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IDESK
North Korea Claims Successful Nuclear Test; Passengers Rescued From Cable Cars In French Alps; 3 Women Arrested In French Terror Plot Investigation; Sunday Marks 15th Anniversary Of 9/11 Attacks; Wells Fargo Sacks 5,300 Over "Ghost" Accounts; FAA: Don't Bring Samsung Galaxy Note 7 On Board; Trump Appears On Russian TV After Praising Putin; Eastwood Turns "Miracle On The Hudson" Into A Movie; FIFA Bans Fmr. Vice President Webb For Life; FIFA Opens Formal Proceedings Against Sepp Blatter
Aired September 9, 2016 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:10] ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here at the "International Desk." Widespread condemnation for North Korea's alleged nuclear test.
More on the cable car rescues in the Alps. And a movie "Sully" open to the U.S. We'll get a preview.
Hi there, everyone. Welcome. I'm Robyn Curnow at the CNN center.
And the United Nations Security Council has called an emergency meeting on North Korea. The reclusive nation says it conducted its fifth nuclear test
and it says its nuclear warhead is now small enough to mount on a missile.
Well, let's get straight to Seoul, South Korea, where Paula Hancocks is standing by.
Hi there Paula. North Korea is the only country to have conducted nuclear tests in the 21st century. And now world leaders are saying that this
latest one, this fifth one presents a whole different threat level.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. There's certainly more concerned about this than they have been in the past, Robyn, and with good
reason. The magnitude of this was twice the magnitude of the explosion back in January. And bear in mind, two nuclear tests in one year, that's
unprecedented even for North Korea.
So we're all seeing the stronger reaction around the world. We've just been hearing from the South Korean President Park Geun-hye. She's come
back from Laos early. She's just convened a security cabinet meeting here this Friday evening and she says that the mental state of Kim Jong-un
appears to be beyond control. She is saying it is necessary to have a different way of reacting to this now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: The triumphant announcement. A successful test of a nuclear warhead, North Korea says it can now mount onto any ballistic missile.
Impossible for the rest of the world to verify at this time but the magnitude of the explosion seems key.
PARK JIYOUNG, ASIAN INSTITUTE FELLOW: The magnitude is almost doubled from the first test. So I believe it is quite successful, and their program is
completed.
HANCOCKS: Instant condemnation from South Korea, Japan, China and the U.S. President Obama had just left Asia speaking to his South Korean counterpart
by phone from Air Force One. Threats of further sanctions, accusations of severe provocation unlikely to concern a leader who is in a rush to get
where he wants to be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly they don't care what we think. They don't care about our admonitions. They don't care about joining the international
community. They certainly don't care about U.N's Security Council resolutions. They don't care about what the Chinese think or what the U.S.
thinks.
HANCOCKS: Sanctions some even targeting Kim Jong-un himself have not slowed him down. Given this nuclear and missile program is effectively
part of a state ideology in North Korea means another approach may be needed.
JOHN DELURY, YONSEI UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: We have a strong moral dimension with this where it's seen as the worst offender of human rights in the
world. And you just don't want to touch it with a 10-foot pole. But I think that security situation demands starting with actually talking to
them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: But certainly that doesn't seem a palatable option to many of the leaders today. We are hearing strong condemnation. Japan's Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe also saying this presents a different level of threat, saying that he had spoken to the U.S. President and to the South Korean
President separately. They've all been talking and all agrees that this is more of a concern.
There was also an intelligence briefing for lawmakers here is South Korea. And they say that they believe what North Korea is trying to do is to put a
nuclear warhead on a scud missile which obviously would be a great threat to South Korea, to the U.S. military personnel here. And also saying that
North Korea is progressing far more quickly than previously estimated. Robyn?
CURNOW: So, we were expecting U.N. Security Council meeting this hour. It's being delayed by number of hours. There's been worldwide condemnation
but certainly, diplomatically, at least, all eyes, no doubt on China here.
And what is China want? Is the status quo in many ways the better option than a destabilized North Korea or a unified North Korea? If there's going
to be some sort of change in tactic or response, it's all up to China. Isn't it?
HANCOCKS: To a great extent it is but it's worth noting that most experts agree that Beijing does not have the control and power over Pyongyang that
it once did. Relations between China and North Korea have never been this bad. It is clear from many experts and officials that President Xi Jinping
is becoming increasingly frustrated with Kim Jong-un, the fact that he is continuing to carry out these nuclear launches, these nuclear tests even
though Beijing has said that they don't want this to happen.
He is just disregarding what is happening. He did three ballistic missile test while China was hosting the G20 with world leaders just in neighboring
countries. So, certainly Kim Jong-un doesn't appear to care too much what China thinks at this point. And that's a problem because that means that
China does not have that leverage that most countries believe it does or at least in the past believed it does -- it did.
[10:05:0] CURNOW: OK, you make an excellent point there. Thanks so much. Paula there in South Korea.
While these reports of North Korea's nuclear test really set off diplomatic alarm bells around the world. The top U.S. and Russian diplomats expressed
concern over the developments. John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov were in Geneva for the Syria talks when the news broke. And that's where our Nic
Robertson is.
Nic, what's the reaction been there from the Russians and Americans?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, both men, both Lavrov and Kerry say that they are concerned, seriously concerned about it.
Sergey Lavrov said he would be calling the Japanese foreign ministers. As did John Kerry said he had called the Japanese and South Korean foreign
ministers. This is what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We're very much concerned. And the resolutions of the Security Council must be implemented and we will
send this message very strongly.
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And I think it's fair to say that China, and Russia, and the United States, everybody shares concerns but
we're trying still to monitor, to find out precisely what took place. And at the appropriate moment today I'm confident President Obama will address
this. And we will certainly be discussing this in the context of the United Nations, I'm sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: But of course the focus for the two men now since they said that, a little earlier this morning, has been on their Syria talks. But
it's very clear that the repercussions of what's been happening in the past 12, 24 hours in North Korea are going to crop up again here in Geneva and
elsewhere, Robyn.
CURNOW: What is on the table for world leaders? They talk about implementation of Security Council resolutions, of deep concern, but,
really, what do they have here and what do they know that the North Koreans want from them?
ROBERTSON: Well, what North Koreans appear to want is to be able to come in from the cold, if you will. But what -- the read that is being
understood both in Moscow, both in Beijing, both in Washington and elsewhere, and we heard it here today, is that the sanctions that are in
place on North Korea do not seem to be having the impact that they're intended to have. So, clearly a re-evaluation will have to take place.
You know, the sense is that China is the nation that, perhaps, can use its leverage and influence to the best effect over North Korea, but then
China's, you know, just as of the past few weeks not feeling well with the United States and South Korea because of those deployment of the scud
missile systems by the United States in South Korea. So, you know, to resolve this diplomatically, it needs to get those core key group of six
nations that negotiate with South Korea, all on the same page, all talking at the, you know, from the same sheet.
That, of course, is what the Security Council, U.N. Security Council meeting will be all about. But it's still -- it's not an easy job to get
everyone to agree and that's perhaps the difficulty. But clearly, it's becoming a more and more pressing point for all countries, a concern to the
whole region on the implication. Robyn?
CURNOW: Indeed. Thanks so much. Nic Robertson there in Geneva.
Well, let's get more perspective on all of this. We're joined now by Yukiya Amano, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Thank you so much sir for joining us. We've just heard our correspondents talk about the political and the diplomatic implications of all of this.
From you, I just want to understand the level of the threat that this poses. Do you believe that North Korea has developed a nuclear weapon
that's small enough to fit on a missile?
YUKIYA AMANO, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY DIRECTOR GENERAL: They have claimed that they are developing a nuclear weapons of a smaller size.
But with the available information, it is not possible for us to substantiate they're claimed objectives.
CURNOW: It's not possible for you to substantiate that. Do you have any idea or a gauge on the magnitude of the alleged test that took place in the
last 12 hours?
[10:10:00] AMANO: Our CTBTO and other observation post observed the seismic event somewhat bigger, larger than the previous cases of nuclear
tests by North Korea.
CURNOW: And clearly that is concerning to you but you still have sniffer planes out in terms of what kind of missile material might have been used
here. Do you have any confirmation on that?
AMANO: The IAEA has been observing the situation, activities of North Korea through a satellite imagery because we do not have the inspectors
since April 2009. And I just circulate a report recently, and we stated that we have the indication that North Korea is engaged in the reprocessing
activities to produce a plutonium. And also we found the indications that they have enlarged their enrichment facilities to produce enriched uranium.
So we have all the indications that they are producing plutonium and enriching uranium, but we cannot tell what material they have used.
CURNOW: How much do you think this capacity is? How many bombs or tests do you expect they're capable of?
AMANO: It is difficult to speculate how much, but any production or use of material for weapon purpose is a clear violation of the United Nations
Security Council resolutions. We'll continue to follow the situation, and inform the member states of the IAEA.
CURNOW: We've heard about the sanctions. We've also know that North Korea is a very isolated country. There's been condemnation from their closest
ally, China. How are North Koreans able to do this?
Steam ahead as such a rapid rate with this capacity and capabilities? Can they do it on their own? Are they doing it on their own or is some group
or another country helping them here?
AMANO: That is difficult to find. However, we are, IAEA, is a technical organization and we have inspectors with experience. We have the means to
observe the situation through satellite imagery. And we are finding sudden indications. And North Korea's thinking that they will strengthen their
efforts, they will advance their activities and the situation is getting worse, that the current situation is deeply troubling and regrettable.
CURNOW: Deeply troubling. Thank you so much Yukiya Amano, the general -- the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Thank you
for your perspective.
Well, let's move on to another story that's been making news here at CNN. A holiday in the Alps turning into a nightmare. Dozens of people trapped
overnight in cable cars. How they were finally rescued? That's coming up. We have a reporter on the scene.
Also, an imminent and violent attack possibly thwarted in France. We'll tell you about the arrests of three women who officials describe as
radicalized.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:15:55] CURNOW: Well, this doesn't sound like fun, does it? Passengers who spent a night stuck in a cable car high up in the French Alps are now
speaking out about their experience. 33 people including three children were finally brought to safety, Friday morning. They'd spent the night
dangling high, high, above the ground after the cable cars came to a halt on Thursday.
We're going to get more now from our Ben Wedeman, he joins us from Chamonix in France.
Hi there Ben. Tell us about this ordeal.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, harrowing is the only way to describe it. But, you know, when you think about it they
are very lucky that in this case nobody was hurt. But for 33 people, they spent 16 very long, cold and anxious hours up in those cable cars.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: Visibly relieved to be back on the ground. It was supposed to be a beautiful day out at Western Europe's highest peak. But it turned into a
nightmare. 33 people stuck in several cable cars overnight in the French Alps, suspended at over 12,000 feet. There were among 110 initially
trapped after wires carrying the cars tangled in high winds. The experience left many shaken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): You try to clear your mind as much as you can, but it's very difficult. Very difficult. I had to close
my eyes during a good amount of time to try to think about something else.
WEDEMAN: Rescuers raced against the nightfall using the helicopters to evacuate as many as possible. When fog rolled in they used a rope to lower
some riders to the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They tried to take us with a helicopter but the fog came in so the two rescuers stayed with us. And then we did a belay after
we decided there was no other way to get down.
WEDEMAN: Those stuck overnight had to use blankets, water and cereal bars and survival kits found in each cabin. As morning broke, the final 33
people were freed after first responders managed to restart the cars. Now heading back, relieved it's over and that no one was hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: And it really was a heroic effort by the French and Italian rescue teams. They were essentially lowered from these helicopters to the
cable cars and then pulled one by one the people who they were able to rescue yesterday. Today, those cable cars were put back into action and
simply rolled down the cables to the station.
But now, the French authorities have launched an investigation into this incident, no doubt, to make sure it doesn't happen again. But I imagine
for some of those 33 who were stuck overnight in those cable cars, they probably never want to step foot in one again. Robyn?
CURNOW: No. I know. I mean, it gives me the chills just watching these pictures. So on one hand, they were lowered down. They managed to get
these cable cars working this morning. But the people who had initially been rescued, and as you said, an extraordinary rescue effort. Sometimes
at 12,000 feet, literally individually pulling people out of these cars, that in itself is an extraordinary piece of drama.
WEDEMAN: Yes. And you have to keep in mind, of course it's a 12,000 feet, but the cable cars themselves were anywhere between 10 meter and 200 meters
above solid earth. But still, you can imagine that especially if you have children in a situation like that, to say, to describe it as nerve-racking
is an understatement. But fortunately when it all is said and done, nobody was hurt, but clearly fairly traumatized by the experience. Robyn?
CURNOW: Certainly a lot of questions to be asked on how and why this happened. Ben Wedeman, thanks so much.
Well, French police have arrested three women said to be planning an imminent and violent attack. The arrest in connection with gas cylinders
found in a car outside the Notre Dame Cathedral this week.
[10:20:10] Our Jim Bittermann has been following the story all week for us from Paris. And these new details deeply concerning about three suspected
female terrorists. What do we know about them?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Quite unusual. There's three women, the one, the oldest one, 39 years old, the
next one 23 years old and the last one 19 years old. And I just take them one by one.
The 39 year old, mother of four, nothing unusual according to her neighbors, except that a year ago she did start addressing in a more
Islamic way. She apparently is thought to be a person who just gave lodging to the other two.
The other two are a different story. They're both known to police. The 23-year-old apparently had romantic ties to two other terrorists in France.
According to reports here, she was planning on marrying a terrorist who killed the two police officers out in Magnanville in the month of June and
then fell in with another terrorist. By the way, that one, the first one was killed. Fell in with another terrorist who is the guy who assassinated
the priest during mass just a few weeks ago and he was also killed. And police now have picked up her current boyfriend and he is being questioned
at this time.
The 19 year old was the daughter of the owner of the car that was parked next to Notre Dame and apparently according to reports she tried twice to
ignite the gas cylinders in that car but failed both times and left in frustration. Robyn?
CURNOW: And tell us what their plan was? Because I remember you reporting earlier on in the week that there wasn't really a detonator in the car. So
was she trying to use the whole car and these gas cylinders -- with the gas cylinders inside as a bomb? What was her plan?
BITTERMANN: Apparently so. Apparently that was it. We also were speculating earlier that maybe this was some kind of a test. But I don't
think that's what police think now. We're going to know more by the way in about two hours because the Paris prosecutor is going to talk about this.
But in any case, they -- it looked like she tried to set off those gas cylinders in the car and wasn't able to do it, kind of an amateurish
approach. And in fact one of the things that the president, President Hollande indicated in his speech to or his remarks to journalists this
morning from Athens was that he believes that they were self-radicalized on the internet. In fact, he is going to raise this issue about self-
radicalization through the internet at the upcoming European summit in Venezuela. And going to talk about ways to make internet providers more
responsible or to say go after internet providers who may be somehow enabling the radicalization process. Robyn?
CURNOW: Inspired by or directed by ISIS. Still a deep concern there to French authorities. Jim Bittermann, appreciate it.
Well, you're watching CNN. On Sunday, it will be 15 years since the 9/11 terror attacks here in the U.S. Images like these ones of the aftermath in
New York will forever be etched into the minds of Americans and people around the world.
Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that day, in the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil. And one lasting impact for the nation is a shaken
sense of security. A new CNN/ORC poll shows that half of Americans thinks acts of terrorism are likely to happen around the anniversary this year.
And then its current climate of increased global terror, that number is up from 39 percent of feared attacks on the 10th anniversary which was of
course, five years ago.
And now we're getting also a closer look at what it was like inside the World Trade Center towers during the attacks. It's part of an award-
winning documentary called "9/11" recently acquired by CNN films and updated for this anniversary. We want to show you some of it but we also
want to warn you that the images are intense and disturbing even 15 years on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just before 10:00. A little over an hour since the first plane hit. Firefighters from all over the city were inside those
towers. Hundreds of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember I'm filming Chief Pfeifer, and he's on the radio.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Now the movie just fades to black. That documentary, "9/11, 15 Years Later" will air this Sunday here at CNN.
[10:25:00] And a couple hours from now here on the Idesk, I'll interview the child of a firefighter who lost his life in the attack. Stay with us.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Hi everyone. Welcome to the "International Desk". I'm Robyn Curnow. Here's a check of the headlines.
North Korea claims it carried out its fifth successful nuclear test. The North also says it now has nuclear warheads small enough to be delivered in
a missile. The U.N. Security Council has called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.
U.S. banking giant, Wells Fargo has fired 5,300 employees for secretly opening 2 million accounts in the names of existing customers without the
customers' knowledge or consent. They shifted customer funds into the new accounts to boost bank season and earn bonuses. The bank will now pay a
$185 million in funds and refund $5 million to customers.
Air travelers are being warned not to use Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on planes. The warning comes after the company recalled the devices over
complaints the batteries were catching fire. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also warned passengers not to pack the smartphones in their
check baggage.
Well, Donald Trump has been spending lots of time defending his recent praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Republican
presidential candidate may have some more explaining to do. On Thursday, he appeared on a television station funded by the Kremlin. Jeff Zeleny has
more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is really very much of a leader.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Amidst ongoing criticism of his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
TRUMP: And he's been a leader far more than our president has been a leader.
ZELENY: Donald Trump in an interview that aired on a television station funded by the Kremlin telling Larry King he thinks it's unlikely the
Russian government is meddling in the 2016 election through hacking.
TRUMP: I think it's probably unlikely. I think maybe the Democrats are putting that out. If they are doing something, I hope that somebody's
going to be able find out so they can end it because that would not be appropriate at all.
[10:30:06] ZELENY: Trump's team telling CNN they did the interview as a favor, claiming they had no idea it would end up on Russia today. His
running mate, Governor Mike Pence, defending Trump's comments about Putin in a CNN interview with Dana Bash earlier in the day.
MIKE PENCE, (R) VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's inarguable that Vladimir Putin has been a stronger leader in his country than Barack Obama
has been in this country and that's going to change the day that Donald Trump becomes president.
ZELENY: Hillary Clinton highlighting Trump's continued praise of Putin. She says it's the latest example of how her opponent is unfit to be
president.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That is not just unpatriotic. It's not just insulting to the office and the man who holds the office. It
is scary. It is dangerous. We have never been threatened as much by a single candidate running for president as we have been in this election.
ZELENY: And Clinton also casting Trump as a divider in this new ad hitting the airwaves in swing states this morning.
CLINTON: Donald Trump says he alone can fix the problems we face. Well, I don't believe that's how you get things done in our country. It takes
Democrats and Republicans working together
ZELENY: This, as both candidates continue trying to paint themselves as the better commander-in-chief
TRUMP: I opposed going in, and I did oppose it, despite the media saying, no, yes, no.
ZELENY: Trump sticking by his false claim that he opposed the Iraq war early on, despite evidence from 2002 that proves otherwise.
HOWARD STERN, RADIO PERSONALITY: Are you for invading Iraq?
TRUMP: Yeah, I guess so.
ZELENY: As Clinton qualifies the language around her pledge to never put troops back on the ground in Iraq.
CLINTON: We are not putting ground troops into Iraq ever again and we're not putting ground troops into Syria.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't, a, that ignoring some ground forces who are there and, b, boxing yourself in?
CLINTON: There is no, in my opinion, path forward to ground troops that would be in our interests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Jeff Zeleny reporting there. Well, Hillary Clinton's campaign says she's racked up 110 endorsements from retired generals and admirals.
And now with growing tensions between NATO and Russia, Vladimir Putin is putting on a show of force more than 12,000 troops staging war games in
Crimea. Well, Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen is embedded with the Russian troops and joins us now live.
Hi there, Fred, quite a message this is sending. Describe what you've seen.
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Robyn. It's the largest Russian military drill that they've done at all this year. As
you said, more than 12,500 troops were a part of this. And having been there today, it really was a huge show of force now the Air Forces is
involved. They were doing mock dog fights in the skies. There was an amphibious landing. There also a lot of land combat as well. It was
really the Russians saying that they wanted to see all of their forces play together.
And of course, all of this has huge political significance as well, simply because a lot of it is held right here in Crimea, in this territory of that
Russia annexed a little over two years ago and then of course it's never been recognized by the United Nations. And because of which both the U.S.
and the E.U. have levered sanctions against the Russians.
So, one of the messages that the Russians are very much sending is, and they said this is, that Crimea is what they call safe from an invasion.
They also, however, say that the drills they're conducting right now go far further than just Crimea. As they said, they are the biggest military
drills that the Russians had conducted this year, entire through, what the Russians call they air entire southern military district which is pretty
much the entire border area with Ukraine.
So, certainly a lot of worry on the Ukrainian side but the Russians sending a -- that their troops are a lot better than they were a few years ago.
CURNOW: OK. Unfortunately, it looks like we've lost Fred Pleitgen there. We apparently still have him, even though our signal is breaking up. There
you are. Hopefully you can hear me, and as our communications remain.
Fred, what -- from what you've seen there -- what you've seen on the ground .
PLEIGTEN: Yeah.
CURNOW: . how has -- how have these war games essentially been impacted by the Russian bombardment in Syria? Is there a link and what's the
connection?
PLEITGEN: Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting, because at the beginning we thought there wasn't one, however, the link is very, very big, the Russians
tell us. We asked them about this and they said, yes, a lot of the experience they've gained in Syria which of course, they have this massive
bombing campaign that's been criticized by the European Union as well and many others. They say that a lot of that also was played out in these
maneuvers as well.
[10:35:04] They said some maneuvers that they were staging here were specifically aimed at fighting what they called insurgents on the ground.
They said some of the territory, some of the terrain interestingly here very similar to some of the terrain in Syria.
So they did have some mock-up drills that specifically were feeding off their experience in Syria, which, of course, has been growing since they've
started conducting those aerial raids as well. And they said that they have actually learned a lot from their air campaign in Syria and it's
something that they really can try to refine during these drills here as well.
So a lot of bigger role than we would have thought and they said it's something that they would continue to work on. But again, of course, the
Russian bombing campaign, very much internationally criticized, but they do say it has also given them some very valuable military experience as well,
Robyn.
CUWNOW: Yeah. Not just that involvement in Syria, but also the annexation of Crimea where you are, also widely criticized by the international
community.
Thank you so much and we look forward to even more of your reports from the region. Fred Pleitgen there.
Well, coming up, you're watching CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it happened 100 seconds after takeoff. We've lost thrust of both engines. It was a life-changing event for everyone on the
airplane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: The "Miracle on the Hudson" gets the Hollywood treatment. Tom Hanks plays pilot Sully Sullenberger in the new movie from Clint Eastwood.
We'll have a review.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: A lot of the time of a plane crashes we cover here at CNN don't have happy endings. Mostly, sometimes they do. And this one, you remember
"Miracle on the Hudson," U.S. Airways Flight 1549 landing on the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. The pilot, Captain
Sully Sullenberger aimed for the river after geese flew into the plane's engines. Miraculously everyone on board of the plane survived. It was an
extraordinary piece of landing there.
Well, seven years later, Director Clint Eastwood has turned the miracle on the Hudson into a movie with Tom Hanks playing Captain Sully. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM HANKS, ACTOR PLAYING SULLY SULLENBERGER: I don't think we can make any runway. What about over to our right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Off to your right side is Teterboro Airport.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well look, I'm sorry if you're frustrated but our job is to investigate how a plane ended up in the Hudson River.
HANKS: Please forgive me if it's wrong, endangered the lives of all those passengers?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. You're scaring me now, Sully.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can land runway one Teterboro.
HANKS: We can't make it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, which runway would you like at Teterboro?
HANKS: I delivered a million passengers over 40 years, but in the end I'm going to be judged on 208 seconds.
We're going to end up in the Hudson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, say again, Cactus?
[10:40:02] HANKS: This is the captain. Brace for impact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Entertainment Journalist Holland Reid joins me now. OK, you saw the movie last night.
HOLLAND REID, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Yes.
CURNOW: I mean, I remember our Wolf Blitzer anchored this coverage on CNN a few years ago. I mean, it was compelling in the aftermath. It seems
like a story made for the movies in many ways. What was it like?
REID: You would think it would be made for the movies. It had all the elements. It had the drama, it had, you know, the life-threaten situation,
the hero, but it really did fall short and it is actually was a very short movie which is interesting. It was less than an hour and a half but it
didn't have turmoil, it didn't have really the conflict that you expect in a big blockbuster drama like this.
It was a happy ending. And we loved that Sully is a national hero. But there, it was really -- he's such a straight-laced guy. There was no
conflict like our Denzel Washington character in "Flight."
And this is very much like "Flight" on Vinex or, you know, like a lifetime version of the movie. But it really just fall short. There wasn't huge
climax. And then when the plane did land finally, I mean, all of that happened in the movie, maybe all of five to six minutes. And so, there
wasn't really a build-up and then there also wasn't an ending, so to speak because we know how if happened and it was a happy ending in real life.
But for Hollywood, it was definitely like, it could've maybe been a T.V. movie and I think we would have been happy with it.
CURNOW: So, there was a lot of restraints and calms?
REID: Yeah.
CURNOW: Exactly what you want from a pilot.
REID: Exactly.
CURNOW: But in many ways for a Clint Eastwood blockbuster .
REID: Right.
CURNOW: . it kind of fall short, you say?
REID: I think we need a little "Dirty Harry." I think we needed our pilot to be on drugs to really, you know, make this, you know, a Hollywood tale.
But, you know it was a real life movie.
CURNOW: But that's the point. This is a historical drama, whatever you want too call it.
REID: Yes. Yes.
CURNOW: It's a real-life movie. This is one of many that we see this real-life stories that are converted into Hollywood movies. There's often
criticism and there has been criticism because the bad guys in this movie were actually the officials.
REID: Yeah. They were the officials then. I believe it's the FTA and it was during the hearings where they really -- I'm sorry. Yes. And they
really tried to make it seem as if they were questioning his judgment and questioning him in great lengths and in reality they really weren't. They
were behind Sully 100 percent I believe that it's been reported. But in the movie, they really try to make it seem like they were causing conflict
and really questioning his character and seeing if he was on anything and all of that which I think is standard procedure.
CURNOW: As if he made a mistake?
REID: As if he had made a mistake and realized that didn't happen quite that way, so.
CURNOW: So this is a story, and unlike, you know, as we said, this is a new story in many ways.
REID: Yeah.
CURNOW: And I think the power of the images of this and of the story was imagining you were a passenger in that plane and suddenly you realize
you're coming to land .
REID: Right.
CURNOW: .in New York, on the water. Was there that sense of anxiety or absolute fear from being a passenger, or was it just told through the eyes
of this very steely pilot?
REID: You know, the opening scene, the anxiety that I actually had which I thought was very interesting. The release of this movie is just a few days
away from -- on the anniversary, 15-year anniversary of 9/11 and the opening scene is him having a nightmare that he actually flew into New
York, into the buildings. And so, that gave me more anxiety watching the exaggerated version of what happened. They were trying to definitely have
to pull in some of that for the sake of the film. But it didn't -- I watched a -- I felt like I watched it better or was more excited watching
it on the news unfold.
CURNOW: On CNN.
REID: On CNN. And watching in the movie, I kind of was like, OK, well, that's an interesting point and that's -- I was following the facts. I
wasn't really following a story. So, yeah, I think the anxiety came more from being reminded of 9/11 and a planes flying, you know, at low altitudes
in major cities than it was the actual story of the passengers surviving. So, yeah, it's a little lackluster.
CURNOW: Good to know and I think many people though will be going this weekend in particular to watch this movie.
REID: Yes. It definitely worth. I went to go see it. I don't think I wasted my money. So I would say definitely say go see it. It's still is a
great film and Tom Hanks, phenomenal.
CURNOW: Well, he can do anything.
REID: Yeah.
CURNOW: Absolutely. Holland Reid, thank you so much.
REID: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
CURNOW: Well, that does it for us here at the "International Desk." Thanks for joining me. I'm Robyn Curnow and "World Sport" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:54] ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN "World Sport." I'm Alex Thomas in London.
It's been a busy day for FIFA's Ethics Committee. A couple of hours ago, we told you about Sepp Blatter, Jerome Valcke and Markus Kattner facing
further punishment. And now it's been announced in the last hour that Jeffrey Webb has been banned from football for life.
Webb widely regarded as a future FIFA president as recently as the start of last year. But he was one of the most high-profile officials arrested in
Zurich in May 2015. And the former head of CONCACAF Federation has already pleaded guilty to multiple counts of racketeering and money laundering in
the U.S. courts. That was after the FBI investigations the corruption in football.
FIFA's Ethics Committee has also announced a new formal investigation into disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Blatter is currently banned
for six years from all football. Although he has lodged an appeal, the Court of Arbitration for Sports is deliberating over as we speak. Now he's
facing further punishment for alleged breaches of FIFA's ethics code in relation to the huge summary and bonuses he received while running the
organization.
Formal proceedings have also been opened against former Secretary General Jerome Valcke as we mentioned and former acting Secretary General Markus
Kattner.
Now, we're about four hours away from the start of the men's semifinals at the U.S. Open tennis championships where Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka
probably the favorites to advance to Sunday's final, will face Gael Monfils and Kei Nishikori in their respective semis.
Nishikori coming up with a dramatic win, of course, over Andy Murray. And on an earlier "World Sport" show, Patrick Snell asked our CNN Tennis
Analyst James Blake why New York seems to bring out the best of the Japanese star.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES BLAKE, CNN TENNIS ANALYST: I think it's the faster courts a little bit. He's someone -- he's a smaller guy, his serve isn't as big a weapon
as well the other guys. He uses speed so effectively but he sucks on -- he doesn't generate as much pace, he doesn't generate winners as easily. So
on this faster courts here at the U.S. Open, he's able to generate winners more effectively.
And so it's been great. He's never lost to a top 10 player at the Open. He's now 5-0 against top 10 players. It's just an amazing record and he's
one of the best of all-time in deciding sets, first sets or a third and deciding sets.
So, he just comes through in big pressure moments. These crowds energize him, I think. You know, he used to living in Tokyo and now coming here.
He can kind of get lost in the shuffle in New York and I think he likes it a lot.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: You mentioned the crowd playing a part in energizing. From your experiences in the season's final
major, just talk more about that. How does the crowd actually get in there and can play an active part?
BLAKE: This crowd in the U.S. Open is amazing. They get so excited. You feel like it's tough to get New Yorkers excited about anything but for some
reason they do get excited about tennis for two weeks out of the year and you can feel that even when you're just in the city. And then when you get
out to the site, all the fans are just filing through the turnstiles and in Arthur Ashe Stadium, it's always seem just so thrilling to me.
And now with the roof on, it's getting even louder and louder. And I can't wait to see a huge match. It's under the closed roof and you see the crowd
getting excited. How much that crowd really makes them rise to the occasion, because they're going to be so loud and just right on top of you
there with that roof closed.
SNELL: And Nishikori is clearly inspired by it all. I want to talk of course about the other men's semi, Novak Djokovic, defending champion Gael
Monfils, looking for the first Grand Slam. You know, Novak's played five matches we're working out in this U.S. Open. Just six hours of tennis to
get this far due to a whole series of injured opponents. How was that although do you feel, James, that lack of game time might impact on him?
BLAKE: Well, I think it's going to be opposite. I think it's going to be a positive for him. I think for a lot of other players or for other
situations, it might be tough without the kind of matches that you'd expect to have seen coming into a semifinals, not a real test. But for Novak,
he's played so much tennis this year and he had a little injury coming into this event. It was his wrist and forearm.
So, I think giving him that plenty of time to rest is dangerous for his next opponents. And Monfils, a huge underdog. He's 0-12 against Novak in
their past 12 meetings. So, I think Novak is the heavy favorite. It's really tough because Monfils plays a very defensive game. And it's tough
to a cat and mouse and out grind Novak Djokovic, the best defender in the game today probably.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:50:15] THOMAS: That was James Blake speaking to my colleague Patrick Snell on an earlier "World Sport."
For this second year running, Serena Williams has suffered a shock semifinal exit at the U.S. Open. This time it's Costa, the world number
one ranking. The top seed could have avenged her sister's defeat for Karolina Pliskova on Thursday night. But she quickly went to break of
serve down to the Czech player appearing her first-ever Grand Slam semi- final. Williams lost that opening set by six games of two. And the second went to a tiebreak. Serena's movement looking sluggish throughout, she
ended up double forcing to hand the match to Pliskova in straight sets.
So, Karolina Pliskova's first Grand Slam final is up against the new women's world number one, Angelique Kerber, the first German to top the
rankings since Steffi Graf. Kerber beating Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets in Thursdays of a semifinal.
She took the opening sets 6-4 against the Danish former world number one rumored to be retiring soon. She's never won a Grand Slam title, maybe she
never will now. There's an unforced error that cost her the match in the end sending Kerber through to the final for the first time in her career.
Now, the new NFL seasons kicked for the Super Bowl rematch between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. Peyton Manning's retired but was
still involved here carrying out the Vince Lombardi trophy before the action got underway.
Panthers jumping out with 10-point lead on the first half. Cam Newton throwing for and running for a touchdown. This rushing touchdown made
Houston the NFL's all-time leader in rushing touchdown by a quarterback and amazing feat if you consider he may have another decade of his career to
go.
The Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian who'd never thrown a pass in the NFL before leading Denver in a second half come back. He found C.J. Anderson
who took in 25 yards. The Broncos is taking the lead in the fourth quarter.
New single (ph), the Panthers back in position for a game-winning field goal though. The Broncos calling time-out to try to distract kicker Graham
Gano and it works. He misses. The Broncos win 21 to 20.
OK. We're going to talk a different kind of football in a moment here in England's Premiere Leagues. And old and very bitter rivalries will be re-
ignited in a mouth-watering Manchester derby.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
THOMAS: This is "World Sport." Hello again. After a break for international football, the world's top players are back to their clubs. I
want to understand how match anywhere on the planet this weekend will be the Manchester derby. Here in England's Premier League, United hosting
city of Old Trafford kicking off at lunchtime on Saturday. A mouth- watering clash and not just because of the club's historic rivalry, they spent more money on new players than any other Premier League teams during
the off-season. Both of new managers who really don't seem to get along, although the pair had been playing down talk a feud in pre-match news
conferences earlier.
[10:55:05] If seeing Jose Mourinho lock horns again with Pep Guardiola if it's not enough here, there's also the barely concealed animosity between
the City coach and one of United star summer signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Here's what Zlatan told our own Amanda Davies back in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC, SWEDISH PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER: With Guardiola, whatever happened as a coach, he fantastic. As a person, I have no
comments about that. That is something else. And then I .
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: You don't like him as a person?
IBRAHIMOVIC: He's not a man. There's nothing more to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: Seems very clear. Earlier, I asked European Football Expert Mina Rzouki why Zlatan dislikes his old Barcelona boss so much.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MINA RZOUKI, FOOTBALL WRITER, PRESENTER, PUNDIT: "He said, I'm always driven by hatred and revenge. He really needs to improve his critics
strong and he really needs to prove that he's the man." And I think what irritates him the most about Pep Guardiola is an incident that happened
after Barcelona game where he was barely featured and he kicked the kick balls.
And it really annoyed him at the fact that Pep Guardiola just picked it up and put it back in his face and walked off. And he hates to not being
noticed. He hates the fact that Guardiola doesn't even have the energy to pick a fight with him. Doesn't even have the .
THOMAS: Pep basically chose Lionel Messi over him, didn't he?
RZOUKI: That is one thing. That is exactly that. He saw this at the times that he was doing so well in Barcelona, he was scoring all the goals.
And of course Messi wanted to play through the middle. And whatever Messi wants Messi gets when it comes to Barcelona and Guardiola had to adjust his
team for that, and very much annoyed Ibrahimovic. But more than that, there was a lack of communication between coach and player.
Zlatan is Zlatan, he was an expensive purchase and at that time he felt that he wasn't being communicated with. And that is really what hurts his
ego. He's used to getting attention. He's used to doing, if I do the right thing, if I score the goals and if I become a hero, then people will
talk to me, people will recognize me and I will get the attention and Guardiola didn't give him that.
THOMAS: So first the personalities, briefly, which of those personalities is going to come out on top on Saturday?
RZOUKI: If someone is driven by revenge and hatred, then you would think that they would win, because who hates Pep more than Zlatan?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: European Football Expert Mina Rzouki being pressed for an answer for me as to whether Manchester City or Manchester United are going to get
a better of that derby in the premier league on Saturday lunchtime. You're not going to get an answer out of me. It's going to be a fascinating game.
Much more on our later edition of CNN "World Sports." Thanks for watching. Robyn Curnow at your latest "International Desk" next. Bye-bye.
END
