Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

TransAsia Flight Crashes In Taipei; New York Commuter Train Hit Car, Kills Six; Jordanians Incensed Over ISIS Video of Pilot's Death; The Women Forced Into Marriage by ISIS; The Students Behind Spare Parts

Aired February 4, 2015 - 8:00   ET

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


KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Now Jordan swiftly retaliates after the gruesome murder of a military pilot by ISIS. Will this be a turning point in the fight against the

extremists?

Plus, a deadly plane crash caught on camera in Taiwan. Several people are still missing.

And a fatal train accident north of New York City. It is the deadliest in the railroad's history.

Growing in Jordan over the killing of a captured pilot by ISIS. He was burned alive. Now King Abdullah cut short a visit to the United States

and arrived back in Amman.

Now protesters were on the streets calling for revenge.

Now Jordan says it will take what it calls an earth-shaking response.

Now a female militant whose released had been demanded by ISIS was one of the prisoners that Jordan put to death at dawn. Barbara Starr reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: ISIS released a 22 minute video of Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive in

a locked steel cage. CNN choosing not to show the gruesome video.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's truly horrifying when you watch the video. That's meant to inflict terror.

STARR: Jordan announced the murder likely took place a month ago, soon after the 27-year-old's F-16 crashed in northern Syria, an ISIS

stronghold.

Recently, ISIS threatened to kill the pilot if Jordan didn't release Sajida al-Rishawi, the failed Iraqi suicide bomber who attacked a wedding

party in Jordan nearly a decade ago. al-Rishawi, one of the two already on death row, put to death by Jordan.

LT. COLONEL RICK FRANCONA, MIDDLE EAST COMMENTATOR: I think the executions were more to satisfy the demand for action of the king.

STARR: News of the pilot's death coming as Jordan's King Abdullah was visiting Washington.

In a message recorded before rushing home, the king called for Jordanians to, quote, "stand together and show the meddle of the Jordanian

people in unity determination and resolve."

President Obama and other U.S. officials expressing solidarity with its close ally in the U.S.-led military coalition to degrade and eventually

defeat ISIS.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's just one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity of this organization.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: That was Barbara Starr reporting.

Now governments around the world have condemned ISIS. The foreign minister of the UAE says this, quote, "this heinous and obscene act

represents a brutal escalation by the terror group. It is the defining moment."

Now the British Prime Minister David Cameron said this, quote, "Lieutenant Moaz al-Kasasbeh's sickening murder will only strengthen our

resolve to defeat ISIL. My prayers are with his family."

And former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri says, quote, "denunciation and condemnation are no longer enough to respond to the

terrible terrorist crimes."

Now the father of the murdered Jordanian pilot is calling for the annihilation of ISIS. Now the group controls large areas of Syria and

Iraq. And is fighting hard for more.

Now Phil Black joins us now from Irbil in Iraq. And Phil, has the brutal killing of the Jordanian pilot, has it somehow galvanized the

Kurdish forces who are fighting ISIS there in northern Iraq?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Kurdish officials here tell us, Kristie, that really it confirms to them and should confirm

to the wider world what these people feel they already know, and that is that this is a brutal ruthless organization with very little respect for

human life.

These people feel this way because they feel very much under daily threat by ISIS. The front lines against this organization are just a 20

minute drive or so from where I am standing. And in fact there are a number of fronts where Kurdish fighters are battling ISIS on pretty much a

daily basis.

They believe that they are -- well, they tell us that they are proud to do so, not only for their own people, but also to be part of what they

call the free world. But they believe that they're taking on a little bit too much for themselves. They want greater assistance as well, these

Kurdish fighters while also being careful to say that they are grateful for the assistance they have received by the international coalition providing

the air power, the air strikes, which have also no doubt made a considerable difference in not just slowing down the ISIS advance through

this region, but also containing it, even driving it back.

But the Kurdish fighters, they had been making some progress. Their goal, they say, at the moment strategically is to circle the city of Mosul,

Iraq's second largest city. It's only a short drive to the west from here. It is still very much in the hands of ISIS. What they are trying to do is

circle the city and cut it off from ISIS controlled territory across the border in Syria, choke it off in that way.

They've been making some progress, as I say. Despite that, though, we have seen ISIS open new battlefronts around the key Iraqi city of Kirkuk,

significant because of its region, because of its oil reserves. This week has seen days of very intense fighting, as ISIS has suddenly launched

attacks there as well.

Kurdish fighters have driven them back to some degree, but they believe that this is now a new campaign by ISIS. While it is under

pressure elsewhere, it still has the resources and indeed the confidence to launch this new battle at a key location in Iraq, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Kurdish forces say they want more assistance. Exactly what do they need? And what else can the U.S.-led coalition do to fight ISIS,

especially there in Iraq?

BLACK: Well, what they talk about, and they've been talking about for some time are the need for more powerful, more advanced weaponry. The

Kurdish fighters are known for being much more than just your average militia. They are an organized fighting force, really, an unofficial

second army within Iraq, if you like. But they feel that they are outgunned to a significant degree. They believe that ISIS has more armor,

more heavy weapons and as a result Kurdish fighters have been taking much heavier casualties than they are comfortable with despite gains that they

have been making on the battlefield.

Today, the Kurdish foreign minister told me that as many as 70 percent of the casualties inflict upon Kurdish fighters are because of improvised

explosive devices and other roadside bombs. What they want are the sort of armored vehicles that would help protect fighters from that.

They don't have it. They've asked the international community to provide it. That has not as yet been forthcoming. But at the same time,

as I say, they are keen to make the point that they are also very grateful for the assistance they have received, particularly the air support those

airstrikes, together with the Kurdish fighters on the ground, the air power from above from the international coalition. It has gone a long way

towards slowing ISIS's advance through this region after it initially charged through here last year seizing great amounts of territory very,

very quickly.

LU STOUT: CNN's Phil Black reporting live from Urbil in Iraq for us. Thank you, Phil.

Now we want to take a moment and tell you more about the young pilot brutally murdered by ISIS.

Now Lieutenant Kasasbeh hailed from a prominent tribe in Jordan. And Amara Walker has more on this background.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Moaz al-Kasasbeh was just 27 years old, shown here in his uniform clean-shaven, a serious face shown to the

camera. He was a lieutenant and pilot in the Roy Jordanian Air Force.

When he was captured, his father told the Jordan Times newspaper his son was, quote, "a very modest and religious person."

He came from Karak governorate in Jordan just southwest of Amman, part of a high ranking tribe considered especially loyal to Jordan's monarchy,

one of eight children he graduated from King Hussein Air College.

The family's nightmare began when al-Kasasbeh was captured by ISIS in late December after his F-16 crashed into northern Syria. It came down

near Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate.

It is unclear whether the plane suffered a mechanical failure, but ISIS says its heat-seeking missiles were responsible and published these

images on social media to prove it.

His father pleaded with the Jordanian government to help free his son.

SAFI AL-KASASBEH, FATHER OF JORDANIAN PILOT (through translator): I firmly ask whomever has sent Moaz to fight outside the borders of Jordan on

a mission unrelated to us, to make strong efforts to bring back Moaz and liberate him starting with his majesty the king.

WALKER: In a statement email to CNN, Jordanian government spokesman Mohamed Momani called Kasasbeh a model of heroism. As Jordan mourns the

loss of one of its heroes, the death of al-Kasasbeh is sure to resonate with Jordan's King Abdullah, not just as a pillar of the fight against

ISIS, but as a former air force pilot himself.

Amara Walker, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Our Atika Shubert has been on the streets of Amman getting a sense of the outrage over this horrific killing. She joins us now live.

And Atika, how are the people of Jordan grieving and reacting to the brutal death of their pilot?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, outrage is the word, Kristie. We've been -- we've just returned from a prayer service

there. And the feeling is palpable not only the grief but the anger.

I spoke to one man who said he wanted to see ISIS annihilated.

So if anything this does not seem to have divided public opinion, it appears to have united public opinion. While perhaps some Jordanians may

have felt that Jordan should not be part of the ISIS coalition before, it now seems that this brutal murder and the way -- really the horrific way it

was carried out and in that video really has brought the Jordanian public together to support the government in the fight against ISIS.

The bigger question, however, is whether or not this is going to be a turning point, however, is whether or not this is going to be a turning

point, whether or not this is going to be not just for Jordan, but across the Arab world going tonight to unite opinion against ISIS and if that will

mean that we'll see not just airstrikes, but possibly troops on the ground. Are they going to make a further push against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

Those are the questions that are remaining to be answered in the next few days, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Jordan has in fact vowed an earth-shattering response. What could that look like?

SHUBERT: It has. And what we are likely to see is more airstrikes, particularly from the Jordanian Air Force. In fact, when we were at the

prayer service earlier today, we saw four Jordanian fighter jets flying overhead. As soon as they zoomed passed there were applause and shouts

cheering them on.

So clearly they have the public support to pull out all the stops on ISIS. The question is, is that going to be enough, or do they need troops

on the ground to actually take territory away from ISIS? And if that is the case, that is going to require much more sacrifice from ground troops.

And those ground troops will be coming from the Arab nations already a part of the coalition and any Syrian rebel groups that will be training to carry

out ground operations. That is the next phase of this fight. And it's not clear yet when that phase will be launched or how it will be launched.

LU STOUT: Our CNN's Atika Shubert reporting live from Amman, Jordan. Thank you.

Now in eastern Ukraine, four people were killed when a hospital in Donetsk was hit by shelling. The Donetsk city council confirmed the

deaths.

Now schools in the area were also damaged in the fighting.

Just yesterday, the UN warned that civilians are increasingly caught in the crossfire between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government

forces.

They put the death toll in fighting since April at more than 5,300 people.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still to come, a desperate search is underway for those missing after a plane clipped a bridge and

plunged into a river in Taiwan. We have the dramatic video of the moments before the crash after the break.

Plus, a crowded commuter train slams into a car north of New York City. We hear from passengers who were on that train when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. You're watching News Stream. And you're looking at a visual version of all the stories we've got in the program

today.

We've already told you about the international outrage after ISIS brutally murdered a Jordanian pilot.

And later we'll bring you an unconventional look at U.S. immigration.

But now to a tragedy in Taiwan. Now let's bring up dash cam video as provided by TVBS of a deadly plane crash near Taipei. You can see the

plane, it's veering past a bridge just before it plunged into the Keelung River. 58 people were on board that Trans Asia Airways flight. At least

23 are now confirmed dead and 15 have been rescued with injuries.

Now searchers, they are still working to find nearly two dozen people who are still missing.

Let's get more now from CNN's David McKenzie. He has been following the latest from Beijing. He joins us now.

And David, dozens are missing, but incredibly there are survivors from this horrific crash?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. Incredible that anyone could have survived this crash, given how dramatic

the fall from the sky was. And certainly pictures and images that have shocked the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: This dash cam footage from Taiwan is as incredible as it is horrifying. The extraordinary scene from CNN affiliate TVBS shows the

TransAsia ATR-72 shortly after take-off. Then, the unthinkable, the plane cartwheeling over an elevated highway, slamming into a barrier and then

crashing a passing taxi, ditching into the Keelung River below.

Fifty-eight passengers and crew were on board the flight, incredibly, they say, there were survivors of the crash escaping the sunken fuselage.

And the dramatic rescue scenes played out on live T.V. with more than 100 first responders rushing to the scene, desperately searching for more

survivors.

TransAsia officials say the plane was new and recently serviced. But this is the second deadly TransAsia crash in just seven months.

CHEN XINDE, CEO, TRANSASIA AIRWAYS (translator): I would like to express our deep apologies to the victims and our crews. Again, we express

our deep apologies.

MCKENZIE: Family members were left angry and distraught.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had to contact the airline first. The airline didn't pay attention to us. They're business confirming information. Their

attitude is terrible.

MCKENZIE: The reasons for the crash are unclear but the recovered flight data recorders should help investigators understand just what went

so horribly wrong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Well, Kristie, we can show you live pictures now of the authorities trying to bring that fuselage out of that shallow river. When

the plane crashed, effectively it flipped over. It was upside down. And you can imagine how disorientating and terrifying it would have been for

those passengers who survived to try and get out. Some of them in fact managed to get out just by walking and coming out on their own steam with

the help of the rescuers.

All of this unfolded on live TV in Taiwan, gripped the nation, and in fact gripped the world as this unfolded -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And David, as we look at this live footage of the wreckage of the TransAsia flight being raised, what more can you tell us about

TransAsia Airlines and what's known about their safety record?

MCKENZIE: Well, up to the crash site I mentioned in that report in July last year the airline did have a good safety record indeed.

TransAsia is a regional airline operating out of Taiwan. It's very much for tourists. In fact, there were more than 30 passengers on board

that plane, according to national media, that were from the Chinese mainland on a tour. It's unclear yet which members of that -- those

passengers or crew survived this terrible crash.

But certainly you saw there with the TransAsia CEO a lot of apologies coming, but coming so soon after that crash off the Pengu Archipelago about

seven months ago, which was in bad weather, but they haven't yet determined the reason for that crash.

A lot of questions will be asked about this airline and safety record, though the plane itself is thought to be a relatively safe model of plane

historically -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And right now as we look at the live footage of the wreckage of this TransAsia flight being raised, we know that rescuers, they

are scrambling to find any more survivors. And the investigation -- I mean, it is yet to begin in earnest, but we're also desperate for answers

here. I mean, what's the early thinking about what went wrong?

MCKENZIE: Well, it's so early it's very hard to tell. But you know of course we got visual evidence of what happened with that incredible

footage where you see the plane cartwheeling over and slamming into the bridge.

It could mean the pilot was trying to avoid the heavily populated areas of Taipei, or it could just be a malfunction of the plane.

It does seem that one of those propellers is not working in that footage. Again, we just don't know.

I mean, if the pilot was trying to get out of harm's way, certainly incredible skill or luck there to land into water rather than into a

building, which as you know in Taipei it's an incredibly urbanized area.

So, the fact that anyone walked away from this is quite incredible.

It should have been an hour long flight to an island off the mainland, but it ended just minutes after it began. And certainly, they say, they're

going to be investigating very thoroughly what exactly happened with those data recorders. they might be able to pick through the evidence in the

hours ahead -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it's such a tragedy in Taiwan and all captured in horrifying detail. David McKenzie reporting live for us. Thank you,

David.

Now that dramatic video of the moments before the crash, it was all caught on a dash cam. Now if you've watch enough cop movies you probably

know what a dash cam is. It's a camera mounted on a car's dashboard. And when it reaches the memory limit, it erases the old pictures so it can

continue to record more. And most drivers use a dash cam to capture video evidence in case of an accident.

Now moving now to that train crash in the United States, now New York's Metro North Railroad says the crash, which killed seven people, is

the deadliest in the railroad's history. Now the commuter train slammed into a car that was on the tracks on Tuesday night.

Now CNN's Deborah Feyerick spoke to some of the passengers who were on board at the time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This morning, commuters in New York reeling after a train crash left seven people dead,

at least a dozen injured Tuesday evening.

MARC WELTE, METRO-NORTH PASSENGER: There was a passenger that ran past me. He had blood on his face. And people were pulling the windows off,

trying to get out through the emergency windows. Screaming, yelling, it was just total panic.

FEYERICK: It was rush hour just around 7 p.m., when this Metro-North train traveling on the tracks north of New York City, heading from Grand

Central Terminal to Valhalla, collided with an SUV.

FRED BUONOCORE, METRO-NORTH PASSENGER: You could tell there was panic going on towards the front of the train. Like "Walk balk, walk back, walk

back."

FEYERICK: According to Metro Transit Authority officials, the gate at the train crossing closed down on the SUV. The female driver got out to

look at the rear of her Jeep Cherokee, and that's when the train struck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was an explosion. People were trapped inside, so there were multiple fatalities. And then there was smoke in the head

car, and we saw a couple of flames.

DEVON CHAMPAGNE, METRO-NORTH PASSENGER: But we were able to get off in time. But, I mean, it was scary.

FEYERICK: The explosion leaving behind a plume of smoke billowing from the cabs. About 650 people aboard.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: The third rail of the track came up from the explosion and went right through the car. So it is truly a

devastatingly ugly situation to see.

FEYERICK: The driver of that SUV and six train passengers killed. The NTSB sending a go team to investigate the crash later today.

CUOMO: When you look at the damage done, it's actually amazing that not more people were hurt on that train.

FEYERICK: This deadly train collision comes on the heels of a November NTSB report finding that five Metro-North accidents that killed six and

injured more than 100 passengers were all preventable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now that was CNN's Deborah Feyerick reporting.

We'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now let's turn to Argentina. Now new information could reignite the conspiracy theories that surfaced after the death of a prosecutor. Now

Shasta Darlington has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: New details emerging about special prosecutor Albert Nisman's allegations against the

president of Argentina, including a draft arrest warrant.

Now shortly before his mysterious death last month, Nisman had accused President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner and her foreign minister of

trying to cover up Iran's alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center.

According to the chief investigator into his death, she said on Tuesday that a document had been found in the trash bin of Nisman's

apartment that showed at one point he drafted a warrant for the arrest of the president and the foreign minister.

Now these arrest warrants were not included in the final criminal complaint that he filed to a judge, but they do underline just how tense

relations were between the chief prosecutor, the special prosecutor Alberto Nisman and the government before his death.

In fact, he'd accused the government of Argentina of holding a secret negotiation with the government of Iran that would on the one hand revoke

the international arrest warrants for Iranian suspects in the bombing, and on the other hand allow Argentina access to oil.

These are allegations that have been denied by the government of both countries the investigation into Nisman's death continues. Neither suicide

nor homicide have been ruled out.

The emergence of this latest document has really raised some confusion, basically because it was originally reported over the weekend by

Argentine newspaper Clarine (ph).

Initially, the Argentine government and the attorney general's office denied that it existed and then on Tuesday the chief investigator Viviana

Fein came out and publicly saying that there was a document, that there had been some miscommunication. But these contradictions really fuel

suspicions among Argentines that the government is pressuring the investigation and that it will be very difficult for the chief investigator

to really arrive at any conclusion in this mysterious death.

Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Coming up on News Stream, more on our breaking news the ISIS execution.

And then, an ISIS bride recounts the harrowing story of her forced marriage

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Now Jordan's King Abdullah has arrived home to a nation outraged that ISIS killed a military pilot by burning him alive in a cage. There has

already been some retaliation: two al Qaeda-linked prisoners being held in Jordan have been hanged.

Now stunning footage shows the final moments before a passenger jet crashed into a river in Taiwan. Now this dash cam video was obtained by

TVBS. At least 23 people on the TransAsia Airways turbo prop plane were killed. Now workers are now trying to lift the wreckage from the river.

Now 15 passengers have been rescued, but nearly two dozen are still missing.

Now six people were killed and 12 injured after a commuter train slammed into a car north of New York City on Tuesday. Now transit

officials say the vehicle, an SUV, appears to have gotten stuck on the tracks before the crash. New York's Metro North Railroad says the crash is

the deadliest in the railroad's history.

Now in just over an hour, the freed al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste will finally be home in Australia. Now Greste was released from an

Egyptian prison on Sunday after spending more than a year behind bars convicted of supporting the banned Muslim Brotherhood. His family and

supporters are at the airport to welcome his return.

Now CNN will not show the gruesome images of the Jordanian pilot's murder when he was burned alive by ISIS militants while locked in a cage.

Now this is the third execution video from ISIS in recent weeks. And the pilot was the first member of the coalition to be captured and murdered by

ISIS.

Now the group also says it killed two captives from Japan.

Now since August, ISIS has claimed to have killed five western captives -- three Americans and two British citizens.

Now the burning alive of the Jordanian pilot, it just shows the depravity that ISIS has become known for. But members of the militant

group pursue brutality in private as well.

Arwa Damon has one Syrian woman's harrowing story of being forced into marrying an ISIS militant. She fears for her safety and wishes to keep her

real identity secret.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hanan apologizes for her tears, betraying the depth of her pain that even the suffocating black

fabric cannot mask.

HANAN, FORCED TO MARRY ISIS FIGHTER (through translator): Even until now I cant grasp what I have been through, that I went through this I am

destroyed.

DAMON: When ISIS swept into Hanan's city in Syria, she says, anyone suspected of fighting them was indiscriminately detained.

HANAN (through translator): Among those who were detained, the reason for my marriage, was my father. My brother died during the clashes and as

a memory my father kept his AK. When ISIS came in, someone told them he had a weapon so they detained him.

DAMON: Hanan and her mother begged for his release.

HANAN (through translator): After a bit my mother came and said to me, they will release him if you marry the head of the Sharia Police. His

name is Abu Mohammed al Iraqi.

My father's life for my hand in marriage.

DAMON: Abu Mohammed al Iraqi was his pseudonym. She never even knew his real name.

HANAN (through translator): Every girl dreams of that white dress, of the wedding night. I have been deprived of that. I was destroyed in this

marriage.

DAMON: She speaks haltingly of their first night together when, she says, her husband forced himself on her.

HANAN (through translator): There was no emotion. I felt like he just wanted to take what was his right. He had to.

DAMON: Her husband kept her locked up in the house. She was only allowed to use his phone in his presence to call her parents. She was his

prisoner, his maid, and his sex slave.

HANAN (through translator): I couldn't go out. I couldn't meet up with anyone. No one could visit. And they forbid things at will. My

husband, he would detain people for smoking and then he would smoke at home.

DAMON: Her husband was killed a month after they married and Hanan says she managed to flee to Turkey after ISIS decided to marry her off to

another fighter.

The activist group "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently" has documented hundreds of cases of women being forced into becoming ISIS

brides, about a third of them under 18.

Hanan says the instant a girl turns 13, if ISIS spots her, they will claim her. And many like Hanan don't have a choice.

HANAN (through translator): And they marry and they divorce at will. But it was my father's life for this marriage.

DAMON: A marriage that shredded her soul.

Arwa Damon, CNN, on the Turkey-Syria border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Another reminder of the savagery of ISIS.

ISIS claims to be the true defender of Islam, but a former ISIS captive says it appeared to him that the militants were not interested in

religion at all.

Now the French journalist Didier Francois spent nearly a year in ISIS hands in Syria. Now he spoke exclusively to CNN's Chief International

Correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIDIER FRANCOIS, FRENCH JOURNALIST: It was more hammering what they were believing than teaching us about the Koran. Because it has nothing to

do with the Koran. They didn't even have the Koran. They didn't want to even give us a Koran.

So it's not that -- it has nothing to do with Koran...

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So these are not religious fanatics?

FRANCOIS: No. It is -- it is -- what they believe, what they think, and they try to hammer it to you, because that's what they trust. I mean,

it has nothing to do with Koran. It's a way of looking at things.

(END VIDEO CILP)

LU STOUT: Francois also says ISIS ruled its prisons the way they want to rule the world: by terrorizing you. You can watch the complete

interview on CNN.com.

Now you're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, as the United States focuses on immigration reform, we'll bring you the story of

some young Mexican immigrants who show with perseverance that anything is possible.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now President Barack Obama is expected to meet with young undocumented immigrants from across the United States at the White House today. And as

part of Mr. Obama's plane to promote immigration reforms, which could prevent millions of undocumented immigrants from being deported.

Now Republicans in congress are mounting their own campaign to undo those reforms.

Now these Mexican immigrants, they know -- they were among those who were entered a national underwater robotics competition, a competition that

was sponsored by NASA. Now with smarts and ingenuity, they ended up winning, beating out students from one of the country's top math and

science universities MIT.

Now three of those boys were undocumented. And there is now a book and a movie about them It's called Spare Parts.

Joshua Davis was the first to tell their story in Wired Magazine. And earlier I asked how he learned of their success.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSHUA DAVIS, WIRED MAGAZINE: They sent me a press release. And the press release was -- had -- was full of typos and had all sorts of errors

to it and that's actually why I paid attention to it. I thought what is this weird press release? And so I called the school and I found out that

they had sent this out across the country and nobody had paid any attention. And I thought that that was wrong. I felt that somebody should

be paying attention.

LU STOUT: And how did these under resourced kids manage to beat the best in the country? What was their secret weapon?

DAVIS: Well, it turns out, you know, it doesn't take a lot of money to come up with great engineering solutions. In fact, sometimes a lot of

money stands in the way of a great solution.

These guys pulled garbage out of the garbage can. They used spare parts. And they used their ingenuity.

LU STOUT: And 10 years after this incredible win, what are they doing today?

DAVIS: Well, that's the tough part. They ended up beating MIT. And the kids from MIT went on to great jobs, which is perfect, that's what we

want.

But the kids who placed above them, one of them is unemployed. One of them was essentially deported. One of them is a janitor. And one of them

is a line cook. And most of them want to pursue robotics. And so that's not really an ideal outcome for the country and for us -- you know, as a

civilization. We need to find a better way of you know nurturing and encouraging that kind of talent.

LU STOUT: You know, it's such a surprising and unfortunate outcome. What does it say about the American dream and about what's wrong with U.S.

immigration policy?

DAVIS: Well, you know, I think it says a lot. It is a complex issue. These kids were born in Mexico. They came across the border as kids and

are technically Mexican citizens, but have grown up in the United States. They view themselves as American. They're going to stay in the United

States. And they want to contribute to America.

You know, the fact that they were able to prove their talent I think draws attention to an entire generation of students and young people like

them. There's roughly 2 million undocumented students in the United States who are going to stay. And so the question that this project brings up,

both the movie and the book, is what is the best way of bringing them into America such that we can all benefit from their passion and drive?

LU STOUT: You first met these students when they were in their teenage years. It's been 10 years since. They're now in their late 20s.

When you talk to them about the win back in the day and how their lives have turned out, do you get a sense of profound sadness from them?

DAVIS: No. Not at all. I get a sense of profound hope, in fact. It's the opposite. They believe in the promise of America. They believe

in the American dream. And they are not giving up at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Journalist Joshua Davis there.

Now despite their robotics win, the young men struggle to afford university, ultimately limiting the scope of their success.

Now before we go, I want to highlight a recent Reddit AMA, or ask me anything. It's by our very own Nic Robertson.

Now he just returned from the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and was asked why he does what he does.

Now Nic replied this way, quote, "it is important that the world hears what is happening in its darkest corners. It is important for the people

in those dark places to know that people care that they are people too whose lives count."

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere, World Sport with Amanda Davis is next.

END