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Russia Could Be Banned from 2016 Olympics; University of Missouri Officials Resign; Ben Carson Says He's a Victim of Unfair Media Bias; SeaWorld San Diego Phasing Out Killer Whale Show; Two Officers Charges in 6-year-old Fatal Shooting; Egypt: Security Forces Have Killed ISIS Terror Leader; Israeli PM Netanyahu Meets with Obama; Aung San Suu Kyi's Party Headed for Landslide Victory in Myanmar; China's Record Levels of Smog; Caitlyn Jenner Among "Glamour" Magazine's Women of the Year. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired November 10, 2015 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:00:10] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.

Ahead this hour, Russian athletes could be banned from next year's Olympics after investigators found evidence of widespread state- sponsored doping.

Plus, after months of protests sparked by allegations of racism on campus, the president and chancellor of the University of Missouri stepped down. The questions remain, if that will calm what has become an open revolt at the school?

And SeaWorld San Diego is scrubbing one of its most controversial attraction. But critics say ending the killer whale shows does not mean an end to animal cruelty.

Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. We'd like to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm John Vause. NEWSROOM L.A. begins now.

An independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency is blasting Russia, saying it found evidence of an apparently state- sponsored doping program. The report was especially critical of Russia's National Anti-Doping Agency which has now labeled that report unprofessional and illogical.

We get more details now from Don Riddell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DICK POUND, FORMER WADA PRESIDENT: Our recommendation is that -- is that the Russian federation be suspended.

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR (voice-over): The World Anti- Doping Agency's independent commission says it found a deep culture of cheating in Russian athletics, claiming doped athletes sabotaged the 2012 Olympic Games in London. On Monday, in Geneva, the commission called for lifetime bans for five Russian athletes, including gold medalist Maria Savinova, stripping Moscow's anti-doping laboratory of its accreditation and firing the lab director.

POUND: We found cover-ups, we found destruction of samples in the laboratories, we found payments of money in order to conceal doping tests, among others.

RIDDELL: The commission also says Russian doping, quote, "could not have happened without government consent," even accusing President Vladimir Putin.

POUND: The extent of what was going on was -- it was so prevalent that in our conclusion it was not possible for him to be unaware of it. And if he was aware of it, then he is complicit in it.

RIDDELL: What happens now is up to the IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federation, and could mean Russia would be banished from future Olympic competition.

POUND: The outcome may be that there are no Russian track and field athletes in Rio.

RIDDELL: And with less than a year before the next summer games get under way, Interpol says it's now launching its own criminal investigation.

Don Riddell, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: State-sponsored doping and cheating program since East Germany during the 1970s.

Stefan Szymanski is the professor of sports management. He is also the author of "Soccernomics." He joins us from Ann Arbor in Michigan.

Stefan, thank you for being with us. When Dick Pound says it's pretty bad, he's been battling doping for decades, it's pretty bad. So what are the chances Russia will be banned from the next Olympics? And are we talking all athletes here or just track and field?

STEFAN SZYMANSKI, PROFESSOR OF SPORTS MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: I think there are going to be some very serious consequences for the Russian sports organizations and there's still a way that they could continue with the competition but what they would have to do is to demonstrate now a very clear and public commitment to fundamental change which would mean getting rid of a lot of senior officials within their Russian sportsmen. And it's hard to see how they can actually carry that out. So yes, I think we're facing some serious sanctions coming down the road.

VAUSE: Some serious sanctions. Do you want to say how far those sanctions will go? Are we looking at Russian athletes not being at the Rio games a year from now?

SZYMANSKI: Yes, I think that -- I think that's definitely a possibility. I think there's now going to be, you know, a huge cloud of suspicion around the Russian athletes and a lot of people are not going to want to compete with them, and so it's going to be very hard to see how they can easily just turn up and compete. And I think also you've got to take into account their very close connection of this, with the organization of the Russian World Cup in 2018, the president of the organizing committee, Vitaly Mutko, is named specifically in connection with this corruption. And so that raises the whole question about whether FIFA could continue to be associated with 2018.

VAUSE: It's incredible how all of this is linked in some way. One thing which I found startling about this report is the level of involvement which is alleged by the Russian government here. What is in it for the Russian government to be so highly involved in doping a sport?

[00:05:16] SZYMANSKI: Well, of course, I mean, Russia is a successor to the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union closely connected sports with political advantage. So success in sporting competition was seen as a manifestation of the political success of the regime. And I think that those habits die hard. I think it's still seen as being incredibly prestigious for the country to do well in sports and therefore this win-at-all-costs mentality has played a -- continues to play a key role in the way that they think about sports.

VAUSE: So you're saying there's still a Cold War mentality out there, at least as far as the Russians are concerned.

SZYMANSKI: Yes. To be honest, I don't think it's just the Russians. I think there is -- this is true globally that sport is seen as being an important way of protecting, soft power politically. I think in the United States it's very similar. I think across the world regimes see the importance of this. The question is how far are you prepared to go in protecting power in this way and how far are you prepared to bend the rules? And clearly they have found that the Russians it seems will stop at nothing.

VAUSE: OK. Stefan Szymanski, thanks for being with us. Some good insight there.

SZYMANSKI: Thank you.

VAUSE: Racial tensions have led to a big shakeup for a university in the American south. Both the president and chancellor at the University of Missouri have now resigned.

Over the weekend, players on the school's football team threatened to boycott games until the president left. African-American students say school leaders did not do enough to deal with racism on campus including the open use of racial slurs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM WOLFE, FORMER PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI: There's something that was systemically wrong on this campus and obviously I was identified as the reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Students and teachers gathered after the president's resignation and sang "We Shall Overcome."

Payton Head is the president of the student association at the University of Missouri, he joins us now via Skype.

Mr. Head, thank you for being with us. You posted on Facebook back in September about the racism which you faced every day on campus. Can you tell me about that post and then what happened after that?

PAYTON HEAD, MISSOURI STUDENT ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI: Yes. I think one of the things that inspired this post was that this was the second incident that I experienced on this campus. And one of the things that I've been trying to do as my role as student body president is to bring these issues up to administration so that we can have productive conversations about how to create a more inclusive campus.

What I found is that, you know, I'm coming to the end of my office and these cultural meetings that I've had, I've been talking about the climate that has been dangerous, you know, for students' success, for marginalized students, and how to address that. And I found that, you know, I have not been listened to. So I went to social media to talk about an experience that I dealt with that very same weekend that helped talk about some of the issues that students are facing and recognize them and help us to recognize that these aren't isolated incidents on this campus.

VAUSE: So what was that experience you have had that you actually ended up writing about that took such a big reaction?

HEAD: Yes. So I was walking through campus and as I was walking through, there were guys on the back of a pickup truck who were shouting the N word at me. And I think the one thing that made me so disappointed in this incident is that this wasn't the first time that this had happened to me. And also I know that this isn't -- you know, my friends go through these experiences, as well.

And this isn't something that is just about race, as well, which is one of the reasons why this movement, at large, has become intersectional. You know, it's not just about race. It's about people in their sexual identities, you know, who walk through the streets of Columbia, Missouri, and have to worry about people throwing drinks on them, you know, if they are in a same-sex relationship. Well, my friend who identifies (INAUDIBLE) and as she was walking through the streets she was spit on.

My friend who identify as Muslim, you know, who are (INAUDIBLE) and you know, are called terrorists and towel heads. Those are some of the experiences of MU students. And I think what's most important to remember is that, you know, Missouri is not the only place where these incidents happen. However, time and time again these issues have been brought up to the administration here at Mizzou so that we can continue to make steps towards creating a more inclusive space so that students understand that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated by the university and the University of Missouri System.

[00:10:08] VAUSE: OK. So now that the chancellor and the president have stepped down, that does not bring an end to racism and bigotry and hatred. How do you change people's hearts?

HEAD: Yes, absolutely. I think the main thing that needs to start right now is campus healing. Our students are hurting now more than ever because this is something that isn't going to be solved. And you know this is something that we have to look at systemically. You know, this institution is 176 years old. The University of Missouri was founded in 1839 and it's the first public land grade institution west of the Mississippi River.

So we need to have conversations about the past of the university and how -- what has happened in the past, you know, translates to what is happening on our campus now and what will be happening in the future. And so part of --

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: And very quickly --

HEAD: Yes.

VAUSE: Sorry. I did not mean to interrupt but just bring additional, want to get to this last point. Our apologies for interrupting. But very quickly, do you think if the football team did not get involved in this, if there wasn't a threatened strike and the potential loss of a lot of money that the president and the chancellor would have stepped down?

HEAD: I can't say at this moment. I really, really try to have hope that our university administration would do the right thing. And so I am thankful to Mizzou football. I am thankful to all of our students who have been out there expressing their concerns for our administration to recognize what is happening on this campus and to address it.

VAUSE: Payton Head, the president of the student association at the University of Missouri. Thank you for being with us. Wish you luck.

HEAD: Thank you.

VAUSE: Well, U.S. Republican presidential candidates prepared for their fourth debate on Tuesday. One of them is spending time firing back at allegations that he fabricated parts of his life story.

As CNN's Dana Bash reports Ben Carson blames unfair media bias for his problems.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ben Carson is surging in South Carolina, now running neck and neck with Donald Trump.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not particularly getting under my skin.

BASH: Carson is on the rise even as questions persist about his life story defined by tales of personal struggle and redemption. Central to his appeal.

CARSON: You're asking me about something that occurred 50 years ago. And you expect me to have the details about that? Forget about it. It's not going to happen.

BASH: Whether it's the fact that CNN could not find anyone who would corroborate his story of stabbing a boy as a young man, a boy only saved by his belt buckle, or "The Wall Street Journal" questioning his anecdote about taking a test at Yale, designed to paint him as ethical, Carson says he's a victim of unfair media bias.

CARSON: mean this is just stupid, and I mean if our media is no better than investigating than that, it's sick.

BASH: Carson declines to identify individuals involved in his violent outburst but today he did point to a 1997 story featuring his mother, Sonya, who told "Parade" magazine about the attempted stabbing and said, oh, that really happened.

Carson's top adviser sounds a different note from the candidate telling CNN the questions are fair game.

ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS, BEN CARSON BUSINESS MANAGER: I think it's a very good thing that Dr. Carson is being vetted. That Dr. Carson is being tested.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Is he kidding?

BASH: And other candidates listening to Carson complain say, welcome to the big leagues.

CHRISTIE: I don't have a whole lot of sympathy. He should answer the questions forthrightly and directly.

BASH: Marco Rubio is also facing scrutiny for his past. Using a Florida Republican Party credit card for personal expenses. But his campaign is confronting it with a different tactic releasing the statements this weekend insisting there's no there, there.

Donald Trump, a fellow outsider virtually tied with Carson in key early states, has the most to gain by the controversy and stoked it on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION."

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ben wrote a book. And the book is a tough book because, you know, he talked about he has pathological disease. It's a serious statement when you say you have pathological disease because as I understand it, you can't really cure it. But he said he had pathological disease.

BASH: Carson did call his temper as a child pathological but not a disease. And Carson isn't the only first-time politician prone to embellishing in the past. Here's what Donald Trump told us this summer.

TRUMP: Everybody exaggerates. I mean, I guess I do a little bit. I want to say good things. BASH (on camera): Whether or not all of these issues come up during

the debate here in Wisconsin that is to be determined. The moderators and the theme of the debate is supposed to be about the economy and jobs. But when you have candidates on stage who are determined to go after one another, point out their weaknesses, you never know what's going to happen.

Dana Bash, CNN, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:15:04] VAUSE: Hillary Clinton is now officially on the ballot for New Hampshire's primary. The Democratic frontrunner signed the form declaring her candidacy on Monday and she was flanked by supporters when she did it. New Hampshire holds the first presidential primary scheduled for February.

Still to come here, one of the most popular attractions at a SeaWorld Amusement Park will be shutting down. We'll have the details on which show is being phased out. That's coming up next.

Plus shocking new details about what happened moments before city marshals killed this little boy and wounded his father in Louisiana. That's still to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. There is good news to killer whales. SeaWorld has announced its famous killer whales show at its San Diego park will be phased out by the end of next year. A new orca experience will replace the attraction which has been at the center of allegations of animal cruelty for years.

Paul Vercammen has more.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The CEO of SeaWorld came out in an investors conference today and said that the orca show, as we now it now, that live show, will be phased out in 2016.

[00:20:05] He said they were listening not to activists but to guests. And the guests had said they wanted the orcas in a much more natural environment. They didn't like the idea of the orcas doing things that look like trained tricks. They wanted to see them do things that seemed like it was much more in the wild. So in 2017 the new show is supposed to be in a more natural environment, heavy on information and conservation.

Perhaps the single biggest critic on Capitol Hill of SeaWorld is Adam Schiff. The congressman said today that he is somewhat skeptical of this decision by SeaWorld. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, I'm skeptical. I guess we'll see how far SeaWorld is really willing to go but I think it's a positive step. It's still not going to be adequate if they're going to maintain these orcas in captivity. I would love to see them partner with others in the creation of ocean sanctuaries for those that are currently in captivity and put an end to the program generally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Schiff has introduced legislation that would prohibit breeding new orcas in captivity or capturing them for these types of orca shows.

Now one note, the CEO of SeaWorld did say that this is not an across- the-universe move in terms of this new show. That means it would not translate to similar parks in Orlando and San Antonio.

Now after the documentary "Black Fish," huge backlash against SeaWorld but we also saw something else firsthand, whale-watching, especially here in Southern California. It was way up this year. It was a banner year. And orcas were far enough south and on some trips people did see them. The captain of one ship telling us that you can hear children screaming and saying, they are free, they are free. They are out in the wild.

We also noticed firsthand that type of excitement. So whale-watching way up after "Black Fish."

Back to you now.

VAUSE: Paul, thank you. Paul Vercammen there.

We are learning new details about what led to a car chase in Louisiana which ended with a hail of gunfire killing a 6-year-old boy and wounding his father.

CNN's Martin Savidge has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six-year-old Jeremy Mardis was laid to rest in his former home in Mississippi, nearly a week after his shooting death at the hands of authorities in a small central Louisiana town. The shooting has resulted in the arrest of two of city marshals and a community haunted by questions.

At the shooting scene a small number of people held hands and prayed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let him know that our community is behind him and that we will never forget him.

SAVIDGE: As they remembered the child who died, evidence of the hail of gunfire that took his life was all around them, the broken glass, spray-painted police investigation marks, even bullet holes. The big question, why did two city marshals shoot and kill Jeremy? COL. MICHAEL EDMONSON, LOUISIANA STATE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Jeremy

Mardis, 6 years old, he didn't deserve to die like that. And that's what's unfortunate.

SAVIDGE: According to witnesses, it began last Tuesday at a local bar when the boy's father, Chris Few, got into an argument with his girlfriend. The two separated only to begin fighting again. This time, outside in view of two city marshals who moved in and allegedly attempted to detain Few. According to a source close to the case information, Few took off in an SUV with his 6-year-old son beside him. The marshals called for backup and pursued, cornering Few on a dead-end street on the edge of town. These paint marks show where the vehicle stopped.

According to authorities, the officers say Few backed up several times, striking their vehicles. Then for reasons still unclear, the officers opened fire, blasting as many as 16 to 18 shots, according to those who heard the gunfire, into Few's SUV, critically wounding Few and killing his son, Jeremy, who, according to the coroner, was struck five times.

MEGAN DIXON, CHRIS FEW'S GIRLFRIEND: I don't know what he was thinking. I don't know why he wouldn't just stop. He didn't do nothing wrong.

SAVIDGE: State investigators say Few was unarmed and all of the gunfire came from city marshals. Early reports said there had been warrants for Few's arrest. But state police say that isn't true. The case turned on video from a recently purchased body camera worn by a Marksville police officer who arrived as backup.

EDMONSON: I can tell you, as a father, it was one of the most disturbing things I witnessed. I cannot go into detail. I cannot tell you bits and pieces, although I would love to share some of that with you. I simply cannot and won't do that tonight.

SAVIDGE: Now the two city marshals, 32-year-old Derrick Stafford and 23-year-old Norris Greenhouse, have been charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. Their bond set at $1 million each.

Jeremy Whittington has been visiting Few in the hospital.

(On camera): Does he know what happened?

JEREMY WHITTINGTON, FRIEND OF CHRIS FEW: I can't answer that one. I have no idea if he knows 100 percent of what happened. What led to everything. But he is conscious. He is aware.

[00:25:08] SAVIDGE: Aware enough, authorities say, on the day little Jeremy was laid to rest his father could finally be told he had died.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Marksville, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: A short break here. When we come back, the Metrojet investigation moving from airport workers to hotel workers. We are live from Sharm el Sheikh with the very latest on the investigation into that fatal flight.

Also ahead, an honor for Caitlyn Jenner's transgender activism sparking new controversy. Those details a little later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. Coming up to 9:30 on a Monday night. I'm John Vause. The headlines this hour.

An independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency has accused Russian athletes of doping. The report was especially critical of Russia's anti-doping agency which it said allowed what amounts to state-sponsored drug use. The agency there has called the report unprofessional and illogical.

Two top officials at the University of Missouri have signed amid complaints they did not do enough to address racism. Both the president and chancellor stepped down after weeks of protests from students and faculty. Over the weekend players on the school's football team threatened to boycott the game until the president left.

Five people are dead, six wounded after a former police officer opened fire at a training facility in Jordan. King Abdullah visited the victims in hospital on Monday.

[00:30:00]

A U.S. official says the officer was recently fired, but it's unclear if that prompted the shooting. Security forces killed the gunman.

Egypt says security forces have killed a terror leader from ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula, that's the same group which claimed responsibility for downing Metrojet Flight 9268 last month. Egyptian authorities have not accused that leader of being involved in the plane crash. They say it's too early to tell if terrorism played a role. Meantime, the FBI is offering to help in the investigation.

For more let's go live now to Ian Lee. He is in Sharm al-Sheikh this hour. So, Ian, it seems that this investigation may be moving away from the airport there and airport workers to the hotels in the region and hotel workers.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well that's right. There's a lot of look in to what possibly could have happened here, especially there's a lot of theories going out right now; the Egyptians have cast a wide net of theories, saying it could have been a bomb, it could have been an engine, it could have been a battery exploding. There is a lot of questions on security at the hotels and other places here in Egypt, especially -- there's a report out this morning about bomb-detecting equipment that has been discredited in the past, that's checking hotels. So there is really a question of, not only security at the airport, but security in other places and we're hearing also, as well, is that KLM, the Dutch carrier, is going to be bringing its staff in to Cairo Airport to also provide security checks so that they can get those flights running as normal.

VAUSE: And, Ian, I guess if the Egyptians are now looking at possible hotel workers, and maybe the connection with the bomb, is there now at least a tacit acknowledgment from the Egyptians that a bomb brought down this plane? Are they relying only on intelligence from the Americans and the British or are they getting their own information from their own investigations, as well?

LEE: Well the Egyptians have been fairly standoffish of declaring what it is exactly, although, if you remember, in the beginning of this investigation, they were saying almost 100-percent that this wasn't a bomb; that it was a mechanical issue. We have seen them slowly shift over to the notion that it could have been a bomb that brought down this flight. They still don't want to call it a bomb quite yet. They are saying the investigation is ongoing. The one thing that will be crucial are the pieces of wreckage at the crash site. Where -- do they have the residue of a bomb? But -- if it is, turns out to be a bomb, this would be a very big blow, not only for Egypt's security apparatus, which is seen as being a very tight and very proficient, but also for their tourism industry, which we have seen. The hotels are emptying out for the most part. A lot of people are leaving, returning and we're not seeing those tourists being replaced by new ones.

VAUSE: Okay, Ian, thank you; Ian Lee live there, in Sharm el-Sheikh with the very latest on that investigation. Thank you, Ian.

For the first time in more than a year, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, met with the U.S. President, Barack Obama. Monday's meeting at the White House was also their face-to-face get together since the Iran Nuclear Deal that caused a lot of tension between the two countries. President Obama has just one year left in office and he's trying to see common ground with Netanyahu to try to try and put the relationship between these two countries on a more stable footing.

The final results aren't in yet, but still there are joyous crowds and celebration outside of opposition party headquarters in Myanmar. A spokesman of the Aung San Suu Kyi National League for Democracy says the party is headed for a landslide victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections. The military backed ruling party has effectively conceded defeat. Ivan Watson is in Yangon; he joins us now with the very latest.

So, Ivan, put this in perspective for us here: once the results are officially announced, and Aung San Suu Kyi and her opposition party are elected in that landslide, what happens then?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, it's really important to note, you know, European Union election monitors have just given their assess of the election and one of their key messages was, the election is not over yet. John that is also being echoed by the White House, which is also saying, listen everyone's got to wait until the final results have been announced. Take a listen to what the White House Press Secretary had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The United States congratulates the people of Burma on the election and commend all the people and institutions in the country who worked together to hold a peaceful and historic election. We're seeing initial reports of results, but we encourage everyone to wait for the Union Election Commission's official results and their final reports from domestic -- and the final reports from domestic and international observer missions before making assessments.

[00:35:00]

What is clear is that for the first time ever millions of people in Burma voted in a meaningful, competitive election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So, John, the main opposition party, Aung San Suu Kyi's National League For Democracy is claiming a landslide victory, but the fact is that a little bit more than 10-percent of the results of the election have been officially announced. Out of 54 parliamentary seats 49 have gone to Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD, but there's still about 400-plus seats yet to be announced. It's true though that the military-backed ruling party, the USDP, has effectively conceded defeat, saying that they lost more seats than they won. The big question now is going to be what is the percentage by which Aung San Suu Kyi's party won? That's something that people are going to be watching very closely in the hours and days ahead. John?

VAUSE: So we are all on a bit of knife heads here, wondering just how big that margin will be, I guess; but at the end of the day it is difficult to overstate just how historic this shift in power will be in Myanmar.

WATSON: Absolutely. I mean, this is a country that's been ruled by military dictatorships for more than a half century. Now, a lot of people that we saw celebrating outside the headquarters of the opposition, NLD, some of them just clearly still gob smacked by the possibility that their voices have truly been heard, especially when you take into account that the last openly contested election took place nationally in 1990 and the military did not like the results and it quickly crushed the election and arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and many of her compatriots. People who are celebrating right now are people, many of whom have directly suffered under the hands of the past military regimes, have been put in prison for years for daring to defy the authoritarian government that ruled this country for so long.

Perhaps the most important indicator of where this could go is the fact that the sitting president, who is himself a former army general, has vowed whatever the results are they will be respected. That said; don't expect the army generals to go quietly into the night, John. They still, constitutionally, will play a big role in whatever future government there will be. They control at least 25-percent of the seats in the upcoming Parliament. Those seats are just reserved for the military and they are not subject to any vote. And, the military will control three key ministries in the future government: the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense and the Interior. So, even if Aung San Suu Kyi and her party sweep this election, they're still going to be seeing some serious checks and balances from the same army generals that oppressed them from decades in the past. John?

VAUSE: Very true, but it is a start of something special no doubt. Ivan, thank you; we appreciate the update.

Still to come here on "CNN NEWSROOM, there is smog at record levels and it is smothering parts of China. A live report on the unbreathable air is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:00]

VAUSE: We head to northeastern China now, where they are coping with record levels of smog. Monday's pollution was more than 50 times the World Health Organization's recommendations. Tolerable levels of the most harmful air particulates should only average 25 micrograms per cubic meter, but levels in some parts on Monday hit 860 micrograms over a 24-hour period on Monday. Let's go to Steven Jiang, live in Beijing, with more on the story. So, Steven, the smog is always bad in winter. Why is it really seeing these record levels right now where you are? It looks awful.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you know, you have lived here for years. You know the government usually blames this double- whammy: one is the weather. In northeastern China they say it is high humidity coupled with little wind; so really trapping the pollutants in the air. Then, with the start of the heating season, where the massive sudden burning of a lot of coal really produce a lot of pollutants in the air as well. As you can see behind me, as you were just saying, the pollution has spread to more parts of China. The Beijing authorities, actually, just issued a yellow alert for smog for the next three days, warning schools to stop all outdoor activities and advising citizens to wear masks on the streets, but things are equally bad in the northeast still.

It was much worse, as you said, over the weekend. People complaining about the smell in the air, the irritating eyes and sore throats, but their biggest complaints seem to be against the local authorities who just simply seemed to be ill prepared. The government website overwhelmed as people went there to seek information. Construction sites remain open, producing even more dust in the air. So it seems like despite all these emergency protocols that has been in place for years, the many governments, local governments, just simply slow in executing or reacting.

Then, one last thing, John, as you and I were talking, the pollution is not just China; it is spreading across the ocean to where you are, as dust storms sweep a lot of pollutants to the West Coast of the U.S. So, as they say, John, you can run but you can not escape.

VAUSE: We should note it is 1:42 in the afternoon on Monday there, where Steven is. It's not early in the day. It's not late at night either. Thank you, Steven. Meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, joins us now with more on this at the International Weather Center. So, Pedram, tell us all about the pollution.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know this is, of course, a story, John, that you and I talk about all the time. The images just continue to stagger us here as you look at some of the spectacular shots coming out of this region, of just the density of the smog across the region, the poor nature of the air quality as a well. You go into the overnight hours, and John was trying to say it, because, of course, you know much of the parts of the world you see the fog set up across the morning hours, the afternoon hours. This is not that. This is a particulate matters that are set up in place. If you take a look at the numbers from this region of China, we know the World Health Organization puts the number of particulates, what is considered average or healthy, would be around 25. We had 260 out of Beijing, that is over ten times what is considered normal. 1157 out of Shenyang, the city I just showed you pictures from, that would put it 46 times normal across this region of China.

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Andrew kind of alluded to this, as well; with the cooler temperatures over this region in recent days, a lot of coal burning taking place. But the World Health Organization, fascinating statistics, saying about 7 million people lose their lives every single year due to air quality issues across our planet. Heart disease, stroke, respiratory illnesses certainly have a lot to do with this. On a daily basis, when you do the math, that is 19,000 people every day. Another way to look at it, that is equivalent to, literally, four commercial jets filled with passengers falling out of the sky every single hour, every day, all year. That is how many people would die every single year due to air quality issues on a global basis.

In China in particular, we know from 1950 to 1980, the government actually distributed free coal just north of the Wei River; that's where the average temperature in the winter months remains around the freezing mark. From 1990 to 2010, we know that 55-percent higher pollution was observed across the northern portion of China. In fact, life expectancy is shorter on that northern tier of China, on the order of 5 1/2 years for an average person. In China, John, we know in 2013 coal usage exceeded 360 million tons; that is larger than our entire planet combined. China exceeds that, by themselves, with coal usage.

So, all of this certainly bodes a disastrous scenario, as we are seeing across the region. John?

VAUSE: Yes, and of course, a new report just came out that they used more coal than previously thought, but not looking good ahead of that climate change summit in December. Pedram, thank you for that.

JAVAHERI: Thank you.

VAUSE: A short break here; when we come back, Caitlyn Jenner among "Glamour" Magazine's Women of the Year, an honor not without controversy. We will hear both sides of the debate.

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VAUSE: Caitlyn Jenner is one of "Glamour Magazine's" Women of the Year. In her speech Jenner describes her path towards transitioning to a woman and said maybe this is why god put her on earth. Jenner is not the first transgender woman to win the award. Actress Laverne Cox was honored last year. Previous winners of this award include former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright; tennis great, Billie Jean King; and singer, Lady Gaga. So, it's not without some controversy that Caitlyn Jenner is among that list of honorees.

Joining me for both sides of this debate, Sonia Krisna Murthy, a journalist with Oxygen.com and Nicole Russell, contributor to the online magazine called "The Federalist", which some have described as conservative leaning.

Sonia, I want to start with you, apart from dealing with her own transgender issues, which many other people in the transgender community have dealt with in the past, and no one would ever say is easy, what has Caitlyn Jenner done for women which puts her on the list, which puts her up there with Madeleine Albright?

SONIA KRISNA MURTHY, JOURNALIST, OXYGEN.COM: Totally. Well, this list is really about women who are trailblazers and changing what it defines to be a woman. Caitlyn Jenner has used her platform to showcase the plethora of different faces of young women, and really taken this trans issue and normalized it. Before Caitlyn Jenner, we weren't talking about the trans community in such an open and honest way. So the work she's done has been very historic and is the reason why she deserves this award.

VAUSE: So, Nicole, over to you. Why do you think that just doesn't hold water when it comes to Caitlyn Jenner?

NICOLE RUSSELL, CONTRIBUTOR, "THE FEDERALIST": I think that Caitlyn Jenner should not have won this award because she's not a woman. The fact that "Glamour" dubbed her woman of the year or among the many recipients suggests that men are better at being women than women are. I think that it's insulting to women who were born biologically women, who have done things that would have been more deserving of the award.

VAUSE: Okay, so you are saying because Caitlyn Jenner was not born a woman and is transgender she shouldn't have been included. But there is a definition out there, and it comes from the Gynecologist Society, comes from the Human Rights Commission, comes from psychotherapy groups and it's all basically this: "transgender is a broad term used for people whose gender identity or gender expression differs from their assigned sex at birth." So, it's a psychiatric issue. It's not a physiological issue. Caitlyn Jenner identifies as a woman, therefore she should be considered a woman.

MURTHY: Actually -- no. I think, when it comes to gender, what Caitlyn has shown is gender what you feel on the outside. It's not about the biological parts you are born with or what society may deem you to be a woman. It's really about a feeling in your soul. She clearly felt so strongly her entire life that she chose to transition very publicly. So I think for us to state she's not a woman just because maybe she wasn't biologically born so, I think, is a little bit antiquated and offensive.

VAUSE: And, Nicole, that basically is the answer to your argument, isn't it? If you identify as a woman, as Caitlyn Jenner does, therefore she's trail blazed. She's been out there. She's been very public, although some could say the publicity which has been around her transition has been for her own benefit and not necessarily for the transgender community; but doesn't that sort of put your argument in its place in a way?

RUSSELL: I don't think so. I don't think that feelings or identity trump biology. I might wake up one day and feel like I want to be a dolphin and swim in the ocean and feel the nice salty water. That doesn't make me a dolphin. in this case, I don't think that just because you wake up one day and feel something that does not trump your own biology. therefore, because Caitlyn Jenner still has the biological parts of a man I don't think she should have been awarded this award.

VAUSE: Well, transgender people have been honored by this award in the past. I just want to ask Nicole this: so do you think that no transgender people should be receiving this kind of award, ever?

RUSSELL: Not this particular award, Woman of the Year. I'm not saying they haven't done other things that are great. I just think for something like this, when Caitlyn Jenner still has male body parts, no, I don't think that she should have won that award.

VAUSE: And, so, Nia, there are a lot of people who, in fact, a lot of feminists who agree with Nicole. Jermaine Greer, in particular, has been very outspoken about that, agreeing with the position that Nicole has. So, at the end of the day, aren't there other women out there who have done more for women than Caitlyn Jenner in the past 12 months?

MURTHY: You know, I think that argument could be made for any of the candidates, across the board. I think, you know, to make the argument, if I wake up like a dolphin I'll turn in to one, sounds like someone who may need a crash course in biology. I think here what really -- what it's about is showcasing that gender is a fluid -- it's really a gambit and this idea of kind of putting people into stereotypes, that's what this award is moving away from. I mean, we can easily state that a woman needs to only play with Barbies, or a woman should be a housewife. Where does that end? I think it is a slippery slope when we, as women, are looking at another woman and wagging our fingers, like, I'll tell you what a true woman is.

VAUSE: Okay and we'll leave it there. If nothing else "Glamour" magazine got a lot of publicity for their award this time. So, Nia, we appreciate you being with us; also Nicole, thank you for your point of view. Thank you to you both.

MURTHY: Thank you.

RUSSELL: Thank you.

VAUSE: And the debate does go on. You are watching "CNN Newsroom", live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause; please stay with us. Isha Sesay will be joining me, we hope, after the break with a look at the day's top stories.

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