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North Korea Stands on Its Words; An Election With No Choice in Kenya; President Trump in High Spirits After Russia Dossier Developments; Drones to be Armed Next Time Around; Opioid a No Joke Crisis in the U.S.; Time Tells Its Worth. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 26, 2017 - 03:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A CNN exclusive. A candid conversation with a senior North Korean official about nuclear threats.

Result from the last election were annulled so Kenyan are back at the polls but critics are already crying foul.

Plus, Donald Trump fires back his message to rebellious republicans.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, and this is CNN Newsroom.

A stern and ominous warning from North Korea, a senior government official tells CNN that the world should take its threat of an above ground nuclear test over the Pacific Ocean literally, saying that North Korea has always brought its words into action. He spoke exclusively to our Will Ripley who's in Pyongyang.

WILL RIPLEY, INTERNATIONAL CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the ground here in Pyongyang, a North Korean diplomat confirming what I've been hearing for a couple of weeks now. It is increasingly likely North Korea will go through with its threat to detonate a nuclear device above ground, a test that could have far reaching implications.

Flying into the North Korean capital, life on the surface seems normal, beneath the surface it's anything by. Overseas North Korean workers are being sent home in droves, their jobs eliminated by U.N. sanctions. The U.S. calls it punishment or an illegal dangerous nuclear program. North Korea calls it evil, an economic blockade.

On my 16th trip to Pyongyang I still see signs of growth, plenty of traffic, construction, a steady flow of electricity keeping the growing skyline bright. But the prospect of a peaceful resolution to the nuclear standoff with the U.S. seemed to be growing darker by the day.

At North Korea's ministry of foreign affairs we ask to meet with the senior diplomat, Ri Yong Pil agrees to talk but the mood is tensed. His anger at the U.S. - palpable.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RI YONG PIL, SENIOR NORTH KOREAN OFFICIAL (through translator):

Donald Trump said he would totally destroy North Korea, a sovereign state.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: He's referring to the U.S. president's fiery speech at the U.N. last month when he personally insulted a fellow head of state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un fired back calling President Trump's behavior mentally deranged. North Korea's foreign minister made a threat that alarmed even longtime Korea watchers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RI SU-YONG, FOREIGN MINISTER OF NORTH KOREA (through translator): This could probably mean the strongest hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Some analyst have accused North Korea of bluster, saying they haven't yet achieved full nuclear capability and if they go to war they risk total destruction, but the North Koreans warn the U.S. not to underestimate their resolve and their growing arsenal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: Should the world prepare for North Korea to detonate a nuclear device above ground?

YONG PIL (through translator): The foreign minister is very well aware of the intentions of our supreme leader so I think you should take his words literally.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: The U.S. and North Korean tell CNN, diplomacy has broken down, pushing two nuclear powers dangerously close to military conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YONG PIL (through translator): The U.S. is talking about a military option and even practicing military moves. They're pressuring us on all fronts with sanctions. If you think this will lead to diplomacy you're deeply mistaken.

RIPLEY: So then I asked what needs to happen for diplomacy to resume. YONG PIL (through translator): The U.S. needs to understand our new

strategic power and fundamentally eliminate its hostile policy towards the DPKR.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: He says North Korea's leader is following through on a pledge, to reach a nuclear balance of power with the U.S., which they say will lead to peace and stability even as many around the world worry the end result could be exact opposite.

If North Korea does go through with this, if would be the first atmospheric thermonuclear test in nearly four decades since China did it back in 1980. And while the North Koreans say that nukes will actually keep the peace by preventing other countries from in their view, bullying them, there's deep concern especially among some circles in Washington the Trump administration's response could lead this region down a very dangerous path.

And also there's the big question right now of timing with President Trump due to visit Asia in less than two weeks.

[03:05:03] Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang, North Korea.

CHURCH: The issue of independence for Spain's autonomous region of Catalonia is reaching a fever pitch. Spain says it will take over the Catalan government on Friday and restore legality. But that could open the door to widespread civil disobedience.

The region's leaders gathered for an emergency meeting Wednesday night after their president turned down a chance to explain his position to the Spanish Senate in Madrid.

The speculation Carles Puigdemont may declare independence from Spain before direct rule is imposed on Friday. Spain's prime minister says the Catalan president is unwilling to compromise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIANO RAJOY, PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN (through translator): The only thing Mr. Puigdemont wanted to negotiate with me was the terms from date to the independence of Catalonia, and I, as the Spanish government's prime minister cannot negotiate terms nor date for the independence of Catalonia. Mr. Puigdemont refused to talk about anything else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Media freedoms are also being tested in Spain. The Spanish government is trying to take one station off the air while allegations of media bias are coming from both sides.

CNN's Erin McLaughlin sorts out the latest.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Journalists at TV 3, Catalonia's public news station never thought they'd become a part of the story part of their own coverage of Catalonia's push for independence. But that's exactly what happened after Spain's prime minister announced he's seizing control of Catalonia' public TV and radio station. Vicent Sanchis is the station's news director.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICENT SANCHIS, DIRECTOR, TV 3 (through translator): There is no justification for a government to intervene in public media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: The takeover just one element of Madrid plan to exert control over Catalonia under article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. TV 3 stand accused of being a propaganda tool in favor of Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and his campaign for independence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: Is TV 3 bias in favor of Puigdemont?

SANCHIS (through translator): This is incredible. We're regulated by parliament. We're not controlled by the government. We don't favor anyone. Even the doubt offends us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: Reporters Without Border, a media watch group, tells a different story. In October report it writes "TV 3 has a clear bias in favor of the Catalan government." One example noticed by many Catalans, the anthem begins to play on Spain's national holiday, TV 3 cut back to the studio. This is considered a cultural sight. The station says it wasn't intentional.

Reporters Without Borders is equally critical of the other side. Spain's national public media TVE saying it's biased in favor of Madrid. Some TV employees have even protested its coverage of the crackdown on the October 1st referendum, saying the station purposely downplayed the police violence. TVE declined to comment.

The divisions also apparent in print. Catalan papers' coverage of the recent general strike offering a very different pictures than the papers out of Madrid.

On October 1st images of police violence spread like wildfire on Facebook and Twitter, shocking Europe and the rest of the world.

(BEGIN VOICE CLIP)

ALFONSO DASTIS, SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Many of those pictures have been proven to be fake pictures.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?

DASTIS: And that was, if there was any use of force it was a a limited one.

(END VOICE CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: While some of the images shared were doctored, the very real violence of day was well documented.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL REID, AMERICAS EDITOR, THE ECONOMIST: The Catalan independence movement and the Catalan government has been running a P.R. campaign for a long time and it's been very effective. I think the Spanish government was extremely slow to realize that it was losing a propaganda war that it wasn't even fighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: A war the Spanish government now seems determined to win.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCLAUGHLIN: The day after article 155 is invoked what happens to TV 3?

SANCHIS (through translator): We don't know yet how it will be executed. Obviously we're very worried.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCLAUGHLIN: Anxiety now a common feeling on both sides of this deepening divide.

Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Barcelona.

CHURCH: To the continent of Africa now. And right now Kenyans are voting for a new president despite opposition leader Raila Odinga's call for a boycott of the race. An August election was annulled because Odinga claimed the results were electronically tampered with.

Critics say this new vote won't be fair either. In one Nairobi neighborhood reports say police were forced to use tear gas to disrupt protesters trying to block people from voting. The mood clearly tense as voting continues for the next several hours.

[03:10:04] Our Farai Sevenzo joins us now from a polling station in Kiambu. So, Farai, the hope is that these elections will be fair but critics say they don't think that's possible. How is the vote progressing right now and what's been the scene at the polling station where you are?

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we are in Kiambu, as you say, which is a massive important county in Kenya. But we are also, as you can see around me, there are long queues for people voting. But bear in mind we are in a precinct Uhuru Kenyatta's heartland. This is part of his biggest constituency. The electorate here love him. They come out in their great numbers to vote for him.

But earlier on in the morning, we pass through Nairobi which is, you know, maybe half an hour drive away and the situation there was completely different. The last polling station we reported from in August was completely empty.

Well, barring a few people voting. And of course as you said there are reports, scattered reports from around the country that some youths are fighting in Kibera, (Inaudible) in the west which is Mr. Odinga's heartland is also quite unstable at the moment with a lot of police presence and of course, the ubiquitous presence of tear gas, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Farai, just how extensive are these protests that you mentioned across Kenya? And what might happen if those protesters deem this election unfair and unbalanced, how will this turn out?

SEVENZO: You know, Rosemary, at the moment everyone is debating the final points of the Constitution. My guess and it's only a reporter's guess, is that this whole process will turn back to the Supreme Court and again the lawyers and the judges will be in charge of the final decision.

At the moment these protests are very, very serious. In the west, all along the coast in Mombasa. You must remember that Mr. Kenyatta is the only real candidate on the ballot today. Mr. Odinga pulled out. So you are talking the prospect of just one presidential candidate. Yes, there are some minor ones there. But also you're talking the prospect of millions of voters who are not voting in protest.

Yesterday, Mr. Odinga also just stay home and pray and hold vigils, and remember not to use violence. But it is going to be very tense affair, and this is just the beginning of it. Let's see what happens the next few days, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And this is the problem when you only have one name on the ballot, isn't it? The outcome is obvious. So what happens after that? What's the international community likely to do in the aftermath of this vote?

SEVENZO: You know, the international community has not painted itself in glory in this election. You remember way back in August all the national, international observers said this is a free and fair poll only for the courts to quash that remark and that observation.

Indeed, some of the observers haven't come this time in October because of fears of insecurity. So at the moment what will happen really is that we will have some presidential announcement of a winner, but because it's only one man in it obviously the opposition will cry foul. They will say this was unconstitutional that, you know, the courts should have waited and rerun an election with a reformed IEBC. So, what happens now really as I said is that the courts and the judiciary will be back at main center stage.

CHURCH: Indeed. Farai Sevenzo covering the Kenya election from Kiambu in Kenya, where it is just after 10 in the morning. Many thanks.

Well, we now know that the U.S. soldiers killed in Niger were trying to gather Intel when they were ambushed, but we're learning new details about why it took so long to get them back up.

And as he deals with the controversy over his conversation with a widow of one of those soldiers, President Trump says he's misunderstood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I think the press makes me more uncivil than I am. You know, people don't understand, I went to an Ivy League college. I was a nice student. I did very well. I'm a very intelligent person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: There are now questions about whether more aerial support could have helped the U.S. army team that was ambushed in Niger. The U.S. military does have drones in the country like the one shown in this exclusive video but as of now they're not armed.

When the ambush happened a drone responded to calls for help within minutes but it was only able to observe not attack the enemy.

Three defense officials tell CNN the military had sought to arm those drones before the four U.S. soldiers were killed, and now after the ambush that effort has gained greater urgency.

David McKenzie joins me now live from the Nigerian capital. David, we'll get to those drones in just a moment but we are learning more about the ambush. But many more questions still remain and the Nigerian authorities don't appear to be providing many details. Why is that?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point the Nigerian authorities haven't made much comment at all about this ambush. I think that's partly because the U.S. investigators are looking into this high-profile issue that is affecting the country and its operations potentially.

So, for now it's a sensitive issue. We're also learning that the high value target that the U.S. officials say those soldiers were looking to gain intelligence on when that ambush happened was in fact someone who is implicated in regional attacks here in the region particularly Burkina Faso.

Now there was an attack in August on a cafe in Burkina Faso. Also a series of attack in the capital last year. And that speaks to the threat of ISIS and Al Qaeda-affiliated militant groups in this region that aren't affecting just individual countries but the entire Sahel region.

And that is why you had the -- you have this relatively strong presence of the U.S. military here to gain intelligence reconnaissance and potentially get information for strikes on these high-level targets or other operations. But that certainly is points to the seriousness of their mission, though they didn't expect any contact of course. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And David, we mentioned the U.S. drones not being armed at the time of the ambush. So what is being done about making sure that that does happen that those drones do get armed?

MCKENZIE: What I think it's important to point out that drones aren't generally used as a force protection asset. They are used in these high level strikes on terror suspects.

The French in fact do have drones in the region that are armed and the drones here being armed is not just an issue for the military equation but also the political equation to publicly state that there are drones with a military capability in Niger would be a calculation that involves both the U.S military and the State Department.

And those U.S. -- those U.S. fighter jets that went on to the scene didn't -- sorry, those French fighter jets that went on to the scene didn't in fact engage with the enemy because of the close proximity and the inability to figure out who was who.

So I don't think necessarily a drone in this individual operation would have made a huge amount of difference. But yes, it is the U.S. military here asking for those drones to be armed. That's an ongoing request not one specifically linked to this ambush.

[03:20:07] CHURCH: All right. Our David McKenzie joining us from the Nigerian capital, where it is 8.20 in the morning. Many thanks to you, David.

Well, President Trump was asked about the Niger mission on Wednesday. He told reporters he did not authorize it personally but he emphasize his administration will battle ISIS wherever they go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's a dangerous business. I have to say it's a dangerous business. So what? No, I didn't. Not specifically. But I have generals that are great generals. These are great fighters. These are warriors. And I gave them authority to do what's right so that we win. That's the authority they have.

I want to win. And we are going to win. And we're beating ISIS very badly. You look at what's happening in the Middle East. We have done more in eight months than the previous administration has done in many years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, and despite evidence to the contrary, President Trump insists the Republican Party is not divided.

Jim Acosta reports a day earlier two retiring republican senators publicly skewered Mr. Trump's leadership.

JIM ACOSTA, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don't tell President Trump there are divisions in the Republican Party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have actually great unity in the Republican Party. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: As for GOP Senator Jeff Flake's speech sounding the alarm on the president's harsh rhetoric.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JEFF FLAKE, (R), ARIZONA: It is dangerous to a democracy. Such behavior does not project strength because our strength comes from our values. It instead projects a corruption of the spirit and weakness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Mr. Trump hurled more insults.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, look, look. He was against me from before he ever knew me. He wrote a book about me before I ever met him before I ever heard his name. His poll numbers in Arizona are so low that he couldn't win.

I remember the first time I saw him on television I had not really been -- nobody knew me in terms of politics. But the first time I saw him on television I said I assume he's a democrat. Is he a democrat?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Talking to reporters before heading to a fund-raiser in Dallas, the president blames the media for the mounting criticism that he simply lacks the civility to sit in the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think the press makes me more uncivil than I am. You know, people don't understand I went to an Ivy League college. I was a nice student. I did very well. I'm a very intelligent person. You know, the fact is, I think, I really believe I think the press creates a different image of Donald Trump than the real -- the real person.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: But when pressed on why he insists on mocking another GOP critic Senator Bob Corker as little there was a big dodge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You know what? I hope Bob, and I really believe that Bob Corker is going to do the right thing also.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The president said he was also perfectly polite to the gold star widow of La David Johnson, one of the four soldiers killed in an ambush in Niger this month. Insisting he remembered the sergeant's name with a little help from his aides.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I was really nice to her. I respect her. I respect her family. I certainly respect La David who by the way called La David right from the beginning. Just so you understand they put a chart in front La David. It says La David Johnson. So, right from the beginning there is no hesitation. One of the great memories of all time. The was no hesitation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The president was jubilant over reports that Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee had paid for the opposition research that led to the now infamous dossier with allegations about Mr. Trump and Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Well, I think it's very sad what they've done with this fake dossier. It was made up. And I understand they paid a tremendous amount of money. And Hillary Clinton always denied it. The democrats always denied it. And now only because it's going to come out in a court case they said yes, they did it, they admitted it and they were embarrassed by it. But I think it's a disgrace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And the president seem to concede some of that opposition research was initiated by his republican rivals during last year's primaries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It might have started with the republicans early on in the primaries. I think I would know but let's find out who it is. I'm sure that will come out. I think I would have -- if I were to guess I have one name in mind. I'd rather not say. But you'll be surprised.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: As for the president's claim that the dossier is fake it should be noted that portions of that opposition research have been corroborated.

Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: There are new questions about the Trump campaign's desire to work with WikiLeaks for a political edge. A Trump campaign analytics company contacted WikiLeaks about thousands of Hillary Clinton's e- mails that she kept on a private server.

[03:25:00] WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tweeted this. "I can confirm an approach by Cambridge Analytica prior to November last year and can confirm that it was rejected by WikiLeaks."

Now this comes as officials investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. Dana Bash has the details.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The e-mail comes from a man named Alexander Nix who was the chief executive of Cambridge Analytica. And he sent to several people including top Donald Trump donor Rebecca Mercer.

Now in the e-mail Nix relayed that he had contacted Julian Assange trying to get access to e-mails from Hillary Clinton's private server in order to turn them into a searchable database for the campaign or for pro-Trump political action committees.

Now this is according to two sources who have seen this e-mail. The sources say no Trump campaign officials were on the e-mail chain but Rebecca Mercer as I mentioned who actually funds -- her family funds Cambridge Analytica and had close ties to the Trump world was on that e-mail.

Not to mention the fact that Cambridge Analytica was hired by the Trump campaign about the same time that this e-mail about Assange was sent. It raises more questions about what efforts were being made by people with connections to the Trump campaign or his orbit to try to work with WikiLeaks, which, remember, ended up publishing e-mails hacked from the DNC and Clinton campaign chair John Podesta.

And U.S. intelligence believes Russian-connected hackers that acquired those e-mails they actually got that to WikiLeaks to eventually publish. So there are already questions about Trump friend Roger Stone and his ties to WikiLeaks because he made public comments during the campaign seeming to anticipate these document dumps from WikiLeaks.

I should say, Stone denied direct contact with Assange. But again, this is just the latest question about connections to him and potentially connections to Russia.

CHURCH: Well, New Zealand officially has a new prime minister. Thirty-seven-year-old labor party leader Jacinda Ardern was sworn in just a few hours ago after forming a coalition government. Ardern is the third woman and the second youngest prime minister in New Zealand history. She's considered a rock star politician who rode a surge of support for her labor party especially among young people.

Ardern said her government's responsibility now is to be active, focused, empathetic and strong.

We'll take a short break here but still to come, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. gets a firsthand look at the challenges in Africa and at one stop gets a bit more than she bargained for.

And in Thailand, saying good-bye to the king, a lavish funeral a year after he died. Do stay with us.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you now on the main stories we've been following this hour. The rerun of Kenya's controversial presidential election is underway

right now despite the decision by the opposition party leader to drop out of the race and call for a boycott. Results of the first election in August were thrown out because of accusations of irregularities.

A senior North Korean official says the world should take its threat to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean literally. The official tells CNN's Will Ripley North Korea has always brought it words into action.

Well, defense officials say the U.S. military was seeking authority to arm its drones in Niger before the deadly ambush that killed four U.S soldiers in early October. A drone was able to observe the scene minutes after the troops called for support. But the aircraft could not fire on the attackers because it wasn't allowed to carry weapons.

Well, Russia is now the top exporter of foreign fighters to ISIS in Iraq and Syria. That is according to a new report from the Washington- based Soufan Group.

Take a look at the numbers now. In the past two years more than 3,400 Russians left their country to fight for ISIS. Tunisia once held the top spot but has now dropped to number four on the list. Tunisia also has a high number of fighters returning about 800 just slightly less than Turkey.

More than 400 fighters from the U.K. have also returned home. The report says the flow of fighters has come to a virtual standstill as ISIS loses territory. It also credited countries such as Turkey for taking action to prevent the movement of Jihadist through its territory.

The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley is in Africa getting an up-close look at some of the challenges there. Challenges that could lead to terrorism.

CNN global affairs correspondent Elise Labott is traveling with the ambassador.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Nikki Haley had a blunt message for the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir that not only is his violence against his people creating a humanitarian disaster, it could also create a vacuum and instability that extremists could exploit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LABOTT: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley getting a firsthand look on the ground in South Sudan. Trying to prevent Africa's next haven for terrorist weeks after the ISIS ambush in Niger that killed four Americans.

NIKKI HALEY, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: A government that's ignoring its people leads to conflict and we're seeing that situation deteriorate. And what happens is when that conflict hits it also becomes a breeding ground for extremist groups and that's what we don't want.

LABOTT: A sentiment echoed by the top U.S. commander in Africa Thomas Waldhauser who in Africa this week with Haley said, quote, "With all the challenges with the youth bulge, the poverty, the lack of governance, the wide open spaces, these are areas where extremists like ISIS or Al Qaeda thrive."

Haley warned President Salva Kiir his actions in the brutal civil war were seeing his own country descend into chaos.

HALEY: The United States has invested a lot in South Sudan and they've invested a lot in him. Over $11 billion was invested into a country and this isn't what we asked for in return. We didn't ask for rapes. We didn't ask for people to be fearful of their government. We didn't ask for the hunger. We didn't ask for all of the violence that's happening. And so it was a tough message of we need this to be fixed.

LABOTT: With four million people displaced from their homes, South Sudan's refugee crisis is being compared to that of the Rwandan genocide. Devastation Haley witnessed at a refugee camp in neighboring Ethiopia where hundreds of thousands have fled the violence.

Peacekeepers guard this protection cam in South Sudan's capital Juba with the cries of downward Kiir, and Kiir is the killer are mixed with welcome Donald Trump and please for U.S. help. Hailey was force to leave the camp when the protests grew intense.

But the ISIS ambush of U.S. forces in Niger has put in sharp focus how a region riddled with political chaos, violence, and famine draws extremist that can threaten the U.S. The terror threat the U.S. is facing in Africa is immense. In Somalia, the U.S. military is helping local forces defeat Al-Shabaab which is responsible for many terror attacks.

[03:35:03] General Waldhauser is saying, quote, "In places like the Sahel, in places like Somalia ISIS continues to look for locations, looks for places to establish itself."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LABOTT: And Haley told the few journalists traveling with her that unless something is done right away to stop the violence and help the hundreds of thousands of children affected by the conflict that those kids will grow into adults with no future, no job, and resentful of the United States for not doing more to help. That's exactly the kind of people that extremists in Africa are looking to exploit.

Elise Labott, CNN, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

CHURCH: We go to Thailand now and crowds are bidding farewell to the country's late king, a royal urn with the remains of Bhumibol Adulyadej was carried through the streets of Bangkok on Thursday. It is the start of a five-day event celebrating the man who ruled Thailand for 70 years.

Crowds of mourners started gathering long before daybreak hoping for their chance to say good-bye.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the late Thai king's funeral service in Bangkok including dignitaries and royal families from 42 countries. Some 230,000 police officers are being deployed to contain the crowds. And a budget of around $90 million has been allocated for the funeral.

Artisans throughout Thailand have been hard at work preparing for the king's funeral. Take a look.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

Incredible work there. We'll take a short break. But still to come, drug overdoses in the U.S. have been skyrocketing in recent years, ravaging entire communities and thousands of families. A closer look at the opioid crisis and how the president may address it. That's next.

Plus, condemnation on the soccer field. How Italy is tackling anti- Semitism in the stadiums.

And a wrist watch thought to be worth millions is heading for the auction block. It's actor Paul Newman's famed Daytona Rolex. A sneak peek when we return.

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, back in August Donald Trump declared the U.S. opioid crisis was officially a national emergency, but saying it's official and making it official are not the same thing. Two months later, there is still no formal declaration from the White House which would give state and federal agencies more funding and resources to fight the epidemic. That brings us to Thursday.

President Trump had promised a major announcement on the opioid crisis. Now it told to expect a very big meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We're going to be doing a very, very important meeting sometime in the very short very near future on opioids in terms of declaring a national emergency which us power to do things that you can't do right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The misuse of drugs is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States of passing shootings and car accidents years ago. And that gap only continues to grow.

Chris Cuomo met with the mother and brother of one addict who wanted to quit but couldn't.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS CUOMO, HOST, CNN: Susan is painfully aware of how fragile an addict hold on life can be. This drive home with her son Roger through Lawrence, Massachusetts holds bitter memories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole street would be on Friday about 20, 25 or 30 deal is out there.

CUOMO: Roger says this is where his little brother Chad, the youngest of Susan's four kids used to buy heroin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you met him today you go (Inaudible) you know, that's -- he made an impression in everybody's life. He was just big out to a kid.

CUOMO: When he was just 15 he started taking prescription pills from his friend's grandparents medicine cabinet like so many others that was his path to heroine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was angry. You know, it was really hard (Inaudible) because I was very -- I was teary eyed. Because he hated the drug so much for him to get into it. If you would look at him and say who are you. You would see his body, you would see his beautiful face that was getting older looking by the day and just ask who are you.

CUOMO: What happens when the drug takes over?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They know, they feel but they can't stop. He wanted to rid that himself as a monster.

CUOMO: She says they tried every approach in the book. Tough close.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He tried that.

CUOMO: You do that again you're out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got that.

CUOMO: Cut you off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CUOMO: I call the police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CUOMO: After Chad spent several years in and out of rehab programs Susan says she was left with no choice but to have him arrested. As tough as that decision was jail may have been the best place for him. He got clean and started to make plans for his future. But within just two days of coming back home a simple call from a friend destroyed everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He came home he couldn't even eat dinner he was so high, we couldn't even talk at the dinner table and my husband and I just said seriously you've been cleaned for four months, you know. And just somebody that like it was glowing with health and just using that once. He had that look on his face that great look comes right back. CUOMO: The next morning she found Chad's dog who usually slept in his

room downstairs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had that look and I said, all right, that's it. So, I pound in going up the stairs because now I'm angry like OK, you had a bad day, you're getting out of bed. I don't care if I don't go to work today you're going somewhere and I found him. You know, he didn't make it through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Such a sad outcome there. Chris Cuomo reporting.

A show of solidarity on the soccer field, players for one of Italy's biggest soccer teams where pictures of Anne Frank on their jerseys before their match Wednesday evening.

[03:45:01] It comes after some fans posted insulting pictures of the Jewish Holocaust victim in Rome and held anti-Semitic slogans at a match on Sunday.

Delia Gallagher is in Rome.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Lazio took to the fields for the first time since Sunday's display of anti-Semitism on the park of some of their hard core fan base known as the ultras. The Lazio team in a show of solidarity against anti-Semitism for their warm-up wore T-shirts with Anne Frank picture on it and just before the game the stadium stood for a moment of silence during which an excerpt from Anne Frank's diary was read out.

Sunday's display of anti-Semitism has been a strong condemnation across all sectors of Italian society. The Italian police telling us they have identified 16 of the perpetrators, two of whom are minors they say, thanks to surveillance cameras that were inside the stadium.

They are conducting an ongoing investigation to determine whether criminal charges can be brought for incitement to racial hatred.

Now lots of club president Claudio Lotito visited Rome synagogue on Tuesday saying that the team was now going to begin annual visit to Auschwitz taking along school children in order to educate them about the show up.

But Rome's chief Rabbi Riccardo Segni says that the Jewish community here is exhausted and dissatisfied and is calling for more concrete measures. The Italian Present Sergio Mattarella said that Sunday's display of anti-Semitism was inhumane and alarming for the country.

Now Lazio is a club whose fans have been sanctioned in the past for racial slurs against players and for anti-Semitic slogans. But it is a phenomenon which is not limited to Lazio or indeed to Italy, and it was the subject of a study of the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam looking at anti-Semitism and football in Europe in 2015 which concluded that the fanaticism of some of the fans in football makes fertile to reign for radical right-wing ideologies to infiltrate. So this latest example of anti-Semitism in Rome sounding alarm bells not only for the sports world but for society as a whole.

Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.

CHURCH: Solidarity against anti-Semitism there. We would take a very short break, but when we come back heads up if you're using your cell phone in Honolulu you could be fine for texting and walking. That story still to come.

Plus, one of the most famous wrist watches in the world is hitting the auction block and it's expected to fetch millions.

We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A heads-up if you'll be in Honolulu, Hawaii. Officials want pedestrians to keep their eyes on the road so the city has just acted a law that makes it illegal for pedestrians to cross the street while viewing an electronic device. If caught distracted walkers can be fined up to $35, the fine for repeat offenders can go up to $99.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a great idea. You see a lot of people just kind of in outer space walking through, crosswalks, hard to enforce but I think it's going to be a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:50:04] CHURCH: Walking while texting can be dangerous. Remember this, the woman you see here was so distracted she fell right into a water fountain in a mall. Then it was this scene in California a few years ago, this guy totally missed there was a bear just a few feet away from him. And there are many more examples.

All right. Well, the Daytona Rolex is synonymous with the legendary Hollywood actor and racing car driver Paul Newman. Collectors all it the Paul Newman Daytona and it's considered one of the most collectible watches ever made.

Newman's wife, Joanne Woodward bought him the time piece as a gift around the time he was filming the 1969 racing movie "Winning." He later gave it away to his daughter's boyfriend. The Phillips auction house is selling the watch in the coming hours in New York and they expect it to fetch $1 million. But some say it's worth 10 times as much.

And earlier, my colleague Richard quest interviewed an executive from Phillips about the famed wash. Here is part of his conversation with Paul Boutros.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, HOST, CNN: What is it about this watch that is so special?

PAUL BOUTROS, HEAD OF AMERICAS AND INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY ADVISOR, PHILLIPS: This is the ultimate Rolex Daytona. Please. Not only the ultimate Rolex Daytona. It is perhaps the ultimate collector's wristwatch. Legendary, important in so many--

(CROSSTALK)

QUEST: But who makes it though? I mean, besides the fact it was -- besides the fact it was Newman's. If it wasn't Newman would it still command a lot of price?

BOUTROS Because of the association of Paul Newman to this style of watch in the world of collectible watches that the number one most sought after collectors watch are Daytona's with Paul Newman's style dials.

QUEST: Why? Explain this to me, you're an expert.

BOUTROS: Yes. It's a fascinating story. In the mid-1980s wristwatch collecting only had just recently begun. And the -- in a time the Daytona was the worst selling model--

QUEST: Right.

BOUTROS -- in Rolex's product lineup. Then there was rumors that Rolex would discontinue this model and introduce a new generation model with a self-winding movement. When that rumors, those rumors began to swirl the collecting community also associated the name Paul Newman to this style dial because he was seen in pictures all around the world.

QUEST: So in terms of because we're a business program, I mean, people say watches are an investment or can be an ainvestment. Do you subscribe to that?

BOUTROS: We believe watches have enduring value. Yes.

QUEST: Enduring value. That's a plus word of (Inaudible).

BOUTROS: Yes, they are a wonderful store of value and yes, for the Paul Newman Daytona type dials it's incredible to see how they've gone up in value over the years.

QUEST: Now, OK, the most expensive watch ever sold at auction was?

BOUTROS: In November 2016, Phillips had the great good fortune of selling a Patek Philippe reference 1518 stainless steel perpetual calendar chronograph for $11 million.

QUEST: So 11 million is at top.

BOUTROS: A collector's wristwatch.

QUEST: A collector's wristwatch. That's not (Inaudible) the jewels and you know--

BOUTROS: Exactly. Sold at auction.

QUEST: Right. You're saying a million is the estimate.

BOUTROS: Yes.

QUEST: But you don't believe it will go there. You believe it will go which is father north of that.

BOUTROS: I will tell you we have already received advanced bids.

QUEST: More than a million?

BOUTROS: In excess of a million.

QUEST: Right, so we're over the estimate which is always I've work of fiction to begin with in any auction house.

BOUTROS: Not always. You never know at auction.

QUEST: Humor me (Ph) and the great, look at that. Magnificent picture. Humor me and some great pictures in the catalog. Is it possible that this could set the new record?

BOUTROS: Well, we believe it could potentially set a record of some type but we're cautious and anyone has an opportunity to win it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: How about that. And more than half of the proceeds from the watch will benefit the Nell Newman foundation. It's a charitable organization tied to Paul Newman's daughter which focuses on environmental issues.

Well, a long lost painting of Jesus by Leonardo da Vinci is on display in London right now just before it hits to auction.

CNN's Lynda Kinkade has more now in the long strange trip of the missing masterpiece.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hailed as the greatest artistic rediscovery of the 21st century, a long lost work of Leonardo da Vinci will soon go to sale for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN WINTERMUTE, SENIOR SPECIALIST, CHRISTIE'S: There are only 15 or 16 surviving examples of his work and painting. And so to have one rediscovered and available for sale is I have to say the rarest event of my career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:54:58] KINKADE: Named 'Salvator Mundi' the long lost Da Vinci painting is now on display at Christie's in London before going to sale next month in New York. It depicts a half-length figure of Jesus Christ in colorful robes holding a crystal orb. Experts say Da Vinci painted it around the time of his famous Mona Lisa sometime in the 1500s. And then it was somehow forgotten.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINTERMUTE: It was always known to have existed but it had disappeared. It was sought, it was presumed to have been destroyed. And so it reappears only in 2005 in a small estate sale in America where it's really obscured by painting and you couldn't see its quality and it's bought by a few very clever and very lucky dealers who then began the process of cleaning it and removing the old paint and Leonardo's hand emerges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: At various points over hundreds of years the face was over painted but once it was cleared and looked to be Da Vinci it took six years of research to finally document its authenticity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCOIS DE POORTERE, INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, CHRISTIE'S: Why is it such a masterpiece? It's Leonardo da Vinci in his prime maturity. Around 1500 painting Jesus Christ. But not only painting Jesus Christ but painting the divine. It's mystical picture. It's a picture that transcends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Before anyone knew it was one of Da Vinci's rare works the piece once sold for about $60 in 1958. When it goes to sale next month it'll fetch much more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DE POORTERE: It has an estimate of in the region of $100 million. We hope it finds a great home. Its sum to have built around it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

CHURCH: Amazing piece of work there.

A hippo at the Cincinnati zoo is so hungry for attention she photo- bombed a marriage proposal. Fiona the hippo was front and center when this young man popped the question to his girlfriend. They posted the photos online and they quickly went viral.

The couple says they are big fans of Fiona and were happy she could be part of their special day. Very cute.

Thanks so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me any time on Twitter.

The news continues now with Max Foster in London. You're watching CNN. Have a great day.

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