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Former Israeli Leader Lies In State At The Knesset; U.S. Congress Overrides Obama's Veto Of 9/11 Bill; MH17 Report: Plane Downed By Russian-Made Missile; Trump Slams Clinton After Panned Debate Performance; Airstrikes Knockout Two Hospitals In Aleppo; Trump Bashes Former Miss Universe; Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders on Campaign Trail for Clinton. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 29, 2016 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[01:00:13] JOHN VAUSE, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.

[01:00:15] ISHA SESAY, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, official ceremony begins to honor the life of Israeli Statesman Shimon Peres. We'll bring you the latest from the Knesset.

TAPPER: For the first time, congress overturns a veto issued by President Obama clearing the way for 9/11 families to sue the Saudi government.

SESAY: And the new report finds Russian rockets shot down a Malaysian airlines jet. Moscow argued that simply isn't true.

VAUSE: Hello, everybody. Thanks for staying with us. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. This is NEWSROOM L.A.

Former Israeli leader Shimon Peres is now lying in state at the parliament building where he served for decades.

TAPPER: His flag-draped coffin arrived a short time ago. Peres died Wednesday, aged 93, two weeks after suffering a massive stroke. And later this hour, Israeli leaders will lay wreaths by Peres's casket in the Knesset.

SESAY: And the public will be allowed inside soon as well. Peres's state funeral will be on Friday. He was one of Israel's founding fathers and served as the country's ninth president. Oren Liebermann joins us now from Jerusalem. And Oren, as we just mentioned, the body of Shimon Peres arrived at Knesset just a short time ago. Set the scene for us now, what is happening?

[01:01:42] OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Isha and John, we're just a few moments away from the casket - the body of Shimon Peres, drape wrapped in an Israeli flag to come out to this spot that's right here behind me. And this is where he will lay -- lie in state for most of the day. First, as Israeli leaders come visit and to pay their respects, and then as the public, and perhaps even some more leaders come to say their final farewells to President Shimon Peres, a man who meant so much, not only to Israel over a more than a half century in public service, but a man who meant so much to world leaders, who knew him and respected him from what he stood for, unapologetically standing for peace. As for what happens in the next hour, in about 45 minutes, will be the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and the Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein, they will be the first to come out and pay their respects at this spot, here behind me Then just a few minutes after that, at 9 o'clock local time in an hour, that is when the gates will open to the public for them to come say their final farewells.

The gates will be open for 12 hours and thousands upon thousands of Israelis will flood into this plaza, this plaza just outside the Knesset to say their final farewells and pay their respects to Peres. And there is the possibility that the gates will be opened even longer than that, late in the night, perhaps, even early into the morning, because the queues are so long because the lines are so long. And that would be a testament to how much Shimon Peres meant to Israelis as a whole. Even those who fundamentally disagreed with him, even they respect what he did for the state, serving in just about every major and minor role in government, multiple times Prime Minister, President from 2007 to 2014. Everyone here understands how much Shimon Peres means to Israel. We're just about 40 minutes away now from Israeli leaders, again, the Prime Minister, the President and the Speaker of Knesset being the first to say their final farewells today. Isha?

SESAY: And Oren, what more do we know about the plans for Friday's funeral?

LIEBERMANN: So early Friday morning, the body of Shimon Peres will move from here to the Mount Herzl, that is where the giants of Israeli history are buried. He'll be buried as we understand between Yitzhak Rabin and Yitzhak Shamir, two of his great political rivals, but also two of his great political partners, as some of the great projects he tried to accomplish. From there, early Friday morning, there will be a number of ceremonies, a number of eulogies given, a number of world leaders will be there, that list absolutely impressive; President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, the German - the German Prime Minister, the French President, all coming to pray - to pay their respects. And then, he'll be buried right around noon local time on Mount Herzl, where again the giants of Israeli history are buried. His spot there has been beyond question for decades now because of all he's done, because of his life of public service and his dedication to the state of Israel.

SESAY: Oren Lieberman joining us there from the Israeli parliament, the Knesset where the body of Shimon Peres is lying in state. Oren, we appreciate it. We'll check in with you in a little while. Thank you so much.

VAUSE: U.S. President Barack Obama is warning a dangerous precedent could be set by allowing 9/11 families to take legal action against the Saudi government. Mr. Obama had used his veto power to stop a bill, which would have allowed those suits. But for the first time, during his presidency on Wednesday, congress voted to override that veto.

SESAY: 9/11 families have long claimed the hijackers had ties to the Saudi government. Mr. Obama says the bill could open the door to similar lawsuits from other countries against the U.S. Military and Diplomats.

BARACK OBAMA, U.S. PRESIDENT: Sometimes you have to do what's hard. And frankly, I wish congress here had done what's hard. I didn't expect it because voting -- if you're perceived as voting against 9/11 families right before an election, not surprisingly that's a hard vote for people to take, but it would have been the right thing to do.

VAUSE: CNN's Legal Analyst Mark Geragos joins us now live. Hey, Mark, I want to pick up where we left last hour. Mark, are you with us?

[01:05:37] MARK GERAGOS, CNN'S LEGAL ANALYST: Oh, I'm sorry.

VAUSE: Mark, hey, are you with us? Great. OK. Hey, Mark, I want to pick up where we left off last hour.

GERAGOS: (INAUDIBLE)

VAUSE: Good, good, good. Hey, we wanted - we're talking about sovereign immunity and the president's concern about the precedent that this bill could set. This is how the President explained it during a CNN Town Hall.

OBAMA: The concern that I've had is -- has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia per se, or my sympathy for 9/11 families. It has to do with me not wanting a situation in which we're suddenly exposed to liabilities for all the work that we're doing all around the world, and suddenly finding ourselves subject to the private lawsuits in courts where we don't even know exactly whether they're on the up and up in some cases.

VAUSE: OK. So, Mark, that's the President's explanation of the dangers of this bill. How do you see it?

GERAGOS: Look, there's no way that he is expressing himself accurately. I have no understanding as to why he's saying what he's saying. But the idea that it was 97-1 says everything you want to say. This is nothing more than a fig leaf for Saudi Arabia, because this is a absolutely appropriate reaction to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities exception. And Saudi Arabia, I understand why they're upset, and I understand why other countries are, but remember, this has nothing to do with a treaty. This is nothing more than if somebody sues them in a U.S. Court.

VAUSE: It -- from a practical matter, let's say this does get to a courtroom and a judge rules in favor of the families of some of the victims of 9/11 against the Saudi Government, what's the mechanism here to force the Saudi government to pay up?

GERAGOS: Well, the mechanism is when you sue them, that what this bill does it says, when they claim in a federal court that they have immunity and the judge says under FISA, and FISA is the law here, the judge normally would say, "We can't allow you to proceed against the foreign country." In this case, this is going to carve out a area which says, "Sorry, normally that would be an immunity. It doesn't count in this - in this case." And I think it's appropriate. I don't understand why somebody or why the president would want to carve out a exception and say, "Oh, it was OK. Saudi Arabia has -- you may be able to prove that they were responsible for a terrorist act and you can't sue them." It makes no sense to me and I think that's precisely why it was passed or the override was passed 97-1.

VAUSE: OK, Mark. Thank you for being with us. We appreciate the explanation. Thank you.

SESAY: Now, international prosecutors say a Russian-made missile brought down Malaysian Airlines flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. And they say it was fired from a village under the control of pro-Russian separatists.

VAUSE: Russia has dismissed the report saying it's filled with speculation. CNN's Phil Black has more now on the investigation.

[01:09:21] PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The challenges for anyone trying to work out what happened to MH17 were enormous. At the scene we found a vast unsecured debris field in the middle of a war zone. Wreckage, evidence, victims, their personal belongings, all left lying in the fields of Eastern Ukraine. The remains of its crew and passengers are everywhere, and yet there is no one here trying to work out what happened. No one here to take responsibility for this.

Over the following weeks the victims were recovered. Four months later, the wreckage was finally removed. This is part of the operation and you could see it's not a delicate one to collect the scattered debris of the aircraft. As investigators pieced together what remained of MH17, they found among the wreckage and within the bodies of the crew, pieces of a Buk missile. They were compared to unfired missiles of the same type. One, was detonated to study the force and nature of the blast. Investigators were in no doubt that what brought down the aircraft by tracing its origins required meticulous forensic work. They studied data from local phone towers, recordings of intercepted calls made and received by officers traveling with the weapon, videos and photos posted online, witness accounts and satellite images. The investigators say all of that has allowed them to accurately plot the course of the convoy carrying the Buk missile system which shot down MH17. And they say the journey started and ended in the same place.

WILBERT PAULISSEN, POLICE HEAD OF THE MH17 INVESTIGATION (through translator): The system was brought in from the Russian Federation territory, and then returned to the Russian Federation afterwards.

BLACK: The investigators say the missile was fired from patch of farmland near the village of Pervomaisky. Their work is now focused on who was responsible. Their ambitious intention is to prosecute those people before a court.

FRED WESTERBEKE, DUTCH PROSECUTOR (through translator): By now there are 100 persons who in one way or another can be linked to the crash of MH17 or the transport of the Buk.

BLACK: The investigators say they're trying to pull apart the chain of command to determine who gave the order to fire and why. The unstated implication, they're investigating Russian military personnel. Moscow has always denied any involvement and insisted its evidence indicates Ukrainian forces were responsible. It says this latest report is biased and politically motivated. But the families of victims disagree. They believe this investigation update is the best explanation yet of how those they loved were torn from the sky, and they said confirms what they've long suspected, Russia was involved. Phil Black, CNN, London.

SESAY: Well, let's bring in CNN Contributor Jill Dougherty who joins us from Seattle, Washington. Jill, good to have you with us. So, given Russia's view of all of this, this Dutch report is biased and politically motivated, are we looking at a major diplomatic battle here?

[01:12:28] JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, we already are, Isha, not only on this front. Of course, this just kind of reopens the wound that's been festering really for two years ever since MH17 was shot down. Russia continuing to deny that it had any role in that. And remember, going back to that period, that is when it really galvanized the Europeans to come on board and begin with their own sanctions and support other sanctions from the international community. And so, I think you already have a very bad relationship, we won't even right now, have to get into Syria. What's going on Secretary Kerry, threatening Russia, really, that cooperation on Syria cannot continue if the bombardment of Aleppo goes on. So, right now, Russian relations -- Russia-U.S. relations are extremely bad.

SESAY: Uh-hmm. And Jill, you mentioned those EU sanctions, what does this report mean for any course to soften them, any attempt by Russia to get a change in those sanctions, is that off the table now?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, one would have to think that, because after all, this is being described as irrefutable evidence that Russia had complicity. And if that's the case, it would be very hard, I think, for Europeans to make the case that they should lift sanctions.

SESAY: Uh-hmm. And we know that the Dutch investigators, the Dutch- led investigation team says they have something like 100 people under suspicion. They haven't named them. The general - the general expectation is that they are Russian soldiers or Russian - and (INAUDIBLE) officers. What are the chances here that Russia would ever agree to having suspects from their country extradited to stand trial on this issue?

DOUGHERTY: I think extradition would be almost impossible, but also, it's more complicated, Isha. You know, right now, this joint investigative team is still collecting evidence. And the idea would be that eventually it could lead to a criminal trial, but the complication of that is that Russia, a year ago at the United Nations voted against creating an international tribunal. So, that -- without an international tribunal, it's unclear where such a trial could be held. So, both on that basis and the basis that Russia would certainly never extradite someone, I think, for this. It's clear that not much would happen in that direction. However, I think as more evidence comes out, at least there is more information for the families who have lost their relatives and friends and at least the culpability might be clarified by evidence that you can bet that Russia will never accept what the European investigators are saying.

SESAY: Yeah, I think that's something we can safely agree on. Jill Dougherty joining us there from Seattle, Washington. Thank you, Jill.

DOUGHERTY: Uh-hmm.

VAUSE: And we'll take a short break. When we come back, dozens are missing in Eastern China. What caused this building and six others to collapse? When we come back.

SESAY: Plus, Donald Trump is attacking Hillary Clinton after debate performance even his own allies are criticizing.

TRUMP: Honestly, I truly believe this, Hillary Clinton is incompetent. She's incompetent. I really believe this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[01:18:13] KATE RILEY, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN "WORLDSPORT" headlines. There's been a thrilling night of action in UEFA Champions League with 28 goals in eight games, six of them came in Glasgow, Celtic held Manchester City to a 3-all draw three times. The Scottish champions took the lead but Pep Guardiola's City kept coming back. Raheem Sterling scored it both ends, making him the first English player to score a goal and an own goal in the same Champions League game. It means that City's perfect record comes to an end with 10 wins and now this draw. Guardiola's former side meanwhile Bayern Munich suffered a 1-0 reverse to Atletico Madrid. And (INAUDIBLE) Spanish rival, Barcelona were also looking shaky as they were losing one in the halftime away to Borussia Monchengladbach, but a stirring second half comeback has a few goals from Arda Turan and Gerard Pique, meant that Barca stayed perfect in the group.

And off the field of play in the football world, it's been more than 24 hours since Sam Allardyce sensationally stepped down from his role as England manager after just 67 days in charge. His departure follows a scandal where he was caught on camera offering advice on how to sidestep laws relating to ownership of players. Allardyce spoke to the British press outside his home, calling his behavior silly and saying that entrapment had won in this occasion. And that's a look at your SPORTS headlines, I'm Kate Riley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) [01:19:57] SESAY: Dramatic video out of China where at least 33

people are missing in two separate landslides. Heavy rain from Typhoon Megi triggered the slides Wednesday.

[01:20:06] VAUSE: Several buildings collapsed in another area as the mud and water rushed through. The typhoon made landfall in Fujian province earlier in the day. The storm killed four people and has injured more than 500 in Taiwan.

SESAY: Now, Russia says it's ready to restart Syria peace talks. The U.S. doubts Moscow is serious about that.

VAUSE: On Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that assaults on Aleppo must stop or the U.S. will suspend Syria peace talks.

SESAY: U.S. President Barack Obama took questions at a CNN town hall on Wednesday night.

VAUSE: Jake Tapper asked Mr. Obama if he had any doubts about the decisions he's made when it comes to Syria.

BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: But there are going to be some bad things that happen around the world, and we have to be judicious in thinking about, is this a situation in which inserting large numbers of U.S. troops will get us a better outcome, knowing the incredible sacrifices that will be involved? And in Syria, there is not a scenario in which absent us deploying large numbers of troops. We can stop a civil war in which both sides are deeply dug in.

SESAY: Well, CNN International Correspondent, Frederik Pleitgen joins us now from Beirut, Lebanon. He has just returned from Syria. Fred, while President Obama almost little to no hope with Syrians caught up in the conflict, the reality their facing is increasingly bleak. In the pre-dawn hours, two more hospitals were struck in eastern Aleppo. What are you hearing about the situation right now?

[01:21:46] FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it continues to be dire. I mean, you have those two hospitals that were - that were hit and were badly damaged and apparently are no longer functioning. And from what we're hearing, at least, one of the hospitals is one of the main ones that actually still services that area of Eastern Aleppo, which is, of course, the part that's held by the opposition there, and is being attacked at this point in time. So, it certainly is a very bleak situation, especially if you look at the medical attention that people are able to get, because that's virtually non-existent. What the opposition is saying is that they believe there's about 30 doctors left in all of Eastern Aleppo and servicing about 250,000 people. And obviously the hospitals that you still have there, really not equipped to deal with a lot of the things that are happening there. A lot of the wounded that are coming in, also quite frankly, a lot of the people who are getting sick because of the attrition of having been under siege for such a long time. So, it's certainly a very dire situation.

You know, one of the things, Isha, that we've seen over the past couple of days as these talks between the U.S. and Russia broke down, and the ceasefire broke down, you then had that face-off in the U.N. Security Council between the U.S. and Russia. And now, this threat from Secretary of State Kerry, saying that they could end the entire cooperation between the U.S. and Russia if these bombings don't stop. And Russians, really, saying, "Look, it's still up to the U.S. to differentiate between terrorist organizations and the moderate rebels they support. They really isn't very much hope for people sitting in Eastern Aleppo rather than to hunker down and pray that by some miracle, these two sides get back together and diplomacy gets going again, Isha.

SESAY: Yeah. That's indeed the case. Fred, let me ask you this, as the bombing campaign is stepped up, we also know that there's a ground offensive ongoing. How close is the Syrian government to retaking Eastern Aleppo?

PLEITGEN: Not close at all, I would say. Look, one of the things that we've seen with a lot of these offensives in the past, especially in and around the Aleppo area, that they start with a huge bang. I mean, you saw massive airstrikes going on, especially over the weekend right after that ceasefire collapsed. And then there's an assault like you see right now, the Syrian government forces retook some territory in North of Aleppo in a place called Handarat Camp, but they lost that territory less than a day later in a rebel counter offensive. And right now, what we're hearing is that there are still these skirmishes going on, there's some heavy fighting going on in various locations around the Eastern districts of Aleppo. But so far, it really is unclear whether any sort of territory has changed hands. And you, just having been in Aleppo, you see how difficult that urban combat is there. In order to take any sort of territory in that really densely populated area, also with a lot of buildings there, it is very easy to hide and set up sniper positions there. So, it's - it really is very difficult to gain any territory. And from what we're hearing, it really doesn't look as though the Syrian government has advanced very much, but at the same time, of course, you have this massive aerial campaign going on that really is hitting many people that are still trapped inside the eastern districts of Aleppo. And again, very difficult for them to get any sort of help when these bombing campaigns start.

SESAY: Yeah. The reality for civilians in Eastern Aleppo is bleak and terrifying. Fred Pleitgen joining us there from Beirut, Lebanon. Fred, I appreciate the reporting. Thank you.

VAUSE: Staying with Syria now, Barbara Walter is a professor at the University of California, San Diego. And she is with us from San Diego. Well, Barbara, we heard the latest on the ground there from Fred Pleitgen. We're also hearing from the U.N. Secretary-General who was very blunt. He's saying, "Those responsible for the attacks," which Fred was talking about, "are guilty of war crimes." This is what he also had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAN KI-MOON, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: Imagine the destruction. People with their limbs blown, blown off children in terrible pain with no relief. Infected, suffering, dying with nowhere to go and no end in sight. Imagine a slaughterhouse. This is worse. Even a slaughterhouse is more humane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: If he is right and there are - there are in fact war crimes being committed, at this point, it would seem unlikely anyone would be held accountable.

[01:26:04] BARBARA WALTER, PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO: Well, Assad has changed his strategy in the last few days. It used to be that he allowed civilians to escape, and now he is consciously pursuing a strategy of ethnic cleansing. He is not allowing civilians in Eastern Aleppo to leave, and he is essentially exterminating them. And I think the reason he is doing this, is he wants to send a very clear signal to the rest of the Sunni majority in Syria who's supporting the opposition that he is willing to stop at nothing to win this war.

VAUSE: And then, as we heard from Fred Pleitgen, it also seems that the rebel fighters have had years to dig in around Aleppo and defend those positions, and this would be a grinding fight to remove those rebel fighters for the regime backed by the Russians. So, if you can't get rid of the rebel fighters, do you then go after the civilians?

WALTER: Well, that's what he's trying to do. In the short term, it will help weaken the opposition, without civilian supporters, they will become weaker. In the long term, though, this is not a winning strategy and it's not a winning strategy for two reasons. First, the more Sunni civilians he kills, the more of the rest of the Sunni majority will hate him, and they are not going to lay down and allow him to win an easy victory. Second, you cannot win a war from the air alone. If he wants to win this war, he will eventually have to take territory using ground forces and he does not have sufficient ground forces to do that.

VAUSE: One plan being considered by the White House is trying to get some better, more effective weapons to the rebel fighters, those who have been properly vetted. How many have been vetted and would that impact be an effective strategy at this point?

WALTER: You know, I don't think you're going to be able to counter what Assad is able to do from the air using Russian equipment, especially these new bunker-busting bombs by simply giving rebel forces, opposition forces more military equipment. I think that might halt, it might slow it down a bit, but it's not going to stop it.

VAUSE: Yeah. It just gets it back to that sort of stalemate situation that we've had for so long, if at all. Barbara, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

WALTER: My pleasure.

SESAY: And you can catch an encore presentation of President Obama's Town Hall U.S. service members, veterans and their families. It'll air in just under five hours from now at 11 a.m. in London, 6 p.m. Hong Kong Time.

VAUSE: If you miss it, you need a note from your mom. Next here on NEWSROOM L.A., another awkward moment for the third-party candidate Gary Johnson on the campaign trail. Mr. Aleppo is back with another cringe-worthy gaffe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:32:17] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: Thanks for staying with us this hour. Let's check the headlines this hour. I'm John Vause.

(HEADLINES)

SESAY: Donald Trump is trying to shift the focus back to his rival, Hillary Clinton, after less than stellar debate.

VAUSE: He said it was great. But his spat with a former Miss Universe is getting in the way.

Here's Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a "he said/she said" that is getting in the way of Donald Trump's wanting to get elected president in November.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary Clinton, who I happen to believe is grossly incompetent, is going to increase taxes. She will be very, very bad for our country. I think it would be worse than four more years of Obama.

ACOSTA: Not his fight with Hillary Clinton which is raging on after his shaky debate performance.

ANNOUNCER: You are the new Miss Universe.

ACOSTA: But with Alicia Machado, who said Trump once called her Miss Piggy for gaining weight, now a high-profile surrogate for Clinton.

ALICIA MACHADO, FORMER MISS AMERICA: No more insults for the women. Somebody like that can't be a president.

ACOSTA: The Trump campaign fired back releasing a statement saying, "These are totally baseless and unsubstantiated claims by Ms. Machado."

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He called this woman Miss Piggy. Then he called her Miss Housekeeping -- ACOSTA: It was the Machado moment that caught him by surprise --

TRUMP: Where did you find this?

CLINTON: Alicia Machado, and she --

TRUMP: Where did you find this?

ACOSTA: Even though Trump declared himself the winner he says he will get more aggressive and perhaps try to tar Clinton with her husband's past affairs, a risky move for Trump who has had his share of infidelities.

TRUMP: I watched her very carefully. And I was also holding back. I didn't want to do anything to embarrass her.

ACOSTA: Trump's son, Eric, describes his father's restraint as a gutsy move.

ERIC TRUMP, SON OF DONALD TRUMP (voice-over): I think it took a lot of courage in many regards. And I think he answered that well and took the high ground.

ACOSTA: Trump advisers maintain the GOP nominee will do more debate prep before the next round. But at his rallies, Trump supporters are standing by their candidate, whether it's his battle with Machado --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has a title to uphold. He may have been a little out of line but I still think he did right by what he did.

ACOSTA: -- or the Clintons.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know that Bill's lifestyle is Hillary's lifestyle choices. But I think that character is on the table.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:35:45] VAUSE: Thanks to Jim Acosta for that report.

Mo Kelly joins us. He is the host of "The Mo Kelly Experience" radio programs in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Mo, thank you again for sticking around.

MO KELLY, RADIO HOST, THE MO KELLY EXPERIENCE: Thank you.

VAUSE: Let's kick off with this controversy over Alicia Machado, the former Miss Universe. It keeps coming up. Donald Trump was asked about this by Bill O'Reilly and Donald Trump explains that he actually saved her job because the organization that runs the pageant wanted to fire her. This is what Mr. Trump had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Look what I get out of it. I get nothing. So a lot of things are coming out about her. I'm not going to say anything. I couldn't care less. But it's somebody I don't know very well. I saved her job because they wanted to fire her for putting on so much weight, and it is a beauty contest. They know what they're getting into. It's a beauty contest. I said don't do that, let her try to lose the weight. Can you imagine, now end up in the position like this. So that's the way it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Does this have overtures -- to the Gold Star family, the Khan family that he got into the argument with after the Democratic convention? He is not attacking Clinton but having arguments with people with nothing to do with the election?

KELLY: Donald Trump is petty. And this is petulant behavior. It's not like he has to get into an argument over it. Just say that is the past. Let's talk about America. That's the lack of discipline that he exhibits time and time again. He didn't have to take it in that direction but he was making the same mistakes he did during the event. He should have been talking about Hillary Clinton from a strategy standpoint and now he is just elongating the bad performance he had during the debate.

SESAY: From a strategy standpoint is there any way you can take on the face of his statement that he is trying to spin it as a champion for women here?

KELLY: That's how he is spinning it in his mind but that's not what came out of his mouth. He sounds like a rich guy who is wanting to objectify a woman and talking about the weight of a woman as opposed to the more serious issues. You have to be presidential all the time not just some of the time.

VAUSE: Part of the attacks, which is more offensive, the Miss Piggy comment or the Miss Housekeeping?

KELLY: I don't know if it's either/or but I would say Miss Housekeeping. That is an ethnic level. It is not just one person's specific weight, even though many women deal with those issues. But when you say Miss Housekeeping, that is code, as far as I'm concerned.

VAUSE: Feeds into the narrative.

SESAY: We have been talking about this and it's been going on for multiple days. Will it make a difference to the poll numbers?

KELLY: He's not gaining any constituencies. Let's not be too wrapped up in the poll numbers. Everything could change if there is another health event with Hillary Clinton or Trump does something. But we have these benchmarks. They are the debates. Whatever happens right now is secondary.

VAUSE: I think he has proved he is vulnerable over the last couple of months. OK, the Clinton campaign rolled out the heavy hitters in the last 24

hours. First Lady Michelle Obama was on the campaign trail. This is what she had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: If a candidate is erratic and threatening and traffics in prejudice, fears and lies on the campaign trail, that's who that can't really is. Either Hillary Clinton or her opponent will be elected this year. If you vote for someone other than Hillary or if you don't vote at all, you are helping to elect Hillary's opponent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:39:57] VAUSE: Bernie Sanders also on the campaign trail, standing alongside Hillary Clinton, talking to college students about debt-free tuition. This is some of what Senator Sanders said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I), VERMONT & FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can assure you, make no mistake about it. That I will work with President Clinton --

(APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: -- to make sure that this legislation is passed as quickly as we possibly can. And to make that happen, we need your help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: I thought this was very choreographed. And the message is simple, if you are young, get out to vote and don't vote for a third- party candidate.

KELLY: Keep it simple but it was more powerful just the visual, sitting next to each other. In that package, those were her two adversaries. President Obama, a hard fought primary. And now they are supporting her. That means a lot. You don't see Ted Cruz or Kasich supporting Donald Trump. These things matter.

SESAY: Is there any danger to having President Obama out there for you arguing that she is the status quo? Is there any danger here?

KELLY: I would say so if President Obama wasn't so popular right now. If you look at his approval numbers they are very strong and haven't been so strong since President Reagan. That's the person you want out in front. If he is a weak president, then that would be the caveat. But you want a two-term president out in front, something that Donald Trump does not have.

Let's get to the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson. This is another phenomenal gaffe and self-inflicted wound. He is asked, who is his favorite foreign leader. Pretty simple, you'd think.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST: Name a foreign leader you would respect. GARY JOHNSON, LIBERTARIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER NEW MEXICO

GOVERNOR: I'm guess having an Aleppo moment. The former president of Mexico.

MATTHEWS: I'm giving you the whole world.

JOHNSON: I know.

MATTHEWS: Anybody in the world you like. Anybody, pick any leader.

JOHNSON: The former president of Mexico.

MATTHEWS: Which one?

JOHNSON: I'm having a brain --

MATTHEWS: Anyone.

JOHNSON: Fox.

MATTHEWS: Who is your favorite foreign leader?

JOHNSON: Fox.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Any foreign leader.

JOHNSON: Merkel.

MATTHEWS: Merkel. OK. Fine. Save yourself. Can't argue with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: It doesn't get any better when you watch it the second time.

(CROSSTALK)

KELLY: He did the Aleppo thing.

(CROSSTALK)

SESAY: Fatal blow? Can he come back from this? It's one thing to have the Aleppo moment, the initial one and then this. Is it over?

KELLY: I don't know if it is fatal. That's to suggest that he was alive prior to this moment.

SESAY: He is appearing on TV networks.

KELLY: I'm appearing on TV networks. It doesn't mean I'm running for president.

(LAUGHTER)

Let's take it for what it's worth. VAUSE: I think he's done. It was a nice side story.

KELLY: Until he does another interview.

VAUSE: OK, Mo, thank you.

SESAY: Mo, always was a pleasure. Thank you so much.

KELLY: Thank you.

SESAY: Time for a quick break. Police in California shoot an unarmed African-American man. Up next, the crucial piece of evidence they found at the scene.

This is CNN NEWSROOM, L.A.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:45:01] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. Israeli leaders are paying their respects to Shimon Peres. This is the live pictures from Jerusalem right now where it is 8:45 on a Thursday morning. We are expecting to see the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the president and the speaker of the Knesset, they will be laying a wreath there. We can see the casket of Shimon Peres, the ninth president of Israel, draped in the Israeli flag, the Star of David. About to be put into place there. So the leaders can pay their respects. And shortly after that, the Israelis who want to will be allowed into the Knesset as well.

SESAY: The expectation is that the gates will be opened for some 12 hours because such is the expectation of crowds that will be there to pay their respects to one of the founding fathers of Israel.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

VAUSE: Shimon Peres' casket outside the Knesset, the parliament building. He served twice as prime minister, also as president, the only Israeli to serve in both of those leadership positions. They made the drive from just outside Tel Aviv up Highway 1 to Jerusalem winding through the hills to the gates of the Knesset and the coffin has been brought out draped in the Israeli flag. And this is the moment when essentially the mourning period really does begin where the leaders will lay a wreath. And at the top of the hour, we are expecting the public to pay their respects and then there will be a state funeral on Friday.

SESAY: It's a state funeral to be attended by many world leaders in the hours after Shimon Peres' death we have seen the testament of -- to his stature as an international statesman, greatly beloved by many around the world. They will be there on Friday to pay their respects as he is laid to rest.

VAUSE: As we can see in the distance, the flags at half staff across the country, not just in Israel, but also in the United States, a sign of respect for the man who had relationships with as many as 10 American presidents over the years. Shimon Peres a man admired overseas, struggled at home with the Israeli public for a time. It was only when he became president, when he really gave up politics in a way, that he found the admiration and the respect he so wanted throughout his entire life in public office. And now finally after 93 years, a man who served his country from the earliest of age.

He came to Israel as an orphan, 13 or 14 years old without his parents. He was essentially the man who started the country's nuclear program and procured defense weapons around the world during Israel's war of independence. He knew Ben Gurion. He was one of the founding fathers. He was the man who signed the Oslo Peace Accords with Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. The Oslo Peace Accords in Israel now essentially dead, also the two-state solution remains the only solution, which was his vision, which really is the only solution in play. No one else has come up with another idea so far and is it the framework for any peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

We're waiting to see if the Palestinians will turn up on Friday to pay their respects. Mahmoud Abbas did sent his condolences, a very warm letter to the family of Shimon Peres. There was a report that the Palestinians are waiting to be invited by the family. So we'll see what happens then.

[01:40:21] SESAY: We shall. But in the hours to come, there will be a great outpouring of emotion for Israel's last founding father.

It is remarkable his transition over his 70-plus years of police service from being a military man to the face of the peace movement. It is remarkable how he kept the peace alive to the very end. The pursuit of peace made it difficult for some to embrace him earlier on in his career.

VAUSE: Interesting, too, this is a man who he was 93 years old but he was very, very active up until the end. The day he had that stroke, just over two weeks ago, his family says he just delivered a lengthy public dress, a speech. He suffered the symptoms from the stroke. There was initially hope he was responding to treatment, but on Tuesday, doctors say he took a turn for the worse, and passed away on Wednesday.

SESAY: And when his family spoke at the medical center on Tuesday, they made it very clear that this was a loss not just for the family but for the entire nation of Israel, very much framing his passing as a major moment for that small nation. And it, indeed, is because his political career tracked every major moment in the country's development and growth. It is a major moment for Israel and a major loss.

VAUSE: I made the point earlier, what is truly fascinating, if you look at the life of Shimon Peres, that Knesset building was not there. He was elected in 1954, I think it was. Now we have the president of Israel, who has arrived. And of course, the prime minister just behind him, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the speaker of the Knesset. And they are expected to lay a wreath at the casket of Shimon Peres. [01:55:32] VAUSE: The Israeli prime minister, the prime minister --

the president, Reuven Rivlin and the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the speaker of the Knesset laying a wreath at the casket of Shimon Peres, who died on Wednesday after many, many years of service, decades of service to his country.

SESAY: One Israeli columnist wrote, after he took ill two weeks ago, "In his people's eyes, he ceased to be a politician. He became a historic figure larger than politics and larger than everyday affairs, a figure in a league of his own."

VAUSE: President Barack Obama will be leading the U.S. delegation for the state funeral. Bill Clinton, former U.S. president, who had a close relationship with Shimon Peres, will be attending. Hillary Clinton, involved in a very difficult campaign right now, will not be attending the state funeral. But there will be many world leaders, from Germany, France, Italy will be at the funeral. Authorities say the planning is complex and complicated, to say the least, and very hurried to get everything in place for the funeral on Friday.

SESAY: We'll be looking to see who is and isn't present at his funeral. Unclear yet whether the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, will be present as Shimon Peres is laid to rest. That is one of the big unknowns.

Shimon Peres was a founding father and a fighter for peace, one of the architects of the Oslo Peace Accord.

VAUSE: In a few minutes from now, at 8:57 there on a Thursday morning, the leaders have come out a few moments from now they will open up the gates to the plaza. Normally, it is closed to the public. But it will be open so that members of the public can pay their respects to Shimon Peres. There is expected to be a fairly big turnout.

SESAY: Very big turnout. That is the expectation.

VAUSE: You have been watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: I'm Isha Sesay.

We'll be back with another hour of news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:09] SESAY: This is CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles.