-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com more blahs in tianjin. we have a live report from the scene as the death toll rises. also trouble in tianjin. the fire reignites. and crimes committed during world war ii. we'll take you to seoul for the latest. and the stars and stripes fly in havana as the u.s. embassy reopens, pushing aside more than 50 years of cold war tension. hello and a warm welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world.

i'm isa soares and this is "cnn newsroom." we want to begin this hour in tianjin in china, where a new fire has erupted near the site of wednesday's deadly chemical explosions. now, the blaze ignited a few hours ago, sending thick plumes, as you can see, of black smoke right into the sky. china state-run news is also reporting explosions were heard today in this area, and authorities have expanded their evacuation zone around the site of the disaster. for the very latest, let's bring in our correspondent, will ripley, live from tianjin in china. will, in looking at these images, the zone is clearly a very volatile area. we see you with your mask on. what are you hearing from experts on the ground and authorities there as to what led to these explosions? >> reporter: well, there's a lot of different chemicals that are being stored at that site, isa, and they're still adding to the list, and they're names that people might or might not

recognize -- sodium cyanide, calcium carbide, volatile, organic compounds, possibly compressed natural gas. all of these chemicals were brought into this area. they were stored there and then they were distributed throughout china to the mining industry, to the industrial industry, all of these different -- all of these different industries had some of their most dangerous chemicals sitting in one place within a very close proximity to people's homes. and now, the firefighters that are on the scene trying to deal with it, they can't use water because contact with water can create an explosive reaction, so they're dumping sand and foam. but there have been some explosions. there is talk in state media that some cars near the site may have exploded. there were several large smoke plumes that were seen rising. there was a report that this sodium cyanide, a cloud of it had been detected, and a wind shift was pushing a lot of this plume -- the plume had been pushed out over the sea for most of the past couple of days, but

the wind shift was bringing some of these chemicals back in closer to the city, closer to the people who live here. and so, we detected a bit of a wind shift here at this shelter, where we believe there are still families that haven't been evacuated yet. and everybody around here for the most part is wearing their masks, and so, we decided to do so as well, isa. >> and we've seen you and everyone behind you with a mask. but this is just so our viewers understand here, this is a port city, but it's also a heavily built living area, too. how concerned are people there about the air quality? because obviously, you said the warehouse had very toxic chemicals. i know they began evacuating part of the area, but how big is the evacuation? >> reporter: right now, the evacuation zone, we're told, has been expanded to three kilometers from around the blast zone. we believe that we are actually within that three-kilometer

area, and you can see there's still a lot of people and a lot of activity here. and there seems to be some confusion on the ground about who's evacuated and who isn't. a couple of things. people are very fearful here. a lot of residents are quite fearful about the air and about the water as well. families of the firefighters, the first responders are very angry as well. and i want to show you this video that was taken at a press conference this morning, because a number of families of these firefighters, who are not considered official firefighters -- they work as contractors, which basically means they don't enjoy benefits for military status, but they still go in and fight like every other firefighter. these were the ones in that first response, the first response where they may have been unaware of what chemicals were being housed at the plant and may have, according to some firefighter accounts, used water on this chemical fire, which could have caused the explosive reaction and the series of explosions that we saw. these family members say that the number of dead that's been officially released, up to 85

now, does not include those first wave of firefighters, their loved ones. they say that the number is likely much higher, the number of missing and the number of dead. the government denies that. they say that all of the numbers include all of the first responders, but it's been very, very tense. and there are signs that the government is really trying to control the message here. we were reporting live within the last hour from a different location where we saw, we were allowed to drive in. we saw what we believed to be other media organizations there, but when we were on the air, a group of men came up to us, some in uniform, and then another man who appeared to be possibly a plain-clothed official, but he wasn't wearing any sort of i.d. he physically held our -- pushed our camera, tried to take apart our live equipment. and after several minutes of confrontation, we were essentially shoved into our vehicle and forced out of that area. so, it just goes to show how sensitive this issue is. there are calls for an investigation not just of the owners of this facility who allowed these chemicals to be stored, but also the government

allowing this, the lack of regulatory oversight, the apparent lack of regulatory oversight that allowed this volatile and dangerous situation to occur within just a couple thousand meters of huge apartment communities with families and with children. isa. >> many, many questions, no doubt, are being asked. so, no surprise, really, will, why families there and so many people are so worried and so nervous about this situation. as soon as you have more, do let us know. i know it's been very tense in the last few hours with authorities there, but stellar job there. will ripley for us in tianjin in china. well, chinese officials still don't know all of the chemicals that may still be on the blast site, but some of them believed to be there could mix dangerously as well, as will said, with simple rainwater. derek van dam is joining us with the danger and the forecast for the disaster zone. explain to us, derek, what exactly we're looking at here. >> yeah, listening to will talk about the list of compounds that purportedly are still within

this blast site, he mentioned something called calcium carbide, and i went back to my chemistry days and looked, what does this actually do when it reacts with water? well, it's not great, and you can also find out from will ripley's live reports that the firefighters there are trying to douse the remaining spot fires around the blast sites with not water, but they're using sand and also a foam material to try and put out the flames. this is the chemical formula. it's used in the production of pvc plastics, so it's highly likely that it was within this port city at that time. it can be very dangerous, though, when mixed with h2o, or water. that reaction by-product being acetylene gas, which is an extremely highly flammable substance. so, the question begs to be answered, is there rain in this forecast? well, isa, not today. we will stay dry. but as we go forward over the next seven days, we do have rain, especially into tuesday and wednesday. you can see our forecast for tianjin calling for a significant amount of precipitation over this general

region, anywhere between 20 to 50 millimeters of rainfall. on top of that, we have a wind shift in directions that could also create a change in the mixture of this chemical compound sifting over the city. something we're going to monitor very quickly as time goes on. isa, back to you. >> and so, derek, just to clarify, when are we expecting the rain to arrive roughly in the week? >> tuesday morning and once again on wednesday, and the wind is shifting as we speak. >> right, okay. so, they need to get a handle on that before the situation deteriorates. derek van dam for us. thanks very much, derek. >> thanks. i want to switch gears now and take you to japan, because today they're commemorating the 70th anniversary of the world war ii's end with a variety of services. one event which happened early included a moment of silence in tokyo. japan paused to remember the more than 2 million japanese service members and 800,000 civilians killed during the war. and just in the last hour, japanese politicians delivered an offering at a tokyo shrine

honoring japan's dead. in the meantime, emperor akihito is expressing deep remorse over the conflict. prime minister shinzo abe offered profound grief for the millions killed and asked for his country's participation. but mr. abe said this generation shouldn't need to keep apologizing. earlier, cnn asked an economist in north asia to weigh in on mr. abe's comments. listen to what he had to say. >> looking forward is something that prime minister abe wanted to do with his speech, and i think he did that. he also spent quite a lot of time sort of explaining the historical context, the build-up to the second world war. but more importantly, i think after he'd mentioned all the words that everybody were looking out for, and therefore, reaffirmed the moriyama statement, he turned to the future and as part of that, this idea that at some point japan's children, and let's remember 80% of people in japan now were born

after the war, at some point, they're going to stop apologizing. but he also stressed -- and this is something a little bit ambiguous -- also stressed that japan needs to face up squarely, and i think there is a lot of concern and criticism, particularly around education in japan, that japan hasn't done this, that it hasn't squarely faced up to history. and actually, the understanding of events in the '30s and '40s is quite scant in many parts of the japanese psyche. now, south koreans were waiting, but many said they didn't get the sincere apology they were hoping for from mr. abe. many say it lacks sincerity and didn't go far enough. the japanese prime minister hinted that the plight of the so-called women, the sex slaves used by japan's military, but he stopped short of acknowledging them directly. south korean president park geun-hye slammed mr. abe for his statement, saying you have

"regrettable elements." kathy novak listened in and joins us now from seoul in south korea. and kathy, prime minister shinzo abe, saying that his country has profound grief but didn't offer any new apologies. how are mr. abe's words being received there? did it go far enough, do you think? >> for most south koreans, no, isa. the reason for that is that he did use the words apology. he said that japan had expressed deep remorse. he used words that have been used in the past, such as aggression and colonial rule. but when he did, he was making references to an apology that had already been made at the 1995 speech that was the landmark one that marked the 50th anniversary of the end of world war ii. and what people in south korea here are saying is that they wanted to hear a new apology, one that was genuinely from prime minister abe himself. here's a little bit of what president park geun-hye said about it here today.

>> translator: i am focused on him clearly saying to the international community that previous cabinets' recognition of history will remain unshakeable. i hope the japanese government resolves the comfort women's issues properly as soon as possible. >> the only thing that came close to a mention of those comfort women, isa, was japanese prime minister abe saying that there were women behind the battlefield, but not talking about comfort women specifically. that is something that is crucial for south koreans. they want an apology for those women who were used as sex slaves and reparations. isa. >> and kathy, what did north korea make of those comments? >> well, north korea issued a statement through its official news agency, kcna, not specifically referring to prime minister abe's speech but referring to japan and saying that japan has not made a proper apology for the crimes it committed, and it's also making

a statement today celebrating liberation from japanese colonial rule by setting its clocks back half an hour, because it says that the time that we use here in seoul was imposed by tokyo during that time of colonial rule. and pyongyang says it is reclaiming the original korean standard time. now, it's also lobbing barbs back across the border here in seoul on kctv. we saw news anchors threatening to blow up speakers that have been set up along the border at the dmz that are blasting anti-north korean propaganda into north korea, and tensions have been rising here all week. so, 70 years after the end of world war ii that marked the separation of the two koreas, they seem farther than ever from reunification, isa. >> kathy novak for us in seoul. the time is 30 minutes past 5:00 in the afternoon. thanks very much, kathy. still to come right here on cnn, after 54 years, old glory

is once again waving over the u.s. embassy in havana, symbolizing the restoration of diplomatic relations between the u.s. and cuba. we'll have more on that story. plus, presidential candidates rally voters in key states, and republican donald trump promises to deliver specifics, but so far, the campaign. we'll have those stories here on cnn.

welcome back to "cnn newsroom." now, it was an emotional and historic day in havana, cuba, as a cheering crowd witnesses the reopening of the u.s. embassy in the country. u.s. secretary of state john kerry was on hand as the american flag was raised for the first time in 54 years. at the ceremony, the marines who took the flag down in 1961. patrick has more on this historic day. >> reporter: the three u.s. marines who lowered the flag for the final time in 1961 hand over to a new generation. the stars and stripes once again flying over cuba. diplomatic relations and the old embassy building both now restored for a new era. people lined the streets to

welcome the u.s. secretary of state john kerry. the most senior u.s. official to set foot on the island in 70 years. >> the time is now to reach out to one another as two peoples who are no longer enemies or rivals, but neighbors to stop being the prisoners of history and to focus on the opportunities of today and tomorrow. this doesn't mean that we should or will forget the past. how could we? >> reporter: u.s./cuban relations have been chilly at best since fidel castro, the communist revolutionary, took control in 1959. >> castro and his troops were joyous in their acclaim following his incredible victory over bautista. >> reporter: u.s. placed a trade embargo on cuba, broke off diplomatic relations, and soon after launched the infamous failed invasion, the bay of pigs. the missile crisis marked the lowest point between the countries. the cia tried to kill castro

multiple times. then the soviet union placed missiles on cuban territory. although he said he would die in power, fidel castro stepped aside unexpectedly in 2006 due to illness. his brother, raul castro, took over as president. but fidel remains an active figure in cuban politics. he was pictured thursday celebrating his 89th birthday with the presidents of bolivia and venezuela. the same day, he wrote an article, telling america to repay the "millions of dollars" it owes as a result of its longstanding trade embargo. the u.s. is still not lifting its embargo, a next step in the diplomatic thaw that will need the backing of the republican party, a step that will have a much bigger impact on the lives of everyday cubans. patrick oppmann, cnn, havana. now, there is another horrifying indication of isis brutality against women hostages, and that abuse is taking place at the top of the terror group's organization. u.s. government organizations say al baghdadi sexually abused

american kayla mueller while held hostage. the aide worker was captured in syria back in 2013 and was killed in february. she would have turned 27 years of age this past friday. sexual abuse, kidnappings and killings, now isis apparently making use of another terror tactic, chemical weapons, that is. cnn's chief u.s. security correspondent jim sciutto is following this story for us. jim? >> reporter: when kurdish soldiers arrived at this northern iraqi hospital this week with blistered skin and difficulty breathing, kurdish commanders feared the worst -- isis had attacked them with chemical weapons, one of two attacks this week now under investigation. >> translator: these are traces of the weapons. almost 45 rounds in 40 minutes. >> reporter: the u.s. military will now test samples from the patients and weapons to determine if they included mustard gas, a horribly powerful chemical agent that the u.s. now believes isis has obtained.

multiple u.s. officials tell cnn the u.s. has already determined that isis fighters used a mustard agent during a separate attack weeks ago inside syria. >> this would be a new and worrying report, if it's accurate. i had no doubt that if isis could get their hands on this stuff, they would use it. no level of violence is too great for this group. they're glorifying the terror that it creates. >> reporter: u.s. officials say it is possible the more recent attacks used chlorine, a less serious but still horrible chemical agent that isis has used before in battle, or possibly precursor chemicals, the building blocks of mustard gas. some commanders downplay the battlefield effect of the limited use of chemical weapons, but such weapons can spark a new level of fear for kurdish forces already locked in a stalemate with isis. >> their m.o. is basically strike fear into the hearts of everybody, no matter what the tactic or technique is. >> reporter: the u.s. has not yet determined where or how isis obtained a mustard agent.

it is possible they overran stockpiles not destroyed under the 2014 agreement to rid syria of chemical weapons. it's also possible, u.s. officials say, that isis has developed a limited ability to manufacturer them crudely on its own. regardless, the introduction of chemical weapons into the war with isis presents the u.s. and its allies with a new and difficult challenge. >> i think it's very important for us to send a signal not only to the kurds but to isis as well that we are going to support the kurds in any way that we conceivably can. >> reporter: this presents a host of potential challenges for the u.s. do the kurds ask for additional help in fighting off chemical weapons attacks like this one, protecting themselves from it? the kurds have been dissatisfied with some of the weapons they've received in the u.s., the speed with which they've received those weapons. it also presents a challenge if the president were to decide to put u.s. soldiers closer to the front lines in the battle against isis. this, of course, would put them in greater danger as well.

jim sciutto, cnn, washington. now to the u.s. presidential election campaign, which is centered this week in iowa. candidates have been rallying supporters in the key state and every top democratic contender was there, including front-runner, you can see, hillary clinton. she spoke to a crowd of thousands on friday in a very fiery speech. she defended the iran nuclear deal. >> and when this debate is over, we need to come together to ensure that this president and the next president have the tools, resources and support to send a clear message to iran -- cheat and you will pay. and when you threaten the region and israel, you threaten america. we will keep confronting you on human rights and terrorism, and make no mistakes, we will never allow you to acquire a nuclear weapon, not just during the term of this agreement -- never.

>> clinton also took the opportunity to take aim at republican candidate donald trump, labelling his campaign "a circus." but trump is using another key battleground state to lay out his white house bid. >> reporter: donald trump is now making a big promise, promising that he will be releasing detailed policy proposals in the first week of september. now, this had been a major source of criticism for him and his campaign. more than he talks in broad strokes about ideas but doesn't offer specifics. trump now saying in a "washington post" interview that he will first release details on his immigration policy, then details on his tax policy in the early part of september. here's trump in new hampshire friday evening. >> very soon. yeah. i mean, i have some of the most brilliant people in the country working on tax, which i'm involved in very much because i understand the system very well, probably better than anybody that's ever run for office, if

you want to know the truth, because i am part of the system. but we have some amazing people working on immigration. so, i would say over the next two or three weeks, probably some time during september. >> reporter: and certainly, here in new hampshire we did hear from people coming out to see trump that they were interested in really wanting to know more about who he is and what he stands for as a candidate. so, really pushing him to give more policy proposals. we heard from one man who admitted that he just came out on friday night to hear more of the antics and be part of the experience of trump, so really speaking to the novelty that he is as a candidate. now, with this signaling that he is going get more policy specifics, this also comes as the campaign is making some major signals that they are trying to become a more serious campaign. we've seen them boost up some campaign staff in the early and important state of iowa, also really making more ground work to lay the ground for a longer campaign. now, trump hits iowa on

saturday. this, again, is a very important state. he will be in a setting that we normally don't see him in, a casual one-on-one setting, meeting with voters at the iowa state fair, this after he arrives in his $7 million helicopter that he has promised rides to supporters in. back to you. now, it was history in the making as the u.s. embassy officially opened in havana after 54 years. coming up, a conversation with u.s. secretary of state john kerry about what he'd like to see happen in cuba now. you don't want to miss that. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs.

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i'm isa soares. you are watching "cnn newsroom."

let me bring you up to date on the top stories this hour. in tianjin in china, new fire has erupted on the site of wednesday's deadly chemical warehouse blast. the fire ignited a few hours ago, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky. authorities have expanded the evacuation zone around the site of the disaster. in the last hour, a cnn crew was pushed around and forced to stop reporting from the area by someone, as you can see there, although it wasn't clear who that person really was. he claimed the air was unsafe to breathe, although the man, as you can see, wasn't wearing any protective gear himself, and other news crews had been reporting from the area. japan's emperor, prime minister and other dignitaries had a moment of silence for the 2 million japanese service members and 800,000 civilians that were killed during world war ii. japan surrendered unconditionally to end the conflict exactly 70 years ago today. u.s. presidential candidates flocked the key state of iowa on friday, rallying support for the 2016 campaigns.

hillary clinton and other democratic contenders spoke to a crowd of thousands at the party's wing ding dinner. clinton attacked republicans, labelling the entire field "just like trump without the pizzaz or the hair." the u.s. flag has been hoisted over the american embassy in cuba, symbolically ending a 54-year-long deep freeze between the nations. secretary of state john kerry traveled to cuba on friday to officially reopen the mission. and secretary john kerry says that normalizing diplomatic relations with cuba will take time to work, and in the meantime, the u.s. will continue to press havana on human rights issues. earlier, elise labott spoke with kerry about the historic day and the road ahead for america and its island neighbor. >> secretary kerry, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> clearly a historic day here in cuba, but the cubans have said numerous times that this relationship will not fully reach its potential until the embargo is lifted, and they've also said that there is more

they'd like to see the president do. i mean, i know you say this is river reversible, but they are concerned that there will be rollbacks. so, what specific steps is president obama willing to take in his time in office to reinforce this and make sure it's not reversible? because we know with a year and change left that that embargo's not going to be lifted. >> well, actually, we don't know what's going to happen totally. i mean, maybe it won't be immediately in that period of time, but a lot of good things can happen that move you in that direction. >> reporter: what specifically? >> remember that there was a lot of controversy and questioning about what we should do with respect to vietnam. president george herbert walker bush lifted that embargo. that was the first step, in fact, moving towards normalization. then came the normalization. here it's been different. it's a different approach. but i think if we cooperate effectively on the areas we laid

out today, in civil aviation, on communications, telecommunications and connectivity, on maritime and law enforcement issues, on various environment issues, on health. i mean, there are a number of sectors here where we can actually begin to build trust and build progress. and i don't know, i think that can change things. i think you're also going to see a growing business constituency that begins to believe that there are opportunities for a, you know, mutual benefit in helping entrepreneurs here, but in those entrepreneurs, engaging and creating jobs and bringing products back to america. so, i don't think anybody can make a judgment today, elise. i think this is all new to everybody. let's see how the working group, the steering committee that's

been put together works. let's see what specific steps can be taken. and that will be what really defines the future. >> reporter: you and the president argue that this increased engagement will help human rights, but eight months in, the tensions have actually increase increased, lack of freedoms still for cubans here on the island, and some dissidents are saying, look, it is business as usual. >> well, i don't think you can judge. i mean, we only just finished the negotiation on diplomatic relations a month and a half ago, two months ago. we are just literally months into this after 54 years. >> reporter: are they testing you? >> of not being engaged. no, i don't think so. i think what's happened is, you know, there is a certain amount of habit, and it's playing out, and that's what has to change. and we will confront those situations. for instance, when some people were detained for a brief period

of time last week, the spokesperson for the state department, admiral kirby, condemned it from the podium publicly the next day. we are very outspoken, and we will remain very clear and outspoken on these issues. now, we had a very direct conversation today about human rights. they're ready to engage on these issues. and let's see what progress can be made. >> reporter: okay, but eight months in, we haven't seen much change. and you know, but let me ask you, if eight months isn't long enough, how long is it until you will have a measurable amount of success and you can grade whether this policy is working? >> well, the announcement was made eight months ago that we were going to move towards this policy, but we had to negotiate for many of those months on the actual process itself. i don't think we're -- you know, we're not even yet -- today we raised flags and we've opened embassies. you've got to give this a moment for us to be able to have our steering committee sit down,

confront these issues, come up with a roadmap that makes sense, and we will confront -- if they challenge their own citizens on the issue of human rights, you will hear us loudly and clearly. >> very good discussion there with u.s. secretary of state john kerry on what next for cuban/u.s. relations. now, japan is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii with services around the country. earlier, emperor akihito expressed deep remorse over the conflict. prime minister shinzo abe offered profound grief for the millions killed and remorse for his country's participation, but mr. abe said future japanese generations shouldn't need to keep apologizing. of course, many young soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice during world war ii, but a bond has been formed between the family of an american airman shot down over tokyo and a japanese man. he has fulfilled his father's final wish, and as will ripley now reports, it is now a mission

of peace. >> reporter: 70 years ago, this would have been impossible. bill pitts, american, mitsumaki japanese, traveling together on the same streets where tens of thousands died. by the spring of 1945, relentless american bombings left much of tokyo in ruins. omato was 16 then. today the spry 85-year-old takes pitts to the exact spot, once a green tea field, now a parking lot where an american bomber was shot down near his family home. >> so, right here? right here? >> reporter: 11 airmen died, including a 21-year-old from illinois, sergeant wallace pitts, bill's uncle. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: as the b-29 burned, omata's father gathered the crews' remains, determined to give the americans a proper burial. >> why did he do that, even though these men were attacking your country?

"respect, respect for a fellow human, even the enemy," he says. his father's dying wish, for his son to find the airmen's families and give them closure. omata began a lifelong mission, visiting more than half a dozen u.s. states in 34 years, inviting each family to come to japan. "my mission is finally complete," he says. 70 years later, pitts and his wife, brenda, are the final american family to visit the crash site on the outskirts of tokyo. his uncle's name alongside the others on this memorial omata built in their honor. >> somebody came out with love to bury the remains of these men. it's amazing. >> it just surprises me that, you know, that i'm tearing up, and i didn't expect that. >> reporter: this visit marks the end of a 70-year journey. >> how many times can i say thank you? will it ever be enough? i don't know. but i'm trying. thank you. >> reporter: a simple act of

compassion during a time of war bringing these families peace. will ripley, cnn, tokyo. now, more troubles on the way for part of asia as new storms threaten areas recovering from last week's massive typhoon. derek van dam has all the latest for you on these twin storms. double trouble, it's being called, just ahead. [ female announcer ] when you're serious about fighting wrinkles, turn to roc® retinol correxion®. one week, fine lines appear to fade. one month, deep wrinkles look smoother. after one year, skin looks ageless. high performance skincare™ only from roc®.

welcome back to "cnn newsroom." a storm is brewing in parts of asia, double storm, in fact. derek van dam is standing by at international weather center with the details. derek, this is an area i believe still recovering from last week's very large typhoon. >> it was only a week ago that we were talking about typhoon soudelor that impacted taiwan in the fujian province over southeast china. now we have two tropical storms

in question, double trouble in the pacific, as you've termed this. tropical storm goni and atsani. what's significant about this is we continue to talk about el nino conditions, the warming of the pacific ocean waters, particularly over the eastern pacific. but it was back in '97 and '98 when we had a similar strong el nino event, when we had two super typhoons in simultaneous events occurring across the pacific, ivan and joan. and it looks as if we're going to mimic that weather pattern going forward over the next several days. let me explain. here's the latest on tropical storm goni. 65 kilometer per hour winds now impacting guam and the mariana islands. look at the projected path of this storm and how quickly it's set to intensify. over the next three days, winds could easily exceed 200 kilometers per hour. i've worked here for almost a year and i have not covered two simultaneous typhoons forming one right after another. here's a second one. you can see it here in the

bottom portion of your tv screen. that is going to cause double trouble, and that storm system is also suspected or expected to increase in intensity very quickly, rapidly deepening and strengthening, perhaps becoming a super typhoon by the end of the weekend, if not for sure the beginning of the workweek. isa, back to you. >> thanks very much, derek van dam then for us there in atlanta. now, a cruise ship carrying nearly 2,000 syrian refugees left for athens on friday night. the ship was docked for the day, stranding migrants with nowhere else to go. the ship was serving as a temporary home and processing center. greece, as you've seen all this week on cnn, sent the ship to help after a sudden spike in migra as migrants overwhelmed the small island. now, a rare look at teenagers living on the edge. as young as they are, they say they're ready to die at any moment. they work for mexican's feared drug cartels and they say they have no choice. now their stories in their own words. >> some days they make you kill

someone. sometimes they make you beat up someone, stab someone. >> i've moved, we have moved cocaine. i know i've directly, me myself, i've shot down like five people. >> you could get recruited at any time by anyone and at any age. >> i've moved weed, i've moved cocaine. i would teach illegals how to say u.s. citizen or hide them. you've got to be ready to die at any moment. it is a fear of mine, but i've accepted it as an inevitability.

>> i have to do it because i know they are bad people and they do bad things. ♪ >> i grew up in mexico and i went want the u.s. citizens to know that. >> march! >> here in the united states, the cartels and their drugs kill people and their drugs kill families.

>> the members from the drug cartels, they tell you you want to join, but sometimes they make you kill someone. sometimes they make you just beat up someone, stab someone. ♪ >> and i've been here, crossed drugs, smuggled drugs, cocaine, marijuana, heroin. >> well, right now, after everything i've done, you know, all of the problems i've caused, i just want out. i want out of all this, but if they ever need me, i know that i have to go back. >> report there from ivino contreras. still to come on cnn, a study says strains of the

bubonic plague and anthrax are lurking in new york city's subway system. that's certainly grabbing some headlines, but now the scientists behind it are backtracking a bit. we'll have the full story just ahead.

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a group of new york city scientists are backtracking on their claims that strains of the bubonic plague and anthrax exist in the city's subway system. that is after a letter from city and federal health officials called the group's study "deeply flawed." those experts say a naturally curring infection of the plague has never been observed "within 1,000 miles of new york city." the team of scientists that published the original study now say there is strong evidence to suggest the germs are, in fact, present. nasa says it's testing an engine that could one day launch astronauts to space destinations like mars. scientists used a hot fire test to figure out what temperatures and how much pressure the engine can handle. this particular engine is one of four that will power nasa's space launch system mega rocket. the final test would be at the end of this month. now, i think you'll like this story. one man in australia found out not to mess with a bird of

prey. i don't even know why you would in the first place. when an eagle picked a fight with his drone. and that eagle isn't alone, it seems. jeanne moos has cautionary tales of what happens when animals and drones collide. >> reporter: when we send in the drones, what must the animals think? it's enough to make a gator glare and a ram wonder. does that thing bite? the latest confrontation pitted an australian eagle against a drone. the eagle used its talons to knock the drone out of the sky. the video yog for wrote "this is the last thing a small bird sees when a wedge-tailed eagle decides that you are dinner." the eagle was said to be uninjured. the drone operator had some advice for his fellow pilots -- if you see a bird of prey while flying, land. the same could be said if you see a chimp waving a branch at a zoo in the netherlands.

tooshi demolished a drone and then had their mug shots taken as they examined the debris. who needs a stick when you've got horns? a new zealand ram named rambro headbutted a drone, then went after the guy who came to retrieve it. at a zoo in naples, florida, an agitated alligator could do nothing but lunge. while elsewhere in florida, a swarm of bees engaged in aerial combat. with a tv news drone. >> when you see the video, it looked like, you know, "star wars." >> reporter: even landing! >> he's sitting there trying to sting the lends. >> reporter: for a pair of leaping labs, a drone was nothing but an expensive dog toy, a frisbee with blades. perhaps the most futile effort to down a drone was made by a golfer who missed by a mile when he threw his club.

that doesn't count as a birdie! but this does. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> i think if i had a ram, i would also call it rambro. anyway, now, michael sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the national football league, says he's stepping away from the game. the 25-year-old tweeted he was concerned with his mental health. sam never made an nfl team and was playing this season for the montreal alouettes in canada. i hope i said that correctly. his performance was lackluster, playing just once in the team's first six games without a single tackle. that does it for us for this hour. thank you very much for joining us. we'll be back at the top of the hour, in just a few minutes. hour, in just a few minutes. don't go anywhere. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

explosions and fires sends smoke into the air again in tianjin, china, and worries of toxic chemicals spreading after the deadly blast. plus, moments of silence in tokyo to remember those who died during world war ii. why comments from the prime minister are drawing criticism. and it's a new day for the u.s. and cuba, as the u.s. embassy reopens on the island nation, but not everyone, it seems, is happy about the thaw in relations. hello, and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm eaisa soares and you are watching "cnn newsroom." i want to begin this hour in tianjin in china, where a new

fire has erupted near the site of wednesday's deadly chemical explosions, you'll remember. the blaze ignited a few hours ago, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky. just look at that footage there just to see how heavy that smoke really is. china's state-run news is also reporting explosions were heard today in this area, and authorities have expanded the evacuation zone around the site of the disaster. now, a short time ago, our correspondent, will ripley, was reporting for us live on air. you're seeing it there. when our cnn crew was pushed around and forced to stop reporting from the area by this gentleman here, someone, we don't know who it was, who the person was and why he wasn't wearing a mask. he said we had to put our masks on and move from the area, but he himself and everyone else wasn't wearing one. let's go back to will ripley, who joins us now in tianjin. and will, we're looking at the footage there from the previous two hours. i know you now have moved. we can see you wearing a mask. behind you people also wearing

masks. tell us what you're hearing from authorities there about the toxicity of the air and near the water. >> reporter: this is an emergency shelter that we've been reporting from since yesterday, but we saw the last busload, we believe, of families being taken out of here because officials have warned of a potentially dangerous cloud of sodium cyanide coming from the blast site itself. sodium cyanide used in the chinese mining industry, and it can be lethal if it's inhaled. and according to state media, it has been detected in the atmosphere, which is why the people who, the families who were staying in this evacuation center have been bussed out of here and they've been taken towards the downtown area, which is considered to be a safe distance away. the reason why these evacuations have happened, we're told, is because of a shift in the wind. and also, there were several explosions that were heard and smoke plumes that were seen rising from the blast site earlier today.

we're getting word that there has been a second rescue. a 40-year-old man, according to state media, has been rescued. this is in addition to a 19-year-old firefighter, a young man who was pulled out after surviving for 31 hours, which is really incredible when, you know, you've seen the video by now of the intensity of the explosions. this young man has very severe chest injuries, he has broken ribs, he has a bruised lung, he had air in his chest. but he is expected to be okay, even though he suffered a crack in his skull and leg injuries and burns as well. we don't have any details about the 40-year-old survivor, but we do know this, to the families of the missing firefighters are growing increasingly desperate, and we saw that today at a press conference. earlier this morning, we were there as government officials were trying to reassure the public here that the environment is safe. all of a sudden, there was screaming in the hallway and these family members, they were desperate to get in. and so, the press corps, we were actually locked inside the room, not allowed to leave until after

the press conference was over. these family members telling us that all they want is the truth, and their children are contractor firefighters, contractors. they fight fires just like the official firefighters, but they don't have benefits or military status. these parents say that their children may not even be in the official count of the missing, something that government officials deny. so, obviously, there's a lot of tension and a lot of suspicion here, and frankly, a lot of fear among the residents about what may be in the air here, isa. >> and that is completely understandable. let me ask you this, will. the evacuation has been expanded. tell our viewers just by how much it's been expanded by and what people in tianjin, the people behind you, what are they telling you? what are they most concerned about? >> reporter: the evacuation zone as far as we know has been expanded to three kilometers from the blast zone, but you can see by the number of people here -- and look, there's a number of young men here who don't -- i mean, they're not wearing shirts. a lot of people still don't have

adequate clothing. they don't have face masks on. and so, people are quite confused about what exactly is safe and where is safe and where isn't. and that's been a major problem throughout this, is that sometimes information that's communicated from one agency may not be relayed to the teams here on the ground. we were reporting, you mentioned, from that other location down the street here a while ago, and we had what appeared to be plain-clothed officer and some other men in uniform. we didn't know which agency they were from. they forced us out of the way. they actually shoved us into our car and made us leave that location. this is a very sensitive issue here in china because there's a lot of talk about how this kind of explosion happened. why were all of these chemicals allowed to be stored in this facility when they were just, you know, literally hundreds of meters away from homes with families and children. and that's a question that the government really has not been able to answer as of yet, even though they're promising

criminal charges for the owners of the factory, if it turns out that there was criminal negligence. but there is a heavy police presence here. and if you look inside this emergency shelter, which yesterday was full of thousands of people -- you can see now it has been evacuated. we believe those families are at a safer distance, farther away from this area. but still, look at all of these folks who are here kind of standing around, not really sure what they're supposed to do next. >> yeah, many questions remain for people there. this must be a very worrying time. will ripley for us in tianjin in china. do keep us posted on any developments out of there, will. thanks very much. now, chinese officials, as you heard from will, still don't know all of the chemicals that may still be in the blast site, but some believed to be there could mix dangerously with rain water. meteorologist derek van dam has been looking more at this and why it poses some danger, looking into specifically the forecast of the disaster zone. will, explain -- sorry, derek, explain to us, why is that? what was the mix you're talking about here?

>> well, it's important to just listen to what will actually just talked about, how sodium cyanide was detected within this blast site and further from the evacuation site as well. but that's just one of the many chemical compounds that are purportedly still remaining here at the tianjin blast site. and on top of that, we've been discussing this all night, basically, this calcium carbide. and if you do just a simple youtube search, you can see what calcium carbide does when mixed with water or simple rainwater, for instance. it's a substance that's used in pvc plastics. this is a port town and a port harbor where the blast site took place. so, it is highly likely that this substance is located within this area, but it's extremely dangerous. wi when mixed with water, a chemical reaction takes with a by-product known as acetylene gas, an extremely flammable substance. with all of the individual spot fires, and we saw some images of the black plume of smoke now

taking place at the blast site, that is going to be a concern going forward, because if we do have this chemical reaction, we get the acetylene gas being formed by this chemical reaction, then we have the potential for further explosions going forward. so, that begs to answer the question, is there rain in this forecast? not today. we will stay dry. however, in the seven-day forecast, as we head into tuesday and wednesday, if those spot fires are not completely extinguished, we do have an extensive amount of rain by the middle of the workweek. we could exceed 25 to perhaps 50 millimeters of rainfall as well. and will was talking about the change in wind directions. it originally was off of shore. remember, this is a port town or a port city now that is starting to make its way on shore. so, that potential chemical plume that's caused by this blast site of sodium cyanide could make its way further and further inland as we go on. isa, back to you. >> yeah, and that's really the concern. the rain, of course, later in the week, but that wind worrying many people. this is a port city, but it's

heavily populated as well. >> that's correct. >> derek van dam, thanks very much. >> thank you. let's turn to japan, because today the country's commemorating the 70th anniversary of world war ii's end with a variety of services. one event which happened early included a moment of silence in tokyo. japan forced to remember the more than 2 million japanese service members and 800,000 civilians killed during the war. shortly after that event, japanese politicians delivered an offering at a tokyo shrine honoring japan's war dead. in the meantime, prime minister shinzo abe offered profound grief for the millions killed and remorse for his country's participation. mr. abe says future japanese generations shouldn't need to keep apologizing. earlier, cnn asked andrew staples, director of corporate network to asia, for his analysis. >> after he'd mentioned all the words that everybody were looking out for, and therefore, reaffirmed the moriyama statement, the koizumi statement, he turned his

thoughts to the future, and as part of that, this idea that at some point, japan's children, and let's remember, 80% of people in japan now were born after the war, at some point, they're going to stop apologizing. but he also stressed, and this is something a little bit ambiguous, also stressed that japan needs to face up squarely to its history. and i think there's a lot of concern and criticism, particularly around education in japan, that japan hasn't done this, that it hasn't squarely faced up to history. and actually, the understanding of events in the '30s and '40s is quite scant in many parts of the japanese psyche. >> for more on this, kathy novak is joining me now from seoul, south korea. kathy, let me get your take from what you're hearing there in south korea about how the words of of mr. abe's words have been received, not just in south korea but also in north korea. i know there was no apology per

se, but did his words go far enough, do you think? >> reporter: well, isa, today is a very significant one here in south korea and, indeed, in north korea, because it marks not only the end of the world war ii but also liberation day or independence day here, the end of japanese colonization that went back 35 years. and there are still feelings of deep resentment for everything that happened, not only during the war but during those decades of colonization, and people here really do still believe that japan has a lot to apologize r for, and both north and south korea have said this apology has not gone far enough, japan has not done enough to apologize. and specifically, here in south korea, the feeling has been that because prime minister abe made a reference to an apology and deep remorse but said that japan had made those apologies in the past, rather than making his own new apology. that is what they are taking issue with. and this is what president park geun-hye had to say about it today.

>> let me ask you this -- i thought you were going to toss to a sound bite. you mentioned independence day as well, celebrations as well as celebrations for the end of world war ii. paint us a picture, if you can, kathy, of the celebrations taking place in south korea and north korea to commemorate both of these events. >> reporter: well, as i said, here in south korea, it is independence day. we are seeing celebrations in the streets. people had a public holiday yesterday because the day fell on saturday. and in north korea, indeed, there have been commemorations being played across state media, but it is also a day where both north and south korea mark not only liberation from japan but separation from each other. and as we know, there are still very tense relations between north and south korea, and they have actually been rising

throughout the week leading up to today. and we've seen that played out in the media with north and south korea making threats against each other. it all started on monday of this week just past when south korea and the defense ministry called a press conference, and it accused north korea of laying land mines on the south korean side of the border, which badly injured two south korean soldiers. in response, south korea started psychological warfare. that was something that it hadn't done in more than a decade. now, north korea denies laying those land mines and also has threatened to blow up the speakers that south korea is using to broadcast anti-north korean propaganda across the border. so, a hugely tense situation here. and the threats from north korea are also being extended to the united states. that is because on monday, annual exercises that are joint exercises between the united states and south korea are

kicking off. these are normal events, but they always create huge anger on the other side of the border. and on north korean state television, there have been threats that if the u.s. does not desist from these exercises, that its mainland could be under threat. isa. >> yeah, and i also believe to mark the anniversary of liberation, north korea is also changing its time zone. kathy novak, thank you very much. now, in cuba, it was an emotional and historic day as a cheering crowd witnesses the reopening of the u.s. embassy in hava havana. u.s. secretary of state john kerry was on hand. the stars and stripes were raised over the building for the first time in 54 years. kerry says the ceremony shows the u.s. and cuba are no longer enemies but neighbors. still, secretary kerry says that normalizing diplomatic relations with cuba will take time to work. and in the meantime, the u.s. will continue to press havana on human rights issues. our elise labott spoke about this with mr. kerry, indeed as well about the cooperation needed from both sides and the

thaw -- to whether -- let me get this right -- whether relations can be thawed further. >> but i think if we cooperate effectively on the areas we laid out in civil aviation, on communications, telecommunications and connectivity, on maritime and law enforcement issues, on various environment issues, on health and -- i mean, there are a number of sectors here where we can actually begin to build trust and build progress. and i don't know, i think that can change things. >> now, despite the progress seen so far, the decades-old u.s. trade embargo in cuba remains in place. cuba's demanding its removal, which would require the approval of the u.s. congress. meanwhile, tempers flared in miami's little havana. take a look.

[ shouting ] >> it's a small but rather loud and angry group of anti-castro protesters gathered really to express disapproval of the u.s.'s renewed relationship with their former home. the cuban exiles ripped apart a sign symbolizing the castro revolution. they say they feel betrayed by the u.s. government. our jake tapper has more on an outspoken group of dissidents, still living in cuba and continuing to campaign for freedom there. >> reporter: not everyone here is celebrating. antonio rodiras is part of the pro-democracy dissidents community, a rare and brave vocal critic on the island who dares to criticize the castro government. >> here we used to show the movies -- >> reporter: and he's not only spoken out himself, for years he's hosted the dissident community at his family home. what do people talk about here, human rights, democracy? >> human rights, democracy,

social situation. >> reporter: their campaign for greater freedom here has come at a significant cost. rodiras and other activists are routinely rounded up and arrested as they try to make their way to sunday mass at the local catholic church. women there dressed in white, called las dames do blanco bare silent witness to their husbands serving jail time as political prisoners. how do they treat you? does the government retaliate against you? >> yes. they have been repressing a lot. they used to organize like a gang of police operations around the house to arrest the people that were coming here. >> reporter: just for what, just for coming? >> yes, exactly, because they don't want that kind of activities. >> reporter: have they ever done anything to you? have they arrested you? >> yes. >> reporter: have they physically hurt you? >> yes, i have been arrested several times and also i have been beaten, i have been jailed for certain days. but in the last time, the

situation have been changing for worse. >> reporter: it's getting worse? >> yes. >> reporter: this is what happened in july when rodiles was arrested on his way to church, put in the back of a police car and beaten with handcuffs. president obama and secretary kerry, they argue, look, we've tried it with an embargo and a blockade for decades. nothing has changed. maybe by doing this, there will be more human rights and democracy in cuba. do you agree with that? >> well, i have no agree. we really are upset because the american government doesn't want to put any precondition for that political process, and the cuban government is taking a lot, and they are not giving anything. >> reporter: as the american flag rose over the u.s. embassy in havana today, there were no dissidents there, none on embassy grounds. instead, rodiles said he and others had been invited to a private ceremony with the

secretary of state at the ambassador's residence in the afternoon, but he declined their invitation. do you think that obama and kerry doing this actually hurts the cause of people like you, dissidents fighting for freedom? >> sometimes yes, because first, the government has more legitimacy in the international community. they feel more free to repress us. but at the same time, the signal for the people that are fighting the government is really making a huge confusion, because right now, people don't understand who are their friends that are supporting the changings for democracy and who are the people who are supporting the government. >> that was jake tapper reporting from cuba for cnn. now, u.s. presidential hopeful and son of cuban immigrants, marco rubio, slammed the obama administration over the decision to reopen the embassy. he says the u.s. government has rewarded the castro regime for its repressive tactics. he went on to say he would

welcome cuban dissidents and other freedom fighters around the world at his inauguration, should he win the 2016 battle for the white house. now, sticking to politics, republicans and democrats alike are flocking to the state of iowa to drum up support for the 2016 race for the white house. and later this hour, it is one of the most famous photographs from the end of world war ii. you've seen it, you recognize it. there you go. now, the man who says he's the sailor who grabbed a nurse and kissed her is talking. we have the story, just ahead. (dog) mmmm. we've been together since 2012. dinner is absolutely our favorite time together. i do notice that sometimes i eat better than her. i get my healthy bowl of beneful, and she eats a cheese stick and a cracker. that's what she ate last night. cheese stick and a cracker. can you believe what some people put in their bodies? (vo) beneful originals is a healthy blend... ...your dog will love. with whole grains, real beef and accents of vegetables. beneful. healthy with a side of happy.

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welcome back to "cnn newsroom." now, the 2016 race for the white house is picking up steam. presidential candidates rallied their supporters in the key state of iowa on friday. every top democratic contender was there, including, you can see, front-runner hillary clinton. she delivered a fiery speech, defending the iran nuclear deal. take a listen. >> hello! and when this debate is over, we need to come together to ensure that this president and the next president have the tools, resources and support to send a clear message to iran -- cheat and you will pay. and when you threaten the region and israel, you threaten america. we will keep confronting you on human rights and terrorism. and make no mistakes, we will never allow you to acquire a

nuclear weapon, not just during the term of this agreement -- never. >> now, meanwhile, republican candidate donald trump spoke in another key state on friday night, new hampshire. the billionaire singled out one of his top rivals with some strong language. >> one of the reasons i've done so well in the polls is because everyone knows, i'm not going to be controlled. i'm going to do what's right for the country. no lobbyists. i have all these lobbyists -- i know them all. i've hired many of them over the years. they're very good. but when they give $1 million or $5 million to jeb bush, they have total control over him. he will do, like a puppet, whatever they say. >> now, the republican front-runner's expected to make a grand entrance later today of the iowa state fair, while other candidates take a bus or walk into the big grassroots event, trump will use a far more luxurious vehicle. not unusual for a candidate who has been anything but conventional. suzanne malveaux has the story. >> reporter: it wouldn't be donald trump if he didn't show

up in some over-the-top fashion. ♪ >> here's the good news, i'm very rich. >> reporter: republican operatives in iowa say trump is expected to arrive at the iowa state fair saturday in this $7 million chopper, as well as offering kids and voters free rides. >> mr. trump, you're not a nice person! >> we don't need nice! >> that's true, but actually, i am. >> reporter: while the trump campaign hasn't officially confirmed this latest antic, the mere prospect bringing more agitation to his rivals. >> is the helicopter the right way to show up at the state fair? >> i kind of like the way we did. we went from the hampton inn right across the street. >> reporter: it's just one in a long line of pr stunts that has separated trump from the pack. >> it's great to be at trump tower. it's great to be in a wonderful city, new york. >> reporter: trump, seen here at his announcement, gliding down the escalator with his wife. >> i'm not doing that -- i'm not doing that to brag, because you

know what, i don't have to brag. i don't have to, believe it or not. >> reporter: compare this with governor rick perry's big moment. >> as president will be to rescind -- >> reporter: dripping with sweat as he ticked off a list of tough times in the united states history. >> and i can tell you, some of the candidates, they went in, they didn't know the air conditioner didn't work. they sweated like dogs. >> reporter: while typically, candidates are seen arriving at campaign stops on buses, trump prefers his private jet. the dino meet-and-greet has been a longstanding strategy for most presidential candidates. when rick santorum stopped by sam's soda and sandwiches in carroll, iowa, he was met with this -- [ inaudible ] the donald, long lines and big crowds. his fans are loving it, keeping him atop the polls and forcing all of his rivals to respond. >> it's entertainment! i mean, look, it's all entertainment! he's -- you know, i think he's having the time of his life.

>> that was suzanne malveaux reporting there. now, still ahead on the show, a u.s. cop says he chose not to use force against a man attacking him because he didn't want to be another news headline. and dual attacks into kurdish fighters in iraq and syria. is isis using chemical weapons against them? we have the details on both stories just ahead.

i want to welcome back our viewers in the united states and right around the world. this is "cnn newsroom" and i'm isa soares. protesters in south korea have burned pictures of japan's prime minister.

they accuse him of not giving the sincere apology they wanted over japan's actions during world war ii. on friday, shinzo abe offered remorse for his country's participation in the war, which ended 70 years ago today. but he said japan shouldn't need to keep apologizing for its wartime conduct. the u.s. flag has been raised over the american embassy in cuba, symbolically ending a 54-year-long diplomatic deep freeze between the two nations. secretary of state john kerry traveled to cuba on friday to officially reopen the embassy. eurozone finance ministers have voted to approve greece's bailout package, adding up to nearly $96 billion to be made available over the next three years. greece has agreed to extensive economic reforms in exchange for the bailout. in tianjin in china, new fire has erupted near the site of wednesday's deadly chemical warehouse blast. the fire ignited a few hours ago, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky. authorities have expanded the

evacuation zone around the site of the disaster. a few hours ago, during a live report right here on cnn, our crew was pushed around by someone trying to stop us from reporting. although it wasn't clear who that person was. >> reporter: the area that you're seeing here, these are some of the apartment complexes that are completely unlivable at the moment. please, sir, take your hand off our camera. please take your hand off our camera. please take your hand off our camera. [ speaking foreign language ] he's telling us that the air is poisonous and that's why we need to get away. and yet, you notice that the man himself is not wearing any protective gear, nor are any of the firefighters. so, they're trying to get us to leave and they're getting increasingly agitated because they don't want us pointing our camera towards the blast zone. they're saying that it's for our own safety. yet, none of the firefighters around us are wearing protective gear at the moment. >> meantime, anger over missing firefighters is boiling over in tianjin. family members stormed into a government briefing on saturday, demanding information about their loved ones.

a number of firefighters are still unaccounted for, but amid the frustration and the grief, there is a glimmer of hope. on friday, rescuers pulled an injured firefighter from the charred debris. he somehow survived 31 hours after the deadly explosions. he's now recovering in the hospital in stable condition. >> translator: i only remember the first blast was very loud. i was on the ground, hands covering my head. i don't remember what happened after that. >> 85 people died in wednesday's explosions. 21 of them were firefighters, the initial explosions there on that day. now, the turkish military has begun building a concrete wall along parts of the southeastern border with syria. you can see it here. turkish state media says it follows a string of attacks, including a deadly bombing just across the border in southern turkey. fighting from syria's civil war has also spilled right across the border. the wall will be about three meters high and about eight kilometers long. that is just a fraction of the entire border, which is some 900

kilometers. the military is also digging ditches behind the wall. now, u.s. officials have confirmed isis used a mustard agent during an attack in syria two weeks ago, and now they're investigating what they call credible reports the terror goup used a similar chemical agent against kurdish peshmerga fighters. that is said to have happened this week in northern iraq near erbil. a former intelligence official tells cnn this could be a huge issue for everyone in the battle zone if it is, indeed, confirmed. >> it's a game-changer, because what it means is the introduction of chemical weapons. when you do that, you have a real issue with protecting troops, you have a real issue with ensuring the safety of civilians that might be in the battle zone. they are much more exposed, much more at risk. so, this is for them very dangerous and could really hurt their ability to fight. >> now, some kurdish fighters reported symptoms consistent with mustard agent exposure.

a doctor at a hospital near erbil says 15 fighters were injured but none fatally. u.s. government officials tell cnn that kayla mueller, an american hostage killed in february was sexually abused at the hands of the isis leader al baghdadi. the 26-year-old was an aide worker captured in northern syria in 2013 and held for ransom. the u.s. government says it obtained the information with two yazidi girls also held in the same compound. pamela brown spoke with chief u.s. security correspondent jim sciutto about mueller a short time ago. >> right now we're learning this from these two yazidi girls, also the interrogations of the wife of abu sayyaf, killed in the strike just weeks ago, significant of course mostly for her family, just horrible news to come out, be confirmed on what would have been kayla's 27th birthday. significant as well because it shows the length to which the leader of isis will go to strike fear and just carry out

atrocities like this. but i think it's also significant, pamela, about the movements of the leader of isis, that he felt he had the freedom to move from what is perceived to be isis's safe zone in raqqah to this place in eastern syria, where we knew the compound was where kayla was held. the fact that he felt he had the freedom to make that movement is significant, because of course, the story line had been because of pressure from the u.s.-led air campaign, that that kind of movement, that greatly restricted that kind of movement by not only isis leaders, but fighters. >> and on that note, how much traveling do we think he was doing, going to abu sayyaf's home? is he more exposed than perhaps thought? >> well, if he was able to go there repeatedly, then he was able to do more traveling, certainly more traveling than we thought possible and than we have heard would have been possible, particularly for senior leadership, because we know that baghdadi has been the number one target of the u.s.-led air campaign. they're working every day, as

they were working every day to track the movements of abu sayyaf before they killed him in an air strike. they are certainly working to track the movements of al baghdadi. so, if he was able to do this -- and grant, this was a different time. u.s. assets have gotten better on the ground, more presence in the air, seemingly better intelligence on the ground, based on the strikes we've seen since then. regardless, he's been a target since the start of this campaign. the fact that he was able to do those movements, if they turn out to be true, this, of course, based on that testimony of those yazidi prisoners also held hostage there, held as sex slaves, and the wife of abu sayyaf. but still, significant that it looks like he was able to make these movements. >> that was cnn chief u.s. security correspondent jim sciutto there talking to our pamela brown earlier. "the new york times" reports that isis operating internal sex trafficking network involving thousands of captured yazidi girls. the "times" reports perpetrators are taught that rape is not a sin. it is condoned and encouraged as long as the victim is not muslim. there is an enormous established

infrastructure to support the movement of thousands of sex slaves, which in turn is used as a tool to recruit fighters from deeply conservative muslim communities. an alabama police detective was the victim of an attack where his own firearm is used against him. as cnn's nick valencia explains, recent news coverage of deadly police shootings across the u.s. is partly to blame. >> reporter: sucker punched and pistol-whipped with his own service weapon. a birmingham, alabama, police detective says he chose not to use force against a man attacking him because he didn't want to be another headline. the brutal beating occurred during a routine traffic stop. the detective, a six-year veteran, noticed a man driving on the interstate erratically, so he pulls the car over. the two end up here at this shopping center, where the detective calls for backup. it's during this time, according to police, that the suspect gets out of his car and gets aggressive with the officer. instead of following policy to try to get the man back into his vehicle, the detective says he

hesitates. it's just enough time, police say, for 34-year-old gernard cunningham to sucker punch the officer, knocking him unconscious. he then allegedly grabs the police officer's gun and uses it to pistol-whip him. adding insult to injury, witnesses do nothing to help. instead, some post images of the attack on social media, bragging about it. "pistol-whipped his ass to sleep," one user wrote, employing #fthepolice. another mockingly offered the officer milk and cookies for his nap time. >> i believe in god, and i think that that is the reason why the detective is with us today. >> reporter: heath boackle, head of the birmingham police union, says fearing media scrutiny, more local police officers are second guessing their actions. >> we're walking on eggshells to make sure that we do everything the way that it should be, not that it should ever be in question, but we want to be

treated with respect or kindness just as if anyone else would be. >> reporter: it's a sentiment the injured detective knows all too well. he was unwilling to go on camera with cnn or be named for safety reasons. but in an interview with us, he said, "a lot of officers are being too cautious because of what's going on in the media. i hesitated because i didn't want to be in the media like i am right now. it's hard times right now for us." according to the head of the police union here in birmingham, the suspect in the attack, 34-year-old gernard cunningham, spontaneously told police that the reason he attacked the officer is because of all the negative coverage of police across the country. he was arrested shortly after the incident and has been charged with attempted murder. we've attempted to reach out to cunningham and his family. they've declined comment. nick valencia, cnn, birmingham, alabama. we showed you the chemical explosion, the plumes of smoke in tianjin, china, but there's another one. this time, this one in the u.s. state of texas. a series of blasts rocked this oil field chemical supply

company on friday. the ceo says that no one was inside of the plant at the time of the explosions and there's no word yet on what exactly caused the blast. fire officials said they're checking the area nearby for any toxic pollutants. after he was paralyzed from the shoulders down, one man learned to paint using only his mouth, and now his works of art admired worldwide. more of his incredible story, just ahead.

eurozone finance ministers have voted to approve greece's third international bailout package. the new loan adds up to some $96 billion and will help cover

greek debt payment to the european central bank that is due next week. it's actually due the 20th. greece has agreed to new reforms in exchange for the loan. >> of course, agreement is not only about financing, it's also about important structural reforms which are necessary to secure economic recovery, financial stability and to return to the job creation and investment. we believe it's also fair and balanced deal, and as a commission has been advocating the threat of the problem is one of the firmest, addressing the major social challenges in greece and safeguarding the most vulnerable in this society. >> cnn has also just received a press release from the international monetary fund, the imf, on the deal. i'm just going to read out what the khalchief of the imf says, remain firmly the view that

greece's debt is unsustainable and they cannot sustain solely through actions of "its own," asking other eurozone countries to offer debt relief for greece. that's the only way the economy can grow. lawmakers say alexei tsipras agreed to creditors' demands too easily. staying in greece, a cruise ship carrying nearly 2,000 syrian refugees left for athens on friday night. the ship was docked in kos, a greek island. it was serving as a processing center. greece sent the ship to help after a sudden spike in migrant arrivals overwhelmed the small island. it is a short crossing from turkey to kos. now, henry fraser has gained a measure of fame around the world painting portraits of famous sports stars like david beckham, but because of his paralysis, he uses a unique method that sets him apart from all of the other artists.

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i want to show you what was a pretty memorable way to celebrate the annivesary of the end of world war ii. hundreds of couples gathered in times square in the heart of new york city. they re-enacted the iconic vj day photograph of the sailor kissing a nurse right next to a giant statue of the original embracing couple. among the lovebirds, ray and ellie williams from the u.s. state of georgia. they are both world war ii veterans who just happened to meet in may of 1945 and married three months later. now, the man who says he's the person who is the kissing sailor from that famous photo then is telling his side of the story. take a listen. >> it's probably the most famous

photograph that "life" ever published. it captured a moment on vj day of excitement and jubilantjubil. so many people have come forward and said that's me, so we really don't know. >> when i saw that magazine, i looked at it and i said [ bleep ], that's me. if you go back say five months from that date, two japanese suicide planes crashed into the deck of the bunker hill. from the flight deck down to the water was nothing but a curtain of flames, and we was the only ship close to the bunker hill. the guys that jumped off the bunker hill we picked up, and some of these guys were hurting bad, and i mean real bad. and we went alongside the hospital ship and was transferring the wounded over, and those nurses are going right to work on these guys. well, that stuck in the back of

my head i think the rest of my life. so, we get into times square now, and the war ends, and i see the nurse. and it was just plain instinct, i guess. i went and i grabbed her. >> from the offices at the "time and life" building, they sent tom and william shroud, and they walked down to times square just a few blocks from their office and started shooting. it's clear from the interviews that when he shot the one photo that ran in the magazine, he knew that was his shot. he had followed that sailor down the street for blocks and he was kissing everyone. he saw a flash of light and he turned around and got the picture and he shot four frames. >> i haven't found a person yet that i haven't convinced. and first thing that caught me when i looked at the picture was the hands, the size of the hands. i says, god, that's my hands! and there's the lump inside the

left arm. there's a scar here. that was from a barroom fight. my wife, she could be identified in that photo. that's the famous picture in times square, and there she is. you know, she gets annoyed when people kind of try to knock her down by saying he did that and you're with him? and i says, i remember what those nurses did out there. there's a reason i grabbed that nurse. >> pretty good justification for that kiss. there's another little tidbit for you. while george mendonsa says he's the kissing sailor, at least two women have claled to be the woman he grabbed and smooched. incredible photos there. nasa says it's testing send a hot fire test to figure out

what temperatures and how much pressure the engine can handle to send people to mars. this is one of four engines that will power nasa's space launching system omega rocket, more powerful than anything built before the final test will be at the end of this month. and that does it for us. thank you very much for joining us. i'm isa soares. for viewers in the u.s., "new day" is just ahead. for everyone else, "amanpour" starts in just a moment. i'll be back with your headlines. headlines. don't go anywhere. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

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♪ ♪ breaking overnight. new explosions in china. reigniting fires and sending black smoke, again, billowing into the air. honestly? i think we are led by stupid people. >> how do you really feel? donald trump blasting members of his own party and hillary clinton in his latest campaign stop, but with all eyes on iowa this morning, which candidate is coming out fighting? plus, seemingly a first for isis. the terror group using