percent or Americans believe the government can protect against a terrorist attack, down sharply from 65 percent in 2010. That deep pessimism has frustrated the President.

BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: I am confident we're going to prevail.

ACOSTA: But Mr. Obama wants Americans to feel that confidence. CNN has learned the White House has asked top officials across the government to do a better job of selling the ISIS plan.

OBAMA: I think there's a legitimate criticism of what I have been doing and our administration has been doing in the sense that we haven't on a regular basis, I think, described all of the work that we've been doing for more than a year now to defeat ISIL.

ACOSTA: And now, the President may be able to point to some progress after Iraqi security forces combined with air strikes apparently succeeded in driving ISIS out of the crucial city of Ramadi. Even Republicans in Congress are optimistic. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should think this is a good thing for our

strategy in that region and these are the types of things that we should be doing more.

ACOSTA: It could be a vindication of the President's cautious approach, relying on Iraqi and Syrian forces instead of U.S. troops on the ground. The latest CNN/ORC poll finds Americans are split down the middle whether to send ground troops to fight ISIS, which explains in part why the President is resistant to such a move. As he said last month, defending his ISIS strategy.

Why can't we take out these bastards?

OBAMA: Jim, I just spent the last three questions answering that very question. We can retake territory, and as long as we leave troops there we can hold it, but that does not solve the underlying problem of eliminating the dynamics that are producing these kinds of violent extremist groups.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump is stepping up his attacks on Bill Clinton on Monday. The Republican front runner for the White House accused the former U.S. President of having a "terrible record of women abuse." Trump has made Bill Clinton a central element in his attacks on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Dana Bash has more.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's playing the woman's card and its like, give me a break.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The way Donald Trump sees it, to be a winner you have to act like one. He's ending 2015 as if he's already won the 2016 GOP nomination, attacking Hillary Clinton.

TRUMP: So many women come up to me and say, you've got to keep her out. She's terrible.

BASH: Trump's anti-Hillary rants have been nonstop since Christmas where she returned fire.

[03:38:01]

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Not the first time he's demonstrated a penchant for sexism.

BASH: Now Trump is bringing Bill Clinton into it, the latest on Iowa Radio.

TRUMP: With all of her past and past dealings and frankly she's been involved in it with her husband as much as anybody, for her to be discussing that I think is out of bounds and I have let them know that. BASH: Trump is doing well with Republican women. In the last CNN/ORC

poll, a whopping 69 percent of female GOP voters said they have a favorable view of Trump, but it's almost the opposite when all female voters are included, 61 percent view Trump unfavorably. The only Republican woman running for President is trying to capitalize on the Trump/Clinton war of words.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, how about an honest woman? How about a competent woman? How about a qualified woman? But I am never going to ask for people's support because I am a woman. I am going to ask for their support because I am the most qualified candidate to beat Hillary Clinton.

BASH: As for Trump, his campaign insists he'll win by bringing new voters into the GOP fold, which is why he's lashing out at Virginia Republicans for a new requirement to participate in its GOP primary. Voters must sign a party loyalty pledge. One of Trump's many tweets said straighten out the Republican party of Virginia before it's too late, stupid, RNC. Meanwhile in New Hampshire, the conservative union leader which endorsed Chris Christie unloaded on Trump for "Bathroom humor and verbal bullying," comparing Trump to bully Biff in the movie, Back to the Future.

BIFF TANNEN: Hello, hello, anybody home?

BASH: The editorial saying we trust New Hampshire Republicans will send Biff Trump back to somewhere, anywhere but the road to the most important elected office in the United States.

Despite having harsh critics, Donald Trump has admirers, too. In fact, Gallup came out with the most admired men of the year list and Trump is tied with Pope Francis as the second most admired man in America, both behind President Barack Obama. The most admired woman, that's Hillary Clinton. In fact, this is the 14th straight year she's topped Gallup's list. The 20th overall, and more than any other man or woman, Hillary Clinton has been the most admired since it started this in 1948. Dana Bash, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Trump has never shown himself to be one to back down from a fight. He properly struck back at the paper in true Trump style.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I just have to tell you, it's your paper. It's not a good paper. You know it's dying. I don't think it will be in business for more than two years. If you endorse Christie, I don't care. But you don't hurt somebody that's been helping you, and that really has done a good job, ok? You don't do that. Here, you can have it. That's all it's worth, piece of garbage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And to keep track of all the latest on the campaign trail, just visit CNN.com/politics. Well, Perth, Australia, was the hottest place on earth Monday, reaching just over 41 degrees Celsius. That's 105 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the city's warmest December day in three years. Rob Scott reports on the scorching weather.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB SCOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When the Siri family heard it was going to be 41 degrees, their first thought wasn't to abandon their plans to run up Jacob's ladder, instead, they thought they'd do it earlier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I woke up this morning, it was 34 degrees. I was like, come on, let's go.

SCOTT: While they pounded the stairs, most were trying to stay cool. Today was the second hottest day this year. Only the 5th of January was hotter when it reached 44 degrees. This is how we sweated through the day. At 7:00 a.m., it was already 27 degrees. By 8:00 we passed 30. It was 40 degrees at 11:30. We hit our maximum 41.6 around 1 o'clock. Today's extreme heat led to delays across the neighborhood as speed restrictions were imposed when the steel lines started to expand. Pierce was the hottest suburb at 43 degrees. Rosemary Hill wasn't far behind. Perth Airport recorded a blistering 41.7. It was also in the 40s. Beckley was a touch cooler.

While thousands enjoyed the water at Adventure World, firefighters were put to the test again, this time in Soyuz Valley where the heat invariably made the blaze started easily and spread quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, the Israeli Supreme Court has partially overturned a bribery conviction against former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert was originally sentenced last March to 6 years behind bars, but will now serve just 18 months. He was Prime Minister as recently as 2009 and will be the country's first former official to serve jail time.

[03:43:01]

Saudi Arabia is taking some drastic measures to rebound from an economic downturn brought on by falling oil prices. It will raise its domestic fuel prices dramatically by 50 percent and cut other government subsidies on water and electricity, the moves are all to cope with a growing record budget deficit now at $98 billion.

A long awaited reunion in Canada for a family whose loss came to symbolize the migrant's plight in Europe. We'll have that for you just ahead.

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CHURCH: The family of a Syrian boy who drowned off the coast of Turkey beginning a new life in Canada. The uncle, aunt, and cousins of Alan Kurdi stepped off a plane in Vancouver on Monday to reunite with family. The picture of Alan's body on the beach haunted the world. His uncle, translated by his aunt, thanked the people of Canada.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We almost lost hope. Thank you to the Canadian government and Canadian people who make it happen and for our family who -- the rest you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Alan's father is now living in Kurdistan. His sister says he's trying to help other Syrian refugees.

An advocacy group for comfort woman says an agreement between Japan and South Korea is almost humiliating. The two countries reached a deal on reparations for the women. They served as sex slaves for the Japanese military during World War II. As Alexandra Field reports, some say it's just not enough.

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[03:48:01]

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After 12 recent rounds of negotiations and decades of tensions between South Korea and Japan, a deal is finally reached to resolve the conflict over comfort women. Many of these women -- Korean women forced to serve as sex slaves in Japanese military brothels. If the Japanese government carries out its end of the deal by putting up $8 million for a foundation to support the surviving women, South Korea will consider the matter irreversibly resolved.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In order to restore dignity and regain the impaired reputation of the comfort women, as well as heal their wounded hearts through the agreement, I think it's most important that the Japanese government explicitly and state-fully carry out the measures under the deal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we did our duty for the current generation by reaching this final and irreversible resolution for the end of the 70th year of the war.

FIELD: The announcement of the deal comes with a message that Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe again expresses his sincerest apologies, and it takes responsibility for the military's use of comfort women. One group representing survivors says the apology is too vague and fails to make explicitly clear the Japanese government's role in perpetuating the crimes against women. She was forced to leave her Korean village at the age of 14. She was used for five years as a sex slave.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't put into words the scars it left me with. It still keeps me awake at night. It went on for such a long time. By the time the sun went down, I couldn't use my lower body at all. In my old age, I couldn't have a single person who can call me mother. I could never have a child. FIELD: Kim is one of 46 surviving comfort women. There are estimates

that 200,000 women were used as comfort women by the Japanese military. Alexandra Field, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, the Indy pop group Foster the People is teaming up with a Japanese teenager to take a stand against bullying.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:01]

CHURCH: Lemmy, the hard rocking front man for heavy metal band Motorhead died Monday after a battle with cancer. The band was formed in 1975, and Lemmy had been the only consistent member since then. His music helped shape hard rock and heavy metal for the last 40 years. Motorhead encouraged fans on Facebook to, "Celebrate the life this lovely, wonderful man celebrated so vibrantly himself."

Well, Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. It's something teenager Nane Mimosa revealed herself. The story resonated with members of the Indy pop group, Foster the People. Paul Vercammen explains how the two are now fighting back against bullying.

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PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The story of how a teenage girl from Japan wound up in California recording with Indy pop group begins on a dark note. CNN news piece about bullying, she explains starting in second grade she was slapped, beaten with broomsticks. She later contemplated suicide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The deep problem in Japan I that when you are seen as somebody who is different or strange and deviate from mainstream society, that's when bullying happens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I read the story, it took me right back to the place when I was her age in school and right when I really discovered music. Music for me at that moment was kind of my outlet. I guess it gave me hope.

VERCAMMEN: Foster the People known for social consciousness created a fund drive to (Inaudible) collaborate on a stirring song.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This song is very autobiographical. It's about me losing hope in my life at some point, but I decided to keep going and I decided to live. Even when thinking of suicidal thoughts, it's about a miracle that happens if you keep living.

VERCAMMEN: The young singer is also receiving support from Molly Thompson and Lauren Paul, the wife of Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul. They founded kind campaign and now speak at schools about girl on girl bullying. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To be able to really stand in front of girls and

to let them know that that's never the solution to anything and how I just wish so badly that I would have reached out to a counselor, talked to my parents more about what I was going through but we love, you know, being here today to be a part of this story and this amazing experience and creating awareness all over the world, and specifically in Japan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is no junior varsity performer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She really kind of walked into the situation being like, ok, what we are going to do now. You know after the first day I was like, wow, you know, this girl is really something special.

VERCAMMEN: Paul Vercammen, CNN, Burbank, California.

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CHURCH: Now there's an inspiring story for you. Thanks for your company. I am Rosemary Church. Remember, you can find me any time on social media. I do want to hear from you. Early Start is coming up for our viewers in the U.S. and for everybody else stay tuned for more from the CNN NEWSROOM.

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