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CNN NEWSROOM

Trump's Plan to Defeat Islamic Extremism; New Boko Haram Video Shows Abducted Chibok Girls; Olympic Highlights; Interview with Yulia Efimova; Tension in Milwaukee After 2 Nights of Unrest; 9 Dead, 20,000 Plus Rescued in Louisiana Flooding. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired August 16, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:11] SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.

Ahead this hour, a scripted Donald Trump talks terror questioning Hillary Clinton's mental and physical stamina in the fight against ISIS.

In the meantime Trump's right-hand man is under investigation for ties to a Putin ally and millions of dollars listed in a secret Ukrainian ledger.

Plus CNN interviews Yulia Efimova, the Russian swimmer who was booed in the pool after becoming Rio's unwilling doping villain.

Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Sara Sidner. NEWSROOM L.A. starts right now.

We begin with Donald Trump who is casting the battle against Islamic extremism in Cold War terms. The Republican presidential nominee described a threatened homeland and a world under attack as he outlined his security offensive in the swing state of Ohio. The speech comes as polls show Trump lagging in battleground states and as the conservative "Wall Street Journal" warns he needs to fix his campaign soon or step down.

Our Jessica Schneider has more on the plan Trump laid out to combat terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism just as we have defeated every threat we've faced at every age and before.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump staying on teleprompter and on message outlining a three-pronged plan to destroy ISIS.

TRUMP: If I become president the era of nation building will be brought to a very swift and divisive end. SCHNEIDER: Trump promising to work with any country to fight

terrorism and backing down from his previous plan to back away from NATO.

TRUMP: Since my comments they have changed their policy and now have a new division focused on terror threats -- very good. Very, very good.

I also believe that we could find common ground with Russia in the fight against ISIS. Wouldn't that be a good thing?

SCHNEIDER: The second prong taking immigration screening to the extreme.

TRUMP: In the Cold War, we had an ideological screening test. The time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today. I call it extreme vetting.

SCHNEIDER: And third, Trump plans to fight ISIS ideologically.

TRUMP: Anyone who cannot condemn the hatred, oppression and violence of radical Islam lacks the moral clarity to serve as our president.

SCHNEIDER: Trump used his speech to attack the policies of the Obama administration and the fitness of his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

TRUMP: She also lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS and all of the many adversaries we face.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And that was CNN's Jessica Schneider reporting for us.

We have a great panel for you to discuss all that was said. Joining us now is CNN military analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona and here in L.A., Dylan Byers, CNN's senior reporter for media and politics. Thank you, both -- gentlemen for coming on to discuss this important new policy speech from Donald Trump.

Let's begin with Dylan because that last thing we just heard from Trump he went after Hillary Clinton. Is it fair to question her mental and physical stamina?

DYLAN BYERS, CNN SENIOR REPORTER FOR MEDIA AND POLITICS: No. Look, we don't have the health reports out for either candidate yet. What he's doing is he's raising the sort of specter here that the conservative media has really bought into which is that Hillary Clinton is sort of suffering from all these ailments that we don't know about.

You know, of course that Drudge Report, a very powerful conservative aggregator came out and put this video of her like falling as she was walking down the stairs. They are trying to play into this narrative that somehow Hillary Clinton isn't healthy or physically qualified to be the President of the United States. And, frankly, barring some sort of health record that shows that it feels to me like a cheap shot.

SIDNER: All right. Let's move on to some of what president -- excuse me -- presidential candidate Donald Trump talked about a bit.

And I want to talk to you, Frank. Colonel Francona, what do you make of what you heard? Some of the details and he did talk about using military, financial and cyber warfare against ISIS. But isn't the administration doing that already? Or did we hear something different here?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, what we didn't hear were the details. I mean he laid out, you know, a broad general plan. He's saying he was going to use military, also cyber and ideological warfare but he didn't say how we are going to do that.

[00:05:08] I was struck by his willingness to backtrack a little bit on his NATO comments because, you know, NATO is the backbone of our foreign policy in western Europe and now in eastern Europe as the Russians continue their adventurism in the Middle East and in Ukraine we're going to need NATO more than ever. I think it is good that he is now willing to work with NATO.

The other thing he said that was kind of interesting was our cooperation with the Russians. Now the administration is trying to do that right now but I think Mr. Trump was talking about even more cooperation. The only problem with that is our goals in Syria are directly opposite of each other. So I'm curious as to how he wants to cooperate.

If he wants to cooperate and go after ISIS that's one thing, and then what do we do? We still have a Syria that they want to protect and one that we'd like to change.

SIDNER: Right. I do -- we're going to get into a little bit more about that in just a bit. I do want to ask you though when it comes to specifics, he did talk a little about how he would deal with cyber warfare saying that he would not spell out his military plan because he needs that to be secret in order for it to work. But he said it would shut down Internet access and social media for those who are aligned with the Islamic state? Is that even feasible? And wouldn't that hurt intelligence gathering if you were able to actually do that -- to shut down the Internet for members of ISIS and their supporters?

FRANCONA: Yes. This is the age-old problem that we deal with in intelligence. You know, a lot of people you want to monitor their phone calls, monitor their communications and on the other side you say well, let's just jam them so they can't talk to each other do. And that's the conundrum you have. Do you let them talk and use it for intelligence or do you eliminate their ability to communicate? That is the fine line.

The problem is the Internet was built to allow alternate forms of communication. So then no matter what you do, there is always going to be a workaround. I think it would be very, very difficult to stop that. SIDNER: Now, I want to talk about nation building. Donald Trump

talked about not doing any more nation building. I'm going to start with you Dylan. Politically speaking, we have seen this over and over again. I mean if you are going to use drones in Iraq and you're going to support some of the militants who are in Syria do you not have a responsibility then to try to impact the solution at the end of all this?

BYERS: Right. Well, this is -- you know, Donald Trump I found throughout that speech had so many sort of ambiguous proposals that seem to appeal very much to his base and they sort of sounded good rhetorically-speaking. But when you got down to the finer points of them, they didn't work out.

For instance he talks about he didn't -- he says he didn't support the idea to go into Iraq but he says he wants them to control -- he wants the United States to control their oil. And it's sort of this you can't have it both ways. And for me listening to that entire speech today time after time after time he says things that sort of sound good like he wants to, you know, institute extreme vetting for Muslim immigrants and things like that. But there is no really concrete way to see exactly how that would happen.

And yet, look, American foreign policy with a sort of foreign policy and a military that is greater than any other countries in the world that comes with a great deal of responsibility. It's not clear to me looking at Donald Trump's speech that he sort of understands how that would actually work on a day-to-day basis.

SIDNER: All right. That all -- you're looking at this both of you are saying we're not really hearing the detail that we wanted to hear in this speech. These are more broad brushes which he has used before.

All right. Dylan, stay right here. I want to ask you about what is happening with Donald Trump and his right-hand man in Russia. Donald Trump's campaign chairman is facing an investigation by the Ukrainian authorities into whether or not he had any sort of relationship that involved millions of dollars in secret cash paid to him.

Now he is denying all of this. But the probe is part of a wider investigation into allegations of corruption and influence peddling against ex-Ukrainian president, Victor Yanukovych and his administration. Paul Manafort was a political consultant to Mr. Yanukovych's party which he said the FI did some political consulting. But there are more details now and I want you to comment on this after from CNN senior investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: It's reporting coming out of Ukraine from the Ukraine anti-corruption bureau. This is a government agency that's looking into corruption of the past government of which Paul Manafort was a consultant to the political party that ran that government. And it's Paul Manafort's name that reportedly comes up 22 times on this black ledger. These are 841 hand-written pages that have been turned over to this investigative agency and over the course of five years that details 22 times where Paul Manafort is designated a payment totaling $12.7 million.

[00:10:08] Ukraine officials want to know what that's for. They also caution that there is no evidence Paul Manafort actually received any of this money and say there is some evidence to suggest he did not because there is no signature next to Paul Manafort's name.

However, this is getting a lot of political attention from Hillary Clinton's campaign which they believe shows proof that Paul Manafort may have strong ties to an ally of Vladimir Putin over in Russia. Paul Manafort has shot back, he's criticized the story, and criticized the "New York Times" which broke the story in a statement that he released.

He says "The simplest answer is the truth. I'm a campaign professional. It is well known. I do work in the United States and I've done work on overseas campaigns as well. I have never received a single off-the-books cash payment as falsely reported by the "New York Times" nor have I ever done work for the government of Ukraine or Russia."

Paul Manafort goes on to say "The suggestion that I accepted cash payments is unfounded, silly, and nonsensical." Still the national anti-corruption bureau of the government of Ukraine is saying Paul Manafort is wrapped up somehow in investigation into corruption.

Drew Griffin -- CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Ok. So we've just heard that report from Drew Griffin talking about one of Trump's right-hand men having some kind of ties to the former Ukrainian president and his party.

BYERS: I mean it's not just right-hand man it is the chief architect now of his campaign. Look, there are a lot of hard facts here that still need to be worked out. There is the question whether he received this money. He's obviously issued a denial.

That said, if you just pull back and look at what is happening there is a ledger there. There is a record that the pro-Kremlin government in Ukraine, former government in Ukraine kept about this sort of, you know, off-the-books, under-the-table money exchange that went on. It's clearly corrupt. It's obviously corrupt and clearly he was a part of it or he was related to it somehow. I don't think it's so much of a stretch to say that you look at the work of the foreign politicians that he's done work for there are clearly a lot of questions raised.

Now, you know, whatever you want to say about the facts of the matter the fact that Paul Manafort was associated with these governments which go against the grain of sort of the American democratic project, right, which are sort of antithetical to who we are and what we're all it just easens (ph) the sort of strange narrative about Trump consistently sort of, you know, praising Vladimir Putin and sort of supporting the whole Putin regime. I mean it's very sort of disconcerting I think if you are an American citizen.

SIDNER: And people are looking at that and criticizing that. But I want to ask you Colonel Rick Francona, what you make of this because in light of the fact that you did mention that Donald Trump has said again and almost every time he speaks about foreign policy Russia somehow comes up. But he said this time, look, we should be able to be partners in trying to get rid of ISIS. Does this hurt that pledge with people saying, wait a minute, what is this relationship?

FRANCONA: I don't know if it poisons it but it certainly complicates it. You know, there are things that we can do with the Russians and there are things that we can't. Right now, of course, we're at loggerheads over what they're doing in Ukraine. And I think that has to be worked out and this complicates it much more than it has to be.

In the long run we will probably have to work with the Russians. And when we sit down some time for the political solution that has to happen in Syria, the Russians are going to be at the table. They're going to have a big say with what goes on.

Mr. Trump is going to have to figure this out and he's got to answer these tough questions because if he is going to be an honest broker for the United States all these questions that you just brought up have to be answered.

SIDNER: All right. Lieutenant Colonel Francona -- thank you so much. And Dylan Byers -- we appreciate you both being here.

Now to a story that has stirred the world for many years now. The parents of dozens of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls are filled with both horror and a tinge of hope after Boko Haram released new images of their girls. The terrorist group kidnapped the girls more than two years ago. It is now clear some did not survive while others are visibly shaken.

The terrorist group did release that video and CNN's Nima Elbagir spoke to the parents of one of the girls featured in that video. We have to warn you that some of the images are disturbing and graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESTHER YUKUBU, MOTHER OF KIDNAPPED CHIBOK GIRL: It's not easy for a mother but I also give thanks to God Almighty that they say most of the girls are dead and mine is alive.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Esther Yukubu told CNN that even wearing a head covering, shaky voiced -- she recognized her daughter, Maida, straight away.

[00:15:06] YUKUBU: I give God the glory. But really, I cried.

ELBAGIR: Maida was featured front and center in the latest Boko Haram video release. It is the first time since this picture was taken on the afternoon of her abduction by the terror group two years ago that Esther had seen her.

In the video a masked militant stands alongside Maida asking her to say her name and the school she was abducted from. "Chibok" she says. Then he asks that she recount what happened the night the militant claims the Nigerian government airstrikes killed number of Maida's fellow abductees, a task the government denies.

As Maida's voice cracks some of the girls behind her begin to cover their faces, visibly upset.

This eerie scene gives way to footage of the purported strike, footage too horrifying to show in full as the bodies of young women are turned to face the camera -- some gruesomely disfigured.

This, the latest sally in Boko Haram's public campaign of pressure against the Nigerian government -- a ransom note. The freeing of jailed Boko Haram soldiers in exchange for the Chibok girls' freedom. For the girls' families heart break vies with frustration.

YUKUBU: Two years, four months from yesterday, the 14th. Nothing from the IG, nothing from the Nigerian army, nothing from the federal government. If they are working on this they should have done something by now.

ELBAGIR: As they wait for someone to bring their daughters back home.

Nima Elbagir -- CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: And Nima will continue to follow that story.

Coming up, the women's 400-meter delivered on its hype. We'll break down the dramatic finish to that race.

Plus, we talk to the swimmer who has been vilified as the poster child for doping during the Rio Games -- our conversation with Russia's Yulia Efimova. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: It's time for a little Olympic drama. U.S. runner Allison Felix came up just short of a fifth Olympic gold medal in the 400- meter final. Just a short time ago, she barely lost to the Bahamas' Shaunae Miller who dove for the finish line to edge out Felix. Miller took a big lead into the last straightaway but Felix closed the gap down the stretch. It just wasn't quite enough. Miller gives the Bahamas their very first medal in Rio and it's a gold.

Our Christina MacFarlane is live in Rio to talk about all of Monday's action and there has been plenty of it, lots of drama. Christina -- thank you for joining us.

Those pictures like I know the Bahamas must be over the moon but it is hard to lose like that. Isn't it? CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORTS: It absolutely is, Sara, and

what a dramatic way as well for it to finish, you know, with Miller falling on the line there, leaping for the line. Allison Felix, of course missing out on the chance to take her fifth gold medal, you know, but not to worry. She is, of course, still become the most celebrated U.S. track and field athlete in the women's sport of all time by taking that silver medal today but it really was an exciting race to watch as these track and field go on.

And as we look ahead to today's track and field, I'll tell you a lot of eyes are going to be on one lady, (inaudible). She is the only Russian athlete who is set to compete here in the track and field events after that blanket ban was imposed on the Russian athletes.

But it's been a turbulent week for her, Sara, because she didn't know whether or not this day was actually going to come. She was cleared to compete here then on Saturday the IAAF, the athletics governing body actually found evidence -- new evidence of doping that implicated Klishina (ph). So they then banned her from competing.

And then on Sunday she appealed to the court of arbitration for sport and had that upheld by the court to compete. So now she will go out there and compete in the long jump later today. It will be interesting to see, you know, the reception she gets from the crowd here because we have seen so often Russian athletes booed at these Olympic games and one in particular, Russia's Yulia Efimova who, you remember, was competing in the swimming last week came under some heavy criticism for her doping past and her very public spat in the swimming pool with the USA's Lilly King.

Now a short while ago, my colleague, Nick Paton Walsh actually had a chance to sit down with her to discuss the very public disapproval of her and how that has impacted her Olympic experience. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yulia Efimova, for some the unwilling face of Russian doping at these Olympics, is exhausted.

YULIA EFIMOVA, RUSSSIAN OLYMPIC SWIMMER: The last three weeks I sleep for like four or three hours a day. Sometimes I just almost want to stop it and just like throw up and everything because I can't -- like it's crazy. But my friends, my parents, they just always try help me and say it's like, you can't stop because it's your dream. (Inaudible) I'm pretty sure if it's just me I'm not sitting here with the silver.

WALSH: Two doping reprimands in three years. The first for a steroid, DHEA she says was in a supplement she unknowingly bought in an American health food store. The second for a drug meldonium, only recently banned. She was only at the last minute allowed to compete on appeal. Then this happened.

When you were in the pool and you did that what did you mean by that?

EFIMOVA: Yes, you know, it was like if you win your race you're first.

WALSH: Did you think that would cause Lilly King to do this?

[00:24:58] EFIMOVA: That's why I don't understand what she meant. I don't know. Maybe it's because media and everything and like I'm so bad the media always try to do some war or something like between athletes. It's -- I think it's more like interesting to watch but it's very hard for athletes.

WALSH: When you hear what the Americans have been saying about you.

EFIMOVA: Yes, it's like it upset me so much especially from (inaudible) and girls like Lilly King and everybody. Just too young. She don't know, like, she don't know how life is going sometimes.

WALSH: She struggles to believe the depth of state-sponsored doping allegations against her Russian team.

It's hard for you to believe as a patriot or you don't believe the allegations themselves?

EFIMOVA: I don't want to believe this because I know like Russian athletes, a lot of Russian athletes, it's like more stupid just Russian like use doping but every other country it's fine.

WALSH: It's political, right?

EFIMOVA: Yes. It's always look smart like political. It's only like Russia, Russia, Russia, like all Russia. Drink vodka, have beer and bring doping and that's it.

WALSH: Yet, she loves her life and home in Los Angeles which she says has changed her.

EFIMOVA: It's -- life's so much easier than in Russian. Everybody is smiling. But they are super friendly and like Team USA always screaming this and Russian people are like -- they have like really hard life. Like from young here and -- every day, so that's why they so like aggressive. America is like a lot changed -- like changed me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Nick Paton Walsh there, speaking to Yulia Efimova. It's interesting because we so rarely have had to hear from, and the opportunity to hear from Russian athletes throughout this whole doping crisis. And we saw there that, you know, one simple gesture from Efimova which she took to mean one thing, to every one else meant something quite different. It just highlights, I think, the problems, you know, that the Russians themselves are feeling throughout these Olympic Games as they go on.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much. Christina Macfarlane there, live for us in Rio. A very interesting interview there with Yulia Efimova.

Coming up Milwaukee is bracing for a possible third night of violence after protests broke out this weekend over the police killing of an armed African-American man. We have the latest on that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:31:07] SIDNER: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Sara Sidner.

The headlines for you at this hour. Donald Trump is laying out his strategy to battle Islamic extremism. The Republican presidential nominee wants a tough values test of potential immigrants. That he calls, extreme vetting. Trump says the fight is similar to the cold war and it demands a sweeping change of U.S. policies at home and abroad.

Kurdish forces say they achieved the goal of their latest offensive against ISIS in Northern Iraq. They say they pushed the militants out of 15 villages near Mosul. U.S. and Iraqi officials said the aim is to eventually surround Mosul and weaken ISIS before trying to retake the city itself.

And at least 11 people are dead after an air strike hit a hospital in Northern Yemen. "Doctors without Borders" said at least 19 others were injured in that blast Monday. The strike on the hospital follows Saudi-led coalition bombings of two schools in Northern Yemen on Saturday.

Now to the United States where the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is under a state of emergency after two nights of violent protests. Demonstrators first - demonstrations -- excuse me -- first broke out Saturday night after police shot and killed an armed black men during a foot chase. Anger and frustration with police have exploded with protesters setting several buildings on fire and throwing bricks at police.

Police officers have had their shifts extended as authorities try to keep the peace in the city. A recent study shows that Milwaukee is the country's most segregated city between black and white residents. And one city leader even called it the worst place to live for African-Americans.

Joining me now is retired LAPD Police Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey. She is also the author of "The Creation of a Manifesto: Black and Blue."

Thank you so much for coming on and talking to us.

There is a lot of conversation that needs to be had about this in the United States. This is yet another city that has gone through this. We started two years ago with Ferguson where people did some of the similar things that we're seeing now. Now two years later and we are looking at a situation in Milwaukee.

I have to ask you first, what is your impression of this from both a policing standpoint and also as an African-American in this country?

CHERYL DORSEY, POLICE SERGEANT: Well, you know, people are very frustrated and like you said this has been going on for a long time now. And what I'm hearing from family members, victims of families, is that there is no accountability.

And so I think that's why we see this spill over because there is no accountability. Police officers are being -- the bad behavior is being minimized and mitigated. There is no penalty. There is no consequence for those bad shooting. And then when there is a shooting that in my opinion this one may be justified, it gets broad blanket brushed with all police shootings are bad.

SIDNER: Yes. And I'm going to talk about that. Because there is, a lot of times, people go over the details of that case. Why would people respond? But one of the things that we were looking at in this particular case and as it so happens in Ferguson is the ticketing practices of the police in these particular areas.

And what was found in a study by a University of Wisconsin researchers is that it's about double the national average the number of black men that are going to prison.

I mean, how is it possible that in one community double the national average is going to prison as opposed to anywhere else? Could it possibly be that that is because there are so many more crimes going on there?

DORSEY: Well, you know, police officers have tremendous power, right? And so if I watch you long enough I'm going to find you doing something that could be construed as criminal, right? If I follow you long enough in a police car, you're going to roll over that solid white line and now you committed a traffic violation and you've given me a legitimate reason to stop you and then I pray to the warden that maybe you have a traffic ticket you didn't pay for.

So now I can get you in that system. That happens. But I'm not saying that that happens wholesale, but that's a way to get someone in the system, right?

[00:35:10] And so understanding that police officers who may have a relationship with someone in the community, who may be a bad doer but not doing bad things on this day, but that officer because of the history wants to make this person pay, right? And so I understand that maybe on a Friday if I arrest you and you put you in jail all weekend, and you get out on Monday because it's a D.A. reject, insufficient evidence to charge you, but I just took 72 hours out of your life. I just put you in the system.

SIDNER: And can you understand the expression, the frustration. A lot of people can understand that, but they don't understand the violent reaction especially in the neighborhood where people live.

What -- as quickly as you can tell us, what can be the solution here?

DORSEY: Well, I don't condone violence and I certainly don't condone this destruction of property. But there needs to be an honest dialogue between the police departments, those heads of the police departments and the community so that you can bridge that gap, validate those things that we know are occurring because we are seeing it on video and then let's have some accountability of consequence when things happen that should not.

SIDNER: Thank you so much. I really appreciate you coming on the show.

Retired LAPD Police Sergeant Cheryl Dorsey here talking about some of the issues that have really captured the American public's whole imagination and sentiment. And it's been a really, really difficult time in America now.

A lot of people are harkening back to the '60s, actually, looking at what is happening today and what more needs to be done. So we appreciate you coming on.

Thousands of people -- now to Louisiana. They have been pulled to safety from homes taking in water and sinking cars.

We will have the latest on the state's devastating flooding. That is coming up just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: The death toll has now climbed to nine in Louisiana, a state dealing with devastating flood waters.

More than 20,000 people have been rescued.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Rescues by boat from the air and even from underneath the flood waters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out.

Give me a knife. Give me a knife. Get a knife.

COOPER: This rescue crew in Baton Rouge found a car which was quickly sinking and the driver was trapped inside. You can hear her calling for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god I'm drowning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're coming. We're coming.

We're breaking the window.

We're breaking the window.

You got a knife?

COOPER: But with the car now almost completely under water, one of the rescuers, David Fong, jumps in the water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.

COOPER: Grabbing the driver's arm and pulling her out of the car and to safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get my dog. Get my dog.

COOPER: As soon as she's able to take a breath, she pleads with Fong to save her dog still trapped inside the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, here.

I can't get the dog.

Where she's gone?

[00:40:14] COOPER: So he dives back down under the water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got your dog.

Get to the boat. Get to the boat.

COOPER: In the end, saving them both.

Officials and volunteers in Louisiana are working around the clock to help those stranded by the devastating floods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're OK. You're OK.

COOPER: Those able to walk through the rushing water are given a helping hand to higher ground. Those unable to make it on their own are carried to safety.

JOHN BEL EDWARDS, LOUISIANA GOVERNOR: As of right now, there have been more than 20,000 people rescued from their homes in and around Southern Louisiana.

COOPER: Pets weren't left behind in these rescues. This military convoy made room for dogs as well as people as they fled the Baton Rouge area.

The flood waters are not expected to recede for days, and with many still trap inside their homes, rescue operations continue. Images like these evoking memories of Hurricane Katrina, which hit this region 11 years ago this month.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: Let's go now to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, who joins us now from the international weather center with more.

Pedram, please tell me they are not going to see any more rain there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SIDNER: When diners sat down for breakfast at a California restaurant, they didn't know they would be getting a show as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Yes, it's him. That's (INAUDIBLE) Dick Van Dyke and acapella act belting out an impromptu performance of a classic theme song from "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." A movie he started almost 50 years ago.

You know how old he is? He is 90 years old. And he posted on Facebook saying, quote, "Breakfast at Denny's with a side of grits makes me want to sing."

That is wonderful. Thank you so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Sara Sidner.

"World Sport" is up next live from Rio de Janeiro.

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(WORLD SPORT)