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Olympics Kick Off With Spectacular Opening Ceremony Amid Protests And Fears Of Zika; Bar Fire In France Leaves A Dozen People Dead; Hillary Clinton Tries To Clarify Statements About Her E-Mail Saga; Trump Endorses House Speaker Paul Ryan. Aired 2-2:30a ET
Aired August 06, 2016 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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NATALIE ALLEN, HOST: Amid protests, fears of Zika and other problems, the Olympics kick off with a spectacular opening ceremony.
Yet another tragedy in France after a fire at a bar leaves at least a dozen people dead. We'll talk to a reporter on the scene there.
And on the rocky road to the White House, Hillary Clinton try to clarify her statement on the e-mails saga, while Donald Trump decides to endorse house speaker Paul Ryan after quite a week in his campaign.
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ALLEN: It's all ahead here on "CNN Newsroom." We're live in Atlanta. Thanks for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen.
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ALLEN: Let the games begin. The summer Olympics in Rio are officially under way after a festive opening ceremony. More than 11,000 athletes marched through Maracana Stadium country by country in the parade of nations. Capping the night, Brazilian bronze medalist marathoner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron.
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ALLEN: CNN's Christina MacFarlane is in Rio, she has more for us on the opening night festivities.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a week dominated by the Russian doping scandal protests and problems finally, it was time to on focus on the sort and the coming together of thousands of athletes. And it all went off without a hitch.
In front of a crowd of 80,000 and 3 billion people watching around the world, Brazil put on a flamboyant feast for the eyes with a homage to legends of Brazil past and present.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MACFARLANE: One of the stand out moments of the night came not from an athlete but a super model. Brazil's Gisele Bundchen striding across the stage to the sound of the Bossa Nova classic "The Girl from Ipanema."
And then came the athletes from over 200 countries. Michael Phelps stylish in red, white and blue leading the U.S. Contingent followed by the Russians, a bitter sweet moment that raised a cheer from the crowd amid the controversial cloud of doping.
One of the biggest cheers of the night, however, was reserved for the refugee team, a first in Olympic history and a moment who none who witnessed it will forget. Finally, the moment we've been waiting for three Brazilian Olympic legends combined to light the cauldron. Vanderlei de Lima the man who was poised to win gold during the marathon in Athens but was attacked by a spectator now getting his moment in the Olympic spotlight.
The ceremony is over. Let the games begin.
Christina MacFarlane, CNN, RIO.
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ALLEN: People that couldn't get inside to watch the opening ceremony went downtown to watch and Shasta Darlington was there, too.
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SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The excitement and the enthusiasm finally building around these Olympics. We have thousands packed in to this square in downtown Rio all here to watch the opening ceremony for free on giant screens.
Plenty of Brazilian flags but also American flags, Argentine flags in what have been really troubled Olympics up until now but you're beginning to feel that Olympic spirit. This is in fact one of the main legacies of these Olympic Games. This was an area that used to be a highway overpass literally blown up to create a cultural hub with museums, there's space for people to come and to hear music, to eat at food trucks and now enjoying it as the main fan zone or live site for the Olympic Games.
We expect to see people coming back here again and again enjoying not only the opening ceremony but the competitions. And this will be a real measure of whether or not Brazilians can begin to feel that Olympic spirit in a time when the country is in its second year of recession has seen terrible political chaos with the latest polls showing that in fact 2/3 of Brazilians think that these Olympics could bring more harm than good. It's this kind of a show that is finally beginning to lift the spirits.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: Shasta mentioning there the problems leading up to these Olympics. And there was a protest that turned nasty ahead of the opening ceremony there in Rio.
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ALLEN: Protesters burned a Rio 2016 t-shirt and the Brazilian flag outside the Meracana Stadium. Riot police later used tear gas to disperse crowds.
Earlier, protesters forced the Olympic torch to take a different route as it went through the Copacabana beach front. The protest was against Brazil's government and the interim President.
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ALLEN: Within hours, 12 medals will be awarded on what's officially known as day one of competition.
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ALLEN: The first gold medal is in shooting; the women's 10 meter air rifle. China dominates that sport in world rankings. Three time Tour de France champion Chris Froome will try to win gold in the men's cycle road race. He has described the course as savage. And swimming kicks off in the evening with four gold medals up for grabs.
You can keep up with all the news out of Rio at cnn.com/Olympics. Our website has the latest on the athletes, the venues and the competition. CNN.com/Olympics.
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ALLEN: We the turn now to France. At least 13 people are dead after a bar fire in the Rouen in the north of the country.
For more, I'm joined now on the phone by (Carolyn inaudible) with our affiliate BFM, she's there where the fire occurred. (Carolyn), can you describe the scene for us.
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(CAROLYN) BFM REPORTER: Yes what we know so far is that the fire broke out in the bar here in the city of (inaudible) that's where I'm standing right now and there is broken glass everywhere. Perimeter, security perimeter around that bar, but the street is now reopened for the cars.
It happened in the middle of the night in the Cuba Libre and it's completely destroyed when you look at it. Police units were called and firefighters intervened very quickly, according to the authorities, to rescue people who were in that bar. There were about 50 men from the fire emergency units tried to extinguish the fire. Bernard Cazeneuve the French Interior Minute confirmed that at least
13 people are dead and six other people are injured. They were taken to the hospital, one of them is fighting for his life as we speak with serious injuries. A psychological emergency unit also has been opened at the hospital for families in shock and people who have seen what happened who witnessed what happened and need to talk about it with some doctors.
ALLEN: And as they talk, Carolyn, are we learning anything more about what was behind this, because there have been some reports from local media that an explosion led to the fire. Have you heard that?
(CAROLYN): Yes, that's what local media reported, but that has not been confirmed by the authorities as we speak. Local media also reported that there was a birthday party last night here in the basement of that bar of the Cuba Libre with young people attending. And that some of the victims were young adults, between 18 and 25 years old. But that information, as I was saying, still needs to be confirmed. But it appears and the official that the fire was accidental, that the police have to determine the cause of that disaster now, how it really started.
ALLEN: All right. Well, those are questions that need to be answered. 13 people dead there in that French bar. Carolyn (inaudible) for us, thank you so much.
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ALLEN: At least 42 fans left a concert in Camden, New Jersey with injuries Friday.
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ALLEN: The Camden Fire Department says a large piece of fencing collapsed sending dozens of people over a ledge. Rapper Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa were performing at the time.
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ALLEN: Amateur video purportedly shot in the Syrian province of Aleppo shows a school reduced to rubble by recent air strikes.
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ALLEN: A man in the vide claims that they are Russian attacks and that two homes were also hit killing an entire family. Another video purportedly shot in homes shows the once bustling city in ruins.
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ALLEN: Hillary Clinton attempts damage control. Next, hear why she says she may have short circuited early responses about her e-mails.
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ALLEN: Plus, Donald Trump changes his mind after a tumultuous week. We'll have the latest on the campaign trail as we push on here on "CNN Newsroom."
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ALLEN: U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton admits she may have short circuited some answers about her email scandal. She spent time Friday trying to explain. Suzanne Malveaux has that from Washington.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America is better than Donald Trump.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hillary Clinton laying into Donald Trump at a conference for black and Hispanic journalists in Washington.
CLINTON: We need to stand up as a country and say that Donald Trump doesn't represent who we are and what we believe.
MALVEAUX: Clinton was asked about her claim in a pair of recent interviews that FBI Director James Comey said her public answers about her e-mails were truthful. Here's what she told Fox News Sunday.
[CHRIS] FOX NEWS HOST: After a long investigation FBI Director James Comey said none of those things that you told the American public were true.
TRUMP: [Chris], that's not what I heard Director Comey say. And I thank you for giving me the opportunity to in my view clarify. Director Comey said that my answers were truthful and what I said is consistent with what I have told the American people.
MALVEAUX: That statement which she repeated in another interview Wednesday ruled false by fact checkers. Clinton tried to clarify those comments referring specifically to what Comey said about her FBI testimony.
CLINTON: I was pointing out in both of those instances that Director Comey had said that my answers in my FBI interview were truthful. That's really the bottom line here. I may have short circuited it and for that I will you know try to clarify because I think, you know (Chris Wallace) and I were probably talking past each other because of course he could only talk to what I had told the FBI and I appreciated that.
MALVEAUX: Clinton addressed questions about her struggles with voters who do not see her as honest and trust worthy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How would you lead a nation where a majority of Americans mistrust you.
CLINTON: Every time I have done a job people have counted on me and trusted me. I take it seriously. You know it doesn't make me feel good when people say those things and I recognize that I have work to do.
MALVEAUX : As the Democrat nominee picked up another high profile endorsement. In a New York Times op ed former CIA Director, Mike Morel said he would be voting for Clinton in November and warned of Trump's impact on the world stage saying "Mr. Trump has no experience on national security. Even more important the character traits he has exhibited during the primary season suggest he would be a poor, even dangerous commander-in-chief."
Morel also slammed Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin saying "In the intelligence business we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation."
Nationally Clinton's lead over Trump continues to widen. An upswing helped perhaps by President Obama's rising job approval rating and a positive jobs report.
More good news for Hillary Clinton, a new poll out of Georgia showing that she is four points ahead of Trump of course within the margin of error but this is typically a red state. It is significant, this movement, this development. The last time that Georgia went for a Democratic nominee was bill Clinton back in 1992.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Washington.
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ALLEN: Other polls in swing states are showing a Clinton lead. Trump was ahead weeks ago, but here you can see Clinton has pulled in front in the battleground state of New Hampshire leading by a massive 15 points.
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ALLEN: And in the historically tight and critical state of Florida, Clinton ahead of Trump by six.
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ALLEN: Some of Trump's poor numbers could be attributed to his refusal to endorse top republicans running for re-election.
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ALLEN: He switched course on Friday. Trump announced his support for house speaker Paul Ryan, the country's highest ranking Republican. He also gave his backings to Senators Kelly Ayotte and John McCain while stressing party unity.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In our shared mission to make America great again, I support and endorse our speaker of the house, Paul Ryan. [ applause ] Paul Ryan, good, he's a good man. He's a good man and he's a good guy. I hold in the highest esteem Senator John McCain for his service to our country and I fully support and endorse his re-election.
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ALLEN: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will soon start receiving security briefings containing classified intelligence and a number of people are concerned with Trump's ability to keep the information confidential. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with that.
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BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The plan to give secret intelligence briefings to the presidential candidates isn't new, but the this year, it is different, says former CIA Officer and Briefer David Priess.
DAVID PRIESS, FORMER CIA OFFICER: You have a candidate who seems to say what he thinks without a filter. And on the other hand, you have somebody that the FBI Director has called out publicly for being careless with classified information. We've never had a situation like this before.
STARR: Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton's e-mails scandal the put the country at risk.
TRUMP: And I'm saying, you can't brief her. You can't brief her. Let's protest.
STARR: Democratic leaders have a different solution for Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I said publicly, give him fake briefings.
STARR: But the man in charge, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, is making clear both will be briefed and get exactly the same intelligence.
JAMES CLAPPER, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: It's not up to the administration and certainly not up to me personally to decide on the suitability of the presidential candidate.
STARR: Priess knows the type of secret intelligence Trump and Clinton will receive.
PRIESS: On the one hand it's no kidding classified information including top secret information which, by definition, can cause exceptionally grave damage to national security.
STARR: But there are limits.
PRIESS: It's not the crown jewels. It is not everything about the intelligence sources, the things that would put lives at risk.
STARR: Isis is a likely topic, but only a president elect and a sitting president would be told about covert counterterrorism operations against the group. Trump and Clinton don't need security clearances to attend the briefing, but their aides would. Intelligence experts say Trump may find the briefings a unique new experience.
PRIESS: Donald Trump will present a challenge to a briefer, but a challenge that most briefers that I worked with back in the day would have relished. Here is a chance to try to get a message through to somebody who appears to take information differently than many other people.
STARR: And the candidate who already may mow the most, not Hillary Clinton, but her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine. Kaine is already a member of the senate on services and foreign relations committees and those two positions give him access to current classified information.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
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ALLEN: The party that has ruled South Africa for 22 years is facing its worst electoral defeat sense the end of racial segregation under apartheid.
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ALLEN: Voters and local elections are showing their discontent with the African National Congress or the ANC, that's the party that Nelson Mandela helped build into a national power house. CNN's David McKenzie reports from Johannesburg . DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The election results are a stinging rebuke for the ruling ANC. It's their worst showing for more than two decades in a Democratic South Africa.
The key issue here are the major metropolitan areas, three major cities the ANC was unable to get that majority to rule those cities outright. And most embarrassingly, they lost Nelson Mandela Bay to the opposition Democratic Alliance.
Nelson Mandela of course their most famous struggle icon. It's a different picture in the rural areas. The ANC is still an election juggernaut but many South Africans in the cities are angry at the level of income and equality and the sluggish economy. Youth unemployment is more than 50% in this country.
The ANC now faces tough questions after this election particularly about Jacob Zuma, the country's President. He's been wracked by a series of corruption scandals. Many people right now are blaming him in part for the loss.
David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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ALLEN: Next hear, the story of an Olympic rower once terrified of water but he grew up in a drought stricken village in India.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: We'll have his story for you right after this.
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ALLEN: Part of the Olympics we all love always filled with stories of athletes who've overcome incredible odds to be at these games. CNN's Sumnima Udas has very much a story just like that for us. She talks with a rower who grew up in a dusty Indian village constantly hit with droughts. He says his Olympic quest means so much more than just a shot at a gold medal.
SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He was once terrified of water. He had never seen so much water in his life. But life is strange sometimes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You ready?
UDAS: Call it irony or fate. 25-year-old Dattu Bhokanal is going from a drought-stricken village in western India to Rio de Janeiro. He's the only Indian rower qualify for the 2016 Olympics.
DATTU BHOKANAL, ROWER: (As translated) When I think about how much my life has changed I just laugh. When they told me I'd qualified for the Olympics, I didn't even know what it meant.
UDAS: Dattu drew up in a small village in India's state of Maharasthra one of the worst affected by drought.
BHOKANAL: (As translated) My only dream was to become the best farmer in my village. I wanted to produce the best crop but the lack of water made it very difficult to survive as a farmer.
UDAS: He spent hours every day lugging water from village wells, every drop so precious. This is his home, and inside? He says he lives here with his entire family in this one room and a kitchen over there. He has no running water, no T.V., no refrigerator. This is life.
It's a life he long wanted to overcome. He joined the army, picking up a paddle for the first time in 2012 and the rest, as they say, is history.
Gearing up for the Olympics is no easy feat. Dattu has been going through some intense training, rowing up and down this 2,000 meter stretch and he's looking pretty good. Prioritizing performance over everything else Dattu's personal hardships back home only motivating him to push harder.
BHOKANAL: (As translated) I had so many problems at home. My father is dead. My mother is paralyzed. Our fields are dry, we're in debt. So I need to win to support my family and to have a better life.
UDAS: Rowing, himself, and his family out of poverty Dattu is aiming for gold in Rio. He knows it's a long shot but for his family and drought ridden village, in many ways, he's already won. Sumnima Udas, CNN, Maharasthra, India.
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ALLEN: Heartbreaking stories like that one just get you.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGST: Yes, but how he's overcoming all these odds to -
ALLEN: I know really, it's amazing.
DAM: And really represent India like that. Fantastic.
ALLEN: Derek is here. He's been looking after the weather and you know there've been so many issues leading up to Rio but you're here to say -- DAM: A little bit of positive.
All is good. In fact, we could probably just cruise right to the end credits here of this show because, really, not much to really report on. But I think it's interesting that we look at the climatological average of weather in Rio de Janeiro.
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DAM: Just so they can anticipate what's coming over the next 18 days or so. Of course, we had the opening ceremony earlier this evening and, well, now they're going to get into the heart of the game and there's not really much weather anticipated, at least for the next few days.
But look at what happens over a year span. We actually have August as the driest month in Rio de Janeiro. So I'm pretty sure the Olympic organizing committee had a meteorologist on standby our speed dial on their cell phones and said what's the best month to put this on? And they said august. Because it is pitch perfect in this part of the world. If you've ever been here, you know that because the vistas are just amazing in their own rights.
The sunshine will be overhead and the temperatures will be perfect, as well. Normal average for this time of year, around 28 degrees. It is one of the coolest months of the year. Remember we're in the southern hemisphere, so they're currently in their winter months. The forecast for today, the first day of the actual games will look rather temperate. A few degrees above with average, and blue skies will shine overhead across the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro. And the next five days only calling for a cooling trend by Monday into Tuesday and really our chance of rain doesn't come until the middle of the workweek next week.
Here's a look at the wind forecast, that's not a concern, either. The humidity of course it's a coastal area so a lot of times that could impact some of the athletes as they compete outside. Speaking of outdoor competitions, we've got tennis taking place today. Temperatures looking nice, 29 degrees for that with sunshine overhead. Also, we have swimming and rowing taking place today, so no problems with the weather. In fact just looking absolutely wonderful.
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ALLEN: All right so rowing, we'll be watching and pulling for India.
All right, thanks Derek.
Thanks for watching "CNN Newsroom" I'll be back with our top stories.
