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Usain Bolt Wins Ninth Career Gold Medal; Lochte Apologizes for Behavior in Alleged Robbery Incident; Trump Makes Appeal to Black Voters; Examining Milwaukee Protests; Florida Travel Advisory over Zika Virus; Humanitarian Crisis in Syria; Clintons Take Steps on Clinton Foundation. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired August 20, 2016 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: That is the reaction from Jamaican fans in Rio. Usain Bolt making Olympic history, earning his ninth gold medal to compete in his triple triple. Plus Donald Trump making an effort to sway African-American voters, hoping to close a major gap with rival Hillary Clinton. And a blunt new directive for pregnant women as the threat of Zika spreads in the United States. From CNN 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.
Let it be known around the world, history has been made. Usain Bolt has triple triple. He won the men's four by 100-meter Olympic relay on Friday along with his fellow sprinters on Team Jamaica. That makes nine golds in all for Usain Bolt. Three golds in three events in three straight Olympics. In addition to the relay, the Lightning Bolt won this year's 100- and 200-meter races, and says Rio will be his final Olympics.
In Rio and back in his home country, Usain Bolt fans celebrated about his big win. Let's go live to Rio and hand off to CNN's Christina McFarland. In lane one with us, Christina, good morning to you. So, what an exciting day of competition.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What an exciting day, George. The trilogy is complete, and it was a blazingly fast farewell run from Usain Bolt and his teammates. But I tell you what, it was actually neck and neck for some time into the race until it got to the anchor leg, the fourth leg, that is when Usain Bolt had the baton passed on to him, is when he took over. And at that point, Jamaica were actually level with the United States and Japan as you can see. And from this point here, Usain Bolt took about four steps to get into his stride and then he powered through that hundred meters like we've seen him do so often, into a time of 37.27 seconds.
Now, it wasn't the world record, that was set by the Jamaicans by some half a second faster. But needless to say, Usain Bolt took his time with the victory after this one, his final farewell to the crowd. He was out there for about two hours saying goodbye, and he declared to the media, "I am the greatest." And he also shared with us that he told his teammates that if they didn't win this one for him, he'd beat them up afterwards. But there was also drama elsewhere, George, because we saw a bit of a
shock win for Japan. They took the silver in what was a new Asian record. And there was disaster for the men's four by 100 team, who finished originally in bronze, and they went out to have their victory lap, and then one of the Canadian runners who finished in the fourth position came over and told them that they'd been disqualified. Now, this is because of a technicality in the changeover between Mike Rogers and Justin Gatlin. So, USA bumped down to fourth, miss out on the bronze medal, and the Canadians took the bronze. And remarkably, this is the ninth time in U.S. history that this has happened in this particular event for the Olympics and the World Championships. So, a real disaster for them.
HOWELL: Christina, I'm just curious. I mean, you have had a front- row seat to history, I mean, not only with Usain Bolt, but just so many other amazing athletes performing on the world stage. What has it been like for you just to be there and to see all of this?
MACFARLANE: George, it's been absolutely surreal. You watch these events happen on TV as I have done for my entire life, and I've been a sports journalist for some 10 years. But to see them in the flesh is to realize just how important these moments are, and what the athletes do to the crowd around them. The thing, I've seen Bolt run twice in these Olympic games now. And he has this magnetism that I've never seen from any other athlete in the way that he conducts the crowd. And that is something that I'll take away.
HOWELL: That's awesome. As these games are getting closer to the close, Christina, thank you, and we'll stay in touch to see more of your reporting there for us.
Even before his victory on Friday, Bolt cemented his status as an Olympic legend. Our Don Riddell has more now on the Lightning Bolt and his growing legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: On the greatest stage in the world of sports, Usain Bolt has been the biggest star. The Olympic games has never seen anything like it. Total domination in the marquee sprint events for three consecutive games. Some more modest athletes might play it down, but not the man himself.
USAIN BOLT: Awesome, that's my word, that's my one word I always use. (INAUDIBLE) was awesome.
RIDDELL: He's been rewriting the record books since sweeping the 100, 200, and sprint relay events in Beijing. Bolt repeated in London, and again here in Rio, signing off his Olympic career with an unprecedented triple triple. It's unlikely that we'll ever see his like again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Usain Bolt is the greatest track and field athlete of all time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't think of another athlete since Muhammad Ali that has so captured the public imagination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)
RIDDELL: It would also be hard to imagine anyone cementing a legacy in a shorter amount of time. For the nine gold medals Bolt won at his last three Olympics, he was on the track for a total of less than two minutes, transcending his sport to become a global icon and a national hero in his beloved Jamaica.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Truly humbling to be here and be present for this moment. It's a true honor to see him run.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has really lifted the sport and has brought all these people here, all the world has seen that you can do it the right way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) especially since we know that this was his last Olympics, it was great to be here and see history made.
RIDDELL: In a troubled era for athletics, Usain Bolt has become its shining light, a smiling assassin ruthlessly crushing his rivals, laughing all the way to the finish line. And the bank, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolute game-changer, you know? We just talk about the attendance, you know, coming to the track. He has brought faces, he has brought fans. He's truly, I mean, a legend in the making, but, you know, I'm so grateful for that and what he's doing for the sport, but just athletics as a whole.
RIDDELL: Tonight, we have seen Usain Bolt write another page of history in his remarkable Olympic career. But now, it's over. He says he'll retire after the World Championships next year, he'll celebrate his 30th birthday this Sunday knowing that he is the greatest. It is a title that will likely never be surpassed, and make no mistake, he will be profoundly missed. Don Ridell, CNN, Rio.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Don, thank you. U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte has apologized for his role in an altercation in Rio, but he's sticking to the robbery part of that story, which Brazilian officials, the police there, are calling fabrication. We will have a complete update on that ongoing controversy at the half hour. And of course, with the very latest on all things Olympics. Be sure to head to our website, cnn.com/Olympics.
America's Choice 2016, Donald Trump going all the way now for African- American voters hoping to sway them, and recent polls show that Hillary Clinton is ahead in that race for the White House, so the Republican presidential candidate is trying to close that gap by among other things getting the important vote of African-Americans. This comes as Donald Trump is facing yet another shift at the top of his campaign. CNN's Jessica Schneider has details for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What do you have to lose by trying something new?
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump making a passionate pitch to African-American voters, telling this mostly white audience near East Lansing, Michigan, that Democrats have been the ones keeping minorities down.
TRUMP: America must reject the bigotry of Hillary Clinton, who sees communities of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future. Hillary Clinton would rather provide a job to a refugee from overseas than to give that job to unemployed African- American youth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for coming, Mr. Trump.
SCHNEIDER: Trump started the day in Baton Rouge, criticizing the president for staying on vacation in Martha's Vineyard during the worst natural disaster since superstorm Sandy, the White House announcing just as Donald Trump's jet took off that President Obama will travel to the devastation. But Donald Trump didn't let up.
TRUMP: Obama ought to get off the golf course and get down there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Hillary Clinton's America, the system stays rigged against Americans.
SCHNEIDER: Trumps first TV ads hit the air, the campaign spending $4.8 million over the next ten days for ads in the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump's America is secure. Terrorists and dangerous criminals kept out. The borders secure, our families safe.
SCHNEIDER: Clinton's camp already on the attack, campaign spokesman Brian Fallon tweeting, "in case you thought for a split second trump was genuine about feeling regret, he is back to demonizing immigrants again in his new ad today." Trump's sharpened tone comes as a new team take over and Paul Manafort resigns as campaign chairman, sources telling CNN he told Trump he was becoming a distraction and wanted to end it.
Donald Trump hasn't spoken about Paul Manafort's departure, only releasing a statement saying that he's appreciative to Manafort, especially for his help during the delegate and the convention process. But the Clinton camp is pouncing on this, saying that the departure of Paul Manafort doesn't put an end to what they have called "the odd romance" between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Jessica Schneider, CNN, Dimondale, Michigan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Jessica, thank you. Getting the support, more support of African-American voters, will be quite the challenge for Donald Trump. A recent poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal shows that Clinton beats Trump among African-American voters 91 percent to Donald Trump's one percent. Let's get some context now from a man who never sleeps, CNN politics reporter Eugene Scott joining us via Skype. Very early there in the New York bureau. Eugene, good to have you with us. So, let's talk about Donald Trump at one percent with African-American voters. There's no way to go but up at this point, and Trump is making his best pitch to those voters. Will it work?
EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: You know, this is Donald Trump's second speech this week that his campaign says was targeting black voters that was actually made predominantly white suburbs. So, I'm not quite sure how he's hoping to go up if he is not speaking to black voters where they are. As you said, or as you inferred from the clip last night, he made this comment about why black voters should pick him, given that they also have nothing to lose. But the feedback on social media was not that very, it's not very much affirming or encouraging or receptive to his speech.
HOWELL: Let's also talk about what's happening, Eugene, with Hillary Clinton. A federal judge denied that request from a conservative watch group to depose Clinton in her personal email server controversy. But the judge did say that she will have to answer questions in a written form within 30 days and that will have to happen under oath, so how will that play with Clinton's standing so far?
SCOTT: Well, this just shows that the situation with the emails for Hillary Clinton, just, it's not over. I know the Clinton campaign was hoping that they'd be able to put this behind them, but Republican lawmakers and her critics and conservative groups like this are working very hard to keep this issue before voters, with the hope that it will keep independents from going to the Clinton camp, therefore turning to the Trump camp.
HOWELL: Both of these candidates are now spending a lot money when it comes to TV ads; however, the Clinton campaign, they've been at it for a much longer time, and they are outspending Donald Trump. So when it comes to these key swing states, Eugene, and these new ads as they start to play into the minds of those voters, could we see Donald Trump gain some ground there? Or the simple fact that he's starting at this point, which some would say is a little late in the game, will that have an impact?
SCOTT: Whether he gains ground or not is not as much the main focus. He needs to gain ground with the folks that he's losing most with in states like Ohio, states like North Carolina and even Pennsylvania and Florida have significant communities of black voters and Donald Trump isn't really saying things based off of what readers are saying on social media and interacting with the cnnpolitics.com staff, and saying that he's not reaching them, based on the way he talks about issues related to the black communities.
HOWELL: Let's also talk about the Trump reboot, the Trump triple- down, saying, I gotta be Trump, but we're also seeing the resignation of Paul Manafort. Given that Mr. Manafort is stepping aside, what sort of changes could we see from what you understand in this campaign, who do we see moving forward? SCOTT: Well, we were promised by the new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, about 48 hours ago, that we would see a softer, more perhaps compassionate Trump. And we saw him as you'll recall a couple of days ago say that he regrets some of the words he used that may have caused people pain, less than 24 hours before the really questionable speech last night in Michigan that was not well received by many black voters. And so, it's not really clear where it'll go from now, if he'll be able to stay down that path. I will say that removing Manafor as a distraction does not keep his critics from being concerned about the Trump campaign's ties to Manafor and his relationship with Russian politicians.
HOWELL: CNN's Eugene Scott, live for us in the New York bureau. Eugene, thank you so much, and we'll talk to you again next hour.
Moving on now to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, recovering from two nights of protest and rioting a week ago after it erupted from a police shooting. And now we're learning about another controversy that may have contributed a spark to that violence. CNN's Sara Sidner has this report for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone felt it, I think everyone knew that it was inevitable.
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Milwaukee alderman Khalif Rainey says the destructive reaction in his predominantly black neighborhood wasn't just over the police shooting. One of the triggers was something much more mundane, the targeting and ticketing practices of police.
KHALIF RAINEY, ALDERMAN, MILWAUKEE: There are instances where tickets are issued and they should be. But there are some practices that are predatory.
TAWANA BRIDGES: I see the police and I think, oh Lord, not today.
SIDNER: Mother of five Tawana Bridges says she was caught in a cycle of ticketing hell, missed payments of fines for things like a broken taillight or parking tickets ballooned into a personal crisis.
BRIDGES: Sometimes I don't have the extra $50 that they need me to send in, but if I don't send it, then there's a warrant out for my arrest, they'll suspend the license. So, either way it goes I'm like in a lose-lose situation.
SIDNER: Molly Gena of Legal Action of Wisconsin says black and poor residents are bearing the brunt of the city's ticketing practices. A 2011 study found that while blacks make up 19 percent of registered drivers in Milwaukee Country, they received 69 percent of license suspensions for failure to pay fines. That far outweighs every other ethnicity combined.
MOLLY GENA, LEGAL ACTION OF WISCONSIN: My clients, you know, so many of them lose their license for poverty-related reasons. SIDNER: If it all sounds familiar, it should. After a police shooting led to protests and riots in Ferguson, Missouri, a Department of Justice investigation blamed the disproportionate ticketing and fining of residents there as the underlying for the unrest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The city relies on the police force to serve as a collection agency for the municipal court, rather than as a law enforcement entity.
SIDNER: After a consent decree, Ferguson changed. Its municipal court now makes just a fraction of what it used to make from fines. But a new class action lawsuit accuses 13 cities surrounding Ferguson of the same practice, policing for profit on the backs of black and poor people. Nonprofit Arch City Defenders brought the suit, claiming a total of $77 million was collected over a five-year period by those cities for municipal court fines, fees, and surcharges in an area with a population of less than 50,000 people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At some point, if you've jailed someone, you know that they don't have the ability to pay, right? Because we'd all pay.
SIDNER: Nobody wants to sit in jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, you're essentially asking someone, how much money do you have to buy your freedom?
SIDNER: The cities have balked at the accusation they've created debtor's prisons. One African-American mayor in one of those cities told me that driving is privilege, not a right. If you don't want to pay a fine, he said, don't break the law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not the policeman's fault for enforcing the law.
SIDNER: Pat Kelly leads an association of municipalities in Saint Louis County and says while the system should be scrutinized, many of the problems could be solved if residents would simply show up to court.
PAT KELLY: You know, these are the laws of the state that they're enforcing, and those warrants and those kinds of things are built into law to try to get people to come to court.
SIDNER: Alderman Rainey is watching what's happening in Missouri and calling for change in Milwaukee, warning, without it, the eruption will reappear.
RAINEY: I see devastation. I see something that I hope we never see ever again.
SIDNER: Sara Sidner, CNN, Saint Louis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: You're watching CNN newsroom. Still ahead, why Donald Trump is slamming President Obama for his response to the flood disaster in the state of Louisiana. Plus fighting the Zika virus in Florida, it gets more complicated and the federal health issue a new warning. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm George Howell. The U.S. state of Louisiana is struggling to recover from widespread flooding, and so far, floodwaters have damaged more than 40,000 homes and killed at least 13 people. FEMA says more than 70,000 people have registered for individual assistance since a federal disaster was declared there. Donald Trump used a visit to the flood-ravaged area to slam President Obama. He told crowds Friday that Mr. Obama needs to stop golfing in Martha's Vineyard and help the flood victims there. The White House says the president will visit Louisiana on Tuesday as his vacation concludes.
Let's find out if there is more rain there on the way for Louisiana. Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam with us, and Derek, I mean, the simple fact that so many homes have been destroyed, and for some people there's no recourse.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, they're going to be feeling the effects of this flooding for days if not weeks to come, because this cleanup effort is just so slow, especially in Louisiana. A very low sea-level area part of the United States. Compare that to a mountainous area that receives flooding, like West Virginia, for instance. That area sees water kind of seek its own level, the flash flooding comes through, and then that event pretty much quickly comes to an end. But in Louisiana's case...
HOWELL: It sticks around.
VAN DAM: It sticks around, this water is extremely slow to retreat. I want to show you some astounding pictures. Unfortunately, this really can appear almost as if, well, unfortunately this is not that photo, but I do want to show you what this particular part of Louisiana actually looks like, if my director can bring up the weather graphics, that would be absolutely great. You can see just how flooded Louisiana actually is, or how badly this water continues to impact this region. We've had thousands of people still impacted by this series of heavy, heavy rain events. And unfortunately, there is more rain in the forecast.
In fact, these pictures that I'm about to show you look, well, eerily similar to that of 2005, Hurricane Katrina if you recall. Take a look at this, this is thousands of evacuees still seeking shelter. So how much rain actually fell in Louisiana? We're talking about a one-week period from August 8th to the 14th, and a significant amount of precipitation leading to the video that you saw just a moment ago, over 193 millimeters on average across the southeastern sections of Louisiana. If you do the math, that's over 26 trillion liters of rainfall, significant amount of rain in a short period of time led to that extensive flooding. And here's the reason why. Look at the radar. Just inundating this region with heavy rain, you can see the flash flood warnings still in place across this area. Broaden this perspective and you notice that even Texas, the
neighboring state to Louisiana, also has flood watches right now, and even near the border of Mexico they have a flash flood warning. You can see the rainfall that continues across that region. There is still more chances of heavy downpours across the state of Louisiana, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel. This cold front will drop south finally by midweek, and that should start to ease the rainfall. This area does have chances of rain each day in this seven- day forecast, but it doesn't mean it's going to rain every day and every moment of that day, it's just we have to leave that chance of precipitation in there.
I want to end with this, because there are just all kinds of hidden dangers associated with flooding like this. According to the Louisiana health department, contaminants in the water, obviously, there's infection problems considering that standing water is such an issue.
But one thing that's interesting to note is we've tried to tie the potential of the Zika virus being spread due to flooding events like this. And according to the CDC, the Center of Disease Control here in Atlanta, actually, George, says that large rain events and flooding events just like this one actually lowers the level of disease- transmitting mosquitos. It's quite interesting to see that that's possible. That has to do with how they breed and how this heavy rainfall can actually push away some of those infected mosquitos. More of a nuisance for them, the nuisance mosquitos still, an uptick in that, but not the Zika-spreading mosquitos. That's good news.
HOWELL: It's so terrifying, you know, just to simply know that mosquitos are the reason that the virus is spreading, and stopping mosquito bites. People are doing their best. Derek Van Dam, thank you.
A frightening warning for pregnant women in the United States. The U.S. Center for Disease Control has a new warning to stay away from a section of Miami Beach, Florida, because the Zika virus has spread there. Our Mary Moloney tells us more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY MOLONEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Ocean Drive, one of the hottest tourist spots on South Beach. But now, Miami Beach is a different kind of hot spot, one for Zika.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach.
MOLONEY: The area is one and a half square miles, running from the beach to the inter-coastal waterway. It's the second part of Miami- Dade County where local transmission of the virus has been found.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key here is to find it quickly and respond quickly, that's what we're doing along with Florida and Miami-Dade County in these two zones where we've documented transmission.
MOLONEY: The head of the CDC says the high-rise buildings and strong beach breezes could pose a problem when spraying for a type of mosquito that's notoriously difficult to control.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going do everything in our power to make this city safe for our residents and our tourists. That's the most important, that's job number one for the city of Miami Beach right now.
MOLONEY: Contracting Zika is the most damaging to pregnant women. The virus can have devastating consequences for an unborn baby, which is why the CDC warns pregnant women not to travel to parts of Miami Beach and consider not traveling to Miami-Dade County at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Between our efforts and the County's spraying efforts, the last thing I'd ever want to be in Miami Beach right now is a mosquito.
MOLONEY: I'm Mary Moloney reporting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Mary, thank you. This is CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, Ryan Lochte is apologizing for his actions in Rio. Why that hasn't been enough, though, to quiet the controversy around him. Plus, millions of refugees desperate to escape the war in Syria. Has the world been turning a blind eye to their suffering? We speak to an activist about this tragedy.
Live from Atlanta, broadcasting in the United States and around this hour, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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[04:32:02] HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. It is good to have you with us. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you.
This hour activists report new clashes Saturday between Syrian Kurdish forces and government loyalists in Hasakah. Syrian air strikes and artillery targeted Kurdish fighters there earlier this week. A senior U.S. military official warns that the Syrians will quote risk losing aircraft if they strike the Kurds.
Again, Donald Trump is again trying to court the African-American voter. And in a rally in Michigan Trump said Hillary Clinton takes the vote of African-Americans for granted. The Republican presidential said, referring to that voting block, quote, what do you have to lose by trying something new like Trump?
The International Paralympic Committee said it will take more steps to cut costs for the games in September. Late travel (bans) threaten to prevent some countries from even getting athletes to Rio. The Committee's president says the problems are unprecedented, but the games will go on.
Usain Bolt, he has made Olympic history. The star Jamaican sprinter has his triple triple, three golds in three events, in three straight Olympics. Bolt and his teammates won the men's 4x100 relay on Friday. He also took gold in this year's 100 and 200-meter races.
Sources tell a CNN contributor that American swimmer Ryan Lochte will eventually be suspended for his role in an altercation that happened in Rio.
But both U.S. swimming and the Olympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic Committee, say that they are reviewing that incident. Lochte says it ended with him and three teammates being robbed at gunpoint, but Brazilian police say no such robbery ever happened. Nick Paton Walsh has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESONDENT (voice over): Gold medalist Ryan Lochte took to Instagram today, saying he apologizes quote for my behavior last weekend, for not being more careful and candid in how I described the events of that early morning, and for my role in taking the focus away from the many athletes, unquote, fulfilling their Olympic dreams.
Lochte and three of his teammates stopped at a gas station in Rio early Sunday. Surveillance video appeared to support police accounts that at least one of them vandalized the station, urinating outside and damaging property. The men then get into their taxi and are confronted by security officers off camera. Money reportedly changed hands. Lochte had publicly described the encounter as an armed robber.
RYAN LOCHTE, AMERICAN COMPETITIVE SWIMMER: They pulled us over. They pulled out their guns. They told the other swimmers to get down on the ground. And the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead, and said get down.
WALSH: The police say the American swimmers reached an agreement with the armed guards to pay for damages. While the gold medalist has now apologized, he stopped short of entirely changing his story. Quote, it's traumatic to be out late with your friends in a foreign country with a language barrier, he posted, and have a stranger point a gun at you and demand money to let you leave.
MARIO ANDRADA, RIO 2016 SPOKESMAN: We obviously accept his apology.
WALSH: International Olympic Committee chiming in as well.
ANDRADA: It's clear that the Brazilian population was kind of shocked, humiliated.
WALSH: Lochte has been back in the U.S. for days, while his teammates bore the brunt in Brazil. Rio's mayor saying he feels, quote, pity and contempt for all of them. James Feigen was not allowed to leave Brazil until he paid nearly $11,000 to a national sports charity. Civil police say Feigen and his lawyer agreed to the donation during a court appearance.
Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz returned to the U.S. just this morning, after being pulled off their original flight by Brazilian authorities Wednesday. They were given their passports back only after giving statements to police. All this, as the U.S. Olympic Committee tries to clean up the mess left behind.
In a statement it said, quote, the behavior of these athletes is not acceptable, nor does it represent the values of Team U.S.A. The U.S.O.C. also stopped short of saying its athletes lied. Their security guard quote displayed their weapons, ordered the athletes from their vehicle, and demanded a monetary payment, the statement reads.
The question now is what comes next. Major sponsors, including Speedo and Ralph Lauren saying their following developments closely.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Nick, thank you.
The chief U.S. ally against ISIS is under renewed assault by forces loyal to the Assad government.
Observers report heavy shelling of Kurdish forces in Hasakah Saturday. American fighter jets flew close to two Syrian jets over the city on Friday, and encouraged them to leave. Syrian air strikes hit Kurdish targets in and around Hasakah earlier this week. Reports say up to 13 people were killed there. The U.S. has warned Syria it will not hesitate to shoot down a plane if the air strikes resume.
Now we have an update for you on the traumatized little boy, the Syrian boy whose heart-rendering picture has sparked outrage around the world.
That image of this five-year-old boy, Omran Daqneesh. An activist tells CNN that he and his family had been smuggled out of Aleppo, and that they are staying with relatives. But three other Syrian children and three adults, they met a tragic end. They drowned in the Mediterranean when they crossed to Europe in a small boat. The bodies of two girls, eight months old and five years old, have been recovered from sea. The body of a five-year-old boy with them has not yet been found.
Earlier my colleague Jonathan Mann spoke to Michelle Nunn about the humanitarian crisis that's playing out there. She's the President and CEO of CARE USA. That group still trying to help many Syrians, whether they are still in that country or outside. And Jon asked what can be done about this very desperate situation for people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE NUNN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CARE USA: We have to have a diplomatic resolution. And we have to have advocates, individual citizens and leaders around the world, who say this will not stand. So we have to address that, and we have to use our sense of urgency and also our sense of outrage to ensure that that happens. The second thing we can and must do is, on a temporary basis, we must
ensure that humanitarian law is maintained. All international law is being violated as we see these bombing of civilians, of hospitals. It's happening repeatedly. We must address this. We must hold people accountable.
And then, finally, we have to realize that we actually can help people who are suffering right now. And that means the people who have fled Syria, and that means the people in Syria themselves. Organizations like CARE and so many other humanitarian organizations are working there. And we want people to know they can make a difference. We don't want them to feel helpless or paralyzed. You can make a contribution, you can make an effort to lift up your voice, and you can truly change the trajectory of what's happening.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN HOST, "POLITICAL MANN": Now I think this is a CARE estimate, that more than half of the population of Syria needs humanitarian assistance. I mean, when you see the look on that boy's face, what he's endured, what are the people of Syria enduring, even those who are lucky enough to be spared the air strikes?
NUNN: Well, we know that the numbers are staggering. This is the greatest humanitarian crisis since World War II. And we know that there are literally millions of people who are displaced within Syria. There are millions of people that are living in these besieged areas, and they are experiencing these kinds of bombings every single day. And they, also you have to keep in mind, without water, without electricity, without food.
So humanitarian relief must be able, unfettered, to reach these civilians, and to provide them just at least a glimpse of hope and possibility.
MANN: Let me ask you about that. The U.N. is begging for just 48 hours to get into Aleppo, 48 hours. Will that make any difference at all?
NUNN: It's a step in the right direction, but it's not nearly sufficient. Because it needs to be every day that we can reach people with humanitarian relief. We must hold ourselves accountable, again, to these basics of international law and ensure that we can reach civilians, and also that we are not bombing civilians.
MANN: Now you're saying all this and I'm sure everyone watching is agreeing with you. Do you feel powerless when you see this kind of suffering?
NUNN: I don't, and I want people to not feel like they are on the sidelines. If people lift up their voices, if they lift up their voices from an advocacy perspective, if they tell their Congressmen, if the tell their leaders, if they write letters to the editor, if they say that this is untenable, then we can see this change. But when we feel powerless, we create a sense of paralyzed sensibility that ensure that this will continue. And so I want global citizens to recognize that they have a voice, and that they have to use it. And that they also have the capacity to be involved personally, to make an investment in the kind of change that we know must happen when we see these images.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Michelle Nunn there, speaking to our own Jonathan Mann.
Still ahead, Republicans are questioning some of the proposed changes that are set to be made at the Clinton Foundation if Hillary Clinton becomes President of the United States. A look at that controversy next.
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HOWELL: You could say it's a small victory for Hillary Clinton and her e-mail troubles.
A U.S. Federal judge ruled that a conservative watchdog group cannot question Hillary Clinton in person about use of her private e-mail server while Secretary of State. Instead, Clinton has to respond in writing and under oath, and written within 30 days, to questions submitted by that group called Judicial Watch. The U.S. Justice Department concluded last month there were no grounds to prosecute Hillary Clinton over her handling of e-mail.
In the meantime, the Clintons are taking steps to keep their foundation above suspicion if Clinton becomes President. But the couple's Republican rivals, they are questioning those changes, as our Joe Johns reports.
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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former President Bill Clinton trying to avoid any actual, or the appearance of, conflicts of interest, announcing he will resign from the board of the Clinton Foundation if his wife, the former Secretary of State, wins in November. The foundation taking an additional step, saying that they'll also no longer accept corporate or foreign donations.
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The book "Clinton Cash" by Peter Schweizer documents how Bill and Hillary used the State Department to enrich their family and America's -- at America's expense. She gets rich making you poor.
JOHNS: The foundation has come under scrutiny for its close contacts with the State Department while Hillary Clinton was Secretary.
TRUMP: Has Hillary Clinton apologized for turning the State Department into a pay for play operation where favors are sold to the highest bidder?
JOHNS: The Clinton campaign flatly denies and pay to play allegations. In fact, the candidate has defended the foundation's work.
HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We have so much that we're proud of, and I will put that up against any of the innuendo and accusation coming from Donald Trump, because the work that has been done has garnered accolades and appreciation from every corner of the world because it has been so farsighted, visionary, and effective.
JOHNS: But Republicans jumped on the new announcements, the RNC releasing a statement saying, if everything was above board while Hillary Clinton ran the State Department, as the Clintons have said, then why change a thing? Also of note, Mr. Clinton, who had already stopped giving paid speeches, said Thursday night he'd keep it that way if she's elected.
The Clintons have amassed a whopping $155 million combined from paid speeches since leaving the White House in 2001. All this as new details are emerging on Mrs. Clinton's controversial e-mail server. The New York Times reporting that she told the FBI it was Colin Powell, her predecessor at the State Department, who advised her to use personal e-mail.
The Times cites an excerpt from Joe Conason's new book about Bill Clinton, saying that at a 2009 dinner party hosted by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Powell recommended Clinton use her own e- mail, as he had done, except for classified communications, which he had sent and received via a State Department computer.
Powell's office responding in a statement that he had no recollection of such a conversation, but did write Clinton a memo regarding his use of a personal AOL account, saying at the time there was no equivalent system within the Department. He used a secure State computer on his desk to manage classified information. Of course, there are a couple big differences between Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton's e-mail. Powell entered the office in 2001, when e-mail wasn't as popular as it was in 2009. And Powell never had his own private server.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
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HOWELL: Joe, thank you.
Kids all over the world are striking his signature pose. Usain Bolt inspiring the next generation of athletes next.
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HOWELL: Welcome back to NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.
Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, he is most certainly one of the most famous athletes to ever live. Just about everyone knows this guys, especially because of his iconic victory pose. He's exciting young runners all over the world and here are just a few people to explain how Bolt inspires them and gives us their best impression of him too.
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UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Usain Bolt! Three, two, one. (Cheers)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usain Bolt is my motivation. Every time I need to get up or every time I'm not feeling confident in track, I always just watch his videos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's great. He can run fast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to run like him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the world record holder, so it's a really big thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's amazing that someone can accomplish those kind of things. And that your body can actually be that fast and have that kind of dynamic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usain Bolt is like the epitome of track and field. When I think about track, I think of Usain Bolt because the fastest man to ever do it.
UNIDENTIFIELD FEMALE: He's inspired so many people across the world. And I think people really... I don't think they understand how much work he's put into this. But when you know as an athlete yourself, you really do appreciate what he does.
UNIDENTIFIELD FEMALE: He represents athletics in a very positive (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He inspires people everywhere, and that makes him the bests.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can mirror yourself in him and aim for breaking world records.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's my role model.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me being a young, black male, I look up to the fact that he made it through hard times and he's a role model to so many other young black males.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usain Bolt is my... Is someone who encourages me to work hard in running so that I can be like him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I aspire to be where he is one day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's like a big brother to me. We run the same events and one day I would like to be as fast as him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to run exactly the times that he's run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like you, Usain Bolt. I like your energy, and I like your passion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I, I like your running style, the way you compete with others.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll train, and I'll pray to God to help me to be like Usain Bolt. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not such a fast runner, so I cannot ever
beat you in running.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People say girls aren't as quick as boys, but I want to prove them wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Usain Bolt, keep it up, and one day maybe we can meet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to race? I mean I do the hurdles, but I'm down for a hundred [meters].
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three, two, one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's see your best Bolt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: No doubt about it, these athletes are in fact (thought) leaders. They inspire young people around the world. It's beautiful to see.
And, finally, this day in Rio we take you to one of the slums there, the Santa Marta favela, which was the site of a light show on Thursday. Images of the first ever Olympic refugee team, who are competing in Rio. They were projected onto buildings there. The show's organizers say they hoped to promote messages of peace and the spirit of the Olympic Games.
Thank you for being with us this hour for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. We'll have more news from around the world right after the break. Stay with us.
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