Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
The Fallout from Turkey's Crisis Will Cause Damage Far Beyond Its Borders; Teen: Mayo Clinic Saved My Life Then Held Me Captive; 14- Year-Old Running For Governor In Vermont; Public Potties In Paris; Yemen's Humanitarian Disaster; Syria's Civil War; U.K. Labour Leader Angers Israelis. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 14, 2018 - 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)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Turkey warns its alliance with the West is in jeopardy after U.S. sanctions send the currency tumbling, prompting fears of an economic default.
In a CNN exclusive, a top Russian general in Syria tells us a major battle could be imminent.
And later, another story you will only see on CNN: escape from the Mayo Clinic. Parents say they had to rescue their daughter from one of the world's best known hospitals.
Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHURCH: Stock markets around the world are bracing for what could be another volatile trading day as Turkey's currency meltdown continues to rattle investors. The Turkish lira sank to a new low Monday before clawing back some of its losses, moving up to about 7 to the dollar.
As the lira freefalls, stocks in the U.S., Europe and Asia all took a sharp hit Monday. The Turkish currency has fallen more than 40 percent against the U.S. dollar this year due to a loss of foreign investment, economic mismanagement and increasing tensions with the U.S. More now from CNN's John Defterios.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: It's an economic disaster analysts say caused mainly by the man in charge. Turkish leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again defiant on
Monday, quick to blame everyone else but himself for an economy in the firing line and a currency on the brink.
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY (through translator): Do not worry about it. Be relaxed about it. We do not make concessions from the rules of premarket economy. Nobody should listen to speculation that say otherwise.
DEFTERIOS: The Turkish lira continues to crumble, dropping nearly 20 percent in the past week of trading. It's the result of years of mismanagement at the top, critics say; lavish spending on mega- projects like airports and bridges, symbols meant to burnish Erdogan's image and win in reelection.
Now, he is faced with a soaring current account deficit, inflation of nearly16 percent and corporate debt, which is priced in lira and rising.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fall of the Turkish lira is only the beginning of a real economic crisis, of a possible recession in Turkey. We would need to see a complete change in economic policies.
DEFTERIOS: That change is unlikely as Erdogan now tightens his grip of the country's Central Bank after reelection in June and he installed his son-in-law as both finance and treasury minister.
ERDOGAN (through translator): Don't panic about the dollar. This has nothing to do with the dollar. If they have their dollars, we have our God. Stay calm.
DEFTERIOS: The lira's tailspin is starting to rattle global markets with European banks hit particularly hard. And there's a political plot twist as well. Last week, President Trump said, he would slap new tariffs on Turkey -- a punishment for Erdogan continuing to jail an American pastor named Andrew Brunson.
Over the weekend, Erdogan showed no signs of backing down.
ERDOGAN (through translator): You can never bring this nation in line with the language of threats. We understand the language of law and rights, but not threats.
DEFTERIOS: He singled out the U.S. and currency speculators for waging, quote, "economic war against Turkey," casting no blame on his own economic policy -- John Defterios, CNNMoney, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Relations between the United States and Turkey have soured in the past few years following a 2016 coup attempt. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered a massive crackdown. Several U.S. citizens were among those detained, including American pastor Andrew Brunson.
Now currently under house arrest, Brunson is being charged with espionage and having links to terrorist organizations. If convicted, he faces up to 35 years in prison. He maintains his innocence.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has refused to extradite cleric Fethullah Gulen to Turkey. And Ankara says he was behind the attempted coup. Despite diplomatic efforts, neither country will give in or agree to a swap. Last year's arrest of U.S. consulate staff members in Istanbul also
sparked a sudden deterioration of relations. Washington suspended all of its nonimmigrant visa services in Turkey. And Ankara responded by doing the same.
Another thorny issue, Turkey is furious with the U.S. decision to arm Kurdish fighters in Syria. Turkey considers them a terrorist group.
Well, there is grief and anger in Northern Yemen. Thousands attended the mass funeral Monday for the children killed in last week's --
[02:05:00]
CHURCH: -- Saudi coalition airstrike; 51 people died, 40 of them children, when their school bus was hit.
Houthi rebels and mourners blame the U.S. for backing the Saudi coalition. Saudi Arabia insists the strike was a legitimate military operation. The United Arab Emirates is a coalition partner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANWAR GARGASH, UAE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: There are issues that are related to. War is not something that can actually be a clean operation, unfortunately. I have to say that. And I'm not going to come and sit here and say war, l, by us, can be a clean operation.
But I think from another perspective, I see that I accept that the coalition is criticized for some of the humanitarian, you know, occurrences and some of the humanitarian, I would say, weight of this war. But I would say also that all parties also need to accept their part in what we are doing today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The White House hasn't commented on the airstrike but the Pentagon is calling for transparency in the Saudi investigation. Barbara Starr has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Defense secretary James Mattis now saying he is having a three-star general talk to the Saudis about what happened, how it happened and how to prevent it from happening again, after this horrific attack on a school bus in Yemen, in which so many young children died.
This is not a Pentagon investigation. This is to support the State Department's call for an investigation and, of course, the United Nations also calling for an investigation.
The U.S. military does support the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in this way: They provide refueling for Saudi and Emirati aircraft conducting strike missions. The U.S. doesn't conduct those airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen. But the U.S. also helps the Saudis try and have accurate intelligence about where military targets may be located. So that will be a major question here.
Did the Saudis know about this target?
Did they strike it very quickly, perhaps without full planning and understanding of what they were striking?
These will be some of the key questions that the U.S. will be very interested in knowing the answers to. And it is not clear how much the Saudi military is going to really want the U.S. poking into this.
But some things are not really expected to change. The U.S. is expected to continue to support the Saudi-led coalition, as it has since the Obama administration, against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The U.S. supports the Saudis. It does not obviously support the Iranian-backed rebels.
But this situation in Yemen really, truly a humanitarian disaster. Tens of millions of people now totally dependant on international aid. There is an cholera outbreak and massive concern growing about the cost to the civilians trapped in that war-torn country -- Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: In Syria's seven-year civil war, the battle for the final rebel-held enclave could be imminent. The fall of Idlib would set the stage for the country's reconstruction and as Fred Pleitgen reports in this CNN exclusive, Russia and Syria plan to call the shots.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It could be the last major battle in Syria's civil war: Idlib, the final major enclave held by anti-Assad rebels. Russia's air force has allegedly been bombing targets there in the past days.
In an exclusive interview, a top Russian general now tells CNN, the fight for Idlib could start very soon.
MAJ. GEN. IGOR KONASHENKOV, RUSSIAN ARMY (through translator): When it comes to ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, it's useless to make arrangements with them. And it shows. There is constant shelling in the areas controlled by them. They take hostages and use civilians as shields.
So, of course, there's a prospect of something decisive happening there.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The comments came on the Russian organized visit to Syria. Moscow's message is clear. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's forces have essentially prevailed in the civil war. The rebels are on the ropes. Some of the millions of displaced are returning. PLEITGEN: The local administration in this area of Syria says tens of
thousands of people have come across this border crossing in the past few weeks alone. They also say they want international financial help to aid those who are coming across but they want it on the Assad government's terms.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russia and the Assad government have called on the U.S. and European countries to --
[02:10:00]
PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- help with reconstruction. Both have been accused of severe crimes against civilians, which they deny. The Russian general calling for the U.S. to cooperate with Moscow's forces.
KONASHENKOV (through translator): Of course, so many things depend on such a great country as the United States and Russia when it comes to a resolution.
When there are even some specks of mutual understanding, there are ways to find cooperation and opportunities to do real work and, of course, not allow this breeding ground for terrorism to, God forbid, resurface again.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russia's military clearly believes only it can prevent new conflicts, for instance, between Iran and Israel, breaking out in this region.
KONASHENKOV (through translator): From day one of our presence here, we've established contact with everyone who has had any part in this of any degree: direct lines with Israel, Turkey, Iran and the so- called U.S.-led coalition.
Of course these contacts are very useful because we're solving issues in a much more effective way and let's say dialogue is way better than any confrontation, especially in such complex issues.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): As Syria's war seems to be reaching its twilight and new conflicts are already destabilizing this ravaged region, Russia believes it holds the key to pacifying Syria -- but only on its terms -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Back in the United States now and the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, is said to be gravely ill and is now in hospice care at her home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "RESPECT")
CHURCH (voice-over): The 76-year-old singer has been dogged by reports of failing health for years now. And earlier this year, "Rolling Stone" reported she had to cancel two performances on doctors' orders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Franklin's career spans six decades starting as a gospel singer at her father's church, then going on to record hit after hit, chart-toppers like "Respect," "Chain of Fools" and "A Natural Woman." She was the first woman inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, one year before The Beatles were inducted.
And we'll take a very short break here. Still to come, a nasty fight between two reality TV stars. It just so happens that one of them is the President of the United States. What, if anything, we have learned from Omarosa's secret recordings.
And tension between the U.K. and Israel has been growing after old photos of the British opposition leader surfaced. Find out why it's angering so many in Israel. We're back in a moment.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:15:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHURCH: Israel's prime minister is blasting the head of England's Labour Party over a wreath-laying ceremony. Photos emerged on Friday, which appear to show Jeremy Corbyn at the graves of Black September terror group members in Tunisia.
You'll recall Black September carried out the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. Corbyn defended himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, U.K. LABOUR PARTY: A wreath was indeed laid. Some of those who attended the conference of those who were killed in Paris in 1992.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you involved in that wreath laying?
CORBYN: I was present when it was laid. I don't think I was actually involved in it. I was there because I wanted to see a fitting memorial to everyone who has died in every terrorist incident everywhere because we have to end it. You cannot pursue peace by a cycle of violence. The only way you pursue peace is a cycle of dialogue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The 1992 Paris incident he referred to is the assassination of one of the terrorists involved in the massacre. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that Corbyn's participation deserves, quote, "unequivocal condemnation from everyone, left, right and everything in between." Corbyn called Netanyahu's claims "false," tweeting, "What deserves
unequivocal condemnation is the killing of over 160 Palestinian protesters in Gaza by Israeli forces since March, including dozens of children."
Corbyn has been an outspoken critic of Israel and an advocate for the Palestinians and has faced anti-Semitism accusations before.
U.S. president Donald Trump went on a Twitter tirade against one of his former advisers, Omarosa Manigault-Newman. This comes after she released a recording of her being fired, recorded in what's supposed to be one of the most secure rooms on Earth. Kaitlan Collins has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump addressing soldiers at Fort Drum.
TRUMP: I'm here today to sign our new Defense bill into law.
COLLINS: As former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault-Newman escalates her war with the administration, revealing she recorded her conversations with the president.
TRUMP: Omarosa, what's going on? I just saw on the news that you're thinking about leaving. What happened?
OMAROSA MANIGAULT-NEWMAN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE AIDE: General Kelly -- General Kelly came to me and said that you guys wanted me to leave.
TRUMP: No, I -- nobody even told me about it.
COLLINS: Omarosa breaching major security protocols, secretly taping her firing by John Kelly in the White House situation room, one of the most secured places in Washington with no devices allowed.
JOHN KELLY, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I think it's important to understand that if we make this a friendly departure we can all be, you know -- you can look at your time here in the White House as a year of service to the nation and then you can go on without any type of difficulty in the future relative to your reputation.
COLLINS: Trump tweeting today that despite intense pressure to fire Omarosa, he kept her around because "she only said great things about me." Adding, "Wacky Omarosa skipped work, missed meetings and was a vicious colleague." Despite promising this on the campaign trail.
TRUMP: We're going to get the best people in the world.
COLLINS: Asked about Omarosa over the weekend, Trump said this.
TRUMP: Lowlife. She is a lowlife.
COLLINS: Omarosa had no defined role in the West Wing but raked in nearly $200,000 taxpayer funded dollars and carried the title assistant to the president. She's also claiming the Trump 2020 campaign offered her a $15,000 a month position if she agreed to keep silent. Something she says she refused to do.
Trump also admitting for the first time she signed an NDA writing on Twitter, "Wacky Omarosa already has a fully signed non-disclosure agreement." But when CNN reported that senior White House staff signed NDAs earlier this year, the White House denied it.
HOGAN GIDLEY, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: I can't say that the report that -- staff were required or asked to sign $10 million nondisclosure agreements is not true.
COLLINS: One White House official telling CNN they don't consider Omarosa's recordings to be a national security threat but noting they're worried she wasn't the only staffer recording conversations.
All this as Omarosa threatened more trouble for the White House.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have more recordings?
NEWMAN: Oh, absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you planning on releasing them?
[02:25:00]
NEWMAN: I don't know. I'm going to watch to see. They've been threatening legal action. They're trying to figure out how to stop me. I'm expecting that they're going to retaliate and so I'm just going to stand back and wait.
COLLINS: Omarosa is denying she signed the White House version of a nondisclosure agreement so it's unclear which nondisclosure agreement the president was referring to in his tweet.
We know Omarosa has created a sense of paranoia here in the West Wing. People who long suspected she was recording their conversations and now those conversations seem to be coming to light and Omarosa is only promising that there could be more -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: CNN political analyst Michael Shear joins me now, he is the White House correspondent for "The New York Times."
Thank you so much for being with us.
MICHAEL SHEAR, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure. Happy to.
CHURCH: So much to unpack here. Firstly, what possible ramifications might there be for Omarosa breaching major security protocol by taping her conversation with White House chief of staff John Kelly in the Situation Room and for breaking her nondisclosure agreement with the White House? SHEAR: Well, first of all, on the security issues about the taping in the Situation Room, I have been a White House reporter for almost a decade, covering both President Obama and now President Trump. I can't remember a more shocking thing to see, to hear an actual audio recording from inside one of the most secure places in the country, frankly.
It's unclear at this point what the legal ramifications are. It's clearly a massive breach of policy. And if she were still an employee at the White House, it would be clearly a firing offense in a heartbeat.
Whether or not they could or would go after her legally is unclear. As far as the nondisclosure agreement, we still are uncertain what exactly she signed. White House employees routinely are required to sign pledges essentially not to disclose classified information, basically saying that they won't do that. That's illegal anyway.
We reported several months ago on reports that the White House was trying to or had tried to get their employees like Omarosa to sign broader nondisclosure agreements that suggested that perhaps, you know, they wouldn't disclose any information, classified or not.
That was the kind of thing Trump liked to do as a businessman and in the campaign. You know, it's unclear, A, whether she signed it and, B, what kind of penalties, financial or otherwise, she would incur as she's, obviously, broken whatever agreement she made.
CHURCH: We'll watch to see what happens there, obviously.
And then in a tweet, President Trump said he told John Kelly to work things out with Omarosa because she only said great things about him.
What does that reveal about Mr. Trump as a leader?
SHEAR: Look, I think, you know, if you step back from all of this insanity and the craziness of a former employee writing this tell-all book and the taping and all of that, you have to start at the decision to bring her into the White House in the first place.
You know, President Trump famously said he was going to hire only the best people and he brought somebody in who, I think there were lots of questions, even from the moment that her name first surfaced as a possible top official in the White House, making, by the way, the top amount of salary that any, you know, that all of the most senior advisers made what she made.
The question has to be put to the president, why did you bring this person into the White House in the first place?
And did you think it was going to end any other way?
Because this is a reality TV person who was born amid Donald Trump's reality TV show. And it's unclear to me why anybody would have thought this would have ended any other way. CHURCH: Just finally, Omarosa, of course, recorded her conversation with the president and another one with John Kelly. She says she has more recordings and is just waiting to see what legal action may be brought against her.
So how many more recordings might she have?
And how concerned would the White House be that there's something even more damning still to be released?
SHEAR: So my colleague, Maggie Haberman, has reported that it's potentially dozens or more, scores of recordings that she could have. I don't think anybody knows that for sure inside the White House. They're all guessing.
I actually wonder whether -- certainly they have to be worried that there's some huge, big, explosive revelation in one of them and I suppose that's always a concern.
But it may be more of a concern for them that just the drip, drip, drip, that if she continues to put one of these tapes out every other day for the next three, four, five, six weeks, that's where it could have an impact, not so much on ultimately damaging his reputation but just sort of tying up the White House --
[02:25:00]
SHEAR: -- in a kind of never-ending series of controversies that makes it hard to do anything else.
CHURCH: Yes, certainly with countdown to the midterms. We'll see what the reaction is to all of this. Maybe it will come and go quickly as other issues have. We shall see. Michael Shear, thank you so much. We appreciate your analysis.
SHEAR: Certainly.
CHURCH: For the second time this year, Malta and the populist Italian government are refusing to allow a ship with rescued migrants to disembark in their ports. Right now, the ship is stranded in the Mediterranean Sea with 141 migrants aboard, including 67 unaccompanied minors. Some of the migrants are weak and malnourished.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are people who are wounded during that trip. There are people who are sick. They do need attention from proper medical facilities on land. The ship has doctors, nurses, midwives.
But we're on a ship. It is not a hospital. It's not definitive care. Their cases cannot be treated here. They need to be disembarked as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Italy and Malta left the same ship stranded in June but Spain ended up taking those migrants. Just like last time, the ship is stranded between Italy and Malta.
But the government in Madrid says Spain is not the safest port because it's not the closest to the ship. The European Commission says it's talking with E.U. member states to find a quick solution.
China denies it's using detention centers in Shenzhen to reeducate people from the Uighur Muslim population. Members of a Chinese delegation spoke to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The Shenzhen Uighur autonomous region always respects and guarantees the human rights of people of all ethnic groups and protects the freedom rights of citizens of all ethnic groups, according to the law and on equal footing.
There are no such things as a re-education centers. It must be pointed out that Shenzhen is a victim of terrorism.
In an effort to secure the life and property of all ethnic groups in the region, Shenzhen Uighur autonomous region has taken -- has undertaken a special campaign to crack down on violent terrorist activities according to law and put on trial and imprisoned a number of criminals involved in serious offenses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Shenzhen a vast region in Western China. On Friday, the U.N. said it had received credible reports of some 1 million Uighurs being held in internment camps there.
Uighur activists accuse China of trying to destroy their culture but a state-run newspaper defended Beijing's strong security presence there as necessary to prevent "China's Syria" from happening.
The U.S. president Donald Trump gloats after an FBI agent who was critical of then-candidate Trump gets sacked. The details still to come.
Plus: medically kidnapped; after the world renowned Mayo Clinic saved her life, an 18-year-old girl says she was then held against her will. We'll have those details for you on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:31:01] CHURCH: Welcome back everyone to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. Let's update you now on the main stories we've been following this hour. Turkey's economic downturn is having a ripple effect on global markets. Stocks in the U.S., Asia, and Europe were all down on Monday as the Turkish currency, the lira, continued to tumble. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is blaming so-called economic terrorists on social media accusing them of trying to harm Turkey by spreading false reports. Conflicting accounts of who's in control of the strategic Afghan City
of Ghazni, a local parliament member says Taliban militants had taken control of key buildings including police headquarters in a fourth day of fighting. But the Afghan and U.S. governments disputed that claiming the militant assault had failed. Legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin is in home hospice care now said to be gravely ill. The 76-year-old has reportedly been in failing health for years.
Franklin is known for many chart-topping hits like Respect and Chain of Fools in a career spanning six decades. Well, the prosecution has rested in the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. His trial is the first major test in court for Special Counsel Robert Mueller. His team presented 27 witnesses in 10 days. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all 18 charges of tax and bank fraud.
Prosecutors argue Manafort evaded taxes on some of the $60 million he was paid as a consultant for the ousted pro-Russian President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.
When that income dried out, prosecutors say Manafort resorted to bank fraud rather than giving up his expensive lifestyle. It's unclear if the defense will present any witnesses. Manafort is not expected to testify. Well, a key figure in the investigations of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is out of a job. The FBI fired Peter Strzok where -- which prompted a jubilant reaction from President Trump. Manu Raju explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Peter Strzok, a controversial figure in the Russia probe terminated by the FBI because of his text messages disparaging Donald Trump. Strzok's lawyer says FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich overruled a recommendation to demote and suspend the special agent while Trump quickly took to Twitter to celebrate and to call for an end to the Russia probe. The list of bad players in the FBI and DOJ gets longer and longer.
Based on the fact that Strzok was in charge of the witch hunt, will it be dropped? Strzok helped oversee the start of the Russia probe and played a key role in the Clinton e-mail investigation which Trump today said should be properly redone. Strzok was taken off Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team after the discovery of texts between him and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page. Those messages including one in which he says that they'd stop Trump from becoming president led to a tense 10-hour congressional hearing in July.
PETER STRZOK, FORMER UNITED STATES FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION AGENT: I'm stating to you it is not my understanding that he kicked me off because of any bias. I don't appreciate what was originally said being changed.
REP. TREY GOWDY (R-SC), CHAIR OF THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: I don't give a damn what you appreciate, Agent Strzok. I don't appreciate having an FBI agent with an unprecedented level of animus working on two major investigations here on 2016. RAJU: But the Justice Department's inspector general found no
evidence to suggest Strzok's feelings towards Trump impacted the decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton something Strzok made clear at that raucous house hearing.
STRZOK: It was in no way, unequivocally any suggestion that me, the FBI would take any action whatsoever to improperly impact the electoral process.
[02:35:03] RAJU: The news comes amid questions about whether Trump will sit down with the special counsel. Trump's lawyers say the president won't answer questions about whether he asked then-FBI Director James Comey to back off investigating the former White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani now changing his story disputing Comey's sworn testimony that the president suggested he back off Flynn.
JAMES COMEY, FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: And the reason I keep saying his words is I took it as a direction. This is the President of the United States with me alone saying, I hope this. I took it as this is what he wants me to do. Not -- I didn't obey that, but that's the way I took it.
RAJU: Giuliani now saying this on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION".
RUDY GIULIANI, LEGAL COUNSEL TO DONALD TRUMP: There was no conversation about Michael Flynn.
RAJU: The comments to Jake Tapper contradict what Giuliani said repeatedly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is he a good witness for the president if he's saying the president was asking him or directing him in his words to let the Michael Flynn investigation go?
GIULIANI: He didn't direct him to do that. What he said to him was, can you --
(CROSSTALK)
RAJU: And this last month.
GIULIANI: He didn't tell him don't investigate him. Don't prosecute him. He asked him to exercise his prosecutorial discretion because he was a good man with a great war record.
RAJU: Either Giuliani denied making that claim. He offered this explanation to Tapper after being shown video of his past comments.
GIULIANI: I said it, but I also said before that I'm talking about their version of it. Look, lawyers argue in the alternative.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAJU: Rudy Giuliani again making news about whether or not the president will sit down with the special counsel's team for that much anticipated interview saying that if there's not an interview before September 1st then it will not happen because the midterm elections are getting very, very close happening of course in November. Still, Giuliani calling for the end of the Russia probe by September but no sign that that's going to happen given the fact that there is at least one witness who is scheduled to come in September 7th.
And that is someone who is close to Roger Stone who is one of President Trump's closest friends. Manu Raju, CNN Capitol Hill.
CHURCH: Grateful one moment, frightened the next. A teenage girl says a world-renowned hospital quickly became a prison.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you think they were trying to medically kidnap you?
ALYSSA GILDERHUS, FORMER MAYO CLINIC PATIENT: Yes, I completely do. Not a doubt in my mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The controversial case surrounding the Mayo Clinic. Plus, one official calls it a one in a million experience, but to others, the theft of a passenger plane from Seattle's airport raises major security concerns. We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:27] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, officials in Seattle say they are looking at possible security improvements after an airline employee stole a plane from the city's international airport. Richard Russell was in the air for about an hour on Friday before crashing on a small island and killing himself. CNN's Kyung Lah has the latest on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The (INAUDIBLE) one-six center, say your call sign. (INAUDIBLE) holding on runway one-six center.
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: New audio from the first moments a ground controller's realized they had a big problem, rolling down the taxi way. A ground controller repeatedly tries and fails to make contact with a rogue Horizon Air Q400.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not even talking to him. He came flying out of the cargo area from Delta. (INAUDIBLE) yes, we are.
LAH: That's the moment officials call for military fighter jets to intercept 29-year-old Richard Russell, a Horizon Air ground crew worker who stole the plane without a pilot's license.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, pilot guy, can this thing do a back flip do you think?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean I don't need that much played video games before.
LAH: But after about an hour in the air, Russell makes clear he's not landing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, let's try to land that airplane safely and not hurt anybody on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Damn it. I don't know, man. I don't know. I don't want to. I was kind of hoping I was going to be it, you know, just a broken guy. Got a few screws loose, I guess. Never really knew it until now.
LAH: The plane crashed on a small island exploding in dense woods killing Russell. The rogue take-off raises the stakes for concerns about so-called insider attacks that criminals working as airline employees might be planning to do much more harm next time. The airline CEO says Russell managed planes from the maintenance area by himself. He was in uniform, had the proper credentials, and access. Seattle airport officials say all security protocols were followed on the ground.
Security they say is tighter even than what is required by law.
COURTNEY GREGOIRE, SEATTLE PORT COMMISSIONER: And I think this is really, truly, one in a million experience. That doesn't mean we can't learn from it and ensure this type of tragedy doesn't happen again.
LAH: The wider concern is for hundreds of thousands of employees who don't undergo constant closed checks like those required for pilots. A 2017 House Homeland Security Committee report warned potential terrorists could take advantage of ground vulnerabilities. A bipartisan bill tightening employee checks passed the House and is stalled in the Senate. How do you stop any of this from happening?
GAEL TARLETON, FORMER PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSIONER: The only way to stop it is ignition lock devices on the engine itself. A pilot has to have the authority to use the ignition. And if they do not have the authority to use the ignition, then the plane should not turn on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: That state representative says it only makes sense. If you can't secure all the employees, you need to try to secure the individual planes. Aviation experts' counter though that's just not feasible because so many people need access to these passenger planes that the emphasis must be on securing these areas. Kyung Lah, CNN Seattle.
CHURCH: We turn now to a shocking accusation against the world- renowned Mayo Clinic. A teenager says the hospital which saved her life quickly became a prison. And her family had no choice but to help her escape. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has our exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Alyssa Gilderhus and her family say they experienced the seemingly unthinkable. In this e-mail to police, Alyssa's mother says her 18-year-old daughter was medically kidnapped by the world famous Mayo Clinic. Do you think they were trying to medically kidnap you?
GILDERHUS: Yes. I completely do. Not a doubt in my mind.
COHEN: This was Alyssa on Christmas Eve in 2016 with her family in Sherburn, Minnesota. On Christmas day, a blood vessel burst inside her brain. She had emergency surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Doctors gave her a two percent chance of surviving. How did those neurosurgeons do?
AMBER ENGEBRETSON, ALYSSA GILDERHUS' MOTHER: Fantastic.
DUANE ENGEBRETSON, ALYSSA GILDERHUS' STEPFATHER: Phenomenal.
A. ENGEBRETSON: They saved her life.
COHEN: After a month, she moved to the rehabilitation unit at Mayo with new doctors. When you had opinions or thoughts about Alyssa's care, did they listen to you?
[02:45:06] A. ENGEBRETSON: No.
D. ENGEBRETSON: I don't feel they did at all.
COHEN: Did they seem annoyed with you?
A. ENGEBRETSON: Yes.
D. ENGEBRETSON: Because we were parents and not the doctors. Because they knew everything and we didn't.
COHEN: The tension eventually exploded, and Mayo kicked Alyssa's mother out of the hospital after they say she interrupted a meeting. In a statement, Mayo told us family members may be restricted in situations where care may be compromised or the safety and security of our staff are potentially at risk.
Alyssa's mother says she didn't do either. Alyssa begged for her mother. A family friend, Joy Schmidt.
JOY SCHMIDT, FAMILY FRIEND OF ENGEBRETSON: She cry.
COHEN: Was that though?
SCHMIDT: Very.
COHEN: Alyssa says she'd finally had enough.
Did you want out of the Mayo Clinic?
GILDERHUS: As bad as possible, yes.
COHEN: But what happened next is alarming. Alyssa and her parents say Mayo wouldn't let her go.
COHEN: Did you ask to have her transferred to another hospital?
A. ENGEBRETSON: We did.
COHEN: And what did Mayo say?
A. ENGEBRETSON: They said no.
COHEN: A lawyer even wrote this letter, asking for an expedited transfer to another hospital.
D. ENGEBRETSON: It felt like you went from a healing place to a prison.
COHEN: So, Alyssa's parents hatched an escape plan. They pulled the trick on the staff to get her out of Mayo, and they documented it on video. They told them that Alyssa's grandma, Betty had come to visit, but was too frail to come inside the hospital.
And so, Alyssa had to come to her. But when they arrived at the car, there is no grandma Betty. It's Alyssa's mother.
A. ENGEBRETSON: We're going home.
COHEN: Watch as a nurse's aide grabs Alyssa's arm.
D. ENGEBRETSON: Get your hand off my daughter.
A. ENGEBRETSON: Come on, honey. We're going home.
COHEN: How did it feel the minute that you hopped into your parent's car?
GILDERHUS: Oh, like a relief. Like the biggest weight on your shoulders pulled off. It was phenomenal. The longer I am away from Mayo Clinic, the better.
COHEN: After Alyssa left, Mayo called 911 and said they'd had a patient abduction. But Rochester Police tell CNN that Mayo was wrong. They said Alyssa was 18, an adult making a legal choice to leave the hospital.
JOHN SHERWIN, CHIEF, ROCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT: That there was no abduction. There was no violation of law. Essentially, you had a patient that left the hospital under their own planning with the assistance of family members.
COHEN: Months later, Alyssa and her family learned a secret while looking at police records. Just before Alyssa escaped, a male social worker had tried to get court orders for emergency guardianship for Alyssa.
If you had not gotten Alyssa out of the Mayo Clinic, where do you think she'd be right now?
A. ENGEBRETSON: She would not be in a good place.
B. ENGEBRETSON: I think it would have been the end of us ever getting to see Alyssa again.
COHEN: So, why was Mayo trying to get emergency guardianship for Alyssa? A county official told police that the Mayo Clinic was concerned for the medical decisions being made for Alyssa. Alyssa signed this privacy release form so Mayo could speak freely to CNN. But Mayo wouldn't answer our questions on the record.
"We will not address these questionable allegations or publicly share the facts of this complex situation because we do not believe it's in the best interest of the patient and the family. Our internal review determined that the care team's actions were true to Mayo Clinic's primary value that the patient's needs come first. We acted in a manner that honored that value for this patient."
Alyssa and her parents think Mayo was trying to get guardianship in retaliation for questioning doctors. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Sherburn, Minnesota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And we'll take a very quick break here. But still, to come, a beautiful city deals with an ugly reality, public urination. Relief is in sight and that is the problem.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:50:44] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Voters in four U.S. states head to the polls for various elections in the coming hours. One of the candidates running for governor in Vermont caught our attention, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ETHAN SONNEBORN (D), GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, VERMONT: My age hasn't played this large role my campaign as one might think. Everywhere I go, my message transcends age. I decided to run for governor after I saw the failure by so many in politics to work for their constituents instead of working for lobbyists and corporations. I felt like there was a new generation of leadership that could be doing a better job in our state.
The way we win this election and I think the way we govern effectively is by making sure that people know that government is looking out for them.
I can tell about my campaign a simple phrase, "It's the job of government to make people's lives easier." 2018 is a year for people from all over the socio-economic spectrum, people from background that aren't like that of the typical politician, they're running for office, and I'm a part of that I think. I do intend to stay involved in public life after this campaign. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: An impressive young man there. Well, it has been an incredibly active tropical storm season for millions across East Asia. Our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, joins us now from the International Weather Center with at least three additional storms in the making. Pedram, just how bad are they?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Yes, is there something that you know, we're watching this carefully because the impressive nature of this is, of course, just a number of storms there see.
Not a single one of them has been all that strong by itself, but you put it together with the ongoing pattern we have (INAUDIBLE) cut to the west, we have a medium chance -- a low chance of formation over the next couple of days and then leafy towards the north.
And I want to break this down for you because we do have quite a bit of people impacted by this. In fact, you take a look just the past 21 or so days, we've had (INAUDIBLE). We have Tropical Depression 13. We had Typhoon Jongdari, and of course, another system pushing through as well in the past several days.
That was Yagi that came ashore impacting areas just South of Shanghai. So, put all of this together in three weeks period, it is already active. And then, you introduce three additional systems and here's leafy right here. Since at 110 kilometers per hour, not far from Kagoshima.
Notice not very organized, not very symmetrical, not a tremendous feature, it's just week of what would be a typhoon strength system but it'll bring tremendous rainfall. Yet again, push through here's around Pusan and eventually bring in some heavy rainfall as it pushes in towards Shanghai.
So, that's part one of all of this in an area that is frankly been very hard hit with rainfall. And notice, much of Japan takes in additional rainfall, portions of South Korea, portions around the Bohai Bay, as well south of Beijing.
And this is the region, of course, in recent days we had the sinkhole reported, some damage to properties, some vehicles, as well. Days of heavy rain along a stalled frontal boundary. So, you introduced additional heavy rainfall here.
To the south, this is the Bebinca the next tropical system. Again, notice this right here just east of Haikou. But, a lot of convection, a lot of thunderstorm activity just to its west and only gets it on the action, been gets in on the action. And notice what it does. It pushes ashore near Hong Kong here with the next few hours, at 12 to say 18 hours.
And they're kind of meanders off the coast of Guangdong and Guangxi. That's about 106 million people in its path that'll bring a lot of heavy rainfall once again across this region. And when you look at what's happened, so far in 2018, Rosemary, nearly doubled. The tropical storm count that you would expect through the 13th of August.
Just a little above average in the typhoon category also tied in the super typhoon category. So, again, it's been very active in parts of the world like areas around East Asia where in the Atlantic Ocean, areas impacting the U.S., the Caribbean, has been quiet. And, of course, you know what happened there last summer.
So, at least some people getting a break but it is not across Eastern Asia, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Right. It has been very active and you have stayed on top of it. Thanks so much, Pedram. Let's chat again next hour, appreciate it.
[02:55:01] JAVAHERI: Thank you. We'll do.
CHURCH: Well, there is an urgent problem on the streets of Paris, and the city has a solution. Open-air urinals is the idea as bad as it sounds. Our Lynda Kinkade has our report.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Oh, the sights of Paris. Tourist boats float down the River Seine. It's banks lined with the iconic landmarks and historic streets. But is the new addition to the city's scenery that has many residents peeved. It's the view of the Louvre.
City officials have installed open-air urinals, one of five from the Notre Dame Cathedral, in places where public urination is a problem. For many locals, painting the receptacles red and putting a flower box on them doesn't do much to hide a very public privy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): I think installing a urinal on the streets of Paris for those who don't respect their surroundings is a good idea. But in my opinion, this model is not attractive at all. And where it's been set up is not appropriate at all.
KINKADE: The city says the device is eco-friendly since they turn the waste into compost for parks and gardens. Neighbors and businesses though say there's nothing pretty about them. And have written to the town hall to demand their removal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It is definitely a desirable in historic neighborhood but seeing people urinating right in front of your door is not the nicest thing.
KINKADE: With four potties around Paris and the (INAUDIBLE) planned, there's no relief in sight for some resident people believe some moments are best behind closed doors. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Not a great look, is it? And finally, not just a unicorn, but a rainbow unicorn. That's what sheriff's deputies in the State of Minnesota spotted stuck in the weeds on a lake. This officer used a rope to pull the float safely to a dock. No word on what magical possession those women may have been drinking.
The sheriff's social media team posted the video on Twitter, boasting about their mad rescue roping skills. And adding the #wherestheglitter. How about that?
Thanks for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter, love to hear from you and I'll be back with another hour of news in just a moment. So, you're watching CNN. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
