♪ the u.s. president chief of staff got his facts wrong. but the white house is standing behind john kelly. criticism over a democratic congresswoman. also -- is madrid about to strip catalonia's separatist movement of its powers? a cabinet meeting is under way right now in the spanish capital. and a new clash between kurdish forces and iraqi troops but there's also a hint at macy talks. live in cnn world headquarters in atlanta, we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now.

5:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. it's an a week of deflections, distractions ant outright fights in washington, d.c. it all began with questions about a deadly ambush in niger, an attack that killed four u.s. soldiers and there are many serious questions sur rounding what happened there. it ended in a dizzying circus of political he said/she said and several false statements by the white house chief 6 staff. our jessica schneider has this report for us today. >> reporter: the white house today standing by erroneous claims made by chief of staff general john kelly during a rare press conference thursday. >> the congresswoman stood up in a wrong tradition of empty barrels of making the most noise, stood up there in all of that, and talked about you should she was instrumental in getting the finding for that

building. >> reporter: kelly criticize be congresswoman fredricka wilson for this speech in 2015, for the dedication of a brand-new field office in miami. he said she was grand standing at a solemn event for naming a building for two bank robber. >> she got the money and just called up president obama and on that phone call, he gave the money, $20 million to build a building. we were stunned. stunned, stunned that she'd done it. even for someone that is that empty a barrel. >> reporter: but kelly got crucial facts wrong in his very public biting credit seek. congresswoman wilson never talked about funding, instead she touted her role in making sure that the building was named for the fbi agents. and pushing it further. >> the fbi wants to name this gorgeous edifice at the same time in four weeks. edge said, that's impossible.

and i said, excuse my french, oh, hell, no. [ laughter ] we're going to get this done. [ applause ] >> reporter: wilson in nearly ten minutes of remarks didn't focus only on our achievements as kelly implied but also honored the fallen agents. >> it speak to the respect that our congress has for the federal bureau of investigation. the men and women who put their lives on the line. every single day. >> reporter: and made sure they were acknowledged and applauded. >> so that we can applaud you. [ applause ] we're proud of you, we're proud of your coveragurage. thank you. >> reporter: despite the video of the speech, the white house is digging in defending kelly's comments. >> general kelly said he was stunned that representative wilson made comments at a building dedication honoring slain fbi agents about her own actions in congress, klein

concluding lobbying former president obama on legislation. as kelly pointed out if you're able to make a sacred act about honoring hero you're an effort barrel. i'll put it simply as we say in the south, all hat, no cattle. >> reporter: general kelly also got two other facts wrong saying the fbi agents were killed boy drug traffickers when they were actually bank robbers. regardless, sarah sanders said getting in a debate was highly inappropriate because he's a retired four-star general. >> as to the exchange that jessica was jut referring to here's what was said between sarah sanders and cbs correspondent chip reid. >> could we talk about this -- >> i think he addressed that pretty thoroughly yesterday.

if you want to go after general kelly, that's up to you. if you want to get into a debate with a four star marine general that is something highly appropriate. >> sarah sanders has written as follows, of course everyone can be questioned but after witnessing general kelly's heartfelt and somber account we should agree on impugning his credibility is not appropriate. mr. trump also saying this in an interview on fox business. listen. >> he was so offended because he was in the room when i made the call. so were other people. and the call was a very nice call. he was so offended that a woman would be -- that somebody would be listening to that call. he was -- he actually couldn't believe it. actually, he said to me, sir, this is not acceptable. this is really not. he was so nice -- look, i've

called many people and i would think that every one of them appreciated. i was very surprised to see, to be honest with you. >> to talk about it this hour of course let's bring in a friend of the show, professor of international politics at city university live for us in our london bureau at this hour. it's good to have you with us. >> thank you in that. >> in defense of general kelly, the white house president secretary suggested to a reporter that it is simply inappropriate to question a four star general. in a statement, though, she did seem to walk back that comment but let's not lose focus here. the question was raised by general kelly's facts, those facts were wrong. still, the white house take nothing responsibility on what was said. >> yes, well, i think to some extent, general john kelly was appointed to try to change the tone of the communications between president trump and the white house generally towards the media and the public. and what it seems to be, that rather than restoring some kind

of order, he seems to have become in fact tainted by that very sort of a thing that was a problem in the first place. but i think it speaks to a broader question as well. and a broader development, which i think has been in american politics for some time. that is, that the so-called realities as spoken from the white house, and other sort of -- other politics in washington, appear to have lost any grip on reality. we're living in a post-truth politics. you can pretty much say whatever you like, and then you can deny it or whack on some of it or even don't try to correct the mistakes you've made. i think that's the problems that electorate, the people generally have with politics. and president trump was elected to try to change that but it seems he's made that much, much worse. >> inderjeet, that's why we're here. the facts do matter. we keep up with the pesky facts.

they don't just go away. how does this seen on general kelly's credibility, as you point out, as a sense of order to the white house, is that credibility now tainted by politics? >> i think there's two things, one is, of course, the fact that he's a retired four star marine general and so on. and was brought into the white house to try to curb the kind of levels of communication with all kinds. unorthodox individuals with president trump. you know, he sacked a number of people, gorka, bannon is gone, scaramucchi is gone and so on. he has done that to some extent but on the other hand he was secretary of homeland security. he worked very closely with steve bannon, increasing the powers of customs and agents. making it much more difficult for people to illegal migrate into the united states. that is to say, he shared the

agenda about so-called illegal immigrants and the whole rhetoric around it with president trump. seems to be in the speech he made, with regard to the fallen soldier and the discussion on the phone and the congresswoman's speech with the fbi, it seems to be he's now adopted a very similar style with that of president trump himself. he's become a part of the disorder. >> let's talk about the former chief strategist, steve bannon. shifting now, mr. bannon on the road promising a war against established republicans. and he was on stage in california at a gop convention. we saw him sharpen his focus. let's listen. >> there's not been a more destructive presidency than george bush's. the rise of china started with the clintons and bush. when they had this great theory you that let them into the world

trade organization and give them the most favored nations that they're going to become a liberal democracy as they get bigger, okay? and become more free market capitalists. >> important context to point out that former president george w. bush was 92 it's news recently making statements as many perceive as veiled swipes against the trump administration. will be attracting people lick president brush be on the stage or is this a losing strategy, inderjeet. >> i think right now today, where we are with the president trump in the white house and the whole alien nation of the gop electorate with the leadership of the republican party, i think this is probably the best thing that bannon, from their perspective, could do. they're looking forward to the midterm elections in one year's

time. and i think what they want to do, they want to strengthen the trump wing of the party. or build a massive new wing of the party with the threat, possibly, in the air of a split in the party. so, attacking george w. bush is really a swipe at many of the things that he did which is decrease the legitimacy of the iraq war. when you look at the electorate as it stands i think bannon is basically saying the establishment of the republicans have such low credibility, nobody believes them, paul ryan, mitch mcconnell and others, president trump has a much lower approval rating. among the republican voters anywhere between 80% to 90% still approve of him. i think they're probably on the best political train that could possibly be. i think attacking that establishment is probably the best strategy for them at the moment. i think a lot can happen in 12

months. but at the moment, i think they feel they're on the offensive. they believe they're going to win it. i think in 2018, in november, we will see the results of that that strategy. at the moment it looks like a positive strategy for them. but a lot can happen in 12 months. >> we'll soon see the results of steve bannon on the road again attacking republicans. inner jeet, thank you for stage with us. moving to spain, that government is now moving to end the catalonia succession crisis. the prime minister is holding an emergency cabinet meeting. madrid is expected to establish central rule and to force new regional elections. cnn correspondent erin mclaughlin following the story live in barcelona this morning. erin, what can we expect to hear from the prime minister today. >> reporter: all right, george, well, we are expecting a

response to the kacatalan's government's referendum deemed illegal. the president carles puidgemont still with the possibility that they could make a formal declaration of independence. so, in order to restore legality as madrid puts it, they're having an emergency cabinet meeting under way now to go over a range of measures to invoke article 155 of the spanish constitution which would allow them to exert emergency powers over the region. measures could include everything from snap elections to taking control of government buildings. we're going to have to see what comes out of this candidate meeting. we're expecting prime minister mariano rajoy to have a preference conference out of it. this is extremely sensitive, the situation is people here in barcelona are extremely apprehensive. whatever he decides. he does run the risk of public

backlash out of all of this. i was talking to people earlier on the streets of barcelona tell me they're blaming both sides for mishandling the situation. take a listen. >> translator: this is not a good situation. first, they need to talk and understand what is really happening here. applying article 155 without asking us, without knowing what is really happening on here, they have to sit down with puidgemont and know what is really happening to listen to us. >> for me, the 155 is like let me say what i want. let me do what i want. so, 155 is like i don't return to the front story. >> translator: i don't think it's right to apply 155. but i don't think there's any interruption either. i think this is ablow to democracy. they should have done this with

a legal option. they have changed things in parliament in order to declaration independence. they have changed catalan law in order to do this. this is not legal. they haven't done it the right way, but the government hasn't done it right either. >> reporter: now, whatever is decided, out of this cabinet meeting will have to go to the senate for approval. worth noting, though, that rajoy's party does have a majority within the senate. so whatever is decided today is expected to pass, george. >> erin, is there a concern that this could back fire, if the prime minister does indeed take this action? >> reporter: well, i think that is a concern, george. this is extremely sensitive topics here in catalonia. whatever is decided, he does risk a public backlash in the form of hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets in protest. the potential is there.

so, he's going to have to be very careful with what he chooses to do. what measures he chooses to implement. worth noting that earlier today, we are expecting a protest here in barcelona. protesting the jailing of two catalan leaders for extradition, another highly controversial topics here. >> erin, thank you for reporting. still ahead on "newsroom," they fought for years to rid their country of isis. why the kurds are now under attack in northern iraq. stay with us. garnier micelles act like a magnet. to gently remove stubborn makeup. with no harsh rubbing. in just one step. perfect for sensitive skin. micellar cleansing water from garnier.

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talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know. welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell. u.s.-backed fighters in syria are celebrating a major victory over isis. ♪ that's the scene there in raqqah syria, on friday, as the city was declared totally liberated. syrian democratic forces danced at the stadium where isis fighters made their last stand just a few days ago. raqqah was the de facto isis capital for more than three years. the terror group isn't finished in iraq and syria, but its grip is crumbling. take a look at the map. it shows the territory held back in 2014 compared to what it now holds. >> the battle for raqqah was raged for many months.

we now have extraordinary footage, a look at some of that fighting. cnn has exclusive helmet cam footage from a filmmaker who was embedded with anti-isis troops our phil black has this report. >> reporter: this is one man's immitt revealing view of the battle for raqqah. brazilian flim make gabriel shy followed them for almost two months as they went on to take an apartment complex in the city's southwest. he shared the same risks. the fighter's company and friendship. and their quiet reflective moments. scheid left his helmet cam rolling through it all. as these fighters out of u.s.-backed syrian forces talked to isis from its self-declared

capital. chaima spent months with them. speaking from syria, he explained why the battle for raqqah was different. >> mostly there was like really heavy clashes going on, like street by street, corner by corner. but here, no. >> reporter: he said the biggest challenge was the extraordinary number of improvised explosive devices left behind by isis before they retreated. the traps were usually set on lower floors. so the fighters learned to enter buildings higher up by blasting holes in external walls. and crawling perilously across narrow makeshift bridges. the other challenges he said, was snipers firing from tall buildings. >> those guys they know how to fight very well. they know how to shoot very well. >> reporter: chaim said the best answer to sniper fire was air

power. he also used drones to capture the battle from above. those images show a largely empty city. the people gone, their homed flattened or ripped open by war. isis no longer rules here but once again, they've left behind a city scarred by their option and by a campaign to remove them. phil black, cnn. >> phil, thank you for the report. the kurdish regal government says it is welcoming a u.s. call for tox sand a cease-fire with baghdad until disputed areas. the early friday, iraqi government forces clashed with kurdish fighters in a small town just north of kirkuk. that seals their command of what had been kurdish territory for the past three years. there's been deep tension between the central government in baghdad and the semi-automatic top muss region in northern iraq. the kurds voted in september for an independent state.

our senior international correspondent ben wedeman was there during the fighting friday. he's live for us in erbil iraq, and, ben, if you could explain to our viewers what you saw and what you witness. >> reporter: yeah, george, this happened in a town halfway between kirkuk and this, the city of erbil. this is a town where iraqi forces moved in early in the morning yesterday. and what we saw was some of the most intense clashes between iraqi forces and the kurds in quite some time. now, we understand the guns have gone silent. but there's deep bitterness between the two sides. weapons once fired at isis now fired in an alley-turned-enemy. early friday, iraqi troops including iranian armed

paramilitaries entered the town north of kirkuk. pushing u.s. forces ever farther back. this is the most serious outbreak of fighting yet. and doesn't bode well after a country after 3 1/2 years of bitter combat has come close in defeating isis. this is the beginning of a war between kurdistan and baghdad says the commander. we won't allow them to take our land. sporadic mortar and artillery fire echos in the distance. as the day wore on, more kurdish forces rushed to the front. according to an old adage, the kurds have no friends, but the mountains, their traditional refuge. and today with the united states officially neutral in this conflict, there's a sense among these fighters that, indeed, only the mountains are their friends. we were one hand with the

americans said this man. but unfortunately, unfortunately, unfortunately today, the americans have sold us to the shia and the iranians. the new american president once adored by the kurds now the object of their anger. we celebrated for trump, says this man. but trump betrayed us. after isis stormed across iraq in summerch 2017, u.s. made defeat of the terror group its top priority and it worked but in victory, there's little to savor. a year ago, iraqi and kurdish forces were fighting side by side with the support of the u.s.-led international coalition to drive isis out of mosul. today, that grand alliance is collapsing. and collapsing with it, perhaps, iraq itself.

now, both baghdad and the kurdish regional government have passed messages back and forth, suggesting that they both want to open a dialogue. however, we understand that, for instance, baghdad is demanding that central government have control over kurdistan's borders and airports. and, of course, the borders are one of the major sources of income for the kurdish regional government, after oil, of course. and so that's something of a nonstarter. so, this tensions, as i said, the guns have gone silent. there's no fighting at this moment. but they really have reached an impasse. the americans said that they would be willing to -- act as an intermediary between the two sides, but at the moment, the situation is tense and there doesn't seem to be any way out of this mess for now. george. >> ben wedeman, live for us in

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welcome back to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world, you're watching "cnn newsroom." it is good to have you with us. i'm george howell were the headlines we're following for you this hour. spain's government is holding an emergency cabinet meeting at this hour on the catalonia succession crisis. madrid is expected to impose central rule and announce new

elections for that region in january. the spanish king calls the attempt at secession unacceptable. suicide blasts killed more than 40 people on friday. this at afghan mosques. another attacking killed at least 20 people in at a sunni morph west of the capital. >> the white house is clarifying statements regarding chief of staff john kellys. press secretary sarah sanders tells cnn anyone can be questioned after initially suggesting it was inappropriate to debate with kelly, given these a retired four star general. this comes as kelly made false statements about a democratic congresswoman on thursday. in the meantime, the pressure is mounting for u.s. officials to explain how one soldier was found so far away from his team after an ambush in niger. he was one of the four soldiers killeding when militants attacked them more than two weeks ago. cnn's barbara starr has this record for us.

>> reporter: sergeant florida david johnson was found nearly a mile away from the central scene of the ambush, according to four administration officials familiar with the early assessment. they all cautioned, this is the early picture. and the investigation continues. the pentagon is still looking at the exact circumstances of how he became separated from his unit. the entire team led by green berets has been interviewed officials say, about when they last saw johnson. the u.s. team had stopped in a town on the niger/mali border so the nigerians they were working with could pick up supplies including food and water. then they met with village elders. investigators believe the ambush may have begun when the u.s. soldiers were back in their vehicles, possibly even driving. as those killed are laid to rest, defense secretary james mattis on capitol hill briefed senator john mccain one day

after mccain, chairman. armed services committee, threatened subpoenas if the pentagon doesn't startling congress what it knows. >> i felt that we were not given sufficient amount of information. and we are clearing a lot of that up now. >> reporter: mattis refusing to publicly comment why the fbi is now involved in gathering intelligence on the suspected isis militants that ambushed the u.s. forces. >> fbi would have jurisdiction to investigate and bring back perpetrators to the u.s., if it can be done. >> reporter: the pressure is mounting for a public explanation, what did happen to sergeant johnson. >> he was abandoned for two days, for 48 hours, why? why? why didn't they pick him up and put him on their soldiers like they did the other fallen comrades. and put him on a helicopter and take him to safety. he could have still been alive. >> reporter: but mattis is

fiercely adamant the troops on the ground did everything they could. >> having seen some of the news reports, the u.s. military does not leave its troops behind. i would best ask that you not question the action of the troops that were caught in the fire fight and question whether or not they did everything they could in order to bring everyone out at once. >> reporter: and taking pains to point out all troops face risk. top brass pushing back hard. >> i'll tell you categorically from the moment of contact no one left behind. either u.s., our partner nigerian forces or french forces were on the ground actively searching for the soldier. >> reporter: in the first 48 hours when johnson was still missing, cnn was one of the news organizations that agreed not to report an active search was underway for him. because no news organization that is responsible would interfere with an active operation if it was even

possible a soldier was still alive out there. barbara starr, cnn, the penalty gone. >> barbara, thank you. isnn just a few hours, sergeant la david johnson will be laid to rest in south florida. florida's governor has ordered flags to be lowered on saturday in his honor. u.s. lawmakers have spoken to several russians as they focus on the 2016 meeting that took place at trump tower in new york. our manu raju has more on the investigation on whether there was collusion between the president presidential campaign and moscow. >> we're now learning that several of these russians had in fact met with the senate intelligence committee. this is the first time that we are now learning that those russians who did attend the june 2016 meeting with donald trump jr., with paul manafort, with jared kushner, have in fact discussed what happened there, with people on capitol hill investigating the potential of any collusion that occurred with the russians and trump

associates. now, this is significant in several ways. one, because this is a big part of the -- what investigators are trying to determine, whether or not there was any inappropriate contact with russian officials and trump associates, but also, it's a new sign that trump junior himself may soon come to the senate intelligence committee. senator richard burr, the intelligence committee chairman confirming that several russians did in fact meet with the intelligence committee but also saying that they do want to sequence this so they can talk to everybody who was in the room first before bringing in donald trump jr. now, we don't know exactly which of these russians did in fact meet with the senate intelligence committee. but we know there were four russians in that meeting, even the russian layer natalia na

natszala, and also a russian tied to a russian oligarch. there's a key area of focus and the question is any closer to that notion of possible collusion, possible coordination with trump initiofficials and t russians. manu raju, cnn, capitol hill. >> thank you for the reporting. north korea is adding another line to a long war of words with the united states. pyongyang's latest prom clclama on its nuclear arsenal. we'll have it. stay with us.

north korea says it won't give up its nuclear arsenal under any circumstances. and while that's nothing new, the way they're seeing it now is raising some serious concerns. here's brian todd with that. >> reporter: kim jong-un appears toe confident in north korea's nuclear weapons programs that one of his diplomats is brashly declaring he is never giving those weapons up. >> dprk has weapons nonnegotiatable unless the u.s. is prepared to exist with the nuclear dprk. >> reporter: the ramped up rhetoric comes just a few hours after this was said about his boss' position. >> he is not going to accept this threatening the united states. >> reporter: one of the few american diplomats to ever negotiate with north korea, he says despite the war of words conflict is not inevitable.

>> if new york's major issue is security schedules and their major issue is the so-called hostile policy we have towards north korea, we're prepared to talk about their security concerns. but we are not walking away from insisting that they eventually will have to give up their nuclear weapons. >> reporter: but the u.s. is now concerned about another weapon in kim's areasenal, cyberwarfare. >> they have a. >> reporter: bow bust capability, it is cheap. >> reporter: kim jong-un is believed to haven't army of more than 6,000 hackers, most of them from north korea's top intelligence agent. north korean hackers are believed to have heisted more than $80 billion from bangladesh last year. analysts say most of the money they steal pays for the weapons program. they could expands the list of targets from money to american missiles. >> if there's missile defenses or command control or military operations that are vulnerable, they will be able to get in. and they will look to disrupt

them, cause confusion, turn things off. >> reporter: but america is counterattacking in cyberspace. current and former u.s. military officials has said the u.s. has a program to disrupt north korean missiles with cyber attacks. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> brian, thanks. coming up, ireland and the united kingdom are braising for strong winds and very heavy rains. the latest on the new storm headed that way. ve you, couch. you give us comfort. and we give you bare feet, backsweat, and gordo's... everything. i love you, but sometimes you stink. soft surfaces trap odors. febreze fabric refresher cleans them away for good. because the things you love the most can stink. and plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up to 45 days. breathe happy with febreze. directv has been rated #1 in customer satisfaction over cable for 17 years running. but some people still like cable.

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these pictures from sydney, australia, where thousands of people are out supporting same-sex marriage. australians are currently voting in a postal survey that could lead to its legalation. the final results are expected next would. >> puerto rico now has 21 percent of its power restored and the u.s. army corps of engineers says they're not stopping until the entire island has electricity again. puerto rico's governor has pledged to have power back almost totally restored by mid-december. but the army corps said that time line is tight. hurricane maria decimated the

power grid. it is so bad, in fact in puerto rico, that hospitals, they're forced to treat patients in the dark. residents are sweltering without air conditioning. and food warms in uncooled refrigerators. and many people who can't go to their homes are camped out in shelters, like classrooms, another reason that students can't go back to school. our paolo sandoval has this report. >> reporter: this schoolyard should be bustling with activity at the height of the fall semester, not today, not since hurricane maria devastated the island. the doors to this high school have been closed since september 18th. today, the only signs of life are on the other end of the campus. at room 204 serves as her temporary home. this 52-year-old grandmother tells me from one moment to

another, she lost her house and everything in it. her grandson led us up the mountain side to show us what's left of his family's homes. there wasn't much else he could do these days, like most of the students on this island, a return to class may provide a welcome escape from reality. he says the first thing he'll do when he gets back to class is hug his friends. he doesn't know when that will be. as long as displaced families like his are using schools as shelters, classes can't resume. the department of education announced friday that some schools on the island would reopen on tuesday. teachers at this school say that won't happen here. we have a lot of work to do says this woman, the drama teacher, anxious to welcome the high schoolers back to class. where is optimism. there is no realtime line for when students will walk down these halls again.

even as displaced families are resettled there are still plenty of obstacles. classrooms are in disrepair. roads are nearly impassible because of mudslides. and there's still no running water in the town, leaving families to struggle to survive. she says, she is staying strong and wants to see her grandchildren back in a classroom, just not this one. paolo sandoval, puerto rico. >> paolo, thank you. the five former living u.s. presidents are all coming together in a rare effort, as private citizens, to throw a benefit concert. their goal to raise money for recovery efforts in the united states and its territories that have been hit hard by hurricanes harvey, by hurricane irma mand and maria. the concert will be held on saturday and streamed line on

oneamerica.org. >> the united kingdom and ireland are bracing for another storm system which could bring high winds and also flooding. in the meantime, a super typhoon will make land faum in japan the next few days. our meteorologist derek van dam is on top of it. >> it was just five days that we were talking about ex-hurricane ophelia that brought winds to coastal areas of ireland. now, here we go, another tropicalesque storm. i don't want to say you it's a hurricane but it's a low-pressure system that's been named storm brian, but it continues to impact a few places like ophelia did. cull see it across ireland, churning about this rege than formed over the atlantic and gusts across the coastal regions of ireland, especially on those exposed areas could exceed 100 kilometers per hour.

you can see the load medium impacts expected into wales and ireland. gusts over 100 miles per hour in of the coastal areas. inland, 70 to in the miles per hour causing disruptions, perhaps take down poles as well as tree limbs. do be careful as you travel around the rege. this is a swlor moving storm than of that ophelia of five days ago, especially the over high country of england. you can see western ireland, the brunt of the heavy rainfall is located 50 to 100 millimeters before the time the storm is done. switching gears, the western pacific we have a super typhoon at winds at 250 miles per hour, makes this an equipment to a strong category 4 atlantic hurricane. it is well defined and it is powerful. but the good news about this system is that it is projected to weaken as it reaches the

coastal areas 6 japan late sunday and into the day on monday. before exiting for the day on tuesday. rainfall totals will be heavy, especially across the higher elevations exceeding 300 millimeters in some places. back to you. >> derek, thank you. in london, there is a new exhibition that's celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first harry potter book. it fiefs rare memorabilia along with historic artifacts referenced in the popular series. our robyn kriel has the story for us. >> reporter: the voices in valemort and quidditch when released harry potter and the sorceress stone. conquering to life in a new

exhibition. >> it will bring things like bazab bizarre stones. >> reporter: visitors can mix possessions, study destination or look into the swirling depths of the crystal ball brought to life by google arts and culture. but perhaps the most pivoting choice a rare chance to view jk rowling's own drafts. >> they range from early sketches some some of the characters. i think it's fascinating when you see how the author views her own characters, alongside which we have some of her notes. for example, her plans for writing the fifth book in the series. >> reporter: the scratched out scrawled pages are a window into j. knchtk. rolling's mind.

>> for those of you are a big fan of harry potter, you still can get a lot out of this exhibition because it does explore ideas relating to early magic, to early science and belief. >> reporter: an 800 bc cauldron retrieved, witches, and chinese altar bones thousands of years old or a 15th century tombstone of an alchemist who supposely discovered immortality. >> and the imagery telling you how to make the stone, people were working on this for centuries trying to create what is the elixir of eternal life. >> reporter: perhaps it's no accident that it's a short walk

from king's court where witches and muggles can go to 9 3/4. lulu was in a canine bomb sniffing course but the spy agency said that she, quote, wasn't interested in detecting explosive odors. anyone's hoon been turfed out of a job said this is the right decision for her. we wish her all of the best in her new life. she's been adopted by her handler and she's now out chasing rabbits and squirrels. thanks for being with us on "cnn newsroom." i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. for our viewers in the united states, "new day" is next. for other viewers around the world, i'll be back with your world headlines in a moment. any object. any surface.

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