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CNN NEWSROOM

El Chapo Recaptured; Philadelphia Police Suspect Ambusher of Terrorist Ties; Muslim Woman Ejected from Trump Rally; Obama Faces Gun Control Critics in Town Hall; Stories from Clinton-Blair Tapes; Protests in Cologne after Mob Sex Attack; Madaya Residents Face Starvation; Inside North Korea's New Science Facility; China Denounces North Korean Nuclear Test; Western Australia Fights Massive Fire; Designer Sues George Lucas and Wins. Aired 5-6 ET

Aired January 9, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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


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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): He escaped from prison not once but twice. But after a six-month hunt, Mexican druglord El Chapo is heading back behind bars. Authorities hope it's the third time unlucky for the cartel leader.

Marched out of a Donald Trump campaign event: a Muslim woman states to CNN saying the U.S. presidential candidate and his supporters are anti-Islamic.

And reaching for the stars: we examine the science in North Korea.

Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and right across the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

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KINKADE: We begin in Paris where French President Francois Hollande is honoring the life of a murdered police officer. Mr. Hollande is unveiling a plaque, this one for Clarissa Jean-Philippe. A terrorist gunned her down a day before storming a kosher supermarket where he then killed four people.

Police killed the gunman after a standoff. And Paris has spent the week remembering people killed in a string of attacks last January.

Eric McLaughlin joins me now from Paris for more on this.

And, Erin, no doubt, a somber mood there today.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a somber mood, Lynda, as they remember 25-year-old Clarissa Jean-Philippe, she was a police officer, just doing her job as she stopped Amedy Coulibaly, the kosher market attacker, after a traffic infraction. It was a mere accident. She stopped him.

And that is when he shot her and tried to open fire on her colleague. His gun, though, jammed and he managed to get away.

Now they have gathered in the neighborhood of Montrouge, which is the neighborhood where she was killed.

And not only is French president Francois Hollande today unveiling a plaque with her name on it, they are also going to be renaming the main road which you see there -- is where the ceremony is taking place -- they're renaming the main road in her honor.

Now this ceremony is going to be followed later today by another ceremony that will be taking place at the kosher market. That is where Amedy Coulibaly stormed that market, killing four people before he was shot and killed by authorities. Dignitaries will be present for that event later today as well.

But there, as you see, honoring this fallen police officer, again, just simply doing her job when she was killed by Amedy Coulibaly. And French president Francois Hollande is there, as well as her family, as well as her fellow police officers, to remember her sacrifice and to remember her really -- Lynda.

KINKADE: And Erin, these commemorations of course come just a couple of months after the last major terrorist attack in Paris, which left 130 people dead. Just give us a sense of the security situation there.

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, people here are on edge. The people I've been talking to say that they aren't necessarily afraid but they are certainly aware and accepting, in some respects, of the extraordinary measures that the government has had to take in the wake of not the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks but also in the wake of the November 13th attacks, which killed 130 people in Paris. Those measures not only include increased police presence, heightened security throughout the country.

In fact, just this week French president Francois Hollande announcing an additional 5,000 officers to be spread out throughout the country.

But it also includes a number of new powers that the government has taken in the wake of the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks; they approved new legislation that would increase the government's powers to electronically surveil potential terrorists in the wake of the November 13th attacks. The government implemented a state of emergency, which is still ongoing, which gives them more powers to do things such as house searches without warrants.

And they're expecting new legislation to be introduced in February, giving the government yet again more powers to be able to deal with the prospect of terror in this country.

All of this, of course, in a country where people very much value their civil liberties. But people here that we've been speaking to seem --

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MCLAUGHLIN: -- accepting of this situation, that this, they believe, is what is necessary to prevent further bloodshed.

KINKADE: Absolutely. Erin McLaughlin in Paris, thank you very much for your reporting.

Well, now to Germany, where protests have been building over recent days after a series of attacks and muggings during Cologne's New Year's Eve celebrations. The criminal complaints include at least 120 claims of sexual assault.

Investigators are now identified 31 suspects and say more than half of them are asylum seekers. Now angry demonstrators are protesting the country's policy on accepting migrants. Coming up later in the hour, we'll have a live report from Cologne and the fallout from this year's New Year's Eve attacks.

Mexico is sending the world's top druglord back to the same prison where he escaped. Just a few hours ago we saw Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman put onto a helicopter after authorities revealed details of his arrest.

They say months of investigation led them to a home where he was hiding. Then during a raid, Guzman fled to a manhole connected to a sewer system. He was later caught on a highway near Los Mochis. Mexico's attorney general outlined the moments leading up to Guzman's capture.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When one of the vehicles was located on the highway in Los Mochis, then there were four (ph), elements of the forces that were participating in this intercepted and stopped Guzman later and still in Parrilla (ph) with the objective of securing the criminals and protecting the integrity of the elements.

These were transferred to a nearby motel to wait for reinforcements. A few moments later, they were transported to the airport of Los Mochis and subsequently to the city of Mexico.

KINKADE: And this, of course, is the third time Mexican authorities have captured Guzman. CNN's Brian Todd has the timeline of events leading up to the fugitive's capture.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A dramatic capture, the world's most wanted, most dangerous druglord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, back in Mexican custody, Mexico's president announcing, "Mission accomplished," after a nearly six-month manhunt for the Sinaloa cartel chief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is absolutely massive. It's of enormous importance for the Mexican government, in particular for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think when most Americans think of organized crime, they naturally think of guys like John Gotti, Al Capone. They pale in comparison to Chapo Guzman. TODD (voice-over): A Mexican official tells CNN at 4:30 Friday morning, Mexican special forces closed in on one of El Chapo's houses in the city of Los Mochis, in his home state of Sinaloa.

There was a shootout. Five people were killed, all on El Chapo's side. Six were arrested. A Mexican Marine was wounded. The official says El Chapo was actually captured at a nearby motel, at least one analyst surprised he was taken alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: El Chapo is a man who knows what the consequences of this are. He knows that there's a very high likelihood that he's going to be sent to the United States to go to jail there. He knows that there is probably no real way out after this. So there's a very real risk that he wouldn't accept being captured alive.

TODD (voice-over): Mexican officials say the druglord had a lot of firepower near him. Captured in the raid: a rocket launcher, eight rifles, two armored vehicles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's known have traveled throughout Sinaloa, oftentimes with a security force of as many as 150.

TODD (voice-over): El Chapo's escapes from Mexican prisons are legendary, he broke out of a high-security prison in July through this elaborate tunnel. Prison officials were fired, dozens of people were charged over that.

Previously El Chapo eluded police through a trapdoor hidden under his bathtub. This six-month search for him, a Mexican official tells us, extended into the United States.

It involved tracking the movements of El Chapo's beauty queen wife, Emma Coronel, believed to be seen in these photos posted online. Now the Mexican government will be under enormous pressure to expedite the kingpin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only way that the government of Mexico is going to ensure absolutely that they don't go through another embarrassing situation, another embarrassing escape, is to extradite him to the United States.

TODD: And if that happens, El Chapo could be a good source for law enforcement. Former DEA operations chief Michael Braun (ph) tells us when El Chapo was captured by Mexican authorities in the early 2000s, he sang like a canary, giving up a lot of information about rival cartels -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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KINKADE: And the Mexican government is now under pressure to extradite Joaquin Guzman to the U.S., where he faces federal indictments and charges in half a dozen states.

Last year's prison escape spread criticism about Mexico's ability to control Guzman with some saying he should have been held in the U.S.

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KINKADE: Earlier we asked a journalist in Mexico City who has intimate knowledge of the case to weigh in.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2014, when Chapo was arrested for the second time, the Mexican government said, with a bit of bravado, that he would have to stay 300 to 400 years in Mexico before any extradition could even be contemplated.

Then he escaped, which severely damaged the level of trust between U.S. and Mexican authorities. There's now an official request for extradition and the Mexican government is now in a position in which it is almost -- in which it's kind of almost impossibly resist the demand for extraditing Chapo.

But then again, Chapo's lawyers will most likely file more injunctions, which could delay his extradition for an extended period of time.

So right now the Mexican government is going to need to extradite him at some point but it's -- the question is still how long that's going to take.

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KINKADE: And with El Chapo back in custody, attention now turns to his cartel and just who will run it. Nick Valencia takes a look at the man who could replace El Chapo atop of the Sinaloa drug ring.

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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While El Chapo was behind bars, the cartel was effectively run by El Chapo's right-hand man, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Now the next generation might be stepping in. According to Mexican media reports, a Chicago-based drug dealer for the Sinaloa cartel recently testified that Zambada has reportedly been grooming his own sons, known as Los Mayitos, for the last 10 years.

Many believe they're in line to inherit the Sinaloa drug empire. But Mexican officials have arrested three of Zambada's sons.

Zambada's sons grew up in dad's drug business. Drug war analyst Sylvia Longmire tells CNN they were trained to be just as brutal as El Chapo.

Of course, El Chapo may have his own sons to consider, but leading crime analysts say Los Mayitos may be better equipped to deal with the dynamics of modern drug trafficking, technology and business strategy.

However, with only one of Los Mayitos not currently in custody, the organization that looks to promote from within may be running out of viable options -- Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

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KINKADE: Still to come, a Philadelphia police officer is recovering from gunshot wounds when he was ambushed in his cruiser. What police say pushed the suspect to do it.

Plus more drama for the Donald Trump campaign. We'll tell you why this Muslim woman was escorted out of his rally.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. U.S. federal authorities say the suspect accused of ambushing a Philadelphia police officer on Thursday night had traveled to Saudi Arabia and Egypt in the past five years. The FBI could not say whether the man had interacted with any terrorist groups although Philadelphia police say the suspect claimed he shot the officer in the name of ISIS. Miguel Marquez reports.

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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These photos show a man firing his gun directly into a Philadelphia police officer's car. And police say he claims to have done it in the name of radical Islam.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots fired. Two shots fired. I'm shot. I'm bleeding heavily.

MARQUEZ: The suspect, 30-year-old Philadelphia resident Edward Archer, allegedly ambushed Officer Jesse Hartnett at close range, firing at least 11 shots from his 9 millimeter pistol, striking the officer three times in the arm.

COMMISSIONER RICHARD ROSS, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: He pledges his allegiance to Islamic State. He follows Allah and that is the reason he was called upon to do this.

MARQUEZ: Hartnett managed to get out of the car and return fire, hitting the gunman in the buttocks. Police arrested him and recovered the gun.

CAPTAIN JAMES CLARK, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: The bravery he demonstrated was absolutely remarkable. His will to live undoubtedly saved his life.

MARQUEZ: But it was revealed by the police commissioner that the weapon used was a stolen police gun.

ROSS: It was stolen back in October of 2013. It was reported. And that is one of the things that you absolutely regret the most, when an officer's gun is stolen, that it is used against one of your own.

MARQUEZ: The FBI confirms its involvement, releasing a statement, "We are working side by side with the Philadelphia police department," but made it clear Philadelphia police are the lead agency in the case.

In response to this shooting and another attack on police in Paris, the New York Police Department issued an internal memo, urging officers to exercise heightened vigilance and implement proactive measures at all times, reminding them that ISIS has called for supporters to carry out attacks on law enforcement.

MAYOR JIM KENNEY, PHILADELPHIA: Our main concern at the moment today is the well-being and the health and the recovery and rehabilitation of Officer Hartnett.

CLARK: It's both confounding and astonishing that he was able to escape it like this and I can't say enough for his bravery and how he conducted himself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Miguel Marquez reporting there.

A Muslim woman was kicked out of a Donald Trump rally in South Carolina. Wearing a hijab, she stood up in silent protest when the Republican presidential front-runner linked Syrian refugees to ISIS during his speech. Police promptly escorted her out of the event. She says Trump supporters yelled at her to get out with one person repeatedly crying, "You have a bomb." Jeff Zeleny reports.

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JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Now, Donald Trump attracts protesters pretty much everywhere he goes across the country. No exception on Friday night here in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

He drew a crowd of about 6,000 people or so to the campus of Winthrop University. He fired them up, talking about his pointed plans on immigration, his Republican rivals, as well as his attacks on Hillary Clinton.

But something changed about midway through the rally. There were a few sporadic protest throughout the crowd. And then we noticed that one woman was standing up with a friend of hers, silently protesting.

It turns out she was 56-year-old Rose Hamid; she's a flight attendant from nearby Charlotte.

Well, the crowd quickly began to turn on her, right around her, and the police escorted her.

Take a look at some of this video as she's being escorted out of the Donald Trump rally. She says, for no reason in particular -- she wasn't saying anything -- but on the way out, some of these supporters of Donald Trump were aggressive and rude to her. She said she was not scared at all but she had this takeaway from her experience.

ROSE HAMID, SILENT PROTESTER: What happened when the crowd got this like hateful crowd mentality, as I was being escorted, it was really quite telling of -- and a vivid example of what happens when you start using this hateful rhetoric and how it can incite a crowd, where moments ago, were very kind to me.

ZELENY: Now, it was unclear if Donald Trump knew exactly what was happening behind him. There were protests breaking out throughout the event. But his rhetoric has caused some of these protests at his rallies across the country.

Now he's campaigning aggressively in South Carolina, which is home to the first primary in the South. But before that comes Iowa; that's why he's heading there on Saturday, he's launching a tough fight with Ted Cruz, the senator from Texas.

He's up in many opinion polls, including a new one by FOX News out on Friday night, up four points over Donald Trump --

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ZELENY: -- which is exactly why Donald Trump is spending a Saturday in Iowa -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Rock Hill, South Carolina.

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KINKADE: And Donald Trump used that rally in South Carolina to further his attack on White House plans to strengthen gun control. And he claimed that his main Democratic challenger for the 2016 presidential race would continue what he sees as a clamp-down on a basic right.

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DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a president that wants to kill the Second Amendment. We have Hillary Clinton, who wants to destroy and take your guns away from you, by the way.

She wants to take your guns away.

And, frankly, you can't do that with an executive order. You know, you're supposed to sit down with the Democrats and the Republicans and the liberals and the conservatives and everybody else and you're supposed to hammer out deals. And maybe you can't do it.

But it's hard. You know, to do that is hard because it means you have to devote -- that's what I do. My whole life is making deals.

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KINKADE: On Thursday, during CNN's special town hall on gun control, President Obama firmly denied that he intended to deprive responsible Americans of their weapons. He told moderator Anderson Cooper that Republican claims to the contrary are part of a plot to deceive voters.

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: But let me just -- is it fair to call it a conspiracy?

I mean...

Well, yes, a lot of people really believe this deeply, that they just don't...

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, no --

COOPER: -- they just don't trust you.

OBAMA: I'm sorry, Cooper, yes. It is fair to call it a conspiracy.

What are you saying?

Are the --

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OBAMA: -- are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody's guns away so that we can impose martial law is a conspiracy?

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OBAMA: Yes. That is a conspiracy. I would hope that you would agree with that.

Is that controversial?

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KINKADE: And earlier my colleague, Natalie Allen, spoke with our political commentator Jeffrey Lord. We asked him for his reaction to Mr. Obama's performance at CNN's town hall. Take a listen.

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JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I would just suggest here that the White House has made a mistake here. They tried to make the NRA the bad guy here.

For months and months and for all the time that he's been in office and then they want them to come to this -- and this was a CNN event, not a White House event.

But I think that the damage has been so severe here that there is just no trust. And that's not a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: And we should point out that Jeffrey has a membership with the NRA, which is the largest gun rights advocacy group in the U.S.

We are learning more about the personal relationship between former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hundreds of transcripts have just been released of private phone calls they had while in office, showing just how strong their friendship was away from the spotlight.

Here is our Tom Foreman.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The two world leaders were always polished and cordial in front of the cameras but the calls reveal a much closer relationship behind the scenes, obvious when Princess Diana died.

TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: They liked her, they loved her.

FOREMAN (voice-over): While Tony Blair was publicly brave, privately he tells Bill Clinton, "I will personally miss her. It's like a star falling."

"It's awful, it's really awful," Clinton responds.

Blair says, "We saw her again just weeks ago, when we hosted her for lunch with Prince William, he's a great kid."

Clinton: "I worry a lot about those kids now."

Their conversations often revolved around world events. President Clinton fretting after sending an unnamed messenger to Saddam Hussein.

"I told him to go to Saddam, call him and tell him that I have no interest in killing him or hunting him down. I just don't want his chemical and biological program going forward. If I weren't constrained by the press, I would pick up the phone and call the son of a bitch."

Clinton talks about Russian president Boris Yeltsin.

"He served roast picture and told me real men hack off the ears and eat them," and his successor, Vladimir Putin.

"Putin has enormous potential," Clinton told Blair.

"I think he is very smart and thoughtful. I think we can do a lot of good with him."

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I did have a relationship with Ms. Lewinsky that was not appropriate.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Still there were limits. Just days after the president admitted a sexual affair with a White House intern, he speaks to Blair in a guarded manner.

"I went into Massachusetts and did an event. It was great. I got to work a line and speak to a cheering crowd. There were thousands."

Blair: "Good, I'm pleased."

Clinton: "This is my best state, you know. If I had been in Wyoming, they probably would have been shooting at me."

In another moment, Blair says, "I'm thinking about you."

Clinton says, "I'm slogging on. I think it will be all right."

Some of Clinton's sharpest words are about the next U.S. president, George W. Bush.

"Bush is really smart," he tells Blair.

"He has these right-wing footsoldiers do his dirty work so he can be nice."

These days the two former presidents are described as close as brothers. But then Clinton --

[05:25:00]

FOREMAN (voice-over): -- called him a fraud, adding, "He is not ready to be president, maybe not ever, certainly not now. As for the Republicans, they hate us more than we hate them. They don't care as much about government. They just want the power."

Maybe foreshadowing his role in her current campaign for president, Clinton praises his wife when she wins a Senate seat.

"Hillary is doing great," Clinton says, "happy as a clam. I'm really proud of her."

Blair: "She was just fantastic during the campaign. I thought she was just great."

Clinton: "Yes, she was 'the Little Engine That Could.'"

But family talk dominates as Clinton is leaving office and the Blair's are preparing for a new baby.

Clinton: "You getting ready for fatherhood?"

Blair: "Well, I'm psyched up."

Another time, Clinton: "You know, after January, I'm available for babysitting duties."

Blair: "Right, Bill, we'll put you down on the babysitting list now, mate."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: That was our Tom Foreman reporting there. And we hope Bill Clinton can put that babysitting option to use. He and wife, Hillary, are due to become grandparents for the second time when their daughter, Chelsea, gives birth in summer.

Well, coming up, the fallout on the chilling New Year's Eve attacks on women in Germany. We'll have a live report from Cologne just ahead.

Plus a bush fire that has destroyed more than 100 homes in Western Australia are still burning. What firefighters face as they tackle the flames this weekend.

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KINKADE (voice-over): Hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Here is an update of the top stories we're following this hour.

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KINKADE: German authorities say more than half of the men suspected of involvement in a mob sex attack in Cologne were asylum seekers. At least 120 claims of sexual assault and Greek demonstrators have been protesting Germany's policy on accepting migrants. And more protests are scheduled for today.

Let's bring in senior international correspondent Atika Shubert. She joins us now live from Cologne.

Atika, as I mentioned, of the 31 suspects, more than half, we know, are asylum seekers. No doubt that has fueled a lot of anger there. Talk to us about the planned protests.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. As you can imagine, it's shocked the country, many people now asking questions of the refugee policy here but also the police and trying to determine exactly what happened that night.

I actually want to run you through a little bit now of the square. This is also where protests will be happening today. But hat behind me is the train station; that Is the cathedral. And on New Year's Eve, this entire area was filled with people, hundreds of people.

It's a very popular area for tourists and for locals alike to celebrate all kinds of events. And so we've already seen some of the social media video of this area. It was chaotic. There were fireworks everywhere. And it's very clear that police were completely undermanned, even though they had twice the number of police on the streets than they did last year for New Year's Eve. It still just wasn't enough.

So what we're expecting today is protests, a number of them, on the steps here. We're expecting to see a woman's protest happening at around noon. And then later on, we expect to see a protest by the PEGIDA movement. This is a right-wing anti-Islamic movement. It will be happening on the other side of the station. We don't have a sense of numbers yet because that's happening later in

the afternoon. But we already know that there have been nearly daily protests out here, gathering hundreds of people in anger against these apparent assaults against dozens of women -- Lynda.

KINKADE: And, Atika, as that anger grows, Chancellor Angela Merkel is talking about changing the law for asylum seekers convicted of a crime.

What exactly is she proposing?

What do you know so far?

SHUBERT: Well, there's been a lot of pressure on her to limit the number of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants coming to Germany but also to deport those, particularly those that commit crimes. So this is what she is looking at.

She's actually meeting with a number of lawmakers from the CDU party as she's expected to give a press release in about an hour and a half or so. And she is likely to address this very situation that happened here in Cologne.

She's been very tough, she's had some very tough words, saying no matter where anybody comes from, however they're admitted into the country, they must abide by German law and the appropriate punishment will be given to those who don't.

But a lot of people say, well, where are the arrests?

Because there's only been a handful and only up to 30 or so suspects identified. So it's very unclear at this point if anyone who was involved in those assaults can, in fact, be brought to justice.

KINKADE: Yes. That's a good point. We'll check in with you very soon when Angela Merkel speaks. Atika Shubert, thank you very much for that report.

And Germany, of course, opened its borders to a high number of Syrian refugees as the civil war worsened last year. But many were still left behind. Aid groups say that residents in Madaya, a rebel- controlled town of 40,000, are starving to death. Madaya is just west of Damascus near the border with Lebanon.

Arwa Damon shows us the desperate situation. But first, we must warn you that the images in the piece are disturbing.

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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "The children of Madaya are starving," the voice begs. The baby's eyes seeming to echo that desperate plea for help.

A little boy says he hasn't had a real meal in seven days. And this baby, according to the video, has not had milk in a month.

CNN could not independently verify --

[05:35:00]

DAMON (voice-over): -- these accounts or the images emerging from the town of Madaya, under siege by regime forces and their allies since July.

But the last time aid reached the area was in October. And even then, the ICRC says, they saw hunger in the eyes of its residents. Doctors without Borders says 23 patients in the center they support have died of starvation, including six babies.

But in the twisted reality of Syria's war, it does have to get this grim for help to arrive. The U.N. says the Syrian government has agreed to allow eight convoys into Madaya and two other towns also under siege.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an area that's completely besieged and surrounded by mountains covered in snow. So the little food that gets in is through tunnels and is extremely expensive.

And we expect, also, that irreversible damage to some of these children who've witnessed some of the worst weapons of war which is starving them.

DAMON (voice-over): Syria's cruel and harsh war now into its fifth year has seen scenes like this before and worse.

These stills are being circulated by activists, set to show children eating leaves. And it's hardly the only portion of the population severely suffering from the war, hardly the only atrocity -- Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Still to come, North Korea gives CNN an exclusive tour of its new science and technology center but it's missing a key component. We'll explain that when we come back.

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[05:40:00]

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KINKADE: For the second straight day, South Korea is blasting anti- Pyongyang propaganda across the DMZ at North Korea. The loudspeaker broadcasts started after the North claimed to have detonated a hydrogen bomb.

In the past, the broadcasts have gone on for several days. On Friday, North Korean leaders said they are being pushed to the brink of war. Meanwhile, North Korea have released video of Kim Jung-un watching an apparatus submarine missile launch. South Korea claims the footage is old.

The skepticism is not stopping North Koreans from celebrating the hydrogen bomb claim. And CNN is the only U.S. broadcaster reporting from inside the reclusive country. North Korean officials gave our Will Ripley an exclusive look at life there and its new science facility.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the clock strikes midnight on Kim Jong-un's birthday, an eerie melody reminding North Koreans of the sacrifices of their leaders.

Musical propaganda echoes through Pyongyang every day, every night, reinforcing a message of loyalty to the Supreme Leader.

On the front page of North Korea's main state newspaper, Kim Jung-un signing the order to test what the regime calls a hydrogen bomb. Many outside observers question the claim.

But there's no doubt among these students lined up outside Pyongyang's science and technology center; the North Koreans say we're the first foreign media to visit the brand new building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like a symbol of science.

RIPLEY (voice-over): North Korean researcher Lee Wong (ph) believes this week's nuclear test ensures peace, even as much of the world calls it a dangerous, provocative act.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is only for the self-defense.

RIPLEY: So do North Koreans want to be friends with Americans?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?

RIPLEY (voice-over): But the current political climate makes that impossible. Years of isolation began during the previous Kim regimes. Young future scientists, doctors and other students have little or no access to the Internet, only a state-controlled intranet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you see a lot of students doing research here in the library and they're using North Korea's version of the iPad.

RIPLEY (voice-over): They study, surrounded by photos of their leaders.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The test number is 312.

RIPLEY (voice-over): And models of North Korean weapons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It means that our nation is very powerful.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Medical student Lee Dushung (ph) sits beneath a replica of a rocket that launched a North Korean satellite into orbit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is all for peaceful purpose. We don't want war.

RIPLEY (voice-over): But outside experts accuse North Korea's space program of being a front for ballistic missile development, missiles that could someday carry nuclear warheads across the region or even the world -- Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang, North Korea.

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KINKADE: Pyongyang's nuclear claim is straining its ties with Beijing, which is North Korea's main ally. On Friday, South Korea's foreign minister spoke with his Chinese counterpart and reaffirmed his opposition to the nuclear test. Our Rivers has more.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a breathless report, North Korea announced what it said was its latest nuclear test and once again drew the world's ire. Hydrogen bomb or not, the international community is condemning this latest action, including China, a spokeswoman denouncing the test at a daily briefing Wednesday.

Yet China is North Korea's only major ally. And it's because of that relationship that many suggest China has more influence than anyone else, including a certain U.S. presidential candidate.

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, they say they don't have that much control over North Korea. They have total control because, without China, they wouldn't be able to eat. So China has to get involved and China should solve that problem and we should put pressure on China to solve the problem.

RIVERS (voice-over): Trump is right when he says that North Korea heavily relies on its neighbor. For example, China has an abundance of food while aids groups say North Korea consistently faces shortages.

China provides an economic lifeline to North Korea by constantly sending food and fuel in order to keep the lights on and the people fed.

The big question then, will China use that leverage to force North Korea to curtail its weapons ambitions?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a raging debate inside of the Chinese government about whether China should cut its losses and get rid of this alliance with North Korea. But so far, that has been the losing side.

RIVERS (voice-over): Still, there are signs of growing tension. President Xi Jinping has never met his North Korean counterpart, despite leaders from both countries regularly meeting in the past.

China also says it was not warned of this latest test, something analysts called a clear insult. But to date, China has shown no signs of being ready to abandon the --

[05:45:00]

RIVERS (voice-over): -- North Korean dictator. Consider the repercussions. If Beijing were to cut aid and the regime collapsed -- and that's a big if -- China would have to deal with millions of refugees on its border, not to mention unsecured nuclear weapons.

They would also lose a substantial buffer and its positioning in the region against the U.S.

If China continues to prop up the regime, what else can be done to change North Korean behavior?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Major countries, in particular, countries like China, the United States and Russia, need to get onto the same page as far as the nuclearization issue is concerned on the Korean Peninsula. And we should avoid the situation where DPRK can play United States against China.

RIVERS (voice-over): Though if the countries agree on new sanctions to try to limit weapons development, it's unclear how effective those would be. What is clear is that with any further diplomatic action, China will play the pivotal role -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

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KINKADE: Still to come, firefighters are working to tackle a massive fire that's tearing through a huge area in Western Australia. We'll have details on what they're dealing with just ahead.

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KINKADE: A bush fire in Western Australia has all but wiped out a town burning at least 120 homes and close to 60,000 hectares. Planes are tearing for Yarloop, which is 120 kilometers south of Perth. Thousands of people are without power after lightning started the fire on Wednesday.

Four firefighters have suffered burns. Let's get the very latest on the conditions. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joins us now.

And, Allison, firefighters have flown in from the eastern states to help battle this blaze.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, this was one of those fires that doubled in size overnight. So even if they have some of the best firefighters for this type of event, when it doubles that quickly, it's just too much for those firefighters in that region to take care of it.

So they did have to bring in additional resources for that. The good news is, it's there. Hopefully they can help fix the blaze or get it more contained than it has been.

The images coming out of there are absolutely incredible. Here is one. Again, you can see the car. That's going to be your frame of reference point. Here are the flames, you can see stretching higher than the tree behind me.

Again, it just goes to show you the immense space that these fires take up and how quickly they can spread and grow.

The fires are located in the southwest portion of the country. You can see Perth up there at the top. They do have at least a couple of bush fires located on the south side of Perth. But the big cluster of them is well far down to the south. This is where we've had those fires that doubled overnight in size, again, near the Yarloop area.

Now one thing that is going to help firefighters fight the blaze is the change of wind direction. In the last couple days, the winds have been coming out of the northeast. That's going to change. They're going to be more of an onshore wind. That helps the firefighters because that tends to be a little bit more moist air than the dry, hot air that comes down continentally.

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KINKADE: Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

A designer in the U.K. has plenty of reasons to celebrate the success of the latest "Star Wars" film. Each time a new movie is released in the franchise, Andrew Ainsworth makes money. But he had to fight George Lucas in the British courts for years in order to reach this point. CNN's Nick Glass has more on the David versus Goliath battle.

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NICK GLASS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Not so long ago, not, it should be said, in a galaxy far, far away, something menacing emerged out of the whiteness and just kept on coming. A production line of "Star Wars" stormtroopers and a proud Englishman stood on a patch of grass in the London suburbs and showed off his gleaming helmet.

This is the guy who fought George Lucas in the British courts and won.

GLASS: How many courts did you have to go through?

ANDREW AINSWORTH, MANUFACTURER: Three.

GLASS: Namely... AINSWORTH: The high court, the appeal court and then the Supreme Court.

GLASS: And you won every time?

AINSWORTH: We won every time.

GLASS (voice-over): And Ainsworth still has the same workshop he had when he helped on "Star Wars" precisely 40 years ago. George Lucas was in pre-production on the first movie at Elstree Studios an hour or so away and wanted props quickly.

Ainsworth was given just two small graphic images to work from.

AINSWORTH: Oh, they were lovely. For someone like me, that was more than enough information to just -- I made it in two days, the helmet.

GLASS: Two days?

AINSWORTH: Two days, yes, from sculpting the moulds and making the moulding process work. And getting mouldings off -- because you add to one mould and then subtract from another mould.

GLASS (voice-over): This is Ainsworth's original metal resin mould from 1976. For almost thirty years, he forgot about it until he needed money for school fees, made a few more helmets and sold them. George Lucas promptly sued him.

AINSWORTH: Because we --

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AINSWORTH: -- honestly believed nobody can stop you being the artist that you are. They can't take it away from you. They can't cut your hands off and so you can't use them anymore. It was that ridiculous to us. It's a no-brainer, isn't it. You have to defend it.

GLASS (voice-over): The case lasted nine long years. Ainsworth has only just paid off his huge legal bill.

GLASS: How much was it?

AINSWORTH: I would rather not say but it was an awful lot.

GLASS: Hundreds of thousands or millions?

AINSWORTH: Millions.

GLASS (voice-over): The British ruling was that the helmet was a piece of industrial design and so out of copyright. So production could resume. With the new "Star Wars" movie out, demand has increased at least tenfold and Ainsworth is finally about to make some money.

GLASS: Back in' 76, 20 quid a helmet?

AINSWORTH: Yes.

GLASS: And now?

AINSWORTH: We sell them for 500 of originals. But we do a copy at 200.

GLASS: Did you ever imagine it would turn out like this?

AINSWORTH: No of course, I didn't.

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KINKADE: Finally, a little urban nature story about owls who are hard to spot under the best of circumstances. One of the majestic predators was ready for its closeup last weekend in Montreal, Canada. Have a look at its vision.

The snowy owl soared past a traffic camera over an equally snowy highway. Snowy owls are found in North America, Europe and Asia. They have sharp claws and eat rodents, birds and fish. The local transport minister posted these images on his Facebook page and they've gained at least 19,000 likes.

I'm glad it missed the camera.

Well, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. For viewers in the U.S., "NEW DAY" with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul is just ahead. And for everyone else, "AMANPOUR" starts in just a moment.