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U.S. President Vows to Help Laos recover From Deadly Legacy of the Vietnam War; New Outrage After Syrian Government Again Accused of Using Chemical Weapons on Own People; New CNN poll Shows Donald Trump Polling Into a Virtual Tie with Hillary Clinton. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 7, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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


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[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: A moral obligation. The U.S. President vows to help Laos recover from the deadly legacy of the Vietnam War, the bombs America dropped on Laos during the conflict.

New outrage after the Syrian government is again accused of using chemical weapons on its own people.

And at dead heat. A new CNN poll shows Donald Trump polling into a virtual tie with Hillary Clinton in a race for the White House.

Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the round. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.

U.S. President Barack Obama is making no apologies for Washington's covert bombing of Laos decades ago, but he says the U.S. has a moral obligation to help Laos heal. He has pledged $90 million to clean up the unexploded bombs around across the country.

And right now Mr. Obama is holding a town hall with young Asian leaders in Luang Prabang. We want to listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: After her experience (TECHNICAL PROBLEM).

For the last four decades, Laosens have continued to live under the shadow of war. Some 20,000 people have been killed or wounded by this unexploded ordinance or UXO. For the people of Laos then, these are not just statistics.

These bombs have taken the lives of farmers working in the fields, traders gathering scrap metal, children playing outside who thought these small metal balls could be turned into a toy.

[03:05:13] ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it's heart breaking if you think about the fact that some 40 percent of those injured over the past four decades have been children. The president also talks about how agriculture is such an important part of this economy but if you're the farmer trying to clear the field and you're worried about detonating a bomb, then you can't reach your full potential. That $90 million, about half of it is going to go to creating a

survey, a map of where all of these munitions were dropped using reference from the Pentagon to help them do that. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. And so hard to just wrap your mind around the number. Eight million unexploded bombs. Just extraordinary.

Athena, I do want to ask you this so, too. The Philippine President Duterte has been at pains to insist his earlier insults were not directed at Mr. Obama but rather at a journalist. What has been the reaction from the White House to this effort to back pedal?

JONES: Well, it's not clear that the White House is necessarily believes that latest explanation. There was a lot of emphasis on the comments of President Duterte in our briefing with White House officials yesterday. But they did say, look, the relationship with between the U.S. and the Philippines is rock solid. It will endure. It's a close working relationship on everything from disaster response to maritime issues to military -- to military issues.

You know, the U.S. and the Philippines agreed earlier this year to allow U.S. military troops to rotate through five bases in the Philippines. Those sorts of things are not going to change. It's an important relationship the president has worked hard on.

He's visited the Philippines twice during his second term and it's an important part of the U.S. rebalance of foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific region. That rebalance isn't just healing with economic interest but also military interest themselves.

They say that, look, the President Duterte's words were not conducive to having a productive discussion this time around. They do expect the president to interact with Duterte on the sidelines of this meeting, he says as much as he would with leaders of -- at any summit.

But there's no formal bilateral scheduled for this summit and there's no bilateral on the book simply because they don't think this is the right time for that. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes. All right. A lot of developments there. Our Athena Jones staying on top of everything. It's just after 2 o'clock in Vientiane in Laos. Many thanks to you, Athena.

Well, President Duterte's foul language may be the least of Washington's concerns in the region and you can find out why on our web site at cnn.com. Do take a look.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister says a ceasefire in Syria is within reach if the U.S. and Russia would agree. That could be easier said than done, of course. U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin were photographed in what appears to be an unfriendly stair down at the G20 summit.

Now, ahead of Wednesday's meeting in Syria, in London, Adel al-Jubeir said he doesn't describe the U.S. and Russia's lack of agreement as a failure exactly.

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ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI ARABIA FOREIGN MINISTER: I wouldn't describe it as a failure. I think that it's still a work in progress. There is a possibility of arriving at an understanding in over the next 24 hours or so, and then we will test the seriousness of Bashar al-Assad and his allies in terms of complying with a ceasefire like this.

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CHURCH: The biggest issue of course, is that Russia backs Syria's President Bashar al-Assad with its military. The U.S. says Assad must go.

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MARK TONER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT DEPUTY SPOKESMAN: I think what we're looking at is certainly a clear path forward to a nationwide cessation of hostilities. Now whether that's going to happen overnight or that's going to happen over a period of days, that's a question to be resolved.

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CHURCH: Meanwhile, people in Aleppo continue to pay the price of being trapped at the center of the Syrian conflict. Medical sources say regime war planes launched another chemical attack on the city.

And we warn you some images you are about to see are disturbing. Aid group say the gas sent dozens of people to hospital desperately seeking help, many of them were children.

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CHURCH: Now the ongoing violence in Syria is one of the world's biggest catalysts for human displacement. UNICEF is out with a new report looking at the growing crisis for refugee and migrant children.

According to their findings, nearly 50 million children around the world have been uprooted from their homes. Twenty eight million of them have fled because of violence and conflict. Of those, 10 million are refugees. Almost all the others are displaced within their own countries.

The number of child refugees jumped by roughly 75 percent between 2010 and 2015. A top UNICEF official says there has been a humanitarian out pouring over the children's plight but it hasn't been matched by political will.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JUSTIN FORSYTH, UNICEF DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: We still have

millions of children on the move. We have millions of children at risk.

I was just a few weeks ago on an Italian navy ship off the Coast of Libya picking up refugees from the sea. Many of them are on that route, 9 out of 10 of the children are unaccompanied and alone and they've been on terrible journeys.

One young girl I met had fled from Boko Haram. She's been eight months on the road, she's been caught by traffickers and she'd been locked underground in a cell in a prison in Libya and raped almost every day for eight months and now she's been traded into prostitution in Italy.

So, all of these children whether they're fleeing from Central America gang violence or from war in Africa or from Syria are threatened by traffickers and smugglers and they desperately need our protection as well as our help with getting an education and a future.

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CHURCH: And Forsyth tells us that once these children are safe the one thing they desperately want is an education.

On a much lighter note, the opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games is Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro. The torch has made its way back to Rio after a tour around the country.

Organizers are hoping it inspires more last-minute ticket sales. So far, they've beaten the number of ticket sold in Beijing. But the game's financial problems are still an issue.

Shasta Darlington explains.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Olympic flame is now here in Rio de Janeiro. With all of the excitement and the journalists to go with it in its travel to (TECHNICAL PROBLEM).

[03:15:00] (TECHNICAL PROBLEM)

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DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sport headlines.

It's on a historic day of Flushing Meadows with three French players in the quarter finals of the U.S. Open. One of whom met his match on court today. Gael Monfils beats Lucas Pouille in straight sets. It's been eight years since Monfils have made it this far in any major. The first time he's made it into the last four in New York.

Football on the road to Russia. European qualifiers for the 12 World Cup are underway this week. Sweden and the Netherlands played to a draw on Tuesday. While Albania need the last minute go to beat Macedonia 2-1. It's not gone too well for the reigning European champions. Portugal

they had a tough game away against Switzerland in Vaso. And they had to manage about Cristiano Ronaldo. But it was the absence of an organized defense which was more costly. Portugal conceding twice in the space of six first half minutes. Breel Embolo and Admir Mehmedi with the goals 2-0 the final score.

And in cricket, Australia posted a new best in a T20 International against Sri Lanka. The Aussies made 263 for three scoring at an average of more than 13 runs per over or more than two runs for every single ball.

It was Sri Lanka's world records which have stood since 2007, which was beaten or around Glenn Maxwell blasting 145 out of 65 balls. He had nine sixes and 14 four's as the Aussie's won by 85 runs.

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

CHURCH: Sixty one days until Election Day in the United States. And the race for the White House is tighter than ever.

[03:20:01] The latest CNN/ORC poll of likely voters has Trump leading Clinton by two points, 45 percent to 43. That's within the margin of error.

And with the contest so close, voter turnout will be extremely important. The polls shows Trump voters are much more enthusiastic than Clinton voters. Both candidates are focusing this week on national security issues.

Here's CNN politics reporter, Sara Murray.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: In its final sprint, the presidential race is coming down to a dead heat and quickly turning into a political dog fight.

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DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary likes to play tough with Russia. Putin looks at her and he laughs.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He says he has a secret plan to defeat ISIS. But the secret is he has no plan.

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MURRAY: Today, Donald Trump is looking to bolster his national security credential.

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TRUMP: We got problem, folks. We have to figure it out. And if we don't figure it out we have to be careful and vigilant and strong.

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MURRAY: While Clinton jabs at Trump for lacking the temperament to be commander-in-chief.

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CLINTON: We're going to work with our allies, not insult them. We're going to stand up to our adversaries, not cozy up to them.

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MURRAY: That as a new CNN/ORC poll shows him trailing Clinton by five points on the commander-in-chief test. Trump appearing with retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General, Michael Flynn as he slammed Clinton's leadership abilities and called for closer ties with Russia.

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TRUMP: Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with Russia? We have to get along with certain nations very importantly because it would be awfully good to have Russia and others with us on major attacks on ISIS.

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MURRAY: The Trump campaign also rolling out a roster of 88 retired military leaders who day they are backing the bombastic billionaire but not without some reservations.

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REMO BUTLER, RETIRED U.S. ARMY: I think they are working in the right direction. And again, I'm here because some of his people on his campaign reached out to me. So, yes, you're not doing it perfectly but you're getting there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: That, as Clinton tried to make the case that Trump is too big a risk to take with America's national security.

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CLINTON: This November the American people have a big choice to make when it comes to national security. On the one hand, we have Donald Trump who has called the American military a disaster. Who disrespects our military leaders by saying and I quote, "I know more about ISIS than the generals do."

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MURRAY: And Trump kept up the heat against Hillary Clinton when it came to national security at an event in North Carolina. He said her behavior when it came to her private e-mail server was disqualifying. He called her out for destroying communications devices or wiping her e-mail and called it shady activity.

Sara Murray, CNN, Greenville, North Carolina. CHURCH: Joining me now from our D.C. bureau to talk more about this

is CNN political analyst, Josh Rogin, he is also a columnist with the Washington Post. Thanks so much for being with us. Always great to chat with you.

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Absolutely.

CHURCH: So, let's start with the state of the race. Our new CNN/ORC poll shows Clinton and Trump in a virtual tie among likely voters in a four-way match up that includes third-party candidates. How significant is that and just how valuable a guide is a national poll in a race like this that is so close?

ROGIN: Right. Well, these national polls are a snapshot in time. They don't -- they aren't reliable predictors of who will win the election because the elections are decided in battleground states.

But they are a great way to see what are the trends in the general public regarding these two candidates. And the fact is that the polls nationally are tightening and that can be seen as a concerning sign for the Clinton campaign.

I mean, what we can see is that after a period where the polls really spread apart and Hillary Clinton seemed to have a pretty robust lead following some new revelations about her e-mail scandal, the general feeling is turning the tide in the other direction. There will be many changes in these polls between now and November.

CHURCH: Of course. And, Josh, you mention the battleground states. What are the polls telling us about that? Who will likely win in those races and ultimately, the big race? Or is it just too close to call?

ROGIN: Well, in most battleground states, Hillary Clinton maintains a substantial lead not only in polling but also in infrastructure and in get out the vote efforts. So, even in the CNN/ORC poll you see that most voters by a wide margin predict that Hillary Clinton will still prevail in this election despite the fact that her popularity is somewhat in decline.

She's just so far ahead in terms of fund raising, organization, offices all around these battleground states. So that will be another gap that's not measured in the national poll but Donald Trump will struggle to makeup between now and November.

CHURCH: And what is interesting is that the CNN/ORC poll shows Trump way in front of Clinton when it comes to the issue of the economy.

[03:25:02] He has 56 percent support. She has 41 percent. Less surprising, perhaps is that more perspective voters trust Clinton on foreign policy, 56 percent support her compared to 40 percent for Trump. What is that all tell you?

ROGIN: Sure. Well, I think the economic number is to reflect the fact that Trump's message which is basically that the economic recovery has not trickled down to those most in need has resonated among some voters. So, although they may not support Trump's specific policies which are

somewhat incoherent and changing day by day, they generally feel unease with the state of the economy now. And I think that's why you see a call for change.

When it comes to national security, Trump leads on terrorism but, Clinton leads on foreign policy. It's a recognition that she is more qualified, and she has more experience, yet people think that the war on terrorism is not going as well as it should be.

In the end, that's an inherited advantage for Clinton and what Trump is trying to do is to narrow the gap on foreign policy so it doesn't become a big obstacle to his winning the presidency.

CHURCH: And you mentioned the fact that both Clinton and Trump campaigns is focusing on national security this week.

ROGIN: That's right.

CHURCH: Each of them claiming they have the endorsement of retired military leaders. Why are we hearing this now and what impact will all this likely have, do people care about that?

ROGIN: Right. My personal view on this is that the more military officers come out on each side, the less effective those endorsements become. Both each sides has a whole roster of former generals and admirals who claim that they're supporting one candidate or another it really becomes sort of wash in the end.

But this is part of each candidate's effort to show a basic confidence and a basic qualification to be commander-in-chief. Again, Hillary Clinton has less of a hurdle to climb on that because of her government experience.

Donald Trump on the other hand, rolled out 88 new generals and admirals supporting him in an open letter today because he recognizes and his campaign recognizes that when it comes to foreign policy and national security he has no record at all.

CHURCH: Josh Rogin, thanks so much for your perspective on this.

ROGIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: We always love to chat with you.

ROGIN: Likewise.

CHURCH: All right. To the weather now. And Hurricane Newton has battered the luxury resort area of Los Cabos in northwestern Mexico. The storm made landfall Tuesday as a category one hurricane. Newton is now moving towards the United States.

Now it could bring significant flooding to parts of Arizona, a state that doesn't normally get the full force of a tropical storm.

And we have our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri here in the studio to talk more about this. So, how likely is it that it will make the through the desert?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's incredible. You know, we don't usually see storms retain tropical status as they move over a desert environment. And this storm perfect alignment here. It came right up of Cortez so a lot of water, warm water across that region. And then it crosses over into northern Mexico.

So, I'll show you here on satellite imagery what it looks like because making its second landfall right there across the state of Senora at 90 mile-per-hour wind gusts. About 150 kilometers per hour with the strongest wind associated with the storm system are.

But again, when you follow where the storm is going the track of it takes it right to Southern Arizona. An area that again, very unusual to see this storm retain and maintain that strengths. In fact, only five times since 1929 have we had tropical storms remain and remain -- that maintain that strength and work their way into Arizona, which is precisely what we think this storm as a potential of doing and becoming number six.

And notice, even if doesn't make it as a tropical storm I think a lot of rainfall across parts of Nogalez out towards Tucson. Some record amounts certainly could come down and flood flashing could be an issue.

So, the National Weather Service across this region has issued flood watches for about 3.5 million people. And if you take a look at what occurred in the month of August in Tucson, Arizona, about 28 millimeters came down. It could double, almost double that amount there over the next couple of days. And that would actually be 10 percent of its annual rainfall occurring in a couple of days' time with this tropical system works in its way in that area.

See this area of rotation right there? That is still what is left of Hermine sitting there off the Northeastern United States coastline. The storm is actually trapped now between several weather features here.

So, a blocking pattern is keeping Hermine and what is left of it in place. So, a few showers is expected around the northeastern United States. But again, just far enough off shore but no major impact is expected with that storm system.

We're watching, though, yet another storm. High probably of formation. And this again impacting portions of Japan. Look at the forecast indication for the next two days. Look at Tokyo. Potential for 100 to 150 millimeters of rainfall across much Japan with this next tropical storm.

And again, as this comes ashore, you know, we talked about composites (Inaudible), Changtu, Mongolia, Lionrock, Namtheum, this next storm yet to be named would be number six in line. Rosemary, looking back into when the last time was Japan had this many storms so consecutively was back in 2004 when they had 10.

[03:30:03] So, we're quickly working our way up towards an incredible pace of tropical storms.

CHURCH: Yes. A lot for a country that had to deal with a lot as well.

JAVAHERI: Right. Yes.

CHURCH: All right, Pedram. Many thanks.

JAVAHERI: Thank you.

CHURCH: I appreciate it.

Coming up, gun violence rampant in an American city.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's ridiculous that CPD recovers more illegal handguns than New York City P.D. and LAPD combined.

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CHURCH: A big surge in homicides makes this year's Chicago's deadliest in decades.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers all across the world. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you now on the main stories we've been following this hour. And we do want to warn you our first story has disturbing images.

Aid group say a new chemical attack on Aleppo, Syria has left more than 80 people with severe breathing problems. Medical sources accuse Syria's government of dropping barrel bombs full of poison gas on a neighborhood in Aleppo.

There are now nearly 50 million children who are refugees or migrants. That shocking number comes to us from UNICEF. It says Syria and Afghanistan accounted for nearly half of all child refugees last year.

U.S. President Barack Obama is talking to young Asian leaders at a town hall in Laos this hour. We're looking at live pictures. And earlier, he said the U.S. has a moral obligation to help clear unexploded bombs in Laos. They left over from years of U.S. bombing decades ago.

[03:35:03] Well, it has been a dangerous year for the third largest city in the United States. Over the long weekend just passed, Chicago logged it's 500th homicide for 2016.

Our CNN's Ryan Young reports the benchmark makes this year Chicago's deadliest in at least two decades.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I've been watching the numbers climb all year long. In fact, more than 90 people were killed just in the month of August. So a lot of people are paying attention not only to the gun laws but what's happening in the streets, and a lot of people are calling for action.

EDDIE JOHNSON, Chicago POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER: Everything is on the table right now in Chicago.

YOUNG: On this night we join Chicago's top cop patrolling the streets of Chicago, superintendent Eddie Johnson in his new role for less than six months, was born and raised in the city and has patrolled the streets for more than 20 years.

JOHNSON: Well, we're at the spot where Nykea Aldridge was the murdered.

YOUNG: Nykea Aldrige was a mother of four and niece of NBA star Dwayne Wade. She was in innocent bystander caught in the crossfire allegedly between two convicted felons, one wearing an ankle monitoring device.

JOHNSON: They looked at each other and that the shooters didn't like the way he looked at him so they took matters in their own hands, you know, grabbed a couple pistols and started firing. Unfortunately she got hit.

YOUNG: So, there was no prior alteration, no prior beef, no fight?

JOHNSON: Nope.

YOUNG: It was literally because of a look?

JOHNSON: Yes. And that shows you how quickly things can jump off into violence. Here in Chicago most of the city is fairly safe from these types of incidents. This year we have a list, 1400 individuals are on that list and they are the drivers of our gun violence. They are repeat gun offenders.

YOUNG: How can you police that, how can you police the idea that a look or a Facebook or Twitter message can turn into a gun battle?

JOHNSON: The simple honest truth to that is you can't police something like that. You can't. There's just no way we can predict those types of incidents. People are mistakenly thinking this is a police issue. It's not. You know, these are the social and economic ills of the country.

YOUNG: The violence in Chicago was peeking at levels not seen since the '90s. More than 90 people were murdered just in August, the highest total in 20 years. The windy city is on pace for more than 600 murders this year.

JOHNSON: It's ridiculous that CPD recovers more illegal handguns than New York City P.D. and LAPD combined. This year, in 2016, CPD has recovered one illegal handgun for every hour of the year.

YOUNG: All this during a time when trust between the neighborhoods and police continues to be described as extremely tense.

JOHNSON: This is strain relationship and it's a lot of work. But I believe, you know, people around here have heard me say the police department is only as strong as the belief that the community has in it. That's not lip service. I really believe that we're arresting the right people. Holding them accountable is the issue.

YOUNG: And especially for your international audience a lot of people who travel to Chicago if you see the shot behind me. Chicago is a beautiful city. What people talk about a tale of two cities? One where there's a lot of prosperity where people travel to, you can see the sites.

But there's another side of town, mostly on the south side where people are facing some real poverty, where the average income is only $10,000 a year. These are the areas where people say they have been they invested in. And they would like to see more money, and more jobs plug into those areas so kids can have a chance.

More than 30 kids have been killed just this year, innocent bystanders in the violence. People are hoping that something happens soon, maybe a plan that can help change the violence on the streets here in Chicago. Back to you.

CHURCH: Thanks so much for that.

Well, Fox News has settled the sexual harassment lawsuit brought by former host, Gretchen Carlson. And they are paying big. She accused her old boss, Roger Ailes of sexual harassment and retaliation after her contract was not renewed.

Brian Stelter has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRETCHEN CARLSON, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: Hi, everyone, welcome to the real story. I'm Gretchen Carlson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: The real story behind Carlson sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes will now never see a court room. Fox's parent company announcing a bombshell $20 million settlement made by the network on behalf of Ailes.

Fox issuing a highly unusual statement saying, "We sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect that she and all our colleagues deserve."

Experts say the eight-figure settlement will have ripple effects all across America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Multiple women were taping conversations for Roger Ailes.

(END VIDEO CLIP) STELTER: The settlements mean any audiotapes will now remain secret. So, the Murdoch's are clearly trying to move on, while Ailes is still fighting. He resigned under pressure in late July. And now the GOP strategist turned TV boss, is giving advice to Donald Trump.

[03:40:01] Though not formally working for the campaign. Today, Ailes' lawyer, Susan Estrich pointedly saying he is not helping to pay for the settlement. All told, more than 20 million reportedly spoke with the Murdoch's outside law firm about Ailes' allege sexual harassment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These stories that they did not even tell their families, their husbands, their children. I mean these are incredibly personal stories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: Ailes has denied it but the aftershocks continued at Fox. One of the network's best known host, Greta van Susteren exercising a clause in her contract today but didn't walk out the door now that Ailes is out. She says on Facebook, "Fox has not felt like home to me for a few years." Now she is looking for a new broadcasting job.

And as for Carlson maybe there's advocacy work in her future. In her statement she says she will redouble my efforts to empower women in the workplace.

CHURCH: Joining me to talk more about this from New York is CNN senior media correspondent, Brian Stelter. Always great to talk with you.

STELTER: Thanks.

CHURCH: So, Brian, a $20 million payout to Gretchen Carlson after she accused former Fox CEO Roger Ailes of sexual harassment and not only a big payout but also a public apology from 21st Century Fox. What does this tell us about what is going on at Fox and where it's going perhaps in the future?

STELTER: Yes, that's right. This is really a stunning development to see an eight-figure pay off like this. It's rare to see a sexual harassment lawsuit result in this kind of amount of money being paid to the person who alleged harassment.

You know, what's so strange about this is Roger Ailes, the man at the center of this has continued to deny the allegations against him. But the company that employed him, Fox News and the Murdoch's, the owners of the 21st Century Fox, seem convinced that there was wrongdoing here.

That's why they are apologizing to Carlson saying that she was not treated with the respect that she deserved to be treated with. And that's why the company out this $20 million settlement. It could have consequences throughout corporate America, you know. Because we're talking about a very high profile case here. It's likely that women watching this story today who have been

harassed in their workplaces may come away feeling just a little more confident that they too could bring up their own situations at work, challenge their own bosses.

You know, the law here is complicated. We know lots of cases that don't end this way but this is a high profile victory for a woman accusing a powerful man of sexual harassment.

CHURCH: It is a lot of money. But what is interesting is that Carlson walks away with a payout that's half of what Roger Ailes is rumored to have received in the settlement. Estimated to what, $40 million. What are people saying about the discrepancies in the payouts given what Roger Ailes apparently did and will he likely fight back here?

STELTER: That's right. He was paid $40 million to leave his job back in July. That was the exit agreement that he raised with Fox when he was pressured to leave his job amid these sexual harassment allegations.

Remember, it wasn't just Carlson. She was the one that sued but as a result other women came forward past and present Fox News employees who said they too had been place in inappropriate situations by Ailes that he had said inappropriate harassing things to them. And then in some case they had to refuse his sexual advances.

So, as a result of those, you know, kind of mounting allegations of harassment by Ailes, he stepped down, he resigned. He was paid out the remainder of his contract which was about $40 million. So, there is a strange dissidents here between the amount of money he is taking away and the amount of money that Carlson is taking away.

CHURCH: And just finally, what have you learned about Roger Ailes' likely role in Donald Trump's campaign. And why would Trump want that association given what has happened?

STELTER: This might be the strangest part of the story overall. You know, Donald Trump, Roger Ailes, they've known each other for decades, they've been friendly for a long time. But now Trump is getting advice, getting guidance from Ailes and he's one of many people, you know, speaks to the GOP nominee.

Ailes is not formally working for the Trump campaign but he is informally giving advice ahead of the all-important debates this month and next month.

Now that could be a challenge for Trump. You know, every time Ailes and Trump are stated in the same sentence, it reminds people of the sexual harassment scandal. But Trump is famously loyal, you know, he's made a point of that throughout this campaign. Being loyal to his friends. Ailes is one of his friends and so far, Trump does not seem uncomfortable getting advice from Ailes.

CHURCH: All right. Brian Stelter, always a pleasure to chat with you. Many thanks.

STELTER: Thanks.

CHURCH: Singapore confirms more than a dozen new cases of Zika in the country. How officials are fighting the mosquito-borne disease. We'll have that when we return. Stay with us.

[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A bill to spend $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus in the United States has failed. Senate democrats say they blocked the legislation because it included a provision to prevent funding for the Planned Parenthood women's health centers.

They say it also would have allowed Confederate flags to fly at cemeteries for military veterans.

And Singapore confirmed 17 new cases of Zika on Tuesday. That brings the total number of confirmed cases there to 275.

CNN's Manisha Tank shows us what officials are doing to fight the disease and protect residents.

MANISHA TANK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hunting down the enemy. This is the frontline in Singapore's battle against the Zika virus and the aedes aegypti mosquito that carries it. This team takes the attack to this public housing development close to the latest cluster of Zika cases.

So, here's another more conventional measure for inhibiting mosquitoes. This gentleman is spraying oil into this drain. The idea is that prevents the larvae from developing. Eighty percent of Singaporeans live in some form of high rise living and that is an oasis for the aedes mosquito.

So the battle is raging not just on the outdoors but indoors as well. And that present a big challenge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These leaflets we give them so that...

TANK: Public outreach has been at the center of this campaign. Leaflets, posters, and volunteers have gone out in their hundreds to educate communities on the dangers.

Leading the charge Derek Ho who runs the National Environment Agency.

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DEREK HO, SINGAPORE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY DIRECTOR: In the past we've been banking on offices inspections of the various premises. We have offices out there checking on a regular basis. There's high risk areas. So, we're not just waiting for cases to happen. We're actually doing a pre-emptive approach.

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TANK: Despite that, clusters of infection has propped up like at this construction site. Workers here were struck by a local strain of Zika. Singapore's Ministry of Health said analysis of two cases found that they had likely evolved from a strain of Zika that was already circulating in Southeast Asia.

[03:50:03] So, why wasn't hit on the radar before?

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LEO YEE SIN, SINGAPORE COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CENTRE CLINICAL DIRECTOR: Zika is a virus that belongs with the flavy, virus family in terms of genetically to the dengue, to other flavy virus family groups like the Japanese encephalitis. So you can understand that, you know, because they're also similar. So, in other words it's not so easy to differentiate them one from the other.

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TANK: Singapore's lush gardens against the backdrop of urban dynamism is a magnet for the aedes mosquito. The country's experience with dengue fever is proving lessons in the march against Zika. With a well-equipped health care system and its manageable size, Singapore may be able to handle this outbreak well, but the same might not be said of its neighbors which could be most at risk.

Manisha Tank, CNN, Singapore.

CHURCH: We'll take a break right here but next on CNN newsroom, meet the Paralympic runner who isn't letting his disability stop him from chasing his dreams.

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[03:54:56] CHURCH: When the Paralympic Games kickoff on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro. Fabio da Silva Bordignon will be among the thousands of athletes competing for gold. The Brazilian sprinter spoke to us about the driving force behind his dreams.

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CHURCH: So inspirational there. Well, Taylor Swift has another blank space. Now that she, and Tom Huddleston has apparently closed the book on their romance. After just three months together, the pop superstar and the British actor from "Thor" have broken up. As Weekly says, the breakup was amicable.

I'm Rosemary Church. There's more news after the break with our Max Foster in London.

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