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Japan's Emperor Gives Rare Address To The Nation, Stating Failing Health; Michael Phelps Makes Golden Olympic Return; Russia Vows To Appeal Decision To Ban Its Athletes; Donald Trump Tries To Pivot Conversation To Economy After Week Of Sagging Poll Numbers; Hospital Blast In Northwest Pakistan Kills At Least 25; Thailand Gives Green Light To Military For New Constitution; Tropical Storm Earl Triggers Deadly Landslides In Mexico. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 08, 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] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: A strong hint and a rare address to his nation, Japan's emperor says his health is making it difficult for him to continue fulfilling his duties.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Back on top. Michael Phelps makes a golden return to the pool at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio.
CHURCH: And Donald Trump tried to pivot to the economy after a week of sagging poll numbers and campaign stumbles.
HOWELL: Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Thank you for joining us. This is CNN Newsroom.
HOWELL: Three a.m. on the U.S. East Coast. Japanese Emperor Akihito gave his first public address in years less an hour ago, pointedly, he express concerns about his advancing age and declining health.
CHURCH: He did not directly address any intentions to step down but he came as close as he might within traditional bounds of propriety.
And our Will Ripley is live now in Tokyo. So, Will, Emperor Akihito appears to be preparing the people of Japan for his gradual departure but it may not be an easy matter. Talk to us about what all he had to say.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely right, Rosemary. This is really listening to the emperor speak, you get a sense of how things often work here in Japanese culture where one might express a very strong message without actually coming out and saying I want to step down. I want to abdicate.
The emperor didn't say that but he talk about the fact that his health has been failing. He had surgery for a heart condition and for cancer. He's getting older. He is 82. His wife is 81. They've had to cut 100 meetings off their annual schedule.
And he said importantly, he wants the emperor to be to fully serve the people and wonders if in his advancing age he would be capable of doing that. In other words, a message to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and members of parliament that he would like them to start examining Japanese the law that right now requires the emperor to serve until the day he dies.
Listen to more of the emperor's speech.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AKIHITO, JAPANESE EMPEROR (TRANSLATED): I am holder now of 80 years now and sometimes I feel various kinds of limitations due to physical weakness.
During the past several years, I have looked over the past, I have taken as the emperor and come to think about the desirable roles for me to take or as duties for me to fulfill in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: This is a truly historic speech only the second time that the Emperor Akihito had gone on television to speak to the people directly. The other time was in March of 2011 after the earthquake tsunami and nuclear meltdown.
And then only once before had the emperor ever given an address on mass media that was Emperor Hirohito at the end of World War II announcing that Japan had lost that war.
So, the third time that an emperor has directly address the people and around Tokyo, we saw crowds standing and watching the live event happening on large television monitors taking in the history of this moment.
And this could also trigger a contentious debate that's been going on for quite some time here in Japan about a woman should be allowed to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne, the world's oldest hereditary monarchy.
Because if parliaments starts talking about changing imperial household law, that issue, the gender issue, could also come up, so we have to watch very closely how this all develops.
The Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, just moments ago making a statement that they have heard the emperor and they will start evaluating what steps the government may take.
CHURCH: Right. And it will be interesting to look those steps as well. And worth noting as well that Emperor Akihito is very popular with his people but he has slowly receded to the background and his son is taking on a lot of the roles that he in the past has performed. RIPLEY: Absolutely. Crowned Prince Nahurito already has taken on 100
meetings that the emperor and empress have taken off of their schedule of 250 annual meetings.
He has traveled around the world sometime serving in the capacity of his father if his father was unable to do so.
And the way that the law stands right now. The crowned prince could serve as a region if the emperor would become incapacitated. Emperor Akihito spoke about that in his speech.
But he basically said, why would Japan have to go -- want to go through that when perhaps a new emperor who has full strength could take over now and perform the duties in a better way.
So, again, implying very strongly that he would like to step down without actually coming out and saying it. But yes, this is truly the people's people, Rosemary.
[03:05:01] The simple act of sitting on the floor with the victims after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami was something that touched so many people's hearts. No other emperor would have done that in the past.
CHURCH: Yes, indeed. Extraordinary images of that. We will wait and see. But a very clear message coming from the emperor, no doubt there.
Our Will Ripley joining us just after 4 in the afternoon in Tokyo. Many thanks.
HOWELL: Russia is promising to appeal a decision banning its athletes from competing in next month's Paralympic Games in Rio. That announcement came on a busy second day at the Olympic Games.
CHURCH: Yes. Swimmer Michael Phelps led team U.S.A to gold in the men's 4 by 100-meter freestyle relay winning his 23rd Olympic medal.
HOWELL: In tennis, world number one Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Olympics in the first round by Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro.
CHURCH: And Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten is in intensive care right now after she crashed during the women's road race.
HOWELL: For more on all this, let's go to CNN World Sports, Christina Macfarlane, live for us this hour in Rio. Christina, good to have you with us. So, let's talk about that ban here in a moment. But first, starting with the athlete's day two of competition and some major wins in the pool for the United States.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, that's right, George. As an American you'll be pleased to hear that the USA are topping the middle table tonight only after day two of the competition. And that is due in part t some of the big performances we saw in the pool tonight.
You mentioned Michael Phelps. Well, it was the first glimpse we had of him and it came in the men 4 by the 100-met relay that got underway just a couple of hours ago, and it was the men's first gold in the pool for the United States team.
We weren't sure if Phelps was going to compete. But I tell you it's a good thing he did because in the second lap, he actually managed to pull the team ahead of the defending champions France. And that meant the men could cling on for the gold medal title.
Phelps of course retired from swimming four years ago in London 2012. But I tell you what, the greatest Olympian of all time is certainly back with a bang. Now his 19th gold medal and his 23rd overall.
But the first Olympic gold medal for team USA of the night went to none other than Katie Ledecky. She is said to be the star of this Olympic Games.
We've been talking about her so much in the buildup. She of course won gold four years ago as the 15-year-old, well, now she's back at 19 and she's won her first possibly three individual gold. Tonight, she won the 400 meters freestyle smashing her own world record in the process.
Now you were mentioning there about tennis, not such a good night for the world number in action, Novak Djokovic suffered a stunning collapse in the opening round here of the men singles expressing to Juan Martin del Potro in straight set.
Now we really don't know what happened to Djokovic. He didn't seem to be in self on court. He lost the match. He came up in tears. And, you know, when he comes back in four years' time he's going to be 33-year- old, this could have been maybe his last chance to get the medal.
Also a disappointment as you mentioned as well for the Williams sisters they're out of doubles in the first opening round. So, a bad night all right for the top seats.
HOWELL: Christina, I'd like also just to get some insights and update on Annemiek van Vleuten that nasty accident in women cycling. Do we know how she's doing?
MACFARLANE: Yes, George, we actually had word from the Dutch team not long ago, the incident you are referring to took place earlier today. When the Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten was coming towards the end of the race she was in the lead 10 kilometers left ago and she suffered a terrible crash.
She went over the handle bar of her bike, landed on her head and was knocked unconscious. Now we have heard that she is suffering from a severe concussion. She has three small fractures in her spine. But she is stable and she is awake, but sad to say with severe concussion.
And it shows you, doesn't it exactly what lengths these athletes put themselves through to get a gold medal risking everything here to get ahead of the pack. And suddenly, you know, instances like this do happen as we saw with the French gymnast yesterday who fell and broke his leg on the vault. HOWELL: Let's also talk about this Russian ban on Paralympic
athletes. The IPC rendering a very different, a stronger response some would say than the IOC in this situation. What has been the reaction to Russia's Paralympic athletes being banned?
MACFARLANE: Well, I think the decisions today from the Paralympic committee has been met with some praise but also some tension to some degree.
[03:09:59] It's been met with praise because many people feel that Sir Philip Craven took the lead here where Thomas Bach perhaps should have taken just a few days ago and issuing a blanket ban over Russia's athlete, Paralympic athletes.
But let's not forget as well that this blanket ban also implicate clean athletes, as well as any athletes who are found to be doping. And that's what people are perhaps criticizing the IPC is moved forward today.
However, it's interesting when you look at the stats around the Russian Paralympic athletes and the number of medals they've won between the years of 2010 at the Vancouver Olympics and 2014 in Sochi, they almost doubled their medal counts in that time.
It lifts up from 38 medals in Vancouver to 80 in Sochi. And when I spoke to Philip Craven earlier today, you know, he couldn't hide his displeasure, its anger at what he's -- what he's seen in this evidence of state-sponsored doping.
He said that the Russians were favoring medals over morals and their mentality disgusts him. So, a very different approach from the IOC but one that certainly created many headlines here today.
HOWELL: Four eleven in Rio de Janeiro where Christina Macfarlane is live for us. Christina, thank you very much. And we will see you the next day of competition and what lies ahead for people.
CHURCH: And of course with day two of Olympic competition now in the books. Let's take a look at the medal standing so far. And it's a three-way tie for first.
The United States, China, and Austria all with three gold medals each.
HOWELL: Italy, South Korea and Hungary round out the top six with two gold medal for each country. But when it comes to total number of medals, the United States leads with 12.
CHURCH: Fourteen gold medals are up for grabs Monday. And, Monday, big events to watch the women's 100-meters breaststroke. In fact, one of the Russian swimmers who fought her ban from the game and won.
It's in contention to medal in the event. The women's rugby seventh competition concludes and sailing begins with Rio's water condition still a major concern. The water is said to be contaminated with sewage and dangerous bacteria. And you can keep up with all the news on Rio on our web site, it has
the latest on the athletes, the venues, and of course competition. That's all at cnn.com/olympics.
HOWELL: America's choice 2016. A new week of campaigning in the United States. And republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump will try to keep the focus on the economy this week. He's set to deliver a policy speech in Detroit Monday.
CHURCH: The latest poll shows Trump has an bigger gap to close with Hillary democratic rival Hillary Clinton. She has doubled her lead in the past month to 8 percentage point.
Trump, meanwhile, unleash another personal attack on Clinton questioning her mental health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Unstable, Hillary Clinton and you saw that. Did you saw that where she basically short circuited. The people of this country don't want somebody that's going to short circuit it up here. OK? Not as your president.
(CROWD CHEERING)
Remember, ISIS is looking, folks. This stuff is so amzing. It amazes me, actually, honestly, I don't think she's all there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, Trump did not make public appearances on Sunday. But his surrogates did. Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani said Clinton lied to the mother of the victim in the Benghazi attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: She lied to a Gold Star mother. She lied to Patricia Smith, the mother of Sean Smith who was killed at Benghazi I believe because of her incompetence. Her incompetence in failing to secure that mission. And she died to her on September 14, 2012, right at the coffin, she said it was due to a video.
So, I think that's far more serious or at least she should get as much attention as all the attention that was paid to, you know, the comments who were made about the Khan -- about the Khan family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Now, to the State of Ohio is a key battleground state in the November election. But the state's republican governor is not throwing his support behind the party's nominee.
Former presidential candidate John Kasich spoke with our own Jake Tapper about Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KASICH, OHIO GOVERNOR: I am not endorsing him.
JAKE TAPPER, THE LEAD SHOW HOST: You have not endorsed him, do you know what you are going to do when you go into the voting booth?
KASICH: No, I will still have time. I'll think about it a little bit but not a lot.
TAPPER: Have you ever voted for a democrat for president?
KASICH: No.
TAPPER: you've only voted republican?
KASICH: Yes, I am a republican.
TAPPER: Right.
KASICH: And I have to.
TAPPER: Is it possible that you will not vote for a republican for president.
KASICH: Let's not get ahead for ourselves. This is very disturbing and alarming to me. I shouldn't alarm, it's not alarming. I wish that I could be fully enthusiastic, I can't be.
[03:15:10] HOWELL: Governor John Kasich there speaking to our own Jake Tapper. And just a little later in the program we will have a closer look of what Donald Trump have said about Russian's Vladimir Putin and how Russian reporters knew the possibility of a Trump presidency.
CHURCH: And it's just in to CNN, officials say a blast of the hospital in northwestern Pakistan has killed at least 25 people, at least 30 more were injured when an explosion rocked the building's emergency ward.
Dozens of civilians were gathered at the hospital at the time of that blast and they came to pay respect to a prominent activists whose body had been deliver there after he was shot and killed.
We'll continue to watch the story.
HOWELL: The fight for the Syrian city of Aleppo, it intensifies. The latest on the battle for Aleppo and the city's escalating humanitarian crisis, still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good day to you. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, CNN Weather Watch right now watching the corners of the United States right now for some changing weather.
I want to cross the Northwestern U.S. a little disturbance bringing in some showers across that area of southern British Columbia onto the northwestern U.S. While the other corner being around the Gulf Coast state, pesky disturbance locked in place.
In fact, areas indicated in purple and red show you the deep moisture. You notice it is almost entirely around the Gulf Coast and it stays out there inside the next five days.
So, the model indication at this point puts the rainfall totals near the top of the chart. It's upwards of 250. Some areas could see some as much as 500 millimeters of rainfall in a five days span.
That is about 20 inches of rainfall equivalent to a tropical storm stalling over this region, that's how persistent the moisture flow is going to be out of the Gulf Coast into the Gulf Coast states.
So, we're watching that for some thunderstorms around the Tallahassee region certainly can make other way northward into northern areas of Georgia impacting the Atlanta metro for at least some rainfall later in the week.
But notice the heat is still locked in place with the exception of the northern corners around the northwest. Around the northeast the greens tell you that cooler temperatures are filtering in across that region.
We're also watching what's going on down across the Caribbean. The tropic I should say around portions of the Pacific. Tropical storm Javier is locked in there. Eventually the forecast in occasion is for this to ride up portions of the Baja impacting Cabo later in the week.
CHURCH: Turkey's president says the coup plotters who tried to topple him could pay the ultimate price.
[03:20:01] Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke Sunday to more than one million people at a unity in Istanbul.
HOWELL: The president said that he will approve the death penalty if the parliament votes for it. He also said the failure of the coup attempt shows the country is united. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (TRANSLATED): Who succeeded the independence for the 15th of July shows our friends that this country is together in unity and not just against political diplomatic attacks, why also against the military attacks. And our nation is strong in doing so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The president also vowed to punish supporters of his rival cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Well, Syrian rebel says they have punctured the government siege around the Aleppo.
CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of this video but it reports that it's a rebel troops meeting up with allies after breaking through enemy lines.
HOWELL: Government forces say they are holding strong and no such break has ever happened. The U.N. warns the fighting is causing a humanitarian crisis for some 250,000 civilians that are trapped in that city.
CHURCH: Well, our Fred Pleitgen joins us live now from berlin to discuss more of this. And, Fred, it is very confusing right now what is happening. But who is actually in control at this time in Aleppo, can we work that out?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's very difficult to say at this point in time, Rosemary. But one thing that we are very certain of is that there were some very intense battles that were going on especially in the southwest of Aleppo over the weekend.
Then the most recent report seem to indicate that the rebels which are in alliance of many groups, some of them Islamist, some of them moderate appeared to have punch through government positions in the southwest of the city or to the southwest of the city in a place called Ramouseh.
Now the main battle position that the regime had there was the Ramouseh artillery school which is a Syrian military army position. And it seems as though the rebel forces punch through that line from the outside coming from Idlib province coming from the west but also from the besiege eastern part of Aleppo as well. Most of this happened on late Saturday into early Sunday as the rebel they tried to intensify their grief.
Now, the thing that's going on there is that there are still some heavy air strikes that are being conducted at this point in time. Both by the Syrian air force apparently also by Russian forces as well, to try and dislodge those rebels and to try -- and to try and let the Syrian military gain control again.
The other thing that we also have to mention is that this area has been breached by the rebels is very close to the only supply line that the regime has into their side of Aleppo that they control.
So, now they believe that they could not be on the verge but possibly be in danger of having that line be contested as well. And then the big question is; is aid going to get into Aleppo.
Now it seems as though at this point in time the major aid organizations like, for instance, the United Nation and the international Red Cross have not been able to get any convoys through into the area because simply right now with the air strikes going on, with the battles going on, it is still very dangerous.
It seems as though there might be some local aid from Idlib province few trucks that might have made it through on the weekend, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. And let's talk about those, people trapped in these areas and also progress being made elsewhere. PLEITGEN: Exactly. Different frontlines, it's called Manbij which is
a strategic town that was held by ISIS. And they are pro-American force known as the Syrian democratic forces which is made up mostly of Kurds but also as Arabs in there and also some foreign fighters as well who came there from places like Europe. They're making a lot of progress there.
And the Syrian democratic forces say that they've liberated about 80 to 90 percent of Manbij. The latest that we are hearing is that there are still battles, there are still some small areas that ISIS is still in control of.
The reason why that town is so important, Rosemary, is because it's very close to the Turkish border. It's about 25 kilometers from the Turkish border right in between the Turkish border and ISIS self- declared capital of Raqqa.
So, disrupting that line that route means that ISIS on a very hard time getting new fighters and also new weapons into their self- declared caliphate, so certainly a very, very important battle that's going on. They're possibly one of the most important gains by pro- American forces against ISIS today in Syria, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. And noted. Fred Pleitgen who has reported many times from Syria bringing us up to date from his vantage point there in Berlin. Many thanks to you, Fred.
HOWELL: The Belgian prosecutor said Saturday's machete attack on Belgian police may have been terrorism. The attacker wounded two officers and reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" which in Arabic, "God is greatest."
He was shot and killed. And ISIS claimed that he was one of its soldiers.
[03:25:03] But authorities later said that he was an Algerian national known to police for violent crimes and not for terrorism.
Following this story, CNN's Alexandra Field joins us now live in the French capital. Alexandra, good to have you with us this hour. So, what what more are we hearing from authorities in this in situation.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, we know that a judge specialize in terrorism has been appointed to the case that the federal prosecutor's office is in investigating. And of course that investigation into terrorism linked is triggered by the fact, of course, that you got reports that the suspects are shouting "Allahu Akbar."
And also this claimed made by the ISIS affiliated web site. A mock saying that the assailant in this case was a soldier of the Islamic state.
He carried out attacks over the weekend targeting two female police officers who are outside the police station in Charleroi which is about 30 miles away from Brussels. Authorities say that he was armed with a machete.
Both of the officers suffered severe injuries to their head and their neck before a third officer intervene and killing the suspect. We're told by authorities that the assailant did not have any other weapons on him and that he didn't have any explosives on him.
However, his death and the attack has led to the search of two houses within Belgium that comes on the heels of previous raids. Just a week ago in Belgium, we saw authorities going to eight different houses and they arrested a suspect there who they said was plotting a possible terror attack somewhere in Belgium.
So, this is all part of the ongoing counterterrorism operations that have been triggered after the November Paris terror attacks and after of course those deadly terror attacks in March back on March 22 when 31 people were killed in an attack on metro station and the airport.
You have seen this continual counterterrorism, this counterterrorism efforts then this attack over the weekend. It is worth mentioning that he attack that we saw in Charleroi does bear some markings that are similar to the attacks that happened in January, here in Paris where two police officers were also attacked by a man wielding a knife shouting "Allahu Akbar" outside the police station in the 18th district of Paris.
The attacker in that case was also killed by a third intervening police officer. No suggestions by authorities however, that those two attacks are linked in any way, George.
HOWELL: Following the investigation, Alexandra Field, live for us in Paris. Alexandra, thank you for the reporting.
CHURCH: We'll take a very short break here. But still to come, Donald Trump says U.S. reporters distort the fact to make him look bad. Why he's not complaining about his treatments in Russia's media. A live report from St. Petersburg, that's coming up.
HOWELL: And Thailand gives the green light to the military for a new Constitution. What it means for that country. We take a closer look, live in the United States and around the world this hour. You are watching CNN Newsroom.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: And a warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
HOWELL: And I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.
Swimmer Michael Phelps took his 19th Olympic gold medal in day two of the Rio Olympic Games. He led the U.S. men's team to first place pass France in the 4 by 100-meter freestyle relay. Phelps, now has 22 Olympic medals in total. Wow.
CHURCH: In Turkey, over a million gathered in Istanbul in Sunday for a rally against last month's failed coup. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the crowd he would restore the death penalty for coup plotters if the parliament approved.
HOWELL: And U.S. republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will kick off a new week of campaigning. His focus this week is the economy. He is said to address the Detroit economic club on Monday.
CHURCH: The former acting director of the CIA says he would trust democrat Hillary Clinton with national security.
HOWELL: But he says Russian President Vladimir Putin is manipulating Trump.
Michael Morell has called Trump an unwilling agent of Vladimir Putin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MORELL, FORMER CIA ACTING DIRECTOR: I look at it from Putin's perspective, right, he's a trained intelligence officer and worked for the KGB very talented, and manipulated people and much smarter than Donald Trump. He played this perfectly, right?
He saw Donald Trump that wanted to become complimented. He complimented him. That led Donald Trump to then complement Vladimir Putin and to defend Vladimir Putin's actions in a number of places around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And Trump often lashes out at the U.S. media blaming them for the turmoil surrounding his campaign.
HOWELL: But as Matthew Chance reports, Russian reporters seem to have a very different take on the republican presidential candidate.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Is he really the Kremlin's candidate? Certainly Russian's state television is loaded with positive coverage of the Donald.
This TV news anchor explains that Trump is just an eccentric billionaire and who wants to make America great and normalize relations with Russia.
He's often painted here as a bright political maverick who shares Russian concerns over American foreign policy and is common to find common language with Russia's President Putin whom he's praised.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTORIA ZHURAVLYOVA, POLITICAL ANALYST: Between Hillary and Trump, Trump is the only one who sounds friendly so maybe we can hope that he will be more friendly and more positive towards Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And by the way, would it be nice if we actually got along with Russia? Wouldn't that be -- wouldn't that be nice?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Much of what Trump says about Russia has left U.S. allies a gasp that finds a welcoming audience in Moscow.
Donald Trump's own foreign policy pronouncement of one in plenty friends here in Russia. His recent suggestion that he wouldn't defend NATO allies in the event of a Russian attack raise eyebrows both in the U.S. and here. And he's vowed to look again at recognizing annex Crimea as part of Russia. Must have put a smile on the faces of many Kremlin supporters.
And of course not everyone in Russia thinks Trump is their best bet. Some political analyst say his democratic rival, Hillary Clinton would benefit the Kremlin more that she's predictable by saying in her tough Russian stance. But it's the unpredictability of Trump that may have most endeared him to the Kremlin controlled media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:35:00] KONSTANTIN VON EGGERT, POLITICAL ANALYST: He will either be more incline to do a deal with the Kremlin or he will mess up life in the White House and on Capitol Hill so much by his erratic behavior that the American political class, the American system will be in permanent crisis. And that is what actually Russia wants.
TRUMP: Russia if you are listening, I hope you are able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: He may not be the Kremlin's man in other words, that he might prove a usual distraction from what the Kremlin does.
CHURCH: And our Matthew Chance joins us now from St. Petersburg with more on how Russians view trump. So, Matthew is Trump being played by Russia where some suggest. And if he is, what does it say about how they feel about Hillary Clinton?
CHANCE: Well, I think there is very little evidence, first of all, Rosemary, that I've seen at least that the Russia is actively trying to -- trying to play Donald Trump or is actively supporting him over and above his democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
But for certainly, I mean, the view from inside the Kremlin, from people I've spoken to close to that situation indicate that yes. I mean, look, he is the one who has the most sympathetic views it seems towards the Russian position on a range of issues, towards NATO expansion towards the situation in Crimea, which of course, Russia annex from Ukraine a couple of years ago.
And so, in that sense, yes, he reflects some of the views that the Kremlin itself has faces. But I think there is also a sense in which he's seen as very unreliable and unpredictable. And even though the Russians are saying that report may like the idea, that the American political system being flung into chaos.
I think there is a great sense of discomfort about having a president of the United States who they can't predict the actions of. And that's why I think many Russians and even many in official Russia would like to see Hillary Clinton empower because of they all saying at least she is consistent in her tough stance against the Kremlin.
And so, you know, it's very complex picture. There is no simple answers.
CHURCH: No, there are never are. It is around 10.40 in the morning there in St. Petersburg. Our Matthew Chance joining us live with that report. Many thanks to you. George?
HOWELL: The voters in Thailand have backed the new draft Constitution that would give the military more power. Earlier results from the country's election commission show that more than 60 percent of voters there approved the charter.
Some see the draft Constitution as way to legitimized military rule after a 2004 -- 2014 coup, I should say. The official results of that vote will be declared on Wednesday.
Let's get insight now on what's happening from John Marrett, research analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit for Asia.
John joining us this hour in our London bureau. Good to have you with us. Fair to say this was a big gamble for the military to even hold this referendum vote and it does seem to have pay off for them.
JOHN MARRETT, EIU RESEARCH ANALYST: Yes, it was a big gamble indeed. And it has paid off them. Yes, they now have a clear part of to hold elections in 2017, as they originally said they would.
HOWELL: I'd like to get just a little understanding though, about the Constitution itself, this draft that was created by an army appointed committee. Supporters say that it promotes stability. Critics, though, say that it entrenches the military and its control.
MARRETT: The view of the Economist Intelligence Unit is that it does entrench the control of the military, OK.
There are three significant aspects I think of this Constitution. One is that it allows for an appointed Senate, an upper house in government, two, it allows for an electoral who is not an elected politician to become prime minister.
And three, it requires that any new government subsequent must follow the military's 20-year strategy development plan. Otherwise, they can't effectively be removed for a process of impeachment.
So, with these three things together, it has significantly increased the military's control of government affairs in Thailand.
HOWELL: John, the question that was post to voters, do you accept or reject this Constitution? A fair to say it was a rather complicated Constitution. Is there a sense that voters really understood what they were voting for?
MARRETT: We will only find out in the coming weeks how much voters really understood I think. But what is clear is that they have the choice to reject or accept and they accepted it because they wanted political and economic stability.
[03:40:00] They could have rejected but the part ahead would have been very uncertain. As the military had no contingency plan about how to proceed if the referendum had resulted in no vote. So, people really want elections as quickly as possible. And they want a clear plan to continue with it.
HOWELL: So, it will be interesting, John, to see exactly what impact this referendum vote will have on daily life for people in Thailand.
John Marrett, live for us in London. John, thank you so much for your time today.
MARRETT: Thank you.
CHURCH: Part of Macedonia are in a state of emergency after a deadly weekend storms. The details and more is still coming. That's just ahead.
HOWELL: Plus, Kosovo went its first ever Olympic gold medal. We will hear from the judo athlete who made her country very proud.
Still ahead.
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CHURCH: Tropical storm Earl has triggered deadly landslides in the Mexican states of Pueblo and Vera Cruz. At least 40 people have been killed.
HOWELL: The storm hit Mexico as a hurricane. It was later downgraded. The National Hurricane Center says an additional 5 to 10 centimeters of rain are expected overnight in parts of Southern Mexico.
CHURCH: Macedonia has declared Monday a day of national mourning after powerful storm slammed to the capital Skopje and surrounding areas there killing nearly two dozen people.
HOWELL: That's right. Workers there have set up (AUDIO GAP) emergency centers to assess the flood damage (AUDIO GAP). Erin McLaughlin has the details for us.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "Please call someone, why, why," a woman screams the haunting sound of loss. Not far away a body lies covered on the road. State media says at least 21 died in Macedonia over the weekend.
[03:45:01] Saturday night, torrential rain triggered deadly flash flooding in and around Skopje. Some places more than three times the amount of rain expected in a normal month. As the injured made their way to the muddied waters to safety, others fled by the truckload. Sunday morning, a survey of the devastation, a section of the
capital's ring road, flooded, cars pushed into nearby fields, entire homes submerged. Dozens have injured treated in the hospital. Some blame a lack of infrastructure for much of the devastation.
One expert blog the main cause of the flashflood in Skopje, quote, "the excessive amount of asphalt and concrete at the expense of oil and vegetation resulted in the concentration and flow leakage of water.
This was compounded by the lack of capacity of the sewer system, especially in critical places. As residents tried to clean up authorities to respond. Reports of equipment shortages and slow in response time was more bad weather in the forecast, people are bracing for what happens next.
CHURCH: And Erin McLaughlin joins us now live from Rome. So, Erin, what more are you learning about the situation on the ground in Macedonia?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, Rosemary, the cleanup effort there very much underway. The government has introduced what they are calling a state of crisis for the Skopje region that the crisis expected to last for the next two weeks or so.
As they carry out and clean up and rescue efforts it means that they've introduced the army to help people in the most badly affected areas. They've also introduced additional equipment. Some 50 extra water pumps and they are also pledging some 5,000 euros to each family which lost a loved one to those flashfloods over the weekend.
Now the government responds in general to this, it comes under some intense criticism that people are criticizing the response time and also the lack of infrastructure in place to deal with this kind of crises.
The response respond to criticism saying that this is really an unprecedented event and they are doing everything they can to help, the health ministry releasing a statement to that effect.
Now, there were more rainfall Sunday into Monday morning but nothing what was like that was experienced on Saturday night and so far, early reports indicating that there are no additional flash flooding. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. Some heartbreaking scenes there. Our Erin McLaughlin joining us with an update from Rome. Many thanks to you.
HOWELL: Well, Erin alluded too, there, you know sad to say, there is more trouble in the forecast from Macedonia and it's developing throughout for the United States.
CHURCH: And our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now with details on this. And it's a worry because we heard in the report they are particularly in Macedonia the drainage problem. JAVAHERI: Absolutely. You know, the water amount was unprecedented in
this region, too. And you think about this. And we never -- we always talk about this but you never over estimate at the force of water
When you take just of 30 centimeters or one fourth of water...
HOWELL: It doesn't take a lot.
JAVAHERI: It doesn't take a lot. And that force has about 500 pounds or 225 kilograms of lateral force behind because that much water moving towards an object. So, you increase that and it increases by the same number and you take a look. This is what, you know, George is alluding too, as well when it comes to it doesn't take much.
How about 15 centimeters or 6 inches. That will begin to move your vehicle if it's moving just a few miles per hour. And you take that up to 60 centimeters or about 2 feet and your vehicle will be swept down the stream.
And these sort of areas when you see the images come out of Skopje, it is not a tropical location. It's not a location known for deluge of water that you certainly see this across portions of the tropical world. And you see it's on Indian and China as well where plenty of thunderstorms and rainfall occur with heavy amounts of rains.
But not the case across this region, In fact, the month of August typically should be very quiet. Only 27 millimeters, that's about a minced of rainfall. They tripled that amount just in a matter of one day on Sunday warning across that region.
Over 340 percent of what is considered normal for this month. Coming down in one day we'll lead to just a catastrophic scenario. And you noticed the rainfall is still there. The heaviest of which you get in the yellow, it's south of Skopje, so at least some relief for them.
But still some rainfall ahead of them. And we do have cooler air filtering in around northern Europe and almost feels like autumn in parts of northern Europe in the next couple of days.
The other story we're following is what's happening in Mexico. These images coming at Vera Cruz, Mexico where we know the landslides have taken dozens of lives as well.
Now, that was what was left in place with Earl. The storm system has actually moved over portions on the western end of Mexico. And now we have a new tropical featured developing, this is Javier.
If your travel plans takes you out though Cabo San Lucas we are looking at a category one hurricane by tomorrow making landfall somewhere near the southern tip of Mexico there in the Cabo area. So, something worth noting there.
And the other story we'll leave you with here is the potential for a major flooding event that being around the Gulf Coast state around the Panhandle of Florida there where models have been saying 15, maybe 20 inches of rainfall over the next five to six days across region. [03:50:09] That is a remarkable amount of rainfall for anywhere and
you put this a very populated region, of course, you know, flooding is going to be an issue. So, this is a story we're going to watch here for you.
HOWELL: For sure.
CHURCH: Yes.
HOWELL: Pedram, thank you.
CHURCH: Thanks so much, Pedram.
Well, coming up, a historic moment for Kosovo. We will introduce you to the judo athlete who won the country's first ever Olympic gold medal. Back with that in just a moment.
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JAVAHERI: Good day to you. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, CNN Weather Watch right now watching the corners of the United States right now for some changing weather.
I want to cross the Northwestern U.S. a little disturbance bringing in some showers across that area of southern British Columbia onto the northwestern U.S. While the other corner being around the Gulf Coast state, pesky disturbance locked in place.
In fact, areas indicated in purple and red show you the deep moisture. You notice it is almost entirely around the Gulf Coast and it stays out there inside the next five days.
So, the model indication at this point puts the rainfall totals near the top of the chart. It's upwards of 250. Some areas could see some as much as 500 millimeters of rainfall in a five days span.
That is about 20 inches of rainfall equivalent to a tropical storm stalling over this region, that is how persistent the moisture flow is going to be out of the Gulf Coast into the Gulf Coast states.
So, we're watching that for some thunderstorms around the Tallahassee region certainly can make other way northward into northern areas of Georgia impacting the Atlanta metro for at least some rainfall later in the week.
But notice the heat is still locked in place with the exception of the northern corners around the northwest. Around the northeast, the greens tell you that cooler temperatures are filtering in across that region.
We're also watching what's going on down across the Caribbean. The tropic I should say around portions of the Pacific. Tropical storm Javier is locked in there. Eventually, the forecast in occasion is for this to ride up portions of the Baja impacting Cabo later in the week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom.
Kosovo makes history at the Rio Games. Majlinda Kelmendi won the country's ever Olympic gold medal on Sunday in the women's 52-kilogram judo competition.
CHURCH: Now, this is the first Olympic where athletes have been able to compete under Kosovo's flag.
HOWELL: And Kelmendi is no stranger to competition. She's a two-time world champion in judo. Wow.
CHURCH: And CNN spoke to the Olympic medalist before she headed to the Rio Games.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:54:59] MAJLINDA KELMENDI, JUDO WORLD CHAMPION: When I do judo, my opponents in my eyes just look pretty small and I feel like there is no way that I can lose. I just have to win. I must win.
My name is Majlinda Kelmendi. I am a judoka. And I'm from Kosovo.
I ranked number one of the world and two-time world champion. I want represent Kosovo for the first time in the Olympic Games. During my career I had many problems because at the beginning we could not represent Kosovo until 2009, it was like this.
So, now, when we got recognized from International Olympic Committee, it was the best thing that happened. Because now the athletes can dream to be in Olympics and represent Kosovo. And I have dreamt this for a long time and finally it's coming.
It is such an honor. It's such a pleasure for me. I can maybe for one day or two days makes people from Kosovo laugh and maybe for one or two days forget that we have so many problems here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: best of luck to her.
CHURCH: Yes, very powerful. I'm Rosemary Church.
HOWELL: And I'm George Howell.
Early Start is next for viewers here in the United States.
CHURCH: And for everyone else stay tuned for more news with Max Foster in London.
You have a great day.
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