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CNN NEWSROOM

Dallas Police Ambush; 400K Evacuated as Storm Hits China; Tarzan and the Legend of the Loincloth. Aired 2-2:30a ET

Aired July 10, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


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AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST (voice-over): A security scare in Dallas puts authorities on high alert as the city tries to heal from Thursday's deadly attack on police officers.

Political limbo ends in Australia. The country moves to form a new government more than a week after a general election.

Also recovering from a super typhoon: Nepartak weakens over Mainland China after forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

Hello and thanks for joining us. I'm Amara Walker. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

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WALKER: Dallas, Texas, is on edge after Thursday's attack that killed five police officers.

Authorities are giving an all-clear around the city's police headquarters. They found nothing suspicious in a nearby parking garage. Police increased security around Dallas after receiving an anonymous threat.

And the transit officer killed in Thursday's ambush was escorted to his home town outside Dallas; 43-year-old Brent Thompson served as a Marine in Iraq and Afghanistan and recently had married a fellow officer.

The Dallas police are defending their decision to use a bomb attached to a robot to kill the man behind Thursday's ambush. They say the robot was the safest option to kill the suspect during the standoff and that it was used as a last resort. Ed Lavandera has the latest now on what we are learning about the gunman.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before Micah Johnson unleashed this vicious attack on Dallas police officers, he spent six years in the U.S. Army. Authorities says his movements during the ambush suggest skilled military-style training. Investigators say they found in Johnson's home a journal of combat tactics.

MIKE RAWLINGS, DALLAS MAYOR: He was very astute in how to maneuver his car around to make sure he had the high ground in the situation.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Johnson served a tour of duty in Afghanistan but CNN has learned that deployment was cut short because Johnson was accused of sexual harassment. It wasn't a criminal case but an administrative complaint.

Not long after, in April of 2015, Johnson would leave the Army and return to his home town of Mesquite, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't want you knocking on the doors anymore. Please back up to the sidewalk.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Johnson's family has refused to speak publicly about the shootings. Friends and neighbors have described a mixed picture of Johnson. Some say he loved weapons, which investigators removed from his home. But those friends say Johnson was not a violent person before this attack.

Some say he was reclusive, others say he was outgoing and friendly. But Dallas police say one of the last emotions he expressed before being killed in the standoff was his hatred of white people.

DAVID BROWN, DALLAS POLICE CHIEF: The suspect said he was upset about Black Lives Matter. He said he was upset about the recent police shootings. The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Micah Johnson's Facebook page shows links to various black empowerment groups, some highly controversial, like the African American Defense League, which espoused in its writings, "We are calling on the gangs across the nation, attack everything in blue."

But there didn't appear to be any direct examples of Johnson harboring such hatred for white people. Investigators are looking at his relationships. He served in the military with white soldiers. His parents were divorced. Neighbors tell us he lived in this house with his mother and that his father remarried a white woman.

He worked for a home health care facility called Touch of Kindness. The owner tells CNN he was paid to care for his younger autistic brother. These are the threads of Micah Johnson's life that investigators are examining to unravel the hideous motives behind the ambush that left five police officers dead -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

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WALKER: Now U.S. President Barack Obama will be leaving Europe and heading back to the U.S. early because of the tragedy in Dallas. He is in Spain right now for a quick visit after attending the NATO summit in Poland. That summit was largely dominated by the shootings and the Brexit.

Mr. Obama spoke three times throughout the week about gun violence in the U.S. and he said he doesn't think America is as divided as some have suggested.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As tough, as hard as depressing as the loss of life was this week, we've got a foundation to build on. We just have to have confidence that we can build on those better angels of our nature.

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WALKER: We are following ongoing --

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WALKER: -- protests, in the meantime, across the U.S. in the wake of the deaths of two black men at the hands of police.

In St. Paul, Minnesota, hundreds of protesters shut down part of a major highway. Police say marchers threw fireworks, as you just saw there, rocks and Molotov cocktails at them. Officers used smoke to disperse the crowds. At least three officers were injured there.

Also right here in Atlanta, Georgia, crowds have been marching through the city again. Protesters temporarily blocked traffic on one downtown highway overpass; two protesters were arrested in a demonstration Friday night. Tensions obviously remaining quite high.

Well, Australia's federal election finally has a clear winner. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared victory after the opposition Labor Party leader conceded defeat Sunday. Turnbull says his new government will work with the opposition party for the good of Australia.

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MALCOLM TURNBULL, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: I know that Mr. Shorten (ph) said earlier today that he looked forward to seeking to reach common ground and I welcome that remark. I welcome that because it is vital that this parliament works.

It is vital that we work together and, as far as we can, find ways upon which we can all agree, consistent with our policies that we've taken to the election, consistent with our political principles that meet the great challenges Australia faces.

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WALKER: The election was held last Saturday but voting results were too close to call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WALKER (voice-over): The remnants of what was super typhoon Nepartak has forced nearly a half a million people from their homes in Southern China. The storm has lead to heavy flooding and severe damage -- look at that in Fujian province -- five airports have been closed and hundreds of high-speed train trips have been canceled.

Nepartak was a supertyphoon when it hit Taiwan and killed three people there.

So what's left of Nepartak continues to menace Southeast China. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam here with that.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, it's interesting because we have to give a lot of credit to the Chinese government, because they've learned from previous typhoons that they need to enforce this evacuation, half a million people.

Can you imagine what that entails?

WALKER: Wow, the logistics, yes.

VAN DAM: But it saved lives and that's for sure.

Look at what they had to deal with, Amara, I mean, unbelievable, some of the foundations of these structures just completely crumbling under the heavy rain and strong winds that impacted that region.

Over 5,000 bus routes canceled or delayed, 400 flights delayed as well. And you can see the extreme flooding that has plagued the Fujian province -- that's, again, Southeastern China.

Take a look at this. Some of these cars just getting pushed around like toys. Consider that only a half a meter of moving water can actually pick up a vehicle, let alone an SUV, and wash it down a roadway just like that.

Now on the other hand, there's also a health concern as the water slowly starts to recede across this area. You can imagine the problems going forward with the contamination within this very stagnant water as the storm system starts to fizzle out and move on.

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VAN DAM: Switching gears quickly, I don't know if you heard, there's a big football match taking place later this afternoon. We've got Portugal versus France in the UEFA finals. Firstly, I'm rooting for Portugal, just had to get that in there.

But the good news is, if you're traveling to Paris or perhaps are already at the Saint-Denis stadium, the weather forecast stays dry and it looks to be fairly pleasant. I have got some friends over there right now and they are ready to cheer on their favorite team in Paris. What a lovely time of the year to be in that city as well.

Who are you rooting for, Amara?

WALKER: I'm going to have to say Portugal --

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VAN DAM: Ronaldo.

WALKER: I'm a Ronaldo fan.

VAN DAM: Go, Ronaldo.

WALKER: Thanks so much, Derek.

All right, well, you know, the newest Tarzan film is swinging into more theaters around the world this weekend. Both audiences and critics alike are talking about the new movie's take on the classic story. But there is a sensitive issue that has sparked controversy for the latest version of the jungle hero.

Neal Curry has the story.

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NEIL CURRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The hero of Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels has been swinging across the silver screen for almost a century.

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CURRY (voice-over): Tarzan became firmly established as a muscular man whose entire wardrobe consisted of a single garment: the legend of the loincloth was born.

Tarzan's latest outing sees the story updated with CGI animals, a greater presence of African characters and a distinctly less helpless heroine in Tarzan's life partner, Jane.

To the dismay of some ape-man fans, Tarzan's choice of apparel has also been transformed from the much loved loincloth to a natty pair of cargo pants. Clearly the filmmakers have questions to answer.

DAVID BARRON, PRODUCER, "THE LEGEND OF TARZAN": The loincloth felt as if it belonged to the films of yesteryear. It didn't really fit with our slightly more modern vision of Tarzan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): As soon as I read the script, I realized that there wouldn't be a loincloth because, again, the movie -- we meet these characters eight years after they left the jungle in London. And Tarzan is now Lord Greystoke and he is in a suit and he drinks tea with the prime minister.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The legend of the loincloth, where do you stand on Tarzan's apparel?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't stand on Tarzan's apparel at all.

I trust that Lord Greystoke, a member of the House of Lords, has moved beyond the loincloth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So even when they go back to the jungle and the adventure kicks off and slowly the layers come off physically and metaphorically, when he kind of reverts to Tarzan, eventually he ends up in just his pants. But I knew that it wouldn't be a loincloth.

BARRON: And we do to the moment at the end of the movie, where we get the loincloth out, precisely --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) reason.

BARRON: It's our nod to the loincloth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's traumatic. I get very emotional talking about the loincloth and the lack thereof. That was a tough call. We had to get rid of the loincloth. I'm sorry to disappoint you guys.

CURRY (voice-over): In 2016, Tarzan's reputation remains as a cinematic superhero remains protected and so does his modesty -- Neal Curry, CNN.

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WALKER: I find nothing wrong with a loincloth. Just saying.

Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Amara Walker. "MARKETPLACE AFRICA" is next. You're watching CNN.

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