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Trump Makes Overtures To Kim Jong-un, Duterte; Trump Says He'd Be 'Honored' To Meet With Kim Jong-un; Trump Invites Philippines' Duterte To White House; Trump Commends El-Sisi, Kim and Putin; Trump To Speak With Putin By Phone Tuesday; Parents Of U.S. Student Held In N. Korea Praise Trump. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired May 2, 2017 - 01:00   ET

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


[01:00:15] JOHN VAUSE, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Ahead this hour, two world leaders, both with a long history of human rights abuses which seemed to matter very little to our U.S. President appending the norms of foreign policy.

Plus, the mere turbulence leaves some passengers with broken bones and bruises. Thank you for flying Aeroflot. And later, solving social issues with a beer. The clever new commercial described as the antidote of Pepsi's failed effort with Kendall Jenner.

Hello, everybody, great to have you with us for another hour of NEWSROOM L.A., I'm John Vause.

One is a violent erratic dictator who's threatened to annihilate the United States, the other, a hardliner accused of ordering killings without trials in a brutal war on drugs. And now, North Korea's Kim Jong-un and the Philippines President, Rodrigo Duterte, are at the center of overtures from the U.S. President Donald Trump, brings the White House on the defensive. Jeff Zeleny has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: With a nuclear threat looming and tensions rising, President Trump declaring today that he would be honored to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely -I would be honored to do it.

ZELENY: The President's choice of words raising eyebrows after praising the regimes rogue leader in a weekend CBS news interview.

TRUMP: In a very young age he was able to assume power. A lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else, and he was able to do it. So, obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie.

ZELENY: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer offering an explanation for Trump's view.

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He assumed power at a young age when his father passed away, and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way, and he's obviously managed to lead a country forward despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have. The - you know, he is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons.

ZELENY: Spicer then sought to temper Trump's compliment, saying the conditions do not exist right now for the President to hold talks with North Korea.

SPICER: We've got to see their provocative behavior rest down immediately. That - those are - there's a lot of conditions that I think would have to happen with respect to his behavior and this shows signs of good faith.

ZELENY: The President also is stirring controversy after extending his hand to the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, he invited him to the White House despite a brutal human rights record. The authoritarian leader is accused of killing thousands of his own people in his war on drugs. He also once called President Obama an expletive. One senior administration official told CNN the White House invitation was neither expected nor planned. It came during a weekend phone call between Trump and Duterte, which the White House describe in a statement as a very friendly conversation. Democrats seized on a call saying an invitation to the White House amounted to an endorsement of the Philippines leader.

Senator Chris Coons saying, "Trump risks giving Duterte's actions and his brutal human rights violations, an American stamp of approval." The President defended his decision, saying in an interview with Bloomberg News, "You know, he's very popular in the Philippines. He has a very high approval rating in the Philippines." Spicer said, "Improved relations with the Philippines were needed because of U.S. interest in the region.

SPICER: It is an opportunity for us to work with countries in that region that can help play a role in diplomatically and economically isolating North Korea.

ZELENY: Yet it's also the latest sign of the President's affinity for strong men.

TRUMP: It's great to be with the President of Egypt.

ZELENY: From inviting Egyptian President el-Sisi to the White House to praising the leaders of Russia and Turkey, Mr. Trump's words for authoritarian leaders drawing fire.

As for his part, the Filipino President said he could not make any firm commitments whether he would accept the invitation to come here to the White House. He says he has other trips planned abroad including to Russia but it certainly was a surprise, at least, to some officials here at the White House that the President extended that invitation. Of course, there has been a longstanding, a good relationship between these countries that broke down during the final year or so of the Obama administration. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, for more, we head now to Asia, David McKenzie is standing by live in Beijing, Paula (AUDIO GAP) Korea. We'll start with (AUDIO GAP). Let's just forget the reaction from North Korea. What about the reaction from South Korea, the President saying it would be an honor to meet with Kim Jong-un. Also having positive words about Kim, calling him a "smart cookie".

[01:050:07] PAUL HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, there hasn't been an official reaction from South Korean officials at this point. We're waiting for one. We know that there's a foreign ministry briefing in a matter of minutes so it will be interesting to see whether or not anybody decides to stick their neck out and point out what they think about this. Online, we've looked at social media. There's been a mixed response, one person on Twitter even saying, "Is this irony?" saying he would be honored to meet the North Korean President. It has to be taken also in the context of many South Korean officials being concerned that they are not being consulted as much as they would be if they had a proper President. There's only an acting President here at this point. They're waiting for a Presidential election on May 9th.

And just last week, President Trump spoke to the Japanese leader, the Chinese leader, but didn't speak to anyone in South Korea when talking about North Korea. So there has already been some feathers ruffled with this, so I'm not certain this would have been welcomed, this comment. John?

VAUSE: OK. Paula, stay with us. David, to you, is it possible those comments from Donald Trump, you know, being honored to meet with Kim Jong-un should have happened? Are they being aimed as much at Beijing as Pyongyang?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's hard to tell whether that was a statement that would have been kind of discussed before that interview happened. But generally, the concept of talks and talking directly to the leader of North Korea would be certainly welcomed here in Beijing, repeatedly and consistently, the Chinese, John, have said what they want is negotiations to resume and for the military actions and provocations as China calls them from both the U.S. and North Korea be eased off to allow the process to start for talks to happen.

It's worth noting that Kim Jong-un hasn't visited China even, a close ally of North Korea since he came into power, and hasn't met with a Chinese leader, President Xi Jingping. So if that hasn't happened, it might be a long shot certainly that he would actually meet with the President of the United States. Most likely, if any talks happen, it will happen as a result of some intermediary at the initial stages, at least. John?

VAUSE: I think the most-high profile American Kim Jong-un has met with so far is Dennis Rodman, formerly of the NBA. David McKenzie and also Paula Hancocks in Seoul, thanks to you, both. Whenever a head of state is invited to the White House or sits down one-on-one with an American President it sends a powerful message around the world. It's often a reward for a loyal ally or maybe a leader who's embraced democratic reforms and human rights. But what are the implications if the leader is guilty of killing and starving his own people like North Korea's Kim Jong-un or the Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte accused of ordering thousands of extrajudicial killings as part of his war on drugs. Well, for more, David Gergen joins us now from New York. David is CNN's political analyst. He served as an advisor to four U.S. Presidents. David, thank you so much for being with us.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure.

VAUSE: With regards to North Korea's Kim Jong-un, even if there never is that meeting, what is the impact of the U.S. President just simply putting it out there and saying it would be an honor to have a meeting with him? How does this elevate Kim's position at home?

GERGEN: Well, it strengthens him at home and I must tell you that across the United States, Donald Trump is taking a lot of heat over the way he's been speaking about the leader of North Korea recently. He's been calling him, you know, a "smart cookie", but very importantly, he said, "I want to sit down and talk with him, and if the circumstances are right," and he said it would be an honor to sit with him and that especially has stuck in the craw of a lot of Americans but I must tell you, I have a contrarian view.

There are a lot of folks who are in the foreign policy "establishment" say, who worked around their council and foreign relations, who believe that actually a President should be willing to sit down with a -- with an enemy, even one who is as murderous as Kim is, if there is -- if that will help to overt a conflict, I think there is an interest on the part of the United States, if you can find a way to settle this with shorter war, if you can find a way to perhaps give more recognition to the leader of North Korea to welcome him into the family of nations, that's worth trying out.

VAUSE: With regards to, you know, this proposed meeting that sure, Donald Trump floated out there with Kim Jong-un, Donald Trump seems so that he is breaking with longstanding tradition, he also said during that Bloomberg interview, he talked about his willingness to meet with Kim. He said, "Most political people would never say that, but I'm telling you, under the right circumstances, I would meet with him. We have breaking news." In that last line there, there's breaking news. And clearly, he knows that this is breaking with what has been a tradition and protocol. So, can you explain the logic here behind what Donald Trump might be thinking?

[01:10:02] GERGEN: Well, one can never be certain on what Donald Trump is thinking. I think that's one clear lesson out of the first 100 days and I -- he may be setting up some sort of potential deal making. He may think, "OK, I've threatened the guy, and then I'm going to - you know, I've -- and I'm now -- I've held out the iron fist. And now, I'm going to put a velvet glove on it and talk to the world about how actually this guy - this young guy is really smart, he's a smart cookie. I'm going to willingly sit down with him. Maybe he thinks he can change the dynamics. Maybe that there are people in the -- again, foreign policy experts who say one of the best ways to settle this might be giving him a lot of money as we've been in the past, but very importantly, extending the international recognition to the North Koreans. Inviting Kim to the table of great powers, and just sit there that might somehow convince him to be more rational. There may be that theory in the back of Trump's head and his advisors are saying, but I must tell you, John, overall what he's been saying the last couple of days about North Korea and about the Philippines has not only surprised but stunned some of the people around him.

VAUSE: There seems to be this belief that Donald Trump has that he is -- you know, once he gets one-on-one with somebody, he can make a deal and maybe once he sits down in a room with Kim Jong-un, that he can make, you know, solve this crisis that so many other Presidents have not been able to solve, simply by, you know, sheer force of his personality and his ability to cut a deal.

GERGEN: Well, he had success at that -- in the real estate industry. We all know that, and you have to say that about him. He has yet to demonstrate that he can - the skills that served him well and the real estate industry apply well as President. You know, he has not cut any deals. So, I don't know. Maybe let the deal making start in North Korea and see if it works, but, you know, I think we ought to get beyond the words and see the action.

VAUSE: In that meeting, though, with Kim Jong-un, it seems pretty unlikely but a White House is -

GERGEN: Is very unlikely.

VAUSE: -- by the Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte, that is not out of the question. I think that does go ahead.

GERGEN: No, I think - yes. No, it's -- I think the world is going to be turned on its head. And look, I -- you know, I saw Fareed Zakaria earlier tonight and both of us were sort of the view and increasingly what you're seeing in some of these countries is the popular thing is to have a leader who stands up to Trump. You know, we're seeing that emerge in Mexico and it may well emerge in South Korea. They've got elections coming up here next week. And the candidate who is now doing very well there is a guy who really wants to negotiate, he doesn't want to fight with the North Koreans, he doesn't seem to want a lot of the military things we want there.

So, you know, we're -- we still haven't seen what all the ripple effects are internationally but there's no question that the Trump presidency is setting huge ripples out across the world, and a lot of nations are trying to figure out how do we handle this? This is a very different kind of president in what we've - than what we've seen. We'd like to get along with him, but we're not sure quiet how to handle it.

VAUSE: I'm just curious. So, if you're an opposition leader in the Philippines, you've been pushing for accountability, for the rule of law, for basic human rights against this man who, you know, the international criminal code is actually warned that he could be, you know, committing crimes against humanity.

GERGEN: Yes.

VAUSE: To see him walk that, you know, red carpet into the White House, what does that do to those groups in the Philippines?

GERGEN: It's extremely discouraging. And they -- you know, the United States spent decades -- we had democratic Presidents and republican Presidents trying to build trust and respect for the United States that we were a champion of freedom, that we were a champion of human rights, and that was very important to what Joe and I, my good friend and professor calls soft power. It gave the United States a lot of standing and moral authority in the world. And you can -- you can let that diminish or disappear very quickly if you show indifference to the dictators and strongmen who are emerging in these countries whether it'd be in the Philippines or some would say in Turkey, you can look at other countries, Venezuela, these trend lines are very dangerous and it will lose respect for the United States, and others will step into that vacuum. China is trying to step into that vacuum now.

VAUSE: Once again, though, it seems we're talking about the fact that maybe Mr. Trump does not realize the impact and the significance of his words and his actions as President of the United States.

GERGEN: Well put. Well put.

VAUSE: OK. We'll leave it at that. David, thank you so much. It was good being with you.

GERGEN: OK. I hope I was helpful. Thank you. It's good.

VAUSE: It was great. Thank you so much.

GERGEN: Good. Super. Thank you so much. Bye.

[01:14:52] VAUSE: And we'll take a short break. But when we come back, President Trump reviving his claim that Barack Obama wiretapped him. We'll have a new spin on an old allegation, but there's still no proof. And a day of unrest in cities around the world. A look at May Day demonstrations in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, I'm Don Riddell with your CNN WORLD SPORT headlines. We'll start with Premier League Football and it's been a really good season for Liverpool, but what happened on Monday night might just have been the highlight. Liverpool's Emre Can delivered an extraordinary overhead kick, the only goal of the game with a 1-0 win, and what put the - put the Reds third in the Premier League table.

Now, sadly, racism in football is nothing new but the players who are subjected to it have long been sick and tired of having to deal with him. The Ghanaian player, Sulley Muntari, in a match for his Italian Cup Pescara over the weekend says that he was racially abused by a group of fans from the start of the game, but the referee booked him for complaining in the 89th minute and that prompted Sulley Muntari to walk off the pitch. The United Nations praised Muntari for his actions, describing him as an inspiration. They have urged FIFA to pay greater attention.

Jonas Blixt and Cameron Smith have won the first team event on the PGA TOUR since 1981 but it took a Monday playoff to do it. That's because after Kevin Kisner somehow rattled in a 95-foot eagle attempt on the 18th on Sunday. It was too dark for he and teammate Scott Brown to contest the sudden death playoff, so on fourth playoff hole on Monday morning, the Australian Cameron Smith earned his first PGA TOUR victory and with it, a two-year exemption on tour. That is a quick look at your Sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We agree on so many things. I just want to let everybody know in case there was any doubt that we are very much behind President el- Sisi. He's done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation.

At a very young age, he was able to assume power, a lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away whether it was his uncle or anybody else, and he was able to do it. So obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie.

They say Putin likes Trump and he said nice things about me. He called me a genius. He said we're going to win. That's good. That's not bad, that's good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Donald Trump as both candidate and president has made it a point to embrace authoritarian leaders who've been publicly shamed or (INAUDIBLE) by previous U.S. administrations. Mr. Trump will speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. This will be their first conversation since Russia denounced the U.S. military strike on Syria last month. Sometimes the bromance doesn't go as planned.

[01:20:00] Joining me here in Los Angeles, talk radio host Ethan Bearman and California Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel. So, Shawn, it does seem that, you know, Trump is upending foreign policy here in many ways, embracing and cultivating, you know, these authoritarian leaders with - you know, some with a terrible history on human rights abuses, that kind of thing. Is there a concern, though, that Donald Trump and the U.S. could ultimately be taken for a ride by these guys?

SHAWN STEEL, CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN: I'm not worried about anybody taking Trump for a ride. He uses misdirection actually quite skilfully. Now, he's also talked with statesmen, leaders, world leader, our allies, they've seen -- most of them, he's seen maybe four or five world leaders each and every week. Tomorrow he's seeing, I think, a person responsible through his organization, through his estate, Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow who I think has also got a lot of blood on his hands. But presidents see world leaders whether they're dictators or not. I don't -- I wouldn't call and - call Kim Jong-un a smart cookie, that wouldn't be in vocabulary but that might be part of the Trump misdirection because we know that fat boy Kim loves praise.

VAUSE: Ethan?

ETHAN BEARMAN, TALK RADIO HOST: Well, Shawn and I agree to some extent here, but ultimately, inviting a leader like Kim Jong-un to -- for direct meetings legitimizes what he's doing, legitimizes this regime in North Korea that kills and subjugate its own people, that starves them, that takes an approach to international diplomacy that is contradictory to everything that the United Nations stand for and the United States stand for, so I don't agree with a direct --

VAUSE: And I think the concern is that, OK. Yes, diplomacy is always a good alternative to war and so that's the argument for making this possible approach towards Kim Jong-un. But what's the reason for inviting Duterte to the - to the White House, the man who -- the International Criminal Court said he may be guilty of crimes against humanities.

STEEL: I think he is guilty of crimes against humanity.

VAUSE: So, why should did he invite -

(CROSSTALK)

STEEL: But then so is Mahmoud Abbas, they're both important world leaders, and the Philippines offer -

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: The ICC hasn't said that about Mahmoud Abbas. So - the International Criminal Court has not said that about Mahmoud Abbas, to your opinion. The fact is --

STEEL: No, no. It is my opinion but it's also based on fact. Both of them are guilty for murdering a lot of people.

VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) Duterte here right now.

STEEL: There's no moral distinction between the two, and yes, he's seeing both of them, and I think it's uncomfortable. I wouldn't want to be - I wouldn't - I wouldn't give honor or respect for either one of those leaders. But Presidents have to do that because they have -- they have a lot of power and the power could be misdirected and hurt people.

VAUSE: Ethan, the White House to its credit says that, you know, it's getting result here. Last month, an Egyptian-American charity worker currently being held in Cairo was actually released by the el-Sisi regime. The Obama administration failed to get her released from jail. So, that's a win, they see it, because of this warm, closer relationship with el-Sisi. Also, the family of Otto Warmbier, he's being held in North Korea,

currently, they'd actually praised the U.S. President for actually trying to do something differently to what the Obama administration had done. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED WARMBIER, FATHER OF MAN IMPRISONED IN NORTH KOREA: Cindy and I are here because of the rising tensions, and we don't have any views politically on this situation. We have a selfish view, and this - and we believe that the United States government which has an obligation to protect individuals as well as the masses, they can work -- they can work two tracks here and one is focus on the big picture which we're encouraged. President Trump is willing to do that. And we're here to make sure that Otto is included in any solutions or political dialogue or anything related to this situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: You know, so I guess, you know, maybe this approach, at least in the short term, it gets some results and, you know, worry about the long-term implications later on?

BEARMAN: No, we have to worry about long-term implications. My heart goes out to the family of this student. I mean, that -- what a horrible situation, but look, we did need to do something different with North Korea. We've had three administrations in a row who got nowhere with North Korea, so I'm all for changing direction, I like the idea of changing direction. Though, this conflict of we're going to start war with North Korea and at the same time, I'm going to meet directly with Kim Jong-un is a very dangerous precipice of war that he has brought forth. I don't think that's the right approach. I agree. Let's start some diplomacy but I just don't agree with Trump's overall approach in this case.

VAUSE: OK. Well, the U.S. President has marked this post 100-day period by bringing up again, the unfounded allegations that the former President Barack Obama wiretapped or I guess ordered a wiretap on Trump Tower, all of this before the election. This was a really - it was a strange interview in somewhat parts with CBS. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We should find out what the hell is going on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted to find out, though, you're the President of the United States. You said he was sick and bad because he -

TRUMP: Now, you can take any way - you can take it any way you want.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I'm asking you because you don't want it to be fake news. I want to hear it from President Trump.

TRUMP: You don't have to ask me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?

TRUMP: Because I have my own opinions, you can have your own opinions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I want to know your opinion. You're the President of the United States.

TRUMP: OK. That's enough. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:25:08] VAUSE: Shawn, when the president was pressed, he seemed to fold faster than a cheap (INAUDIBLE)

STEEL: Oh, I wouldn't put it that way at all. But listen, one point that I really got to get out, this is important.

VAUSE: Yes.

STEEL: Everybody at this panel and everybody listening should want Susan Rice in jail. She was in - listen to me, she was on a National Security Council, she admitted that she was surveilling and listening to people that were working with Trump in Trump Tower, and she did this illegally that most observers have found illegally and the fact that she could do it because she's a close political ally. If she doesn't go to jail, I'll tell you now there will be a dozen others for Trump doing the same thing.

VAUSE: So, let's respect Shawn here because Susan Rice, former National Security Adviser to President Obama unmasked a number of individuals who were inadvertently caught up in surveillance of foreign actors and everybody who's looked at it said it was perfectly legal.

STEEL: For a year.

BEARMAN: If he's one of 26 people who can unmask, yes.

VAUSE: Which means he can -

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: -- identify the person.

BEARMAN: Yes. Perfectly legal as long as she did -

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: Like U.S. citizen A, or U.S. citizen B.

BEARMAN: Right. And then the name behind it. That's totally legal what Susan Rice did if there's evidence of her being behind a leak, then Shawn would have a point but there's no evidence of that.

(CROSSTALK) VAUSE: But Ethan, when you - when you watched the way the President

handled this allegation, I mean, and saying we need to get to the bottom of it, we need to find out what happened. Well, there are, what, four inquiries underway right now and it just seems a very odd thing to say and to bring up at this point. We're still sort of moved on politically (INAUDIBLE) inquiries now.

BEARMAN: It's actually really disturbing that he is the one who tweeted out under his on volition, under his own power, on his own Twitter account those allegations against President Obama and then as soon as he's confronted with it, just like a child who's lied. I mean, I have children. When I confront them and with evidence of something that they said that wasn't true, that's how they'd react in which he just did.

STEEL: Except, we don't know if it's untrue and we know she was doing something that she shouldn't have done using political power, and the power of the government --

VAUSE: Forget Susan Rice, let's just focus on the President's allegations.

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: So let's forget Susan Rice. Why is it then that the President decided to go there in that interview, which, you know, where there's no evidence --

STEEL: Two things. Two things. He backed off. He didn't - he didn't say I -

(CROSSTALK)

STEEL: He backed off but at the same time he raised the issue putting pressure on the four organizations that are studying this. He wants this - he wants some finality out of this.

BEARMAN: He personally accused President Obama.

STEEL: It's Trumpian.

VAUSE: It's Trumpian.

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: We all want finality out of this.

STEEL: It's Trumpian.

VAUSE: I guess we'll all have to wait and see. Shawn, Ethan, good to see you, both.

BEARMAN: Thank you, John.

VAUSE: Thank you. Well, still to come here on NEWSROOM L.A., one of Iraq's largest cities now in ruins. We have a rare and exclusive look at how the fight against ISIS has decimated Mosul.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:31:12] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause, with the headlines this hour.

(HEADLINES)

VAUSE: Much of Iraq's second-largest city is now in ruins. Coalition forces have spent months trying to push ISIS out of Mosul. And the battle for the western part of the city shows no sign of letting up

CNN has obtained exclusive drone video footage, which was shot by freelance journalist, Gabriel Shane (ph).

And a warning, you may find some of these images disturbing.

Our report now from Hala Gorani.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A tender father and daughter moment in the most brutal of landscapes. Their home is only half standing. The city around them obliterated.

These exclusive drone pictures obtained by CNN show the scale of destruction on the front lines of western Mosul. Neighborhoods newly freed by ISIS by Iraqis forces.

As Iraq's elite Golden Division rolls in, in its armored vehicles, ISIS retreats, paying a heavy price. Bodies of its fighters still lie where they fell.

So recently recaptured is this neighborhood that the black flag of ISIS still flutters overhead. The streets below, eerily deserted. And a makeshift roadblock from where ISIS fought only weeks ago, still standing.

In the video, dark smoke from burning tires and debris billows across the skyline. Desperate attempts by ISIS to hide themselves from airstrikes.

[01:35:11] Here the camera catches an explosion, thought to be a mortar, hitting a building, a reminder that fighting rages on only meters away.

After months of street-to-street battle between ISIS and Iraqi forces and pounding from coalition air strikes, the scale of devastation in this part of Mosul is difficult to take in.

In these drone images it seems every building, every street, every car is shattered. Nothing left to support human life.

So the civilians are forced to flee, clutching their children and their few belongings. Who knows what future lies before them as they join the millions of other refugees running from this war.

And for those who stay behind, picking through the splintered remains of their lives, moments of joy still possible, before they are lost again in this bleak and dusty scene.

Hala Gorani, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: A quick break here, and then a long flight from Moscow to Bangkok comes to a terrifying end with bumps and broken bones. Details in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Well, the sexual harassment scandals over at the FOX News channel claimed another high-profile victim. The network's co- president, Bill Shine, has resigned. He's not accused of harassment, but some former employees say he helped with covering up the alleged wrongdoing. Shine was the right-hand man to a former FOX News chief, Roger Ailes. He was forced out last year. And, of course, FOX's top- rated host, Bill O'Reilly, parted ways with the network over sexual harassment last month.

[01:40:00] A terrifying ordeal in the air for passengers on board an Aeroflot flight. They were thrown around the plane after hitting extreme turbulence. Many were left with broken bones and bruises.

We get details now from Diana Magnay, reporting from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The plane hit what Aeroflot called sudden, strong, short-term turbulence about 40 minutes before landing in Bangkok. We're hearing from an eyewitness that there were five very sudden jolts. And the first two weren't that bad but the next three were really were. And because a lot of these people were standing up waiting for the bathrooms, they were the ones who ended up getting hurt.

There were 27 people injured, most of them Russians, but three Thais, and some of them were children. Many of them were treated upon arrival at Bangkok airport, but most were then transferred to a hospital. And we're hearing from Aeroflot now that those are still in hospital. None of them have life-threatening or very serious injuries, but there are broken bones and fractures and, of course, some bruising.

Now, this was a Boeing 777 jet making its way from Moscow to Bangkok, which is a popular holiday route for many Russians. And it hit what's called clear-sky turbulence. Now, that happens when you get a jet stream and another weather front combining, and it can cause this very sudden turbulence, which is, by definition, impossible to detect. And that's why there was no time to warn passengers to put their seatbelts on. That's clearly what happened here. The Russian embassy in Bangkok also confirming that many of those that were injured weren't wearing seatbelts.

Diana Magnay, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: We head to southeast Asia now where a former tech worker has developed a better way to ride the bus.

Kristie Lu Stout tells us how it works in this "Road to ASEAN" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Morning in Cambodia, and travelers are gearing up for their journeys at the Golden Bayon bus stop. For 27-year-old Langda Chea, it's a familiar ritual.

LANGDA CHEA, FOUNDER, BOOK ME BUS: In Cambodia, in order to go to other places, especially most touristy areas, traveling by bus is the most popular means.

STOUT: Popular, but not as easy as you might think. More than 60 bus operators means far-flung bus counters and a fragmented season.

Two years ago, Chea left his tech job and proposed a solution, Book Me Bus, a one-stop shop where users can buy their tickets online and compare schedules and prices for more than 30 traditional bus companies taking passengers to destinations.

CHEA: We're trying to change the way how people buy a bus ticket in Cambodia.

STOUT: A large part of that change is behavioral. Chea says 90 percent of the company sales come from tech-savvy foreigners. And in a country where cash is king, Book Me Bus's cash-free model prevents a significant learning curve for locals.

CHEA: Most of the people, they tend not to trust the middleman.

STOUT: Even so, Ith Chanda, manager of Golden Bayon Express, partnered with Book Me Bus because he saw opportunity.

ITH CHANDA, MANAGER, GOLDEN BAYON EXPRESS (through translation): We thought it was very hard to sell online because it's new for Cambodia, but foreigners are used to it. Sales are increasingly strong. We hope we can enlarge our market by cooperating with Book Me Bus.

STOUT: The company says it serves between 5,000 and 6,000 customers each month generating up to $90,000 in sales.

And it's not just buses. Ferries and taxes are also on offer through the platform. Chea says he'd like to expand to trains and planes as well.

CHEA: We not only want to solve a problem in our country, but this model, we also have in other countries.

STOUT: A four-hour journey with the tap of a finger. Chea hopes that over time more will Cambodians will get on board with eCommerce.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:44:33] VAUSE: Well, still ahead, a new beer ad scores big with viewers for its take on social issues. How Heineken got it right after Pepsi got it wrong. That's next.

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VAUSE: Star power in New York City on Monday night at the Met gala, an annual event dubbed fashion's party of the year, an exclusive fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The event has become such an event all by itself, both for the fashion statement, right, and also for the celebs wearing them.

Here in Los Angeles, Hollywood producers and studios have about an hour to agree with writers on a new contract. If they don't, there could be a repeat of the writer's strike 10 years ago where many TV productions just say around and did nothing for months. And just like in 2008, a strike now could mean California's economy would take a major hit. There are reports of progress in these negotiations and I'm being told the deadline will be extended but no one wants the strike to go ahead.

A thought-provoking new ad from beermaker, Heineken, has received a warm welcome on social media. A stark contrast from the thrashing Pepsi received with an ad they released last month. Both take on social issues but, apparently, this is how Heineken got it right. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:49:49] UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I would describe my political views as the new right.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Actually, I'm left.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Feminism today is man hating.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I would describe myself as a feminist 100 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Describe what it is like to be in five adjectives.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: OK, frustrating.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Dedicated.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Opinionated.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Lucky.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Name three things you and I have in common.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We're both male.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We're both confident.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: And we're both loudly spoken.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We know each other better than people who have known each other for 10 minutes should.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Each take a bottle and place it on its corresponding markings on the back.

(BUZZER)

ANNOUNCER: Attention, please now stand to watch a short film.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: So transgender, it is very odd --

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I am transgender.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You and I have a choice. You may go or you can stay and discuss your differences over a beer.

(BUZZER)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I'm only joking.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You had me for a second there.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Well, I'm having a drink. I'm having a drink.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I'll discuss beer.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yeah, beer discussion.

(MUSIC)

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining me now is Rohit Bhargava, founder of the Influential Marketing Group.

Rohit, thank you for being with us. ROHIT BHARGAVA, FOUNDER, INFLUENTIAL MARKETING GROUP: Thank you.

VAUSE: There are a lot of good reviews out for this Heineken ad, especially relative to the terrible Pepsi ad. Here's one. "Heineken just put out the anecdote to that Pepsi Kendall Jenner ad." Also, look at this one. "Watch Heineken's ad about political unity succeeds where Pepsi's failed."

You think like this ad. You think this Heineken ad works? Why?

BHARGAVA: It works because I start with the story. And what Pepsi did wrong is they started with the product. If you look at the ad for Pepsi, it starts with a product shot, there's 11 gratuitous shots of people drinking Pepsi for no reason in the ad. Heineken tells a story and, at the end, the brand and the product is part of the story and it makes sense. I think that's what brands have to do if they want to pass skepticism there.

VAUSE: So two questions. Why do they not deal with racism and why is it that every non-progressive, whiney person in this commercial is a white guy?

BHARGAVA: Well, I think that the problem with it is they're trying to stage diversity, and when you stage diversity, people can tell. Because their skepticism barriers are very high. Brands are guilty until proven innocent. When we see a brand putting an ad on, we're thinking in our heads, how am I being manipulated right now? And unless the brand actually proves themselves worth of attention, people just switch off.

VAUSE: Heineken says getting the right people was crucial. They wanted people with strong opinions. You know, they went out and tried to find the exact ones for this ad. They said in an interview, "We spent two months searching through varying methods, searching Internet forums, chatrooms, local groups, communities, and interviewed them to get to know them."

The thing I thought was interesting about that comment, if you go in a chat room online, and you know, it's not exactly the high point of intellectual discussion around the world right now. I just don't buy that.

BHARGAVA: It's funny, we talk about discussion and conversation, but I think people want to watch opinion much more than they want to watch conversation. People like to be part of a conversation, but when you're watching a story unfold, it's much better as a consumer to see a point of view in that instead of thinking, oh, they want me to engage in a conversation where I don't have time for that anyway.

VAUSE: The problem, as you said, there's a discussion here. We all talk about it and everything's great. But climate change is not a social problem. Climate change is a scientific fact. 98 percent of all scientists say it's happening. Misogyny, sexism, they are dangerous and this in ad treated it as another opinion you can disagree with and we can all sit around and talk about it.

BHARGAVA: Yeah.

VAUSE: That seems to me kind of, you know, one of the biggest problems of this commercial.

BHARGAVA: Well, is it glossing over big issues?

VAUSE: Yeah.

BHARGAVA: Yes, it is. But at the end of the day, the reason why I think it works and why people pay attention to it is because it's not trying to do too much in the context of a beer ad. At the end of the day, it's a beer ad.

VAUSE: Yeah.

(CROSSTALK).

VAUSE: Are we expecting too much from beer?

BHARGAVA: Yeah. I expect a lot.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER0

VAUSE: Don't we all?

BHARGAVA: Yeah. But at the end of the day, like what beer can do is actually bring people together, and the simple message is, hey, accept each other for what we are.

VAUSE: I just want to play the contrary here. As for the Pepsi ad, it got panned. But the last couple of days, there was some guy who went out and started handing out Pepsis. There he is there right now. And just a few days ago, at a violent protest at Berkeley, California, we had exactly the same thing. Scuffles broke out and this guy here decided they were going to hand out Pepsis. It's now gone into iconic territory. Right? So essentially, it worked.

[01:55:28] BHARGAVA: Well, iconic, maybe as a parody, but I think that they did get an unfair amount of criticism for what it actually was, I do think. I'm a brand strategist and I sympathize with the brand a little bit more than maybe an ordinary consumer might. But I think the challenge was they tried to stage too much of this and they produced it in such a way it was unbelievable from the beginning. And that was the problem.

VAUSE: I just think, beers, you know, sodas and colas, let's avoid social issues. Just tell us about the product.

(LAUGHTER)

Rohit, good to see you.

BHARGAVA: Good to see you.

VAUSE: Good to see you. Appreciate it.

With that, we'll take a break until the next hour. You've been watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. Stay with us. I'm John Vause. A lot more after a short break.

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[02:00:08] VAUSE: This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles.

Ahead this hour --

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