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Olympics Begin Tonight; President Obama Denies Iran Payment Was Ransom; New Polls Show Clinton Leads Trump; Turkey Issues New Arrest Warrant for Exiled Cleric; Food Supplies Dangersously Low in Aleppo; Tornado Hits New Orleans; Spraying for Mosquitoes in Zika-Affected Areas Begins. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 05, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:00] NATALIE ALLEN, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Countdown to the games. The hours tick away to the start of the Olympics in Rio as Russian athletes find out if they can compete.
Barack Obama said the multi-million dollar payment to Iran has nothing to do with the release of four U.S. prisoners.
And new poll numbers show Donald Trump losing support to Hillary Clinton as controversy plagued his campaign.
It's all ahead here on CNN Newsroom. We're live in Atlanta. Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen.
Our top story, the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is less than 16 hours away. Three billion viewers worldwide will be clued to their seats as more than 10,000 athletes march into the stadium in Rio de Janeiro, wave their national flags and lift their Olympic dreams.
But the news is mixed for Russia, Olympic officials at the last moment clear 271 Russian athletes to compete, but dozens of their team members were banned after allegations of Russian state sponsored doping.
World Sport Don Riddell is in Rio.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: The opening ceremony hasn't even happened, but already a major Olympic victory for one of the biggest teams in Rio. Russia hasn't won any medals yet, but 271 of their athletes will be able to compete in the game.
"Good day. Now we have good news for Russian sports supporters."
Russia's athletes have enjoyed intense weight in the build up to the games, having accused them of running a state sponsored doping program. The World Anti-Doping Agency recommended a blanket ban of the Russian team.
But the tournament organizers, the IOC, opted instead for a policy of individual justice. And under the intense glare of the world's media, the Olympic president, Thomas Bach expressed his confidence that the other athletes have nothing to fear from the Russians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS BACH, IOC PRESIDENT: I can look into the eyes of these athletes because I have a very clean conscience. I know that not only I, but also the executive board members all have weighed all these arguments very carefully. We also know that we have the support of many, many athletes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: But still, the IOC has been accused of going soft and suspicions of the IOC is favorable to Russia, one of the biggest players in world sport were further fueled by this question from one of Russia's state broadcasters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looked like that you permanently were helping us. Is it true?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Mr. Bach denied it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BACH: This is not a decision of helping somebody here or helping somebody there. This is a decision of justice. Which we could take only on the facts which are available now and this we have done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Afterwards, it was a tense exchange between the reporter and the German documentary maker who produced several films exposing Russian doping, films which kick started the official investigations and the whole scandal in the first place. He's not convinced that the IOC is being fair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAJO SEPPELT, GERMAN JOURNALIST: So, it's really hard to understand what else would come to say we have to include a system from the most important event of sport in the whole world. So, if this is not enough, I don't know what is must have.
I know we talk about individual justice and about fair play. I think it looks like that all athletes are equal, but the Russians are more equal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: So, the games begin with a major controversy. The Russian flag hangs from their apartments in the Olympic village and once medals were hanging around their athletes necks, that controversy will likely continue. Don Riddell, CNN, Rio.
ALLEN: For more now, CNN World Sports Christina Macfarlane joins us live from Rio. Hello there, Christina. We have a final decision, but this Russian athleticism story is far from over, it seems.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, that's absolutely right, Natalie. I mean, the Russian athletes are certainly in a better position than they were some a couple of weeks ago when they were staring down the barrel at the prospects of a blanket ban.
But there is no doubt that here at the Olympic Games, there are going to be questions asked now over the credibility of these athletes every time a Russian athlete sets on the podium.
It also has significant impacts on the medal count here as the Olympic games now because there's a lower number of Russian athletes, 271 now competing in Rio.
[03:05:02] There's going to be a lower number of Russian medals. In London in 2012, just four years ago, there were 436 Russian athletes and they come away with 82 medals. That gives you some idea of the numbers we may see here in Rio.
Now, following that announcement by the IOC, the athletes who have been banned do still have the option appealing the Court of Arbitration for sport even at this late state. But it's uncertain how well set up cast they're going to be to deal with any late influx of appeals from the Russian athletes.
I think the bigger question that is going to arise out of all of this is what the IOC are going to do from here in with the anti-doping process.
Thomas Bach, the IOC president has maintained from the beginning that he would not opt for that nuclear option of the blanket ban, but in doing so, it's led to this very convoluted complicated process that we've seen played out in the past 10 days.
And now many people here are calling for change, a complete overhaul of the anti-doping process.
ALLEN: That certainly makes sense, as you say, because it's been one convoluted process, for sure.
Let's look at the bigger picture of the Olympics kicking off in just a matter of hours. There have been major protests as the Olympic torch arrived in Rio and the torch passed by your location earlier with protests turning violence and more protests expected. How are authorities handling the situation?
MACFARLANE: Well, there's no doubt, Natalie, that many people in Brazil, for many people, they're not exactly happy to see the Olympic Games arrive here in Rio. We saw evidence of this on Wednesday.
You can see some of the pictures now, the torch arriving here in Rio for the first time and there was a peaceful protest going on and that protest quickly descended into violence when the riot police crashed with those protesters who were there protesting over the lack of infrastructure in the city.
They were fired on with rubber bullets actually and tear gas by the riot police on that occasion. Now, the final day of the torch's journey is today, and that will continue up until the Maracana stadium.
It's meant to pass -- go pass the Sugarloaf Mountain here, the Christ the Redeemer statue before it comes to rest at the Maracana.
And we did have welcome scene. Just a couple of hours ago, pass a live location here, the torch came by. And there were a couple of thousand people lining the streets here, cheering, it was clearly very important for them to witness this moment.
And I'm hoping we're all hoping that there's a slight changing in the mood now. Because for the first time tonight, it really felt like this was an Olympic experience to look forward to.
ALLEN: That's good to know. Usually the torch doesn't have to go through such things to get into a city and light the Olympics. But Brazil has had a tough go of it with different opinions on these games.
But, yes, hopefully their opening ceremonies will go smoothly and the big flame will be lit.
Christina Macfarlane, covering it for us there again. Nice to see you. Thanks so much, Christina.
Well, as we mentioned, Brazil hoping for a safe and secure Olympic Games. Officials have held numerous safety drills leading up to the games as we have broadcast for you to make sure emergency teams are ready with just hours remaining before the Olympic caldron is lit.
Our Rosa Flores has more on how they've been preparing.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Military firefighters are called to duty for the final rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. It's the last opportunity to test protocols before the main event and the fire brigade colonel in charge of safety invites CNN to put them to the test.
The first goal, he says, arriving to Maranaca Stadium from the fire station in five minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a good way to check if everything is OK.
FLORES: A few minutes in, military soldiers are along the route just as planned.
The dozens of firefighters roll into Maracana Stadium just in time, but...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some stuff that you like to see better at the opening ceremony.
FLORES: Like what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we need to have our motorcycles inside of the caravan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: He says motorcycles are key in the case of a road block because they can weed through traffic to provide first aid. But this is an interagency effort involving military police and the City of Rio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: So, you are waiting the city to close the road?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. In two minutes.
FLORES: The clock ticks away and the road is not blocked as planned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: The firefighters communicated with the City of Rio, which is in the protocol and asked them, can we step in and do the job for you? And that's exactly what happened.
With the road blocked, the colonel makes his way around the stadium and points out one more thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:10:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that van they put on this on the left, not on the right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Emergency vehicles, he says, needs to be with parked on the left lane. As he completes the walk through, the ambulances and soldiers supporting the effort are in the right place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So far so good, but as I told you, there is a possibility to get it better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: A satisfactory safety drill on the outside. As for the rehearsal on the inside, that is a guarded secret.
Rose Flores, CNN, Rio de Janeiro. ALLEN: We turn to other news now. Egypt says it has killed the leader
of an ISIS affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula. The army says its air strikes also took out more than 45 insurgents and a stockpile of ammunition.
The terror group had claimed responsibility for a number of attacks when Egyptian security forces and bombing a major gas pipeline.
The U.S. president says it's only a matter of time until ISIS is defeated. After meeting with his National Security Council Thursday, Barack Obama said the terror group is losing territory in Syria and Iraq and that ISIS militants are now focusing on directing and inspiring attacks elsewhere.
Mr. Obama also spoke about Donald Trump and about a controversial cash transfer to Iran.
Michelle Kosinski has the details from the White House.
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Obama defended his ISIS strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: ISIL has not a major successful offensive operation in either Syria or Iraq in for a year. Even ISIL's leaders know they're going to keep losing.
And their message to followers they're increasingly acknowledging that they may lose Mosul and Raqqa. And ISIL was right. They will lose them.
And we'll keep hitting them and pushing them back and driving them out until they do. In other words, ISIL turns out not to be invincible, they are, in fact, inevitably going to be defeated.
KOSINSKI: He pushed back against critics who called the $400 million cash payment to Iran ransom payment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We have a policy that we don't pay ransom. And the notion that we would somehow start now, in this high profile way and announce it to the world, even as we're looking into the faces of other hostage family -- families whose loved ones are being held hostage and say to them that we don't pay ransom defies logic.
The reason that we had to give them cash is precisely because we are so strict in maintaining sanctions and we do not have a banking relationship with Iran that we couldn't send them a check. And we could not wire the money.
And it is not at all clear to me why it is that cash as opposed to a check for a wire transfer has made this into a new story.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KOSINSKI: The president weighing in once again on the 2016 presidential race and calling out Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I've made this point already, multiple times.
Just listen to what Mr. Trump has to say and make your own judgment with respect to how confident you feel about his ability to manage things like our nuclear triad.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: With respect, sir, it suggests that you're not confident.
OBAMA: I obviously have a very strong opinion about the two candidates who are running here. One is very positive and one is not so much. This is serious business.
And the person who is in the Oval Office and who our secretary of defense and joint chiefs of staff and our outstanding men and women in uniform report to, they are counting on somebody who has the temperament and good judgment to be able to make decisions to keep America safe.
And that should be very much on the minds of voters when they go into the voting booth in November.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: The president also took on Donald Trump's recent statements that he's worried the upcoming election could be rigged. At times, the president seemed to mock this assertion, using words like "ridiculous and conspiracy theories."
And in that statement that you just heard, the president, in response to Barbara Starr's question over whether the president has worries that Donald Trump is not fit to handle America's nuclear weapons if he was president.
President Obama kept referring back to what he had had said two days ago when he said that Donald Trump was unfit to be president and was woefully unprepared for the job.
So, even though we he didn't technically answer Barbara's question, he made his intent very clear.
[03:15:03] Michelle Kosinski, CNN, the White House.
ALLEN: More about Donald Trump and his candidacy coming up here. His fight with the Khan family has voters concerned. We'll see how the feud is affecting his poll numbers in the race with Hillary Clinton.
Also ahead here, a fatal stabbing puts London on edge. What investigators are learning about the 19-year-old suspect in a senseless crime.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: And welcome back to CNN Newsroom.
Turkey has issued a new arrest warrant for exiled cleric Fettuleh Gulen. The government accuses the 75-year-old imam who lives in the U.S. of organizing last month's military coup. The brutal crackdown that followed led to the arrests of thousands of soldiers, judges and teachers.
Gulen is dismissing this saying, quote, "I have repeatedly condemned the coup attempt in Turkey and denied any knowledge or movement. This warrant is yet another example of President Erdogan's drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy."
[03:20:06] People living in the Syrian City of Aleppo say food is dangerously scarce and bombs keep raining down. The government has stepped up its campaign against rebels for control of the city.
Senior international correspondent, Arwa Damon has the latest.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What you see, that's all that's left in what was one of Aleppo's busiest markets. Children somehow still managing to smile peddle bags of salt. But gone are the brightly colored stacks of fruits and vegetables. Most basic food staples, hard to find.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): For 11 days we haven't had bread in the house. We come to the market and there's nothing to buy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAMON: The cost of tomatoes is found has quadrupled. Gasoline is a small fortune. Opposition held Aleppo is being suffocated as the world watches.
The Syrian regime says it has opened humanitarian corridors to allow people to flee. State TV airing these images. But only a minute fraction of the two to 300,000 people living under siege are reported to have left. And no aid has come in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABU NZAR FIRAS, ALEPPO RESIDENT (TRANSLATED): These are imaginary corridors, false corridors, only to show the international community that they are working on humanitarian issues with the Russian side. Everyone who went there found out that they are very dangerous for crossing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAMON: The vast majority would rather risk the bombs than take a chance on trusting the government. And for many fleeing their lands would be the ultimate defeat. Attempts by rebel fighters to break the siege have resulted in some of
the fiercest clashes to date. Even children are joining in, helping to burn tires to obscure the view of aircraft circles overhead.
But this is a war with no boundaries, no mercy, no way to hide. Dark echoes of past atrocities the world swore never to allow again.
Aleppo is a test for humanity, the head of the U.N. backed humanitarian task for Syria told CNN. So far, it's a test humanity is failing.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
ALLEN: The London police say the victim from Wednesday's stabbing attack was a U.S. woman who had been traveling with her husband, a university professor. She's been identified as 64-year-old Darlene Horton.
The pair was set to head back to their home in Florida on Thursday. Police do have a suspect in custody.
Here is Phil Black from London.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The scene of a violent frenzied attack, police say one man ran along this path stabbing and cutting people randomly.
An American woman in her 60s died here. A witness told us she collapsed after she was stabbed in the back. Five other people were injured.
The earliest police statements acknowledged the possibility this was a terrorist attack, but another theory began building momentum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ROWLEY, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER: Early indications suggest mental health a significant factor in this case and that is one major line of inquiry.
But, of course, at this stage, we should keep an open mind regarding motive and consequently, terrorism as a motivation remains but one line of inquiry for us to explore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: This part of London around Russell Square has known terror before. July 7, 2005, suicide bombers struck a nearby bus and underground train as well as other targets across the city. The police response to this latest violence shocks locals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the recent attacks in the rest of Europe apply everyone on high alert and I think that there is a lot more anxiety running through London right now. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: Police arrive six minutes after the first emergency calls. They use a taser to bring down the man with a knife. Working through the night, homicide and anti-terror police confirmed he's a Norwegian national of Somali descent. A troubled man with mental health issues but not an extremist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLEY: So far, we have found no evidence of radicalization that would suggest the man in our custody is in any way motivated by terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: The police say they had to acknowledge the possibility that this was terrorism because of the nature of the attack, the security climate in Europe. Because it proved to be an unrelated tragic event that has only brought more fear to a city that was already on edge.
The authorities here hope at least that the quick, effective response by police will go some way towards easing those ongoing public concerns.
Phil Black, CNN, London.
ALLEN: London's Mayor Sadiq Khan is working to reassure people the city is safe. He spoke with CNN earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:25:07] SADIQ KHAN, LONDON MAYOR: Let's be clear. One of the aims of the terrorists, one of the aims of the bad people is to terrorize us and to change the way we lead our lives.
So, we stop using public transport, we stop mingling and befriend in people from different backgrounds. You know, people who are Muslims or Hindus or Sikhs or Buddhist or Christians or Jews, for those who are members of an organize faith, they don't want us to mix and be friends and to marry into each other's families and to work for each other.
They want us to stay home and be coward and what's really important is we don't let them succeed. But at the same time, we got a responsibility to keep ourselves safe. We mustn't be complacent or reckless. And it's a fine line to walk.
And, you know, I join the police commissioner in sending that message that you know, when you look at Nice, Paris, Brussels, Munich, and other parts of the parts of the world, Istanbul, it is a question of, I'm afraid, you know, when or if because I wouldn't want anyone to think we're complacent or we're smug.
I announced with the commissioner early this week, the good news and is good news that there are more response teams in London making sure that they were working with many, many, many unarmed officers to keep us safe.
And, you know, what police back and said, the police service in London, the security services can only do their job if the public is confident to come forward and report things.
That's why it's really important I'm here reassuring your view is who maybe tourist wanting to come to London or business people who want to have business in London or students, that we are still one of the safest cities in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Mayor Khan says he's also sending a message to anyone trying to sow the seeds of division and hatred in the city, he says simply, "we won't let you."
Donald Trump's missteps are hurting him in the latest national polls. Ahead, hear how his running mate is trying to smooth things over.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: Welcome back to our viewers around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom live from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories.
Thousands of Olympic athletes from around the world are eagerly awaiting the opening ceremonies of the Rio games. Now less than 16 hours away.
Olympic officials have cleared 271 Russian athletes to compete, 118 others were deemed ineligible after allegations of Russian-state sponsored doping.
London police say the woman killed in Wednesday's knife stabbing attack is American Darlene Horton, a 64-year-old, wife of a university professor.
A 19-year-old man is being held on suspicion of murder. Police say mental health issues may have trigged the attack.
The U.S. president says a cash transfer of $400 million to Iran was not ransom for the release of four Americans prisoners. Barack Obama says the payment settled a decades-old arms deal that was not completed. Obama says the transfer was made public months ago.
Two new polls for the U.S. presidential race are giving Hillary Clinton very good news. The democrats lead over republican rival Donald Trump is growing.
Clinton has 15 points over Trump in the latest McClatchy/Marist survey. It was conducted after Trump's verbal war with the Muslim parents of a dead American war hero.
Clinton's lead is slightly less than a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll but still nine points ahead of Trump and mirrors a CNN/ORC survey earlier this week. Trump's refusal to endorse top republicans for re-election has added
to the turmoil in his campaign. His running mate, Mike Pence, is supporting those candidates.
Jason Carroll has more on Trump's struggle to get back on track.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump looking to steady his campaign after several rocky days by taking aim at Hillary Clinton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary Clinton, furthermore, can never be trusted with national security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: And attacking the Obama administration's $400 million payment to Iran, but still repeating the false claim that he saw video of the transferred taking place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The tape was made, right? You saw that with the airplane coming in. Nice plane, and the airplane coming in and the money coming off, I guess, right? That was given to us, has to be by the Iranians, and you know why the tape was given to us? Because they want to embarrass our country. They want to embarrass our country, and they want to embarrass our president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: This as the GOP nominee tries to reassure voters and republican leaders wary of his recent series of missteps that his campaign is moving in the right direction, helping him make the case, a big July fund-raising hall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Eighty or $82 million, we're raising a lot of money for the Republican Party, but small contributions, I think it was $61 each.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Trump's running mate, Mike Pence broke ranks with him when he strongly endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan Wednesday, a day after Trump said he was not ready to do so.
Ryan today shrugged off Trump's non-endorsement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL RYAN, U.S. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The only endorsements that I want are those of my own employers here in the first congressional district.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CARROLL: Ryan also opening the door of potentially not backing Trump in the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN: None of these things are ever blank checks and that goes with any situation in any kind of race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: There was also new evidence of frustration with Trump's candidacy among republican, Colorado Congressman Mike Coffman who is facing a tough re-election released a TV ad vowing to take on Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE COFFMAN, COLORADO CONGRESSMAN: So, if Donald Trump is the president I'll stand up to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: A fresh round of poll numbers today show Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump in three key states, up nine points in Michigan, 13 points in Pennsylvania, and 15 points in New Hampshire, where that deficit could also spell trouble for republican Senator Kelly Ayotte's re-election bid.
But Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort says the dip is no surprise.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL MANAFORT, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: We had a bounce. We knew that the democrats would have a bounce.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: At one point a group of protestors stood up during the rally all of them holding pocket versions of the U.S. Constitutions. Of course, this in reference to Khizr Khan who held up his pocket version of the Constitution during the DNC, during the Democratic National Convention asking Trump if he's ever read it.
[03:34:58] But once again, these people were escorted out of the rally and Trump just moved on, continued to focus on the issues, continue to hammer away at Hillary Clinton.
And this is the version of Donald Trump people say they need to see going forward. They say he was much more presidential today. This is the Trump that they want to see going forward in the campaign.
Jason Carroll, CNN, Portland, Maine.
ALLEN: Trump can count on Dirty Harry's support. Actor Clint Eastwood says Trump has his vote, even if he really isn't a fan of Trump's.
Brynn Gingras explains. BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may not be a full endorsement, but with we certainly know who Clint Eastwood wants in the White House.
In an interview with Esquire magazine, the Hollywood's tough guy takes a political hard line scolding, well, society. Eastwood says "Trump is on to something because secretly everybody is getting tired of political correctness. Kissing up, that's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now. Everybody is walking on egg shells."
The controversial comments seem to come under the heading of nostalgia for the 86-year-old actor. But they echoed some pockets of present day voters and some Trump supporters across the country calling for a simpler time.
Critics say they are just plain racist. Eastwood says when he was growing up, you could say a lot more and not be called racist. That's why Trump will get his vote in November, because the billionaire real estate mogul is the opposite of P.C.
"What Trump is onto is he's just saying what's on his mind," Eastwood said in the interview. Esquire writer Michael Hainey spoke with Brooke Baldwin about the parallels between both men.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL HAINEY, ESQUIRE MAGAZINE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: I think he must be practicing the Clint Squint. You know, this sort of tough guy adaptation. But Clint is a guy who he just sort of calls it like it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: The blunt opinion is not unusual for the conservative actor who notoriously talked to an empty chair during his 2012 republican convention speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR: You know, what do you mean shut up?
GINGRAS: He's not alone. Other Hollywood types have evoked the same rugged spirit of America Jon Voight, Duck Dynasty's Willie Robertson and Scott Baio who stumped for Trump this year in Cleveland.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT BAIO, ACTOR & TRUMP SUPPORTER: Folks, our country right now is in a very bad spot. You can feel it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: Back to Eastwood, he called both presidential candidates "boring," in the interview. But in the end favors Trump over Clinton because, quote, "She's declared that she's going to follow in Obama's footsteps." Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York,
ALLEN: A lake enhanced tornado damaged buildings near New Orleans today. Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us to help explain what that is. I got to tell you, Derek, I've never heard of a lake enhanced tornado.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You probably didn't know that, Natalie, that a lake can actually spin up a monster like this. Behind me, scary moments for the residents and tourists who visit New Orleans because this video was captured only a few blocks away from the famous Bourbon Street. You may have heard of that. The French quarter.
Lots of people visiting that particular location. And check out some of the damage that this funnel cloud and twister created. It actually leveled about six buildings.
Unfortunately, there were two injuries out of this. You can see some of the familiar sights behind me, some of those narrow roadways, downtown New Orleans near at the French quarter.
Now there were total of seven tornados that took place across the United States. One of them happened to be in New Orleans. And by the way, the entire State of Louisiana averages only one tornado throughout the entire month of August and it happened to take place yesterday. You saw the video just a moment ago. But, again, across the country, seven tornados.
So, something very unique is taking place in Louisiana, specifically across the New Orleans region. And here it is. We've got quite an interaction between the land and the water.
We've got Lake Pontchartrain, which is to the north of the city center of New Orleans. And we also have the Gulf of Mexico to the south and the southeast.
We get the cool lake and ocean waters interacting with the relatively warmer -- the land surface that heats up when we get the daytime sunshine and we get all kinds of microclimates that take place.
So, we get a temperature difference that creates this wind that eventually can easily be spun up by that interaction between the land and the ocean and eventually a tornado can drop from those thunderstorm clouds that happen to form.
That's what took place right near the city center of New Orleans. Convective thunderstorms developing from that collision of air masses. Here is the radar image from that particular moment in time.
New Orleans, right there. There's Lake Pontchartrain. The initial band of thunderstorms helping with outflow boundaries moving across the lake. That interactive right with that land mass there near the city center and, unfortunately, we saw our tornado.
[03:39:57] And by the way, Natalie, this can happen across many parts of the world, including the Great Lakes near Michigan and Ohio, as well as let's say the Adriatic Sea if you're located near the coast of Croatia or perhaps into Italy.
So that gives it more of an international perspective. So, people near big bodies of water need to watch out for this particular phenomenon. Interesting, Natalie?
(CROSSTALK)
ALLEN: Yes, it doesn't seem fair, though, to New Orleans which has to deal with hurricanes on occasions.
(CROSSTALK)
DAM: They have had it rough, haven't they?
ALLEN: Tornadoes as well. All right. Derek, thank you.
DAM: You're welcome.
ALLEN: Three hundred people survived a fiery airplane crash landing in Dubai. Coming up, we'll hear from one passenger who tell us what he thinks saved his life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: That right there, student protesters clashing with its police in Santiago, Chile, the capital. Protesters threw rocks, police responded with tear gas and water cannon.
The government plan to increase pay for teachers, but students say the reform don't go far enough. They've been demonstrating for years, demanding an end to tuition.
The Dubai airport is returning to normal after an Emirates plane went up in flames Wednesday. Here is dramatic video from inside the jet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go, go, go, leave your things behind. Jump as right (Ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: You can hear the flight crew urging people to escape. Some were trying to get their bags and they were saying, "everyone off." Within minutes, everyone was off the plane.
Our Jon Jensen spoke with the man on board who is grateful he survived.
JON JENSEN, CNN PRODUCER: A terrifying landing in Dubai for the 300 passengers and crew on Emirates flight 521. Abraham Thomas was on board the plane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABRAHAM THOMAS, EMIRATES 51 PASSENGER: I cannot imagine I'm still alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JENSEN: The 57-year-old says everything was normal on the approach until the plane began to lift.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:45:01] THOMAS: All of a sudden, I noticed that, again, the flight take off. I wondered why is this happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JENSEN: It then slammed into the ground. Thomas says he saw the right engine break away and then fire. The Boeing 777 skidded to what he says felt like minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENSEN: What was going through your mind at that point?
THOMAS: I thought, you know, that this end of my life. In split of a second, I took my mobile. I thought if I rang up my wife and say this is the last call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JENSEN: Thomas decided, instead, to get out. He rushed to the middle of the plane through a scene of panic that someone else captured on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: And I noted panic, panic, crying a lot of those small kids, everybody was crying. You can't imagine when life is going to be end.
JENSEN: Thomas fell off the escape slide, pounding into the tarmac and injuring his arm. But amazingly, everyone on board managed to escape with no serious injuries.
THOMAS: Now I think that God is with me. God is with me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JENSON: The crew, he says, waited until each passenger got off before saving themselves. Thomas lost everything he had on board, saving his passport, boarding pass, and most importantly, he says, his life.
Jon Jensen, CNN, Dubai.
ALLEN: Insecticide spraying is underway in a U.S. county where Zika cases were reported. Florida's Miami-Dade County says it's covered 25 square kilometers to drive out mosquitoes. Fifteen people in the state have contracted Zika locally.
And the U.S. president says funding now is needed to prevent more infections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The money that we need to fight Zika is rapidly running out. The situation is getting critical. I want to urge the American people to call their members of Congress and tell them to do their job. Deal with this threat, help protect the American people from Zika.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: California is now reporting that two infants were born there with Zika-related birth defects. The mothers had traveled to a Zika affected countries.
The Zika threat is also being felt in Brazil. The virus has force some families to delay having children for fear of possible birth defects.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more on the precautions people are now taking.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN'S CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: All across Salvador, Brazil rooms sit empty like this one, no sign of the child Ana Cassia hope to have.
Is it tough to see this room empty? They were high school sweethearts and children were always part of the
plan. But it was late last year when Anna and Alberto decided the time was finally right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANA CASSIA MIRANDA, FAMILY PLANNING BECAUSE OF ZIKA (TRANSLATED): We were planning to get pregnant this year, but because of Zika, we decided to wait more. There isn't much we can do it about it and it worries us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: You see when a link between Zika and birth defects became clearer, the Brazilian government gave a stern and heartbreaking warning. Don't get pregnant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: So, these are the -- these are the tanks?
GENEVIEVE COELHO, IVI SALVADOR DIRECTOR: These are the tanks that we keep the embryos. The eggs and the semen.
GUPTA: So, Ana's embryos are in one of these tanks?
COELHO: Yes, sure.
GUPTA: Dr. Genevieve Coelho has been a fertility doc in Salvador for 10 years. She first saw Ana a year ago for help with fertility, but then Zika started to spread. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COELHO: And then I suggested to her, OK, freeze your embryos and then later, when there is like a solution or a light at the ends of the tunnel with all these things with the Zika virus, you can decide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: At a cost of around $8,000, this is not an option for most of the population here where the average income is just a few hundred dollars a month. And many don't have access to birth control.
For most people, like Bruno and Vanessa, delaying is the only option. For the time being, they're also living with an empty room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: How long will you wait? What's next for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope with all the research and people studying it, with it gets better in about two or three years.
GUPTA: Two or three years, you can wait that long?
VANESSA NIEVES, DELAYING PREGNANCY BECAUSE OF ZIKA (TRANSLATED): I will try. It's already been really hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: It is difficult to imagine entire towns, even countries, with hardly any new babies for two years. Hard to imagine the loss economically, socially, culturally. No babies crying or laughing.
In the meantime, rooms will stay empty, even as names are already chosen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIEVES (TRANSLATED): The child isn't even born but she has a name. The girl is going to be named Valentina.
GUPTA: You already have names picked out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
[03:50:01] GUPTA: You're confident that you will have a baby one day?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so sure. I'm really confident that this home will soon have three people in here instead of two. It's just a matter of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Salvador, Brazil.
ALLEN: A seductive song once made people around the world fall in love with a girl from Ipanema. We'll meet the Brazilian inspiration for that tune and learn about the torch she's carrying.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPODENT: I'm Amara Walker. And this is your aiming for gold update.
Good news for Russia. The Russian Olympic chief says at least 271 Russian athletes have been given the green light to compete in Rio. The country has been unshared in a large scale doping scandal since last year.
Among those, not clear to compete, though, 67 of 68 track and field athletes.
Members of the first ever Olympic refugee team received a warm welcome in the athlete's village. Hundreds of athletes from other countries joined in a special ceremony that included dance, music and, of course, photos.
The 10-member refugee team will compete under the Olympic flag. And the Olympic torch is making its way around Rio, one of Brazil' surfing legends even took the torch out on the wave. It was a symbolic move for the athlete as the IOC just announced that surfing would be added to the Olympic starts starting in 2020.
And the Rio 2016 organizing committee says it has reached its target for ticket sales 6.1 million tickets have been made available to the public, and so far 80 percent of them have been solve. Don't have yours yet? Well, there are still 1.2 million tickets up for grabs.
That's your aiming for gold update. I'm Amara Walker.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: She was tall, and tan, and young and lovely. But the girl from Ipanema was not just bossa nova jazz classic hit in the '60s. She was based on a real Brazilian woman.
And now, that Brazilian woman is going to carry the Olympic torch in a few hours. Imagine the people she passes when they realize it's her.
Shasta Darlington helps us meet the woman from Ipanema.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
[03:55:08] SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The girl from Ipanema is now the grandmother from Ipanema.
Helo Pinheiro was the inspiration for the iconic Brazilian hit "The Girl From Ipanema."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
When you hear that song, what does it make you feel?
HELO PINHEIRO, INSPIRATION FROM THE SONG GIRL FROM IPANEMA: I'm still so happy because I remember my past. I remember when I was young. Because now I am a grandmother. No more the girl.
DARLINGTON: Back in the 60s, she caught the eye of bossa nova song writer Antonio Jobim and poet Vinicius Moraes as she walked by on the way to the beach.
The reason you were the inspiration for this song, can you show us how the girl from Ipanema used to walk to the beach every day?
PINHEIRO: Oh, I think because the sound and swing that all the Brazilian people had.
DARLINGTON: On Friday, she'll carry the Olympic torch through her childhood neighborhood.
PINHEIRO: The people are so happy. And now, they're linked. Now it's a big party.
DARLINGTON: Yes.
PINHEIRO: I think we are more anxious, more happy.
DARLINGTON: And at night, Gisele Bundchen will play her in the opening ceremony.
PINHEIRO: Oh, I think she's beautiful. She's young. And for me, it's so nice.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
DARLINGTON: The awe-inspiring walk popularized in England by Frank Sinatra.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: She's still got it and we'll see her in a few hours.
Thanks for watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Natalie Allen. We have more coming for you next. Max Foster will join us from London.
[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
