Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Mugabe Agrees to Resignation; Charles Manson Dead at 83; President Calls Basketball Player's Father "Very Ungrateful"; Worries Over Lost Argentinian Sub; Charles Manson, Leader Of Murderous Cult, Dead At 83; Kenya's Supreme Court Upholds Pres. Kenyatta's Win; CNN Report On Slave Trade In Libya Sparks Outrage. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 20, 2017 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): 2:00 am on the U.S. East Coast.

We're following two breaking news stories this hour. The death of a murderous cult leader, Charles Manson.

And in Zimbabwe, it appears the president of that nation has agreed to terms of his resignation.

I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world.

First, the death of Charles Manson, dead at the age of 83 years old. The notorious U.S. cult leader was serving nine consecutive life sentences for a string of murders his followers carried out in 1969. California prison officials say Manson died of natural causes on Sunday night. We'll take a closer look at his life just a bit later in this newscast.

But first, to Zimbabwe now. It appears President Robert Mugabe's resignation could become official at any time now. A source with direct knowledge of the negotiations says that a resignation letter has been written. Mr. Mugabe has agreed to the terms and that letter now must be sent to the speaker of parliament.

Remember, all of this comes after the president's own party threatened to impeach him if he didn't step down in the coming hours. He's been under house arrest since an apparent military coup that took place last week.

Let's go live to Zimbabwe. CNN's David McKenzie following this story in the nation's capital, Harare.

David, this is your reporting. Tell us more about what we know about this letter and the terms that might be part of that agreement. DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, George. This source telling CNN, a source with very close knowledge of these negotiations, saying that the terms of the resignation of president Robert Mugabe have been decided, ironed out, including possibly that source says immunity for himself and the first lady, Grace Mugabe, as well as him being able to keep some of his assets.

Now the source said that the way that they have to resign is for a letter to be drafted to parliament, to do it constitutionally. Now we don't know yet if that letter has been signed. And certainly until that happens we don't know if Robert Mugabe is still the president of this country.

But it appears that these tense negotiations, after several days from that apparent coup, that they've made a breakthrough and at least the source saying that they have had agreed terms from the president.

This comes after this bizarre speech live on state television late Sunday from Robert Mugabe to the nation, where many expected him to announce his resignation live on television. That didn't happen.

But what our source is telling us is that that speech was meant to give a constitutional veneer to all of this process -- and you did get Robert Mugabe playing down the talk of coup, playing up the talk of a peaceful transition.

Until we have an official resignation from the president, this story isn't over in that sense. But it does appear that they've made significant process -- progress to get him out.

Now, if, for some reason, that all falls apart again, then the party says, in the coming hours, if he hasn't resigned, they will move to impeach the president and his fate will be sealed by his colleagues in parliament tomorrow -- George.

HOWELL: David, a lot of very important information coming through your reporting in this. And I want to get a sense from you, the people that you've spoken to, given this latest news.

What has been the reaction so far from many people?

Again, we've seen so many protesting, rallying together in the streets, demanding that this president step down.

MCKENZIE: Well, the reaction has been, at least yesterday, one of real disappointment, I think, for many Zimbabweans. I think all of them gathered around television sets across the country. The state media was advertising, alerting that speech for several hours.

They were disappointed, I think, that it didn't all get resolved one way or the other. You had President Mugabe sitting, giving this somewhat rambling, repetitive speech, paging methodically through the pages, flanked in an incredible image by the generals that have orchestrated his ouster. They were sitting to his right, some party members to his left. And he went through those pages and then didn't give his public resignation. So the sense is that the generals and the power -- powers that be,

that are in control of this country, have been trying to continue to give a --

[02:05:00]

MCKENZIE: -- constitutional feel to this, that this isn't a power grab, at least publicly, because, if they did admit that this was a coup, a whole lot of events would take place potentially of the regional countries stepping in.

But as you say, everyone I've spoken to here in Zimbabwe is pretty anxious to see the end of Robert Mugabe's rule. We won't know until it's absolutely signed, sealed and delivered -- George.

HOWELL: David McKenzie, live for us in Harare. David, thank you so much for the reporting on this.

Now let's get some context and additional reporting from journalist Zoe Flood. She's in Zimbabwe's capital this hour, by phone with us in Harare.

It's good to have you with us, Zoe. So again, we pick up here off of David McKenzie's reporting here. The overall feeling here, giving a constitutional tone to all of this, he says, playing down the talk of a coup, talking up the sense of a peaceful transition.

Why is that so important?

ZOE FLOOD, JOURNALIST: Thank you, George. Yes, I think that's a very important detail to focus on at this point and, of course, it's a huge amount of disappointment here in Zimbabwe that President Mugabe didn't resign last night.

But underneath that disappointment, there's a growing realization that perhaps the constitutional veneer that this speech did apply to the events of this week will help contribute to a more managed and controlled transition that will have (INAUDIBLE) going forward and will certainly have legitimacy in terms of the party politics, which are very important within Zanu-PF.

HOWELL: Let's talk about this again. So not yet official but Mr. Mugabe's party, Zanu-PORTFOLIO, is making the message loud and clear. They are ready to move forward without him; doing so, giving a deadline.

What does that mean?

Does that come into play here until we see this official resignation?

FLOOD: I think it's very important to recognize that the party structures are very critical to the history (INAUDIBLE) and the president of Zimbabwe. This is a -- had its origins in -- the party had its origins in an insurgency against white minority rule in the 1960s and '70s. Honoring those party traditions are very important. I attended the

central committee session yesterday, in which Mugabe was recalled as leader of the party and the sentiment in the room was extremely strong.

It felt -- you know, party members were very loud and clear that they were ready to see a change. And the will of the party as well as the will of the people, which was demonstrated (INAUDIBLE) on Saturday, is resounding on all fronts.

HOWELL: Let's also talk about the person. If a resignation were to be made official, the person who would take over, Emmerson Mnangagwa. Tell us more about him, his nickname, "The Crocodile."

Would that bring in the change that people are demanding on the streets?

Or is this seen as a continuation of Mr. Mugabe's rule?

FLOOD: I feel there are definitely concerns here in Zimbabwe that Mnangagwa could be seen as more of the same. He's had a long association with Mugabe. He's been close to him, being the right-hand man. He's been involved in some fairly -- or has been alleged to be involved in some serious security operations, in which human rights abuses have been alleged.

But I think also, though, there is a real sense here that any change is a good change at this point after 37 years with the same man in power. I think people feel that, even if there are questions about Zimbabwe's leadership, the shift away from this era of President Mugabe and more recently the influence of his wife, Grace, that change will be a good thing.

HOWELL: Zoe Flood, thank you so much for taking time to give us reporting and some context on this. We'll, of course, stay in touch with you.

Again, we understand that we will be getting some official word at some point about this arrangement, given the president of Zimbabwe.

Moving on now to the other major story we're covering this day. The infamous criminal cult leader Charles Manson has died. Manson dead at the age of 83 years old. California prison officials say that he died of natural causes on Sunday.

Manson was serving nine life sentences for murders carried out by his followers. They were called the Manson family. CNN's Stephanie Elam looks back at his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): California, 1967 --

[02:10:00] ELAM (voice-over): -- the Summer of Love at its peak. Charles Manson arrived on the scene with folk music and a flock of ardent young followers but with much darker ambitions.

VINCENT BUGLIOSI, MANSON TRIAL PROSECUTOR: Manson may be the most famous, notorious mass murderer ever.

The summer of '69 was marred by gruesome murders that shook the nation. Five people killed at the home of Hollywood star Sharon Tate and another couple murdered the following night.

BUGLIOSI: These murders used to be call the Tate murders. And then people started calling them the Tate-LaBianca murders. Then Manson appears on the scene and he's so charismatic and interesting that he upstages the victims and from that point on it was called the Manson murders.

ELAM (voice-over): Manson was the mastermind behind the brutal killings, the leader of the clan that carried out the unthinkable. He was convicted of conspiracy and murder in 1971 and infamously went down in history.

CHARLES MANSON, SERIAL MURDERER: I do a lot of things on in the world that you guys don't see.

ELAM (voice-over): Manson was born in Cincinnati in 1934 to a single teenage mother.

MANSON: She got out of my life early. I spent the best part of my life in boy schools, prisons and reform schools because I had nobody.

ELAM (voice-over): After marrying twice and spending half his life in prison, 32-year-old Manson made his way to Berkeley in 1967. He established himself as a guru in the Summer of Love and was quickly sharing a home with 18 women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get these kids, these children coming in to Haight-Ashbury and here is Charlie Manson, saying how much he loves them and he wants to take care of them. He took full advantage.

ELAM (voice-over): As the Manson family formed and migrated south, its leader established himself on the fringe of the L.A. music scene. He recorded albums with the family, like the aptly named "LIE: The Love and Terror Cult."

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ELAM (voice-over): Manson's passion for music translated into an obsession with The Beatles' 1968 song, "Helter Skelter."

BUGLIOSI: To Manson, it meant that The Beatles wanted to have a worldwide revolution, blacks against whites.

ELAM (voice-over): Aiming to launch the fabricated war, Manson directed his disillusioned clan to kill. On August 9th, 1969, four Manson followers invaded the Hollywood hills home of actress Sharon Tate, where they massacred five people. The 26-year-old starlet was 8.5 months pregnant.

The next night, the clan brutally murdered Los Angeles couple Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. At both homes, they left behind shocking murder scenes.

BUGLIOSI: When those words "helter skelter" were found printed in blood at the murder scene, that was tantamount to Manson's fingerprints being found at the murder scene.

ELAM (voice-over): After evidence in the cases mounted and a high- profile trial, Manson and four followers were convicted of nine murders and sentenced to death in 1971, which was downgraded to life in prison, when California banned the death penalty. The notorious killer appealed for parole 12 times.

MANSON: If I'm not paroled, OK, and I don't get a chance to get back up on top of this dream, you're going to win. Helter Skelter.

ELAM (voice-over): While the convicted killer became somewhat of a pop culture icon, the family members of his victims never forgot his true impact.

DEBRA TATE, SHARON TATE'S SISTER: He needs to look into our eyes, the victims' eyes, and see the pain that he's caused.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Stephanie Elam reporting. The death of Charles Manson at 83 years old.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Still ahead, the search for a missing Argentine navy submarine is running into rough waters. Next, why experts fear time may be running out for 44 crew members on board. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:15:00]

(SPORTS)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HOWELL: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

A new Twitter attack from the U.S. president, blasting the father of the UCLA basketball player who was arrested on shoplifting charges in China. LaVar Ball's son is one of three players arrested. His father downplayed President Trump's involvement in getting his son released and then a Twitter feud ensued, as CNN's Boris Sanchez tells us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump has never been one to back down from a public feud, especially on Twitter. This latest one aiming at LaVar Ball, the father of one of those three UCLA students, that were detained in China during the president's 12-day trip through Asia.

The president found out that these students were detained and White House officials tell us that he personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping if those students could be released so that they could return home. They were. And, in that process, the president wondered aloud on Twitter whether or not these three students would thank him for his role in their release.

They did. And the president actually tweeted about them subsequently, writing that they should be weary (sic) of the many pitfalls in life. We thought it was over until LaVar Ball, father of LiAngelo, gave this comment to ESPN that downplayed President Trump's role in the return of his son.

And so the president took to Twitter on Sunday morning, targeting him on two separate tweets hours apart; the second one, the president writing, "Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be. Five to 10 years in jail. But not to father LaVar. Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released, very ungrateful."

The president, though, is catching flack for this suggestion that he would not have gotten these U.S. citizens, student athletes, released from a Chinese prison had he known that one of their parents would not give him credit in public -- Boris Sanchez, CNN, at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Boris, thanks for the reporting.

Let's get some context now with Peter Matthews. Peter is a political analyst and political science professor at Cypress College, joining us live this hour from Los Angeles.

Pleasure to have you here on the show, Peter. Let's talk about this latest Twitter --

[02:20:00]

HOWELL: -- tirade involving the President of the United States, responding to the father of LaVar Bell (sic), who downplayed -- Ball, rather -- who downplayed the president's role in his son's release.

And we've seen personalized attacks like this before, these counterpunches, as the president's staff would describe them.

What purpose do they serve?

PETER MATTHEWS, CYPRESS COLLEGE: None at all. I think that it was gracious of him to go in as president, try to talk to the Chinese president to allow these young men to go and be released, you know, early. And yet for him to come back, you know.

And then when LiAngelo Ball's father had made those comments, President Trump said, I should have left all of them in jail.

Now what did it have to do with the other two gentlemen?

The other two young men had nothing to do with this. And I think it was very small on his part to come out and get piqued by that kind of comment rather than just being magnanimous and just overlooking it because he did do a good thing by getting them out of prison early.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: -- by responding the way he did to LaVar Ball.

HOWELL: Well, we do know that the president does certainly watch a lot of television. He does pay close attention to these things and responds quickly when he feels attacked on Twitter. So we've seen another instance of that.

Let's move on now to the situation playing out in the U.S. state of Alabama, with judge Roy Moore, who is running for the Senate. He's long argued that the national media is against him with these accusations of sexual misconduct, accusations that he, in fact, denies.

But the hometown papers now, the three biggest local papers in Alabama, are all telling their readers to reject him. So this is no longer an issue of this argument about the national media. Now the hometown papers are coming into play.

What impact might that have with local opinions on Mr. Moore?

MATTHEWS: It's going to definitely be a very close race because Alabama is heavily Republican. It's been voting since 1980 for Republican presidential candidates and even for the senators.

So you've got a situation here where, you know, three major newspapers coming out in favor of Doug Jones and putting it on an ethical level, saying, Alabamans, stand up for the right thing and be ethical and choose the right person.

They've actually endorsed Doug Jones. Very remarkable for a Democrat to get endorsed. It could have an effect, especially in very a close race like this. Despite the fact that polls show that Doug Jones is 8 points ahead of Moore, it's going to be very close because sometime people say they're going to vote for somebody and yet change their mind when they're in the voting booth.

And it's going to be very interesting to watch this. But the papers do help. An endorsement does help somewhat, especially in a close race.

HOWELL: We'll have to see what impact that has in the days ahead until voters make their final decision on this. Peter, let's also talk about what's ahead here with the president's

tax reform plan. The future now in the Senate of that bill and the fate a bit uncertain.

What are some of the key issues, the sticking points here, that would decide the future of this bill among a divided Senate?

MATTHEWS: Yes, the sticking point has to do with the proposal to get rid of the individual mandate, which means the ObamaCare will be completely dismantled because, you know, if that goes through, that's going to be a problem for funding.

And the other thing is the taxes.

Should they be, you know, should there be more corporate loopholes closed or not?

And some of the Republicans are very concerned about not closing corporate loopholes while lowering the tax rate for corporations and not doing it so much for the working people or for individuals. There are differences between the Republican House and the Republican Senate versions.

So it will be very interesting to see how they work this out. And those are the main differences. So we'll just have to wait and see. It's a few more days to go, maybe a week or two after Thanksgiving. They will come down with some decision soon.

HOWELL: Peter Matthews, we appreciate your time. Again, talking about that election, as the banner says, the election set for December 12th. That will be a very important election that will certainly decide the balance of the Senate. So we'll have to see, of course, how that plays out --

MATTHEWS: Absolutely.

HOWELL: -- with judge Roy Moore and the allegations against him. Thanks for your time today.

MATTHEWS: My pleasure. Thank you.

HOWELL: The families of 44 Argentine navy members, they are anxiously waiting for new clues about where their relatives might be. The crew's missing submarine was scheduled to arrive at this port on Sunday.

Instead, relatives have left messages there, some of which read, "Come home, Marines" and "We are waiting for you."

It's unclear if signals detected recently came from the crew. Their sub disappeared on Wednesday off Argentina's southern Atlantic coast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I want you to know that we have tripled the search effort, both on the surface and underwater, with 10 airplanes. We have 11 ships from the Argentine navy, from municipalities and from countries that have collaborated with research ships, such as Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Peru, the United States and England.

These ships are following the submarine's planned route and are sweeping the whole area and we also have navy ships sweeping from the north to south --

[02:25:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): -- and from the south to north.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And bad weather is causing trouble for crews searching for that submarine. Let's get the latest from CNN's Pedram Javaheri at the International Weather Center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOWELL: Still ahead this hour, we continue following the breaking news out of Zimbabwe. The president of that nation, Robert Mugabe, may finally be resigning.

CNN NEWSROOM, live from Atlanta, Georgia, this hour, simulcast on both CNN USA here in the States and CNN International worldwide. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:31:07] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM and it's good to have you with us. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

Charles Manson, one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history dead at the age of 83 years old. California prison officials say he died of natural causes, Sunday. He was serving nine consecutive life sentences for leading the Manson family cult that carried out a 1969 murder spree.

Argentina is trying to determine of signals detected recently are from a Navy submarine missing since Wednesday. 44 crew members onboard it. Relatives and friends wrote them messages of hope and support at the port when the sub was scheduled to arrive a storm of Argentina Southern Atlantic Coast that's making the search much more difficult.

Finally, we continue following the major breaking news out of Zimbabwe. We're told the President of that nation, Robert Mugabe has agreed to terms of his resignation. This according to a source with direct knowledge of those negotiations. Mr. Mugabe has been under pressure to step down since an apparent military coup that took place last Wednesday. More on this story out of Zimbabwe. Let's bring in Derreck Kayongo, Derreck is the CEO for the Center for Civil and Human Rights here in Atlanta. Derreck, it's good to have you to talk about this very important story that's playing out right now in Zimbabwe. Again, our reporter has information from a source that says Mr. Mugabe has agreed to the terms of his resignation. Though, let's keep in mind this long history of this leader, 37 years in power, he's been in similar situations where his people try to push him out, he's managed to hang on to power before. This is not official yet.

DERRECK KAYONGO, CEO, CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS: No, it's not. And it's causing a lot of (INAUDIBLE) fear amongst the Zimbabwean people. But I think that eventually the negotiations going to deliver something that we can all look at back and say el, that's OK, that will be manageable. But I think there's a lot of pressure in the President of Zimbabwe to really, really go with his terms.

HOWELL: You know, we've seen major rallies on the streets of Harare and these are rallies that quite frankly would not happen in any other circumstance, people demanding that Mr. Mugabe resign. So if indeed this does become official, Derreck, what would that mean to the people who live in Zimbabwe, who want to see change?

KAYONGO: Well, it's going to be really important for the powers that be, the military and everybody else who's talking about Mr. Mugabe stepping down to deliver what the people are looking for. They're looking for Democracy, they're looking for better life economically, they're looking human rights. The elections have to be redone I think. But eventually the people of Zimbabwe are going to require this new idea of the government, you know, collapsing and then being rebuilt, it's done in a way that is important for them to be back to democracy. They're looking for Democracy.

HOWELL: Well, it is important to point out and as our reporter indicated the talk of a coup is being talked down to talk of peaceful transition is being talked up. And we saw some of that in the televised speech of Mr. Mugabe, rambling speech at times. Many people are questioning what the intent of that was but we saw him on television for that purpose. Let's also talk about the person who slated to replace Robert Mugabe. Emmerson Mnangagwa. What would change look like under him? Because again, his nickname, The Crocodile, he was Mr. Mugabe's right-hand man. Would this be the change that people are looking for with regards to human and civil rights?

KAYONGO: Well, that's a big question. Because I think that what people are worried about is when you replace Mugabe with Mr. Emmerson, are you getting anything different? And Mr. Emmerson is saying yes, you will get something different. But I think what is going to end up happening, George, is that Mr. Emmerson is going to have to really have the country come back again, review by having maybe a new election and have him to be voted back in.

[02:35:10] But -- because initially he is actually the vice President of the country. So with this kind of new deposition that we're seeing, I think you're going to see Mr. Emmerson having to do something special here. It's still going to be an easy transition. I think that all of us have to look forward to this new opportunity for Mr. Emmerson to create a new form of democracy that people are looking for. HOWELL: You know, people around the world, our U.S. audience joining

us this hour, learning about the situation in Zimbabwe, but if you would give that context, the history, what is it like for people living under Mr. Mugabe's rule?

KAYONGO: Well, he's the father of the nation. He got control of the nation through his party, ZANU-PF which merge with the ZAPU and together with Joshua Nkomo back in the day and he -- they formed this idea of a new government. Then, after that, he's -- he did very well, he was known as an articulate man and a -- and a great statesman. But you see when you hold him to power too long things are to change. So there was an election in 2005 which began to really eat away from his power. He lost parliamentary majority in 2008. And then every election that he's had since then has been, you know, suspect. They've been fraud, ghost voters and out of that came this fierce battle within ZAPU, the current party that he runs between his wife, Grace and --

(CROSSTALK)

HOWELL: Gucci Grace as she's call --

KAYONGO: Yes. Gucci Grace. And the vice President then was another lady called Joice. And then the third part was that Mnangagwa, Emmerson also enter that fight. So the three of them were fighting for who's going to take over when Mr. Mugabe is gone. And out of that fight has come this bitter, bitter breakup within the party that Mr. Mugabe now leads, ZAPU. So, what we're seeing right now is an internal fight within his party, but you have to remember there's also an opposition party, MDC that has always argued, we need Democracy, and I think that that's where this is right now.

HOWELL: It is important to point out many of the people who were rallying, people -- the government would crack down --

KAYONGO: Yes.

HOWELL: -- on the people who would speak out against this President. So many people demanding a change and we will see the nature of that change, what happens next but all we know at this point is according to a source from our correspondent the terms may have been agreed to. So, we'll of course continue to follow it.

KAYONGO: Yes.

HOWELL: Derreck, thank so much for your time today.

KAYONGO: Thank you. And good luck to the people of Zimbabwe.

HOWELL: Now, the U.S. President, Donald Trump is trying to move ahead of a controversy concerning big game trophies. On Thursday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lifted a ban on hunters importing elephant parts from Zimbabwe and Zambia. But on Friday, after a storm of criticism, President Trump suspended that decision and just hours ago, he tweeted that he will announce his final decision next week. He called the hunting of endangered animals a horror show, it's not clear what might have prompted the sudden about-face of his own administration's policy but one member of the President's family, his daughter-in-law, in fact Lara Trump is an outspoken animal rights advocate. The day the ban was lifted, Lara Trump met with Wayne Pacelle, President of the U.S. Humane Society. CNN's Ana Cabrera spoke with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What happened during the meeting with you and Lara Trump?

WAYNE PACELLE, CEO, THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, Lara trump and I have been talking for a while as you mentioned in your setup, she is a devoted animal advocate. It's surprising to some people, but she is very sincere. This has been a life-long passion for her. It was actually on Thursday that she and I went to Capitol Hill, we met with a number of Republican lawmakers about elements of the agenda of the Humane Society of the United States, passing a Federal Anti-Cruelty statute, passing a stronger law dealing with terrible practice called horse sawing where the front legs of walking horses are injured to cause them to exaggerate their gate and step higher. We talked about a ban on killing and eating dogs and cats in the United States, that's part of our --

CABRERA: So did you talk about this issue in particular regarding the elephants and the hunting in Zimbabwe and Zambia?

PACELLE: We didn't have a detailed discussion about that issue. We had a number of bills which had been advanced but I think Lara's interest is broad. The Humane Society of the United States is really about all animals. And I think she saw that I was outspoken on this issue on Wednesday, I had issued a blog on my blog called A Humane Nation about this issue and we began to, you know, amp up the pressure on it.

[02:40:11] And what happened is that conservative pundits s and liberal pundits and business leaders and evangelical leaders and so many other really objected to this idea of allowing the import of sport-hunted trophies from African elephants who have become a cause celeb because of the assault on these animals as a consequences of an ivory trade that's been out of control with 96 elephants a day being killed. And for so many people, this was incongruous that the United States would say, let's stop the ivory trade but we're going to allow the small set of wealthy elite trophy hunters to kill elephants for their ivory. It just didn't make sense.

CABRERA: I remember covering an event a couple years ago in which there was an ivory crush that took place in order to send a message to your point about the ivory trade and those -- and poachers who were trying to make money off of these animals at the time when of course elephants are endangered species. But, Wayne, the President of the Safari Club International calling Trump's move to now put his own administration's decision on hold a publicity stunt. Do you think that's what's going on?

PACELLE: I don't think that, you know, issuing a tweet as he did on Friday night at 7:30 saying he's putting this on hold is a publicity stunt. I think that there are millions and millions of Americans who are deeply concerned about an action by the Department of Interior to put at risk the world's largest land mammal to allow or enable Americans to shoot these incredible creatures and then bring their head and their tusks back into the United States. I think that this was the President reacting to an outpouring of concerns with the American public and wherever you are on President Trump, he certainly has a lot of intuition about where Americans, you know, are on a lot of the subjects that are debated in our society. And I think he had his finger on the pulse and I think Lara and others I'm sure, you know, helped him understand the gravity of this decision from the interior department and that, you know, really this is just not good publicity for the Trump administration.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: The news pushes on here on CNN NEWSROOM. Hundreds of people came together outside the Libyan embassy in Paris over the weekend. Why a CNN exclusive report prompted this demonstration. Stay with us. Back after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:33] HOWELL: Welcome back. This story just in to CNN out of Kenya. That nation's Supreme Court upholding the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta. The ruling comes after dozens of clashes -- dozens of people, rather, have been killed in clashes since they disputed election in August. President Kenyatta won that vote but the Supreme Court annulled this over election irregularities. Kenya then had another election which the opposition boycotted. This opens the way now for President Kenyatta to be the sworn-in leader of that nation later this month.

In Paris, cries of no to slavery filled the streets outside the Libyan embassy over the weekend. The demonstration came just days after a CNN exclusive report. Part of CNN's "FREEDOM PROJECT" had shown a light on auctions in Libya, where human beings are bought and sold as slaves. Following our report, Libya's government said it launched a formal investigation into the migrant slave trade. Officials say they want to find those who have been sold, bring them to safety and then return them to their countries of origin. During CNN's investigation, our correspondent Nima Elbagir and her team witnessed a dozen men sold like commodities at auction. Here is just a part of that reporting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're ushered into one of two auctions happening on the same night. Crouched at the back of the yard, a floodlight obscuring much of the scene. One by one, men are brought out as the bidding begins.

400. 500. 550. 600. 650. 700.

Very quickly, it's over. We asked if we can speak to the men, the auctioneer, seen here, refuses. We asked again if we can speak to them, if we can help them? No, he says. The auction is over with. And we're asked to leave.

That was over very quickly. We walked in, and as soon as we walked in, the men started covering their faces, but they clearly wanted to finish what they were doing, and they kept bringing out what they kept referring to in Arabic as (INAUDIBLE) the merchandise. All in all, they admitted to us that there were 12 Nigerians that were sold in front of us. And I honestly don't know what to say. That was probably one of the most unbelievable things I've ever seen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: The reporting of our Senior International Correspondent Nima Elbagir giving a very difficult look at something that still continues to take place in this world. CNN was told of the auctions at nine locations throughout Libya, and many more are believed to take place each month. CNN's Robyn Kriel has more now on the impact of this exclusive investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Images from Libya that shocked the world, an exclusive CNN investigation that revealed the ugly slave trade that's happening on Europe's doorstep. For the past year, a CNN team has worked tirelessly to shine a light on this dark practice. And the scenes they filmed inside Libya have provoked both, protests and promises of action.

On the streets of Paris, hundreds of demonstrators shout, "No to slavery," demanding the Libyan authorities investigate which they say they will do. Protesters could barely contain their anger. The leader of the African Union, Alpha Conde also reacted harshly. "On behalf of the African Union, I express my outrage at the despicable trade of migrants currently taking place in Libya. And strongly condemn this practice of another age."

[02:49:53] As thousands continue to make the perilous journey from Libya to Europe, the international organization for migration warns that smuggling networks in Libya are, quote, growing stronger, more organized, and better equipped. All of which allows the hidden horrors to flourish. A glimpse inside a nightmare many didn't even realize existed in the 21stcentury. Robyn Kriel, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: NEWSROOM right back after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: The lake effect snow machine on full blast across the great -- Midwestern United States and across the Great Lakes as well. Here we have very cold air beginning to push its way directly over a relatively warm body of water. That energy transfer that takes place here sets up stage for the snowiest places across the United States there and you could see some significant snow in parts. But look at Chicago, 10 degrees, sunny skies. New York City remains somewhat chilly there around eight. Montreal two below. Winnipeg, some freezing drizzle possible with one in the forecast.

And that really frankly is the coldest spot here as we get more multiple areas of intrusions there of cold air from early week eventually towards mid and late week and then going into the weekend. Could see additional blasts of colder air but much of it really stays confined to extreme northern portion of the United States.

So here's the trend for Washington. It warms up to 14 eventually back down to 8. In places like the southern U.S., Charlotte and Atlanta do cool off just a little bit towards the latter portion of the week but not a significant change in their forecast.

Here's what's going on around the western United States. You have an active track of weather here bringing in tremendous rainfall across the lower elevations and significant accumulations from the Cascades down toward the Siskiyou, get up towards Whistler, B.C. there. The skiers and snowboarders who will be loving life with significant snow in the forecast there.

Down on the tropics, San Juan gets a few showers. Around Guatemala City, a pair of two. Chihuahua, sunny in 23. Mexico City, 23 degrees.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to NEWSROOM, I'm George Howell. The U.S. President seems to be perfecting the art of ignoring, but he's not the only one, as CNN's Jeanne Moos shows us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, how was the meeting?

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Art of Ignoring. Translation, don't ask. President Trump was mute when it came to Judge Roy Moore.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should Roy Moore resign, Mr. President? Do you believe his accusers?

MOOS: With a wave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should Roy Moore drop out, sir?

MOOS: With a thumbs up, the President thumbed his nose at the questions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe the accusers of Roy Moore, Mr. President?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should Roy Moore drop out, Sir?

MOOS: Why has the President dropped out of answering?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, for anyone who doesn't know why Donald Trump is reluctant to talk about Roy Moore's allegations, I have an Access Hollywood tape I'd like to sell you.

[02:55:03] MOOS: But at least the President hasn't actually run when it comes to getting answers. Running down a stairwell doesn't bode well. If nothing else, Alabama Congressman, Mo Brooks, got a good workout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Running away from your problems in a downward spiral, I think we've got a new Republican metaphor.

MOOS: The subject was a sure conversation killer for Republican leaders when the story first broke.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe these women who have made on the record accusations against Roy Moore, Sir?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can they see me if I don't move?

MOOS: Of course, all politicians dodge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A couple of questions on two critical issues that you were discussing today.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you (INAUDIBLE)

MOOS: At least President Trump hasn't resorted to Ronald Reagan's tactic of blaming his ears.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know.

MOOS: Hear no evil, speak no evil, when it comes to judge Moore, apparently less is more.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should he resign?

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should Roy Moore drop out, Sir?

MOOS: -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. The news continues here on CNN right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:10] HOWELL: New information that embattled Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has agreed to the --