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Ten U.S. sailors missing hours after collision at sea; Keeping eyes and ears on North Korea; Trump may send more troops to afghanistan; Barcelona terror suspect still on the loose; Death toll stands at 499 after Sierra Leone mudslide. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired August 21, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

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LU STOUT: Our 10 U.S. sailors are missing after a warship collides with an oil tanker off Singapore and this is the fourth incident involving a U.S.

warship in the Pacific this year.

President Donald Trump is set to unveil a new plan for the U.S. in Afghanistan as he continues to face a domestic backlash. And a manhunt is

underway to find this man.

Authorities say is armed and dangerous, suspected of driving a van through a crowd of people in Barcelona.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A search is underway right now for 10 American sailors missing nearly 15 hours after Navy destroyer collided with an oil tanker. And that

has happened east of the Malacca Strait.

One of the world's busiest shipping routes as a warship was heading for a port visit in Singapore. The Navy says that there was flooding in birthing

compartments as well as machinery and communication rooms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And here, you can see that large hole in the ship but it still needed support under its own power. This incident -- accident, it's the

fourth one this year involving a U.S. warship in the Pacific.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: In June the USS on Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off the coast of Japan. Seven U.S. sailors died as result.

In May, the guided missile cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain was hit by a small fishing boat off the Korean Peninsula. And then in late January,

another guided missile cruiser, the USS Antietam ran aground will trying to anchor in Tokyo Bay.

Let's get the very latest on the search and rescue operation, the search for this ten missing American sailors. Manisha Tank joins us live from

Singapore, where the damage warship is now.

Manisha, thank you for joining us. Again, 10 American sailors are still missing. Singapore has been leading the operation to find them with the

latest.

MANISHA TANK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, since 5:24 local time, Kristie. We have been getting reports that Singaporean Navy sending assets to help out

in this.

But as for the latest, I can tell you that the USS America which actually left Singapore -- in a visit to Singapore and left the Chinese naval base

on 9th of August.

Well it around and it came back, and it is now opposite to the USS McCain, and it will assist in this search and rescue efforts. It also will assist

with giving some space to crewmembers, so that they have because of course those birthing areas has been affected.

And also, it will -- it had divers on board who can help with efforts to really assess the damage in the hole of the ship, understand what is going

on here, understand that damage and what needs to be done in terms of repairs.

But also, huge concerns as you say for those 10 missing sailors. It is unclear exactly what any of the divers or any of the helpful on the USS

America is doing towards that.

But some reports suggesting that they may be looking at possibly flooded compartments -- that we know there are other flooded compartments and that

is the big concern right now.

As for the wider effort, I do want to direct you to where I'm standing surrounded by huge amount of shipping traffic. Those are not buildings

with lights on, grazing behind me, that is row of cargo ships and oil tankers, also some other vessels.

This is a really busy shipping channel we've already referred to. And so there are a lot of questions right now between the Malaysians, between the

Singaporeans about exactly where this collusion happened.

But everyone is pushing their assets forward help the U.S., the Malaysians, the Singaporeans and apparent an Indonesian ship on its way but not in the

collusion area yet.

LU STOUT: This is a very, very busy waterway. We can see right behind you and this accident at sea, it comes a time, a lot of tension in the region.

So could this collision and the momentary loss of the vessel and everything it had on board, could affect the greater U.S. mission in the Pacific?

TANK: Well you know, this is the big the question right now. Kristie. So this is one of 11 vessels that is stationed out of the naval base in Japan

that carries the AG's missile defense.

Now this system is counted to be a sort of defense as it were or counter to North Korean aggression of any type. Should it occur in this region and so

whit is why people are asking a lot of questions about this.

[08:05:00] This would mean that along with the USS Fitzgerald, which is fifth ship to the USS McCain, it puts two of those ships out of commission

and also of course you said this when before we started talking, this is the fourth collusion of this particular fleet in the Asia-Pacific area.

So many questions are also being asked about why there have been so many collusions, what are the implications of this? And there was a rather

disappointing report on the navigation into the USS Fitzgerald a week ago about seamanship, about the way that particular vessel was manage at the

time of collusion.

But again, I need to stress here also that the collusion occurred between the USS McCain and a 600 foot long oil tank. Now an oil tanker like, which

reportedly was made with 12,000 tons of fuel and luckily, there was no oil spill.

It is very difficult for a vessel like that to turn quickly. So again in that investigation, many questions will be ask about implications but could

this occur giving those tensions but also in terms of operations in this region, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yes, absolutely, serious questions being raised about training, about leadership, about maritime traffic management, Manisha Tank covering

on ground for us. Thank you very much, Manisha Tank, reporting live for us from Singapore.

As mentioned, this is the fourth incident involving a U.S. warship in Asian waters this year. My colleague (Inaudible), CNN Military analyst Rick

Francona, what this means going forward for the U.S. Navy.

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RET. LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I can guarantee you that there will be a top to bottom review for procedures and protocols, and

find out what's going on if it's a system -- systemic problem.

Now I suspect that all four of these incidents that we were talking about are coincidental because if you look at what happened today, if it did lose

a steering just before the accident, it might just be a simple as that, a maintenance issue or technical issue.

Whereas on the Fitzgerald, you know what I'm reading from the investigation now as it was poor seamanship and the officers were removed for cause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN military analyst Rick Francona there. Now, the U.S. and South Korea begin joint military drills today and South Korean

President Moon Jae-in told his cabinet that the exercises are not meant to raise tensions on the Peninsula.

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LU STOUT: Pyongyang has already responded with some heated rhetoric. South Korea's president says the exercises as in past are strictly

defensive. The joint U.S.-South Korean drills will continue for two weeks and consist of computer simulated exercises.

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LU STOUT: The U.S. maintains a close watch to stay a step ahead of any potential moves by North Korea. Alexander Field spent time at one U.S.

base where the pressure has certainly ratcheted up in recent months.

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ALEXANDER FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At Osan Airbase, a U.S. airbase in South Korea, they are watching.

LT. COL. JAMES BARTRAN, U-2 PILOT, 5TH RECONNAISSANCE: We're up there. We are keeping eyes and ears on North Korea.

FIELD: And they are waiting.

BARTRAN: So I can start to cue missiles, I can shoot radars, in can use targeting pod.

FIELD: The control tower coordinates a few dozen military flights a day, sending these spy planes dumped Dragon Lady up over the Korean Peninsula.

BARTRAN: We're busier here than we've been probably in the last 10 year. We're very busy but we -- you know, we are tasked every day to fly our

mission. So we do that.

FIELD: Pressurized suits allow pilots to sort altitudes at 70,000 feet. That's twice as high as a commercial jet.

The one-seater spy planes are flown by eight specially trained officers, the job to provide intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. A window

for Washington into North Korea needed now as much as ever.

BARTRAN: Everything that this aircraft is collecting is almost instantaneously sent down to people who can process, exploit and

disseminate information in minutes to our leadership.

MAJ. DANIEL TRUEBLOOD, F-16 PILOT, 36TH SQUADRON: We want to be ready to launch operations out of both airspaces -- our both airspaces at the moment

notice and be ready to fight tonight.

FIELD: Major Daniel Trueblood is on a two-year tour to South Korea taking up a job that U.S. troops had done for decades since the end of the Korean

War.

TRUEBLOOD: The F-16s are pivotal to the -- to basically the defense and any potential actions so with GPS or laser guided weapons, we can strike in

a variety of different targets.

FIELD: This U.S. airbase is fewer than 40 miles from the North Korean borders. These supersonic jets can fly to 16 miles a minute. So in the

case of a conflict with North Korea, they can reach the DMZ in just two to three minutes.

They practice daily, sometimes at mock battles. On this day, 12 of the Ari Force's F-16 fighter jets take-off.

TRUEBLOOD: Because we don't know with the unpredictability of things.

[08:10:00] Tonight maybe in fact the night, so we train every night.

FIELD: Still the same they have done every day for decades. Now with the world watching what happens next. Alexandra Field, CNN, at Osan Airbase.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: The U.S. president is about to unveil a new strategy on another critical issue. Afghanistan, it is America's longest war.

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LU STOUT: One that's now taking 16 years and tens of thousands of lives and whatever the new strategy entails, it will certainly have an impact on

the region.

Right now, the U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis is in Georgia and he is working to firm up U.S. alliances end of the lease.

And back at home, President Trump is preparing for his first primetime television address to ask the American people to trust him.

But given the recent controversies such as his response to the Charlottesville violent or the sacking of his chief advisor Steve Bannon,

will he be able to win support? Here's Sara Murray.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's a very big decision to me. I took over a mess and we're going to make it a lot less messy.

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump set to outline his strategy for America's path forward in Afghanistan. A major test for the

new commander-in-chief, one that could put more Americans troops in harms way.

After meeting with top administration officials at Camp David on Friday, the president announcing Saturday, he had made a decision after months of

deliberation and delay.

JAMES MATTIS, DEFENSE SECRETARY, UNITED STATES: The president has made a decision and he said, he wants the one to announce it to the American

people. It is a South Asia strategy as much as Afghanistan strategy,

MURRAY: The president has been presented with a wide range of options. Everything from a full withdrawal to the deployment of up to 4000 more

soldiers, adding to the more than 8000 American forces already there.

That's an option recently ousted chief strategist Steve Bannon opposed. The founder of the controversial security firm Blackwater has also lobbied

the White House to begin relying more heavily on private contractors.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis remaining tight lift about the details. But he gave this silvering assessment in June in the state of the nearly 16

year-long war.

MATTIS: We are not winning more in Afghanistan right now.

MURRAY: Trump has questioned the purpose of America's continued involvement in Afghanistan, repeatedly advocating for full withdrawal on

Twitter before running for president.

Officials say he remained deeply skeptical but has doubt to have come up against hawkish general in his inner circle, any troop increase, sure to

meet at least some resistance from Democrats.

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D), MARYLAND: I don't believe putting more American soldiers in Afghanistan is the answer.

MURRAY: This crucial national security decision comes to meet questions about the president's leadership capability, amounting backlash to Trump's

defense of white supremacists in Charlottesville last week.

TRUMP: You had some very people that group but you also has people that were very fine people on both sides.

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: It's going to be very difficult for this president to leave if in fact that moral authority remains compromise.

MURRAY: The president's approval ratings, taking a hit, keeping below 40 percent in three key Midwest states that help Trump win the presidency.

With six in 10 Americans saying, they're embarrassed by the president's conduct.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN Sara Murray reporting there and she joins us now with much more from the White House. And Sara, a lot of questions

about the timing of this, why is President Trump addressing the nation on Afghanistan now?

MURRAY: Well this is something that the president and his advisers have been struggling to come up with a strategy with really for weeks. They

expected it to come sooner and then he huddled with his advisors on Friday at Camp David.

They finally came to a decision but even some of the -- the general surrounding who has said part of the delay was that the president was

continually presented with these options and he kept having additional follow up questions.

So it seems now to me it's finally settled on a strategy and of course, we'll hear more about that later today.

LU STOUT: You know, the primetime address tonight U.S. time and of Donald Trump in that address announces an increase in troop numbers, and increase

in spending in Afghanistan, what's going to be the reaction among members of his base -- the base that elected him to put America first?

MURRAY: Well I think that will be a very interesting thing for the president to explain because it is possible and perhaps even likely that he

will say he's ready to send more troops into Afghanistan, not a highly substantial number but potentially thousands more troops.

And he's going to have to explain why he thinks that that's the correct strategy. What he believes success in Afghanistan means under his

presidency and how this speaks with his notion of America first.

Remember, as you pointed out, this is not someone who has a history of being super interventionist, he talked about wanting to withdraw before he

was president.

[08:15:00] And even before he was a candidate about wanting to withdrawal all troops in Afghanistan.

So it's not just going to be the policy that the president -- the president lays out tonight but also his explanation of why he thinks this is the

right approach. Why the American people should trust him at a time when his credibility is under fire.

LU STOUT: Sara Murray, reporting live from the White House, thank you. You're watching News Stream and when we come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A manhunt is on across Spain and beyond for the driver of the van that was used on last week's terror attack.

We'll have a live update from Barcelona. Also ahead, Sierra Leone is in desperate need of international aid after last week's deadly mudslides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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LU STOUT: Coming to you love fore Hong Kong, welcome back, you're watching News Stream. Now Hong Kong's pro-democracy Umbrella Movement Leader Joshua

Wong and his fellow organizers are expected to appeal their jail sentence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Thousands of people came out to protest their imprisonment on Sunday. The three pro-democracy leaders were convicted of unlawful

assembly after they led a 79 days sit in of major roads in the heart of the city's financial district.

They received between six months and eight months for the 2014 protest. They were originally sentenced to community service, which they completed

but the Hong Kong government appealed for a stiffer penalty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The 22-year-old suspected driver in the Barcelona terror attack is still on the run and we are learning new details about his escape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Meanwhile, visitors and residents are paying their respects to the victims of last week's attack at Las Ramblas when that van drove into a

crowd of people, killing 13 and injuring 120.

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LU STOUT: Now police, they held a news conference just a short time ago. CNN's Isa Soares has the very latest developments from Barcelona.

Isa, police have identified the van driver. This manhunt is now underway and there are new developments from police. What are you hearing now?

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, hi Kristie. Well that press conference is still underway but I can tell you what officials here have been telling

us in the last few minutes. We're starting -- we've seen the pieces of the puzzle come together.

I'm getting a better picture of what happened here on Thursday, so what we know is that Younes Abouyaaqoub, the man who was behind that van, 22,

Moroccan.

He is the man still on the run. New photos, new images of him have been put out by the police who are asking for the public to tweet and share, and

be -- and be warned that he is armed, and he is dangerous.

So what we heard from police and he is the man behind driving that van that plowed into people right here on Las Ramblas. From here, he continued

driving the white van down the famous Las Ramblas.

He ditched the van there and then according to police, he went on foot through (Inaudible) region.

[08:20:00] And from there, he made his way to the university area where there are lots of university's campuses. But in there -- in that, he then

attacks -- I should say killed a Spanish citizen that he is be named today as Pau Perez, bringing the total of those killed to 15.

From there, we know that he then went on foot according to police and as from there, that he disappeared hence why authority are now asking for the

public to share that image and to help in trying to track him down.

Authorities telling us early this morning, Kristie, they do not know where he -- whether he has slipped through past the border into France, but he

could also they said, still be in Spain.

At the same time, authorities saying in the last few minutes that an Imam - - the Imam of Ripoll from which eight of these 12 suspected terrorist came from.

He is believed to be the body they found in that house in Alcanar. Remember the house in Alcanar is where is the cell from which police

believe me they operated from. It's where they found more than 100 butane bomb canisters and where they found traces ATTP. Kristie.

LU STOUT: Still, fast moving developments days after this terrible terror attack and you've been learning more about the victims and also witnessing

a few moving tributes to remember the victims of this attack.

SOARES: Very much so and as this investigation is ongoing, as you can see it's wrapping up. We're getting a clearer idea, people continue to come to

Las Ramblas just to move out of the way.

People have continued to come here to pay their respect and we -- to lay flowers and light some candles from all of those 13 people who died thought

here in Barcelona. It's some image that we have seen not just today but yesterday in come news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: A defiant Barcelona living up to its motto, more than account. Today, a city, official ending to what is be a solemn day.

Early Spaniards gathered outside the symbolic (Inaudible), inside to Spain's King Felipe and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pay tribute to those

who died and more than 100 injured. The press has even been hurt when the tragedy of August 17th was relieved once more.

Authorities telling CNN, seven-year-old Julian Cadman thought to be missing was confirmed dead. As the country continues to come together both to

grieve and to mourn, police are making strides in what has become an increasingly complex investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They have plant one or more attacks in Barcelona with explosives that were made during these days, in

the hopes of causing even greater damage.

SOARES: The grand plan orchestrated from right here. They may have long gone but their shadow continues to hunt the sleepy town. But days now

controlled explosion have brought Alcanar.

Police carefully sifting through rubble and the pile of explosives taking stock of the magnitude over what's being planned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The number of canisters is more than 100 at the moment but the inspection isn't over yet. It will probably

last days because it is a very slow process.

As you know, this is the kind of explosive used habitually in Daesh attacks and we are finding the ingredients to make this kind of explosives.

SOARES: For six months, they squatted in this house and in the estate by then fought their hand. Since that explosion, police say they discovered

human remains belonging to two suspected terrorists.

Assert suffered serious injuries and here is now under arrest. As the pieces of the puzzle come together, this man, Younes Abouyaaqoub is still

on the run. Police may have intensified the hunt with reinforcements in highways and borders.

The five days on from the terror attack, they acknowledged he may have lived through (Inaudible).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Kristie, that house in Alcanar, police saying this morning the pressure that basically keep take not just day, it will take weeks to move

the rubble and to see exactly what is underneath after you that explosion.

Meantime, we have got the numbers now of those dead, 15 have all been identified, six Spaniards, three Italians, two Portuguese, one from

Belgium, one from the United States, one from Canada and one from Australia. Kristie.

LU STOUT: The country and visitors continue to come together degrees to grieve and to mourn. Isa Soares reporting live for us from Barcelona,

thank you.

[08:25:00] Now, we need help. That is the desperate plea from Sierra Leone right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A massive mudslide last week killed nearly 500 people and displaced at least 20,000. A presidential spokesman says medical supplies,

blankets, and clean water are all in short supply.

It is a steep road to recovery and Farai Sevenzo has been following this story from Nairobi, Kenya. He joins us now and Farai, the survivors are in

dire need of the basics, just clean water, food, medical supplies, what are they telling you about their suffering and what they need?

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, we are weakened to what was a terrible tragedy for Sierra Leone, coming (Inaudible) after two years ago,

they had Ebola, and again, we know that the very -- a massive Civil War just to finish about a few years back.

And this starts to destruct last week, on early on the morning, and the stories we've been hearing are just absolutely hard endure. We are hearing

of entire families wiped out, entire communities that were built adjusted the base of Sugar Loaf mountain, in this area called region.

And of course the government themselves are saying there are 20,000, that's the figure they told CNN, 20,000 displaced people on the street of

Freetown.

And yes you are right, they need water. Imagine, that's still the rainy season, many of this quote, body parts are still embedded in that mud,

which means that is seeping through the water wells.

So the water cannot be trusted. The government ultimately (Inaudible) that they're getting skin infection as well. So WFP people like that are there

desperately tried to get the freshwater and indeed bedding.

Of course, the bedding situation has begged you, put all this people, where did they took their bedding to the schools and churches are fast filling up

as well.

LU STOUT: No homes, no beds, high risk of infectious diseases, waterborne diseases like cholera, you can only imagine the challenge for aid workers.

What are they telling you, are they overwhelmed by this scale of the need?

SEVENZO: You know, Sierra Leone is one of those country that has always been transport of call for non-government or local organizations like WFP

and (Inaudible), and you name it, they all know about it.

Because of the Ebola crisis, because of the years of Civil War, so they all have some kind of plan it plays to get the kick people need, (Inaudible),

that country's neighboring Sierra Leone are talking about the (Inaudible) were also very poor country.

I've been shipping out aides every single day since the tragedy unfolded but at Sierra Leone has feel they need more. This is why the need should

be high.

There are 70 children that are parent less, so many parents without their children. So it's a huge sort of almost a mental kind of pressure on the

country as a whole. And they get as much aide as they can.

LU STOUT: Farai Sevenzo, reporting live for us. Thank you. And as you heard just then from Farai, the situation is critical for many, many people

in Freetown just check out our website, CNN.com /impact. There you can find more information on the disaster relief and what is needed on the

appeal for aid from Sierra Leone.

Now, two U.S. government officials tell CNN a mysterious attack in Cuba may have targeted more U.S. and Canadian diplomats than initially thought.

They now say at least 10 U.S. diplomats and their families receive treatment for so-called sonic attack on to have suffered long-term injury

including hearing loss.

Officials says a sophisticated sonic weapons placed at the diplomats homes in Havana blasting them with sound waves outside the range of hearing. The

effects can be similar to a concussion. U.S. officials say Cuba is taking these attacks seriously.

Well, coming up, Donald Trump is hours away from unveiling a new U.S. strategy on the war in Afghanistan and just ahead, we explore the effect on

Afghanistan's neighbors of a continued U.S. intervention.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream." These are your world headlines.

U.S. President Donald Trump is getting ready to announce a new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. Defense Secretary James Mattis says Mr. Trump was

presented with a range of options from stepping up U.S. forces to bringing them all home. He also says it will address all of South Asia.

The U.S. Navy is searching for 10 sailors still missing more than 14 hours after a destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore. The destroyer

has now docked with damage to its haul. It is the fourth incident this year involving a U.S. warship in the Pacific.

Police have identified the suspected driver of the van in last week's attack in Barcelona. The 22-year-old Moroccan national is on the run, and

authorities believe Younes Abouyaaqoub fled the country. Police now say the terrorists all involved in the attacks believed to number about 12 members

has been, quote, completely dismantled.

Sierra Leone is asking for international aide. More than 20,000 people were displaced after a deadly mudslide hit near the capital last week. It killed

nearly 500 people. Presidential spokesman says survivors are in urgent need of medical supplies and shelter.

Now, let's talk more about the impact of the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan and why it's needed. Let's bring in CNN's senior international

correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh. And Nick, just over a month ago, you were there in Afghanistan. As the U.S. president prepares to present this path

forward, what is the reality, what is the challenge of the ground?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the challenge really has never been as bad as this since 16 years ago when the U.S. intervened to kick Osama bin Laden out and dislodged the

Taliban from being the government there.

According to the latest figures, which are an updates on the worst figures of their kind, the Taliban control nearly half or influence nearly half of

Afghanistan, the government controlling 57 percent.

That is sort of figure flat from the sky, that's the U.S. government's own numbers. So, it's clearly in a fast situation and that is frankly due to

the fact that after the lengthy 16-year intervention, the U.S. have tried pretty much everything from a surge of troop numbers to the tens of

thousands under Barack Obama to hoping that may spur the Taliban into wanting to talk peace.

That in itself failed. The options are limited, but ones we're likely perhaps to see from the White House this evening in a prime time address,

strange that Donald Trump would choose this first for prime time address, to address an issue that is clearly not particularly close to his heart.

We will likely to see from him potentially 3,000 to 4,000 more troops to add to the 8,000 to 9,000 who are currently there. It's a boost. It may

facilitate more training of the Afghan security forces but it in itself, it's not a game changer. Kristie?

LU STOUT: When you were in Afghanistan over a month ago, you spoke to U.S. marines in Helmand Province, a very unstable part of Afghanistan. They told

you they want to get a right. What is needed to get it right? Will the addition of 3,000 to 4,000 more troops get it right?

PATON WALSH: Possibly (INAUDIBLE) system in Helmand, there is no doubt in my mind that the 300 U.S. marines had sort of tried to reverse or already

stemmed the tide of Taliban advances inside of Helmand, but it does not complete the job.

Even the territories which our Afghan security forces swift into with U.S. marine support in the air quite often to retake from the Taliban, was

subsequently played by Taliban attacks (INAUDIBLE) Taliban hit somewhere else. This is not something you can simply arrest

[08:35:00] by adding a few thousand more troops. The brutal picture in Afghanistan is one of a Taliban more radicalized, more emboldened, and the

government security forces are struggling to hold them back and have been struggling for years.

The brutal question really, Kristie, is what can be done to render Afghanistan into state where its people is safe, free from radicalism, and

it doesn't pose an immediate threat by allowing terrorists to have safe haven inside. That question hasn't been answered for over a decade.

You know, the problem that American people, I think, have is that they've heard that generals and the White House tell them under Barack Obama that

the Afghan security forces were doing a good enough job jobs that U.S troops could start to go home. That simply was not true. They lost ground

very quickly.

Now they're going to hear a new president say to them, well, here is a similar kind of sounding strategy where we're going to ask a little bit

less in the previous time more troops to try and do a better job of training those same Afghan security forces and this time it's going to

work.

It's hard sell, even for a man who prides himself much as being a salesman as Donald Trump. And bear in mind too, this is a man who likes winning and

frankly they call it the graveyard of empires in Afghanistan for a reason. No one has won there for centuries.

LU STOUT: And when he makes that prime time address tonight, U.S. time, it's going to be a hard sell for the American people. What about the people

of Afghanistan? Are they holding out hope for Preside Trump? Do they believe that any action by him could shore up their security?

PATON WALSH: Obviously, I can't present a viewpoint that represents whole of the Afghan people, but I think certainly they simply want the violence

to stop. I think that could be the most simple generic statement one can take from that country in itself.

But that will perhaps requires an acceptance to Taliban winning militarily in many different fronts. And quite how you harbor a peace where you can

allow that radical agenda of the Taliban to exist alongside the will of basic Afghans and Afghan women to live a normal slightly freer life from

Taliban would allow is incredibly difficult.

That's the crux of the math here. This war has gone on so long now that it has become so much part of daily life or even employment for so many

Afghans in that country (INAUDIBLE) switch that off is almost impossible question to answer.

But I think most Afghans frankly want to see a strategy that means they don't run the risk of being blown up by suicide bomber as they try to go to

work, for example, as so often happens inside the capital of Kabul. How you do that? I don't know. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Nick Paton Walsh reporting live for us. Thank you, Nick.

In just a few hours from now, the sun will disappear from the sky over the U.S. Millions are getting ready for their total solar eclipse viewing

parties. We'll have more on this once in a lifetime celestial event after the break.

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LU STOUT: Welcome back. This is the sight that people in the U.S. certainly won't want to miss. A total solar eclipse that is happening on Monday.

Several states across the country will get a prime view of the moon completely blocking the sun, turning it into that thin glowing ring.

People are already picking out the best viewing spots with special eclipse glasses for the occasion which of course you have to wear. This is a

remarkable and rare event. Let's go now to

[08:40:00] our meteorologist, Chad Myers, for the science behind it. Chad, exactly what happens during a total solar eclipse?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST AND SCIENCE REPORTER: Quite honestly, the moon gets in the way of the sun's rays somewhere across the globe. Now, the

entire half of the globe doesn't get cover up. Only a small size, somewhere around 70 miles wide, will get cover up by the moon's shadow.

Unlike that Cat Stevens' song Moonshadow that (INAUDIBLE) the moon's shadow is actually going across the globe because the moon is four hundred times

smaller than the sun, but the moon is four hundred times closer than the sun. So, kind of worked that out.

That was 200 or 600 this rare eclipse thing wouldn't work out like it does right now. So let me get to it. I'll get to it three dimensionally here to

show you what's going on. Clearly not to scale because I would have to have a room size of the universe. But here is the sun here.

The moon's shadow here -- there is a shadow all the time, it just doesn't always get in the way between the earth and the sun. So, the shadow is

coming across from Mars. There is a shadow from Mars. There is shadow from the earth. There is shadow from all the planets.

But the shadow that we are worried about today and one we will see today is that shadow that will cross the path of the earth itself. Most of the time,

the path doesn't cross the earth. It's in north or south or east or west of the earth and so we don't get that eclipsing going on.

But today, we will. Today, we will get the moon in the way of the sun coming into the earth's atmosphere. It's going to go all the way from west

coast to east coast, even starts in the Pacific. It starts way out in the Pacific and it makes landfall somewhere around Salem, Oregon.

And this is where most of the western people or the Asian travelers would have gone to somewhere here across parts of the west and that is going to

be good news because that's where it is going to be setting.

The Europeans that have traveled have typically stopped here on the east coast because it is a shorter flight and that is going to be trouble

because there is going to be some cloud cover here across parts of the east especially for Charleston. Now, we always talk about these glasses.

Let me tell you why sunglasses just don't work. Here is just the regular 200 lumen like. That's what it looks like. If I put it through a lens, a

very expensive lens of piece of sunglasses that I broke because you only break the good ones, you never the cheap ones, so you can see the light

still comes through.

Now, I am going to take you to this piece of paper that looks like junk, but in fact, it blocks out 99 point something percent of the sun and you

can't see the light coming through it at all. So from black to this to this, not much different.

You need the glasses before you can look at the sun today. Now if you're in totality, you can open your eyes and not look at it and look at the corona

around the sun. But otherwise, you need these glasses. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Copy that. Chad Myers. You got the props, you got the virtual explainer. Thank you for the introduction to the eclipse of the century and

enjoy the viewing if you're going to a viewing party later today. That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere. "World Sport" with

Rhiannon Jones is next.

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[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

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