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China Responds To Trump's Twitter Rant; Fake News Story Sparks Armed Standoff; The Rising Tide Of Populism In Europe; Italian PM Renzi To Resign After Referendum Defeat; Austria Elects Pro-EU Van Der Bellen As President; Russia Tries To Win Support Inside Aleppo; French PM Manuel Valls Enters Presidential Race; Russia Provides Military, Humanitarian Assistance in Aleppo; Survivors of Oakland Fire Share Stories. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 06, 2016 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: This is CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
Ahead this hour, China fires back after Donald Trump doubles down on his attacks on Beijing.
Europe's populist rise. Why the weekend's election results have leaders across the continent so nervous.
And as bombs rain down on Aleppo, what Russia is doing to try and win hearts and minds.
Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause. We're now into the second hour of NEWSROOM L.A.
Donald Trump's criticism of China over the weekend is causing a lot of nervousness in both Beijing and Washington. Both governments are warning the incoming president not to derail 40 years of diplomatic progress. CNN's Jim Sciutto reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Today, Beijing issuing a blistering response to Donald Trump's increasingly anti-China rhetoric.
An editorial in China state-run People's Daily said "Trump and his transition team should realize that making trouble for China-U.S. ties is making trouble for themselves." Adding with a poke at the president's "Make America Great Again" slogan, "creating troubles for China won't make the U.S. great." The White House added its own criticism.
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's unclear exactly what the strategic effort is. What the aim of this strategic effort is, and it's unclear exactly what potential benefit could be experienced by the United States.
SCIUTTO: Trump doubled and tripled down on his tougher stance over the weekend, tweeting, "Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency, making it hard for our companies to compete, heavily tax our products going into their country, the U.S. doesn't tax them or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!"
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: They take our money, they take our jobs.
SCIUTTO: Trump, hand-targeted China throughout his campaign.
TRUMP: China respects strength. And by letting them take advantage of us, economically, which they are doing like never before, we have lost all of their respect.
SCIUTTO: But now, it is increasingly clear that this more confrontational stance towards a nuclear-armed China that is America's second largest trading partner will continue in a Trump presidency.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think you're going to see in a President Donald Trump, a willingness to engage the world, but engage the world on America's terms.
SCIUTTO: The U.S. does indeed have a deep and long-term relationship with Taiwan. It sells it weapons intended to deter a Chinese invasion. China also has a deep relationship with Taiwan, but it is a delicate peace and it is based on decades-old norms that Donald Trump appears to be saying he may disturb or change as president. Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining me now, Democratic Strategist, Matthew Littman, and Mark Vafiades, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Republican Party. Guys, thank you both for coming back.
Mark, first to you, you know, is it smart to carry out an international policy debate in 140 characters?
MARK VAFIADES, CHAIRMAN OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY: Well, yeah, the one great thing about Donald Trump, instead of him having a news conference and then having the press report what he said, he is speaking directly to the people. I kind of like it. It's a new way of doing things. It's new media and it's Donald Trump.
MATTHEW LITTMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yeah. I don't know, though, what the point is about this Taiwan situation. What he said he wanted to do is fight China over the economy. I'm not sure how this is helping him. He seems to be just picking a fight with China now.
We're going to be going into an administration where he says there's going to be a 35 percent tax on Chinese goods. The big thing for Donald Trump is he says he's bringing these jobs back; manufacturing jobs, coal jobs, how is this going to help?
VAUSE: Right. And the other point, too Michael, I failed to point it out, is that, you know, on a lot of issues, the United States needs China most especially of all, North Korea. And you have the Chinese off side before you even put your hand on the bible and take the oath. You know, you're behind the eight ball.
VAFIADES: Well, if you've seen Donald Trump's style, he talks tough and lets people know that he can be tough, but then he always comes back and he negotiates and they love him. I mean, he did that with the President of Mexico, he did it with his opponents on the republican primary side.
So, I mean, that's what Donald Trump does. It's part of the art of the deal. And I think we're going to be glad to see someone like that negotiate on behalf of the United States.
LITTMAN: Well, it is possible that Donald Trump is trying to overreach to then comeback to some more moderate position, if that's what you're saying. But I haven't seen that, so far. You're saying that we've seen that so far, I haven't seen that on his ban of Muslims coming in to United States, that's still his policy --
VAFIADES: Oh no, no, absolutely not.
LITTMAN: It is on his website. So, you don't know --
(CROSSTALK)
VAFIADES: Depending on where -- people that come from trouble spots in the world, not -- it doesn't matter what their religion is. If they're coming from trouble spots and we can't vet them, he says we shouldn't be bringing them in here.
[01:05:00] PLITTMAN: That's nice that you say that but it isn't what he says on his website. And by the way, when you say people from trouble spots, that means for example, Christians that are getting killed in Iraq and Syria shouldn't come into the United States.
VAFIADES: Well, if they can't be vetted, it's for the safety --
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: Let's stick with China, OK. Because Stephen Moore who is a former economic adviser to Donald Trump, he's pretty blunt. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MOORE, FORMER TRUMP ECONOMIC ADVISER (via telephone): Taiwan is our ally, John. That is a country that we have backed because they believe in freedom. And we ought to back our ally, and if China doesn't like it, screw them. Screw them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Alexandria Field is live in Beijing this hour. So, Alexandria, give us an update. How will the communist government there in Beijing react to this latest comment coming from someone -- I guess not exactly within the Trump team but someone close to it?
ALEXANDRIA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Look, for months now, there's been difficulty for Chinese officials deciphering what President-elect Donald Trump's true intentions are. It's a question of trying to differentiate between what his style is and what the substance of his policy moving forward could be.
And we had seen the Chinese give Donald Trump some leeway after that phone call with Taiwan. Yes, it was a president busting a phone call that defied some four decades of protocol. But the immediate, initial response from officials in Beijing was really to issue the strongest rebuke toward Taiwan for placing that phone call and they did give the president-elect a little bit more leeway. They sort of suggested that it could be a sign of the inexperience of the Trump transition team.
But then, you've got Trump doubling down in his stance against China, repeating some of this tough talk that we've seen on the campaign trail by issuing those tweets. And those tweets are frankly nearly impossible for the Chinese to now ignore.
What is interesting was their method of response. They didn't issue an immediate official response from Beijing. Instead, you had a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who did address the issue; he answered questions. It was a diplomatic affair with temperate response, just sort of reaffirming the important bilateral relationship here; the economic and the trade benefits that both countries get from this longstanding relationship. But the spokesperson went on to say that it isn't a habit of China to speculate on the motivations of the actions of the president-elect or his transition team.
So, that leaves it a little bit vague. It's certainly diplomatic response, but what we're seeing from state news outlets, the mouthpiece here is a much, much more strong response. They call these tweets frankly outrageous.
I want to read to you a portion of the op-ed from the Global Times, which puts it this way: "Trump's reckless remarks against a major power show his lack of experience in diplomacy. He may have overestimated the power of the U.S. He may have already been obsessed with the power he is about to have a grip on."
It goes on to say, "No matter what Trump things, China must be determined to upset his unreasonable requests at his early time in office, and fight back if his moves harm China's interests."
This is absolutely, John, a departure from what we had previously seen in state news during the months of the campaign and even in the immediate aftermath of the election. The position that state news here in China had taken was that President-elect Donald Trump was somebody who was perhaps bluffing, trying to appeal to his base but they viewed him as more of an isolationist who would not want to upset international order and international relations. These tweets forcing them to now perhaps to re-evaluate what his position could be vis-a- vis the U.S. and China moving forward.
VAUSE: OK. Alexandria, thank you. Alexandria Field live in Beijing with the very latest reaction. Mark, to you, I guess what you've been saying is that it's almost
like, you know, the Richard Nixon madman sort of theory of foreign policy, go out there and be really unpredictable, set out outrageous statements, and then you probably get more from the other side, whichever actually willing to give up. A lot of people pointed out maybe that's a good theory, but maybe not on this particular issue given that Taiwan is seen as an existential issue for the -- for the Chinese. And they will always out-madman you at the end, that always go one further, they'll escalate it.
VAFIADES: Yes, But again, he really hasn't stated that the policy is not going to be to trash One-China Policy.
If you recall in the early 80s, Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union the "evil empire". People were shocked and appalled by that, but he ended up negotiating with the Soviet Union and with Gorbachev, and it ended up taking down the Soviet Union. And they had a good relation, he and Gorbachev. So, again, this is the beginning of the negotiation and I think we'll see that it's to the advantage of the United States.
LITTMAN: Well, yeah, it's hard to say that what Mark is saying isn't true except for the fact that there is no evidence to believe it so far. Right? So --
(CROSSTALK)
LITTMAN: So, when the Chinese say that they think that Donald Trump just is a lot of rhetoric and then they're finding out that it's not, that's the same thing that we all learned during the campaign, right?
He would make a comment like he would insult John McCain, and then you'd say he's got to apologize that he didn't really meant it. Turns out, he meant it, and then he doubles down. He did that all during the campaign.
So, China may be in for a big surprise here. What Donald Trump said during the campaign is what he means to do while he's president. They should take his word for it.
[01:09:56] VAUSE: OK. This is not the first he'd like dust up caused by these phone calls with foreign leaders. The White House spokesperson, Josh Earnest had some advice to the president-elect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EARNEST: President Obama, over the course of his eight years in the White House has benefitted significantly from the expertise, advice and experience of career diplomats at the State Department. And that expertise and advice is available to the president-elect. That advice will continue to be available to him when he enters the Oval Office. President Obama benefitted from it, and President-elect Trump would as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, Matt, to you, do you think that it would be wise at this point for the Trump transition team to start using the professionals at the State Department and is it likely?
LITTMAN: Well, it just doesn't seem very likely. The people that he's brought in are the same people he's talked to, Michael Flynn, for example, who's going to be advising him on national security, is somebody who tweets conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton.
You know, this is not exactly -- we could run down a list of the cabinet members, this isn't exactly the A-team. So, I'm not convinced that he's listening to advice from great people and there's no reason to believe on diplomatic matters. He's going to be listening to people -- he has Stephen Moore, one of his advisers, you just put up that quote, did that sound like diplomacy to you?
VAUSE: And this is the thing, there are professionals out there who have had jobs under various administrations who have given advice to Republican and Democratic presidents.
VAFIADES: One of the reasons Donald Trump was elected is because the American people were sick and tired of the way things were being done. And the last people that Trump is going to listen to, is the Obama State Department.
Their doing things in a certain way, and one of the reasons Donald Trump was elected is because he's going to shake things up such as the State Department. And it will be interesting to see who he appoints.
LITTMAN: You can also shake things up in a very negative way, which is why we made this --
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: There is -- I mean, there is a reason why things are done the way they are done.
One of the things which we also saw during this election was, you know, the rise of fake news or the internet. Now, we have in Washington, D.C, a real case of fake news leading to real gunshots.
We have a report from Pamela Brown about exactly what happened. We should talk about it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The dramatic standoff captured in these photos began moments after this man, Edgar Madison Welch, armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a handgun walked into this popular D.C. pizza place, police say, firing multiple rounds.
SHARIF SILMI, WITNESS: He was walking straight directly for the back room. A staff member, you know, kind of looked at me and indicated that this was a gunman and, you know, we just swiftly made our way out to the exit and got out of there.
BROWN: Police quickly surrounded the building, coaxing Welch outside with his hands up. Tonight he is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. What may be more bizarre than Welch's alleged actions are what led him
there. Police say the 28-year-old was on a mission to stop a crime that had never been committed. An outlandish allegation made months ago online that Hillary Clinton and her campaign chairman were running a child sex-ring in the basement of the restaurant, Comet Ping Pong.
The story has been repeatedly proven to be false by police and others. The restaurant doesn't even have a basement, and the story has been traced to a series of lies and fabrications, which first circulated on underground internet message boards during the campaign, in part, because the owner of the restaurant has donated to democratic causes.
The fictional story took off on Twitter and was passed around as if it were news followed by the #pizzagate.
Police say Welch told them, he read online that the Comet restaurant was harboring child sex-slaves, and that he wanted to see for himself if they were there. And that, police say is what motivated Welch to drive more than four hours to investigate the claims.
JAMES ALEFANTIS, COMET PING PONG OWNER: I really hope that all of these people fanning the flames of this conspiracy would take a moment to contemplate what has gone on here today and maybe to stop.
BROWN: But that hasn't happened. Even after Sunday's incident, the wild conspiracy theories continue, with some online oddly suggesting, Welch was an actor and that the police standoff was a hoax.
Even people connected to Donald Trump's transition team spread the baseless claims. Michael Flynn, Jr., who is the son and chief of staff to Donald Trump's incoming National Security adviser, tweeted, "Until "pizzagate" is proven to be false it will remain a story." The left seems to forget Podesta emails and the many coincidences tied to it.
In a rare move today, even the White House weighed in saying the latest incident proves fake news stories can potentially cause real harm.
EARNEST: We all hold a responsibility regardless of whether or not we are planning to serve in a government position or if one of our family members plans to serve in a government position that we shouldn't be propagating false things that could inspire violence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: The suspect appeared in court on Monday. For now, will remain behind bars.
Meantime, CNN has reached out to the Trump transition team about Michael Flynn, Jr.'s tweet, but so far, no comment. Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.
[01:15:02] We have a social media policy here at CNN. There are things we can or cannot tweet or post on social media. Should the Trump team have social media guidelines which everybody follows because at the moment it doesn't appear to be so?
LITTMAN: Well, you can't. If any fish rots from the head down as they say, and if Donald Trump is going to go out and tweet all the time about everything that comes to mind then it's hard to tell the people on his team not to do it as well.
When we talk about this fake news stories, CNN did an incredible focus group the other day where your reporter was talking to a bunch of voters and they said that there are 3 million people voting illegally in this country, and the -- your reporter said where did you get that story? One of them said, from CNN.
Now, it's obviously a fake story. The Trump folks won't refute the fact that that's a fake story but this is the kind of thing that's making its way around. It is just really unbelievable. I mean, it's hard to know what to say. I'm sure you would agree that was a fake story.
VAFIADES: Well, first of all, fake stories are nothing new. I mean, Ever since the internet, it has been around, everybody says beware what you see on the internet. There is so much fake stuff out there. It's not -- I don't see this as a political story. I see this as just, you know, buy or beware. You really have to beware of what you see on the internet and know that it's not necessarily a fact.
VAUSE: It doesn't help, though, when Michael Flynn, Jr. is putting a story out there. This is someone in a senior position.
LITTMAN: Well, you know, they probably should have a Twitter policy just as all companies do, and it will be up to them to put out that policy.
VAUSE: OK, before we go, let's talk 2020 because 2016 was so much fun.
Believe it or not, the Vice President Joe Biden not ruling out a run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Run again?
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (via telephone): Yes. I'm going to run in 2020.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
BIDEN: The president. I'm just -- I'm not committing not to run. I'm not committing to anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. I mean, obviously, this is -- this is a joke. But Matt, a bit late isn't it?
LITTMAN: Yes. Just so you know, I used to be a speech writer for Joe Biden and I wish we were having this conversation a year ago, not right now. When he -- in 2020, he'll be, what, like 75 years old?
VAUSE: Yeah.
LITTMAN: Still 1,000 times more qualified than Donald Trump to be President of the United States.
VAFIADES: I mean, do you think this is seriously and this is actually in some way sits, speaks of the problem of the democratic partly right now, is that there's no young blood coming through. All their leaders in the 70s right now.
VAFIADES: That's exactly it. And the average age of the leaders now in the Republican Party, I think is in their --
VAUSE: In their 40s.
VAFIADES: Yes, late 40s.
VAUSE: Maybe Paul Ryan and Reince Preibus
(CROSSTALK)
VAFIADES: I think it's too late for Joe Biden. I think he made the mistake of not running this time out. I think he would have had a pretty good chance, much better than Hillary Clinton.
VAUSE: He's kicking himself probably.
VAFIADES: Yeah, probably.
VAUSE: Matt and Mark, thanks so much. It was good.
VAFIADES: Thank you.
LITTMAN: Thank you.
VAUSE: OK. While Trump is making waves in American politics and that impact is being felt all the way to Europe. We'll have more on the region's shifting political landscape. That's next.
And it's not just a battle against Syrian rebels. We'll tell you what Russia is doing to try and win over civilians trapped inside Aleppo.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00] KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your "CNN WORLD SPORT" headlines. Chapecoense will be crowned the 2016 Copa Sudamericana champions.
The South American Football Federation confirmed the decision over the weekend. As a wake was held at the club stadium for the 19 players and 11 coaching and medical staff who tragically died in the Colombia plane crash as the team were on their way to play the final against Atletico Nacional, last week. The impact continues to be felt right across Brazil with the funerals of the victims being held. RILEY: Elsewhere, in English Premier League, leaders Chelsea and one
of their main rivals, Manchester City are being charged by the football association for not being able to control their players.
The two sides played each other on Saturday. A mass brawl broke out in the fifth minute of injury time. The game ended 3-1 at -- to Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. City had forward, Sergio Aguero sent off. He's now got a four-match ban. Brazilian midfielder, Fernandinho will serve a three-match ban. City manager, Pep Guardiola apologized for his team's part in the incident.
And in other football news, former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter is being denied a swift return to the game. His appeal against the six- year FIFA ban has been rejected by the court of arbitration for sport. He was banned for a payment made to the former UEFA president, Michel Platini in 2011. Blatter says he won't try to make any more appeals.
And that's a look at all your sport headlines, I'm Kate Riley.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. Few saw Brexit coming. Even fewer saw Donald Trump winning the White House. But his brand of populist politics is on the rise around the world. Now, most leaders believe that this is happening across Europe. Here's Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Italy's Prime Minister resigns. Europe's roller coaster relationship with the EU takes a dive. Trump- type populism is shaking up Europe's politics.
Hours earlier, Austria elected a new president. Europe's leaders rejoiced. Austrians rejected the Nationalist candidate with Nazi connections. France's President declaring the Austrian people have chosen Europe. What the Austrians chose, though, was no mainstream politician.
Alexander Van der Bellen is Western Europe's first ever Green Party president. He is pro E.U. But this is the first time neither of Austria's two principal political parties have not held the presidency.
In Italy, Renzi, who tried to reform the country's bloated bureaucracy and boost the economy, is victim of leftist and nationalists who want out of the European Union.
France's hard-right nationalist Marine, Le Pen, who is running for president next year was quick to grab gains for her own campaign from Renzi's losses. She tweeted,"The Italians have moved away from Renzi and the E.U. We must listen to this thirst for freedom and protection of nations."
At E.U. H.Q. in Brussels, finance ministers dismissed worries of a hit on the Euro. But Italy's struggling banks may yet need Brussels' help bailing them out, and for Italy's populist, that's a contentious issue.
Meanwhile, here in London, more discord. The Supreme Court is deciding whether or not British lawmakers could potentially block Brexit. It all adds to growing uncertainty about the future of the European Union.
Passions here for and against Brexit are high and every indication now, similar sentiments are spreading. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Dominic Thomas heads the Department of French and Francophone Studies at UCLA, here in Los Angeles. Thank you again for coming here, it's been a busy couple of weeks.
(CROSSTALK)
DOMINIC THOMAS, UCLA DEPARTMENT OF FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES CHAIRMAN: It certain has as well.
VAUSE: Let's start with Italy. We had the former Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti. He was on CNN on Monday. He said this referendum outcome had nothing to do about the rise of anti-European sentiment, nothing to do with populism and the international media, us, we got it all wrong. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIO MONTI, FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER: This was not a political election. It is true that Mr. Renzi, unwisely had so dramatically personalized it. But it was a referendum on a change certainly in the constitution, for example, I believe nobody would suspect me of being a populist or of being against the European Union, yet I voted no.
[01:25:03] And I know so many people who followed a similar path. So, this is not a victory of populism. And this is not a victory of anti- E.U. movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. So, the big picture here, did the soon to be ex-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, did he simply overreach in what he was trying to do in Italy?
THOMAS: He certainly learned nothing from watching Brexit. Because I think if he watched Brexit, he would have understood that staking your political reputation on a referendum is a very risky thing to do in the Europe, today.
I completely disagree with Monti. This was a vote technically on the constitution. It was actually a complicated vote on which all one had to do was say yes or no.
The Brexit vote at least, you have to decide whether to remain or to leave. So, it's a vote that was not on the European Union, but the fact that he was so overwhelmingly defeated, 17 of the 20 regions that voted in on this, voted against it, 60 percent of the people.
And the very fact that these populist parties, the Northern League and the Five-star Movement were so overwhelmingly and successful in this, and their platforms are specifically aimed at attacking Europe and the Euro currency, and so on. It's essentially a vote that was not about the Euro but essentially it very much was. And it is just a further indication as to the rise of Euro skepticism throughout Europe.
VAUSE: OK. Italy's President, he's likely to appoint a caretaker government led by Renzi's company -- party, I should say. So, elections are still away or maybe not until 2018, but there is still the question about the country's banking crisis. The Dutch Finance Minister talked about that on Monday. He said essentially, well, nothing's changed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROEN DIJSSELBLOEM, DUTCH FINANCE MINISTER AND EUROGROUP CHAIRMAN: We have to know the outcome and it's, of course, up to the Italian president now to take the decisions on the democratic process. Because this is what it is. It's a democratic process. And it doesn't really change the situation economically in Italy or in the Italian banks.
The problems that we have today are the problems we had yesterday and they still have to be dealt with. And that process will continue as far as I'm concerned. So, let's wait for the outcome of the political process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But that's not entirely true is it from a financial point of view?
THOMAS: No, because waiting for the outcome is not a very positive thing to do. Renzi was trying to reform the country so that it could move forward and address the problems that are causing high unemployment, and gridlock and so on.
So, just to simply say that while this was a vote on the referendum, it didn't go through. No, the prime minister is going to have to step down. We have no idea who's going to take over or when the next election is going to be. This breeds total uncertainty in a country that is already struggling and on the verge of bankruptcy.
VAUSE: Right. OK. Let's move on to Austria. If there -- this is a concern in Europe over Italy, there was a sigh of relief of what happened in Austria. The far-right candidate, Norbert Hofer, he did not get elected. But The Economist points this out, "The Austrian mentality wrote, Thomas Bernhard, the writer, is like Punschkrapten, which is a punch-soaked pastry with colorful icing, red on the outside, brown on the inside, always a bit drunk."
In other words, the Socialist Democrats or the red, they're always on top of the politics. But just beneath the surface, the brown are the far-right, the Nazis, if you like, always there in Austrian politics. And that will be true moving forward.
THOMAS: Yeah. It's an interesting analogy because the first vote took place in April, then you have Brexit in June. And I think the Austrian people have understood the severity of voting and importance of voting. They also got to watch the election in the United States.
Whereas it was very close back in April, this time around, this vote for the chance for the president was much, much, much closer and I think they learned something out of that, too.
At least the Austrian people got to vote for and against something. And I think that the fact that the Green Party won is a positive thing and one needs to give credit where credit is due. And in this particular case the outcome was positive.
However, Austria remains a divided country. It's not the same as Italy. It's much smaller, it's a wealthier country, it does not have anything like the economic problems that Italy is facing, but the people are extremely divided over these year -- over these views and over the ways in which they want their country to go forward.
VAUSE: OK. We have the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls saying he will run for his party's presidential nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANUEL VALLS, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I want an independent France, independent, inflexible on its values when facing the China of Xi Jinping, the Russia of Vladimir Putin, the America of Donald Trump, and the Turkey of Recep Erdogan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:30:00:] VAUSE: He is running because Francois Hollande has decided not to seek a second term. Look at this photo. We have the U.K. prime minister, David Cameron, he's gone. The U.S. President Obama almost gone. Francois Holland, Matteo Renzi gone. The last person there, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the last woman standing, and she is up for election next year. This is the changing face of Western leadership.
THOMAS: It's changing. And 2017, beyond the fact we're waiting for the next Italian election to place, we have elections coming up in the Czech Republic where the ANO Party, the far-right populist party, is ahead in the polls. We have the vote in march in the Netherlands and the far-right party is ahead. The vote in France coming up. And in Germany, the Alternative for Germany Party is ranked around third. And even in Angela Merkel's coalition, between the CBU (ph) and the SPD, the SPD is speaking about the migrant crisis. Yet again, a move to the right, but it's fracturing even her coalition. I think that Angela Merkel is aware of that. And her position is precarious.
VAUSE: The E.U. is on notice?
THOMAS: I think the E.U. is on notice and these populist movements are on the rise and the E.U. is not their best friend. VAUSE: Dominic, always good to speak with you. Thanks so much.
THOMAS: Thank you.
VAUSE: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
(HEADLINES)
[01:35:35] VAUSE: There is no cease-fire on the horizon for Aleppo. Russia and China rejected a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a pause to allow for the delivery of much-needed aide.
Moscow is backing the Syrian regime in its assault on the rebel-held parts of the season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELE SISON, DEPUTY U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. Let me tell you what Russia and China have vetoed today in blocking the resolution and allows the bombardment of eastern Aleppo to continue. They have vetoed the delivery of basic medicine to people who will die without it. They have vetoed the evacuation of sick and dying people who have no chance of surviving in the bombed-out hospitals and clinics in eastern Aleppo. They have vetoed the delivery of food to civilians who could starve to death, and in the case of vulnerable children, suffer lifelong effects from severe malnutrition. They have vetoed the lives of innocent Syrians. This action is a death sentence for innocent men, women and children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Russia's ambassador argued opposition fighters would use the ceasefire to reinforce their ammunition and strengthen their positions.
The Syrian regime claims to control about 60 percent of eastern Aleppo, only possible because of Russia air power.
And as Fred Pleitgen reports, in addition to the military backing, Moscow is now providing some humanitarian assistance.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As an aid worker tries to comfort children with humor in a former Aleppo battleground district, only a few yards away, Russian soldiers in a serious mood, embedded with the Syria army trying to push rebels out of the whole city.
Government soldiers not shy to praise Moscow's involvement.
"The Russians are our brothers. Their superior technology and air strikes have made all the difference for us sweeping these areas."
The Syrian army seems on the verge of ousting rebels from all of Aleppo. But only a little over a year ago, it seemed that Bashar al Assad's military might collapse. Then Russia entered the conflict in late 2015, quickly changed the tide and becoming a power broker in the Middle East, signaling diplomacy in Syria will only happen on its terms, not America's.
SERGEI LAVROV, RUSSIA FOREIGN MINISTER (through translation): John Kerry at our meeting in Rome relayed the American proposals which were in line with approaches long defended by our experts involved in conversations with the Americans.
PLEITGEN: A heavy handed approach and a mounting civilian death toll have led for the U.S. and U.N. to call for investigations into possible Russian war crimes in Syria, a claim the Kremlin denies.
The Russian starting their own efforts to win hearts and minds.
(on camera): The Russians are showing they are taking the initiative in the battle, not just supporting the forces of Bashar al Assad, but also by providing aid, like this massive convoy that is about to head into the eastern districts of Aleppo.
(EXPLOSION)
PLEITGEN: The aid comes with a message -
(EXPLOSION)
PLEITGEN: "Russia has always been doing this work of offering aid for those who need it. We help anyone who is in need."
And that message does resonate with some people here like Mustafa Jomba (ph) who is cleaning up what is left of his belongings after the rebels lost control of this district.
"We are grateful to the Russians and Comrade Putin," he says. "The Russians will never let us done."
But Russia's new foreign policy prowess comes at a price. On Monday, several Russian military medics were killed and wounded when a mortar struck their mobile clinic, a reminder of the dangers of Moscow's Syrian engagement, even as the momentum on the battlefield is going their way.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Aleppo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A 7-year-old girl who put a human face on the Syrian conflict is asking for prayers for her and her family. The latest message on her Twitter account came from her mother on Monday. It says, "Under attack, nowhere to go. Every minute feels like death everywhere. Pray for us. Good-bye." The girl's mother created the Twitter account so she could describe their lives to the rest of the world. She has more than 200,000 followers.
[01:40:04] Next, on NEWSROOM L.A., the death toll in the fire in a California warehouse has climbed to 36 and survivors are now sharing their stories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: You lived there. Did you think it was safe?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. I -- no, we need help.
SIMON: Why did you stay, then?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because this is my community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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VAUSE: Vigils are being held here in California to remember victims of a warehouse fire on Friday night. Last hour, mourners in Oakland sang and read poetry. 36 people are confirmed dead and dozens are still missing.
The Ghost Ship housed artist studios but the building was not permitted for anyone to live there.
With the very latest, here's Dan Simon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: John, you can only imagine the agony for family members waiting for any information about their loved ones. I want to show you this makeshift memorial. You can see many people have come by to pay their respects to those who died in the fire. Obviously, there are a lot of questions how this fire started and what drew people to want to live in that warehouse.
I spoke to one woman who explained what brought her there and why she decided to live there even if she didn't feel safe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were my children. They are my family and friends, loves and future.
SIMON (voice-over): The co-founder of the Ghost Ship artist collective helped transform the warehouse into a maze of rooms, furniture and art.
[01:45:11] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about the people who said the place was a death trap, a fire risk?
SIMON (voice-over): Now as bodies are recovered, residents and friends are speaking out.
(on camera): You lived there. Did you think it was safe?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No. I -- no, we need help.
SIMON: Why did you stay, then?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because this is my community.
SIMON (voice-over): Swann had lived in the warehouse since the beginning even though. She had reservations about the safety she is defending the purpose, and the celebration that turned tragic on Friday night.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was no it a nightclub. It was not for profit. It was just our community house.
SIMON: The burned-out structure still holds an unknown number of victims as officials vow to determine a cause.
LIBBY SCHAAL, OAKLAND MAYOR: You will get, that the families will get, that this city will get the answers to every question about this incident.
SIMON: Party goers came to what had been advertised as a dance party with live music. Dozens have already been confirmed dead including three foreign nationals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I expected it to be shut down a long time ago. I called the police three times myself.
SIMON: Former residents and friends are saying it was only a matter of time before disaster.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were fires from electrical cords, transformers. There was intermittent heat and electricity.
SIMON: Now investigators are looking closely at previous code violations and complaints, ranging from illegal occupancy to trash and debris. Authorities have set up a tip line for help to determine what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's too early to speculate on anything. The charges could be from murder to involuntary manslaughter. And until we know what the evidence shows us, there may be other charges, if the evidence presents that.
SIMON (on camera): What do you want to say to those who are mourning who lost friends and loved ones?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's nothing I can say. There's nothing anyone can say. There's nothing. It's just tragedy, horror and tragedy. It's not a time to fight each other. There's just -- can we just embrace each other? It's just -- beyond!
(END VIDEOTAPE) SIMON: And that woman telling me she viewed the community like a church, a way for people to get together and draw inspiration for their art projects.
Of course, that will be a big part of the investigation being led by the district attorney's office. But, for now, the main focus is on the victims and the possible recovery of additional bodies -- John?
VAUSE: Dan Simon, in Oakland, thank you.
A judge in South Carolina declared a mistrial in the trial of a former police officer charged with killing an armed man. One of the key pieces of evidence was the shooting itself caught on a cell phone. A warning the images are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
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VAUSE: The victim's mother says she is not sad about the verdict because injustice will not prevail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDY SCOTT, MOTHER OF KEITH SCOTT: He will get his just reward. And we have the federal trial and another trial to go. I'm just waiting on the Lord. I'm just going to rest in the Lord.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Slager is scheduled to go on trial next year on federal charges.
We will be right back.
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(WEATHER REPORT)
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[01:52:51] VAUSE: Next year's Academy Awards will have a new host, Jimmy Kimmel. He was widely praised for his job hosting the Emmys. The Academy Awards will be held in February.
Amazon wants to change the way you buy your groceries. Its selling point, no checkout lines or registers. Customers check in with an app, grab what you need and walk out. The company claims it can track the items automatically. For now, the Seattle-based store is only hope right now to amazon employees but it will open to the public next year.
What do you do if a kangaroo grabs your dog? Punch the roo in the face. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
MOOS (voice-over): They were in Australia hunting boar. What happened was anything but boring.
(SHOUTING)
MOOS: Greg Tonkins went to run to save his dog, Matt, from a kangaroo that was holding the dog in a head lock. Tonkins approached, the kangaroo released the dog and the two squared off.
(MUSIC)
(CROSSTALK)
MOOS: The kangaroo reacts with a "you did not just do that" look of disbelief before turning tail. Round one goes to the man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To save himself, he launches a right hand to the kangaroo's snout.
MOOS: But the fight over throwing that punch heated up as the video went viral.
(on camera): Did the guy do the right thing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MOOS: He didn't?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Poor kangaroo. Kangaroos are beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think he hurt the kangaroo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was protecting his dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a happy ending.
MOOS (voice-over): But there was also an unhappy ending. The hunt was fulfilling a wish for a 19-year-old who suffered from a rare form of cancer. A few months later, after marrying his sweetheart in his hospital room, he died.
Those on the hunt thought that the kangaroo encounter was the highlight of the trip. The story packed the punch.
A kangaroo can be extremely dangerous between its claws and the kick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oops. Wait a minute.
This is my husband.
MOOS: They can also be extremely well built. Check out Roger.
It turns out the dog owner who punched the kangaroo is a keeper at an Australian zoo. The zoo is reviewing the incident and will consider any appropriate action.
When encountering a kangaroo, caution is advised.
[01:55:12] UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: How did you get punched by a kangaroo?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Really hard.
MOOS: This guy is probably saying something similar to his buddies.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Truth.
You have been watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause. I'll be back with more news after this.
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VAUSE: This is CNN NEWSROOM from Los Angeles.
Ahead this hour --
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[02:00:10] VAUSE: Hello, everyone. Great to have you with us. I'm john Vause. We're now into the third hour of NEWSROOM L.A.
