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Belgium Extends Detention of Paris Terror Suspect; ISIS Militants Take Over Cement Factory, Taking 300 Hostages; Secular Blogger Murdered in Bangladesh; Clinton and Sanders Campaign in New York; Bill Clinton Takes On Black Lives Matter Protesters; Zika Virus Update; Gucci Ad Featuring Extremely Thin Model Banned in UK. Aired 3- 4a ET

Aired April 8, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:01] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL SHOW HOST: Caught on surveillance camera. New footage of the suspect, wanted in the attack on the Brussels airport.

Plus, this.

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(CROWD CHANTING)

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HOWELL: Protesters in Bangladesh after a secular blogger is hacked to death. And new questions about how the government is responding there.

And later, Ted Cruz in New York, blasted by the tabloids, but doubling down on his criticism of, quote, New York values.

Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN Newsroom starts right now.

Good day to you. We begin this hour with the investigation into the terror attacks in Brussels and Paris. Belgium is extending the detention of a key suspect, the lawyer for Salah Abdeslam says his extradition to France could now take a few weeks. And Belgian police have released new surveillance images showing the only suspect who survived after the attack of the Brussels airport. Police say he walked away from the airport, to Central Brussels right after the explosions. His identity and whereabouts remain unknown. And again, they're asking for the public's help. Our chief U.S. security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, reports on the near step-by-step record police now have on that airport attacker.

JIM SCIUTTO, CHIEF U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: In the horrific aftermath of the Brussels attacks, one of the suspected terrorists calmly turned and walked away. The beginning of a long, meandering two-hour escape of the carnage. Today, Belgian police released a series of surveillance videos of the suspect, tracking his every move. An appeal to the public for help finding him before he can strike again.

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ERIC VAN DER SYPT, BELGIAN FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It concerns the third person present on the scene during the attacks at the Brussels airport, the so-called man with the hat, as well as the vest he was wearing at the time. We especially appeal to people who might have taken a photograph of the suspect or link they can provide extra information on this issue.

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SCIUTTO: At 7:58, Belgian authorities say the suspect leaves the airport terminal, walks past a Sheraton Hotel seen here, then turns right, exiting through a parking lot where he briefly breaks. Always on foot, the suspect takes this long route towards the city center. Where nearly an hour later, at 8:50 a.m., he is seen again walking, sleeves rolled up and without his light-colored jacket, which he appeared to have left along the way. He walks along this route for another 50 minutes. And at 9:42 a.m., surveillance cameras catch him here as he walks in the Brussels area of Schaerbeek, the neighborhood where investigators believe the attackers built their bombs. He continues making his way through that neighborhood, where at 9:49 a.m., he is seen on camera again. This time, seemingly talking on a cell phone, and elbow patches clearly visible on his shirt. As the desperate search continues, startling new information that one of the suicide bombers who struck the Brussels airport, previously had worked as a part-time cleaner at European parliament at the Belgian capital, work that put him in close proximity of many European senior leaders.

About two hours after the attacks, Belgian police lost track of the suspect. They are releasing these videos to the public now, because his trail has gone cold. And they want to try to catch him before he can strike again. Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

HOWELL: Now, we move on to Syria, where ISIS militants took over a cement factory and are now holding more than 300 workers hostage. Syrian state media report that it happened just east of the capital. The company says it has not been able to reach the workers since. ISIS fighters have been ramping up their attacks near Damascus, in areas under government control.

Across the border and in northern Iraq, that country's forces have liberated many villagers from ISIS control. And now, we are hearing from survivors about their horrific ordeal, their physical and emotional scars, and how some were used as human shields. They spoke with CNN's Arwa Damon, who files this exclusive report.

[03:04:50] ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The initial phase to push towards Mosul has come to a halt until the Iraqi army says it receives reinforcements. But they have managed to wrest control back from ISIS in a handful of villages. When we spoke to the civilians who lived there, their stories were horrific. The latest arrivals at this refugee camp are not those who fled ISIS.

There are those who say that ISIS used them as human shields. And didn't let them leave. They are from a handful of villages that the Iraqi army recently recaptured from ISIS. The men are kept at the camp's mosque, a security precaution amid concerns that ISIS fighters maybe among them.

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DAMON: ISIS put my family into each home in the middle of the village, as he recalls. Like many here, he does not want his identity revealed. He still has loved ones at the mercy of ISIS. And has already witnessed and lost too much. He and his family could hear the army's advance. Hope finally that they would be saved. But in the fierce clashes, his younger brother was hit, as he pulled his niece away from the window. He shouted, I am shot, he says. The memory of that moment so painful, he can no longer control his emotions. He said, I don't want to die. But he bled out in his arms.

With us, he is able to leave the mosque grounds. And we have seen the rest of his family. He says they did not flee when ISIS first arrived nearly two years ago, because his elderly mother could not run away.

A mother who has buried her son. What is left? She questions. At least God spared the rest. Their stories of life under ISIS make your skin crawl. He worked at a hospital in Mosul. I was forced to keep working. He said, if you don't, I will leave your head on the hospital gate, he tells us. Once he was stopped in the street and forced to witness a public mass execution. In another instance, on the way to the market, he says, we saw people hanging from the electricity pole. He asked why, they said they were trying to leave. If you try to escape, this will be your fate.

The women also hide their faces. But little can hide the lingering fear, the overwhelming psychological trauma or the pain. This woman says the house ISIS held her family in, as the Iraqi army advance was hit by a mortar. She was injured. Her 15-year-old son killed. Her last image of him, with blood coming out of his eyes, nose, mouth. It's all memories, she says. Before it becomes too much and she walks away.

The accounts of ISIS using the civilian population as human shields is one that is of utmost concern, both to the Iraqis and to the United States, as they advance on Mosul, the country's second-largest city. There's 1.5 to 2 million people whose lives will be at risk.

HOWELL: Arwa Damon reporting for us.

And not far from the front lines, engineers are waging another battle to save what is being called the most dangerous dam in the world. And next, Arwa takes us inside that massive structure near Mosul. She went to find out how after all of the fighting that's happened around that dam, it is still even standing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAMON: Workers are drilling boar holes. This one will go down around 150 meters or around 500 feet. Drilling that particular distance takes about a week. And then, machines go up and down along the length of the dam, breaking up and then repouring cement to try to ensure the stability of the dam's foundation.

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HOWELL: Arwa there, taking you to the front lines in the fight against ISIS in Iraq. That premiers Friday at 11 p.m. in Hong Kong only on CNN.

Activists in Bangladesh are outraged after a secular blogger was murdered in the streets. Another murdered in the streets. A gang, armed with machetes hacked Nazimuddin Samad to death on Wednesday. And so far, no arrests have been made. CNN's Ivan Watson has more on this case.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police in Bangladesh told CNN a group of attackers ambushed 26-year-old Nazimuddin Samad on his way home from evening university classes. They hacked him with machetes and then shot him. Witnesses heard the attackers shout Allahu akbar as they fled. Authorities say the attack was planned ahead of time. He appears to be the latest in a series of assassinations targeting secularist writers. Bangladesh is a majority Muslim country, with a Hindu religious minority. But some writers who described themselves as free thinkers have challenged religion's role in society, criticizing extremism and militancy.

The country's constitution promises to uphold the principle of secularism. But authorities there suggest some murdered critics crossed the line with their writing. A top police officer told CNN in February, bloggers need to speak up if they want protection.

[03:10:24] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we do not get information from anyone, with -- if he does not report to the police, we could -- it is difficult for police to provide any.

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WATSON: A friend of Samad says the writer went into hiding last year for several months, fearing for his life. But Samad later wrote, it's better to die than by living with my head down. Samad is the sixth secularist writer or publisher to have been murdered in Dhaka in 14 months. Others include (inaudible), whose widow barely survived the machete attack that killed her husband.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had four stabs -- four machete stabs on my head.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: why do you think these people attacked you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have gotten to a point where criticizing Islam is becoming a very big crime or a sin in Bangladesh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Bangladesh students took to the streets Wednesday for their murdered classmate.

TRANSLATOR: We are protesting because one of our law students at the university was killed. We want proper investigation and we want justice for the killing.

WATSON: Tributes for the victim poured in on social media. One calls Nazimuddin Samad a courageous freethinker. Another asked for an end to this brutality.

HOWELL: We will have more from Ivan Watson live in a moment. But first, let's bring in our guest, Anisul Huq. He is a minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs in Bangladesh. And now joins us from Dhaka. It's good to have you this hour. First, this is the sixth writer to be murdered for criticizing Islam in 14 months, as you just heard in our report. What is being done to protect people to prevent these types of attacks?

ANISUL HUQ, MINISTER FOR LAW, JUSTICE AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS IN BANGLADES: Am I online?

HOWELL: You're online. You're on CNN live. We wanted to know, what's being done to protect people?

HUQ: You see, when these bloggers report to the police about threats that are given to them, immediately, the government takes steps to protect them. And you have heard the police commissioner say, there are only a few times that they contact the police. But whenever it is done, the government feels that they should be protected. And the government extends protection. This is surely unfortunate, a very tragic incident. And I can tell you, that proper investigation is going on to nab the real culprits. I must also say one thing, that we have in the past, nabbed the culprits. And this year, one of the killers -- rather one of the bloggers that were killed, their killers were sentenced to death after the crime. So, you see, the process -- the legal process is on. The process for investigation is on. And the process to nab the killers is also on.

HOWELL: But, sir, with all due respect, can that same thing be said about the case for instance of (inaudible)? I mean, these threats were online. He was very much aware of them. But when he returned to Bangladesh, he was murdered.

HUQ: So far -- so far, I know about it. You see, when he went to the division, he had not informed the police. It is clear and those who have killed him, one of them have already been -- as far as my information as goes. Correct me if I'm wrong, one of them have already been nabbed. And the others have been identified. And the police are after them. So, you see, the investigation is on. As I said, it is very tragic. But, again, we would like more information coming, from the bloggers, if their life is threatened. And only we can step in to protect them. And the government is surely willing to do so.

[03:15:08] HOWELL: You are saying, the government is willing to protect them if they step forward. But I want to point something out that seems to...

HUQ: The thing is -- let me just answer your questions here. The thing is until and unless we are aware of the fact, that an individual is threatened, we are -- our police cannot go in and protect them. So it is the information that we are asking for. And once we get the information, we will surely extend our protection.

HOWELL: OK. And as I mentioned, the case of (inaudible), who is from the Metropolitan Atlanta area, that information was online, the many death threats against him. I want to go and point something out, sir, that seems to the contrary. And it comes from the Home Minister of Bangladesh, Asaduzzaman Khan, who says that the government is doing its best to catch who is responsible. But he also says the so-called bloggers do not have any rights to use this kind of language against that of religion. Khan adds that no one has the right to attack religious leaders, be it Prophet Muhammad, Guru Nanak or Jesus. So is it true that bloggers have the right to say what they will say online and can still be protected?

HUQ: The thing is you call for a threat when you are hurting somebody else's religious feelings. It is quite natural, of course -- except freedom of expression, expression of free thought. But we are willing to protect it. But the thing is that it should be contained to that extent, that it does not hurt somebody else's feelings. So it should be responsible enough not to hurt other's feelings. That's what we are saying. We are not calling for anything else. We are not saying they should not talk about it. But what we are saying is they should be responsible enough, not to hurt somebody else's religious feelings.

HOWELL: So to be responsible about it, you say, but again simply publishing online, many people do seem to get death threats for doing so.

(CROSSTALK)

HUQ: And the thing is, yes. The thing is that's exactly why I have said earlier, that when somebody is doing that, somebody is inviting threats like that. And if that somebody hits one threat, we are only asking him to report back to the police, so that proper extension can be extended. I think that is the job of a responsible government. And we are doing so.

HOWELL: Anisul Huq, we appreciate you joining us to explain the situation. Again, a minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs in Bangladesh. Thank you so much for your time, Sir.

After the break, we will bring in CNN's Ivan Watson, and we will discuss what we just heard. Stay with us.

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[03:20:00] KATE RILEY, CNN SPORTS: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sport Headlines. The first golf major of the year is in full swing now. Thursday, we saw the masters get under way at the Augusta National Golf Club. Defending champion, Jordan Spieth, wasted no time in his quest to defend his title. Spieth recently just lost his world number one ranking. But that didn't bother the young American. Spieth played a bogey-free round with six birdies. He finishes with a 66 on the day and sits 6 under overall.

From the golf course to the football field, where (inaudible) seven seasons as Liverpool visited Dortmund in the Europa league. (Inaudible) will take the 1-0 lead into the break, thanks to (Inaudible). But the home side were not to be outdone, as Mat Hummels equalized the Dortmund in the second half, and that is actually how it will end, 1-1 the final score there.

And to Formula 1, where the Sports Bosses have agreed to drop the current qualifying system. A total of 11 teams told the governors that they want to revert back to the 2015 format. The format now consists of knockout sessions with the slowest cars eliminated, at the end of the first two stages. The result was lengthy periods of time with no cars on the track. The old qualifying format is expected to be adopted for the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend.

And that's a look at your Sports Headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

HOWELL: Following on the story of a secular blogger murdered in Bangladesh, now bringing in our senior correspondent Ivan Watson, live in Hong Kong. And, Ivan, I'm sure you got the chance to hear the interview that we just had with Anisul Huq, again, a minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs in Bangladesh. And he said that if bloggers who criticize Islam, if they notify police to ask for protection, they will be protected. But they have to be responsible in how they criticize Islam. From your reporting though, does that seem to be a mixed message?

WATSON: Certainly, right after somebody has been hacked to death with machetes on the street, to point out that the person's writings may have offended people, does seem to be perhaps in poor taste, given that the person is now dead for the things they wrote. Now, a question was raised (Inaudible), she is the widow of (Inaudible). He is an atheist blogger who was killed, a little bit more than a year ago in Dhaka. She barely survived that assault, which left her very seriously wounded. And she points out that there are semi-blasphemy laws in Bangladesh. And that a number of these atheists and secular writers and bloggers have been prosecuted under that law. So the question she raises, why would some of these bloggers then go to police who are arresting them for insulting religion, and seek protection from the very same people who are potentially prosecuting them? The fact of the matter here, George, is that the pattern of these assassinations of secular writers has continued, now 6 dead in 14 months. And that is against the big backdrop of writer violence, where you have -- we don't know if it's linked or not, attacks on religious minorities, across Bangladesh, be they Christians or Shiites or members of other smaller sects in that country. Disturbing signs, indeed. The Bangladeshi government insists that this is the work of home-grown terrorists. And that al-Qaeda or ISIS are not getting into Bangladesh and influencing this pattern of violence. George. HOWELL: You raised the case of (Inaudible) as I also raised with Mr. Huq. And you know, the question -- the point that he made saying that police cannot protect people if they don't know they're in danger. But in the case of (Inaudible), the writing was literally on the wall, so to speak, online. These death threats were out there, clear as day. So the question is don't they already know that many of these people are in danger?

[03:24:58] WATSON: It's a good point. There was a hit list published more than a year ago, listing 84 of these people. And a very direct threat against them. (Inaudible) was one of them. And having spoken again with his wife, with his widow, they -- she concedes that they traveled to Dhaka a little bit more than a year ago, and they did not take precautions. They did not imagine that this heinous attack could take place. And that they should have taken a different approach to this. But again, it comes down to that question, is freedom of expression under threat, in Bangladesh? And without question, we've seen a pattern of intellectuals, writers who are seeking to flee the country. And this latest victim, Nazimuddin Samad, had gone into hiding for several months last year, his friends say. And despite those precautions, he was still killed on a street in Dhaka, just two nights ago.

HOWELL: Ivan Watson, live in Hong Kong. Ivan, thank you so much. Ivan live in Hong Kong where it is 3:26 p.m. this hour.

Still ahead on Newsroom, the race for the White House is next. Ted Cruz refusing to apologize for his criticism of New York values. But he's trying to explain it.

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[03:29:45] HOWELL: It is 3:29 in the United States. Welcome back to our viewers here and around the world. This is CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell. The headlines we're following this hour.

Belgian police have released new surveillance images showing the surviving suspect of the attack at the Brussels airport. Police say he walked from the airport, to Central Brussels, right after the explosions. His identity and whereabouts remain unknown. Investigators are asking for the public's help to find him.

Just east of the Syrian capital, ISIS has reportedly overrun this large cement plant and taken more than 300 workers captive. Syrian forces have been battling ISIS defensive in the area and reports say dozens of people there have been killed.

The British Prime Minister says he has nothing to hide after admitting he made money on an offshore fund set-up by his late father. David Cameron says he sold off his shares in 2010 and paid the taxes. Cameron's father was named in that huge leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm, the Panama papers.

America's Choice 2016, the race for the White House and the New York tabloids are taking shots at Republican Ted Cruz. Just have a look at the New York Daily News. It's a reaction to an attack, a line that Ted Cruz used on Donald Trump in January and accusing the billionaire businessman of having quote, New York values. It says that the FU train, Ted.

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TED CRUZ, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Everyone in New York and outside of New York knows what I meant by that. And it is the liberal values of Democratic politicians, who have been hammering the people of New York for decades. They suffered under these liberal values. It's been politicians like Governor Andrew Cuomo, like Hillary Clinton, like Mayor Bill de Blasio.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Tough shot there from the tabloids. Cruz isn't the only one being railroaded by the New York media. Several candidates have had their duty dishonor of gracing the tabloids front-pages. Voters go to the polls in New York on April 19th.

John Kasich is joining the others campaigning in New York. And he is also going after Ted Cruz instead of Donald Trump. His campaign released new ads focusing on criticism of New York values. And Kasich says he thinks he can win the Republican domination at the convention.

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JOHN KASICH, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're getting to the place where we feel we have the best chance of being able to accumulate delegates. But I have been saying for weeks that we were going to go to a convention. And everybody is like, how is that going to work and I'm not sure that it is going to happen. And guess what? Everybody now knows we're going to a convention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani says that he will vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming primary. But he doesn't want to call it an endorsement. Giuliani tells the New Times that Trump is his friend. And among the candidates running, he is the best choice.

And on the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are crisscrossing the state. Clinton needs to win a majority of the 248 pledge delegates to bolster her hopes of putting the Democratic nomination out of reach for Bernie Sanders. And their race for the White House switched gears this way in a big way -- this week, I should say. Jeff Zeleny has this report for us.

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HILLARY CLINTON, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will take Bernie Sanders over Donald Trump or Ted Cruz every time.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hillary Clinton taking the high road today, for a moment at least, as the Democratic race devolves into a war of words.

CLINTON: Let's keep our eye on what's at stake in this election.

ZELENY: At stake is the New York primary, which Bernie Sanders is trying hard to win. Firing off some of the most personal attacks yet in the campaign, over who is qualified to be president.

BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The American people might wonder about your qualifications, Madam Secretary, when you voted for the war in Iraq, the most disastrous foreign policy blunder in the modern history of America.

ZELENY: In Philadelphia today, Sanders unleashed a laundry list of grievances.

SANDERS: Are you qualified to be President of the United States when you're raising millions of dollars from Wall Street, an entity, whose greed, recklessness, and illegal behavior destroyed our economy.

ZELENY: Sanders says Clinton started it by diminishing his qualifications. She says he did. One thing is certain, suddenly, Democrats have their own free for all in their hands.

SANDERS: Madam Secretary Clinton thinks that just because I'm from a close state in Vermont, we're going to come here in New York, and they're going to beat us up and they're going to go after us, in some kind of really uncalled for way. So we are going to fight back (inaudible).

ZELENY: It's a rough-and-tumble New York primary. A subway ride today into a photo-op with a purpose.

CLINTON: I think we changed when I was Senator. It was first term when we changed from tokens to Metro cards.

[03:35:03] ZELENY: A clear shot at Sanders. Born and raised in Brooklyn but moved away a half-century ago. He was mocked by New York tabloids, for not being up to speed on how to ride the subway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you ride the subway today?

SANDERS: You get a token and get in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wrong.

ZELENY: The subway politics (inaudible) raising questions about unifying the party.

CLINTON: I ran a very contested campaign against then-Senator Obama. And it went all the way to the end. We worked really hard. He got more delegates. And so, I endorsed him. We are going to have to unify Democrats.

ZELENY: At Clinton Campaign Headquarters in Brooklyn today, aides tell CNN, they registered the website unity2016, at what could be seen as a proactive or premature step. This map on the wall is a daily reminder for Clinton aides of their lead in delegates. Sanders is vowing to take the fight to the convention, a move that doesn't sit well with Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, who says that Democrats must come together after the primaries and in June.

ROBBY MOOK, CLINTON CAMPAIGN MANAGER: It would be a mistake for the party to keep litigating this into July and to Philadelphia. I think to the point that it's obvious that a candidate has the majority of delegates and will win at the nomination at the convention. I do think it will be the time to come together. But we're not there yet.

HOWELL: That was senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, reporting there for us from the campaign trail in New York.

A feisty exchange in Philadelphia between bill Clinton and protesters from the Black Lives Matter group. They heckled the former U.S. president over his 1994 Crime Bill. Listen.

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BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Yeah. I heard it. Can I answer? Here's the thing. I like protesters. But the ones that won't let you answer are afraid of the truth. That's simple. Very, very afraid. I talk to a lot African-American groups, they thought black lives mattered. They said take this bill because our kids are being shot in the street by gangs. Because of that bill, we had a 25- year low in crime, a 33-year low in the murder rate. And listen to this, because of that and the background check law, we had a 46-year low in the deaths of people by gun violence. And who do you think those lives were that mattered? Whose lives were saved that mattered?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Hillary Clinton admitted that the crime bill created problems. She now says she wants to end what she calls the era of mass incarcerations, many of whom were African-Americans.

This is CNN Newsroom. Still ahead, the medical community confirms what many have long suspected. New findings on the dangers of the Zika virus. That story, straight ahead.

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HOWELL: The World Health Organization says it has determined that the Zika virus causes the birth defect microcephaly as well as Guillain- Barre Syndrome. Until now, there had been only a strong correlation. This disease is spread by mosquitoes and can also be sexually transmitted. According to the CDC, active transmission of the virus has been identified now in more than 40 countries. Vietnam, now, the newest on the list with two cases reported this week.

Joining us now is Dr. Sujatha Reddy. She is an obstetrician and gynecologist. Dr. Reddy, it's good to have you with us this hour. What took the WHO So long to make this declaration, now that we know that Zika is the cause of microcephaly?

SUJATHA REDDY, PHYSICIAN: Most providers have -- until there was concrete proof, everyone kept saying there was a link. And there seemed to be causation. And it just took some scientific evidence to say for sure. But there's no question, when you look at the number of cases of microcephaly, which is actually very, very rare, prior to the Zika virus. And also, Guillain-Barre Syndrome is also very rare and there have been a few hundred cases that have been reported, which is a skyrocketing number. And clearly, it's from the Zika virus, as the WHO can confirm that.

HOWELL: How does that change, if at all, the fight to stop that disease?

REDDY: I don't think it does change. Believe it or not, they're saying for sure that there is a direct link. We've pretty much knew there would be. And really, it isn't going to change anything, I don't think.

HOWELL: A poll found that one in three Americans believes that Zika was from coughing, which it is not. So, the question, you know, are we -- be concerned that public health officials doing a proper job of informing people about this virus?

REDDY: I have seen more coverage about the Zika virus than the outbreak than I can remember, in recent attacks, or any other medical concerns. We talked about it more than we did Ebola back last summer. You know, it is disappointing that there is no much misinformation out there. But the reason we keep talking about it, like you and I are tonight, is you know to educate the public. And you know, we've seen initiatives from every corner. I know here in Atlanta, the airport is now, you know, encouraging people to buy insecticide in the travel shop before they get on the airplane. We're seeing public information and education every avenue possible. But we have a long way to go.

HOWELL: OK. And Vietnam of course has been added now to the list of countries where Zika is circulating. Should people be alarmed at the spread of this virus?

REDDY: I think we need to take it very seriously. I think we should kind of be concerned and alarmed. This is spreading very quickly. The world is a smaller place than it was when Zika was discovered in the mid-40s. Now, it is very easy to hop on the plane, people travel all the time. It is kind of concerning to see how it has spread so rapidly through the Americas.

HOWELL: Women with pregnancy, it is the main concern, correct?

REDDY: You're absolutely correct. So for the majority of people, if you're not pregnant, you may not even ever know you were ever infected with this virus, usually a very mild constellation of symptoms. A cough, a runny nose, and a mild rash. You might not realize you were infected. It really is pregnant women. And also we have to be concerned about men who are planning to have a child with their partner. Because they can transfer the virus through sexual contact. So people that are pregnant or thinking of starting a family or conceiving that need to be careful with. The consequences are so devastating, microcephaly is so devastating. Some cases have been fatal. But this should be taken seriously.

HOWELL: Dr. Sujatha Reddy, thank you so much for being with us.

REDDY: Thank you.

[03:45:05] HOWELL: We are also following live pictures from the Western Turkey coast where a second batch of refugees just deported from Greece will be arriving by boat. Again, these live images that you're looking at, these migrants are being sent back to Turkey, as part of a controversial E.U. migrant deal. These migrants are coming from Lesbos, Greece. We'll continue to monitor these images.

A fashion advertisement is banned over a model who appears too skinny. Coming up, we'll speak to a former Access Hollywood anchor, Shaun Robinson, about the message sent by the move.

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DEREK VAN DAM, METEOROLOGIST: A rare late-season cutoff low pressure system will bring much-needed rain to the southwestern United States including Southern California, San Francisco to Los Angeles, through the course of the weekend, on and off again rain showers. Over the northeast, we have very chilly air, settling in from Chicago through the Big Apple. Chicago's daytime high, only5 degrees. We cool off from New York City. Atlanta, 18. There are your chances of rain showers throughout the west. Look at the cold air continuing across the upper Midwest and the New England coastline. In the meantime, you see that shading of pink this time of year, you know the cold weather is here to stay.

Let's go further to the south, Central America, chances of thunderstorms by the afternoon and evening hours, if you're located throughout Mexico City. Otherwise, Nassau in the Bahamas, 30 and perfect if you'd ask me. Traveling into the northern half of South America, a few thunderstorms throughout Venezuela, as well as parts of Colombia, even Northern Brazil. But look at Rio, you stay sunny and dry with the daytime high of 32.

But just to the south of that, that's where the weather pattern gets active. In fact, Southern Brazil, Northern Argentina and your right, we have chances of rain that could accumulate over 50 to 100 millimeters across the next 24 hours, most of the day is 22 with rain.

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HOWELL: The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Agency has banned a Gucci advertisement for featuring what it says was an unhealthily thin model. This campaign ran last December and it features various models dancing at the party. This is the still image from that advertisement. That's part of what the ASA had an issue with. The agency said the model appeared gaunt and that her torso and arms appeared to be out of proportion with her head and lower body. As for the ASA's ruling, Gucci has now removed that image from the online video, though it says it doesn't agree that the models were depicted in an unhealthily thin way. Let's talk more about this issue and other body image issues with Shaun Robinson. She is a former Access Hollywood anchor and also you wrote a book, the author of the book, Exactly As I Am. Shaun, it's good to have you with us.

[03:50:23] SHAUN ROBINSON, EXACTLY AS I AM AUTHOR: Thank you so much. Thank you. It is great to be here. When I see that ad, it just gives me chills. You know, one of the things that Gucci said was that that ad was for an older, more mature audience, but you know and I know, that all of these young girls are looking at images thinking, that's what I'm supposed to look like. And that was the problem with that.

HOWELL: The images. These are not realistic images.

ROBINSON: They're not. They're not realistic images. And it would be one thing if they would have a diversity of models of all different sizes and shapes. But it's not. The trend seems to be going towards thinner and thinner models in some campaigns. And you and I are going to talk about the exact opposite of that. But here is the thing. The problem is there are so many young girls. I work with girls every single day. I sit on the board of two girl empowerment organizations, Girls, Inc. and Girl Up. And they are about building girls up and giving them self-esteem, and making them feel better about themselves, and helping them reach out to other girls to help them with the issues they're dealing with. So I hear issues every single day, and hear conversations with these young girls saying we look at that and we can't -- there's no way we're comparing ourselves. And girls are killing themselves trying to attain something that is unattainable.

HOWELL: Let's talk about another issue. This is with Kerry Washington. I want to show this video here. This appeared on the cover of ad week. And take a look, she posted the cover on her Instagram page and wrote a note about it on photoshopping. She said quote, I felt strange to look at a picture of myself that is so different from what I look like when I look in the mirror. It is an unfortunate feeling. Ad Week though says it only made minimal adjustments. But for comparison, this is what Kerry Washington looked at, looked like at the Emmy Awards in September. Shaun, what are your thoughts about that?

ROBINSON: Well, I've interviewed Kerry Washington many times. I find her to be a very thoughtful and considerate person. And one who takes her role model status, especially to young girls, very seriously.

HOWELL: Right.

ROBINSON: And there was an issue before, with a Kerry Washington cover, with another magazine, when they seem to have lightened Kerry Washington's skin. We know that Kerry Washington is a very beautiful, beautiful woman. And there's no need to make her different than what she actually looks like. Now, with the Ad Week magazine cover, you know, there's different and then there's different. A lot of people didn't even recognize her. And she -- when Kerry said she looked at that image, she was thinking that is somebody very different than the person I look at when I am looking in the mirror. And what is happening that the photoshopping has gone out of control.

HOWELL: This is a situation where she didn't even recognize herself.

ROBINSON: She didn't even recognize herself. And you know, we're talking about not only thinning and you know making women's breasts larger, but making their thighs much shorter. But now, we're completely changing their face, so they're unrecognizable. And once again, it's this image that is being put out that you have to be different than what you are to be considered beautiful. And that's the problem.

HOWELL: Let's talk about another issue. Amy Schumer and she was upset to find herself in the cover of Glamour Magazine, as a plus-size issue.

ROBINSON: Yeah.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBINSON: OK. I know, I know. Amy Schumer wears size 6, 8, that doesn't make sense. But I got to tell you, if there are two words I wish we could get rid of in our vocabulary, it's skinny and plus-size. I hate the fact that we categorize women. We tell them that oh, if you don't fit this, we have a special category for you. And that is being plus-size or you're a little extra than the norm.

HOWELL: Right.

ROBINSON: I don't think that's right at all. And that's the problem. Beauty becomes a problem when it's about comparison. And women, all different sizes, colors, shapes, whatever, they need to feel that they are not in competition with somebody else. If I don't measure up to this particular standard, then I'm not good enough. And I'm not worthy. And that is the problem that we're having with so many of our young girls out there. They're reading things like this. They're seeing pictures. And they're literally saying I can't compete with this. And it destroys their self-esteem.

HOWELL: Let me just add, the magazine did say they only included her because they considered her inspirational. And they did not classify her as plus-sized. But still...

[03:55:07] ROBINSON: Well, I think the article was about -- what is the beauty of all sizes, shapes and sizes, or something like that. And Amy was seeing herself beside other women who were larger than she was. But you know, whatever the thing is, here's the thing, we also have to stop categorizing ourselves by size, too.

HOWELL: These are important issues. Shaun, thank you for being with us.

ROBINSON: You're welcome. You're welcome. Great to be here.

HOWELL: For fans of art, design, fashion, luxury, we have some exciting news to share with you here at CNN. This Saturday, CNN Style is headed to your TV screen. The monthly show gets exclusive access to the biggest names and events in the world in the world of art, fashion and more. Catch the debut this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in London. That's 2:30 p.m. Central European Time. And in the United States, you can go to CNN.com/style.

We leave you today with this. Someone just paid $394,000 for an old wooden chair. But it's not just any chair. This is where J.K. Rowling wrote the first two Harry Potter books. The chair was sold at a rare book auction in New York. Rowling wrote a note to the new owner saying that she was sad to see it go, but her back was not.

Good luck whoever owns that chair. We thank you for joining us. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. My colleagues in New York are standing by for Early Start for viewers in the United States. And for viewers around the world, CNN Newsroom continues with Hanna Van Jones live in London. You're watching CNN, the world's news leader.