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North Korea Celebrates as World Watches; Economists Warn of Consequences from Trump Policies; Russia Says it Will Withdraw Forces from Syria; ISIS Leader Killed in Iraq; 2 Dead following Oklahoma Tornadoes; Canadian Firefighters in Albert Feeling Cautiously Optimistic; Sanders, Clinton Battle for W. Virginia, Nebraska; Philippines Outspoken Mayor Eyeing Victory; Brazil's Senate Moves Forward on President's Impeachment; Pakistani Female Faced Taliban to Become Top Squash Player. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 10, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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


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(HEADLINES)

[02:00:42] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Errol Barnett.

Good to be back with you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Good to have you.

BARNETT: I've missed you.

I've missed you all as well. Thanks so much for joining us. For the next two hours, this is CNN NEWSROOM.

Human parades in North Korea are marking the end of a historic Workers' Party Congress, the first in 36 years. During the meetings, leader, Kim Jong-Un, adopted a new title and cemented his nearly absolute power in the country.

CHURCH: The newly named chairman laid out plans to boost a struggling economy and bolster its nuclear arsenal. As the world watches with growing concern about North Korea's nuclear capabilities, the scene in Pyongyang is one of full-blown celebration.

Will Ripley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It looks like the entire city of Pyongyang has turned out here but the government officials here with us say only about half of Pyongyang is here, which would still be more than one million people. You might ask, when do they have time to practice for these things.

When we come here we see people practicing in the evening after work. It's school groups, neighborhood centers. Everybody coming together, spending hours and hours to prepare for these displays that North Korea has really become famous for.

This time it's to mark the end of the seventh party Congress and the election of the supreme leader Kim Jong-Un to a brand new, even bigger title, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea. He also was up on stage waving at the crowd and standing beside his new party leadership.

And what this means, the unanimous vote promoting him and the fact you see all the population out here celebrating the work of the Congress, the leader moves forward with his plan, his plan to aggressively develop North Korea's nuclear weapons, also trying to grow the economy.

Even though the vast majority of these people didn't participate directly in the political process, only the ruling elite who are standing underneath the supreme leader who are actually at the Congress had a vote, a unanimous vote, not surprisingly. But still these people, they were told by their government what happened and now they are out here celebrating, not asking questions. This is what it means to be a citizen in the North Korean capitol.

Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan is offering to step aside as chairman of the Republican National Convention if that's what Donald Trump wants. The two have been at odds since Ryan said last week he's not ready to support Trump's presidential bid.

BARNETT: That's right. Ryan and Trump are scheduled to meet in Washington Thursday. Trump is also set to meet with top Senate Republicans.

Meantime, economists are warning of serious global consequences if Donald Trump implements some of the policies he's been proposing.

CHURCH: As CNN's Sara Murray reports, Trump is scrambling to set the record straight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Thank you. Thank you very much.

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump may be the GOP nominee, but he's already giving Republicans anxiety.

TRUMP: I know more about debt than practically anybody. I love debt. MURRAY: Professing his love of debt and making policy proclamations

like this one, when asked how he would manage debt payments, telling CNBC, "I would borrow, knowing if the economy crashed you could make a deal."

Today, Trump's trying to moderate that stance, telling CNN he would try to buy back debt at a discount, and adding the country won't default because America can always print more money.

TRUMP (on camera): First of all, you never have to default because you print the money. I hate to tell you. OK? So there's never a default.

MURRAY: Suggestions economists say aren't feasible, could risk America's credit or lead to a spike in interest rates.

Trump's also changing his tune on the minimum wage. After saying wages were too high during the GOP primary --

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS HOST & DEBATE MODERATOR: So do not raise the minimum wage?

TRUMP (on camera): I would not raise the minimum.

MURRAY: -- now he's saying he's open to an increase.

TRUMP: I don't know how people make it on $7.25 an hour. Now, with that being said, I would like to see an increase of some magnitude but I'd rather leave it to the states.

MURRAY: And then there's a shift on taxes. Trump saying he's willing to negotiate the steep tax cuts he's proposed for the wealthy but insists rich Americans won't pay more than they do now.

TRUMP (voice-over): They talk about it like I'm giving a tax increase for the wealthy. I'm not. I said they may have to pay somewhat more than my proposal.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST, NEW DAY: I understand.

TRUMP: My proposal is much less than people are paying right now.

CUOMO: I understand.

[02:05:18]MURRAY: A claim that's tough to square with Trump's own suggestion that he'd pay more under his tax plan.

TRUMP: It reduces or eliminates most of the deductions and loopholes available to special interests and to the very rich. In other words, it's going to cost me a fortune.

MURRAY: All of this as Trump is still struggling to unite the party passing today on the chance to echo Sarah Palin's comments about house speaker Paul Ryan.

SARAH PALIN, (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR & FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Paul Ryan is soon to be Cantered, as in Eric Cantor. His political career is over, but for a miracle.

MURRAY: And while Trump's taken on Republican orthodoxy it may leave some in the party groaning, "Saturday Night Live" is already celebrating its good fortune.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Does Donny ever take a gander at the Holy Scripture?

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Honestly, I love all the books in the Bible. I do. They're all terrific. Corinthians, part deux.

(LAUGHTER)

Book of Revelations.

(LAUGHTER)

Two Genesis, two furious.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED COMEDIAN: Well, isn't that special.

(LAUGHTER)

MURRAY: Sara Murray, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We want to dig deeper now into those comments Trump made about debt in the U.S. economy.

Isaac Arnsdorf joins us now. He covers money and politics for Politico.com.

Thanks for being with us.

ISAAC ARNSDORF, POLITICO.COM: Thank you.

CHURCH: So Donald Trump clarified his strategy for managing the national debt, saying the U.S. Never has to default on debt because it can just print money. What was your reaction to that suggestion?

ARNSDORF: Well, it didn't really add that much clarity, unfortunately. Seems like it was an attempt to put out a fire but it started another one in the sense that, first of all, it's not really the president's decision on how much money to print. That's up to the Federal Reserve, and the mint, in technical terms. But more importantly, printing money to pay off debt would just create inflation or even hyperinflation, which effectively raises prices for everyone, including the government. So while it would technically avoid a default, it would open up a whole new form of financial chaos.

CHURCH: Interesting. And then last week, Trump was asked if the U.S. needs to pay its debt in full or if it could negotiate a partial repayment. And he said he would borrow money knowing that if the economy crashes he could make a deal. What would be the economic ramifications of such a move?

ARNSDORF: It would be totally unprecedented. We got a small glimpse of what the scenario could look like a few years ago when there was a confrontation over raising the debt ceiling, and you saw a little bit of panic in the financial markets with bond yields rising and stocks falling, and that's nowhere close to what would actually be the case if the president of the United States were to say you know what, sorry, we're not going to pay back our creditors because the entire financial system is based on the sanctity of U.S. government debt. That's the measure by which all other debt is judged. So if all of a sudden the risk-free asset that is U.S. Treasuries suddenly become risky then everything else becomes riskier, and if you can't trust the U.S. Government to pay you back, then investors can't trust anyone is going to pay them back.

CHURCH: Trump is now proposing taxes will go up for the rich, but he did clarify Monday that he means an increase in his initial proposal, not on where taxes are right now. And he also says he's open to raising the minimum wage. How confused do you think people are and what's your overall assessment of what appears to constitute Trump's fiscal policy right now?

ARNSDORF: There's certainly a lot of confusion. But you know, Trump has been the post-flip-flop candidate. He has reversed himself on any number of positions and none of it has seemed to trip him up. And this follows a pattern that he's used throughout the campaign of going really far out with statements like we've never heard from a major presidential candidate before, sort of trying to dial them back or recalibrate them a little bit, but continuing to stir up a frenzy. And here we are still talking about it several days later.

CHURCH: Indeed. Very interesting.

Isaac Arnsdorf, thank you so much for talking with us and clarifying a few economic points there. We appreciate it.

ARNSDORF: Thank you.

BARNETT: Now, Donald Trump says he would welcome London's new mayor, Saadiq Khan, to the U.S. This, despite his proposed Muslim ban.

[02:10:01] CHURCH: Trump tells "The New York Times" there will always be exceptions and that he was happy to see Khan elected.

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BARNETT: And we still have big stories ahead for you. Deadly tornadoes have torn across the U.S. state of Oklahoma. We'll bring you details on the catastrophic damage left in their wake.

CHURCH: Plus, the massive wildfire in Canada remains out of control. But firefighters say they are optimistic. Find out why when we come back. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS REPORT)

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[02:15:44] CHURCH: Syria's state news agency says a cease-fire in Aleppo is being extended by 48 hours. The truce went into effect last week. But residents say there have been sporadic rocket attacks.

BARNETT: Fighting in the city has flared up in recent weeks hurting the peace talks and any chances for a nation-wide cease-fire.

CHURCH: Meantime, Russia had said it would withdraw most of its forces from Syria, but CNN is getting a firsthand look at how much military hardware and manpower is still on the ground.

BARNETT: CNN's Fred Pleitgen spoke to some Syrians who have mixed feelings about the ongoing Russian presence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the Russian intervention the world has come to know. But Russia's footprint in Syria seems to be far bigger than just combat jets.

There are thousands of troops stationed at its main air base, disciplined and highly motivated.

We caught one this first lieutenant during his boxing practice.

"I'm glad to serve my country," he says, "and I'm not afraid. What is there to be afraid of in Syria?"

The West has criticized Russia saying its air strikes target mostly moderate anti-Assad rebels. The Russians claiming they bomb only ISIS and other terror groups.

But while Moscow says it's withdrawn most forces from Syria, on an embed, we saw what appeared to be several bases in western and central Syria with a variety of attack helicopters. Also a brand new base in Palmyra for its demining crews with dozens of fighting vehicles and even anti-aircraft missile systems.

On top of it own assets, the military spokesman says his forces closely cooperate with Bashar al Assad's troops.

"We receive a great deal of information from the Syrian general staff," he says. "They're on the ground and close to the rebels. As for the military technical cooperation, of course, we help them as well."

(SHOUTING)

PLEITGEN: None of this seems to indicate a full Russian withdrawal from Syria anytime soon. And for many in the government-held parts of Damascus, that's just fine.

(on camera): The people here in the government-held part of Damascus seem to be very well aware of the extent to which Russia's military has helped Bashar al Assad's forces, but they also say that if there's going to be a solution to the Syrian crisis, it has to come from Syrians themselves and not from outside powers.

(voice-over): Violence still rages in most of the country. Reconciliation seems nowhere in sight, and neither is an end to Russia's involvement in the conflict.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: The U.S. military says it pleased an air strike successfully targeted a top ISIS leader in Iraq. Abu Wahib was a key ISIS figure in the province.

CHURCH: A Pentagon spokesman says the air strike hit Abu Wahib's vehicle on Friday.

CNN's Barbara Starr has details about the man known as the Military Amir of Anbar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is a guy they wanted very badly. The military emir of Anbar Province, west of Baghdad, of course, responsible for a number of very vicious operations in that region, a number of executions. Somebody they thought they really wanted to get to, somebody that dates all the way back to the original al Qaeda in Iraq, back during the height of the war there in the 2000s, in the early 2000s. So this is a guy that they'd been looking for. He became an ISIS operative. And they do believe that they got him several days ago in that U.S. air strike.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Iraqi media have reported Abu Wahib's death in the past, but this is the first time the Pentagon is confirming a strike on him.

BARNETT: Now, at least two people are dead after tornadoes ripped through the U.S. state of Oklahoma on Monday. Take a look at this video. It's of a violent tornado touching down. It was in Elmore City. This is just south of Oklahoma City. And it is incredible. Emergency officials say one person was killed there.

CHURCH: Multiple homes are either damaged or destroyed, and many power lines of course reported down. Extraordinary pictures there.

Our Pedram Javaheri is our meteorologist here, joining us to explain.

The visuals are just extraordinary.

(CROSSTALK) [02:20:05] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. Isn't that

something? Absolutely.

One thing I always talk about, and internationally, if you're watching us outside of the United States and you're thinking about tornadoes, we see about 2,000 tornadoes worldwide, and about 1200 of them happen in the United States. The other 800 are scattered about. So it shows you the high density of this region of the United States. And the tornadoes of that nature, less than 1 percent, make it to that nature where they're so violent off the top of the chart. So again, a major story. And of course, it was fatal across this area on Monday.

I want to show you some of the spectacular photographs to start out here. I've never seen a photograph quite like this. Actually made contact with the gentleman that took these photographs on a golf course in Lincoln, Nebraska. Baseball-size hail stones coming down over 150 kilometers per hour. Look at the divots left on this golf course. Incredible to see this. You would imagine this alone would be incredibly to be around. In fact, the police department, Nebraska State Patrol showing us some photographs of their vehicles being damaged as well from the hail in place.

Want to show you the radar imagery, what we call a hook echo right there. You can see the pendant shape that took place on radar imagery showing us the winds so strong around this storm they're actually taking the precipitation, the rainfall, the hail, some of the debris and circulating it in a counterclockwise format right there around the updraft. That is how you can see this on a radar signature. When you take a look at the tornado, it's like EF4, potentially EF5, of all tornadoes, about 57,000 of them in the data base, 76 percent of them are on the bottom end, EF-30s and 1s. About 4 or 5 percent account for tornadoes of this magnitude. Precisely what we saw across portions of the central United States once the numbers are verified on Tuesday afternoon. 21 tornadoes in total. Almost 100 severe hail reports came down across the central United States.

And again, this is not unusual. Look at the month of May. Almost 300 tornadoes come down on average across the United States in the move may. This is peak season. In fact the 37th through the 14th of May is the peak season and when you break down the numbers it has actually been rather quiet in the tornado department. Almost 400 have touched down in the U.S. We should have nearly 600 to date. This is a quiet pattern that is beginning to pick up in intensity. Thunderstorms still in place this morning across portions much the

state of Arkansas on into places like Memphis, Tennessee, eventually Nashville tornado watches going to be extended into this region in the next several hours. This is a multiday event with severe threat expected to continue through not only Tuesday but also into Wednesday. But again people often ask me if they're going on a Caribbean vacation they're saying what time of year should I avoid the Caribbean. I say between the 7th of September to the 14th of September. That is peak season. The worst time to be with the highest chance. Tornado season between the 7th of May and the 14th of May and we're in the heart of it right now across this region.

BARNETT: Right there in tornado alley. JAVAHERI: Never fails.

BARNETT: That's prime topography for those things to touch down.

JAVAHERI: Very few places on earth can do what storms do in this region.

CHURCH: Terrifying.

Thank you, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Thanks.

BARNETT: Pedram, we'll see you next hour.

Now we want to get you to Canada where firefighters in Alberta are feeling cautiously optimistic in their ongoing battle against a raging wildfire. Canadian officials say nearly 10 percent of the city of Fort McMurray has been destroyed by the blaze. But weather conditions are improving. And the fire is headed toward less populated areas.

CHURCH: The wildfire erupted in Alberta more than a week ago forcing some 90,000 people from their homes.

Our Dan Simon got a firsthand look at the devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first neighborhood I went to is calls Beacon Hills, sort of your typical middle-class neighborhood with dozens if not hundreds of homes. I didn't see a single home left standing. Same thing at the second neighborhood I went to. Homes burned down to their foundation. A lot of twisted metal, burned-out cars, things of that nature.

Another thing that stood out as I was driving around town was the burned-out landscape. Alberta is very pretty this time of year, a lot of lush greenery, and it's going to take a long time for those trees to come back.

Meanwhile, we know that residents are going to be out of their homes for several weeks because the city is lacking essential services. There's no gas or power or clean water and a lot of residents are frustrated and anxious about not being at their homes. Take a look.

MELISSA GALAN (ph), CANADA RESIDENT: And you don't know when we can go back and you don't know when you're going to see your kids again. It's tough. And you just try to do the best you can. Just try to be positive and tell them everything's going to be OK but really you don't know if everything's going to be OK. It's emotional for sure.

SIMON: That woman 32-year-old Melissa Galan (ph) is really having a rough time. She's battling cancer. She's a single mother of two. Authorities say they really feel sorry for the residents but there's really not a whole lot they can do. They're not going to let anyone back in until the area is safe. Dan Simon, CNN, near Fort McMurray, Canada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:25:10] CHURCH: And now to a view of the devastation from above. Google has posted satellite photos of the area. And you can toggle between these images taken May 1st, before the fire hit.

BARNETT: And this is the same location May 5th. That's after the fire. You can see damage to the trees and the houses there. Let's let you see another neighborhood in Fort McMurray. This from May 1st. And the same place May 5th. Just stunning devastation there.

CHURCH: The fire has destroyed at least 1,600 structures and forced the evacuation, we mentioned it, of almost 90,000 people.

You can see more on google.org/crISISmap.

BARNETT: Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders prepare to face off in West Virginia's primary. Coming up next, what Sanders is saying about his chances of winning the party's nomination.

CHURCH: Plus, the fight over North Carolina's bathroom law could soon move to a U.S. courthouse. Just ahead, details on the intensifying legal battle of over transgender rights. We're back with that and more. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A warm welcome back to everyone. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett.

We're half an hour into our two-hour block. Here are our top stories right now.

(HEADLINES)

[02:30:41] CHURCH,: West Virginia and Nebraska are the next battlegrounds in the U.S. presidential race on Tuesday. Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are vying for votes in West Virginia. But Clinton may have a tough time winning in coal country after saying in March she was going to, quote, "put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business."

BARNETT: And on the Republican side, Donald Trump will be looking to pick up more delegates to help officially secure his party's nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now is Democratic strategist, Chris Kofinis. He's also the former communications director for John Edwards, who ran for president in 2008.

Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. Good to talk to you.

CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good to talk to you.

CHURCH: Let's start with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton fighting for the women's vote right now. Trump accusing Bill Clinton of being an abuser of women. Hillary Clinton responding calling him reckless and dangerous. The polls show women not quite sold on Trump yet. So what's Clinton planning to do to exploit this and how might Trump respond?

KOFINIS: Well, I think you're seeing basically the opening salvo of what will be Trump's strategy. The simple demographic reality is you can't lose as he is in some of the polls at least at this point women by 60 percent to 40 percent. And have a chance to win in a general election. So he is clearly going to try to discredit Secretary Clinton. The problem is, it's not just her positions that Trump is wrong on. It's the misogynistic tone and the statements he's made over the course of decades, especially during this last year, that are going to be really difficult for him to walk back.

CHURCH: All this is playing out as Bernie Sanders remains in the race, insisting he will stay right up to the convention. But his tactics appear to be changing. Let's just listen to what he had to say at a rally Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The greed. The greed and the recklessness that we have seen from people like Donald Trump and Carl Icahn --

(BOOING)

SANDERS: Oh, you know Donald Trump.

(BOOING)

SANDERS: Oh, I get it. You don't think he is a brilliant successful business man --

(BOOING)

SANDERS: -- who can bring the kind of prosperity to America that he has brought here to Atlantic City. Is that your point?

(BOOING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: You get the message there. Does this perhaps signal he's going after Trump instead of Clinton from here on? And what does that tell you?

KOFINIS: He's clearly I think coming to terms with the fact that the numbers aren't there for his nomination. That being said, he clearly wants to be a positive force in the general election. And I think there's been a lot of debate particularly amongst pundits, where dot Sanders voters go. Can Donald Trump win some of them over? The reality is that's not going to be the case because these folks are far more progressive on almost every issue than Donald Trump could ever possibly be. So I think what you're going to see from Sanders, and imagine this is going to be a much more consistent message point, is to make it very clear to his supporters in a very vocal, clear way that Donald Trump is not an alternative.

CHURCH: Just finally, what's likely to happen in Tuesday's Democratic primary in West Virginia where the polls indicate a Sanders victory? That must be infuriating for the Clinton campaign.

KOFINIS: This has been a strange primary season on both sides. The reality is my guess if you had to bet today secretary Clinton would probably lose West Virginia. She may lose some states going forward. But the math just is no longer there. Even if she loses West Virginia by a couple points because it's proportional, it really doesn't change the fundamental position because she's so far ahead in pledged candidates as well as super delegates, it's just simply not mathematically possible for Sanders to win.

CHURCH: Chris Kofinis, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

KOFINIS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:34:40] BARNETT: North Carolina is in a legal showdown with the U.S. government over transgender rights. On Monday, the Justice Department filed a civil rights lawsuit over the state's so-called bathroom law. That law bans people from using public bathrooms that don't correspond with their gender at birth.

The U.S. attorney general called it "state-sponsored discrimination that violates federal laws."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORETTA LYNCH, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: You have been told that this law protects vulnerable populations from harm. But that is just not the case. Instead, what this law does is inflict further indignity on a population that has already suffered far more than its fair share. It was not so very long ago that states, including North Carolina, had other signs above restrooms, water fountains, and on public accommodations, keeping people out based on a distinction without a difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now, North Carolina is defending the law with a countersuit. In announcing that, the governor blasted the Justice Department's action as a "baseless and blatant overreach."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT MCCRORY, (R), GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA: We believe a court rather than a federal agency should tell our state, our nation, and employers across the country what the law requires. The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set basic restroom policies, locker room policies, and even shower policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Several entertainers, including Bruce Springsteen, have canceled concerts in North Carolina following the passage of this law.

CHURCH: We're going to take a very short break here. But still to come, in the Philippines, two presidential candidates have now conceded defeat, leaving a controversial mayor closer to winning the top job. We will have the latest on the election next on CNN NEWSROOM.

BARNETT: Plus, Brazil is struggling with a number of crises as it prepares for the Summer Olympics and a possible presidential impeachment trial. An outlook from Rio is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:29] CHURCH: Word is just coming in to CNN of a knife attack near Munich, Germany.

BARNETT: Yeah, we're just getting this information. What we know at this point is that four or five people are injured, one of them seriously. A police spokeswoman says the attack happened at a train station during the morning commute. A male suspect is under arrest. We're still gathering details. And as we get more information we'll bring it to you in the hours ahead.

For now, we turn our attention to the Philippines, where an outspoken mayor, Rodrigo Duterte, is eyeing victory in the presidential election. Duterte's closest rival, Manuel Roxas, conceded defeat just a short time ago. Grace Poe conceded Monday night.

CHURCH: With more than 95 percent of the votes in, an unofficial count showed Duterte holding a strong lead. Duterte has been criticized for joking about rape and has promised to kill criminals if elected.

BARNETT: So what does this all mean?

Joining us now on the phone is Eufracia Taylor. She's an Asia analyst with a Verisk Maplecroft Risk Management Company.

Eufracia, thanks so much for joining us on CNN today.

I just want to stack up for our viewers who is essentially expected to become the next president. Mr. Duterte has vowed to execute 100,000 criminals, hinted that he'd killed before, joked about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary, threatened to bypass, even shutter Congress. Why is he resonating with more Filipinos than anyone else?

EUFRACIA TAYLOR, ASIA ANALYST, VERISK MAPLECROFT RISK MANAGEMENT COMPANY (voice-over): I think the basic thing, the fundamental thing we've seen come out of this election, is that those inflammatory comments while quite divisive have put across a view that Duterte is able to get things done where the current administration has broadly failed to do that. While his comments have been highly controversial and have raised serious concerns particularly about his human rights record, there's an overwhelming perception that he's the man to do the hard job. That he'll be the one to take a tough stance on corruption, on law and order, while previous administrations have failed to do that.

BARNETT: What's incredible really is the exact same thing can be said of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee in the U.S. This is basically why Duterte is called the Donald Trump of the east. But what can we expect from his policies? Have you been able to decode that just yet?

TAYLOR: That's really the key question on everyone's mind at the moment. Things are moving quite quickly here now that he seems to have really swung ahead. So now what we're closely watching is what is his cabinet going to look like. It could appease some of the concerns about his policy platform. But the economic policy particularly will be key. Because taking the foot off the gas of the Philippine economy is going to be critical to restoring momentum at this point.

But another point of interest here is the vice presidential election. Bongbong Marcos and others are currently neck and neck. That is proving just as divisive as the presidency at moment.

BARNETT: So that would mean that with Duterte winning, with these V.P.s being very close at this stage, it's almost impossible to predict what the policies of the Philippines will be here over the next six years. Do you think, generally speaking, it would be more of the same or because many people are voting for Duterte, are doing it as a kind of protest vote that we should see a complete turnaround in the policies in the Philippines, things like the view on the contested waters of the South China Sea, for example?

TAYLOR: I think to some extent particularly in the short term we're not going it see too much of a drastic change. The greatest emphasis will be on his primary platform, law and order, taking a lot harder approach to security and hopefully a more collaborative approach to address corruption. The biggest change we'll see is a greater push in labor rights and contractualization -- (INAUDIBLE) -- agriculture. In terms of the South Sea disputes in the short term again there's unlikely to be a drastic change primarily because the -- Duterte's committed and is kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of sovereignty over future territory in the South China Sea. But his position will really be tested by June when they come out and force his hand on relations to China.

[02:45:45] BARNETT: Yeah, I mean, it's incredible. And it's how politics work. No matter what you promised and say to get yourself in office making those policies actually happen is an entirely different battle.

Eufracia Taylor joining us on the phone from Manila. Appreciate your commentary and insight today. Thanks a lot.

BARNETT: To Brazil now. And the Senate there says it's moving forward with impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff. That's even though the acting speaker of the country's lower house annulled his chamber's vote against Ms. Rousseff citing irregularities in the vote process.

CHURCH: Paula Newton looks at a number of other crises that Brazil is facing in addition to this political turmoil.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Take a stroll on the beach, and at first it seems nothing's changed. Brazil's cliches endure. Its gorgeous beaches, its fun-loving attitude, its image as the country of the future.

(on camera): But you take a closer look and wonder what happened. Well, if the political and economic drama so devastating it's shattering many of those cliches.

(voice-over): First up, the economy, slashed by Brazil's worst recession in a generation, one that could turn into an all-out depression by year's end. Unemployment is close to 10 percent. Thousands of businesses have closed.

Nasisa Horsha (ph) has been running this restaurant and bar for more than a half century. He tells me, "Of course, we're living through a crisis and the scope of it is the worst I've ever seen."

Could things get worse? They just did, with a crushing political drama. Brazilians are outraged by a scandal so sordid it already implicates more than half the country's national politicians in a kickback scheme allegedly orchestrated by the state-run national energy conglomerate, Petrobras.

And that's not all. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is cornered by a budget scandal that could see her impeached within weeks. Her predecessor, Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva, once revered as a savior of modern Brazil, also under investigation for kickbacks.

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NEWTON: Brazilians are devouring news from Watergate-style wiretaps in every corner and crevice of their everyday lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thieves. It's sad, but they're thieves.

NEWTON (on camera): How can you guys cope? How will you cope?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Embarrassing. NEWTON: Embarrassing. The whole thing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Embarrassing.

NEWTON (voice-over): And to crack confidence still further, Brazil is coping with Zika, a mysterious virus stalking the country, one that may cause a devastating neurological disorder in hundreds of newborns.

(CRYING)

NEWTON: In Brazil's already challenging favelas, there's fear.

"We're worried about the situation," she tells me, "and we're trying to cope with it."

(on camera): So we have a country shattered by economic despair, demoralized by a political crisis, and plagued by Zika. And through all this, in just a few short months, Brazil welcomes the world for the Olympics.

(voice-over): So we went to the Museum of Tomorrow, an Olympic Legacy Project. Incidentally, its construction also implicated in the kickback scheme. To find out how Brazilians plan to deal with it all.

(on camera): You're going to put it on pause.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Olympic Games. And OK.

NEWTON: Start the circus again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

It's a mess.

(MUSIC)

NEWTON (voice-over): A mess, and a reminder that even with the Olympics coming, Brazilians are struggling to hold on to those classic cliches that once made them so proud.

Paula Newton, CNN, Rio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:49:43] CHURCH: And we'll take a short break right here. But still to come, a Pakistani woman is one of the top squash players in the world. But she faced death threats to get where she is today. Her story still to come.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARNETT: A Pakistani woman is working to break down barriers for girls around the world.

CHURCH: She's had to overcome sexist stereotypes and death threats to do it.

CNN's Isha Sesay has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA TOORPAKAI WAZIR, SQUASH PLAYER & AUTHOR: I come from Waziristan, the most dangerous place on earth.

ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Born in one of the most conservative parts of Pakistan, Maria Toorpakai Wazir rejected the traditional role reserved for women in her country.

WAZIR: Girls have nothing but just stay home. And from a young age you're told you're going to get married.

SESAY: At a very young age, she burned her girl's clothes and started dressing and living as a boy.

With her family's support, she competed in sports, first, weightlifting, then, squash, quickly becoming the best in Pakistan.

But when Maria stopped hiding her gender, she became the target of death threats from the Taliban.

WAZIR: The threats from Taliban were that we don't want to see her like play sports. This is very un-Islamic. She should stay home. Otherwise, we're going to come after you and you're going to face severe consequences.

SESAY: Maria was forced to leave her country but kept competing. With help she moved to Canada and kept competing. Now she's become one of the top female squash players in the world, as well as an author speaking out in support of women's rights.

She's also an author, telling her life story in a new book, in the hopes of inspiring others.

WAZIR: I feel being a human, this is my moral responsibility to help all those girls and women who are deprived of their basic rights, who are unable to explore those talents God gave them, and who are enslaved by another human being. I believe in equality. I believe in human rights, women rights, and it's very important. And I believe that all my life I'm going to struggle for them. And God willing, inshalla (ph), I'm going to make it.

SESAY: A champion on the court, a fearless pioneer for young women.

Isha Sesay, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:55:58] CHURCH: A great and inspiring story there.

BARNETT: Absolutely.

CHURCH: You're with CNN, the world's news leader. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett.

We're back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM after this. Stay with us.

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