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Facebook Push Back over Deleting Accounts; Paul Manafort Faces Day One of Trial; Zanu-PF Won in Zimbabwe's Election; Trade War Affects Everyone in the U.S.; No Deaths Reported On Mexican Airliner Crash; Facebook removes Suspected Russia-Linked Accounts; Reported Russian Hack Targeted U.S. Senator; Three babies Abandoned Across Berlin; At Issue, Possession And Distribution Of Firearms; Tale Of The Stolen Shark. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 01, 2018 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN HOST: Facebook fights back. The social network says it has removed dozens of fake accounts that attempted to interfere in U.S. politics.
Crews making gains against those deadly wildfires ravaging California, but harsh weather conditions still causing problems.
And a gun rights group in the U.S. pushes for do-it-yourself firearms leading to a debate over free speech versus public safety.
And welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes, and this is CNN Newsroom.
Just months before millions of Americans both in congressional elections, Facebook uncovering what is believed to be a new and coordinated effort to spread disinformation. The social media giant has shut down dozens of fake accounts and pages with might have ties to Russian trolls.
Details now from CNN's Drew Griffin.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Facebook causing inauthentic behavior and though Facebook can't be sure, it sure it looks like Russia again. Thirty two pages with names including 'Black Elevation,' 'Resisters,' 'Aztlan Warriors' being followed by 290,000 accounts.
The fake accounts also setting and promoting real events and protests aimed at further polarizing U.S. political discourse.
(CROWD CHANTING)
GRIFFIN: Many of the events did occur including this one last year in New York City attended by actual Americans who likely had no idea that the Resisters Facebook page was probably run Russians.
Another event by the same group was supposed to take place in a couple of weeks. Resisters set up a counter protest against white supremacist at the White House, August 10. Five other real groups signed on to participate.
As Facebook was announcing its crackdown on this potential Russian sites, the U.S. secretary of homeland security was at a cybersecurity conference saying there's no doubt meddled in the 2016 election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Everyone and everything is now a target.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: And Russian actors maybe added again, comparing the upcoming midterm elections to a looming storm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIELSEN: Today I believe the next major attack is more likely to reach us online than on an airplane. We are in a crisis mode that cat five hurricane has been forecast, and now we must prepare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Facebook says these current pages all shut down at the hallmarks of the activities that Russians did around the presidential election, although there are some differences this time the pages didn't lead back to Russian I.P. addresses and they used third party services to buy ads to boost their post and encourage people to follow the pages.
As part of its new transparency policy, not only as Facebook announcing this publicly that it shut down these 32 suspected Russian sites, it is going to contact all 290,000 accounts that were in contact with these sites to let them know this were obviously face Facebook accounts.
Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
HOLMES: And let's find out more on how Russia is responding to Facebook's move. CNN's Matthew Chance joining us now from Moscow. So, Facebook publicly saying it doesn't really know for sure who's buying it. But we're hearing that it's probably a Russian group and certainly the same sort of fingerprints. What's been the reaction there?
MATTHEW CHANCE, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, the reaction, Michael, as you might expect from Russian authorities has been one of -- one of denial, instead, default stance whenever they're confronted with these kinds of allegations. They've denied any kind of hacking or attempting to intervene in the U.S. political workings of repeatedly since those allegations were first made.
Maria Zakharova who is the foreign ministry spokeswoman here in Moscow said it shows the evidence essentially and will comment on that.
But as of course, as you just reported, as you just heard Drew Griffin reports, the evidence that Facebook has by its own admission is not conclusive and it would require a sort of political assessment in order to point the finger of blame into Facebook have held back from doing that purposely, calling on the intelligence agencies to make an assessment, of course, U.S. politicians have pointed the finger at Russian.
[03:05:03] But because there is that small element of doubt that the evidence isn't entirely conclusive that will always give the Russians the ability to say no, it's not us. Michael?
HOLMES: And I guess, you know, and you're right. They can't point names, they can't say anything for certain but the fact that it is going on that disinformation it's widespread despite the publicity that as you said, members of Congress, if not the president speaking out. It just shows that whoever is doing it thinks it's working and it is worth it.
CHANCE: It would seem that way. I mean, look, if it is Russia, and of course Russia has a record of doing this, intelligence agencies in the United States have concluded that Russian did hacked and intervene and manipulate social media in order to, you know, meddle in U.S. politics in the past in the lead to the 2016 presidential election of course.
If it did do it, it's been sanctioned for it. A number of military intelligence GIU officers were indicted by the U.S. Justice Department just earlier this month.
And of course, there have been other sanctions put on the internet research agency which is St. Petersburg company with strong links to the Kremlin which is believed orchestrated the manipulation of social media from Russia in the lead up to that 2016 presidential race.
But clearly, that punishment of sanctions has not been enough to deter whoever is doing this from doing it again. Perhaps the reason for that, Michael, is because one of the objectives we've assessed for these internet hackers, et cetera, is to sow discord in western institutions.
And by backing these various political groups and these political rallies in the United States that result is achieved.
HOLMES: Yes, precisely. Matthew, thanks for that. Matthew Chance there in Moscow for us.
The first trial stemming from Robert Mueller's Russia investigation underway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Prosecutors urging jurors to, quote, "follow the money" as they lay out the allege financial crimes of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
They say he lived an extravagant lifestyle avoiding taxes on millions in secret money from his lobbying work in Ukraine. Manafort's defense team pointing the finger at his deputy Rick Gates. He has pleaded guilty to several charges and he is cooperating with the government.
If convicted, Manafort faces a maximum 305 years in prison. Donald Trump tried to distance himself from Manafort, at least in public. But sources say he has requested frequent updates on the trial and spent part of Tuesday watching television coverage.
CNN's Jim Acosta reports it may all be an effort to see how Robert Mueller's investigation could affect the president.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The recent pass to camera on his way to Florida President Trump appears to have a new strategy for the Russia investigation, ignore questions from reporters while spinning up a new defense where he shielded from outside scrutiny. Tweeting, "collusion is not a crime.'
It's a notable leap from the president who has repeatedly claimed there was no collusion with the Russians during the 2016 campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is no collusion, you know why? Because I don't speak to Russians.
There's been no collusion. There's been no crime. I can only say this, there was absolutely no collusion. Everybody knows it. Every committee.
There's no collusion. There was no collusion with Russia other than by the Democrats.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The president is now amplifying what his outside lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ATTORNEY: I don't even know if that's a crime colluding about Russians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And another Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY SEKULOW, MEMBER, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LEGAL TEAM: Well, that's not just technically correct, it's actually the law. But there is no violation of law statute rule regulation that we have seen after reviewing this case for a year. And I think Bob Mueller will come to the same conclusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Democrats aren't buying it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: You can't keep up with Rudy
Giuliani's theories of defense and they change almost by the hour. You know, collusion at one point it never happened. The next point if it happened it's not serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Weighed down by the Russia probe, the president is turning to issues popular with his base, threatening to shut down the government to make Congress pay for a border wall, insisting that's a very price to pay. And tweeting, "I don't care what the political ramifications are." Even fellow Republicans are leery of a shut down with the midterm elections fast approaching.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. SCOTT TAYLOR (R), VIRGINIA: I kind of see this posturing, and to be honest with you, it's an irresponsible thing for to do I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Mr. Trump's border policy is coming under increasing scrutiny with an administration official admitting to Congress that the president's practice of separating children from undocumented migrants amounts to child abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:09:59] JONATHAN WHITE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN'S PROGRAM, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: There's no question that separation of children from parents until significant potential for traumatic psychological injury to the child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: One of the president's fellow hardliners on immigration, Chief of Staff John Kelly appears to be sticking around. Sources confirmed the president has asked Kelly to remain at his post until 2020. Though CNN has learned the chief of staff wanted the story leaked to tamp down the reports that he could be on his way out.
Mr. Trump arrives in Florida with the upcoming elections on his mind, throwing a support behind GOP gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Build the wall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He reads the stories.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then Mr. Trump said, you're fired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: DeSantis appears in a new ad teaching his children how to build their own wall in a show of big league flattery. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big league, so good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN's Jim Acosta reporting there for us. President Trump meanwhile, standing most to that Florida campaign bragging about his economic accomplishments. But he also made this surprising prediction about Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The Iran nuclear deal, it's a harrow show.
(CROWD BOOING)
TRUMP: I hope it works that well with Iran. They're having a lot of difficulty right now. I hope it works out well, and I have a feeling they'll be talking to us pretty soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Tehran having none of that. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeting on Tuesday, quote, "Iran and the U.S. had two years of talks. We produce the unique multilateral accord it's been working. U.S. can only blame itself for pulling out and leaving the table. Threats, sanctions, and P.R. stunt won't work. Try respect for Iranians and international commitments." End quote.
Well, in about an hour a former repatriation ceremony begins at Osan Air base in South Korea. Fifty five cases believed to contain the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War being sent back to the U.S.
Paula Hancocks is at the air base and joins us now with the latest. An emotional and politically important day. Tell us how it's going to unfold.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Michael. There will be a full honor ceremony for the remains that have been brought back from North Korea. Now they came back on Friday.
There's been a couple of days where forensic experts here at the Osan Air Base in South Korea have been shifting through those remains to try and ascertain whether or not what North Korea had said about them appears to be true.
We just had a press conference from the head of the DPAA, the Department for the Prisoners of War and the MIA that there's (Inaudible) of repatriation around the world that different combats learned. And they say that it appears that North Korea has been act to what it says certainly from the very initial look at them.
They say that they are all human remains. They say that they do appear to be remains from the Korean War. They also had one dog tag. This is the American I.D. that was within remains. They're already notified that family.
So, at least one family has some sense of closure for 65 years after the Korean War. And they say they'll be sending that dog tag to that family within this coming week.
Now also saying that alongside remains they found things like military hardware, helmets, boots, and other equipments, all very crucial in trying to find out what kind of nationalities they have within these remains.
Now there are many Americans still missing but of course there were 17 countries underneath the United Nations demand icing (Ph) during the Korean War, so it is possible that some of these remains maybe from other countries as well. Although initial assessments we're hearing today say that there are some Americans within there as well.
Now the U.S. also gave a quick press conference. An embassy official saying that no payment has been given for these remains. In the past there has been quid pro quo when it comes to North Korea giving up service members remains from the North Korea. But the U.S. says simply that has not happened this time around. Michael?
HOLMES: All right. Paula Hancocks there on the spot there for us. We'll in with you as they unfold. Thanks, Paula.
Meanwhile, some terrifying moments for passengers and crew on board a commercial flight that crashed in Mexico. I got images you seem them there. The smoldering wreckage from Aeromexico flight 2431, 49 people in hospital after the plane went down, this is after taking off from Durango.
The pilot and a passenger in critical condition. Now the aircraft was scheduled to fly to Mexico City but ended up in the field right near the runway. Hail and heavy rain were reported in the area not known if weather did in fact though contribute to the crash. Extraordinary no death reported.
All right. Coming up here on the program. Extreme weather not giving firefighters a break in California as they battle some of the most devastating wildfires the state has ever seen.
[03:15:05] Plus, the trade war between the U.S. and China, and the impact on your wallet. That's when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Apple's pricey iPhone came paying off for the tech giant. The thousand dollar phone boosted Apple's revenue 17 percent, pulling it more than, wait for it, $53 billion. Now that left the third-quarter profit of 11.5 billion and that is up 32 percent, even though Apple sold the same amount of iPhones it sold a year ago 41 million of them.
The strong earning sent Apple's stocks in after hours trading and put it closer to becoming the first publicly traded U.S. company worth a trillion dollars. And while Apple earn or enjoys its big earnings the trade was between the U.S. and China may soon be escalating. A source saying the Trump administration plans to raise pending tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent. But source says the move is not been finalized. It could as these things sometimes do, change.
Meanwhile, our Samuel Burke explains first how the trade war could affect big tech companies and consumers like you and me.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump's trade war is barreling towards Silicon Valley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We are demanding fair and reciprocal trade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURKE: The latest round of proposed tariffs targets the Chinese hardware, fueling the tech sector. Things like semiconductors and electronic circuits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH KALLMER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR GLOBAL POLICY, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY COUNCIL: There are certain kinds of machines that you and I never come into contact with. But that will underpin a lot of the high-tech products that people buy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURKE: They are the key components that make smart devices, household appliances and home security systems hang.
Everyday items like the iPad could be hit, the tablet has a chip from Intel, which could be a target. These scooters have taken off this year. Now they faced a 25 percent tariff, even your favorite Netflix series could be in the firing line. The streaming companies videos are played from the Amazon cloud server and that equipment comes from China.
[03:19:55] Missing from the list the Apple iPhone. CEO Tim Cook told CNN in June he thought the device was safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM COOK, CEO: I don't think that iPhone will get a tariff on it is my belief based on what I've been told and in what I see I just don't see that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURKE: Now the president says he's ready to tax almost all Chinese imports, which would include the iPhone.
(END VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: They went after our companies and they stole our intellectual property.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURKE: The administration says the tariffs are meant to pressure China to fall in line. But experts say a (Inaudible) on the iPhone would be counterproductive. Even though the device is assembled in China it's designed and manufactured in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KALLMER: Ninety percent of that tariff falls on value created by Americans. It is -- there is no other way to say it and to say that literally the United States is taxing itself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURKE: And Apple may have the most to lose if China retaliates with tariffs of its own. Twenty one percent of the company sales are in China leaving a clear target on America's most valuable company.
Samuel Burke, CNN, London.
HOLMES: And the developing story we're following right now we're getting some official results of the first election in Zimbabwe since former President Robert Mugabe stepped down.
Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission reporting the governing Zanu-PF Party has won a majority in parliament with 109 seats. Now that of course was the party Mugabe helped create.
But on the eve of the vote he announced he wasn't going to vote for it. The main opposition securing 41 seats and other 58 yet to be declared.
Journalist Zenzele Ndebele joins us now on the phone from Zimbabwe to discuss this crucial election for a country once considered Africa's breadbasket.
Zenzele, first of all, how is this result likely to be received by the opposition. They were making noises earlier that they weren't happy with how the vote was unfolding.
ZENZELE NDEBELE, JOURNALIST: Yes. The opposition don't agreeing with the results. They think that they result was rigged. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is working with the ruling party to make sure that they don't win.
So even (Inaudible) the people projecting in the Harare, saying that they don't believe what came out of the result. I think it's going to be really a very serious in the next few days with the way the results are coming out. People are going to be disappointed because most of the opposition members they are expecting change.
I see them going into the street demonstrating (inaudible) that they can sustain the image because this is quite big victory for the Zanu- PF. I'm not sure whether they will really provide evidence that the result had been rigged because that is what is important.
And with all the 46 mission, observer mission from different countries, if the observer mission don't collaborate their side of the story that the election had been rigged then they will have a problem.
HOLMES: Yes, good point. When it comes to Zanu-PF and Robert Mugabe saying he wasn't going to vote for the party that he helped found, what are the challenges for the Zanu-PF there because there are still enormous economic issues and challenges facing Zimbabwe.
NDEBELE: Yes, I think, I mean, for some reason Zanu-PF rebranded themselves when they fired Robert Mugabe there were some people who were I mean, voting for Zanu-PF just because voting for Emmerson Mnangagwa just because he removed Robert Mugabe.
So I think that the removal of Mugabe was blissful for Zanu-PF and therefore put some reasoning. I mean, his -- Mugabe speech that he wasn't going to vote for Zanu will not affect Zanu-PF at all.
There are some people who thought that Mugabe this youth crowd that followed him and what he say is then going to be followed by (Inaudible). But this election clearly Zanu-PF is an institution and not an individual and the opposition have moved on to firing Robert Mugabe.
HOLMES: Interesting days ahead. Zenzele Ndebele, thank you so much for joining us there from Harare to talk about this. I appreciate it.
Meanwhile, firefighters slowly making progress against deadly wildfires ravaging California, but the weather doing them no favors. Extreme heat, strong winds forecast for this week could spread the flames even further.
Have a look at that video there. The largest fire the so-called Carr Fire is now the seventh most destructive in California's history. Thirty percent contained we're told, 30 percent. At least six people have died in that fire, four others are missing.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is at the CNN weather center, he joins us now with more on the weather conditions affecting those fires up. Yes, I mean, what do we say this, seventh largest in history for California but most of the biggest ones in the top 10 had been in the recent years, haven't they?
[03:24:59] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. And you know, in fire records I'll go back to the 1920s in California. In fact, you can look at that and 8 of the top 10 have happened since the 2000. So, it kind of, another way to look at it of how frequent this has been happening in recent years.
And of course the persistent broad air is in high pressure, the persistent drought, the extreme heat, all of them playing a role into exacerbating the problem. And down at the ground level we'll certainly see gusty winds here and extreme temperatures. Unfortunately, that pattern it looks to continue a couple more days. But, finally, if we're going to see a shift here for the better, and really seeing how extensive this has been.
Because one way to look at how explosive of a fire weather pattern we had is that, look at the peak of this particular fire, the Carr Fire. We had at one point 11 hectares per minute of land being consumed across this region.
Another way to look at that is think about every three seconds. The size of a football field being consumed by wildfires. That's what was happening here in Northern California in the last couple of days and conditions have remained, so unsettled with the dry condition but even in the last 24 hours as we talked to you yesterday.
The active fires across the western U.S. have gone from 90 to almost 100 now. So we're still seeing additional fires popping up across this region, and of course the gusty wind, the extreme heat is not helping out the forecast --
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Time to update you on the top stories this hour. 49 people in hospital in Mexico after an aero Mexico flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Durango. The pilot and the passenger in critical condition. The plane was scheduled to fly to Mexico City. It had 101 people on board. It was hail and heavy rain in the area around the time of the crash. Not known, however, whether that factor. Incredibly no deaths.
Prosecutors are laying out their case against the former Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. They say he avoided paying taxes on millions earned through lobbying work in Ukraine. The defense pointing the finger at Manafort's former Deputy, Rick Gates, who is working with prosecutors.
Facebook shutting down dozens of pages and accounts with could be link to Russia, and may have blew it hundreds of thousands of followers. The social media giant says it identified a new and coordinated U.S. effort to interfere in U.S. politics and mislead American voters ahead of November's congressional election.
A CNN political analyst Brian Karem joins me now from Washington, he is also the executive editor of the Sentinel newspaper. Good to see you, Brian.
BRIAN KAREM, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you, Michael. How are you doing?
HOLMES: Doing well. I guess it is no surprise that this is still happening, because by all accounts it works so well the last time. Facebook says it is doing what it can, what about the reaction of the Trump administration? KAREM: Well, the Trump administration reaction to this issue has been
muted at best. He has -- the president is kind of confuse the two issues. He doesn't want to really admit there is a problem, because he so busy defending himself against charges of collusion that to admit that the Russians in any way help them. He doesn't want to face that possibility, or that or the reality of that and so while he's talking about collusion, he is ignoring the fact that the simple fact that the last election was affected by Russian trolls that are added again and were inadequately prepared for it. And so he's left the preparation for this up to the states and up to the Senate and up to Congress to do something about it and without leadership from the top is questionable as to whether or not it will effectively be able to head this off to the passes were doing about it in every situation.
HOLMES: Do you think that is the president's sensitivity about the election, I mean, he just does not want for his presidency to be seen as illegitimate in any way and by giving credence to all of this. What impact that the interference had which clearly was significant. By giving that credence. He's hurting his own credibility in a way of legitimacy is that the problem, so therefore the problem are being tackled.
KAREM: Well, his credibility and his legitimacy is up for debate on any given day for a number of reasons, of which this is just merely one. It's isn't but the heart of the issue is an outside country tampering with and influencing the elections of the largest democracy on the planet and undermining the very foundations of our Republic and you have to address that for a country to be legitimate. It's its elections have to be so and we have in this country sent a, you know, to different countries to oversee their elections to make sure they're legitimate and so are we going to now have to have people from the United Nations come to the United States and oversee hours. That's the scary prospect of it. How serious is this?
We won't really know until someone in this administration and the administration as a whole takes it as seriously as we all know it to be. The Facebook is taking it more seriously than he is.
HOLMES: Well, I was just going to say, even there assigned to the problem clearly is difficult to spot and stop. Is the country able to stop this sort of interference? It's not -- it's not hard to set up a Facebook page and start agitating.
KAREM: Well, yes, and agitation is one thing, manipulation of elections is another. And yes, the agitation that the agitation is real. The trolls on the twitter trolls and the Facebook trolls are all real and they're all setting out what he calls fake news and that is influencing, you know, voters. So, you have to really kind of -- two different things working with our elections. The direct interference in hacking of election sites and election machinery and then the influence of those who do vote by the trolls. The Russian trolls on Facebook and twitter and those of the two issues that we have to face as voters in this country.
[03:35:15] HOLMES: Yes, and I guess the extent of it is pretty clear that Facebook saying more than 290,000 accounts followed at least one of the suspects pages, that is a lot of followers. In recent weeks, of course there has been other aspects of meddling, you know, of this report that Claire McCaskill, Senate Democrats --
KAREM: The right.
HOLMES: There were attempting to hack her as well. So, were not just talking social media and you mentioned polling machines as well.
KAREM: Yes. You know, you have to remember the history of this country goes back to the hanging chad elections with George W. Bush and you know we didn't want mechanical counting of the elections we wanted it more streamlined, more efficient, because of what happened there, but when you go to the electronic counting when you go to be able to count your votes and then get on the Internet, you know with the same machine, you're gonna have trouble and so were finding that perhaps maybe the old-fashioned paper ballot that is in such a bad idea after all.
You rather have a hanging chad then have hanging elections. It's going to be very difficult to sort this all out. It is very difficult for electors and you have to remember that in this country, you know the elections are run by precinct captains, they are run by counties and states, and so each state has different machinery. Sometimes different counties have different machinery, sometimes different precincts have different machinery and if you're able to get online with that machinery and count the votes then someone is going to be only get online and hack those machines. And that's what happened previously.
So, when you put together the Facebook trolls that the Internet trolls, influencing legitimate votes with a lot of fake news and stuff, but you know, honestly, is a legitimate and then you have that compounded by those who go and hack the machinery, it's hard to tell exactly how much of the Russian trolls have affected our elections and we do know that they have.
HOLMES: Just before I let you go. It's quite -- it was quite a depressing picture that you paint there, we got the midterm elections coming up obviously crucial elections for the Trump administration and for the Democrats.
KAREM: Yes.
HOLMES: I mean, how do you feel? Do you have confidence in how those elections will go?
KAREM: Good question. I have hope that will go well. I do know that there are people in Congress, the Senate and in Maryland at the state level in other states, Missouri, Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, has spoken with people there who are working hard to make sure and ensuring that the election is legitimate, but there are 50 states in this grand and glorious union. There are a lot of precincts and there are a lot of machines, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. So the best I can do is hope and I hope that the people in office care more about the election results and the legitimacy of the election over their own party and it will make the right decision. Now, that I do have faith then, but the machinery, I have faith in people machinery not so much.
HOLMES: Yes. You're right, each state and different precincts have different systems are being concern here in the state of Georgia, about the machines as well. Brian, good to see you, Brian Karem. I appreciate it.
KAREM: Thank you.
HOLMES: The Philippine president, Rodrigo Detective, is not afraid to show criminals he means business and to prove his point, he oversaw this, the destruction of dozens of luxury cars, we are talking Lamborghinis, Porsche, Mustangs, and all of them had been smuggled into the country. And so, this happened. It is a tactic he has used before as part of his anticorruption campaign sending a very visual message like bulldozers crushing $5 million worth of cars.
It is latest target in the gun-control battle coming up, as jobs full to log on plans for 3-D printable guns going online, for now.
Plus, three newborn babies abandoning Germany over two year period. Police trying to track down their mother. We will be right back.
[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back. If you try hailing a taxi in major cities across Spain, you might be out of luck. Taxi drivers in Madrid, Barcelona and elsewhere have been on strike blocking streets to pressure the government to restrict licenses for Uber and similar services. Driver say the ridesharing apps are making it impossible for them to compete union and government officials met Monday they for them to compete. Union and government officials met Monday, they were unable to reach a deal.
Blueprints for building your own gun at home with a 3-D printer are on hold, at least for now, the U.S. judge temporarily blocking a website from posting the plans, the government recently reached a settlement to allow a gun rights group called Defense Distributed to post the plans online, but then states file suit to preventive it. And they got a Temporary Restraining Order. Both sides go back to court August 10 to argue the next steps. The founder of Defense Distributed told CNN's Laurie Segall, him, it is a freedom of speech issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CODY WILSON, FOUNDER DEFENSE DISTRIBUTED: I already uploads the plans, I mean, ship to sell, it is (inaudible) information now. It is regrettable, no one can take it back.
LAURIE SEGALL, CNN SENIOR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: The democratization of guns online giving people the ability to 3d print their own gun would make it feasible for felons, minors, mentally ill, to have access of firearms. Are you worried about those repercussions?
WILSON: No, I don't believe the access information is ever tremendously negative or that thing. I know that people can use information for bad things. But this is a justification to what stop a publisher from speaking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Our CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Page Pate, joins me now here on set always a pleasure, sir. Good to see you.
PAGE PATE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Great to be here.
HOLMES: This is a Temporary Restraining Order, blocking it being on the internet. What does that mean in a legal sense in terms of this going forward?
PATE: Well, basically means that a federal judge looked at this lawsuit that was filed by a number of different states and said there's enough here for me to put a stop to this now. So that we can later argue about the real issues and whether this particular entity has a constitutional right to publish this material, or whether the government has a more important right to stop the publishing of these blueprints.
HOLMES: That is interesting, because their argument. The ones you want to stop out there. Their argument is that it's a free speech issue and opponents saying, no you are telling people how to make a gun.
PATE: Exactly and that's correct. Under federal law. It is not illegal to publish blueprints for a firearm. It is illegal to possess a firearm. If it is a plastic firearm, it cannot be detected through metal detectors, radar devices, things of that nature. But you can tell someone how to do it. The concern here that the states have his look. We have no way of monitoring where these blueprints are going, you can have people overseas making these firearms. You can have terrorist organizations now having access to the sensitive information. The previously had been prohibited from released.
HOLMES: Page Pate, when does blueprints and instructions, basically, they are saying, this is how you make your -- when does that become the international distribution weapon on which there are treaties and international law requires when you disseminating firearms, basically.
[03:45:12] PATE: That's the ultimate question and no court has made that decision yet. The reason they were not able to publish this information initially was not because of federal firearm laws, but because of the release of technical information, so it was governed by totally different set of laws. What the court will now have to decide, once this order reaches to the point where the judge has actually go through all the arguments. The courts is going to have to decide exactly at what point are you possessing and distributing a firearm, is it when you publish the blueprints or when you actually use the 3-D printer to make the device.
HOLMES: This is the thing, isn't it? I mean, whether it's a free speech issue and I'm just, you know, exercising my First Amendment rights and whether you are and you make the point of actually in particular, other countries was strict gun laws. All of a sudden it's out there on the Internet. It's everywhere so you can be in the country that is strict on laws and be making those in your garage and violating that country's law as well. That is a responsibility there, surely for the U.S.
PATE: There's a responsibility, but the groups that are behind this, the people that are trying to publish this information they believe everyone should have a right to produce their own firearms. If you can afford the equipment to make it, then you are to have a right to do it.
HOLMES: What about the U.S.'s responsibility to other countries.
PATE: Well, that's what started initially, the Obama administration was enforcing the restriction on allowing this sort of technical information to be distributed. The Trump administration change all that.
HOLMES: Does that surprise you, I mean, because it is sort of like, I mean it makes you wonder why would the administration after years of successfully having hold of this, why would this administration say, yes, there is no problem with this.
PATE: Well, it doesn't make any sense and one of the main arguments that the states are making and the reason I think they got this Temporary Restraining Order, is they said the Trump administration didn't follow the rules. You can't just willy-nilly change the requirements that you have that are already in place to prevent the release of this information. You have to go through procedures. You have to talk to Congress about it. They didn't do that at all. They just issued the settlement and said look, you can do it now where's you can do it before.
HOLMES: Do you wonder of the motivation for that? Why do that? I mean, the NRA has no problem with it. A lot of suspicion is now that, you know the NRA pressure and all of a sudden the Trump administration, is he a taker?
PATE: It is possible. I think we are going to find out a lot more about the motivation once we get into the litigation. Remember, this is just pressing the pause button. No judge has decided whether it's illegal or legal that is going to come much later.
HOLMES: Of course the issue too here, these were out there from, I think last Friday and by Sunday, I think 2 1/2 thousand or so had been downloaded. The genie is out of the bottle, it is out there. You can't put it out.
PATE: You can't get it back. So, what you can still do though is prohibit anyone from actually following through and making these weapons to the extent you can enforce it again with international concerns. I don't know exactly how the U.S. government intends to enforce the laws that we do have about possessing and distributing the stock of firearms.
HOLMES: The things is a specious argument in many ways, the administration. I think, one of the press secretary were saying but, the administration supports existing law that makes it illegal to own or make an untraceable gun. Which would be, because it is made of plastic, but supporting that law, compared to outlawing the posting of plans. I mean, it deals with the end product only, but if you're doing that the privacy of your own home for nefarious reasons, where is the responsibility of government to protect the person who might be on the wrong end of that gun.
PATE: That is the problem and we already had that in this country in second amendment issues with bump stocks. I mean, you see this mass murders and you have law that prohibits someone from possessing and manufacturing an automatic weapon, but not this little device that can take a normal semi-automatic weapon and turn it into a machine gun. So, there's always this tension we have in interpreting the Second Amendment and also enforcing federal firearms laws and this is another area.
HOLMES: And bump stocks were outlawed after what happened in Las Vegas. It didn't happen it, did it?
PATE: No. Not yet. What happened so far is ATF the agency that's charged with regulating that has now said we consider bump stocks to be part of an automatic weapons, we are not going to allow you to do it. That's not a law. This is just a regulation can be changed just like this.
HOLMES: Fascinating times. Pate Page, always a pleasure. Thanks for coming.
PATE: Thank you, Michael.
HOLMES: And now through a mystery in Germany three baby girls abandoned on the outskirts of Berlin over two year period. Please say their mother is yet to be found could have use the safe and anonymous resource to drop her babies off for adoption if she wanted to, but she did not do that. CNN's Atika Shubert reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
[03:50:04] ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Inside this box a small mattress and a blanket and a slip of paper. It reads we know that leaving your child is not easy for you, we want to assure you we will take loving care of your baby. Dr. Gerhard of the hospital.
He told us some baby hatch have not used for years of course but every child that is put in this baby hatch is to save life. Here, a mother with unwanted pregnancy can anonymous deposit a newborn baby in the baby hatch. There are dozens of baby hatches in Germany and also many hospitals like this one where a mother can deliver a baby anonymously. But police in Berlin are asking why neither possibility was used in the case of three abandoned babies also at the same mother.
The first baby was left here at the bus stop just outside of hospital, next summer another child abandoned just a few minutes' drive away. And last year, the third baby was left outside of front door in this neighborhood, the children were taken into foster care. This year police appealed to the public for information, bearing
another child could be on the way, he distributed these photos of the baby clothes that were worn on the day they were abandoned, but no answers yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATOR): We can only hope that any 4th child will be taken care of this officer says, left in a baby hatch or hospital so that the child can be helped as quickly as possible.
SHUBERT: At the hospital, doctor (inaudible) tells us that the baby hatch hasn't been used for at least two years and hopes the mother will know it is here for her to use.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATOR): She want to for her baby to live, he says. She wanted to be found quickly and for that reason no one should see her.
SHUBERT: A waiting box, a missing mother and a mystery still unsolved. Atika Shubert, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEO)
HOLMES: Still to come here on the program, it's the type of adventure treasure hunters during the battle sunken warship, billions of gold on board. Now police say that claimed may had been a scam. The process a special welcome home for Ms. Helen to tell all of this. Stolen, shock and made it back safely to the Texas aquarium.
[03:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Remember that sunken Russian warship rumored to have billions of gold. The South Korean company that discovered it is now in hot water and questions are being raised about the ship itself. (Inaudible), explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The discovery of the century-old Russian warship and its treasure of gold. A salvage team released this footage claiming he had found the final resting place of the Russian warship Dmitri Donskoy. Solving a mystery that he alluded treasure hunters for decade. But now, a new twist, South Korean police telling CNN. They are investigating the salvage company for fraud after it claimed it discovered boxes of gold on board the ship. The Dmitri Donskoy was sunk after an attack by Japanese warships during the Japanese war 1905. As she sank into the deep dark waters of the South Korean island of Lando. She reportedly took with their incredible amount of gold. If you believe scam reports, the total amount of gold bars and coins on board would today be worth more than $130 billion, that would be thousands of tons of gold all on board to pay for Russia's war effort against the Japanese.
Now there is no shortage of treasure ship skeptics. Why they asked, would Russia put so much gold on one ship and why put it on a ship at all. It would have been safer to transfer the loot by rail to Russia's eastern city of Vladivostok. The latest skeptic's South Korean police who have 14 people from the salvage company under a travel ban, as police investigate the latest twist to the century-old history. Therese Spam (ph), CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEO)
HOLMES: CNN repeatedly tried to reach the company. The shingle group, all of the phone numbers no longer in service, disconnected. Thanks for watching CNN Newsroom, I'm Michael Holmes. I appreciate your company. The news continues with the one and only Max Foster in London. You are going to love that. You are watching CNN.
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