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Preventing Refugee Children from Becoming a Lost Generation; Tom Morello Releases New Solo Album; College Republicans Try to Energize Young Voters. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired October 12, 2018 - 01:00   ET

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


[01:00:00] CYRIL VANIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: she was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. This is what parts of the Florida coastline look like after a category four hurricane, building towns gone. We'll be with families as they return to see what's left of their homes. Plus, our interview with guitar savant and activist Tom Morello. His new album on race, the environment, and life, and Trump's America. We will not want to miss that. We were live from the CNN center here in Atlanta. I'm Cyril Vanier, it's great to have you with us.

So an explosive new reports in The Washington Post purports to detail exactly what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He disappeared ten days ago after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in Turkey. According to the Post, Turkey has informed the U.S. that it has both audio and video recordings from inside the consulate that proved Khashoggi was indeed murdered. Both Turkish and U.S. officials tell the newspaper the recordings show that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi in the consulate after he walked in on October 2nd to obtain an official document before his upcoming wedding, then killed him and dismembered his body, the official said.

One person familiar with the recordings tells the Post that Khashoggi can be heard conversing in Arabic with others and then the sound of him being interrogated, tortured, and finally murdered. The Saudis vehemently deny any role in his disappearance. Well, we don't know if U.S. officials have actually seen or heard these recordings. Jomana Karadsheh joins us now live from Istanbul.

Jomana, this -- there have been a lot of reports but what can we actually hold to as established fact for now?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Cyril, over the past week or so, we've been reporting on this story and the one fact that everyone seems to agree on is that Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after walking into this building behind me, the Saudi conflict here in Istanbul. Since then we've had all these leaks from anonymous sources to the media, sources from within the Turkish government. You've had these allegations and accusations but we haven't seen any real evidence.

You know, you've had Turkish officials saying initially that he may have been kidnapped and then all these reports that we've seen that he may have been killed inside and this is definitely the working theory that U.S. Intelligence is going by right now, that they believe it looks like he may have been killed inside. And so far we've not had any evidence. And now these reports that you're mentioning that Turkish authorities do have audio-video recordings to prove that he was killed inside the consulate.

Now, we have to wait and see. We know there has been a criminal investigation going on in Turkey over the past weeks since last Saturday. They're looking into his disappearance, looking at different things, but they've not really released anything. Officially we know that they're sharing information with U.S. officials. And late last night we heard from Turkey saying at the request of Saudi Arabia now they have a joint working group where both Saudi Arabia and Turkey are working on this.

So we have to wait and see, Cyril. Until now we really have not seen any evidence to back up any of these allegations and accusations so far.

VANIER: So apart from taking part in this working group, what is Saudi Arabia saying? How is it responding to accusations that it has something to do with the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi?

KARADSHEH: They haven't been saying much, Cyril. And this has been the case since his disappearance. Initially, Saudi Arabia maintained and they still do that Jamal Khashoggi was inside the consulate, that he was there to apply for that official paperwork but that he left a short time after that. Now, the big question has been if he did indeed leave, why not release video showing him leaving. You know, if we look at this building behind me, the consulate, there's no shortage of surveillance cameras here, security cameras that would have captured him leaving. But the response from Saudi officials has been that the cameras do not record, the only live stream, something that U.S. lawmakers and Turkish officials have said that they're finding that very hard to believe.

Now, the other issue that we know that Turkish authorities have been looking very closely at a group of 15 Saudis who entered the country and that they were here during the disappearance of Khashoggi. They were inside the consulate and they left that evening. And CNN has identified these three of the group of 15, including a forensic expert, a diplomat -- a former diplomat at the Embassy in London, and a man who's seen in a video next to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Now, we haven't had any official response specifically on those 15 but the Saudi owned channel Al Arabiya has been airing a report that basically describes them as tourists. And we know that the forensic expert came out and denied that he had anything to do with this saying that he was on holiday in Istanbul with his wife.

So, so far the Saudi line has been completely denying this, calling these baseless allegations, but we have seen very little coming from them to basically back up their claims too, Cyril.

[01:05:30] VANIER: Now, Turkey has been the first country to level accusations in Saudi Arabia which on one level is normal because this is happening in Turkey but also we have to remember, we have to bear in mind the context that they are regional rivals. Do you think that's a significant factor here?

KARADSHEH: Well you know, and this is again one of the things that you hear in Saudi media. There's a lot of theories, conspiracies, saying that this is Turkey and its close relationship with Qatar of course, we are following that the gulf dispute, Qatar and Turkey have had a close relationship so you have a lot of talk in Saudi media blaming this on that close relationship saying that they're trying to frame Saudi Arabia. But again there's no evidence to this and it's only the theories they're circulating, but a lot of people are asking these questions. What we know is the facts here and there very little at this point, and the fact that you're not getting much from the Saudi side to refute any of these accusations that are you know coming out against the kingdom.

But one thing is very important here, Cyril, the fact that you've got these two countries, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, they have -- they are major powers in the Middle East. They've had their differences, they've had a bit of a rocky relationship especially the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Erdogan so this does have really far-reaching implications beyond the fate of one man, it is the relationship between them. And this is why we've seen this possibly this reluctance from Turkey to really come out publicly and accuse Saudi Arabia of really being behind this.

That's why you had these leaks, you've had these anonymous sources speaking not, even the president coming in really pointing the finger at Saudi Arabia, the state itself saying that they were behind it. They've been very cautious about that. So it looks at this point we have to wait and see what comes out of this joint investigation between both countries. But Turkey has really been trying to be a very diplomatic to an extent when it comes to the official statements and dealing with this.

VANIER: All right, Jomana Karadsheh reporting live from Istanbul, Turkey. Thank you. CNN U.S. Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem, she joins me now from West Newton, Massachusetts. Juliette, is there any explanation other than foul play by the Saudis that can explain away the sudden and unexplained disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: There's certainly not a close second to the explanation that we know now and that we've come to understand the combination of these intelligence leaks and the cameras and the videos, plus his own -- you know, his own concerns about going back to the embassy that were related, his own knowledge of the threats against us and of course the U.S. intelligence community's knowledge of potential harms that might be done to him, all lead in one direction is that the Saudis, in fact, did kill him in Turkey as we suspect.

VANIER: Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law Emily has a good relationship and a direct line to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who is accused by some of being behind this. So if the U.S. really wants answers, can't he just pick up the phone and ask -- put those questions directly to the Saudi Crown Prince?

KAYYEM: He certainly could if he wanted to. But you know, the Saudi Crown Prince has an agenda of his own which is of course to retain power. So while he's wined and dined in charmed many Western leaders and intellectuals, he has great press here in the U.S. often, the national security establishment had all -- had been mourning that that this was more for public consumption, his you know, the idea that he was a progressive and that he, in fact, was dangerous. And so, I think the best we can say right now are two things.

One is that you know possibly, Jared Kushner got played that he -- that the Saudis knew exactly who to play, right? We don't have an ambassador there. Jared Kushner has taken over the Saudi docket and they basically are better at this game than he is. I think the second thing was just has to be said is certainly the Trump administration's attitude towards these autocrats, right? Whether it's Putin or in North Korea or certainly in China, and now here in -- and Saudi Arabia has empowered the palace to do what it did. You know, this hasn't happened before and there's a reason because previous leaders of Saudi Arabia were at least checked by previous presidents whether they were Republican or Democrat.

So you know, there's a lot of questions to be asked about the Kushner relationship including of course what we know now is the strong financial ties between the Kushner, a debt-ridden a family business as well as the Trump family business and the Saudis.

[01:10:44] VANIER: Certainly a feature of this administration is the Donald Trump went to Saudi Arabia to his very first foreign trip and he said I'm not going to lecture anybody about human rights, so we know that's not one of his priorities. Why -- and perhaps this answer is my next question. Why is Donald Trump being so cautious about this even when top Republican senators are saying look, everything points of Saudis, you have the U.S. President who presumably is the person who has accessed the most intelligence on this if he wants it, saying well, it looks like it but we're not sure yet so let's wait and see.

KAYYEM: So there's a couple of explanations. None of them are particularly good. One is just as a foreign policy or you know in to the extent that you know Trump, you know, has a Trump doctrine. It is that these human rights concerns will be relegated to essentially the financial interest of each country so that there's no notion at least in the Trump doctrine of American exceptionalism in terms of what we stand for more than the money that we have, right? That we stand for a certain amount of values. I think the second explanation is, of course, they're being cautious because of you know, something that's concerned all of us which is that the ties between the Trump family and the Trump money -- the Post is for example reporting tonight that there's been an uptick in Saudi spending in the in the Trump hotels and Trump Towers, that that sort of looseness of relationships, makes it difficult for the President to separate U.S. interest from Trump interest.

And so these autocrats are taking advantage of that doctrine of those financial ties and it's not of course as we've seen not just in Saudi Arabia. You know, the failure to really condemn Putin after he killed former intelligence agents in our greatest ally Great Britain was shocking to many of us and even you know, the failure of the President to stand up for Interpol, an international law enforcement agency after the Chinese at least the best we think have detained its president who is Chinese just means that the silence is being taken advantage of. And that is -- that is something now that many of us are very, very concerned about because if there's no check today, it means that the envelope is being pushed each day, and we find ourselves --

VANIER: Well, there is a possible check and you're right that there are concerns including on Capitol Hill, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has written to the president and they want to start -- they have asked for a human rights investigation to be carried out. Can they compel the President A, to do that, to carry out that investigation, and B to impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia in the event that Riyadh is indeed implicated in this?

KAYYEM: So they can. They can certainly pass the laws and then the question would be would he veto it. And I think that -- I think -- I personally think that his statements today in the Oval Office sort of placing this in pure economic terms in terms of the military deals we have with Saudi Arabia suggested that he would veto any statutory sanctions that were passed by you know, bipartisan leaders in the Senate.

So there are things that the Senate can do and they certainly could override a veto by the president but that is a -- that's a long fight. And in the absence of the president really coming out strongly condemning or at least expressing you know, immense concern for what happened to someone who has ties to the United States, who wrote for The Washington Post of all places, that vacuum is -- does not leave me optimistic that the Riyadh will suffer.

VANIER: Yes. And on Thursday, the U.S. President was asked whether he would consider canceling arms deals, arms sales to Saudi Arabia and he said no because if they don't spend that money in the U.S. they would spend it in Russia or in China. Juliette Kayyem, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

VANIER: The U.S. officials believe Turkey could soon release American Pastor Andrew Brunson. That is according to a source who has knowledge of the matter who says it's up to Turkey to keep their end of an agreement. Now, there's no official confirmation of a U.S. deal with Turkey on Brunson's release but the Trump administration has slapped sanctions on Turkey over the case and they have been pushing hard for this to happen. Brunson has been in custody since 2016 on charges of helping plot that failed coup attempt in Turkey something which he denies. Earlier, the pastor arrived in a Turkish court for a hearing about his house arrest.

[01:15:27] VANIER: At least, six people were killed in one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. Gulf Coast. And it is still packing a punch as a tropical storm now moving across the southeast coast toward the Atlantic Ocean. And we've been getting just shocking images of some of the destruction the storm has left behind. This is Mexico Beach in Florida, an area described as ground zero for the disaster. A few structures in this town of 1,200 people remain standing, but they are the exception. Downed power lines and trees are complicating the rescue efforts in all areas affected by the storm.

Almost 1-1/2 -- almost 1-1/2 million customers in six states are currently without electricity. Our reporters are spread out across the Southern U.S. covering the storm. Our Gary Tuchman is in Shell Point Florida where his team accompanied three different families as they returned to their homes to devastating damage. Gary was there for their emotional reunion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LINDA CLARK, RESIDENT, SHELL POINT BEACH, FLORIDA: Oh.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Linda and Raoul Clark are returning to their home in Shell Point Beach.

L. CLARK: Oh.

TUCHMAN: And what they are seeing stuns them.

L. CLARK: Oh. Our new house.

TUCHMAN: Linda and Raoul just bought this home, in this community were stately beach houses and mobile homes share a neighborhood by the Gulf.

L. CLARK: Oh. Oh.

RAOUL CLARK, RESIDENT, SHELL POINT BEACH, FLORIDA: Everything we moved over was just lost.

L. CLARK: Oh. But you know what, Raoul? Raoul.

R. CLARK: Yes?

L. CLARK: It's just stuff.

R. CLARK: But it's our stuff.

L. CLARK: It's just stuff. It's just stuff. We can replace.

TUCHMAN: They then take their first look at the homes lower level.

L. CLARK: Oh, I can't go any further. This is -- oh, my goodness.

TUCHMAN: The Clarks are far from alone in Shell Point Beach. The community was underwater during the hurricane. The waters have now disappeared, but the wreckage has been revealed.

KEVIN MURPHY, RESIDENT, SHELL POINT BEACH, FLORIDA: I mean, we've got people's stuff in our backyard. It's unbelievable.

TUCHMAN: Kevin and Debra Murphy raised three now-grown daughters in their mobile home.

DEBRA MURPHY, RESIDENT, SHELL POINT BEACH, FLORIDA: I'm just still in shock. I mean, it's just -- you know, I can't think anymore because I just don't know what to do.

TUCHMAN: The home is unlivable -- wind and water damage.

D. Murphy: He just had the knee replacement, too. So, I can't have him lifting stuff. I don't -- I don't know. Sorry.

TUCHMAN: Heartache directly across the canal at this house, the dream home of Bobby Palmer.

BOBBY PALMER, RESIDENT, SHELL POINT BEACH, FLORIDA: Downstairs, we literally lost everything. You know, it's just downstairs are here is -- you know, you're looking at $200,000, $250,000 to put it back together.

TUCHMAN: But even amid the devastation, there is resilience and hope.

R. CLARK: Going to be a lot of work, a lot of expense. But we're OK, and that's, that's the main thing.

L. CLARK: We'll make it happen.

R. CLARK: Yes. I mean --

L. CLARK: If it can happen. I mean, we're not the only ones --

R. CLARK: Look -- look at -- look at the other folks, you know? We're all in this together.

L. CLARK: But I'll probably cry in a little while.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Shell Point Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: If you want to help them and other victims of this hurricane, we've set up links to charities providing relief, that's on our web site. Just go to cnn.com/impacts.

Getting some answers, Donald Trump's lawyers prepare to respond to written questions on the Russia investigation, but not everything is on the table. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:21:45] VANIER: OK, we are keeping a close eye on the Asian markets after turbulence on Wall Street sent U.S. stocks into a tailspin on Thursday. Right now, the effects on the Asian markets seem minimal. Let's take a look. Results are mixed Nikkei and Shanghai are down slightly. As you can see, the Hang Seng, however, is up over one percent.

This comes on the back of that sharp drop I been telling you about by the Dow on Thursday. 545 point drop on Thursday. And if you look at Wednesday and Thursday combined for the Dow, that's a 1,300 point loss in two days.

A look at U.S. Futures shows all the major markets in positive territory right now reclaiming some of those losses. So, it's a mixed picture.

Now, there's a possible major development to the Russia investigation. Sources tell CNN, Donald Trump's legal team is preparing answers to written questions from Special Counsel Robert Mueller. They are said to be focused on possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russians trying to interfere in the 2016 election.

It is still not known if the U.S. president will agree to a face-to- face interview with Mueller, but he suggested that he might be open to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (through telephone): Well, it seems ridiculous that I'd have to do it when everybody says there is no collision. But, I'll do what is necessary to get it up with --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up there like --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: He's a former prosecutor at the Justice Department. So, Joseph, Donald Trump's lawyers get to address the special counsel's questions in writing. This feels like a win for Team Trump. Would you agree with that?

JOSEPH MORENO, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: I have to say yes, Cyril. I mean, it seems like a small win. But possibly a significant one down the line. I mean, look, the worst case for the president would have been to walk into a grand jury, subpoena, or some other kind of interview where he's put on the spot.

Here, he would not know what the questions would be in advance, he may or may not be able to turn to a lawyer and get advice, so this is obviously, a much better way to give answers to the questions in a thoughtful, calm, relaxed atmosphere where he gets to write out, think it through, have his lawyers review it, and then submit it.

VANIER: We're not 100 percent sure that that's not going to happen at some point down the line, though. There is still a possibility, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong that Donald Trump may go in and answer questions face to face, right?

MORENO: Well, certainly, it could have in a couple of different ways. One is that we're told by reporting that these written questions only relate to the Russia collusion, portion of the investigation. Now, we know that the special counsels also looking into potential obstruction of justice. Now, there must be a reason why these questions do not address those, that area of the investigation. So, that certainly could be the topic of a future subpoena or other instance to get live testimony from the president. The other possibility is --

(CROSSTALK)

VANIER: Hold on. So, let me -- let me get you to pause right there. Let's just -- let's just break that down for a second. What does that tell you? The president's lawyers are OK to answer questions about possible collusion and what happened during the campaign. They are not OK, they have not reached an agreement with the Special Counsel to address any question of anything to do with possible obstruction of justice.

MORENO: It could be a couple of different things. One is that the president's lawyers are aggressive and that they are -- they feeling good about the obstruction case, and feel like they can push back, and they're not too afraid of the consequences. That's one possibility.

Another possibility is that they're very sensitive about that area of the investigation. And therefore, they're doing everything they can to push back and not answer questions in any forum, whether it's live testimony or written Q&A.

[01:25:22] VANIER: So, how does this move forward from here? There is a first round of questions that are being addressed in writing now by the president's lawyers, then what?

MORENO: Well, a couple possibilities, right? So, we were saying earlier that one possibility is that the president could still get a subpoena in the other portion of the investigation which is the obstruction area. Another possibility is that the president provides these written answers to the questions and the special counsel says, you know what, I'm not satisfied with these answers.

Either they are too short, or they are not detailed enough, or you're sort of playing around with your answer and not being direct. So, I'm not satisfied. And either I want to revisit them, infuse your written questions and answers. Or you know what, nothing short of verbal testimony is really going to satisfy me.

So, really could still go down that road. And if it does, we're looking at a potential battle in the courts.

VANIER: Does the Special Counsel currently have this right to respond to these answers and to demand more answers to pursue the conversation in writing? Or is that something that's going to have to be established and negotiated with Donald Trump's lawyers again?

MORENO: It's really a negotiation. I mean, you hit the nail on the head because a lot of what we're doing here. There's no written laws or rules that dictate how you investigate or question a sitting president. So, a lot of this is really hashed out between the lawyers. And they're very good lawyers on both sides. So, you have some very talented prosecutors working for the special counsel, and he has some very good lawyers working for the president.

VANIER: You would think so.

MORENO: Yes. You can imagine, these are very, very detailed negotiations that have been going on for quite some time.

VANIER: If you take a step back big picture, does this mean the Special Counsel is moving toward the end of his investigation? I mean, the fact that he's now asking questions of the president directly?

MORENO: Most likely it means we are closer to the end than we are to the beginning. You know, in any significant financial or white-collar investigation, you're going to start with the smaller players and work your way closer to the focus of the investigation. And here, that's President Trump.

So, it would seem like if the special counsel, perhaps has exhausted the documents and the e-mails and the smaller players in this matter, and he's working his way toward the president, hopefully, that means he is getting to some conclusion, at least, on the Russia collusion portion of his investigation.

VANIER: All right. Well, it makes more sense. It is clearer now that was the point of this conversation. Joseph Moreno, it's all thanks to you. Thanks for coming on the show.

MORENO: Happy to do it, thanks.

VANIER: Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children are living in refugee camps. How one aid agency is trying to keep them from becoming a lost generation? We'll have that conversation, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:22] CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Cyril Vanier. Let's look at those headlines for you.

The "Washington Post" reports that Turkey claims to have audio and video recordings from inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that prove missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered. The source says Khashoggi can be heard being interrogated, tortured, and finally killed.

U.S. officials believe Turkey could soon release American Pastor Andrew Brunson. That's according to a source familiar with the matter. Brunson arrived in a Turkish court earlier for a hearing about his house arrest. He's been in Turkish custody since 2016 accused of helping a failed coup attempt.

Three journalists working for Myanmar's largest private newspaper are in police custody in Yangon after local officials complained about an article that questioned public spending. Yangon's regional government claims the journalists caused fear or alarm. But the journalists say they simply published a true story.

A U.N. Human Right envoy says Myanmar is unable and unwilling to investigate abuses in the country, particularly against the Rohingya. In 2017 Rohingya Muslims suffered under a brutal military crackdown. Hundreds were killed and hundreds of thousands fled their homes to neighboring Bangladesh.

Now the U.N. envoy says the cycle of violence, injustice and impunity in Myanmar will end only if there is genuine accountability. But so far that has not happened.

Myanmar's civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi says outsiders were expecting too much too soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AUNG SAN SUU KYI, MYANMAR LEADER: There are many people who do not even realize what the situation in the Rakhine state alone is like, let alone in the whole of Myanmar. These days it's always quick fixes and instant gratification. Everything has to be done immediately and quickly. But we can't afford to do that because we have to cope with the consequences in the long run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: Well, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children living in squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh can't wait for government ministers to focus on the long run. They need help and they need it now in order to avoid becoming a lost generation if that's even possible at this stage.

Carolyn Miles is president and CEO of Save the Children. She joins me from Los Angeles.

Carolyn -- I know you've been working with Save the Children for 20 years. I'm interested in your perspective here.

In terms of scale and suffering that you've seen, can you describe for us what you're dealing with?

CAROLYN MILES, CEO & PRESIDENT, SAVE THE CHILDREN: Well, I think the scale is massive in Bangladesh. As you've said, there's now 725,000 Myanmaris who are in Bangladesh and half of them are children under the age of 18.

And those kids obviously need lots of support right now and one of the most important things is trying to get some kind of education going for those children. And that's one of the most --

VANIER: Do they have -- are they getting education now?

MILES: Well, what we're doing is running a hundred learning centers across this huge, sprawling camp. And only about half of the kids between the ages of four and 14 are actually able to get any education. And for teenagers, it's even fewer. So this risk of a lost generation is really huge. VANIER: I want to get back to that in just a second but I think we

have to detour by how the kids are doing and including mentally because these are kids who have borne witness to war, to rape, who have feared for their own lives, who have sometimes seen their parents being killed and raped, as I mentioned, who have fled their country, their homes, everything. I mean that leaves scars. How are they doing?

F1: It does leave scars. And I think this mental trauma that these kids have experienced -- certainly in speaking to the children when I was there -- you could see the fear in their eyes. You could hear the stories of terror that they experienced.

And so one of the things that we do is we do try to actually provide psychological help. We actually have 35 psychologists now who are working in the camps in our health centers and trying to provide that support.

But it's obviously not enough --

VANIER: Yes.

F1: -- this is, you know, thousands and thousands of children.

VANIER: Yes. Well, you mentioned 300,000 to 400,000 children; 35 psychologists -- I mean that's not a knock on you but it just shows the size, the magnitude of the problem.

I know you were on the ground. Can you share any stories with us? Give us a sense of what it is like to talk to these kids?

F1: Sure. Well, I was there, as I said, and first of all it is a sprawling camp.

[01:35:00] One of the most important things is to try to keep kids safe because they are at risk of abduction. They're at risk of abuse. So these learning centers are also a safe place to be.

But you know they also are like kids anywhere. They try to, you know, they try to find things to do and try to keep themselves busy but I think we are really at risk of -- of losing these kids both because of lack of education but also because of the disease that travels through these camps. Again 300,000 children is many, many children. So trying to keep them healthy and safe is critical right now.

VANIER: Let's be honest. Tell me about your challenge. One is you want to save this generation.

F1: Yes.

VANIER: But I can't think of a group of children that has been dealt a worse set of cards to begin their lives. What are their prospects now?

F1: Well, I think the prospects now, and as you said, these are persecuted people who have been persecuted for a long time. Certainly having some kind of safe return is one of the options. Being able to be in a safer place than this particular camp which, you know, if a typhoon hits this which it often does, we fear for the lives, the very lives of these children.

So it is a very, very tough situation. And we are -- are working with many others to try to figure out what the alternatives are. And if there was some safe return but that does not look like right now that that's an option that is going to happen anytime soon.

VANIER: No. Sadly by our own reporting and all the stories we've been doing on this story, I agree with you. it doesn't look like it's going to happen.

Carolyn Miles -- thank you so much. Carolyn Miles from Save the Children -- thanks for speaking to us.

F1: Thank you.

VANIER: Still to come. His old band was one of the most politically- charged groups of the 90s. And now former Rage against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello is back with a new solo album and he has a lot to say about life in Trump's America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANYE WEST, MUSICIAN: What I need "Saturday Night Live" to improve on, what I need the liberals to improve on is if he don't look good, we don't look good.

[01:39:50] This is our president. He has to be the freshest, the fliest, the fliest plane -- the best factories. And we have to make our core be empowered. We have to bring jobs into America because our best export is entertainment and ideas.

But when we make everything in China and not in America then we're cheating on our country. And we're putting people in positions that have to do illegal things to end up in the cheapest factory ever, the prison system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: And that was Kanye West, rap superstar, holding court at the White House on Thursday. Not always as we said making total sense. We didn't even show you the part where he says that putting on the Make America Great Again Hat makes him feel like Superman.

Anyway, in contrast to Kanye -- here's Tom Morello of Rage against the Machine and Prophets of Rage fame. His new album just came out an hour ago. He sat down with my colleague John Vause for a conversation about the problems that he feels are confronting the United States -- police shootings, global warming and how he feels the 45th President is making a bad situation a whole lot worse.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Legendary musician, human rights and political activist, Tom Morello, all around good human being as well joins us here for more.

Congratulations on this new album. You know, I was listening to it and it really does -- it packs quite a punch. You guys got a lot to say.

And in fact, a couple of months ago you said about the "Atlas Underground" "Amid this heightened sense of impending doom it is now time to rally the troops in a last ditch effort to save the planet and our artistic souls by challenging the boundaries of what music is, and as it sounded like before, you can open people's eyes to changing the status quo in society."

Ok. I mean that's a pretty bleak outlook.

TOM MORELLO, MUSICIAN: I don't know. It depends on how you look at it. I think more than -- more than the music industry needs to be shaken up.

VAUSE: Right.

MORELLO: And the "Atlas Underground" is a sonic conspiracy. It's diverse artists with like minded opinions who have come together to make a forceful, powerful musical and political statement in 2018.

(MUSIC)

VAUSE: You've got this incredible group of big names who've come together for this album. And you talk about this new genre, again to quote you, "There has never been a successful social movement in this country that has not had a great sound track".

MORELLO: That's right.

VAUSE: Is the sound track of social justice.

MORELLO: Well, the resistance needs a jukebox. I'm hoping to add one or two 45s to that jukebox with this record. But I wanted to really try to create a brand new genre. The humble approach is to create a brand new genre of music that combines the marshal staff (ph), rock and roll ripping and guitar-soloing that I'm known for with the huge EDM drops of 2018 -- electronic wizardry matched with scintillating guitar playing was what was the musical underpinnings of the "Atlas Underground".

VAUSE: And there is a plenty of that already through this.

I want to read some of the tracks. "Lead Poisoning" which is the last track on the album. And "Lead Poisoning" for those who don't know, especially slang mostly used by African-Americans who are basically dying from gunshot wounds often from the police.

And you ask the question, why are so many African-American men are being shot? Why the police in this track. I want to ask you about one line in particular. But first here it -- I want you to listen to this.

(MUSIC)

VAUSE: So whether it's water hoses or bullets, a valve or a trigger, essentially what you're saying nothing has really changed in this country since the 50s. Because this comes up again in another song about social justice, "We don't need you."

And again, here's part of it. We'll talk on the other side.

(MUSIC)

VAUSE: And you got Brown versus Board gave us equality -- it's the same thing -- essentially that not much has changed in this country. So is this a problem?

White middle class America means the whole issue racism -- it's (INAUDIBLE) black president, two terms.

MORELLO: He doubled it.

VAUSE: Whereas, you know, to the black community they lived a very different life day in and day out.

MORELLO: Yes. Absolutely. Well, the first track features (INAUDIBLE) from Wu Tang Clan, the second Vic (INAUDIBLE) -- and incredibly talented, revolutionary, radical rappers. But you know, the murder of African-Americans by the police is as American as baseball or apple pie.

[01:44:58] What is new is now we're seeing it on cell phones regularly. But that incessant drum beat of those murders and police getting away scot-free is what is at the core of the problem.

And, you know, while I know many police officers and many of them are good people but until they begin telling on their own and the blue code of silence goes away, we'll never get any kind of justice unless we demand justice in the streets.

VAUSE: So until sort of the life of an African-American man is worth more than silence among brotherhood of bullies and thinking nothing will change?

(CROSSTALK)

MORELLO: Yes. I'm not going to hold my breath for that. But, you know, as an artist it's a job both to reflect and try to change society in my view. So with songs like "Rabbit's Revenge", "Lead Poisoning" and "We Don't Need You", we're putting a mirror up to society and that mirror is hopefully reflecting some light both, you know, to stir up controversy in the mosh pit and on the dance floor.

VAUSE: And in "Rabbit's Revenge", you name check some of the victims -- the African-American men who have been shot dead by police. Here's part of the song.

(MUSIC) VAUSE: So how important is it that these names are out there, that they continue to be mentioned, you know, because we've got a very short memory.

MORELLO: Yes. I think it's crucial. I mean that's Big Boy and Killer Mike on that track with that militant poetry. But yes, too often these names are on, you know, page five to begin and they're on page 16 the next day and they're written out of history.

The lyrical theme that goes to this "Atlas Underground" record is social justice ghost stories. The idea that the heroes and martyrs and those murdered by injustice in the past can inform the present and shine a beacon light to hopefully create a more humane and just future.

VAUSE: You mentioned this. You see this sort of natural connection to the music and activism -- political activism, of human rights activism and you think others have this responsibility to speak out.

Back in 2016 before the Presidential election you did speak out against Donald Trump. Here's a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MORELLO: Hi. I'm Tom Morello and I'm stand up against Old Man Trump because when it comes to race relations he's like an old school segregationist. When it comes to foreign policy he's like an old school napalmist. When it comes to women's issues, he's like a frat house rapist. So let's not elect that guy. And I want you stand up against Old Man Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Ok. You also told the "L.A. Times" back them, "This election season, it feels like we' are in Pompeii with the volcano erupting and the boat out of town is the Titanic."

I mean that's a lot. Essentially, you know, they're just as bad as the other. Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump -- so you know, what is the difference here?

Now we're almost halfway through this first term of President Trump. How do you see it? I mean is it better than you thought it would be? Is it worse than you thought it would be? And would a Hillary Clinton presidency be any better?

MORELLO: Well, for two years I was the scheduling secretary for U.S. Senator Alan Cranston. So I got to see how the sausage is made, you know, in a progressive Democrat's office. And it's -- you know, it's as ugly as you think and add two zeros.

So I understand people's -- I also come from Trump country, too. Like Lake County, Illinois -- Democrats don't even run there. So I understand this reticence to embrace a system that seems to have let down a lot of people. I believe that the underlying problems -- whether it's a Democratic administration or Republican one, whether it's Trump and his histrionics or a more erudite Barack Obama -- are systemic. And until we address those underlying systemic problems it will a fertile field for demagogues like Trump to use the oldest tricks in the book -- racism, blame the Mexicans, blame the immigrants to divide us rather than uniting for a more just and humane country.

VAUSE: When you say, we're not going to fix the master's house with the master's tools --

MORELLO: I don't think that that's possible.

VAUSE: Yes. Why?

MORELLO: Why is it not possible to fix the master's house with the master's tool? I think because -- I mean they're tainted to begin with. But I think that if we really look at -- what is it that we relay want? First of all I think that the impending environmental disaster that's facing us all now.

I have young kids. And so looking to a future where there may not be an organized society because of global warming is something that's very frightening.

Now, in the short term, the stuff that's on the table, whether it's the centrist Democrats or whether it's the Republican, you know, to right of Attila the Hun --

VAUSE: Right.

MORELLO: -- are all policies that I think are not in the service of humanity, really if you looked deep. And I see -- I get to see and talk to young people at every show, backstage on every show, see them on the mosh there -- they want something different, fundamentally different that has not been on the table for some time in the United States.

VAUSE: Ok. So (INAUDIBLE) a little bit because you talk about, you know, having these conversations with young people that are at your concerts.

You've made it pretty clear what clear what you think of President Trump, the 45th president. There's a sign on that guitar and I guess you hold it up and we can't say what that choice word is but it starts with F. (INAUDIBLE) taken in California; I think the last one there was taken in Spain.

So when you hold up that guitar and I know it's a very particular crowd, is the reaction universal or is it different depending on where you --

MORELLO: Well, there's -- there's normally, you know, first of all it's not a time necessarily for subtle statements and particularly at a rock show. And it seems to -- whether you're in Sao Paulo or whether you're in Buenos Aires or whether you're in Johannesburg, whether you're in Peoria, Illinois people seem to respond to that.

[01:50:04] VAUSE: Ok. Well, we have the November midterm elections just a few weeks away. The results will likely determine, you know, the future of the Trump presidency in the end and you know, what will happen in the two years after this.

You recently tweeted out against voter suppression and Russian hacking. Visit Don'tGetPurged.org to make sure you're still on the state's voter roll.

You know we started out this conversation talking about, you know, the impending doom and to rally the troops and this is the hour. And it's -- that's very grand talk but ultimately, at the end of the day this country has a very simple mechanism, we're facing a system -- if you think it's broken, it needs to be fixed. And that's as difficult as it could for some people, it's get out and vote.

You don't have to, you know, raid the White House with your supporters.

MORELLO: That might not be a bad idea.

VAUSE: We're just a few weeks away.

MORELLO: But you know, I would suggest that there are multiple ways to address the system. One is there are a lot of people who sacrificed a lot to get the right to vote. I always vote. But I think that there are additional ways like organizing, direct action. Those are ways to sort of confront a system, injustices in a system that historically has been just as effective or more effective sometimes than the ballot box.

But I always vote and I encourage people to do that as well. But never -- you can't just cast that ballot into the void every two or four years and expect there to be systemic change. Systemic change is something we have to organize for on a much larger basis.

VAUSE: Tom -- thank you.

MORELLO: Always a pleasure.

VAUSE: Good luck with the album.

Good to talk to you. Thanks for coming in.

We'll take a short break. You're watching CNN. The news continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VANIER: The U.S. midterm elections are less than a month away. Much of the result is going to hinge on turnout so both Republicans and Democrats are trying to woo young voters, not just for the congressional seat in Washington but also in state races.

Our Robyn Curnow reports on how college Republicans are getting energized.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's game day at colleges across the U.S. Here at the University of Georgia, American football and partisan politics are overlapping this season whether fans like it or not.

Republican Brian Kemp endorsed by Donald Trump is in a tight race for governor.

(on camera): I'm Robyn Curnow from CNN International.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not doing any one-on-one right now.

CURNOW: Is there anything we can ask --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No time today for one on one.

CURNOW (voice over): The Kemp campaign told us they weren't giving interviews but at this pre-game event for college Republicans we met a former student turned politician. He was happy to talk to us over a good old plate of southern barbecue.

HOUSTON GAINES (R), GEORGIA STATE HOUSE CANDIDATE: As you can imagine on the campaign trail, you get a lot of barbecue.

CURNOW: Houston Gaines (ph) is 23-years-old and a Republican candidate for state house.

GAINES: I hope we can bring a fresh perspective and some new ideas.

CURNOW: In 2016 the majority of young people voted for Hillary Clinton. Now that Donald Trump is president, up and coming Republicans are managing the impact of his policies and his personality.

GAINES: I think a lot of people wish that, you know, the tweets weren't always what they are. But when you look at policy I think that's where -- that's ultimately what matters.

[01:55:00] CURNOW: Other Republicans have tried to focus on what they say the President is handling the best.

SALINA PATEL, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA COLLEGE REPUBLICAN: The economy's important to me. It's about policies. And character isn't our issue.

CURNOW (on camera): So you're willing to excuse a lot of the tweets and say the comments around Charlottesville because of the policies?

(voice over): Reactions like hers reveal the tough conversations being hand on campus.

Carter Chapman (ph) is helping to organize student Republicans.

CARTER CHAPMAN, COLLEGE REPUBLICAN: They like the tax cuts that were passed. They like the idea of keeping conservatives on the Supreme Court.

CURNOW: But he says he's a Christian conservative and doesn't always agree with the President.

CHAPMAN: I wish that the presidency could be more on message, if anything and avoid distractions.

SAVANNAH SIMPSON, COLLEGE REPUBLICAN: At the end of the day, I'm 100 percent Trump.

CROWD: Trump.

CURNOW: Savannah Simpson (ph) is 18 years old and she'll be voting in her first election.

SIMPSON: Yes. Oh my goodness, I'm so excited.

CURNOW: She backs even the most controversial Republican issues.

BRIAN KEMP (R), GEORGIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I got a big truck just in case I need to round up criminal illegals and take them home myself.

CURNOW (on camera): Do you agree with that.

SIMPSON: I agree yes. I think that -- my family, they worked very hard and they worked fair and they earned their money. And so I think that if you want to come to the U.S., I am here to welcome you but I believe there's a right way to do it.

CURNOW (voice over): These students say they're part of the largest membership of college Republicans in the U.S. Despite that, they do have concerns Democrats are seizing momentum.

CHAPMAN: Democrats on campus are certainly energized, maybe more so than I've seen them since I got here. If that actually translates into votes I'm not sure.

CURNOW: And candidates for governor like Brian Kemp don't want to take any chances.

KEMP: We've got to work hard because they are. We've got to make sure that we get the vote out.

CURNOW (on camera): So young Republicans here are hoping for the equivalent of a political touchdown come November. They are fearful of losing power locally and nationally. And they're hoping that will actually energize voters to come out and vote Republican.

Robyn Curnow, CNN -- Athens, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Midterms are on November 8th, less than a month to go.

You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier. You've got Natalie Allen handling everything from now. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:08] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Mounting pressure on Saudi Arabia over a missing journalist last seen at their consulate. And a new --