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USA Swimming Continues Olympic Dominance; Clinton Releases 2015 Tax Returns, Pressures Trump; heavy Rains Pelt Parts of Louisiana & Mississippi; No Responsibility Claimed for Thailand Bombings. Aired 5- 6a ET
Aired August 13, 2016 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:08] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A big day of wins but upsets, too. We'll have the latest from Rio de Janeiro and the Olympic Games.
Plus, coming to his wife's defense, former U.S. President Bill Clinton calls the controversy over Hillary Clinton's emails a load of bull.
Plus, Venezuela's president making a drastic move to save his country's rapidly sinking economy.
From CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, I'm George Howell.
CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
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HOWELL: Aiming for the gold, the United States has been putting on quite a show in the pool in Rio. And on Friday, it was no different. The Americans led with three gold medals in four events and a silver, the only other one.
Women's sensation, Katie Ledecky, dominated the 800-meter freestyle. She broke her own world record and beat the next best time by more than 11 seconds.
But that success did not extend to the football pitch. The U.S. women have not -- haven't lost the Olympics since 2000. But they fell to Sweden on penalty kicks Friday in a major upset.
For the very latest on the Olympics, let's bring in our own Shasta Darlington live in Rio.
Shasta, good to have you.
So, let's start with the swimmers. Katie Ledecky breaking her own world record, and Michael Phelps falling short of the gold this time.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
Michael Phelps did win his 27th Olympic medal, but it wasn't meant to be gold. That honor went to Joseph Schooling, but there's a great back story here. Joseph Schooling said that Phelps was, in fact, his inspiration when he was a kid, he met him in Beijing in 2008, they snapped a picture together. And now, of course, he's come back and beat him in the pool, bringing home the medal.
Phelps, as you mentioned, did win the silver medal in a three-way tie with two of his rivals.
And in a show of good sportsmanship, they locked arms and they stepped up on the medals podium together. Phelps has one more shot at it tonight. He will be competing in the medley relay. He insists he won't be back in Tokyo in 2020, but then, again, he's changed his mind before, right, George?
Now, as far as Ledecky, she was on a winning streak that has not stopped. She won her fourth gold medal, her third individual gold medal. And at the tender age of 19, she is just beginning to create her legend, George.
HOWELL: It's just amazing to watch that. I mean, 11 seconds. Just incredible.
I also want to talk about women's football, soccer as we call it in the United States. Sweden defeating the United States, and a bit of controversy there.
DARLINGTON: That's right, George. This has got to be one of the biggest upsets of these Olympics. The U.S. women's soccer/football team being knocked out by Sweden 4-3, penalty kicks. This is the first time since women's football was introduced to Olympics in 1996 that the U.S. team doesn't make it to the final gold medal match.
Hope Solo, I have to say, didn't take it kindly. She actually said -- called the Swedish team a bunch of cowards and she said thanks to their defensive play, the U.S. was actually the better team and should have won.
The Swedish coach shot back, well, if being a coward means winning, I guess that's okay, right, George?
HOWELL: OK.
Shasta, also want to talk to you about the situation when it comes to polluted water. I know that you've been looking into the source of that. What did you discover?
DARLINGTO: Oh, that's right, George. This has become an issue over and over again because there's so much raw sewage in the sailing venue. And the latest came from the Belgian coach saying that one of the sailors had actually gotten sick during a training session and therefore wasn't competing at their best.
So, we decided to sort of follow this raw sewage upstream, if you will, and see where it all comes from. And because only half of the homes here in Rio are connected to sanitation systems, what you find up here in the hillside neighborhoods, the favelas it just is dumped out raw, running between the houses, downhill, and straight into the ocean. That's where you get all of this pollution.
But as big a problem for the people who live up in these hillside communities as it is for the people down in the Guanabara Bay, George.
HOWELL: That is important to point out that, yes, I mean, we talk about the games, but this is the situation of the people there are living with, are dealing with. Shasta Darlington, live for us in Rio -- Shasta, thank you.
So, the tiny island nation of Nauru, many people may not have even heard about it, but they are feeling the smallest Olympic squad in Rio with just two athletes.
Our Don Riddell spoke to them about what it means to compete on the world stage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Americans brought more than 550 athletes to Rio. The Brazilians, about 100 less. In total, there are 11,500 total competitors at the Olympics. The country of Nauru has just these two guys. They're a long way from home.
OVINI UERA, JUDOKA: My name is Ovini Uera.
ELSON BRECHTEFELD, WEIGHTLIFTER: My name is Elson Brechtefeld.
UERA: And I'll be competing in judo.
BRECHTEFELD: I'm a weightlifter.
UERA: From Nauru.
BRECHTEFELD: From the Republic of Nauru.
UERA: Nauru is a really small island in the Pacific. You can hardly find us on the map.
RIDDELL: It's situated almost on top of the equator, right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
BRECHTEFELD: Nauru is the smallest republic in the world. And yeah, it's just really small.
RIDDELL: It's been an Olympic nation since 1994, and Nauru proudly competes against the heavyweights of world sports, marching alongside them in the opening ceremony.
UERA: Before coming here, I tried to picture what it would be like. It's nowhere close to what I had in mind. It's really amazing. Being around the athletes, all the champions around the world, is really overwhelming.
BRECHTEFELD: The famous athletes I bump into was -- the two Williams sisters, because I never thought I would meet them in real person. UERA: The opening ceremony is really amazing. Overwhelming. I mean,
the feeling when I walked in, I was speechless.
RIDDELL: While the athletes have been in Rio, their tiny homeland has made headlines. Nauru's controversial treatment of refugee from war- torn areas of the world exposed in a damning report by Amnesty International. The athletes prefer not to talk about politics but have found ways to connect with some of the refugees through sport.
UERA: Some of them who have been processed are now released, and are actually living amongst the people on the island. They're really good. Most of them are really good. We even have a few friends who are practicing with us in judo.
RIDDELL: Whether at home or at the games, the Olympic spirit ring true. Elson and Ovini are flying the flag for a country most people have never heard of and they're making plenty of friends along the way.
Don Riddell, CNN, Rio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: America's choice 2016. Donald Trump is telling voters the only way that he will lose the key state of Pennsylvania is if Hillary Clinton cheats. During a campaign stop there on Friday, he said that he wants law enforcement officials to closely monitor the polls there to make sure that people don't vote multiple times.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The only way we can lose in my opinion -- I really mean this -- Pennsylvania is if cheating goes on. I really believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Both campaigns have been devoting significant resources to Pennsylvania which has been a base of working class voters hoping to swing the campaign either way.
In the meantime, Donald Trump appears to be walking back his widely criticized claim this week that the U.S. President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were founders of ISIS.
CNN's Jessica Schneider has more.
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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump trying to clarify his comments about President Obama and ISIS.
TRUMP: I said the founder of ISIS -- obviously, I'm being sarcastic. Then, then -- but not that sarcastic, to be honest with you, so I said the founder of ISIS. And in fact, very soon, he's going over to pick up his most valuable player award. Did I say that? I say it all the time. So they knew I was being sarcastic.
SCHNEIDER: That after Trump repeatedly insisted Thursday that the president was the founder of the terrorist organization.
TRUMP: I call President Obama and Hillary Clinton the founders of ISIS.
HUGH HEWITT, THE HUGH HEWITT SHOW: You meant that he created the vacuum, he lost the peace.
TRUMP: No, he's the founder of ISIS, I do --
HEWITT: But he's not sympathetic to them. He hates them. He's trying to kill them.
TRUMP: I don't care. He was the founder.
SCHNEIDER: Trump's attacks on the president come as more evidence surfaces that Trump also wanted to rapidly pull troops out of Iraq including in this 2011 interview on CNN.
TRUMP: Iraq, we shouldn't have been there. I'd get them out real fast.
SCHNEIDER: It's not the first time Trump has claimed sarcasm to get out of a jam when he said this back in late July --
TRUMP: Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.
SCHNEIDER: He later dismissed the uproar.
TRUMP: I obviously was being sarcastic. In fact, the people in the room were laughing. They found it very funny. Everybody knew that.
SCHNEIDER: Trump's supporter, Newt Gingrich, encouraging the straight-talking businessman to be more careful with his words.
[05:10:00] NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: One of the things that's frustrating about his candidacy is the imprecise language. He sometimes uses three words when he needs ten. He has got to learn to use language that has been thought through and that is clear to everybody.
SCHNEIDER: As the latest NBC News/"Wall Street Journal"/Marist poll shows Trump lagging in key states, trailing Clinton by 14 points in Colorado, 13 points in Virginia, 9 points in North Carolina, and 5 points in Florida, Trump even acknowledging he's having trouble in traditionally red Utah.
TRUMP: Having a tremendous problem in Utah. Utah's a different place. And I don't know -- is anybody here from Utah? I mean, it's -- I didn't think so.
(LAUGHTER)
We're having a problem.
SCHNEIDER: Donald Trump acknowledging the importance of this state, telling his supporters, "We need to win Pennsylvania." But here in Altoona, he also lobbed a very serious charge, saying the only way he'll lose the state is if cheating goes on. He encouraged people to get to the polls and report any voting irregularities they might see.
Jessica Schneider, CNN, Altoona, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Jessica, thank you.
Hillary Clinton is challenging Donald Trump to release his taxes. The U.S. Democratic presidential candidate ramped up the pressure on her rival, releasing her own tax returns for 2015. And they show that she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, earned $10.6 million, much of that from speaking fees. They paid about $3.6 million in taxes.
Trump has refused to release his taxes saying that they are being audited. And the Trump campaign says that Clinton is just trying to deflect attention away from the e-mail controversy that has been plaguing that campaign for months.
Bill Clinton in the meantime is defending his wife on her e-mails at a gathering of the Asian American Journalists Association in Las Vegas. Mr. Clinton was asked about why Americans should trust Hillary Clinton when she allegedly lied about never reading classified emails on her private e-mail server when she served as secretary of state.
Here is how the former U.S. president responded. Listen --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: First of all, the FBI director said when he testified before Congress he had to amend his previous day's statement that she had never received any emails marked classified. They saw two little notes with a "C" on this. This is the biggest load of bull I ever heard -- that were about telephone calls that she needed to make. And the State Department typically puts a little "C" on it to discourage people from discussing it in public in the event the secretary of state, whoever it is, doesn't make a telephone call. Does that sound threatening to the national security to you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Earlier this year, the FBI decided not to recommend charge against Hillary Clinton over her e-mails. But just this week, newly released emails are raising questions about the possibility of inappropriate links between the U.S. State Department and the Clinton foundation during her tenure there.
The hacker who goes by the name Guccifer 2.0 has stuck again, and it is personal. The hacker published cell phone numbers and personal e- mail addresses for hundreds of Democrats in the House of Representatives. The files apparently were stolen in a cyberattack on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the DCCC.
Guccifer also claimed responsibility for the high-profile hack of a Democratic National Committee. In that attack, 20,000 emails were stolen and given to WikiLeaks which released them just before last month's Democratic convention.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick takes us inside a government facility where cyber experts are working hard to try to stop -- I.D. hackers, to stop them before they strike.
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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Russian malware is in hundreds if not thousands of U.S. computers that control critical infrastructure. The threat is not only real, it has happened. And a recent Pew study found that 94 percent of Americans fear a cyberattack, second only to an attack by ISIS.
MARTY W. EDWARDS, DIR., DHS CYBER EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM: So, what happened is one of the large breakers or several of the large breakers were operated remotely by the attacker.
FEYERICK (voice-over): It was the first-known cyberattack of its kind. Three attacks. Thirty minutes apart. Against three electrical substations serving Ukraine's power grid.
SUZANNE SPAULDING, DHS UNDER SECRETARY: This is not theoretical, this has happened. We've now had a cyber-attack on critical infrastructure that was destructive.
FEYERICK: Destructive and a real threat to the United States, says Suzanne Spaulding. She's in charge of protecting the nation's 16- critical infrastructure sectors.
A power outage impacts everything, from air traffic control to subways and traffic lights, cell phones, computers, water and food supplies.
CNN was given rare access to a government test facility in Idaho Falls where a team of cyber experts lead by Marty Edwards is busy identifying hackers and trying to stop them.
[05:15:11] (on camera): Is it difficult for some sort of a cyber attacker to take down a power grid?
EDWARDS: It's much simpler than we would like it to be.
FEYERICK (voice-over): To show us just how simple it is, the cyber team recreated the Ukraine attack. A hacker, using a common email- phishing-scam, steals an employee's credentials, takes full control of a computer operating the power grid, and shuts it down.
(on camera): In the Ukraine, power was knocked out to several of their substations.
EDWARDS: Correct.
FEYERICK: Could that happen here?
EDWARDS: You know, it could. All of our infrastructures are run by these computerized systems."
FEYERICK (voice-over): Underscoring America's vulnerability, the malicious code identified as having played a role in Ukraine's attack, is the same code DHS recently admitted is in hundreds if not thousands of U.S. computers that control critical infrastructure. The code, known as "Black Energy," has been linked to Russia.
SPAULDING: There are companies across the country, and this is not just with respect to electricity companies, that don't fully appreciate the nature of the threat.
FEYERICK: Seventy-five to eighty percent of the nation's critical infrastructure is owned and operated by private sector companies. Despite many warnings, DHS says some companies have failed to take even basic cyber-security measures.
EDWARDS: It ultimately comes down to a business decision for the company."
FEYERICK: A business decision that could allow attackers not only to turn off the lights but destroy the machinery as well.
(on camera): I'm standing on actual testing site of the Aurora generator. It was the first test of its kind to prove that a cyber attacker could gain control of a generator and cause it to self- destruct.
If an attack were to happen on a generator, how long would it take to get back online?
EDWARDS: Oh wow. Some of those generators and some of this large electrical equipment literally takes years to manufacture.
FEYERICK: DHS has trained more than 11,000 people both in the private and government sector how to better secure their systems. That includes limiting remote access only to those who need it. And if there is an attack, worst case scenario, the only way to resolve it is to disconnect from the Internet.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: That is an eye-opening report. Deborah, thank you.
Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, heavy rains have been soaking parts of the South. Louisiana and Mississippi, causing very dangerous flooding in communities.
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[05:20:22] HOWELL: Five-twenty on the U.S. East Coast. Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.
A U.S. official claims the ISIS leader targeted and killed in Iraq -- in Afghanistan, rather, this happened on July 26th. The Pentagon says a strike in the eastern part of the country killed Hafiz Sayed Khan. ISIS is most often associated with Iraq and Syria, but U.S. officials have expressed concern about its growing presence in Afghanistan.
I want to tell you about a combination of hot, dry weather, and strong winds, making things difficult for firefighters that are dealing with wildfires in France, Spain, and Portugal. The Portuguese island of Madeira has been hit especially hard. At least three people died there this week, and more than 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes during these fires.
Let's talk more about the weather there, but also in the United States, in Mississippi and Louisiana, with flooding.
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HOWELL: Our meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, thank you very much. We'll stay in touch obviously as we watch the flooding situation there.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Sure.
HOWELL: Thank you.
This is CNN NEWSROOM. We'll continue to follow that obviously.
In Syria, rebel-backed forces by the United States say they have fully retaken a key city of Manbij from ISIS. The U.S. says the terror group used the city to plan external operations and that it had been an entry point for foreign fighters. The U.S. is hoping to acquire key intelligence left behind by that terror group.
In the meantime, the battle to control Aleppo, it is becoming even bloodier. That city used to be Syria's economic powerhouse. Now, Syrian government forces are on the defensive there, after rebels broke the regime's siege last week.
The last remaining doctors serving Aleppo's rebel-held areas have sent an open letter to the president of the United States. The doctors are urging Washington to do more to prevent the deaths of thousands more civilians.
Earlier, I spoke with Pablo Marco, he is the Syria program manager for Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, supporting hospitals and medical personnel in Aleppo. I started by asking him to describe the situation as his teams are dealing with it there on the ground now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PABLO MARCO, SYRIA PROGRAM MANAGER, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES: In the last week, very little aid has been able to get inside the city. It means that it's a desperate population. The situation is still critical. Having very few, little supply in, very little food in, and this is still very (INAUDIBLE)
HOWELL: Talk to us about the situation, though, for doctors that are trying to deal with patients there when it comes medical supplies, when it comes to simply their safety given the continued bombardment there. How are your teams coping with that?
MARCO: Yes. Yes. The hospitals in Aleppo, they are working now under extreme conditions. The brutal bombings in the last week have brought a very high influx of injured people to the personnel theaters. They absolutely are overwhelming the capacity of the hospitals. At the same time, they're being bombed on a constant basis.
Out of the eight hospitals that (INAUDIBLE), eight of them have been affected by bombing in the last three months. In the last three weeks -- you can imagine what it means to be a staff member or patient in Aleppo. They basically being in the hospital, overwhelmed, the people, terrified because you know sooner or later, a bomb is going to fall over you.
HOWELL: Pablo, this letter sent to the U.S. president, you know, if people are watching this broadcast now who can make a difference in the international community, in the United States, politicians, government agencies around the world, what would you tell people that needs to be done right now?
MARCO: For me, the message for the warring parties is very clear. Their hospitals (INAUDIBLE) need to be protected from bombing, for the wounded to be evacuated to a safe place, and do not (INAUDIBLE). If the bombing continues, very soon, there will be no medical services available in Aleppo for anyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Coming up still here on CNN NEWSROOM, the mayor of Cannes, France, bans the burkini on French Riviera's famed beaches. Human rights activists say the move will only heighten tensions.
We're live in Atlanta this hour, broadcasting in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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[05:30:36] HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.
The headlines we're following for you this hour.
American swimmer Katie Ledecky dominated the 800-meter freestyle Friday, from start to finish. She broke her own world record with the next closest swimmer more than 11 seconds behind her. At age 19, she's already got five medals to her name.
Hillary Clinton released her 2015 tax returns, putting pressure on Republican rival Donald Trump to release his. The document shows she and her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, earned $10.6 million, most of it from speaking fees. They paid about $3.6 million in federal taxes.
In the south central U.S., a parish hit hard by floodwaters in Louisiana has a curfew this hour. Heavy floods have claimed at least three lives there. They forced numerous rescues. Many highways in southern Louisiana and Mississippi have been shut down. One official telling CNN the floods are the worst that he's ever seen.
In Thailand, no one has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings across the country that killed four people. And authorities still don't know the reason for those blasts, but they say the attacks are not linked to international terrorism.
Our senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, has more.
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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This normally bustling nightlife district is all but deserted right now because it was the scene of a small but deadly bombing on Thursday night.
You can see evidence of some of the damage here. The blast ripped through from the street corner and ki1led at least one street vending woman here and seriously wounded several more. And on the blood- stained pavement, you can even see discarded shoes and bouquets of flowers here after this attack.
It's important to note this was just one of at least 11 bombings to hit in a period of 24 hours in at least four different tourist resort cities across Thailand.
(voice-over): A busy bar street at a popular resort transformed into a crime scene Thursday night after a deadly bomb blast. The bomb just one of a series of explosions that erupted across five provinces in Thailand over the course of 24 hours. The targets mostly major tourist destinations popular with locals and foreigners alike.
The coastal resort city of Hua Hin sustained the most casualties after two explosions Thursday evening followed by another twin bombing Friday morning. Two explosions also hit popular holiday spot Phuket, one at a dolphin park on the beach. Another two bombs hit a transit point for tourists for other islands Thailand is famous for.
Thai police say the attacks don't appear to be related to international terrorism.
PIYAPAN PINGMUANG, DEPUTY POLICE SPOKESMAN: What we know for sure is that the incidents did not link directly with any kinds of terrorism. In fact, we see local sabotage by which we're trying to identify suspects who are behind the scene. So, it's too soon to jump to any conclusion.
WATSON: Authorities tightened security across Thailand, but many tourists are clearly rattled. CNN spoke to one foreign witness of Thursday night's attack. Shane Brett has been in to Hua Hin six times already but says this may be his last trip.
SHANE BRETT, TOURIST WITNESS: I love it here. Beautiful scenery, a lot of foreigners here that just want a nice, quiet vacation. After this visit, I've heard it other bombings in other areas of Thailand, it's unsettling. I might be looking at other places in Southeast Asia to vacation.
WATSON: If others feel the same way, it could seriously hurt Thailand's economy which depends heavily on tourism.
(on camera): Many of the bombs were placed in potted plants like this.
The prime minister of the country has come out on television. He's called for calm and insists that Thailand does not have enemies abroad or at home. He didn't cast blame for this attack. But, clearly, the coordinated appearance of the series of bombings in so many cities in such a small amount of time, it suggests that there was some kind of coordinated effort here.
[05:35:04] The big question -- what is the political message and who was trying to send it with these deadly bombings?
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hua Hin, Thailand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: A lot of questions with the what, who, and why. I'll stay in touch with Ivan to continue to follow the situation there.
Now to France where some women could face fines if they don't reveal enough skin at the beach. The mayor of Cannes, France, is temporarily banning women from wearing what you see there, burkinis at the French Riviera's beaches. These are full-body bathing suits or overtly religious clothing.
It's a move that is drawing heat from some human rights activists.
CNN's Michael Holmes has this report for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The burkini is a body-covering swimsuit with the face usually exposed, seen by many Muslims as a modest way to swim in public. To the local authorities in Cannes, it is a provocation.
The new municipal law says beachwear that, quote, "ostentatiously displays religious affiliation at a time when France and places of worship are the target of terrorist attacks is liable to create risk of disrupting public order."
As the controversy grew, the mayor of Cannes doubled down, telling local media that by banning the swimsuit, quote, "I am banning a symbol of Islamic extremism", unquote. The law came into effect last month but is making news because a local Muslim association, the Collective Against Islamaphobia, says it will challenge the law in court, demanding that it be revoked as discrimination. The mayor's office denied accusations of discrimination, saying the law was meant to defuse, quote, "provocative attitudes" and that police would have discretion when and if to enforce it.
Islamic dress has been a controversial issue in France for some time. In 2011, laws were passed against women wearing full-face coverings, and in 2004, a ban on head coverings in schools.
This, of course, all coming at a time of nervousness and fear over terror. The Nice attacks were a matter of a few miles from the beaches impacted by this Cannes law. But Muslim organizations and human rights groups say such laws just add to the divisions in French society between Muslims and non-Muslims, and can feed the ISIS narrative of it's them against us.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Michael, thank you.
The popular documentary series "Making A Murderer" led many viewers to question why a U.S. man was convicted of murder. Next, why a federal judge has now ruled in his favor.
Plus, there are new questions surrounding the safety of amusement park rides in the U.S. following four accidents this week.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:41:18] HOWELL: A U.S. federal judge has overturned the murder conviction of a man featured in the popular documentary "Making A Murderer." In 2007, a jury convicted Brendan Dassey for assisting his uncle in the rape and killing of a woman in the state of Wisconsin. Dassey was 16 years old when he confessed.
A federal judge in Milwaukee now says the confession was essentially coerced. The judge says investigators failed to consider that he has learning disabilities. His uncle, Steven Avery, was convicted separately and is serving a life sentence.
Avery of the main subject of a documentary that many have watched on Netflix, "Making A Murderer." It led many to believe that they were convicted improperly.
Earlier, my colleague, Zain Asher, spoke with CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, Laura Coates, about this story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: What happened is you have to under the Fifth Amendment have a right to make a voluntary confession. And you have to be warned about all the repercussions that could come if you actually did give a confession. But if somebody capitalizes and tries to manipulate and capitalize like you have many limited intellectual abilities and tries to give a series of false promises to give you the impression that you're not actually in custody and you're not a suspect, that will create the atmosphere of coercion that will take out a confession entirely.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: Also because he was 16 years old. He wasn't technically an adult when it happened.
COATES: Yes. Absolutely. And he had no attorney present or a parent.
ASHER: Right. Right.
If the questioning was unconstitutional, if that's the case, why has it taken ten years? I mean, he's 26 years old now. Why has it taken ten years to get this far?
COATES: Well, unfortunately, there are so many people incarcerated in the United States with a similar story that they're telling. But for this particular series, "Making a Murderer," I don't think that it would have gotten the necessary attention to even have a state appeal, let alone a federal habeas claim.
Remember, Zain, a federal court here has intervened and said that the state court's findings and state appellate court's findings were completely wrong. They were forced as a federal entity to step in.
That does not happen in the United States very often. In fact, most of the time the federal courts will stay in their own lane except in an instance where there's an extraordinary case where it's so out of bounds and was so obvious what should have really happened. And that's what happened here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Now a story in the United States. Four amusement park ride accidents in the past week have many people wondering who regulates these attractions.
CNN's Jake Tapper reports the answer may surprise you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The week ended with an accident at an amusement park in Pennsylvania. A 3-year-old boy injured when he was thrown from a roller coaster. It began horrifically with the death of 10-year-old Caleb Schwab, whose neck was broken after he was tossed from his raft on this, the world's tallest water slide in Kansas City, Kansas.
JOHN POWELL, WATER SLIDE RIDER: We found out what happened and we were just sick, thinking, oh my gosh, the same thing likely happen where the raft went airborne, and this young little guy was killed.
TAPPER: Every year, more than 4,000 children are rushed to emergency rooms because of injuries at amusement parks. From May to September, 20 children on average every day are rushed to the E.R., according to a study from Nationwide Children's Hospital. The study senior author calls for a national system of regulations to, quote, "prevent amusement ride-related injuries through better injury surveillance and more consistent enforcement of standards."
[05:45:02] What? There are no federal standards, no federal body making sure that these rides are safe? That's right.
The federal government used to regulate safety of an amusement park such as the one in Kansas City. But in 1981, amusement parks standing locations suddenly became exempted from regulations. A loophole inserted its critics say without any deliberation or debate. Complying with federal regulations costs money, and though amusement parks are a $12 billion a year industry, leaving it up to states is better for their bottom line.
Jim Prager was a senior executive at Six Flags, who helped fight to create the loophole in 1981. He was also a board member of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, or IAAPA.
But Prager today told CNN he was wrong.
JIM PRAGER, FORMER SIX FLAGS EXECUTIVE: Children are not well-served by the law as it now reads. We haven't done enough to make rides safe. And we should do more. Amusement parks don't want regulation because it costs money.
TAPPER: In 1999, then-congressman and now senator, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, began a crusade to push a bill to close the loophole, so amusement parks would again be covered by one set of rules and regulations nationally.
SEN. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: That loophole is responsible for a situation that now has major accidents occurring in huge amusement parks all across the United States. Because of that, the federal government is prevented from investigating accidents at amusement parks, sharing accident information with operators of the same ride in other states so that malfunctions are fixed before more riders are hurt, requiring manufacturers to correct design flaws and make the rides safer and enforcing a full range of safety measures on amusement park rides.
TAPPER: What happened to that effort?
Well, since around the time Markey began that crusade in 1999, the IAAPA spent more than $11 million lobbying against his bill among other items according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The IAAPA hired a pricey lobbying law firm in D.C., Williams and Jensen, which represents many different businesses and whose members and affiliates have poured more than $7 million into campaign contributions. The IAAPA declined our invitation to talk, but its website says, quote, states are best equipped to regulate amusement park industry.
Oh, really?
Let's look at Kansas, home of the Schlitterbahn Water Park where Caleb Schwab was killed this year and where regulations are, according to experts, minimal. The opening of this ride where Caleb Schwab was killed was delayed several times due to safety concerns.
All right. So, after it opened in 2014, how many times did the Kansas Department of Labor inspect the ride? Well, zero, according to the "Topeka Capital Journal", which filed an open records request this week.
PRAGER: I believe some of the horrific accidents that continue to occur could be avoided if there was more regulation.
TAPPER: The last time Markey introduced his bill, IAAPA president and CEO Chip Cleary (ph) released a statement opposing it, saying, "The industry is already safe and well-regulated." The family of Caleb Schwab might disagree.
Jake Tapper, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: In a statement, the water park said the following, quote, "safety is our top priority at Schlitterbahn. All rides are inspected daily before opening."
The park passed a safety inspection back in June conducted by an insurance company that the water park its hired. We should note that we heard from the Pennsylvania Park where the 3-year-old was hurt. It says nothing like this has ever happened in the ride's 78-year history, and its roller coaster is inspected daily before opening.
Despite threats against his life throughout his years, Fidel Castro is turning 90 years old. Coming up, a look at the life and assassination attempts on the Cuban dictator's life.
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[05:53:18] HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.
Fidel Castro is celebrating his 90th birthday on Saturday. What may be most remarkable about the former Cuban leader is how long he has survived despite hundreds of attempt to kill him. Some of those have been, for lack of a better word, creative.
Patrick Oppmann has this report.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How many people have tried to kill Fidel Castro? According to Cuban intelligence officers, there have been over 600 attempts on Castro's life. And while that number is impossible to confirm, we know from a U.S.
government report that both the American mafia and the CIA tried to do Castro in. And they've also been scores of Cuban exiles who try to kill Castro.
Plots have varied widely, from attempting poisoning of Castro's cigars, his wet suit, and even a chocolate milkshake that Castro was about to drink. Assassins have tried to shoot Castro, blow him up, and make his beard fall out.
According to officials, no other leader in modern times has faced so my assassination attempts.
Castro is now retired but remains heavily protected. He says that he never expected to live to see 90 years old. That's something that his many enemies probably agree with him on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Patrick Oppmann, thank you.
Fidel Castro, 90 years old.
Friday was World Elephant Day, and it's a reminder of this beautiful and intelligent species and the many threats that elephants face around the world. We wanted to share with you now a report from our own David McKenzie that he filed on Friday. He traveled to a national park with one of the largest concentrations of elephants in Africa.
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[05:55:00] DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm on the banks of the Chobe River in Botswana. And this gorgeous elephant herd is right behind me, coming to drink.
Today is Elephant Day. And across the world, we're celebrating this great iconic African species.
What is so special about elephants?
MIKE CHASE, ELEPHANTS WITHOUT BORDERS: Well, David, elephants mean so much to so many people around the world. Ecologically, they're a keystone species. Economically, they support the ecotourism industry in Africa. Culturally, they are Africa's proudest symbols.
MCKENZIE: And elephants in the continent are in strongholds like here in Botswana. But they are threatened, as well.
CHASE: Unfortunately, they are. The immediate threat is the ivory poaching prices. The long-term threat is loss of habitat. Gradually, humans are taking over habitats which used to belong to elephants. If we can't conserve Africa's mega species, iconic African elephant, what is the future for the rest of Africa's wildlife?
MCKENZIE: Researchers believe if we don't act soon, beautiful scenes like this could be something that the next generation will never see. And you could get even localized extinctions of elephant populations in parts of Africa.
David McKenzie, CNN, on the Chobe River, Botswana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: They are indeed iconic. The hope is that something can be done.
We thank you for being with us for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. For our viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next. For other viewers around the world, "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts in a moment. We thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.
