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Bo Xilai Charged With Bribery; Edward Snowden Cleared To Leave Moscow Airport; Interview with Derrick Rose; Arctic Ice Melt A Global Warming Catastrophe?; North Korea Dedicates Korean War Memorial Cemetery

Aired July 25, 2013 - 08:00   ET


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

Now we have new video for you of the moment a train crashed in Spain killing at least 77 people.

Also ahead, disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been indicted for bribery, corruption and abuse of power.

And we take a rare visit inside a cemetery for Korean War veterans in North Korea.

First, Spain is observing three days of mourning following Wednesday's crash of a high speed passenger train that killed at least 77 people in the northwestern part of the country. And this video, just in to CNN, it shows the moment of impact. And you can see how the train was rounding a curve when it hurdled off the tracks.

Now Spain's public TV network says the train's driver told police he took the curve too fast, along with the dozens who died, more than 100 were injured, and the crash, it snapped the train in half. Rescue crews and passengers pried open the train's doors and pulled out the injured survivors through broken windows.

An investigation is underway. And we will go to Spain for a live report ahead on News Stream.

But first, we go to China, and a tale of elite politics, murder, intrigue and betrayal that led to the downfall of this man.

Now according to state media, Bo Xilai, the disgraced former Communist Party chief in the metropolis of Chongqing has been officially indicted for bribery, corruption and abuse of power.

Now Bo was considered a Communist Party princeling. He was a rising star on the national stage. And he won public support in Chongqing for his crackdown on crime as well as his liberal economic policies.

But it all began to unravel in February 2012 when Bo's deputy, Wang Lijun walked into the U.S. consulate in the city of Chengdu. And he told American diplomats that Bo's wife was an accomplice in the killing of a British businessman who was found dead in a Chongqing hotel room in November of 2011.

Now Wang said when he told Bo that his wife was a prime suspect, Bo responded by slapping him across the face and later demoted him.

Now one month later, Bo was fired as Chongqing party chief for what the party called, quote, serious disciplinary violations. And his wife, Gu Kailai was arrested and tried for murder. She confessed to the crime at her trial last year and is serving a suspended death sentence.

And now Bo's own upcoming trial is one of the most widely anticipated court cases in China in recent years. And for more on that, let's go straight to our David McKenzie. He joins us live from CNN Beijing. And David, when and where will the trial take place?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, according to state media the trial will take place in eastern China in Chengdong in the provincial capital there, significant, really, because it's very far away from Chongqing as you describe, the power base of Bo Xilai when he was in charge of that mega city.

So it's clear that the authorities are trying to keep him away from there. They are saying that the trial could start any time, really, but it could possibly take about 10 days at least for the trial to start. They wanted to take place, I believe, before important party meetings in October - Kristie.

LU STOUT: And what has CNN learned about the mental state of Bo Xilai going into the trial?

MCKENZIE: Very interesting, actually, because with a person close to the family of Bo Xilai says that Bo's lawyers have said that he is looking forward to this trial, that he is looking forward to the chance of defending himself in a trial setting. And while the government will seem, or try to have a very brief stage managed trial for this former Communist Party kingpin, that source told CNN that he is feeling a fighting spirit.

So he might not go down quietly, as it were, but some analysts I've spoken to believe that there might be some kind of deal made in the lead-up to this trial, which did take a long time for this indictment to be announced - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, fascinating insight there into his mental state. And also some are saying that the downfall and the trial of Bo Xilai is less a case of an anti-corruption crackdown in China, has more to do with political maneuvering. What are your thoughts on that?

MCKENZIE: Well, you're right. Xi Jinping, I think, has been very well known for his anti-corruption drive. But we shouldn't necessarily put the trial of Bo Xilai into the anti-corruption mantle of Xi's government. This is something that he inherited. And the rest of the politburo, as it were, inherited.

There's a sense from people I speak to that the trial of Bo Xilai is kind of - yes, it's a trial, yes it's a way to seek justice for the crimes that he allegedly committed, but also they feel that they must be in some back room deals going on. This is a very famous politician, Bo Xilai. He's also the son of a very famous revolutionary leader, a princeling, a contemporary of Xi Jinping. Any trial that brought out any more details that Bo might know about current political stalwarts in China would be very embarrassing indeed for Xi Jinping.

There's already early indications that some of these indictments could be lesser than what we expected around a year ago.

So we don't know for sure, but there could be some dealings going on behind the scenes to try and limit maybe the punishment for Bo Xilai. But from Xi Jinping's standpoint, be seen to doing something. So kind of a saving face scenario, if you like - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, whether or not he will get a lenient sentence, we shall see.

And one more question for you, David. The Bo Xilai scandal, it did expose corruption at the very top of the Communist Party. So how has the party since then attempted to clean house since the scandal broke?

MCKENZIE: Well, I think it's one reason that pushed Xi Jinping to make anti-corruption one of his major mandates since he took office earlier this year. You're seeing a whole lot of anti-corruption things that they are trying to do, including this week announcing their going to ban any new buildings by the government across China.

Xi definitely has this populist touch. He wants to be shown to stamping out corruption. Whether he can really go into the nitty-gritty, systemic corruption that many feel are hurting Chinese government policies and day-to-day running of the government. That's a different question.

Certainly, the government will try to put the Bo Xilai into this - this mantle of anti-corruption, but again it might all be, or largely be about politics.

LU STOUT: All right, David McKenzie, joining us live from Beijing. Thank you.

Now let's go back to our top story, the train crash in Spain. Now the train, it was nearing the end of a six hour journey from Madrid to Ferrol when it just came off the tracks. It derailed just several kilometers from the train station at Santiago de Compostela.

Now the city is a popular tourist attraction. And the crash, it happened just one day before the region's most famous celebration. Today is the feast day of St. James. And local officials have canceled festivities in the wake of the tragedy.

Now more now on this deadly train crash, the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, he saw the crash site firsthand today. He was also born in Santiago de Compostela. And CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us now from the crash site.

And Karl, what did the prime minister say?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the prime minister was here about three hours ago now, Kristie. And he took a look at this crash site. And among - he fixed a number of priorities, one of course is to investigate what actually caused this crash. A number of bits of speculation swirling around. Was it excess speed, perhaps, that caused this. But he said no conclusions yet.

This will be thoroughly investigated.

But what he also said would be a major priority was that now medical personnel must identify the dead so that their loved ones can be informed.

To put this in perspective, a full one-third of the passengers aboard this train have died. And this is what the prime minister had to say.


MARIANO RAJOY, PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN (through translator): And right now, the public officers dealing with this issue are working (inaudible) people already have been identified. In some cases, some of the families have been notified.


PENHAUL: And on top of that, the prime minister says he now declares three days of national mourning across Spain a reflection of the scale of this tragedy, Kristie.

LU STOUT: You know, within this last hour, we got this dramatic video that we've been playing for our viewers worldwide of the moment when the train at great speed was turning around that corner, derailed and crashed into the wall. I know you've been there at the site. There's the video. And while we discuss this point, you've been talking to survivors. What are they saying about the speed of the train before the derailment, before the crash happened?

PENHAUL: Well, one must remember that once your inside those trains, these trains are very well prepared. They are prepared to run fast. This isn't Spain's highest velocity train, this is a kind of a hybrid train. It runs on those high velocity tracks for part of its route. And it runs on conventional tracks for another part of the track. So it's not the highest velocity, but still a very fast train. But it's prepared to do that.

But what our accident investigators are looking at is this growing speculation that speed could have been a factor in that. Some members of the government say that, yes, speed does seem to have been a factor. Other members of the government say we are still looking into this and all possible causes are on the table.

But you mentioned that CCTV footage that we've received just in the last few moments, in fact. And that is absolutely chilling. If you look at that carefully, we see the back end of the front locomotive veering off the tracks and then slamming into the concrete pylons of that bridge. That's a road bridge that goes over the railway tracks.

But if you look closer even still, a fraction of a second before the front locomotive slaws off the tracks, you can see from about midway along the train a puff of smoke or of dust. What was that? What happened there that then seems to have caused the rest of the train from that point to slew off the tracks? Was it that the train in fact derailed mid section, or was it something else that caused it?

But certainly investigators right now are going to have a keen eye on that CCTV footage looking exactly what this brings to their investigation, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And you're right, that CCTV footage is just chilling to watch.

Do authorities believe that this is an accident? And I know that the investigation is underway. Are you getting any inkling, any idea of what could have caused the derailment and the crash?

PENHAUL: Well, certainly the government has said that they are keeping all possibilities on the table, but both the government and the state railway system RENFE are backing away from any suggests that this could have been caused by terrorism. They seem to be ruling out, or certainly moving towards that position that it wasn't a sabotage or terrorist explosion that caused this train to derail.

It must be said that the curb, the curve in the track there is really one of the tightest on this route. It's a six hour route from Madrid up towards the city of Ferrol. This is one of the tightest curves. And certainly some members of the government already suggesting that speed could have been one of the factors to blame here, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, journalist Karl Penhaul joining us live from the site of that chilling train crash. Thank you very much indeed for giving us the latest details there.

Now you are watching News Stream. And still to come, crowds brave the rain in Brazil to see and to touch the pope. His visit to Rio de Janeiro continues today. And we will take you there.

And he stands accused of plotting his wife's murder as they honeymooned in South Africa. And now a judge has ruled Shrien Dewani must return to the country for a possible trial.

And CNN is in Pyongyang at the opening of a cemetery for Korean War veterans. Stay with us for some rare images and testimony.


LU STOUT: Welcome back.


Now we started with that deadly train crash in Spain. And a little later in the show, we'll look at the confusing status of U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, but now we go to Brazil and the visit of Pope Francis. Now it would appear that recent security concerns are not slowing down the pace of the pope's visit. Now Miguel Marquez is following his travels there. And he joins us now live from Rio de Janeiro.

But first let's listen to this report.




These are Catholics from far away Mongolia.




MARQUEZ: Now, we are here at Copa Cabana beach live. And there are already hundreds of pilgrims who are lining up here. It's about nine hours before the pope makes his appearance here at Copa Cabana beach, but already they are coming out despite very, very heavy rain overnight and right now - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, the prayer service later today there at Copa Cabana beach is going to be the highlight during this papal visit. And we know this visit, it's taking place under increasingly tight security. How is that being managed, given the pope's preference to interact directly with the people?

MARQUEZ: Well, I think not easily on the pope's part. This is a guy who likes to literally embrace people. He showed up in this hatchback, basically, with the windows down. And we understand that he directed drivers not to avoid the crowds, which has caused some of the problem for his car getting stuck in traffic, stuck in the crowds on Monday morning.

But, look, there's been a lot more security added. It's very clear from every event that we now go to, it's not just volunteers lining the route, it's uniform police that are also lining the route trying to keep people back. They have the barricades up surrounding the pope himself now are 12, 15, maybe 20 of his own personal security surrounded another bubble then of uniform security and then security along the route as well.

So it is very, very substantial - Kristie.

LU STOUT: A service there at the Copa Cabana Beach setup. The pope wasn't there, attracted tens of thousands of people. So when he does make an appearance for this prayer service later today, what should we expect to see?

MARQUEZ: It is going - it may attract some protests just outside of Copa Cabana beach as well, but a half million pilgrims showed up to the first opening ceremony. Today is the welcome for the pope here in Rio, it's his first big, sort of public ceremony for the pilgrims. And it is - you know, look, there's about a mile of beach with giant screens here. They expect it to be completely filled, well over a million people.

The Rolling Stones were here a few weeks ago and got about a million people. The pope is expected to do - one pope beats the entire Rolling Stones, we think, because he's expected to do more than that.

And the weather here is just so terrible today. The rain has been coming down all night long and all day. And that will play a big factor in how many people show up.

But it is expected to be enormous.

We have met people from all over the world. People are so excited to see this man. And he's injected such energy in the church that I think there's a lot of excitement to see him and they will come out in huge numbers tonight, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, incredible. I'm just trying to process that visual, a mile of beach just filled with people. Miguel Marquez joining us live from Rio, thank you.

Now a British court ruled on Wednesday that Shrien Dewani should be sent to South Africa to face trial. Now Dewani is accused of hiring hitmen to kill his wife Anni during their honeymoon in Cape Town. Matthew Chance reports.


MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It looks like a dream wedding with an apparently happy couple. But less than two weeks after this lavish ceremony in India, the bride, Anni Dewani, was brutally murdered on honeymoon in Cape Town, her groom accused of plotting to kill her.

Now, a British court has ruled that former businessman Shrien Dewani can finally be extradited to South Africa, an important victory for the victim's family, all from Britain, who had packed the public gallery.

AMI DENBORG: We as a family are satisfied with the decision today made by the British justice system. But it's still a long way to the answers that we are looking for. And we don't want to forget Anni in this. It's - for us, it's all about Anni.

CHANCE: The decision here at Westminster Magistrate's Court is centered around the mental health of Dewani. Since his wife's killing, he's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression and deemed unfit to stand trial. But the judge here in central London said that it's not impossible that if he's extradited now and after further treatment in South Africa he could be found well enough to plead.

Defense lawyers insist they'll appeal, but in South Africa this high profile ruling has been welcomed. Three South Africans have already been convicted of the murder. And Shrien Dewani is accused of paying them as hitmen to kill his wife, something Dewani categorically denies.

Their vehicle was carjacked in a suburb of Cape Town. And Anni Dewani was later found in the abandoned vehicle shot in the neck.

In London, the victims' family says there are still key questions that must be answered.

ASHOK HINDOCHA, UNCLE OF ANNI DEWANI: We want to know what happened. A review in this is quite simple. There were five people in the car, four men, one lady. She was murdered. All four of the gentlemen are in good health. Why just kill a girl? And the rest of them are in perfect health. It rises questions.

CHANCE: And the man who seems like such a loving husband may now be a step closer to giving his own answers in court.

Matthew Chance, CNN, London.


LU STOUT: Now you're watching News Stream. And up next, North Korean leader Kim Jong un makes a rare appearance in public for a very special ceremony.



Now Caroline Kennedy may soon add an illustrious new position to her resume. Now she has been nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama to serve as U.S. ambassador to Japan. Now world affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is following this story for us in Washington. And Jill, why did President Obama nominate her for the post in Japan?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are a number of reasons, and let's start with her name. You know, Kristie, there's really nothing new about presidents nominating, let's say friends or campaign contributors as ambassadors, but when you have that Kennedy name it raises it to an entirely different level.


DOUGHERTY (voice-over): Her family name is as close to royalty as it gets in American politics. Caroline Kennedy, the only living child of slain President John F. Kennedy and his Camelot wife Jackie.

CAROLINE KENNEDY, DAUGHTER OF JFK: I've never had a candidate who inspiring me the way that people say that my father inspired them, but I do now. And his name is Barack Obama.

DOUGHERTY: For most of her life she shunned the spotlight, but in 2008 she endorsed Barack Obama and was a national co-chairperson of his 2012 campaign. Now he's nominated her to serve as his ambassador to Japan, an important ally in a crucial economic region.

She was asked about a possible appointment this spring.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you like Japan or Canada better?

KENNEDY: What? I don't know. Which is closer to 57th street? There you are I don't know.

DOUGHERTY: She did come close to running for Hillary Clinton's New York Senate seat, the same one her uncle, Robert Kennedy, held until he was assassinated but she quickly withdrew, citing personal reasons. Caroline Kennedy, now 55, has written ten books. She heads the Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation. She's a lawyer and mother of three.

Kennedy has little diplomatic or government experience, but her family legacy could help make the case for her nomination.


DOUGHERTY: And if Caroline Kennedy is confirmed by the senate as ambassador to Japan, it could be a boost to the U.S.-Japanese relationship. Remember, Kristie, the Japanese foreign ministry issued a statement noting that she has the deep confidence of President Obama.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it would definitely be a boost for the U.S.-Japan relationship.

Now, as you mentioned in your report, Caroline Kennedy has largely avoided the spotlight in recent years, but what do we know about her leadership style? And how would she take on the role in Japan if it's, indeed, given to her?

DOUGHERTY: You know, she really has been kind of quiet behind the scenes, really didn't do too much, flirted with that idea of running for office. But I think you'd have to say that her big value will be, as the Japanese noted, her relationship to President Obama. Because after all, anyone who has the ear directly of President Obama is very valuable in a diplomatic sense. I think that would probably be the prime reason.

LU STOUT: All right, Jill Dougherty joining us live from Washington. Thank you so much for that.

Now, Carolina Kennedy may soon, as you said, have a brand new job. But the former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, he has a new look. Now he has shaved his head to show support for a 2-year-old boy stricken with cancer. Now Patrick is the son of a member of Mr. Bush's Secret Service security detail. And the other members of the detail have also shaved their heads. And they've set up a website to raise money for Patrick's treatment.

Now the 41st U.S. President has made a donation.

And Mr. Bush and his wife lost a daughter to cancer some 60 years ago.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still ahead, more than one month on, U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden remains in Russia in a state of uncertainty.

Plus, U.S. soldier and accused leaker Bradley Manning is close to learning his fate as the military trial against him draws to a close.



Now new footage showing the moment a passenger train crashed in northwestern Spain killing at least 77 people. A short time ago, prime minister Mariano Rajoy declared three days of mourning. The national railway company says the train was carrying 218 passengers when it derailed near Santiago de Campostela. Excessive speed may have been a factor, but no cause has been determined.

Now, China's state news agency says Bo Xilai, once a rising star in the Communist Party has been charged with corruption and abuse of power. No Bo was the party chief in the city of Chongqing and seen as one of the country's future leaders. And now he is set to face trial accused of crimes, including bribery and embezzlement.

Now President Obama is delaying a previously planned shipment of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt. Now that is in response to the military's removal of President Mohamed Morsy three weeks ago. But the Pentagon says overall arms sales to Egypt are not affected.

Anti-government protests have turned violent in Bulgaria. Demonstrators clashed with police on Wednesday as they blockaded parliament in the capital Sofia, trapping more than 100 people, including lawmakers and other staff. Now protesters have been on the streets for more than 40 days, calling for action against corruption.

North Korean leader Kim Jong un made a rare appearance on Thursday, opening a cemetery for Korean War veterans. And the cemetery's dedication, it comes ahead of the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean conflict.

Now Ivan Watson reports from Pyongyang.




WATSON: It's your father here, yes?


WATSON: Yes. And his name?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Hang Myung-lah (ph).



UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mother (inaudible).

WATSON: And her mother.




Ivan Watson, CNN, Pyongyang.


LU STOUT: Now the fate of Edward Snowden is still up in the air. The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russian authorities to extradite Snowden on Wednesday after reports emerged that he had been given permission to leave a Moscow airport and formally enter the country.

Now, Snowden's lawyer, however, denied receiving such permission. So, how did Snowden end up in this state of immigration limbo? Well, it started all the way back on May 20th when he left the U.S. for Hong Kong. And on June 7, the world got to know about Prism, a secret surveillance program run by the U.S. government. And two days later on June 9, the man behind the leaks revealed himself.

Now Snowden, he initially stayed at a luxury hotel, but checked out when his whereabouts were discovered.

And then on June 23 he arrived at a Moscow airport accompanied by a lawyer from WikiLeaks and he's been living in the transit area for over a month now.

Now let's get back to the latest developments. And Atika Shubert joins us now from London. And Atika, why is Snowden still stuck in that transit zone in that Moscow airport?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's really up to the Russia authorities whether or not they're going to grant him temporary asylum or some sort of a document that allows him to get out of that transit zone. Right now, because he's in that transit zone it's sort of this legal, gray area where Russia doesn't have to deal with him. No other country does either, because it's sort of this sort of immigration limbo.

So, right now it's sort of up in the air.

Now if the Russian authorities do give him some sort a document that allows him to go through, the next question is, does he go straight into an embassy for Venezuela, Bolivia or Ecuador and then try and claim asylum there? Or is he free to stay in Russia for a little while and try and figure out his options?

At this point, however, it's really up to the Russia authorities.

LU STOUT: Yeah, so what kind of signals are we getting from the Kremlin and from Vladimir Putin about how far they're willing to go to help Edward Snowden?

SHUBERT: You know, we're sort of getting mixed signals. It's interesting, because one of the first things that Putin said was that he wanted Snowden to continue with his journey, that this was just sort of a transit point for him. And that if he was going to stay in Russia, that Snowden had to make sure he was not going to be taking any other actions that would, quote, "harm Russia's American partners." And even Putin admitted that this was an usual statement for him to say.

So Russia seems to be sort of stuck in the middle here and is trying to figure out a graceful way out of this to not hand over Snowden to the U.S., but at the same time figure out some way that he doesn't settle in Russia and ultimately seeks asylum somewhere else.

LU STOUT: Yeah. And what are the options for Snowden right now? His passport, his U.S. passport has been canceled. He's been stuck in that transit area since June 23rd, over a month now. He is still in a wait and see mode to hear what the Russians have to say. What are his options right now?

SHUBERT: He really has very few options at this point. He really does need that temporary document, however it is that the Russian immigration authorities want to phrase it, that allows him to get out of the transit area. And then his options do open up. Then, he can either go to an embassy, claim asylum, or he can attempt to continue with his temporary asylum application in Russia.

And in fact, it's something that his lawyer has spoken about, saying that, you know, he says that Snowden might get a job, for example, and may take some time to be in Russia, even though his lawyer even said he gave him works of Dostoyevsky to show - sort of acclimatize him to the Russian culture.

So, his options will open up once he's able to get out of the transit zone. But as of now, he does not seem to be able to do that.

LU STOUT: And each day that Edward Snowden stays in the Moscow airport in that transit area. What kind of damage is it doing, diplomatic damage, in terms of the relationship between U.S. and Russia?

SHUBERT: Well, you know, it's interesting. It probably does less diplomatic damage for him to stay in the transit zone than to have him get out. Because once he's out and in Russian territory, proper as it were, than the Russian authorities are responsible for him and the U.S. will bring all of its pressure upon Russia to try and have him handed over, because for the United States they see this as a matter of law, that he should be brought back to face a court.

So Russia at the moment has sort of put him in this limbo in the transit zone so that they don't have to deal with him and they're trying to figure a way out.

So, the pressure will really increase once he's actually out of the transit zone?

LU STOUT: All right, Atika Shubert reporting live from London. Thank you.

Now, lawmakers in the U.S., they narrowly defeated a measure to restrict the surveillance programs that Snowden exposed. And after some sharp debate on Wednesday, the House of Representatives defeated the measure by a vote of 217 to 205. Now a coalition of lawmakers across political lines had pushed for curbs on the blanket collection of records, saying that the government has reached too far in the name of national security.

Now for its part, the Obama administration says that phone and email surveillance are valuable counterterrorism tools.

Now meanwhile, the trial of a U.S. soldier accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks is entering its final stages. And CNN's Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now live from the Pentagon.

And Barbara, closing arguments are due. How will the prosecution portray Bradley Manning. And what will the defense say?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Closing arguments today before a judge, a military judge. There is no military jury in this trial for Private Bradley Manning.

The prosecution, Kristie, is going to make the classic case in the closing argument that he is a traitor, that he betrayed the country, that he betrayed the army, and he caused harm to national security. The defense will make its argument that Manning was a very principled man, that he had concerns about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that he downloaded documents, gave them to WikiLeaks, because he wanted this information to get out.

You know, he has already confessed to some of the charges that could get him 20 years in jail. So it will be up to the judge to weigh these alleged motivations and make a determination about an ultimate settlement - Kristie.

LU STOUT: That's right, Manning faces a number of charges, but it's aiding the enemy that is considered to be the most serious charge. So how has that point been fought out during the trial?

STARR: Well, what they have done is the prosecution has agreed to take the death penalty off the table in that charge. That would be the ultimate in return for his information, for him potentially, potentially being found guilty on aiding the enemy. And if he is, then he could face life in prison. And that's, of course, what the defense is trying to avoid.

LU STOUT: And the Manning case, his trial, it really has been overshadowed in recent weeks by the case of Edward Snowden. When you compare the two, whose leaks have caused the most damage for the U.S.?

STARR: You know, a lot of people are comparing the two cases. And I think some people suggest thinking about it this way. In the case of Manning, what he downloaded and had distributed through WikiLeaks certainly was embarrassing information. It was highly classified national security information, but much of it was about a moment in time, if you will - cables between officials, cables between embassies, reports about combat incidents. So the information wound up being outdated, to an extent, by the time it was seen by the public.

Snowden, on the other hand, has released information about ongoing, very classified intelligence gathering programs. How the intelligence community even today tries to go about its business.

So his revelations are now forcing the National Security Agency into trying to figure out how to get past it, how to reconstruct their networks, how to move ahead.

LU STOUT: All right. Barbara Starr joining us live from the Pentagon. Thank you very much indeed for that.

Now coming up, we'll be talking about climate change as Arctic ice melts, scientists are warning of new dangers locked under the east Siberian Sea. Stick around for that.


LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now climate change, it may be even more costly than many had thought. And some fear that the world could be facing an economic time bomb that is ticking relentlessly down as the Arctic ice melts.

Ralitsa Vassileva has more.


RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nations are already competing for the riches of the Arctic like oil and minerals that global warming is bringing within their reach. But a new study shows that as the Arctic ice melts, something is being released that could put a huge dent in potential profits to be made - Methane gas, as much as 50 gigatons, locked under the East Siberian Sea, according to a team of scientists from the Erasmus University in The Netherlands.

Gail Whiteman says they were stunned when they calculated the amount of weather damage this could cause over a 10 year period.

GAIL WHITEMAN, ERASMUS UNIVERSITY: It's a hugely large number, $60 trillion U.S. dollars is, you know, approaching the size of the world economy, which I think the 2012 IMF figures rank it as just over $70 trillion.

So we can see that, you know, the changing Arctic will have significant impact across the globe and over a significant period of time.

VASSILEVA: The scientists say that $60 trillion is the cost of all the damage from extreme weather and other effects of climate change affecting the whole world. While that alone may sound dire, she says that's just the impact coming from one small area of the Arctic.

WHITEMAN: Everybody should be trying to pay attention to the shifts that are happening in the Arctic, and not just lead that up to Arctic countries or some crazy researchers that are up in that beautiful white space. We all need to really pay attention to what is happening, because the Arctic is the canary in the coal mine.

VASSILEVA: Whiteman says Superstorm Sandy was a wakeup call, because she says it was connected to the melting of the Arctic ice. Also, last September, monsoon floods in Pakistan killed more than 420 people and affected more than 4.7 million. And in parts of Europe, Easter was colder than Christmas.

Whiteman says cutting carbon emissions is the best way to mitigate the Arctic melt, but more needs to be done soon, but she worries about the lack of urgency.

WHITEMAN: I've got two kids and what keeps me up at night is that I think that they deserve a future. And I think that, you know, there are technologies we can use now to make sure that that future is a beautiful one.

VASSILEVA: Professor Whiteman's team is working with the World Economic Forum to get the brightest minds focused on what can be done to reap the benefits of the Arctic while protecting our planet.

Ralitsa Vassileva, CNN, Atlanta.


LU STOUT: So the melting Arctic ice may have a huge global impact. Let's get another take on climate change with our Mari Ramos. She joins us from the World Weather Center - Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: Right, Kristie. Yeah, this is one of our continuing things that we talk about, living with climate change.

I want to start you off, first of all, and kind of show you some of the things that we do know when it comes to climate change, some of the evidence that's out there. There's limited evidence, actually, that tornadoes and hurricanes are caused by climate change or directly caused by climate change. There are some indications that those things could be happening. But there is stronger evidence that things like drought, for example, heavy rain, extreme rain events, or coastal flooding that sea level rise, for example. And of course heat waves and droughts. Those are things that there's more evidence that these things are becoming more common and more severe because of things like climate change.

And now we're adding another layer to this - another layer, so to speak, and we're talking, of course now, about the Arctic permafrost.

So we're going to look at the top of the world. And I want to kind of explain a little bit of what this study actually entailed. So here you see the areas of different types of permafrost. And we're going to get into this and dive in a little deeper.

This particular study was talking about the East Siberian Sea shelf. And this is something called sub-sea permafrost. And it looks at how this is thawing underneath the ocean and how it could release methane that is trapped below.

Why would this release any methane? What is permafrost anyway?

So what you have is a huge layer of frozen ground. This is - it contains carbon. It is packed tightly. And it stays frozen from year to year. So you have a layer on the top. And that's called the active layer. And that layer could be anywhere from a few centimeters to several meters thick. And there you can grow plants. And that's why you see in places along, you know, along southern - south of the Arctic Circle you'll still see plants growing, or when it warms up you'll see plants regenerate.

But then you have what's called - it's permanent frosted ground. There's not necessarily any ice in it or water in it, it's mostly decomposed plants and animals. And it's soil that is frozen permanently. And it's made up of organic material. So what happens is once that begins to melt, the organic material can be released into the atmosphere. It's called methane. And that is what this study is looking at. The amount of methane that is going up into the atmosphere.

Why do we care about methane? Well, this is important, because methane is up to 20 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide is. And all this time we've been talking about how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. But now with the Arctic melting and the permafrost melting, this becomes a bigger problem.

It could greatly accelerate how much or how soon the planet actually warms, because in most studies they haven't taken into account the methane. They've only taken into account the carbon dioxide that is being put into the atmosphere. And that could increase, of course, those global effects of climate change, like I was just talking about, those extreme temperatures, the droughts, the heat waves that we see could become more severe and more extensive. And then those events of heavy rainfall could become more severe as well, Kristie.

And those effects, unfortunately would be felt not so much, but those areas right up along the Arctic Circle, but those areas that are everywhere else. Right in between. And most of those are going to be the developing economies of Asia, Africa and even parts of South America. Those may be the ones that are footing the bill in the end.

Back to you.

LU STOUT: You know, it's extraordinary that example that you gave us, the warming leads to the thawing, leads to the release of the methane gas and it just accelerates this vicious cycle. Very worrying. And thank you for sharing your findings with us.

Mari Ramos there.

Now, let's talk over here. And I'll introduce you to an NBA superstar. Him. But basketball fans, they haven't seen Derrick Rose in action for over a year due to a serious injury. And Pedro Pinto, he sat down with Rose for a quick fire interview.




PINTO: Career lowlight.

ROSE: Tearing my ACL.

PINTO: Who is your basketball idol?

ROSE: Michael Jordan.

PINTO: How much did you watch him when you were growing up?

ROSE: A lot. For me, being in Chicago, Michael Jordan was everything.

PINTO: Who is your life idol?

ROSE: Malcolm X.

PINTO: Describe being a father in one sentence if you can or in a few words.

ROSE: The best feeling in the world.

PINTO: Did it change your life?

ROSE: For sure, slowed everything down. I mean we can relax now.

PINTO: Best player in the league right now?

ROSE: Derrick Rose.


PINTO: Yeah?

ROSE: Yeah.

PINTO: Toughest guy to defend?

ROSE: I'll have to say LeBron.

PINTO: Is it the physical strength, is it the skill, is it the combination of everything?

ROSE: A 6'8 guy that's 250, which...

PINTO: When I see him in press conferences with those arms sometimes, he looks like The Hulk. It's unbelievable.

ROSE: Yeah.

PINTO: So how do you stop him?

ROSE: Make him shoot -- I don't know.

PINTO: Funniest teammate you have.

ROSE: Joachim Noah.

PINTO: Greatest city in the world?

ROSE: Chicago.

PINTO: Why? What makes it so special?

ROSE: Chicago is I think one of the places where if you're not from there, but you visit. I think you always got to keep in touch with it. You can just feel like the energy, the love that the fans or the people have for each other in the city.

PINTO: When you retire - a long way off yet - but when you retire, how would you like to be remembered?

ROSE: As a winner.


LU STOUT: Pedro talking to Derrick Rose there.

Now you're watching News Stream. And up next, Anthony Weiner's latest sexting scandal, it's become fodder for some of America's top comedians. And we'll tell you what they had to say coming up.

And who is that guy peaking over the cubicle? We've got the answer to that as well.


LU STOUT: OK. Now, Jane Austen, she famously wrote about the role of men and women in society. So our next story would probably interest her, it's about the growing number of household employing male nannies, or mannies. Felicia Taylor has more.


FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Meet Lucas, an 8-month-old bundle of joy.

CHRIS LIENDO, MANNY: Do you like to read?

TAYLOR: With a brand new best friend, his manny Chris Liendo.

LIENDO: I actually feel pretty close to Lucas. And it's a bond that's one of a kind.

TAYLOR: They used to be the butt of jokes on comedies like Friends.

DAVID SCHWIMMER, ACTOR: Rachel and I hired a male nanny.

MATT LEBLANC, ACTOR: Really? Guys do that?


TAYLOR: But move over Mary Poppins, these days mannies are being taken much more seriously.

LYSS STERN, DIVALYSSCIOUS MOMS: Moms want to know where can they hire a manny? Where can they get a manny? These moms all want to find a manny.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you prefer to work with older kids?

TAYLOR: 27-year-old manny John Brandon wants to be the go-to guy for mannies in New York. Six months ago, he founded NYC Mannies with business partner Ishmael Marcado (ph). They already have 50 clients.

JOHN BRANDON, NYC MANNIES: Families were reluctant to do it because of the stereotype. Now, it's becoming cool to have a manny following around your family, playing in the park with your kids, doing sports.

TAYLOR: Many single parents, like Lucas's mother, also prefer mannies.

BELGICA COLLADO, MOTHER: I feel like he'll protect him, you know, and that's just safer.

TAYLOR: Safety is surely a reason why Madonna, Britney Spears and Gwenyth Paltrow have all snapped up big, burly mannies.

But face it, mannies can be polarizing.

(on camera): New York's Central Park is where so many kids come to play, so this is the perfect place to ask, nanny versus manny.

Manny, nanny?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess whoever is best qualified.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think a man brings a little bit of adventure to the kids.



UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, the mother, nurturing aspect?

TAYLOR: As for Will and Kate and their baby boy.

Do you think Kate should have a nanny or a manny?


TAYLOR: If the royals are interested, London has, you guessed it, Manny Poppins, its own manny agency.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just one second. You're fine.

TAYLOR: On both sides of the pond, mannies might just be the formula for modern families.

Felicia Taylor, CNN, New York.


LU STOUT: Nice pun there. And if you were expecting to see a piece poking fun at Anthony Weiner, I am sorry to say that a technical error means that we will not be able to show it to you right now. But you can watch that story on our website. Just go to
