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Clinton Takes Aim at Trump's History with Women; Iraqi Forces Close in on Mosul; South Korea Fires Prime Minister; South African Government Order Release of Anti-Corruption Report Amid growing Pressure on Jacob Zuma. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired November 2, 2016 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:11] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to News Stream.
Hillary Clinton hammers rival Donald Trump's history with women, as the race for the White
House goes down to the final days.
South Korea's president sacks the prime minister, but protesters continue to call for her resignation after revelations her spiritual adviser may
have seen secret government documents.
And as Iraqi forces close in on Mosul, we look at what ISIS leaves behind. The story of one family that escaped from the militant group.
The race for the White House tightens up with less than a week to go before election day. In the final stretch, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are
not only reaching out to voters within their own parties, but also hoping to pick up support across the political aisle, and in key swing states like
Florida.
Now, Trump is slated for several events there in the coming hours, while Clinton departs for
Republican-leaning Arizona and later Nevada. Now, Trump gave what he called a public service announcement in Democratic-leaning Wisconsin on
Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: This is a message for any Democratic voter who have already cast their ballots for
Hillary Clinton and who are having a bad case of buyer's remorse, in other words, you want to change your vote. You can change your vote to Donald
Trump. We'll make America great again, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Hillary Clinton is making a last-ditch effort to shift focus away from the latest email controversy and back on to Donald Trump, in
particular his past treatment of women. Now, she enlisted former Miss Universe Alicia Machado to talk about that on Tuesday and unloaded a new
anti-trump ad. Phil Mattingly reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why does he do these things? Who acts like this? And I'll tell you who: a bully. That's who.
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Hillary Clinton trying to turn the page and get the focus back onto Donald Trump.
CLINTON: We've never had someone so unqualified and unfit to be president and commander in chief.
MATTINGLY: After days of intense scrutiny over a new FBI review of e- mails that could be related to her private server, Clinton campaigning in Florida
with the woman she thrust into the national spotlight at the first debate: former Miss Universe Alicia Machado.
ALICIA MACHADO, FORMER MISS UNIVERSE: He even called me names. He said to me, "Miss Piggy, Miss Housekeeping, mean eating machine (ph)."
MATTINGLY: And deploying a new ad attacking Trump's incendiary remarks toward women.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you treat women with respect?
TRUMP: I can't say that either.
MATTINGLY: All part of Clinton's pitch to female voters, a crucial voting bloc for a campaign looking to regain its momentum.
Clinton also using a tried and true campaign attack, slamming Trump over not paying taxes.
CLINTON: He took everything our great country has to offer. He scooped it up with both hands and then paid nothing to pay to support us. And then he
has the nerve to call our military a disaster, to insult POWs.
MATTINGLY: Clinton's campaign raised $11.3 million in just 72 hours after the FBI director's letter to Congress, cash immediately put to use to hit
Trump with attack ads in four states that have leaned blue.
Clinton's frustration with Trump's rhetoric reaching a boiling point, as she confronted a heckler at a rally last night.
CLINTON: I am sick and tired of the negative, dark, divisive, dangerous vision and behavior of people who support Donald Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now, President Barack Obama has been making his final arguments on behalf of Hillary Clinton, launching a week of rallies at college
campuses in key states. He argued Clinton has been unfairly maligned in her political career and he is appealing to men to support her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I know that my wife is not just my equal, but my superior. I want every man out there who's
voting to kind of look inside yourself and ask yourself, if you're having problems with this stuff, how much of it is, you know, we're just not used
to it? So, you know, like when a guy's ambitious and out in the public arena and working hard, that's OK. But when a woman suddenly does it,
suddenly you're all like, well, why is she doing that?
I'm just being honest. I want you to think about it, because she is so much better qualified than the other guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[08:05:24] LU STOUT: I'd like to bring in CNN Politics executive editor Mark Preston. He joins us live from Washington. Mark, great to see you
again. Perhaps for our international viewers a little bit surprised at the fact that quite a number of Americans have already voted. And what are the
early voting trends? What kind of picture is emerging to you?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS: Well, Kristie, let's look about 24.4 million people, a little more than that, have voted early so far in 38 states that
allow early voting at this time. A little more than half that number have voted in the
battleground states that CNN is tracking. Basically, the path to the presidency will run through
these 12 states. Early data shows that Democrats have an advantage, at least in ballots that are returned in Colorado, Iowa, North Carolina,
Nevada, while Republicans have a lead in Arizona, Ohio, Florida, and Utah.
But that's not the full story and doesn't fully explain the situation right here. Let's look at one key state right now, as we can: North Carolina.
Let's look at what the numbers are in North Carolina. Right there you can see that whites have returned ballots about 73 percent of the time, and
blacks are resulted in about 23 percent of the electorate.
If we go back to 2012, though, look at these numbers right here. We are seeing a drop off in a
key constituency right now for Democrats. It's about a 5 percent dropoff right there.
And if you look at the Hispanic vote, though, another key constituency, that has ticked up to
about .7 percent.
Now, let's look at Florida, another key state that is going to decide who wins or loses the White House. And let's look at the demographics in that
state, Kristie. Look at this right here. Whites about 71, 72 percent, African-Americans at about 12 percent. Hispanics at about 14 percent.
Let's go back to 2008, though. Let's look at this number right here. Look at that dropoff right
there, Kristie. Again, another dropoff for Democrats in another key constituency, while we are seeing an increase in Hispanic voters, so good
news for Democrats when you look at that number in particular.
Now, it is no surprise that Barack Obama is in North Carolina today. He's going to be there on
Friday, as well, trying to get the African-American vote out for Hillary Clinton. We are just six days away from election day, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yeah, absolutely no surprise that POTUS is there trying to counter these early voting trends in that key state.
Now, several of you know that Donald Trump is telling early Clinton voters to change their votes, to switch sides. Will voters actually do that?
PRESTON: You know, it's an interesting tactic by Donald Trump to try to do so at this point. You know, you can change your vote in some states. For
instance, in Wisconsin, in Minnesota, in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Mississippi. if you've cast a ballot, you want to change your
mind, you can do so, but it's not that easy. You have to go in and do it in person. States that do not allow it, though, and these are key states,
Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Arizona. These states are all being contested right now by Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
LU STOUT: And, mark, the FBI, I mean, the FBI keeps showing up in this election, in this final stretch no less, looking for connection between the
Trump campaign and Russia.
Why does the FBI continue to make itself the center of the race, and what is going to be the political impact here?
PRESTON: You know, the biggest unanswered question of the election, Kristie, we have no idea. Not only have we seen the FBI director Comey
come out late last week and said that he was reopening the investigation, telling the United States congress that he was
doing so, which really put the campaign, again, in another tail spin.
In addition to that, there was some files that were released just yesterday about an investigation into a pardon that Bill Clinton made when he was
president.
Again, a very controversial pardon of a gentleman by the name of Marc Rich. Democrats say that is politically motivated, Republicans say the FBI is
just doing its job, but we have no idea why this is all happening now.
LU STOUT: All right, Mark Preston across all of it for us. We'll talk again soon. As always, thank you. Take care, Mark.
And now we turn to the fight for Mosul. Iraqi forces are facing sniper fire, planted explosives, and barricaded roads as they hold their ground on
the city's doorstep.
Now, ISIS have held the Iraqi city for more than two years, and as the troops move in, experts
believe entering Mosul will trigger the fiercest fighting scene yet in the two-week-old offensive. The Norwegian refugee council is bracing for the
worst, warning that the lives of more than a million civilians are in danger,including those that ISIS rounded up to be used as human shields.
Now, CNN is on the front lines in the battle for Mosul. And we'll speak to Arwa Damon shortly. But earlier, she gave us the story of one family who
escaped ISIS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[08:10:21] ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the town of Tulul al-Nasir. ISIS is no longer here, but nor are most of its
people. As ISIS left, they forced the civilians to go with them. Men, women, children, the elderly as human shields.
Just days before the Iraqi security forces arrived, ISIS fighters went through house to house, demanding that every family leave and make their
way towards another larger town called Hamman al-Alil, about 20 kilometers away.
And in this home is one family who managed to escape. Assad, his wife and daughters, all hid in a ditch while around 500 other families were marched
or driven away. His wife, Sadiya, says the fighter that came to their door was Syrian.
SADIYA, SURVIVOR (through translator): They told us you're going to have to walk to Hamman al-Alil. So we knew the road was long. So we took blankets
and bread with us.
DAMON: Mariam, just 8 years old, said "they shot over our heads. I was crying."
We drive along the route they walked, one filled with chilling memories.
AS'AAD, SURVIVOR (through translator): When we got there, that was where they killed three brothers and they took the fourth. When we saw them
being killed, we stopped and then they shot around us.
DAMON: These plains, he says, were packed with families walking, and this was the ditch
that saved their lives.
And it wasn't just their family that stayed here, there were a number of other families that also ended up hiding inside this ditch. And he says it
was a gift from god that they weren't discovered, because ISIS fighters were going around on their motorcycles and firing into the air during the
whole time.
What saved them, the thick smoke from fires burning at nearby oil wells and a sulfur factory
obscured the moonlight.
The only thing that he cares about right now, he said, is for the other families from the village, those whose whereabouts are still unknown, to
come back safely.
Among them, his eldest. His daughter, who has a baby who is 4 months old, whose name is Nanoun (ph). She's among those who are missing.
She had taken another route with her husband. After two nights, even though ISIS was still in the town, they decided to sneak back home. They
hid under the staircase for another two nights. The children shaking with each gunshot, each explosion.
SADIYAH (through translator): The army came in the morning, but we didn't know until the evening. The neighbors came and said the army is in the
streets. We went out and we were celebrating. We couldn't believe it. We still can't believe it. At night we are still scared they might come back.
DAMON: Still, Mariam can't wait to get back to school.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
DAMON: Oh, she wants to be a doctor. Hearing that briefly brings a smile to her mother's face, briefly allows her to escape the torment over her
missing daughter.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: There is hope after liberation from ISIS.
Now, Arwa Damon joins us now from a town on the outskirts of the city. And, Arwa, what have you seen on the road to Mosul?
DAMON: Well, Kristie, just take a look around us. The tower up there, that is actually considered to be the demarcation of Mosul's eastern most
perimeter. And we're going to be moving kind of carefully through here, because there have been incoming mortar rounds, incoming rocket propelled
grenades, and there's a sniper that's firing in this direction, as well. But over here, that is the main road that leads to Mosul, and you can see
it has been bermed up, and I don't know if Bruce can get a shot of this, but that town you see on the other side of the berm, that is the Mosul
neighborhood of Qarama (ph), and that is inside the city itself, with only about 200 meters from where we currently are right now.
And you have troops with the counterterrorism unit, the elite U.S. trained unit, that have moved up all along this various different front lines.
They've cleared through the town of (inaudilbe). They've been going through it throughout the entire day, clearing it of any remnants of ISIS.
They've come across quite a few firefights, and now they are trying to secure this area in particular, so that then they can actually begin the
push into Mosul, the city itself, and they are fully anticipating that once they actually cross this road and get into the city, the fight is going to
be significantly more intense.
We've been speaking to some of the civilians who lived here, they say the ISIS fighters who used to be here, they, a lot of them, moved away with
their families, taking them with them into the city of Mosul itself. Again, just on the other side of that berm some 200 meters away -- Kristie.
[08:15:29] LU STOUT: Aand when Iraqi troops enter the city of Mosul, that is when urban warfare will get underway, and a lot of concern about the
fate of civilians inside the city, about them being used as human shields. What are Iraqi forces going to do in order to reduce mass civilian deaths?
DAMON: Well, they came across that actually when they were coming through this town of Gurktili (ph), and they had to go through very slowly, very
methodically, and what they've done here is they've actually had the civilian population stay within the town itself.
And what they are doing now is going through and trying to speak to all of them, screen them as best they can.
When they move into Mosul, though, things like the air strikes that we've been seeing fairly regularly, especially in the farther away abandoned
villages, things like the artillery they've been using, rockets, missiles that they've been calling in, that's going to prove to be much more
difficult because Mosul itself does still have a population upwards of 1.2 million people and we have seen ISIS use civilian populations as human
shields in the past, which is why it is of such great concern.
And as you can tell perhaps, there is no escape route. There have been no routes that anyone has established, in fact, for the civilian population to
leave. The Iraqi side is unable to do so, ISIS, obviously, is not letting the civilians leave, and those who we spoke to, Kristie, just to give you
one example, there was one group of civilians who were trying to walk towards the Iraqi forces inside this town when they say ISIS fired a mortar
round into them and wounded a little girl. So that's also a risk, as well, if the people inside Mosul were to try to make a run for it. They
are risking their lives just trying to save themselves.
No escape paths for the estimated 1 million people inside Mosul. Arwa Damon reporting live for us in the outskirts of the city. We thank you and
your team for your reporting. Take care, we'll talk again soon.
Now, in South Africa, a judge has ruled that a report looking into government corruption must be released in less than three hours. Now,
President Jacob Zuma dropped his bid to block the release as protesters call for him to resign.
The report investigates allegations that he allowed his wealthy friends to influence his decisions as president.
Now, CNN's David McKenzie joins us now from Pretoria. And, David, there has been a massive march today. Describe the scene for us.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the scene has become slightly chaotic here, Kristie. You have had these calls, of course, from people across South
Africa for Jacob Zuma to step down. We've just been witnessing looting over here at a hotel and and inn. There's been a little bit of chaos here
in Pretoria, and, certainly, the police have not been able to do much really, because the protesters have been across this capital city shutting
down the capital.
But the bigger story here is really the situation in politics. There's going to be now later today in just the coming hours a damning report
released by the public protector that initially the president desperately tried to fight its release. That could show very in-depth levels of
corruptions at the highest level -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Now, this march has descended into scenes of chaos, but tell us more about the people who participated in this general protest, because
they come from all walks of life. This is a wide spectrum of South African society.
MCKENZIE: Well, that's right. You don't have just the protesters here from one main opposition group, though it is kind of devolving into a bit
of chaos -- I'm just going to move away a bit.
There's also -- quiet for one second, please.
Kristie, there's also the business community, the official opposition, people like this from the opposition of economic freedom fighters who have
really tried to push for the president to come up and face the music, as it were, because of these corruption allegations.
This is a broad-based movement, it's not just the people out on the streets, it's all those other groups. Whether he actually listens to that
pressure, a senior member of the ANC said, he should just accept -- will go with his conscience in this, I do think that this is the most critical time
the president has faced since he came into office.
LU STOUT: Yeah, this is a broad-based moment and there was a sign that was just behind you saying "Zuma must go." We saw the signs up earlier today.
Politically, can Jacob Zuma survive this?
[08:20:06] MCKENZIE: Well, at this stage it's all up to the ANC, the ruling African National Congress, and the leadership would end the ruling
party. And so that ANC ruling party could take the decision to push Zuma out, but it really is up to the parliament.
There will be a vote of no confidence, the leader of opposition, official opposition, told me earlier today next week potentially in parliament,
unlikely that will push through. But really it will be up to Zuma falling on his sword. I don't see that right now, but certainly as I said before,
it's the most critical time he's faced. And as these protesters mill about here, frankly as you see over here some of them looting, but the majority
of them peaceful.
But Kristie, I don't think it's going to happen now that the president leaves, but it could be the beginning of the end for him. But certainly
too early to tell, but with scenes of chaos like this, the ruling party certainly will be worried about what the future holds for them in power --
Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yeah, certainly dramatic scenes of protest in Pretoria, the pressure is mounting for Jacob Zuma to step down. David McKenzie reporting
for us live at the scene. Thank you, David, take care.
Now, you're watching News Stream. And still to come on the program, France is moving the last remaining children and teenagers from that demolished
migrant camp in Calais. What's next for the minors as they seek a permanent home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.
South Korea president Park Geun-hye has sacked the prime minister and two other senior officials. Now, protesters are still calling for her
resignation, though, comparing her to a puppet, manipulated by her confidant, Choi Soon-sil.
Now, Choi herself is underfire. In the last few hours prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for her over charges of abuse of power and fraud. Paula
Hancocks has more on the outrage that's sweeping the nation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Elected on an anti- corruption ticket, Park Geun-hye swore she'd clean up South Korean politics. Almost four years later she's at the center of an unprecedented
scandal: thousands are calling for her resignation.
A bow, a brief apology, followed by a comprehensive cabinet reshuffle, an attempt to shift focus from the fact she shared confidential documents with
a confidante, who is now accused of peddling influence for personal gain.
Choi Soon-sil has apologized for, quote, committing a deadly sin, although she denies the charges against her. In detention and considered a flight
risk by the prosecutors office.
Choi's family has long had influence with Park. Choi's father was head of a cult-like religion in the 1970s, and is believed to have mentored Park
while she was in her 20s.
[11:25:06] CHARLES ARMSTRONG, COLUMBIA UNIVERISTY: It's extremely strange and bizarre nature of this that a president of the country, it seems, under
the control of this woman who is part of, essentially a religious cult that has Koreans really baffled and angry.
HANCOCKS: Anger spilled over into violence on Tuesday, as one man attacked the prosecutor's office with an excavator, saying he wanted to kill Choi.
Park's approval ratings are appalling. Some polls have her as low as 10 percent. And many critics are citing her judgment in sharing classified
documents as evidence she's unfit to run the country.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: A new analysis is debunking the notion that someone was flying Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370 when it spiraled into the Indian Ocean.
Now, the flight to Beijing vanished in March of 2014. The Australian transport safety bureau released the new report. And experts say the study
shows the plane ran out of fuel and dropped into the sea at high speed with no one at the controls.
Now, France is moving 1,500 children and teenagers from what's left of a migrant camp in
Calais. Buses carrying some of the children left Wednesday morning. They're being taken to processing centers across the country after the camp
was demolished.
Now, France is at odds with Britain over where they will be settled. Under EU law, the UK is obliged to take minors with verified family ties in
Britain.
Now, more than 300 kilometers away in Paris, thousands of migrants are camping out at the Stalingrad metro station.
Our Melissa Bell explains why the population there has ballooned in recent days.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESOPNDENT: The Calais jungle is now a thing of the past, its tents torn down and its inhabitants relocated to emergency
shelters in France's regions. But as the camp in Calais has closed, others have grown like this one near a Paris metro station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As we know, the Paris are opening the door. There are rumors in the whole Europe that the France is giving the papers so all of
them are coming to France right now.
BELL: The numbers of migrants living around Stalingrad station have swelled over the course of the last couple of weeks from several hundred to
2,500, according to the aid associations that help them. We're talking about Eritreans, Somalis, Sudanese, and Afghan nationals, most of whom have
applied for asylum here in France, they're simply waiting now for their applications to be processed and
living in the meantime in the most appalling conditions.
Sarah (ph) is just 17 years old. She arrived at the Stalingrad camp a week ago, and she says
she's had no help in claiming asylum.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very cold. Some are drinking, they are talking together. How we can we sleep? When I sleep in the night, I cry. Always,
I can cry. How can I sleep?
BELL: Are you scared?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE; I worry myself. I don't have anybody there.
BELL: Soon, migrants arriving in parents will be taken to this camp in the north of the city. It was due to open in October, and it shouldn't be
long, say authorities. After Calais, they want migrants off all of France's streets.
Stalingrad is to be cleared by the end of the week, its tents torn down and its inhabitants relocated to emergency shelters in the greater Paris
region. The question is, how many more will be drawn to the streets of a country that now appears to be offering more than just its streets?
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And coming up, just six days before the U.S. election and candidates are hammering home their final
messages. We'll have more on the election after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[08:32:44] LU STOUT: Now, the plague of fake news stories is getting worse. On Tuesday, a fake news site tricked U.S. national radio host and
Fox News anchor Sean Hannity. Now, Hannity embraced a piece fake news about President Obama deleting endorsements on Hillary clinton from his
Twitter account. The claim could have been disproved by just a quick Twitter search.
Now, Hannity later tweeted a correction and apologized.
Now, joining us for more on the story is CNN Money's Brian Stelter. He is live from New York and first, background to the story, Brian, how did
Hannity fall for this fake story?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this is fake story -- or you might say fantasy news. In this case, a story published by a really
obscure right-wing website that publishes a mix of real and fake news says that Michelle Obama had deleted all of her endorsements, all of her tweets
about Hillary Clinton. In fact, it deleted all of her tweets for three years.
Well, that wasn't true, because Michelle Obama had not tweeted for three years on her @MichelleObama twitter handle.
Anyway, that blog post got picked up by other blogs. It kind of had a snowball effect, and then new lies were added on top of it, that's when it
reached Sean Hannity during his radio show. So, he was reading this information he was seeing on the web, sharing it with his listeners. At
one point Hannity wondered if it was true, then brought it up again as fact. As a result, some of his fans and listeners also believed it.
It's one of many examples of how these fake stories, kind of made up out of nothing, can spread virally both on the Internet, and social media, and
through old fashioned media like radio.
LU STOUT: And you've been reporting on this. What happened to Hannity underscores what you reported on earlier this week, how to protect
ourselves from this plague of fake news.
First, Brian, I want to get your advice for news consumers out there, how to protect themselves.
STELTER: Well, this happens every day. I fall prey to these stories, we all sort of sometimes fall victim to these stories. Sometimes they seem
too good to be true when you see them on Facebook feeds or Twitter feeds.
Once in awhile rarely they reach mainstream news outlets and then it gets worse.
I would say what's most important here is if it seems too good to be true, then it probably isn't. It's that old axiom that remains true today.
When you see something that you're inclined to believe, that you want to believe, double, triple check before you share it. Check Snopes.com or
other fact checking websites, because they usually get to the bottom of these things pretty quickly.
In the case about the news story about Michelle Obama and President Obama and Elizabeth
Warren all unendorsing Hillary Clinton on Twitter, it was easy to check just by going to their Twitter pages, scrolling down sand seeing the pro-
Hillary tweets were still there. So that kind of basic impulse to check and to verify what you're reading is what's often times missing. And
listen, we're in the middle of a heated election season. So, people are even more inclined to want to believe these fake stories. That's why I say
they are also sort of fantasy news stories.
When it's bad news for the other side, when it's good news for your side, you're inclined to believe it, But that echo chamber effect does do
damage over time and I think we're seeing that very vividly during this election season.
LU STOUT: Yeah, sort of triple check before you share. And this applies to media producers
and newsrooms, as well. I mean, after this crazy election cycle -- it's not over yet. What are the best practices for us?
STELTER: Yeah, you're absolutely right. When a broadcast like Sean Hannity falls victim, it goes to show he wanted the story to be true, he
wanted to share it with his audience and get them fired up, but that does damage to his audience, it really does a disservice to
his audience when he passes along a fake story.
Now, he said he's not a journalist, but he has a responsibility as abroadcaster to check things out. And for real journalists in newsrooms
like CNNs and Foxes and every other newsroom, it's incumbent on us in these wild final days of an election to try to separate fact from fiction,
because a lot of stories out there, members of our viewing public want to be true right now. The worst stories about Clinton and Trump, but those
are oftentimes the stories that do not check out, that are mostly made of fiction, not fact. And so the challenge is really, I would say, increased
in these final days of the election to be verifying all the things out there.
LU STOUT: Yeah, verify and debunk the nonsense. Media consumers and producers, all of
us, we have to beware. Brian Stelter, we'll leave it at that. Thank you so much, take care.
Now, you're watching News Stream. We'll have a lot more on the U.S. elections after this short
break, including what's going to happen to the official POTUS Twitter account after President Obama leaves the office.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fukuoka, Japan, it may not have the skyscrapers and raw energy of Tokyo, or the temples and
tourists of Kyoto, but travel to the southern island of Kyushu, and take a look around this port city of 1.5 million, you'll notice something
different, something that sets this place apart.
In an aging country with a shrinking population, Fukuoka is bucking the trend. This is a city that's actually growing with a population that is
noticeably younger.
Perhaps, it's not a coincidence, then, that the mayor here happens to be the youngest in the city's history. Along the river, he lets us in on his
plan, one he says is about leaving Japan's economic struggles of the past few decades behind and charting a new course into the future.
SOICHIRO TAKASHIMA, MAYOR OF FUKUOKA (through translator): We can't just go
with the flow. We take initiative to shift employment to growing areas. We look at markets not just in
Japan, but also overseas, and we want to carve out a new era. That's what drives what my stake in startups.
[08:40:01] STEVENS; Drive business and drive investment, he says, but don't stop there. Mayor Takashima wants to grow Fukuoka into the startup
capital of Japan to make his city a global household name.
Ask someone to point you to the center of where the mayor's vision is taking shape, and you'll find yourself here, this Utaya (ph) bookstore.
Head up the escalators, past the shelves and into the start-up cafe, a one- stop shop for budding entrepreneurs.
Thomas Pouplin and Yasmine Djoudi first came to Fukuoka from France as exchange students. After graduation, they returned with an idea.
THOMAS POUPLIN, CO-FOUNDER IKKAI: You come here, you going to have a lot of advice on how to build a business plan, how to do a financial plan,
especially since the Japanese law and everything is totally different from what we used to know. Yasmine and I had no idea, so we had free advice.
That was great.
STEVENS: That support, they say, doesn't get Ikkai, a crowd sourcing platform off the ground. Now they have one full-time employee and they're
looking for a second.
YASMIN DJOUDI, CO-FOUNDER IKKAI: Creating a company is stressful enough, so just creating it here, just removes a lot of stress. Maybe have more
chance to success.
STEVENS: Sure, Yasmine and Thomas say, more financial incentives and less red tape make starting a business as a foreigner in Fukuoka that much
easier, but home grown entrepreneurs say that at its very core the city has another secret ingredient, one that's key to promoting innovation. For
Fukuoka, it's about leveraging what's already there to create a new identity, fostering new connections,
attracting new talent, all in the hope that this city on the edge of Japan can one day take the lead when it comes to innovation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now, soon the Oval Office will have a new occupant and so will the official @POTUS Twitter account.
President Barack Obama embraced his Twitter duties enthusiastically, often using his POTUS handle to post news of recent policies or even show some
light-hearted moments. and now the White House says those duties will fall in the hands of Tuesday's election victor starting January 20. The @POTUS
handle will keep its 11 million followers, but all the current tweets will be publicly archived and then cleared from the account.
And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, World Sport with Alex Thomas is next.
END