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CNN NEWSROOM

School Girls Abducted by Boko Haram Could Be Alive; Obama: ISIS Being Squeezed Out of Iraq, Syria; Trump Complains About RNC, GOP Delegate Process, Cruz Responds; Kobe Bryant Ends Career with 60 Points in Final Game; School Girls Abducted by Boko Haram Could Be Alive; German Police Arrest Train Dispatcher Deadly Crash; Chinese Gay Couple Fights after Marriage License Denied; Crane Collapse Causes Death in China; Lost Masterpiece Found in Attic in France. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 14, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


(HEADLINES)

[02:00:17] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Errol Barnett. We appreciate your joining us. We'll be here for the next two hours on CNN NEWSROOM.

It's now been two years since gunmen in northeast Nigeria kidnapped almost 300 school girls. On this grim anniversary we are learning that some of the girls may still be alive.

CHURCH: Yes. CNN has obtained this video being used in negotiations between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government that shows some of the missing students. They were taken from their beds in a dormitory in the town of Chibok, leading to international pleas to "Bring back out girls."

BARNETT: We're very familiar with that.

CNN's Nima Elbagir; producer, Stephanie Vasari (ph); and videographer, Sebastian Konops (ph), bring us this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lined up against a yellow wall, 15 girls, only their faces showing. An off- camera voice asked each girl, what's your name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ELBAGIR: "Is that the name your parents recognize?"

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ELBAGIR: "Where were you taken from," the voice asks. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ELBAGIR: "Chibok school."

And the date they say is the 25th of December, 2015.

This video was obtained by a person close to the negotiations to get the girls released. For the parents, it's finally a glimmer of hope these girls are still alive.

Two years ago, we met Mary Ashia (ph) and Kata Ayuba (ph) and Yala Galand (ph) on our trip to Chibok after the kidnapping of their daughters. We asked them if they recognized any of the girls in the video.

(CROSSTALK)

ELBAGIR: They lean closer. Another girl is identified, Hawa (ph). One by one, they name all 15 girls.

But one mother, Yala (ph), realizes her daughter isn't there.

(CRYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ELBAGIR: The off-camera voice asking the questions is familiar to CNN as that of Boko Haram spokesperson, Abu Zanara (ph).

A source close to negotiations between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government said the video was provided by the terror group as an asked-for show of good faith. Nigeria's information minister told CNN they have received the video but are still reviewing it.

LAI MOHAMMED, NIGERIAN INFORMATION MINISTER: If you study the video you find out the questions were asked in a very controlled environment. I'm a bit concerned, too, that after two years in captivity, the girls in the video were under no stress whatsoever. There's been little transformation to their physical appearance.

ELBAGIR (on camera): Is your government negotiating with Boko Haram for the release of these girls?

MOHAMMED: There are ongoing talks. We cannot ignore offers. We can't ignore leads. Of course, many of these investigations are, you know, are not -- cannot be disclosed at all because they could also endanger, you know, the negotiation.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): We took the video to a classmate of the Chibok girls. She'd been at home on the day of the kidnapping. For her safety, we're not showing her face, nor using her name.

She told us there's no doubt these are some of her kidnapped classmates. UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (through translation): Watching the video, I'm

reminded of how we used to play together, do our chores, do our homework.

ELBAGIR: She says seeing the girls again will likely give her night mares.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (through translation): Sometimes still, if I hear news about them, I have bad dreams and I wake up crying.

ELBAGIR: The video ends with a girl addressing the camera with a message to the Nigerian government, "We are all well," she said pointedly, perhaps suggesting other girls not seen in the video. She then delivers what sounds like a scripted plea, urging the Nigerian to fulfill unspecified promises.

For the mothers of these girls rapidly becoming women far from home, the video is overwhelming. They say they just want someone to bring their daughters home.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Nigeria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:05:24] CHURCH: And to find out more about this exclusive report, you can connect with the Nima and her producer, Stephanie, in a live Facebook chat. Go to Facebook.com/CNN tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. in the U.K. and Nigeria. That is 2:00 a.m. in Hong Kong.

BARNETT: U.S. President Barack Obama says coalition efforts to defeat ISIS are working. In a rare visit to CIA headquarters, Mr. Obama says it's been a bad few months for the ISIS leaders.

CHURCH: He also said the terror group is being squeezed out of Iraq and Syria.

Jim Sciutto reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNFIRE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (voice-over): Iraqi security forces fight house to house --

(GUNFIRE)

SCIUTTO: -- to retake a city northwest of Ramadi from ISIS control.

As thousands of residents flee the violence, Iraqi forces expect to rid the city of the terror group within days.

(GUNFIRE)

SCIUTTO: One victory against ISIS, among many, the U.S.-led coalition is now complaining. Speaking tonight at the CIA, President Obama said that more and more

ISIS fighters are realizing their cause is lost.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today, on the ground in Syria and in Iraq, ISIL is on the defensive. Our 66-member coalition, including Arab partners, is on the offensive. We have momentum and we intend to keep that momentum.

(GUNFIRE)

SCIUTTO: ISIS, say the U.S. military, has lost more than 40 percent of its territory in Iraq and Syria and millions of dollars in money blown up by coalition air strikes.

(GUNFIRE)

SCIUTTO: The Pentagon also claims more than 26,000 fighters, including several senior leaders, have been killed.

(GUNFIRE)

SCIUTTO: U.S. officials say that ISIS's fighting force is now at its smallest since monitoring began in 2014.

(GUNFIRE)

SCIUTTO: Still, the terror group remains active. In Syria, Tuesday, ISIS fighters claimed control of a Palestinian refugee camp. And there are growing fears that if ISIS is pushed back in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the group will launch even more terror attacks abroad following their recent strikes in Brussels and Paris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We must work to prevent the threat of terrorism in the first place, to stop the recruitment, the radicalization, the mobilization of people, especially young people.

(SHOUTING)

SCIUTTO: Attempting to rally supporters, ISIS's propaganda magazine praising the cell responsible for the Paris and Brussels attacks. Mohamed Belkaid, the alleged European ringleader, is showcased in combat gear, holding a bloody knife. The magazine says Najim Laachraoui, who blew himself up at the Brussels airport, built the bombs for both attacks, and gives credit to the el Bakraoui brothers for gather the weapons and explosives.

(SIRENS)

SCIUTTO: Claims consistent with what investigators have told CNN.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: U.S. defense officials are calling maneuvers by some Russian fighter jets unsafe and unprofessional. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(ENGINE NOISE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: As you saw there in that video, the jets flying very low and close to a U.S. destroyer this week in the Baltic Sea. The U.S. says the unarmed aircraft made several aggressive maneuvers near the ship. One jet, in fact, came within 22 meters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This incident, as you won't be surprised to hear, is entirely inconsistent with the professional norms of militaries operating in proximity to each other in international waters in international airspace. Any peacetime military activity must be consistent with international law and norms, and conducted with due regard for the rights of other nations and the safety of other aircraft and other vessels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And the destroyer had a Polish helicopter on board for routine training. A U.S. official says there is speculation the Russians were sending a message to Poland.

BARNETT: Still to come, he's complained the nominating process is stacked against him. What the Republican Party has to say to Donald Trump coming up.

CHURCH: Plus, an amazing performance from Kobe Bryant in the last game of his NBA career.

You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS REPORT)

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[02:13:43] CHURCH: The U.S. Democratic presidential candidates are rallying their supporters in New York ahead of Tuesday's crucial primary.

BARNETT: Take a look at the scene in Manhattan. Tens of thousands of people jammed Washington Park for a Bernie Sanders rally. He minded them of their importance to his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the last 11 months, we have received almost seven million individual campaign contributions.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: That is more campaign contributions than any candidate in the history of this country at this point in the campaign.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton held her own rally in the Bronx and slammed her Republican rivals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: One of them denigrates New York values. I think New York values are at the core of America values. That's why I'm proud to be a New Yorker.

Unlike Donald Trump, we're not saying some people don't belong. We're not saying some people are not wanted. This is a borough of immigrants in a state of immigrants in a state of immigrants in a nation of immigrants, and I am proud of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:15:13] CHURCH: On the other side of politics, the Republican National Committee is responding to Donald Trump's complaints about the nominating process. Trump says the system is stacked against him.

BARNETT: He also said the rules, which vary from state to state, have been exploited badly by his opponent, Ted Cruz. Trump says he suspects the party doesn't want him to win the nomination and accused the committee of conspiring against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I honestly don't take it all that personally. But I do have to respond, though, when a campaign says that the RNC is rigging the rules. It's just not the case. The rules have been set. They're in place. They're not going to change in these states. And they're the same -- for the next state, New York, they're all out there. Everyone knows what the rules are. So I have to respond, though, if the party of which I'm the chairman of is getting attacked, especially when it's not true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Cruz appeared at a CNN town hall with his family Wednesday night.

CHURCH: He said there's a reason why Trump is complaining about the delegate process now. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R), TEXAS & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The rules are simple. The way you get elected is that you win a majority of the delegates in elections. What Donald is unhappy about is that in the last three weeks there have been a total of 11 elections in four states and we've beaten Donald in all 11 elections. He's unhappy about that because he's losing at the polls. So I guess he thinks what he should do is complain and attack the voters. I think the way you win is you make the case to the voters and you earn their votes.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, A.C. 360: If Trump emerges with more votes in the popular vote, but at the convention, in a second round, you get the delegates, you get the nomination, will the will of the people be subverted? That's what Trump is saying.

CRUZ: That's a ludicrous argument. There's one way, and there's only one way you earn the Republican nomination. That is you earn the votes of a majority of the delegates elected by the people. Going back to 1860, that's has been consistently, for more than a century, how the Republican Party, how we picked our nominee. If Donald can't get a majority -- and the reason he's throwing such a fit -- is the odds are looking more and more likely that can't get a majority. And we'll go to Cleveland. And in Cleveland, I believe if it's a contested convention, I'll have a ton of delegates, he'll have a ton of delegates, and in that situation, we'll be in the much stronger position, I believe, to earn a majority of the delegates and to continue uniting the party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: So there you have it, but what should we make of all this?

Jonathan Swan is the national political reporter for "The Hill." He joins us from Washington.

So what is Ted Cruz hoping and planning for in Cleveland at the Republican convention, essentially, coalescing the Stop Trump bloc, is that his best hope?

JONATHAN SWAN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE HILL: Cruz's strategy is to stop Donald Trump from getting 1237 delegates, which is the majority that he needs to secure the nomination. And what Ted Cruz is hoping to do is keep Donald Trump below that number and the, at the convention, because Ted Cruz has an amazing nationwide -- what we call a ground game -- basically, Ted Cruz, with right now with very prescient foresight basically developed a ground operation across the country. So he's got people in all these states talking to these party activists who are the folks who become ultimately the delegates. So what Cruz has been doing and Donald Trump has recently woken up to the fact is that Cruz has been winning the actual human beings. You forget they're human beings. We just hear about delegates. But they're actually breathing people who can decide, after the first ballot, when they're bound for the popular vote -- after the first ballot, they can decide, do I support Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. And on that game, Ted Cruz is doing much, much better. So it will be fair to say, I think, Ted Cruz is correct in the clip you just played, if the convention goes beyond the first ballot, he has a much better chance than Donald Trump to win.

BARNETT: Overall, Cruz has proved himself to be a cunning politician. He's polling third in New York right now behind Trump and Kasich. He also took a swipe against Donald Trump and his surrogates during the CNN town hall, essentially criticizing Trump's tactics, saying they stoke violence and are underhanded. But Cruz himself is known for some slimily politics, right?

[02:19:45] SWAN: He's got a campaign manager, who is Jeff Rowe, who is famous for playing very, very hard ball. There was an incident in the Iowa caucuses where there was a report that Ben Carson was not dropping out but taking some time off the trail to go to Florida, and Ted Cruz's campaign rushed the message out that Ben Carson was dropping out and a vote for Ben Carson was a wasted vote so you must vote for Ted Cruz. There have been these things that have gone on during the campaign. But what Ted Cruz is very good at is the mechanics of politics. He's running a highly professional campaign. And, frankly, Donald Trump has run his campaign -- he may as well been in his pajamas. He's been doing it on Twitter, phoning in to TV shows, and he hasn't invested in the kind of operation you would normally from a presidential front runner.

BARNETT: And it really is why this is just fascinating to watch it all unfold.

SWAN: Yes.

BARNETT: Let's switch to the Democrats quickly. What do you make of Hillary's large but shrinking lead over Bernie Sanders in New York?

SWAN: Taken as a whole, it still looks like she'll win New York by 10 or more percentage points, which is not insubstantial. To put it into perspective, not only does Bernie Sanders need to defeat Hillary Clinton in just about every state coming up, he needs to comprehensively defeat her. He is significantly behind in the delegate count. And it's a proportional battle on the Democratic side. So he needs to put some big margins over hers.

BARNETT: Yeah, but his message resonates, and the upticks in his rallies continues to bring attention.

SWAN: Exactly. Yeah.

BARNETT: We'll continue to watch this closely. I know you will as well.

Jonathan Swan, the national political reporter for "The Hill," joining us from D.C.

Thanks, Jon.

SWAN: Thank you.

CHURCH: And you can watch Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders go head- to-head at the CNN Democratic presidential debate. Watch it live Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. in New York. That's 2:00 a.m. in London.

BARNETT: Hey, if you missed the town hall with Ted Cruz and his family, don't worry. We'll be replaying that at noon London time.

CHURCH: All right. Now to an historic night in the National Basketball Association. The Golden State Warriors have set a new record for regular season wins. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies just a few minutes ago for victory number 73.

BARNETT: That is right. The 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls held the previous record of 72. No other team in NBA history has ever won more than 70 regular-season games.

In the meantime, further down the state in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant was unstoppable in the final game of his NBA career. Perhaps the opponents were going light on him. I don't know. But he scored 60 points as the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz.

CHURCH: Bryant is retiring after 20 years in the NBA, 18 of them as an all-star. He led the Lakers to five championships and finishes at NBA's all-time leading scorer.

CNN's Paul Vercammen is at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He joins us on the phone.

Paul, what a night for basketball and what a way to boy out for Kobe Bryant. What was the atmosphere like?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rosemary, it was absolutely adrenaline charged. The fans were chanting "Kobe Bryant" and "Kobe" and "MVP". And it's as if every one of their dreams came true. He got hot, began making basket after basket. Suddenly, the points mounted. Kobe said his teammates were encouraging him to shoot and, next thing you know, he has 50 points and finally 60. In the post game, he was laughing that his daughters got to see the old Kobe, the Kobe they probably didn't know because he had so many injuries over the past three seasons. But, indeed, an unbelievable finish.

A lot of people here are buzzing and still shaking their heads. They cannot believe what they witnessed. It was a rather poetic ending to that two-decade-long career. One that spanned those decades and included five NBA championships -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: A great comeback as he bows out. Let's talk about that legacy. What legacy does Kobe Bryant leave behind after 20 long years and what's ahead for him?

VERCAMMEN: One of the things that you'll get from every single person who played against him or with him and his coach is no one competed harder. Gritty, determined, unrelenting. I also spoke with the Lakers trainer today who retired and he said he never worked on anybody who was more determined.

Don't forget, among the injuries in his mid 30s Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles tendon. That is said to be one of the most excruciating things a human being can endure. He said within 12 hours, Kobe Bryant got on the phone and said, let's get to work. How do I fix this now? So that was something that astounded people near him, this work ethic and this drive to try to be the absolute best.

In the future, this is a side of Kobe that not everybody sees. He's a storyteller. He's very interested in that. I'm not sure if he's going to try to create his own film production company or just what. But he loves that part of his life. Many people have said he is a tremendous intellectual and doesn't get credit for it.

I spoke to Diane Cannon, the Hollywood actress. She says she remembers having a fire at her home and Kobe Bryant coming up to her the next day and asking how she was. That's a side of Kobe that's not seen because of some of the trouble he's been in, in the past. Let's be honest, he's a polarizing figure in Los Angeles. He's had trials and tribulations. Back when he was 27, the case in Colorado where he was accused of rape, but that never went to trial.

But all in all, people will remember Kobe Bryant for that determination.

Back to you guys now.

[02:26:15] CHURCH: I suspect he will not go off quietly into the sunset.

Paul Vercammen, thanks for your great story. Kobe Bryant bowing out after a 20-year career. Many thanks to you.

BARNETT: Still to come, a new lawsuit from last year's Germanwings plane crash but it's not against the airline. See who the families are going after, next.

CHURCH: Plus, U.S. health officials make a big announcement about the link between the Zika Virus and birth defects.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A warm welcome back to all of you watching across the globe. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

[02:30:00] BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett.

We're half an hour in. Here's an update on our top stories.

(HEADLINES)

CHURCH: We return to our top story. CNN has obtained a video that suggests some of the missing Chibok school girls might be alive. They were kidnapped two in Nigeria years ago by the militant group Boko Haram.

BARNETT: It's believed this video was recorded in December as part of the group's negotiations with the government.

Michael Holmes spoke to a Nigerian senator involved in efforts to free these girls. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEHU SANI, NIGERIAN SENATOR: This video is credible. And it affirms the very fact that the girls are alive and there is hope that the -- they will get back home some day. It also sends a clear message that those who are thinking that there was no abduction, that there was actually an abduction that happened two years ago. What is most important is to get these girls out. There are three ways to which we can get them out. One is to negotiate and secondly is to use force, but the use of force comes with implication and consequences, and thirdly is to use force and continue to open the door of negotiation, which I believe the third option is what is very much need. We need to continue to use force to show it clearly to the insolent that they cannot win militarily and also to open the door that will make it possible for the girls to be brought back home alive.

MICHAEL HOLMES: You are yourself a former negotiator. I'm curious when it comes to a group like Boko Haram, how do you know who you're negotiating with, whether it's a group or a leader, who can actually deliver what they might be promising? Because in some cases, it's been shown that negotiations are with people who can't deliver.

SANI: Well, what has always been the problems and the last few months or years has been the very fact that they come. Most times negotiators come and make claims but don't deliver. I think we should be very careful at this time. The fact that we can get such a credible video from some sources shows that those very sources, elements that need to be used, to be utilized to be available to achieve the goal of getting these girls out. Past government fell into the hands of many scammers. But I believe that with such a credible video there is hope, there is light at the end of the tunnel that these girls are alive and that very source that provided this video shall be used to get these girls out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: And we invite you to stay with CNN as we mark two years since the girls' abduction with complete coverage on air and online. We have a number of special interactive features for you at CNN.com.

CHURCH: For the first time, U.S. health officials say the Zika Virus causes birth defects, including Microcephaly. For months doctors debated the connection between Zika and babies born with brain damage and abnormally small heads.

BARNETT: The head of the CDC says the link is now clear. The World Health Organization came to a similar conclusion last week.

CHURCH: The families of victims from last year's Germanwings plane crash are suing a U.S. flight school. They say the Arizona-based flight school should not have accepted Andreas Lubitz because of his mental health history. A French prosecutor says the 27 year old had a history of severe depression and suicidal thoughts.

[02:35:06] BARNETT: Lubitz was the co pilot of the Germanwings flight. Investigators say he intentionally crashed into the French Alps last March, killing all 150 people on board.

Police in Germany have arrested a train dispatcher in connection to a deadly crash.

CHURCH: It happened earlier this year in Bavaria State.

CNN's senior international correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, has more on the charges.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The authorities in Germany say that the dispatcher for that region of the railway has admitted that, yes, while he was on duty he was playing a video game on his Smartphone. They say the fact that he was on his phone during his duty and playing that game led to him being distracted and that then led to a chain of events which, in effect, caused these two planes to crash.

According to the public prosecutor, they believe that because he was distracted, first of all, investigators believe he pushed the wrong keys in the dispatcher's unit that led to these two trains getting on the same track and going at each other. The say, finally, when he noticed the trains were on the wrong track, he tried to send an emergency signal to the driver, but because he was so distracted, he pressed the wrong keys and, therefore, the drivers didn't get the emergency signal, and that caused the trains to crash.

According to the public prosecutor, the dispatcher himself has admitted that, yes, he was on his phone playing an online game, but apparently he says it didn't distract him from his duties.

Certainly, the investigation here is ongoing. He has now been charged with manslaughter due to negligence with severe battery due to negligence as well. And certainly, he could receive quite a strong penalty if it is found that the fact he was on his phone played a major role in these two trains crashing. Initially, authorities had said 11 people were killed, but on Wednesday, the German authorities came forward and said an additional person has now succumbed to injuries as a result of the train crash and, therefore, 12 people are now known to have been killed.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Some other stories we're following for you, the so-called affluenza teen in the U.S. has been ordered to spend two years in jail in order to continue his probation for a fatal drunk-driving crash from 2013. Ethan Couch initially got 10 years of probation after his lawyers argued he was too rich and spoiled to recognize the consequences of his actions.

CHURCH: He made headline again when he fled to Mexico last year after skipping mandatory meeting with his probation officer. The Texas judge said he could revise Wednesday's sentence after attorneys submit written arguments.

BARNETT: Still to come, a crushing setback for a gay couple in China who want to get married. Coming up, details of their lawsuit and why they plan to continue the fight.

CHURCH: Plus, terrifying moments inside this Mississippi school caught on camera. A look at what caused this virtual tidal wave, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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[02:41:44] CHURCH: Demonstrators in Macedonia took their anger out on buildings in the capitol as they called for the president's resignation. The protests came after he pardoned dozens of people linked to a massive wiretapping scandal. Macedonia has been in political turmoil since the scandal was uncovered last year.

BARNETT: Here in the U.S., Ringo Starr has joined a growing line of entertainers to protest a new law in North Carolina. On Wednesday, he cancelled an upcoming show over the state's so-called bathroom law, which requires people to use restrooms based on their birth gender.

CHURCH: The law is seen as discriminatory against transgender people. Starr said he hates to disappoint his fans but he has to stand against hatred. His decision follows Bruce Springsteen who also canceled a show there.

BARNETT: A gay couple in China says they will continue to fight for LGBT rights after a court dismissed their same-sex marriage lawsuit.

CHURCH: They filed a lawsuit after a local registry office denied their application for a marriage license.

Matt Rivers has more from Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The two men were hoping to make history, to become the first same-sex couple in China to get married. Last summer, they submitted an application to do so in their local marriage registry in their hometown in the province of Hunan, but it was rejected. So they sued. And earlier this year, to their surprise, a district court in the provisional capitol agreed to hear the case. But on Wednesday, the court ruled against the couple. It said even though there's not a law that specifically forbids same-sex marriage in China, there are several provisions that specify genders on licensed applications in the country's marriage law. The court's decision is being seen as a blow to LGBT equality in China.

Same-sex relations were outlawed until 1997. And until 2001, homosexuality was on the official list of mental illnesses for clinical treatment. And despite advances in recent years, a survey by the Pew Research Center last year showed 61 percent of China's population still viewed homosexuality as unacceptable.

But for the couple, they say this isn't over. One told CNN on Wednesday that the couple plans to appeal this decision and continue to fight for the right to be married.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A very strong system, a storm system has hit China and, of course, there's been a collapse of a crane.

Our Pedram Javaheri is here to explain.

This is such a tragic story.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We see this every single year around various parts of the world in construction zones. In the United States, in New York City, about a year ago, there was a crane collapse that caused some deaths. If they're over 30 kilometers an hour, you have to stop operating in construction sites with cranes. Of course, not so in China. Over 33 injuries related to this as well. The crane came down on top of a dormitory where some of the workers were housed.

BARNETT: Oh, wow.

[02:44:57] JAVAHERI: We'll show you the footage. Significant damage with the winds, easily over 100 kilometers an hour. I'll touch on why they were higher with height. Damage across the board, even areas a little ways away from this region, thousands of plants and trees all down as well from the significance of the wind gusts. 80 to 90 people came out unscathed but incredible damage left across southern China. This is north of Hong Kong, not far away from Hong Kong. Anytime you get winds say 100 kilometers per hour at ground level, 20 percent greater winds once you get up to 30-story levels. Depending on the height of the crane, certainly could have had some significant winds across this region cause damage as well. That's how it played across the area.

We'll show you what is going along portions of China. Widespread area also impressive. Doesn't look like the maps will work here. But the area has been hit with strong winds and rainfall over the days as well over this particular region of China.

In the Middle East we have -- looks like the maps are back. Areas around Riyadh getting major, rainfall. Parts of the Middle East, Western Iran, have seen more rainfall in the past couple of days than in two-years time combined. Pretty impressive sight across that region.

Take you towards the United States. I believe we have video to share out of the state of Mississippi. Pretty impressive video of rainfall. A school, the water is so heavy, the rainfall is so heavy across the area that they had flooding take place, brings down parts of the roof and causes significant damage in this region of the U.S. state of Mississippi. So the pattern has been unsettled not only across Asia but also in the southern U.S., where you see the damage that took place in the state of Mississippi.

BARNETT: Nobody was expecting that. You're not expecting to have your --

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: Pedram Javaheri, the only meteorologist --

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: -- give you a comprehensive weather report.

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CHURCH: -- good work under pressure.

JAVAHERI: Oh, my goodness.

BARNETT: Next test, next hour.

JAVAHERI: Try it again.

BARNETT: Thanks, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Thanks very much.

BARNETT: The duke and duchess of Cambridge are in Bhutan after a whirlwind visit to India.

CHURCH: They were greeted at the airport by the king and queen of the tiny Himalayan kingdom.

BARNETT: The British royals are expected to trek up a mountain to see an ancient Buddhist monastery during their visit. We'll have that for you next hour.

When scientists got into their submarine off the coast of Panama, they had no idea they find this. Check it out. More than 350 meters down. Look closely. You're seeing thousands of red crabs swarming like insects. Researchers said it was so thick you couldn't see beyond it.

CHURCH: This species of crabs is common to the west coast of Baja California but has never seen this far south. Biologists say finding a species like this in the extremes of their range and in such abundance it's very unusual.

BARNETT: And creepy, too.

CHURCH: Yes. Wouldn't want to be down there with them.

BARNETT: No.

CHURCH: It has been a wild week for some famous works of art. Coming up, how some were stolen off museum walls while another was found in a leaky attic. We'll explain.

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[02:52:33] CHURCH: Welcome to the gallery. Behind us you see three very different and very famous works of art with three very different stories.

BARNETT: Let's begin in Missouri with the famous Campbell's Soup can. The FBI is offering a reward. Listen up. They want information to find seven Andy Warhol prints that were stolen from a museum in Missouri. They're worth about a half a million dollars. Police say they were taken during a break-in on April 7. The museum director, among other things, was heart broken.

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UNIDENTIFIED MUSEUM DIRECTOR: The theft of these iconic Warhol prints the museum has had in its permanent collection for 30 years feels like the loss of a family member.

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BARNETT: For years, the art world has wonders about the whereabouts of another painting. This is Modigliani's "Seated Man with a Cane," estimated to be worth at least $18 million.

CHURCH: Swiss authorities told the CBC they seized a Modigliani painting in Geneva during a criminal probe stemming from the Panama Papers, and it's widely speculated this is the painting. The masterpiece was stolen by the Nazis during World War II. And now it's at the center of an ugly ownership dispute.

BARNETT: Finally to France, where a painting found in an attic could be worth $136 million.

CHURCH: Not everyone is convinced the painting is what it appears to be.

Here is CNN's Jim Bittermann.

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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's probably every homeowners dream to be rummaging around in the attic and find a priceless work of art. That's essentially what a still-unidentified couple claim happened at their house near the French city of Toulouse. Their discovery, what some believe to be a lost work by the Italian Renaissance master, Caravaggio. It depicts a graphic scene in which Biblical heroin, Judith, beheads an Assyria general, and is similar to subject matter and style to a Caravaggio already handing in a Roman palazzo.

The art expert hired by the homeowners is convinced the painting is genuine.

ERIC TURQUIN, ART EXPERT: I trust we know that the composition is Caravaggio. We know this was seen a great picture in its time which was of this subject, which was seen by other painters. And third, the execution, the masterly execution. And some -- you know, a painter has ticks, this is correct. A painter is like that. He has ticks and you have all the ticks for him. Not all, but many of them, enough to be sure that this is the hand, this is the writing of this great artist.

[02:55:07] BITTERMANN: Some experts are not so ready to say the masterpiece is real. But The French government is playing it cautious by declaring the painting a national treasure and slapping an export ban on the canvas for the next 30 months while it's examined further.

If it is genuine Caravaggio, it could be worth upwards of $130 million, which makes for some strong arguments about its authenticity.

(on camera): While the painting could turn out to be real, there's no public accounting of exactly how it found its way to France, nor why it remained undiscovered for a period that its owner says went on for 150 years. Still, few question the quality of the workmanship involved, just the identity of who did the work.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

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CHURCH: You're convinced it's the real thing, aren't you? Being the art expert that you are.

BARNETT: My armchair artistic brain says yes. But who knows? Art mysteries are --

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CHURCH: We'll have to see.

BARNETT: We will see.

Tell us about your favorite artwork on social media anytime.

We will have more CNN NEWSROOM for you after the break.

CHURCH: Next hour, the medical breakthrough that's allowing a quadriplegic to use his hand again.

Do stay with us.

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[03:00:06] BARNETT: Proof of life.

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