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Pope to Celebrate Second Mass in Cuba; U.S. to Accept 85,000 Refugees; Netanyahu Meets with Putin about Syria; Poll Numbers Shift after CNN Debate; The Rise of Anti-Muslim Rhetoric; Pope Francis Meets with Fidel Castro; The Religion of Santeria; Anti-U.S. Sentiment in Iran after Nuclear Deal; Beijing Marathon Runners Choked by Smog; The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 21, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Back in charge. Alexis Tsipras wins big at the ballot box with what he says is a real mandate.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Plus the U.S. announces it will accept tens of thousands of additional migrants as Europe struggles to handle the growing crisis.

CHURCH (voice-over): Also ahead, the pope urges thousands of young people in Havana to dream big and keep an open mind.

Hello and welcome to our viewers all across the globe. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett with you for the final hour today of CNN NEWSROOM.

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BARNETT: A month after he resigned, Alexis Tsipras is back as the prime minister of Greece. And he's got many of the same urgent problems to deal with. Tsipras will be sworn in Monday night; Tuesday, the new cabinet will be sworn in. He says Sunday's vote gave him a clear mandate to lead the country.

CHURCH: The Syriza Party came is just shy of an outright majority in the snap election. Syriza will join the Independent Greeks party to form a ruling coalition. Mr. Tsipras says the voting results are proof that people support his leadership. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXIS TSIPRAS, GREEK PRIME MINISTER (through translator): This is a victory of the people. We have given a difficult fight and I believe that the Greek people has given a clear mandate that we -- to continue both inside and outside the country to lift the pride of the country within difficult situations.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BARNETT: Now, it has been quite a year for Alexis Tsipras. He was elected in January on a promise to get rid of austerity measures and keep Greece in the Eurozone.

But Greece's European creditors were not buying it.

CHURCH: Greece came to the brink of bankruptcy and, in July, the prime minister and parliament accepted the tough economic reforms. But the bailout was rejected by some members of Tsipras' Syriza party.

In August he resigned and called for early parliamentary elections.

BARNETT: So will things really be different this time around as Mr. Tsipras takes control once again?

As you say on your screens, journalist Elinda Labropoulou joins us from Athens with more on that.

Good morning to you, Linda. We always look at Greek elections and referendums as possible, potential turning points, shifts in government policy or behavior but, you know, one expert I have been talking to today says he thinks today looks a lot like yesterday in many ways.

So from your vantage point, what's really new there this morning?

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: It does look like more of the same at first glance, simply because we're looking at the same key players, we're looking at citizens forming a coalition with the Independent Greeks, which is exactly what happened in January.

But a lot has also changed, first of all because Syriza is not the same party that it was in January.

As you remember, Mr. Tsipras came into power talking about going against austerity, vested interests and also basically fighting Greece out of some of its commitments to the European creditors.

Now this has all changed. Mr. Tsipras has signed a third bailout. This has cost a number of his own MPs and that was the hard Left of the party that has now left. They're out and he's coming back with a clear mandate and this clear mandate means that he is now free, in some ways, to implement this third bailout and without having the opposition within his own party.

So that in sense, his position has been strengthened. But of course the challenges remain and even forming a coalition within the Independent Greeks, the two parties, now, will have 155 seats in the 300-seat parliament. And obviously that only creates a fragile majority.

So the questions remain on whether he'll really be able to go ahead and implement these reforms.

BARNETT: I want to pick up on that point, 155 seats out of 300, this coalition government just barely has enough seats to rule. So how much confidence is there that Tsipras and his team will push ahead these new austerity measures and will pass these tough new laws before the year is out?

This is work that has to be done, according to what the document Greece signed with the European creditors.

LABROPOULOU: Absolutely, I mean, after all these months of negotiations, this is the one thing that has become apparent to all, that if Greece --

[03:05:00]

LABROPOULOU: -- wants to remain in the Eurozone, if it wants to keep receiving money from a bailout, it will have to stick to reforms. So Mr. Tsipras has a very tough job ahead of him. His coalition partners have said they will support him.

Last time he managed to scrape through to get these measures through with the help of the main opposition and the opposition parties. Now, whether they'll help them again, it remains to be seen.

But certainly, for the markets, for the creditors, what they see now is, as we said earlier, not that different to the way things looked yesterday and that's not enough (INAUDIBLE) at this point.

BARNETT: All right, we appreciate your connecting with us this morning, getting us the latest information out of Greece, Elinda Labropoulou, thanks.

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CHURCH: Europe's leaders are hoping to overcome their differences to find a way to handle the migrant crisis.

BARNETT: This comes as thousands of people continue to flock to the region in hopes of making it to Western and Northern Europe. E.U. president Donald Tusk has called an emergency meeting in Brussels for Wednesday to discuss a comprehensive strategy for the crisis.

CHURCH: At least 14 people died on Sunday in separate incidents while trying to cross the Aegean Sea. In one of these incidents, a migrant boat collided with a ship near Turkey's coast on the way to Greece. The Turkish coast guard saved eight of those passengers.

BARNETT: And as Europe struggles to contain the flood of migrants entering its borders, the U.S. now is saying it will take more Syrian refugees.

CHURCH: Secretary of State John Kerry says the country will accept 85,000 people in the next fiscal year. CNN's George Howell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a time when tightening immigration is the focus by candidates fighting to become the next U.S. president, the current administration is planning to raise its cap on refugees, specifically in response to the mass migration seen in Europe as people flee conflict zones for safety. The U.S. has been under pressure to do more.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: America has always welcomed bringing more people in in these kind of circumstances. And we want to live up to that.

HOWELL (voice-over): U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made the announcement in Berlin, standing alongside his German counterpart. The plan increases the number of refugees the U.S. will take in from 70,000 to 85,000 in 2016, then 100,000 the following year.

Kerry also noted that while the administration will do what it can to change U.S. policy on refugees as quickly as possible --

KERRY: They will be accompanied by additional financial contributions to the humanitarian effort, not only from our government but from the American people.

HOWELL (voice-over): -- part of the proposal would require debate in Congress to raise the needed funds.

In contrast to other nations, though, like Germany, that's bracing for 800,000 migrants this year alone.

Behzad Yaghmaian, who's a professor of political economy at Ramapo College, says the U.S. is moving in the right direction by raising its limits on refugees but he adds bluntly --

BEHZAD YAGHMAIAN, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL ECONOMY, RAMAPO COLLEGE: This increases minuscule and significant. It really lacks significance. It's like a drop of water in an ocean of refugees, not only from Syria but from other parts of the region and Africa, that are desperately escaping violence.

The United States should and do a lot more than this.

HOWELL (voice-over): Yaghmaian believes the U.S. should bear more of the burden, given how directly it's impacted countries from Iraq to Afghanistan. He says accepting more refugees should front and center in the current political debates, though he acknowledges it would be a controversial discussion for politicians to take up amid security concerns.

YAGHMAIAN: There have been discussions that ISIS would take advantage of the United States' generosity and that its members would hide among the Syrian refugees to try to come to (INAUDIBLE) the country. And I think this is misunderstood, because ISIS fighters have been going from the west to the east, not by suicide (ph).

HOWELL (voice-over): But public opinion matters for the U.S. to do more to assure the American public that raising the limits on refugees does not equate to raising risks -- George Howell, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BARNETT: More stories we're tracking: Israeli prime minister Netanyahu will be in Russia today to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

CHURCH: And they will sit down to talk about the buildup of Russian forces in Syria as well as Russia's advanced military equipment and where it could end up.

BARNETT: Now we have live coverage for you from our Matthew Chance in Moscow and Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.

Let's begin with Oren, this is an incredibly important bilateral meeting, what can we expect?

[03:10:00]

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Netanyahu wants to find out what Putin is planning, why these forces and this advanced military equipment is entering into Syria. He wants to make sure his forces, Israel's military, doesn't conflict or come into conflict at all with this Russian military.

And that's his goal, to make sure that both leaders here are on the same page.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Israeli F-15 fighter jets maneuvering in the skies over Israel, the American-built fighter jet giving the country a technological and military edge in the region.

Now a new presence in the Middle East, the advanced Russian Sukhoi Su- 27 in Syria, according to U.S. officials, and other Russian military arms threatening that edge.

Satellite pictures of Latakia inside Syria show a rapid buildup of an air force base with lots of Russian military equipment moving in.

LIEBERMANN: Netanyahu and Putin, they've talked recently and have visited recently and yet there is a cause for concern and a cause for friction between these countries and these interests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. It relates to the provision by Russia of weapons systems to some of Israel's most determined enemies. In 2006, it was Russian Kornet missiles that reaped a terrible harvest, so to speak, of Israeli armored vehicles in Southern Lebanon.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): In Northern Israel, we have seen Israeli infantry and tanks in military exercises. But Israel's policy has been to stay out of the Syrian war, happening right across the Golan frontier.

Yet Israel says it has red lines and will not allow advanced military equipment, like Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, to fall into the hands of Hezbollah in Lebanon or other militant groups. Foreign media reports that Israel has, in the past, struck weapons shipments headed for Lebanon.

LIEBERMANN: What is Israel's primary concern here with regards to Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Israel has been in the course of the last four years determined to prevent the provision of certain weapons systems from Syria to Hezbollah. And to achieve that, Israel has required complete air control, mastery of Syria's skies, to operate when and where it wants, anywhere over the skies in Syria.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Analyst Jonathan Spier (ph) says Israel and Russia aren't on a collision course but with the two militaries so close, he says the two countries will have to work together to ensure a collision does not occur.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIEBERMANN: Prime Minister Netanyahu also spoke recently with Secretary of State Kerry, so we see both Israel and the U.S. once again trying to figure out what Russian military forces are doing in Syria and how far they will go -- Errol.

BARNETT: Yes. Avoiding any type of collision, certainly, is key.

Oren Liebermann live for us in Jerusalem, thanks -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, so let's head to Moscow now and CNN's Matthew Chance.

Matthew, what have the Russians been saying about this expanded presence in Syria?

And is the Israeli prime minister likely to get any assurances?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll see what comes out of these very important talks that are taking place in the southern Russia city of Sochi later on today between Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin.

Certainly as Oren was saying there, the most important thing on the agenda is assurances that Israel is seeking about the deployment of advanced Russian weaponry to its ally in Syria.

In terms of that deployment publicly and the allegation that Russia is boosting in general its footprint in Syria, the Kremlin has been very tightlipped. It never really goes on the record very often and talks about its military deployments. It's actually often very secretive about them, as we saw in Ukraine.

But in this case, it's followed the same pattern; it's essentially denied that it's expanding its military presence, despite satellite imagery and other evidence to the contrary saying that, we have military facilities there. This is part of a normal rotation.

But again, I don't think anybody seriously believes at this point, given the evidence that's accumulating, that Russia isn't making a concerted effort to bolster its ally in Syria. What exactly its plans are, aren't altogether clear.

But we're expected to get more clarity on that when Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, addresses the United Nations General Assembly later this month. And so that will be widely anticipated and a much anticipated address.

CHURCH: All right. We'll of course wait and see what comes out, any assurances, perhaps, of these discussions between the Israeli prime minister and the Russian president.

Many thanks to you, Matthew Chance, reporting there live from Moscow

BARNETT: Now, as the anti-Islamic sentiments continue on the presidential campaign trail in the U.S., coming up next, why Ben Carson says there should never be a Muslim in the White House.

CHURCH: Plus, the first Latin American pope sat down with the last living leftist icon of the 20th century. We will tell you what Pope Francis and Fidel Castro talked about. Back in a moment.

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[03:15:00]

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CHURCH: There has been a big shift in the U.S. presidential race, a key political poll has changed since the second Republican debate seen here on CNN.

BARNETT: In the latest CNN/ORC poll, Donald Trump still leads but he's lost some support and Carly Fiorina has jumped into second place. Sunlen Serfaty has more on the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This poll shows how much the debate has really shaken up the race but besides who's up and who's down, what's most striking is when you compare it to what the field looked like just one month ago, put up those comparison numbers for you now.

As you see, Donald Trump, he is still the front-runner, but he's on a downward slope, sliding 8 points. Support slipping there, too, for Ben Carson, who has lost 5 percentage points. Now compare that to Carly Fiorina. She's leaping up 12 percentage points. That's a huge number really in just three weeks.

Also a big jump there, too, for Senator Marco Rubio, gaining 8 percentage points. And all of this really underscores how vital the debate moments are for these candidates, especially with such a crowded field. Carly Fiorina, she really went toe-to-toe with Donald Trump in so many of those moments and these numbers really do show that she came off looking very favorable because of that.

Senator Marco Rubio, he --

[03:20:00]

SERFATY: -- was able to really highlight his foreign policy chops, gained a lot of momentum; same with Carly Fiorina. Going forward, that sets the tone on the campaign trail going forward from here on out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: That was Sunlen Serfaty, reporting from the campaign trail. She mentioned tone there; Islam is still a very hot topic for Republican candidates for president.

CHURCH: It is. Ben Carson is the latest to weigh in on the Sunday political talk show, "Meet the Press." Carson said he would be against a Muslim as U.S. president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, NBC NEWS HOST: So do you believe that Islam is consistent with the Constitution?

DR. BEN CARSON, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't. I do not. I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.

TODD: And would you ever consider voting for a Muslim for Congress?

CARSON: Congress is a different story. But it depends on who that Muslim is and what their policies are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, Donald Trump has received quite a bit of condemnation in the last several days for not correcting this supporter's anti-Muslim comments during a campaign rally. Trump defended his action in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, ENTREPRENEUR: Well, you know, we could be politically correct if you want, but certainly are you trying to say we don't have a problem? Because I think everybody would agree.

I have friends that are Muslims. They're great people. Amazing people. And most Muslims, like most everything, I mean, these are fabulous people, but we certainly do have a problem. I mean, you have a problem throughout the world. JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: What's the problem?

TRUMP: Well, you have radicals that are doing things. I mean, it wasn't people from Sweden that blew up the World Trade Center, Jake.

TAPPER: I get that. But to say we have a problem and it's called Muslims, because there are some extremist Muslims, is tarring all Muslims. You would agree that the vast majority --

TRUMP: No, I don't agree with that at all. But you have extremist Muslims that are in a class by themselves. I mean they are -- it is a problem in this country. And it's a problem throughout the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And one of two Muslim lawmakers in the U.S. Congress says Trump and Carson are resorting to fear mongering.

BARNETT: In a statement, Keith Ellison, who is a Democrat from Minnesota, said, quote, "For Ben Carson, Donald Trump or any other Republican politician to suggest that someone of any faith is unfit for office is out of touch with who we are as a people.

"Every American should be disturbed that these national figures are engaging in and tolerating blatant acts of religious bigotry."

Peter Beinart is a CNN political commentator and contributing editor for "The Atlantic" and "National Journal." He joins us from New York to talk about all of this.

And, Peter, we've seen Islamophobic statements from politicians on the far right before. Many were against a mosque, for example, being built near Ground Zero. That's just one incident.

But here and now, the rhetoric seems to be getting more intolerant and it's coming from Republican candidates.

How do you explain that perception?

PETER BEINART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This sadly has been something that's been around for quite a while, certainly since September 11th. In some ways it's gotten even worse more recently.

So in 2012, for instance, Herman Cain, who was a Republican presidential candidate, said he would not appoint a Muslim to his cabinet. And now we have Ben Carson, saying there should not be a Muslim president.

BARNETT: Also we should say the U.S. Constitution even says there should be no religious test for any candidate to serve in office and religion shouldn't have a place in the U.S. political system.

What do you make of that?

BEINART: I think it's also important to put this into context. This is Ben Carson. Ben Carson is basically a buffoon when it comes to politics. He was a very talented surgeon.

But like Donald Trump, he has a very minimal grasp of basic policy questions, you know, and he's made a series of absurd comments. He said that Obama's health care plan was the worst thing since -- the most oppressive thing in American history since slavery, for instance.

I think that there is -- he and Trump are appealing to a certain very fearful, very kind of raw sentiment in a certain part of the Republican Party, of people who feel like the country -- they're losing their country in a more globalized world, with a more diverse America.

And so they're grasping for various scapegoats, whether it's illegal immigrants from Mexico or Muslims as the embodiment of the threat that's taking away America from them.

Instead of politicians like Bernie Sanders, who I think actually are talking about the real problems that people face in America, in which, in many ways, it is harder economically than it was a generation ago, and an America that is undergoing a kind of dizzying cultural and demographic change, they play to these -- people like Ben Carson play to these fears.

BARNETT: So what's your assessment of what's happening in the Republican Party, then?

Because you've written before about leaders in the Republican Party have chased out intolerant elements. William F. Buckley in the '50s, for example, bothered by anti-Semitism --

[03:25:00]

BARNETT: -- helped to stamp that out.

Why isn't that happening now?

Do you think there's a chance that something like that could happen again, a Republican leader standing up to the intolerant statements?

BEINART: I think eventually something like that may indeed happen. The good news in this story is that, for all its problems and flaws and sins, America is a place where Muslims who are citizens can vote just like Mexican Americans can vote.

And because they can vote, that can change the political calculus. The Republican Party is on the wrong side of a massive generational and demographic shift in the United States, with non-white Americans becoming a larger and larger share of the population and with younger Americans, who are more tolerant of this diversity, becoming a larger and larger share of the electorate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Very interesting point Peter Beinart makes there, joining us from New York. We have so much more political coverage on cnn.com, including a

detailed look at how Donald Trump has fueled speculation of President Obama's heritage.

CHURCH: A short break here, but still to come, tens of thousands of Cuba's young people stood out in the rain to hear the pope. What the pope said to them and the reason he's so appealing to Cuba's youth.

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BARNETT: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Errol Barnett.

And I'm Rosemary Church. It is, of course, time to check the headlines for you.

Alexis Tsipras now says he has a clear mandate to lead Greece after winning the country's fifth election in six years.

[03:30:00]

CHURCH: He'll be sworn in Monday night. His Syriza Party came in just shy of an outright majority in Sunday's snap election. He'll join the Independent Greeks party to form a ruling coalition.

BARNETT: Record numbers of migrants are now streaming into Austria as they move across Europe. Austrian officials say 11,000 people cross into the country from Hungary in a 24-hour period over the weekend.

CHURCH: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson says he would not support putting a Muslim in the White House. On Sunday, he said Islam is inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution. He did say he would not be against voting for a Muslim in Congress, if their policies elevate the nation.

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BARNETT: Pope Francis has been spreading his message of tolerance to ordinary Cubans and the country's top leaders on his historic visit.

CHURCH: Earlier on Sunday, he met privately with Cuban revolutionary leader and former president, Fidel Castro. They discussed religion and world affairs. Later, the pope met with Fidel Castro's brother, Cuba's current leader, Raul Castro.

BARNETT: But the pope began the day celebrating mass in front of tens of thousands of people. He also spoke to a group of nuns, priests and seminarians. Now, to be sure, it's been an extremely busy visit for the pope but he still has a full day to go there in Cuba.

CHURCH: And later today, he'll leave Cuba and travel to the eastern part of the country. CNN's Ed Lavandera looks back at the visit so far.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis ended his first full day in Cuba doing what he loves to do most, meeting with a large group of young people here in Havana.

This was really significant because the Vatican brought in a wi-fi system and encouraged the young people to come out and send their social media messages across the planet.

Now this is significant because Cuba is one of the most disconnected countries on the planet. So access to wi-fi is extremely rare and, when you do get it, it doesn't work very well. So this was an extraordinary moment here. And Pope Francis really enjoyed meeting with these young people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS (through translator): Open yourself and dream. Dream that a world with you can be different.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Pope Francis started his day here in Havana with a full mass, hour and a half long, here in the Plaza of the Revolution. Several hundred thousand people were in attendance. It was incredibly hot.

We did see moments of that political tension that just kind of lies beneath the surface in Havana, several protesters arrested. They approached Pope Francis' Popemobile, threw up leaflets with anti- government messages on it. There was another banner in the crowd, saying, "Cuba should be open for all Cubans."

So we definitely saw those signs of that underlying political tension that exists here in Cuba. And Pope Francis saw that very much directly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: But then Pope Francis left the mass area here in the Plaza of the Revolution and went on to meet with Fidel Castro in his house, a 45-minute meeting that was described as informal and friendly, the Cuban government releasing a picture of that meeting.

After meeting with Fidel Castro, then Pope Francis went on for the more formal state meetings, head of state meetings with Raul Castro and the head of the Cuban government as well as the leadership of the Vatican. That was a much more formal affair that was broadcast on Cuban television as well.

Now Pope Francis continues his visit here in Cuba. He will fly on Monday to the eastern provinces of the island, holding a mass in Holguin and then moving on to the town of Santiago before he then flies to the United States and directly to Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Havana, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Now the church calls Cuba a majority Catholic country. But it's actually more complicated. Take a look at this. In a recent national poll, 44 percent of Cubans said they were not religious; 27 percent identified as Catholic, with fewer indicating Santeria, evangelical and Protestant beliefs.

Cubans' religion identity in the survey may be affected by decades of representation under the island's Communist government.

CHURCH: Now Cuba is a multicultural society with strong African influences. Many Cubans practice a religion that combines Catholicism with African traditions.

BARNETT: And that blended religion is called Santeria. And it has caused some consternation among Catholic leaders there. Patrick Oppmann has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the gritty harborside town of Regla, just across the water from Havana, the faithful adore their beloved local statue to the Virgin Mary.

It's one of the largest Catholic processions leading up to the visit of Pope Francis to the island. But not everyone here is a strictly by-the-book Catholic.

[03:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

OPPMANN (voice-over): Priests ordered the crowds not to throw money at the Virgin, a veiled reference to the kind of offerings made by followers of Santeria.

Santeria has its roots in Cuba's slave trade; the slaves brought here from Africa were forced to convert to Christianity. But Catholicism mixed with African traditions and a new religion was born: Santeria. Many Cubans say they are Catholics and Santeros.

"You can be both at once," Isobel (ph) says. "First you have to believe in the Lord Jesus and then Santeria." And even though the previous two popes to visit Cuba didn't acknowledge Santeria's large following on the island, practitioners of the religion, like Anita (ph), say they're excited that Pope Francis is coming.

"It's a big deal," Anita says. "We welcome him and we hope to see him."

Duality is nothing new for an island that's both Communist and capitalist, African and European.

Juan Carlos Toca (ph) is a babalao or Santeria priest, while his crosses and images of Jesus in his home, he says Santeria, also known to some as the Yoruba religion, has its advantages. "The church calms people. It gives them spirituality," he says.

"The Yoruba religion is more direct with the analysis of problems and a solution to those problems. So a lot of times people like it more, so we can say, your problem is this and here's how we're going to fix it."

As the Cuban government has loosened controls on religion, the number of Santeria followers has soared.

Santeria's rise in popularity has presented a dilemma for the Catholic Church; church officials criticize the religion, being what they call a cult. But at the same time they acknowledge that many of the people who come out to Catholic processions and services like this one are followers of Santeria.

The Catholic Church was nearly shut down in the early years of the Cuban revolution and it's been a long road back. With the visit from Pope Francis, the church is now trying to build up the ranks of the faithful even if they might not be, well, always faithful to just one church -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Regla.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Saudi Arabia's crown prince says the safety of Muslim pilgrims is a top priority as the annual hajj begins today in Mecca.

CHURCH: And he is promising the deadly crane accident at Islam's holiest site will not affect the annual pilgrimage. About 2 million Muslims from around the world are expected to take part in the Hajj.

BARNETT: More than 100 people were killed when a crane toppled over at Mecca's Grand Mosque a week ago.

CHURCH: We'll take a short break here. But still to come, Iran's president predicts how the nuclear agreement will be received there. The details from our correspondent in Tehran.

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[03:40:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Iran's president calls its nuclear deal with the West a very difficult agreement but the right path to take. Hassan Rouhani made the comments during an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes."

Fred Pleitgen is Tehran and joins us now.

Fred, can we assume that if President Rouhani is publicly saying that he's confident Iran will approve the nuclear deal and the Revolutionary Guard will respect it, that that's exactly what will happen here?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that in the end, that's going to happen, Rosemary.

The big question is, how does Iran get to that stage? There certainly is a lot of debate here in this country and also quite a controversial discussion surrounding the nuclear deal.

On the one hand, you have the moderates around Hassan Rouhani, also around some of the vice presidents of this country and the foreign minister, Javad Zarif.

And then, on the other hand, you have the more conservatives around the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who has been very critical of the deal but so far, also, hasn't really done anything to derail it yet. They're having a discussion about the nuclear deal in the parliamentary commission.

The head of the IAEA was in front of that parliamentary commission yesterday to also talk about the deal as well.

So there's a big, very controversial discussion going on here. However, in the end, it very much seems as though this deal is going to get through and will not be derailed.

Now, one of the other things, that especially the clergy here in this country is talking about, many conservatives are talking about, is how does this influence the (INAUDIBLE) Rouhani in that CBS interview spoke about that as well. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The enmity that existed between the United States and Iran over the decades, the distance, the disagreements, the lack of trust, will not go away soon. What's important is which direction we are heading.

Are we heading towards amplifying the enmity or decreasing this enmity?

I believe we have taken the first steps towards decreasing this enmity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: And Rosemary, I was in the (INAUDIBLE) town of (INAUDIBLE) yesterday where (INAUDIBLE) it's one of the most important religious places in Iran. But (INAUDIBLE) --

CHURCH: As you can hear, we're having some major audio issues there. But our Fred Pleitgen reporting from Tehran, keeping a very close eye on the situation there. And of course the big question, even in the midst of all of this, we're still hearing this anti-America rhetoric.

But it appears, if we're to believe President Rouhani, who you can see there, that this nuclear agreement is on track and, in his words, on the right path.

We'll keep a very close eye on that -- Errol.

BARNETT: Well, Rosemary, it's been more than 50 years in the making and now Nepal has put its new constitution into effect. For the first time Nepal's governing document was written by the representatives of the people. It took more than seven years to draft.

However, not everyone is happy. A handful of groups representing ethnic minorities have denounced the new constitution. They want a bigger representation in parliament and have launched protests over the past few weeks, including this one from Sunday.

Now Sunday's Beijing Marathon saw more than 30,000 participants run through the city streets.

CHURCH: And a number of them were severely affected by the particularly bad air quality. We have our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, here with us to talk about that.

And of course there's so many people come and run in this. Authorities are reluctant to say no, you shouldn't do this --

(CROSSTALK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, people train for it a very long time. They come from all around the world. It's an international marathon so this is something that is a big deal to a lot of people.

But of course we had reports of some seven people being treated for heart --

[03:45:00]

JAVAHERI: -- related illnesses, several of them potentially heart attacks, one of them just a few kilometers into the 42-kilometer race. So, it's quite a scary sight across that region.

You see the marathon as it got underway with air quality in the 175 AQI or air quality index, which would put it in the hazardous scale, some runners coming out there with masks on their faces.

And there's an analysis, there was a study done back in 2012 from the "New England Journal of Medicine" that analyzed the runners in the United States, at least, analyzed some 11 million runners over a 10- year period in marathons across the United States and only 59 of them had heart-related issues or heart attacks during a race.

So to think that a multiple occurred on Sunday across Beijing in one single event is pretty remarkable. But you see some of the images coming out of this region, with the air quality on the unhealthy side. You know your oxygen intake goes up quite a bit.

We know that lung cancer rates across this part of the world are quite high, a lot of them having to do with smokers. And this particular gentleman, one of the participants, you see him smoking before the race as well.

But the air quality still sitting in the unhealthy scale, 170 at this point. We do have a cold front that cruises by this region. Brings in at least a little bit of a break in the action as far as some rain showers improving the air quality as well on Tuesday before we dry it up and warm it up towards the middle portion of the week over that part of the world.

Also watching a storm system across the Eastern Mediterranean, heavy rainfall, some severe thunderstorms around the Greek islands on Tuesday afternoon over this region.

And you light up the map here, over, say, Bolus (ph), could be upwards of 150 millimeters in the next 24 hours, this is precisely in the path of where we know some of the migrant routes are taking the land route at least, out of Northern Greece into portions of Macedonia and the water route as well, winds at least 40-60 kph over this region.

We know when you have heavy rainfall on the border, for example, of Macedonia and Greece, you're talking about severe mud building over this region, it makes a very treacherous situation for people across that region.

One last story to tell you about, a tropical depression sitting off the coast of Northern Mexico, this particular storm has potential flooding written all over it for the southwestern United States.

Certainly going to be beneficial rainfall but the models at this point show quite a bit of rainfall coming down, in fact, 7 million people from Eastern California towards much of Southern Arizona underneath a flood watch as remnants of a tropical depression cruises toward this region.

So weather pattern right now, a lot of wet weather for parts of the U.S.

BARNETT: And they've got to be careful as well from floods and flash floods.

JAVAHERI: Last week in Utah, the Southwest doesn't take much to cause flash flooding.

CHURCH: So true.

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: It was a record-breaking night at the 67th primetime Emmy Awards with HBO's "Game of Thrones" cleaning up. We will look at the big winners still ahead.

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[03:50:00]

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BARNETT: The curtain has closed on the 67th primetime Emmy Awards. But what a broadcast. We watched it here. It was night of broken records and big firsts.

CHURCH: Yes, Viola Davis began the first African American to win outstanding lead actress in a drama for her role in "How to Get Away with Murder."

Meanwhile "Game of Thrones" broke an Emmy record. I spoke a short time ago with Kim Seraphin. She's a senior editor at "In Touch" weekly magazine.

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CHURCH: And Kim joins me now with all of the highlights from the 67th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.

Kim, what a night. "Game of Thrones" set a record for the most Emmy wins in a year, "Olive Kitteredge," "Transparent" and "Veep" were also big winners.

How did it all play out?

KIM SERAPHIN, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH": Yes, a big night for HBO, as you just mentioned. Everyone is talking about "Game of Thrones." Obviously, lot of people thought this should have won for a long time, this is obviously such a popular show. Though nobody knew if "Mad Men" was going to win for drama. Obviously it was the end of the era of "Mad Men," the final season of "Mad Men."

And "Game of Thrones" had kind of a controversial season. So people were surprised that it won but obviously very happy that it won because as you mentioned, so many nominations.

And "Veep," what a great thing for "Veep," "Modern Family" knocked out of the top spot. A lot of people thought that "Modern Family" was going to win again for best comedy again because it won five years in a row and everyone wondered if it could beat that "Frasier" record and win six and it didn't. It was "Veep," which had a really great season.

CHURCH: Yes, they're both great, aren't they. And for his final season, a great acknowledgment, too, for his work; Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," won a couple of Emmys. Great to see his work recognized as he bows out.

SERAPHIM: Yes, there were so many shows. In fact, his segment on how many shows ended their runs this year, there were a lot of shows that we said goodbye to this year. But Jon Stewart, it was really fitting that he got an Emmy. I think it's so well deserved for Jon Stewart to get this. We could see him up there with all of his writers and really you just

know how much he'll be missed as we're getting more into this presidential election season. So it was really great to see him up there. He said you won't see me again, he had some funny remarks about, appreciate this while you can, you hear that audience applause. They don't have craft services tables out in the real world. So it was very funny.

CHURCH: It was so sad to see him go.

Actor Jon Hamm, of course, we must mention, finally won an Emmy and collected it in style, didn't he?

SERAPHIM: Yes, this was one of my favorite moments as a huge "Mad Men" fan, to see Jon Hamm finally get that Emmy for playing Don Draper. And it's such an iconic character. Even if you didn't watch "Mad Men," you knew who Don Draper was.

So the fact that Jon Hamm hadn't won after being nominated so many times, it was so great to see that. He almost seemed just so humble up there, jumping up on stage, climbing up on stage, getting the award from Tina Fey, who he's worked with before obviously. And it was just really nice. And he, again, just seemed so humbled and the audience standing in applause for him. And you just even knew when they were announcing the nominees, he got the most applause when they sais his name. So it's so fitting that he got this Emmy.

CHURCH: Yes.

Another highlight, a huge reception for comedian Tracy Morgan back from his devastating accident.

SERAPHIM: Yes, that was --

[03:55:00]

SERAPHIM: -- probably -- that's something people will be talking about I think for weeks to come.

We haven't seen Tracy Morgan, of course he was in that terrible accident, got up there and even made a joke about how he was happy to find out it wasn't his fault. He wasn't the one who messed up. So it was nice to see him up there.

But you could just tell people in the audience were so emotional seeing him. He seemed very emotional to be there, thinking that he would never really be able to walk again, to get up there again, to perform again. This was just an amazing way to end the show, to see Tracy Morgan and to know that he's doing well.

CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Kim Seraphin, always a pleasure to chat with you.

SERAPHIM: Great, thanks so much.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BARNETT: And we have some more TV news: after 53 years on television, "Sabado Gigante" has said good-bye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Spanish).

CHURCH: The Spanish language Univision classic ended its run Saturday with a tribute to the show's legendary host and creator, Mario Kreutzberger, better known as Don Francisco.

BARNETT: The show will be on for the Guinness World Record for the longest running weekly variety show.

CHURCH: How about that?

And thank you so much for watching CNN. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Stay tuned for more news from the CNN NEWSROOM next.

CHURCH: Have a great day.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Alexis Tsipras says he has now a clear mandate after winning his second election in less than nine months in Greece.

A friendly meeting with Fidel, a mass in Revolution Square. We're following the pope as he begins the second day of his historic visit to Cuba.

And an historic night in Los Angeles for the Emmy Awards. We'll tell you all of the winners and the upsets. Thanks for joining us. I'm Max Foster in London.