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Shimon Peres Mourned; Barack Obama Speaks Out About Veto Override; Landslides Hit Eastern China; US to Send More Troops to Iraq; Secretary of State Wants More Russian Effort to Halt Syria Violence; OPEC to Cut Oil Production; School Shooting in South Carolina; Latest Election Happenings. 3-4a ET
Aired September 29, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[03:00:00] HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Paying their respects, Israelis line up to say good-bye to a founding father of their country.
Defeated, Barack Obama cries foul after Congress overrides his veto of a bill allowing 9/11 lawsuits against Saudi Arabia.
And extreme weather. Dozens go missing after landslides triggered by Typhoon Megi slammed into a pair of villages in southern China.
Hello. Thanks very much for joining us. I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones here in London. And this is CNN Newsroom.
Israelis are paying final respects to one of its founding fathers Shimon Peres. He died on Wednesday at the age of 93. Paris' body is currently lying in state at the Knesset, that's Israel's Parliament. Members of the public have been pouring in to the Knesset's plaza for the past hour.
The area is usually closed off to the public, but it will be open to the public at local time between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. this evening, possibly earlier given the crowds expected there.
Well, early on this morning, Israeli leaders laid wreaths by Shimon Peres' casket.
Our Oren Liebermann is live for us at the Knesset and he joined us now. And, Oren, I suppose this means the formal period of meaning has -- or mourning rather has now begun. Just take us through the proceedings we are expecting today.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's start with the beginning of the day. Shimon Peres in a casket wrapped in an Israeli flag right here behind me. That started today in Tel Aviv at a military base where he had been prepared for burial and then he came in or pulling into the plaza of the Knesset through gates of the Knesset.
Early this morning, his body was taken into the Knesset in the casket and held there for a short time until the official ceremonies began. That's when he was brought me behind me. You can see right behind me there are two military rabbis chanting prayers of mourning as well as the casket of Shimon Peres wrapped in that Israeli flag.
That was brought out here shortly before 8.45. And then Israeli leaders, the prime minister, the president, the speaker of the Knesset and the head of the opposition came out and laid wreaths by the side of the casket here. Then the rest of the Knesset came out.
The rest of the Israeli parliament came out to pay their respects and the number of other wreaths were laid here, some, for example, from the court system, some from the military and a number of other organizations all paying their respects to Shimon Peres. And that's when the gates open to the public.
Let's take a look here at the crowds coming in and they've been coming in ever since the gates opened, coming in slowly, in small groups and large groups. The military was here, police were here, Israeli youth scouts were here, all just paying respects in their own way.
Pausing, hesitating, many you can see taking pictures and holding up their iPhones to remember this moment as Shimon Peres, a giant of Israeli history is here and lies in state for the public to say their final farewell.
Now the gates here will be open at least until 9 o'clock, perhaps even later than that. That depends on the crowds. We do expect thousands upon thousands of Israelis to be here today. And that leads into tomorrow.
Early tomorrow morning what will happen is the casket of Shimon Peres will be taken from here to Mt. Hertzl to the state burial site where he will be put to rest right around noon tomorrow local time.
There will be eulogies, there will be a ceremony, there will be a number of speakers, a tremendous list of world leaders here, including President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State John Kerry and many, many others from North America, South America and Europe as well coming to say their farewell to Shimon Peres. Hannah?
JONES: As you mentioned there, Oren, quite a turnout expected at the funeral tomorrow. Presumably quite a security operation in place, as well.
LIEBERMANN: Absolutely. And that's just part of this. There are world leaders from all over. More than 50 I believe by the last count that I saw coming to say good-bye to Shimon Peres and that in of itself creates a massive security question.
Police, frankly, are everywhere, a number of the streets have been blocked off in Jerusalem. And we expect that to continue through the end of the week here until past his burial which again is at Friday at noontime. But that's accepted here. That's part of what's happening here in lying to rest such a giant of Israeli's history that had so many world connections.
We saw condolences pouring in from all over the world. Everyone saying their good-bye in their own way to what Peres stood for and he was very much the man carrying forward the legacy of peace, the belief in peace even when it is difficult right now with a stagnant peace process to believe, Shimon Peres believed.
JONES: Oren, we appreciate it. So, just going 10 a.m. local time there. And Oren Liebermann live there from the Israeli Knesset where Shimon Peres is now lying in state. Thank you.
[03:04:58] We turn our attention now to the fight against ISIS. And the U.S. will send around 600 more troops to Iraq to help in the fight against the terror group. The troops will help to train and advise Iraqi forces.
And also in Syria, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is threatening to suspend any diplomatic engagement with Russia until the country does more to stop the violence there.
Well, CNN's Barbara Starr has more details for us.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: For the people of Aleppo, hope is fading by the day. Ghostly searching for survivors by volunteers known as the white helmets are nonstop.
Two more hospitals in eastern Aleppo have been bombed out of service. Bakeries have been hit, a major water plant bombed, more than a million people have little water. A quarter million desperate for food. Everything people here need to try to stay alive is under assault, from the Assad regime backed by Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAN KI-MOON, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL (TRANSLATED): Those using ever more destructive weapons know exactly what they are doing. They know they are committing war crimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: A strong warning for Russia from the State Department podium. If Moscow doesn't back off from the killing and becomes a greater threat of opposition groups.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Russia will continue to send troops home in body bags.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Over 200 air strikes hit Aleppo in a recent two-day period, killing more than 100, according to an emergency medical service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KI-MOON: It's a slaughterhouse, this is worse. Even a slaughterhouse is more human.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Obama administration officials are discussing what to do, but there is no appetite for U.S. military intervention. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has preached diplomacy, told Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov Wednesday the U.S. might stop talking to Moscow unless there is a cease-fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRBY: There are other options that don't revolve around the act of diplomacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: In the absence of a cease-fire, humanitarian aid cannot get through. If U.S. war planes try to airdrop humanitarian supplies or stop the Russian and Syrian bombing, the U.S. faces the risk of a shoot down.
A senior U.S. officials tells CNN the administration now may tell its allies it's OK to supply the rebels with ground weapons, additional munitions and mortgage articles, who U.S. still does not want them to supply anti-aircraft missiles for fear those could fall into the hands of terrorists.
JONES: Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr reporting there.
Well, U.S. President Barack Obama who took questions on Syria during a CNN town hall on Wednesday night and he defended his policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 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 a large number 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Our CNN international correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins me now from Beirut. And Fred, you have spent a lot of time in Syria, very recently, as well. Given the fact that diplomacy is clearly failing at the moment. Is it possible that its conflict can be resolved with military efforts as they are right now?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Hannah, I don't think that it really can. I mean, looking at what we have been seeing on the battlefield since the ceasefire collapsed like a week ago, it really doesn't look as though, like any side has the power to win this thing militarily, certainly not if you are talking about a complete victory and control over all of Syrian territory.
I mean, you have ISIS still in the east of the country and then you have a lot of various rebel factions there in the northwest of the country, and then of course you have the Assad regime also controlling large parts of the country, as well.
But if we just look at the situation currently in Aleppo, we've seen some of those pictures in Barbara Starr's report; we've seen some of the carnage a lot of the air strikes. What we are hearing that it's not only more munitions that are being used but it's also heavier munitions that are being used.
And at the same time, we're also seeing that there's very little shift in the front lines on the battlefield.
The Syrian government yesterday came forward and said that they'd taken a neighborhood in the east of Aleppo near the citadel near the old town. However, the opposition denies that.
And even if it were true that they had taken that neighborhood it really would be an incremental gain.
[03:10:03] And it's one of the big problems of this conflict, and you know, we see it again and again where more on the ground in Syria, is that when you talk about neighborhoods changing hands or when you talk about sides making gains, in the end what usually you have is you have a lot of civilians being killed, you have lot of soldiers from both sides being killed, as well.
And in the end the territory that's taken is completely destroyed. And so, from that vantage point it really doesn't look as though, either side currently has the manpower or the fire power to really win in a decisive military victory in Syria and claim that country for itself.
And so therefore, diplomacy should be something that probably would be the only way out of all of this, but the president certainly appears to be right. At this point in time it doesn't look as though any of the factions that are involved in the fighting on the ground are ready for that step just yet, Hannah.
JONES: The U.S. now confirming that they will send 600 troops to fight ISIS in Iraq. But looking at Syria, is ISIS the biggest threat on the ground?
PLEITGEN: Well, it's certainly is the biggest threat as far as the coherence of that country is concerned and it's certainly also is the biggest threat to western nations because what ISIS does is try to project its terror into the west as well and launches terror attacks by sending operatives to Europe from there as well.
So, certainly for the west, for the United States, probably for Russia, as well ISIS is certainly the biggest headache. Now on the ground of course, things look differently. If you look at the Assad regime, they will tell you that all of the opposition forces are a big threat to their power.
And if you look at the opposition themselves they are probably more preoccupied with battling against the forces of Bashar al-Assad rather than fighting against ISIS. So certainly to the warring factions on the ground, the ones that are in the west of the country they are more busy fighting each other than fighting ISIS.
But certainly if you look at the west, you look at the United States, to them ISIS is still the primary foe on the ground there.
JONES: Fred, we appreciate it. Frederik Pleitgen there, live for us in Beirut on the diplomatic and military ongoing efforts against ISIS in Iraq and in Syria. So, thank you.
International prosecutors say a Russian-made missile is what brought down the nation airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. And their investigation found that that missile was fired from a village under the control of pro-Russian separatist. Russia denies any involvement in the 2014 incident.
CNN's Phil Black has more now on the investigation.
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, victim's there 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 can see it's not a delicate one to collect 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 missile of the same type.
One was detonated to study the force and nature of the blast. Investigators were in no doubt about what brought down the aircraft. But 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WILBERT PAULISSEN, JOINT INVESTIGATION TEAM MEMBER (TRANSLATED): The system was brought in from the Russian federation territory and then returned to the Russian federation afterwards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: The investigators say the missile was fired from a patch of farmland near the village of Pervomaysk. Their work is now focused on who was responsible. Their ambitious intention is to prosecute those people before a court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRED WESTERBEKE, DUTCH PROSECUTOR (TRANSLATED): 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: The investigators say they are trying to pull apart the chain of command to determine who gave the order to fire and why. The unstated implication, they are investigating Russian military personnel.
Moscow has always denied any involvement and insisted its evidence indicates Ukrainian forces were responsible.
[03:15:02] It says the latest report is bias 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 it confirms what they have long suspected - Russia was involved.
Phil Black, CNN, London.
JONES: OPEC nations are finally going to cut oil production. It will be the first time in eight years the cartel lowers output. A glut in the world oil supply caused oil prices to crash over the past two years and the agreement the output would drop to a range of 32.5 to 33 million barrels a day. Oil prices surged more than 5 percent in reaction.
Dozens of people are missing in eastern China. Just ahead on CNN Newsroom, what caused this building and six others to collapse?
And later, why Donald Trump is angry at his own aides and advisers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think she did well in the debate at all. I don't think she did well at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN world sport headlines. It's been a thrilling night of action in the UEFA Champions League
with 28 goals in eight games; six of them came in Glasgow. It start with Manchester City to a 3-all draw three times. The Scottish champions took the lead but Pep Guardiola's city kept coming back.
Ryan Sterling scored at both end 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 this season 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 the Atletico's Spanish rivals Barcelona were also looking shaky as they were losing 1-0 at halftime away to Borussia Monchengladbach. But a stirring second half comeback courtesy of 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's manager after just 67 days in charge.
His departure caused a scandal where he was caught on camera offering advice on how to side step 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 on this occasion.
And that's a look at all your sport headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
[03:20:04] JONES: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom.
We have some dramatic video out of China for you now where at least 33 people are missing in two separate landslides. Heavy rain from the Typhoon Megi that triggered the slides on Wednesday. Several buildings collapsed in another area as the mud and water rushed through.
The typhoon itself made landfall in Fujian province earlier in the day. The storm killed four people and injured more than 500 others in Taiwan.
Firefighters in California Santa Cruz Mountains are getting some help from the weather. A wildfire is threatening hundreds of buildings as it burns through very dry brush. A cooler temperatures, though, and higher humidity are helping fire crews. The fire has burned more than 11 square kilometers and fire officials say it's currently 22 percent contained.
To South Australia now where people are dealing with the fallout from another day of crazy weather. Power went out in the entire state as winds whipped and rain fell. The lights are back on now for most people, but that could change again.
Here's 7 News Network's Amanda Bachmann.
AMANDA BACHMANN, 7 NEWS REPORTER: The force of nature that plunged an entire state into darkness, tornados which ripped transition towers right out of the ground causing an unprecedented collapse. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses lost power as gaily force winds also brought down trees, smashing fences and damaging homes. Creeks turned in to raging torrents and roads became rivers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the water set on the road at the moment and to say aside the roads are quite treacherous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BACHMANN: The blackout posed problems at dinner time but barbecue and gas-powered ovens saved the day as people flocked to any open pubs and restaurants. Hotel guests had to settle for something a little less exciting before a rough night's sleep at the Adelaide Convention Center.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard this evacuate, evacuate sound, walked down 13 flights of stairs to semi darkness. And men got brought in here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are feeding us and giving us drinks so we are happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BACHMANN: But not everyone was smiling. Hospitals went dark forcing some staff to work by torch light. Safety fears aside, others were just annoyed about their bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that the process that set Australia played in the world is ridiculous. And something like this happens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BACHMANN: The emergency isn't over yet. But the blame game has begun. The premier has been forced to defend the recent closure of the Port Augusta power station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened is there was a break in the electricity line which caused a dramatic drop in frequency which means the system trips that this would happen in any circumstance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BACHMANN: Which means once it is back on-line it could happen again. There's more wild weather on the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Stay off the roads and it's absolutely necessary. Because there is requirement that we keep people safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BACHMANN: Amanda Bachmann, 7 News.
JONES: Well, as you saw the storm across southeast Australia is really is massive.
Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now from the International Weather Center to explain its impact. And this storm really wreaking havoc for the residents there in southern Australia.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you won't believe this, Hannah. This storm covers five states across southeastern Australia. We did the math for you at home. That's a population of about 20 million people. You can see that satellite loop. And how the low pressure system is impacting South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Currently, it's just about 6 p.m. in the evening in Sydney as we speak. And we want to talk about the impacts going forward. But first tough, take a look at some of the wind gusts recorded in south Australia within the past 24 hours.
One hundred forty four kilometer per hour near Mount Hawthorne. That's higher elevation we expect stronger winds there but wow, that's still impressive. That's tethering on a strong category 1 Atlantic hurricane almost a category 2 just to give a bit of perspective.
Current wind gusts across this area just about 70 kilometers per hour for these locations. Slightly lower near the Adelaide International Airport, 69 sustained winds at the moment or at least gusts.
And unfortunately, this has had ramifications on the infrastructure here. You can see that power utility poles has been knocked over, trees snapped. You can imagine the cleanup efforts that are going to be underway going forward for the next day or two.
But there is some good news. Because within the next 24 hours, we should start to see the storm kind of Peter out and diminish. This is the forecast winds. I stopped at the very beginning because we had that on-shore component across South Australia and into parts of Queensland and into Victoria.
[03:25:03] But notice how that dark shading of red and yellow starts to move away and basically dissipate? The winds will improve in time. So, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The brunt of the storm really has and is passing as we speak.
There is the rainfall associated with the system. This is the current radar. We do have some heavy rain moving through Adelaide at the moment and behind this is a significant shot of cold air. Remember, we're in the southern hemisphere. It is making its way into the spring season, well, officially it's spring, and again it will feel more like winter if you are located in Adelaide. Temperatures on Friday, to start off the early weekend, a chilly 14
degrees. Rain showers still anticipated for you. But as I mentioned before there is some light at the end of the tunnel. We'll start to see the mercury in the thermometer climb to 20 by Saturday. And Sydney your temperature is cool on Friday but we warm up through the end of the weekend, as well. So, keep looking forward to the better weather to come Australia. It is on its way. Hannah.
JONES: Good news. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much, indeed.
DAM: You're welcome.
JONES: Now an embarrassing defeat for President Obama. Just ahead, why members of his own party voted to override his veto for the first time in his presidency.
Plus, Hillary Clinton is bringing out the big guns. Just ahead, how they are helping her on the campaign trail. Stay tuned on me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: Welcome back. I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones in London. Let's update you now on the top stories this hour.
The Israeli public is paying respect to former leader Shimon Peres. He died on Wednesday at the age of 93. His body is lying in state now at the building where he served for decades.
[03:30:03] Earlier, Israeli leaders laid wreaths by his casket. Peres was one of the -- one of Israel's founding fathers. His state funeral will be held tomorrow on Friday.
The U.S. says Russia is not serious about restarting the Syrian peace talks. On Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that assaults on the city of Aleppo must stop or the U.S. will suspend any talks.
And rescue efforts are underway in eastern China after two devastating landslides. At least 33 people are missing in a number of building have collapsed. Heavy rain from Typhoon Megi triggered the slide. The storm killed 4 four people in Taiwan before hitting mainland China.
The families of people killed in the 9/11 terror attacks are now legally allowed to sue the government of Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Congress voted on Wednesday to override President Obama's veto of the bill that would allow such lawsuits. It's the first time he's ever had one of his vetoes reversed. 9/11 families have long claimed the hijackers have ties directly to the Saudi government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK SCHUMER, U.S. SENATE DEMOCRAT: For the sake of these families, it should be made clear, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that every entity, including foreign states will be held accountable if they are sponsored of heinous acts like 9/11. It's very simple. If the Saudis were culpable, they should be held accountable. If they have nothing to do with 9/11 they have nothing to fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Well, President Obama said the measure would lead the U.S. military and diplomats vulnerable to lawsuits from other countries. He called the vote a politically motivated mistake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT: Sometimes you have to do what what's hard. And frankly, I wish Congress here had done what's hard. I didn't expect it because voting -- if you are 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Now Alexander Gillespie, a law professor at the University of Waikato, he joined us live now from Wellington, New Zealand. Professor, thank you very much for joining us on the program. In broad terms just talk us through the legal implications of the U.S. now seemingly abandoning the principle of sovereign immunity.
ALEXANDER GILLESPIE, UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO LAW PROFESSOR: Sovereign immunity is a very long standing concept. It's been around for a few hundred years. It's the idea that citizens from one country cannot sue the government of another country.
What happened now is that if this is allowed everything will be turned on its head. Two hundred years of practice will go out the window. The ramifications will be huge.
JONES: What does this mean in the short term for the families of the victims of 9/11? Where will they actually place their lawsuits and how will this actually go forward? What's the jurisdiction for this kind of legal action?
GILLESPIE: There's no question that the victims of the families and the families themselves had the right to compensation and the right to justice. The question is the platform by which it's pursued. This can need to be done by what they're doing at the moment by trying to sue the foreign government directly.
But the more correct approach is that government of the United States would pursue it with the other government across the board. The reason we don't do this is sovereign immunity, is the best example would be that diplomatic immunity and people are familiar with that. And it's the idea that you need to maintain a platform the governments can talk to governments and governments can resolve these matters bilaterally.
Because once the citizens of one country can sue the government of another country all chaos will break loose and the fear is that as much as it works for this one instance other countries will start replicating the practice that change the tune by which other countries can be sued. JONES: And that of course is one of the main reasons why President
Obama was opposed to this particular bill. He said that he's concerned that the policy could now mean that the U.S. military diplomats as well could be sued by other individuals outside of the United States. Is that a real concern?
GILLESPIE: At the moment everyone has been practicing sovereign immunity. An international has been going towards making the convention but it hasn't got there yet. And now the American practice will mean to other countries will start breaking away. The concern is not so much other countries saying state-sponsored terrorism and focusing on America. It would be more say something like war crimes and focusing on America.
So, right now I'd mention a lot of lawyers in Pakistan are watching with great interest and they would say well, if we can now do away with sovereign immunity and we could say that a war crime was committed by say an American drone then that would mean that the Pakistani citizens could sue the American government directly.
And being the American government did not respond to Pakistanis favor of favorable judgment would be able to try to seize American than say in Pakistan.
[03:35:08] JONES: When it comes to Saudi Arabia because Saudi Arabia is the question -- is the country rather in question as far as 9/11 families are concerned, whose to stay that Saudi Arabia is such going to play ball with this and that they will either give up individuals for extradition to then stand trial or indeed just pay up themselves as a state?
GILLESPIE: It's very unlikely that Saudi Arabia would play ball with this. Because the problem that you had is the percentage of proof because what is you're going to prove here with this slant is that it was a state-sponsored act, with Saudi Arabia sponsoring Al Qaeda to do the terror.
The burden of proof to that is you're looking state sponsored terrorism at the state level with the government decides and puts their country on the least is much higher than if a court looks at it. The court standard will be a much more balance of probabilities and the chance of effective verdict for the people suing the government will be much higher. So, I don't think that any government will run to go to court in those circumstances even though they would probably lose.
JONES: Very interesting to see how this all plays out. Alexander Gillespie, we appreciate your thoughts and analysis on this veto that's been overruled now by President Obama. Thanks very much, indeed.
We turn now to the race for the White House. Hillary Clinton is enlisting the help of two super surrogates as Election Day gets ever closer.
Jeff Zeleny explains now how Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders are giving her campaign a boost.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, Hillary Clinton is desperately seeking millennials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The next 40 days will determine the next 40 years.
ZELENY: And she's calling in reinforcements hoping their glow fires up fires up young voters still uncertain about her candidacy. Bernie Sanders at her side at the University of New Hampshire.
BERNIE SANDERS, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This election is enormously important for the future of our country. It is imperative that we elect Hillary Clinton as our next president.
(CROWD CHEERING)
ZELENY: And Michelle Obama delivering a blunt message to college students today in Pennsylvania. Don't be tempted by a third party candidate.
MICHELLE OBAMA, U.S. FIRST LADY: Here's the truth. Either Hillary Clinton or her opponent will be elected president this year. And if you vote for someone other than Hillary, or if you don't vote at all, then you are helping to elect Hillary's opponent.
ZELENY: Putting her popularity on the line, the first lady making it clear how personal this election is after Donald Trump spent years falsely questioning her husband's citizenship.
M. OBAMA: And let me say, hurtful, deceitful questions, deliberately designed to undermine his presidency, questions that cannot be blamed on others or swept under the rug by an insincere sentence uttered at a press conference.
ZELENY: It's all part of the democratic effort to fill one of the biggest holes in rebuilding the Obama coalition. Persuading young voters to support Clinton as enthusiastically as they did Obama.
The Clinton campaign is hoping Sanders a one-time bitter rival persuades some of his old supporters to back her. She took her seat today as he promoted her tuition-free college plan.
SANDERS: Absolutely in debt.
ZELENY: The audience was filled with former Sanders supporters like Abby Colby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I kind of told myself that if Bernie didn't win the primary it would be rather childish of me not to not support Clinton.
ZELENY: What do you think the level of excitement is among your friends for Hillary Clinton?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's definitely building. It was definitely bittersweet when Bernie lost the primary and Hillary won. And we just saw the first debate and we see what Hillary is up against and I think the momentum is starting to build and people are starting to accept Clinton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Well, that was CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny reporting. Donald Trump is angry at some of his own aides and advisers after several of them admitted to reporters that he struggled in his first one on one debate with Hillary Clinton on Monday night.
On Wednesday, his campaign told surrogates to get back on message and now, Trump is trying to refocus his attention on attacking his opponent. At a rally in Wisconsin he said Clinton accused everyone in the U.S. of racial prejs during the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In our debate this week she accuses the entire country including all of law enforcement of implicit bias, essentially suggesting that everyone including our police are racist and prejudiced. You heard that.
How can Hillary Clinton lead this country when she has such a low opinion of its citizens?
[03:40:03] How can she lead this country when she thinks America is full of racists, deplorables and irredeemables?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: One of Donald Trump's stress points during Monday's debate came after a question about nuclear arms. He contradicted himself within seconds of giving an answer.
Our chief U.S. security correspondent Jim Sciutto has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I can't take anything off the table.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN'S CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Would he or wouldn't he?
TRUMP: I would certainly not do first strike.
SCIUTTO: When it comes to ordering a nuclear war as President Donald Trump seems undecided at best.
CLINTON: His cavalier attitude about nuclear weapons is so deeply troubling. That is the number one threat we face in the world. A man who can be provoked by a tweet should not have his fingers anywhere near the nuclear codes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Secretary Clinton has made Trump's confusing public statements regarding the world's most frightening weapon a key part of her attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: He's very loose in his talk about nukes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: The republican nominee had a chance to clarify his position on Monday night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LESTER HOLT, DEBATE MODERATOR: President Obama reportedly considered changing the nation's long-standing policy on first use. Do you support the current policy? Mr. Trump, you have two minutes on that.
TRUMP: Well, I have to say what, you know, Secretary Clinton was saying about nuclear with Russia. She is very cavalier in the way she talks about various countries. We are not keeping up with other countries. I would like everybody to end it, just get rid of it but I would certainly not do first strikes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Certainly not but he contradicted himself just one line later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think that once the nuclear alternative happens, it's over. At the same time, we have to be prepared. I can't take anything off the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: And last December, he appeared stumped on the nation's nuclear triad, that is its nuclear weapons delivered my missiles, bombers and submarines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGH HEWITT, RADIO HUGH HEWITT SHOW HOST: The three legs of the triad though, do you have a priority because I want to go to Senator Rubio.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Well, I think -- I think nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SCIUTTO: As for someone a bit closer to the nuclear codes, Defense
Secretary Ash Carter said the priority is defense. This, as he announced $108 billion in new funding for the triad over the next five years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHTON CARTER, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Your job is to make a deterrent so strong, so effective, so reliable, that no one can doubt that the American deterrent is strong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: Heading in to Election Day one of the most fundamental decisions for voters which candidate they trust to wield the world's most devastating military weapon.
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
JONES: Well, Libertarian president -- presidential candidate rather Gary Johnson is dealing with another foreign policy faux pas. Listen if you can bear it to this exchange with MSNBC host Chris Matthews on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST: Can you name a foreign leader that you respect.
GARY JOHNSON, U.S. LIBERTARIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I guess I'm having an Aleppo moment in the former president of Mexico...
(CROSSTALK)
MATTHEWS: But I'm giving you the whole world.
JOHNSON: I know, I know, I know.
MATTHEWS: Anyone in the world you like. Anybody.
JOHNSON: The former president of Mexico.
MATTHEWS: Which one?
JOHNSON: I'm having a brain...
MATTHEWS: Well, name anybody.
WILLIAM WELD, LIBERTARIAN PARTY VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Fox, Zedillo, Calderon...
(CROSSTALK)
MATTHEWS: Who's your favorite party leader? Get him off the hook. Name a foreign leader, any foreign leader.
WELD: Fox, he was terrific.
JOHNSON: Any foreign leader.
MATTHEWS: OK. Merkel. OK. Fine. Saved as you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Now take Angela Merkel. There we go. Now earlier this morning, Johnson struggled to answer questions about Syria's civil war asking what is Aleppo. I told you.
Well, stay with us on CNN Newsroom.
Police in California shoot and kill an unarmed African-American man. Up next, the crucial piece of evidence they found at the scene.
[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: A 14-year-old boy in the southern United States is accused of shooting and killing his father then opening fire on an elementary school playground. Police in South Carolina say a 6-year-old boy is in critical condition. Another boy and a teacher were treated for their injuries.
A volunteer firefighter tackled the shooter and held him until police arrived at the scene. Police say the teenager have called his grandmother sobbing just minutes before he went to the school playground.
Activists are demanding a federal investigation into the fatal police shooting of an unarmed African-American man. Protestors clashed with police again on Wednesday in Southern California. Some threw water bottles at the police officers. Police say they thought the suspect was pointing a gun at them. Well, it turned out to be a vaping device.
CNN's Stephanie Elam has more.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A woman cries out in anguish after a man is fatally shot by police in this strip mall parking lot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF DAVIS, EL CAJON CALIFORNIA POLICE CHIEF: The male refuse multiple distractions by the first officer on the scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: Responding to a call of man walking in traffic and, quote, "not acting like himself." El Cajon Police chief Jeff Davis says the man they encountered was uncooperative keeping his hand in his pockets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: The male subject paced back and forth when the officers tried to talk to him. At one point the male rapidly drew an object from his front pants pocket, placed both hands together on it and extended it rapidly toward the officer taking at -- taking what appeared to be a shooting stance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: This is freeze frame from cell phone video that police say was voluntarily handed over to them by a witness. Official say this shows the man in that shooting stance. While one officer discharged a taser. Police say another officer shot the man who was unarmed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had to go home at night. The guy thought it was a gun.
(CROWD CHANTING)
ELAM: The man's death sparked impassioned but nonviolent protests where he died. And in front of the police station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish I was just some fanatic and I was making this stuff up. It's in your face. So, what are we going to do, America?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are we going to do? Continue to let this happen?
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, El Cajon, California.
JONES: And what should have been a routine political debate turned into something quite different. That story is coming up after this break.
[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A busy weather map across the United States. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri watching what's happening mainly across the eastern U.S.
As we're seeing a dramatic change not only the temperature department for a lot of folks, but also the wet weather has been very persistent across the very densely populated area of the U.S. in the Baltimore, Washington, D.C. metro, the Richmond, Virginia areas as well with millions underneath a flood watch at this hour.
And we know a lot of rainfall has already come down. You still could see another 100 to 200 millimeters in a few pockets across this region. So, we know the flooding concern is extremely high over the next two days in that region.
And you see the culprit. We have a cut off disturbance. Stationary front in place and the moisture prevalent right there across portions of the eastern United States. And with it comes in some cooler air. It's going to be short lived but at least for a couple of days we get a hint of autumn in the air across parts of the eastern and southern United States.
And still seeing some tropical activity when you look at what's happening near the Windward Islands out there towards portions of San Juan and Puerto Rico eventually.
This is Tropical Storm Matthew. This is progressing to the west and just shy of becoming actually a low-end hurricane. And you know the storm system will eventually push on. The forecast does takes at north towards portions of Jamaica, Cuba and potentially Haiti, as well.
And in fact, the director for this very show on most days here, this is from our friend Keith Payesaki (Ph), who sent this from Aruba. This is what it looked like pre-storm coming in with the beautiful sunset across that region. Take care.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: And we have this just in here to CNN. India says it has launched surgical attacks to foil a terrorist strike along its border with Pakistan administered Kashmir. The area is known as the line of control.
Indian authorities say they took out terrorist teams that have positioned themselves in the region. Pakistan's prime minister condemned what he called unprovoked and naked aggression by the Indian forces. More on that as we get it.
Now, no matter how you viewed the U.S. debates got on Monday night it certainly didn't get physical so it paled in comparison to the confrontation between two parliamentary candidates in Georgia. Jeanne Moos has the details now from the front line.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Even if they didn't mean it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Donald, it's good to be with you.
MOOS: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump pretended to be friendly.
TRUMP: Is that OK? Good. I want you to be very happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: But happy is not how you describe this debate in the country of Georgia. Where the female host steps between two candidates only to be caught in the cross fire. Things are tense in Georgia with elections scheduled for October 8th. Sort of makes the verbal skirmishes between Hillary and the Donald seemed like love pats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I have a feeling by the end of this evening I'm going to be blamed for everything that's ever happening.
TRUMP: Why not? CLINTON: Why not? Yes, why not?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: And why not throw water? The candidate who threw. And the candidate who threw the first glass thought the other guy had called him a sellout to Russia.
[03:55:02] Less than a week earlier, a pen was hurled in another on- air fight after one Georgian politician called the other scum. At least Hillary and the Donald just talked about fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: At least I have a plan to fight ISIS.
TRUMP: No, no, you are telling the enemy everything you want to do.
CLINTON: No, we're not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: And instead of throwing water, the Donald...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: When I was in the Senate.
MOOS: Just kept drinking it.
CLINTON: I had fear there is no prohibition.
MOOS: Probably drank more than these two. Still.
CLINTON: Whoa! OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
JONES: I wonder if the next presidential debate will get physical. We'll have to wait and see. Well, the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" this weekend is going to be huge. Especially of course after Monday's debate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: It just wouldn't be election season without relentless mockery of the candidates on "SNL."
And the show has recruited Alex Baldwin to play Donald Trump. The actor has hosted a record 16 times that he should be pretty comfortable on stage.
I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones for you here in London. Do stay tuned my way. I will be back with another edition of CNN Newsroom after this short break.
[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
