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Saudi Arabia to Hit Back In Case Of Sanctions over Jamal Khashoggi; Key Crossing Reopening In Golan Heights; Iconic U.S. Retail Chain Sears Declares Bankruptcy; More Than 70,000 Attended Canonization Ceremony. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 15, 2018 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:03] BECKY ANDERSON, NEWSROOM ANCHOR, CNN: A diplomatic nightmare that Saudi Arabia just can't seem to escape over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and across the world. I am Becky Anderson live from CNN center. I've got mystery for you in Istanbul in Turkey.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, NEWSROOM ANCHOR, CNN: And I am Rosemary Church here at CNN center, where we are also following a defiant President Trump who says he doesn't trust everyone in the White House. That and more coming up. You are watching CNN Newsroom.

ANDERSON: As we see mixed messaging from inside the Kingdom itself, international pressure mounting on Saudi Arabia for answers in the disappearance of a prominent Saudi journalist. Saudi Arabia's king spoke with Turkey's President by phone Sunday about Jamal Khashoggi. The two reportedly agreed to create a working group to investigate the case.

Now, Khashoggi has been missing for nearly two weeks. He hasn't been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate here in Istanbul on October 2nd. Turkish authorities say Khashoggi was murdered inside the building, a charge the Saudis have vehemently denied. A senior official says the U.S. expects to get more information from Turkey this week.

And President Donald Trump has threatened severe punishment if it turns out the Saudis were involved in his disappearance and responsible for his death. Nic Robertson has more on the deepening diplomatic crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Amid escalating diplomatic tension, Saudi officials shuttle between the consul general's house and the nearby consulate where Turkey says Washington Post Journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, was killed, President Trump weighing his options.

PRES. DONALD TRUMP (R), UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: There's something really terrible and disgusting about that, if that were the case. So we're going to have to see. We're going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment. ROBERTSON: Turkish officials bullied by Trump's bullishness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saudi Arabia must cooperate for allowing to access to our key prosecutors office and experts to enter the Saudi consulate.

ROBERTSON: Where did he disappear? After two weeks, the most basic question still remains unanswered. How did Jamal Khashoggi disappear? His fiance was waiting outside the consulate. She saw him go in, but she didn't see him leave. Until now, Saudi Arabia denies access to Turkish investigators, rejects allegations of murder, and in a new statement, threatens retaliation for any move against its interest.

The Kingdom affirms that if any action is taken, it will respond with greater action. It also appeared to be an apparent put down of President Trump. A few hours after their first statement, Riyadh rolling back their rhetoric, to help clarify recently issued Saudi statement, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia extends its appreciation to all, including the U.S. administration, for refraining from jumping to conclusions on the ongoing investigation.

Khashoggi's disappearance is exposing possible rifts in Riyadh. It is putting the whole region at a potentially dangerous inflection point with more revelations expected. His fiance, in a New York Times op- ed, describes his last hours implicate Saudi malfeasance. He was cheerful when we were going to the Saudi consulate. He had no foreboding of what was to come.

Because, she says, he'd been given an appointment, implying he was unwittingly walking into a trap. A pro government Turkish newspaper claims Khashoggi's Apple watch recorded his own death, but it doesn't pass the sniff test. Even so, a CNN source says some of Turkey's western allies have been briefed on recordings from the consulate.

Germany, France, the U.K., the U.N., and the E.U. putting pressure on Saudi, calling for a credible investigation to establish the truth about what happened, and expect the Saudi government to provide a complete and detailed response. But pressure is also mounting on Turkey, too, to back up its claims that Khashoggi was murdered soon after going in the consulate here, and show whatever evidence it has. Nick Robertson, Istanbul, Turkey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:04:54] ANDERSON: Well, faced with the possibility of sanctions, Riyadh responded with a threat of its own to take greater action, and I quote. But later, the Saudi embassy in Washington softened the tone and expressed appreciation to all, including the U.S., for not jumping to conclusions in this investigation.

An op-ed on the Saudi and Arab channel, the general manager wrote, and I quote, if U.S. sanctions are imposed on Saudi Arabia, we will be facing an economic disaster that would rock the entire world. Riyadh is the capital of its oil, and touching this would affect oil production before any other (Inaudible) commodity. All of this will throw the Middle East, the entire Muslim world into

the arms of Iran which will become closer to Riyadh than Washington. Well, later on his Twitter account, (Inaudible) said the op-ed was his personal opinion and not the Saudi government's official position. We are joined now from Riyadh by Sam Kiley, our correspondent there, and Jomana Karadsheh is outside the Saudi consulate here in Istanbul.

And Sam, let me start with you, some confusion in the messaging from Saudi Arabia. Is it clear, why?

SAM KILEY, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: It's not clear why entirely, Becky. And I think you go right to the hub of the issue domestically here in Saudi Arabia. You've got two schools emerging, I think, a hard line taken particularly associated privately sources are telling me, with Muhammad bin Salman, the Crown Prince, and then a more conciliatory line that some experts tell me may be reflecting the King's position.

But nonetheless, I think if we kind of take a look at the sort of statements that are coming out or that came out in the last 24 hours that you alluded to, we can see the stark contrast. So, as you say, after the suggestion from Donald Trump that there could be some unspecified punishment, if there was malice or forethought and any kind of criminal act committed against the Washington Post columnist.

Then very rapidly an unnamed official was quoted on the Saudi news agency, Becky, saying the following. The Kingdom affirms its total rejection of any threats and attempts to undermine it, whether by threatening to impose economic sanctions, using political pressures, or repeating false accusations that will not undermine the Kingdom and its staunch positions and Arab Islamic and international status.

The outcome of these weak endeavors like their predecessor is a demise. Now, you really don't get that much more hard line take. And then there were other suggestions that there would be pushback or punishment -- punishment also alluded to in that same statement. Then we heard from the embassy in Saudi Arabia that really moved very quickly to try to undermine the statement that was coming out of Riyadh.

So one of the statements tweeted out of the United States' embassy in Washington, the Saudi embassy, of course, it said to help clarify recently issued Saudi statements, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia extends its appreciation to all, including the U.S. administration, for refraining from jumping to conclusions on the ongoing investigation.

Now since then, there was then a flurry of activity back and forth, and the king came out with a statement through the Saudi news agency, saying that he'd had a very positive discussion with President Erdogan. And while that was coming out, Becky, there was a flurry of statements from across the Arab world. The Arab League, Jordan, normally a country that likes to stay out of these sorts of controversies, Egypt, Djibouti, even the embattled Yemeni government, all putting out statements saying that they stood by Saudi Arabia 100 percent.

They were absolutely adamant that Saudi Arabia's key to the future stability, a real kind of verbal rhetorical show of force, if you like, from many in the Arab/Sunni world. A sort of silence from Qatar, which of course is blockaded by gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar is much closer, as you know, to Turkey.

So we've seen this sort of tension evolving in Riyadh, really displaying, I think, still, and this is something else that people tell me privately, a sense that the Saudis are still figuring out quite how to approach this crisis. And there is clearly a debate going on within the Saudi government as to which line to take. But the king stepping in there late last night with a statement, a very conciliatory brotherly statement, I think shows an effort by the king to get control of the situation, Becky.

[02:09:56] ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you, Sam. Jomana, any further news, then, as we continue to sort of workout what's going on behind the scenes from the Kingdom? Any further news on what the Turkish authorities actually know about Jamal's disappearance at this point?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Becky, as we have been saying for the past few days is they have been saying very little about what is going on with their investigation that they launched 10 days ago, this criminal investigation into his disappearance. And much of what we've been hearing is coming out through these leaks, through these anonymous sources, but not much has come out from the Turkish government.

And I think right now they are under a lot of pressure as we've heard there in mixed report earlier, to provide the evidence of what they believe took place or the evidence that they have of what happened inside the consulate, as we've heard all these allegations. And if you look at the events of yesterday, you had those strong statements from Saudi Arabia.

You had those -- what seemed to be that coordinated efforts, this move with all the statements coming out from the countries in the region, Arab countries that Turkey has a good relationship as well, siding with Saudi Arabia. So I think, you know -- and of course, we had that call between President Erdogan and King Salman. All indications are, Becky, is that the pressure is growing on Turkey right now to provide more evidence, to be a bit more transparent about what they do have, indeed.

But we also are seeing what we have been saying all along is that indications are Turkey is trying to resolve this to an extent diplomatically, that they don't want to escalate this current situation into a full-blown diplomatic crisis. And as we heard from the read-outs of the call between the two leaders yesterday as they talked about this joint working group, and there are a lot of people who have been voicing their concern in the region and beyond about this working group, and if it's going to be a way to resolve this crisis.

And they've been concerned about how credible the investigation is going to be with both parties involved. But we've heard from the Turkish foreign minister over the weekend saying that this joint working group in no way will impact their criminal investigation, back to you.

ANDERSON: Jomana is outside the Saudi consulate, and of course, Sam in Riyadh. Rosemary, what we know is that this Saudi citizen, the Washington Post columnist has disappeared. And we do know that the fallout from this mystery revealing the very deep rifts in this region, that is the extent of what we know at this point, quite frankly, with nearly two weeks now since Jamal Khashoggi went into that Saudi consulate and didn't come out, worrying times.

CHURCH: Very much the case, Becky. And we will be back with you in just a moment. Many thanks. Let's take a very short break here. But still to come, the Trump administration has seen a lot of people coming and going. Now in a new interview, Donald Trump hints that more people could be on their way out. Plus, struggling to survive in Florida, people who lost everything in Hurricane Michael are just trying to get by until life returns to normal. We'll have more on that when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:15:00] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, U.S. President Donald Trump sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the CBS show 60 Minutes. He touched on his relationship with North Korea, Russia, and even his own West Wing staffers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The first lady...

TRUMP: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Melania. She said that there are still people in the White House that she doesn't trust and that you shouldn't trust.

TRUMP: I feel the same way. I don't trust everybody in the White House. I'll be honest with you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You go to a meeting. Do you have to wonder, is he wearing a wire?

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Not so much a wire. I am usually guarded. And I think I am guarded anyway. But I am not saying I trust everybody in the White House. I am not a baby. It's a tough business. This is a vicious place. Washington, D.C. is a vicious, vicious place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mr. Trump also weighed in on the future of his Defense Secretary, James Mattis. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about General Mattis, is he going to leave? TRUMP: Well, I don't know. He hasn't told me that. I have a very

good relationship with him. I had lunch with him two days ago. I have a very good relationship with him. It could be that he is. I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want it know the truth. But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well.

He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody -- people leave. That's Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, joining me now from Hong Kong is Glenn Shive, Executive Director of the Hong Kong America Center. Good to have you with us.

GLENN SHIVE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HONG KONG AMERICA CENTER: Pleasure.

CHURCH: So let's start with those comments from the President, where he says he doesn't trust everyone in the White House. Who do you think he's referring to? And is this how previous U.S. presidents have felt about their White House advisors and staff?

SHIVE: The question was about his White House. And he took it really to talk about Washington. So he went from the inner White House issue to the outer environment in which the White House operates and says it's a vicious place. And so he says, I am not a baby -- and he's really, he's conveying a sense of he's tough and he's guarded, but he doesn't trust everybody even in his own White House. He has to acknowledge that.

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: How unusual is that, though, that a President wouldn't trust those within his own White House, people he selected to work within his inner circle?

SHIVE: Well, there's been a record-high turnover of staff in the White House in the first two years. And, you know, as I say, he doesn't talk about them working together as a team. He talked about loyalty upward to him, and that's the key for him.

[02:19:58] CHURCH: And what did you make of what President Trump said about Defense Secretary Mattis in that 60 Minutes interview, saying that Mattis may leave, but everyone eventually leaves? What was your reading of his choice of words? Most Presidents, of course, would say, absolutely not. He's on the tape.

SHIVE: Of course.

CHURCH: Did you find that strange?

SHIVE: I did. I mean it is -- he called him sort of a Democrat, but I like him. He's a good man. We have good rapport. Rapport, of course, with him being the key issue, it didn't talk about, you know, what he believes in and where we agree and disagree. Exactly, there wasn't a sense of we as a team, dealing with these issues. So it's just a sense of do we get along and, you know, all people leave, and so, you know, no big deal.

CHURCH: Right. And let's just listen to what President Trump said again in that 60 Minutes interview about President Putin and Russia. Let's bring that up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you agree that Vladimir Putin is involved in assassinations, in poisonings?

TRUMP: Probably he is, yeah, probably. I mean...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably?

TRUMP: Probably, but I rely on them. It's not in our country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not -- they shouldn't do it, because it's a terrible thing.

TRUMP: Of course they shouldn't do it.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe that the Russians interfered in the 2016 campaign, election?

TRUMP: Well, they meddled, but I think China meddled, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But why do you say China meddled, too? Why don't you just say the Russians meddled?

TRUMP: Because I think China meddled also.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: All right, so two significant statements there. We hear President Trump say Vladimir Putin was probably involved in assassinations. Let's deal with that. That part first.

SHIVE: Right, right.

CHURCH: Because that's really incredible, isn't it? And he was really having to be pushed by Leslie Stahl to say that's not a good thing.

SHIVE: I mean the President must know it's not a probable thing, but he just wants to cover it for himself to say, well, we really don't know. Do you know? I mean so he sows doubt in the questioner rather than speak clearly to the point of we know this. And we know that he does know this, so why does he say probably? That is a kind of -- always he gives himself wiggle room with regard to Putin. Why is that so?

CHURCH: I mean that is the big question, isn't it? Because then, of course, they went on to talk about the meddling in the 2016 elections. He admitted there that Russia had meddled, but China meddled as well, he said. So again, what did you read into that? Why bring China into the equation there? Again, it seems that he's not prepared to say it's just Russia alone.

SHIVE: That's right. It's change the subject. If he's awkward and uncomfortable at some point, move on to something else and it's a moral equivalent. So if Russia did it, well, China did it. Well, then it's not so bad that Russia did it. And besides, you know, we think China's worse at this. And so where do we go with that?

I mean he doesn't have evidence that he's showing about China. It's making the China relationship more difficult. But he's still in a sense protecting with this notion of moral equivalence that it's not just Russia. Everybody does it. And now everybody is doing it to everybody, and that's the new world we're in. And I think that there is something -- he doesn't think in terms of moral issues.

He thinks in terms of power. And he thinks in terms of American power, American economic power. And wherever there's issues like in this question of Skripal and England and the issue of Putin, he's saying, well, that's terrible, but it didn't happen to us.

CHURCH: Right.

SHIVE: So it's out there. It's somebody else's business. It's not America's role to deal with this directly.

CHURCH: Glenn Shive, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate t.

SHIVE: My pleasure.

CHURCH: Well, another topic we are watching very closely, clearing up operations underway in the Florida panhandle. But authorities say it could take months before life returns to normal after Hurricane Michael ravaged the area. The storm killed at least 18 people and wiped out entire towns along the gulf coast. Many people were living in dire conditions there, having to wait in long lines for food and water.

Florida Governor, Rick Scott, saw the devastation firsthand in Mexico Beach. The small coastal community was decimated by a direct hit from the monster storm. The Governor says it is time to take the most dangerous paths of the storm seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think a lot of people just don't realize how life-threatening storm surge is, 14 foot of storm surge, 10 foot, 9 foot, 6 foot can even kill you. But you can see right here, homes just picked up. If they weren't demolished like most of them here, if you're on the beach, they were demolished. Storm surges are so dangerous for people.

And I hope, you know, if anything, people learn from this is take storm surge way more seriously than people have in the past.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:11] CHURCH: Thousands of rescue crews are in the area to help people who lost everything. Well, President Trump has declared a major disaster in the U.S. state of Georgia and has ordered federal aid to counties that were slammed by Hurricane Michael. The storm destroyed some 84 chicken houses holding 2 million chickens, and ruined pecan, cotton, and peanut crops, a quadruple blow to Georgia's major industries. At least 27,000 customers in the state have no power at this time.

Well, a renowned South Korean climber among those killed in the worst mountaineering accident in the Himalayas in two years. The bodies of nine hikers have now been transported to Camp Mandu. Five South Korean climbers, including team leader Kim Chang Ho, and the four Nepali guides who were killed in a violent snowstorm Friday on Nepal's Mount Gurja. Rescuers say their camp was destroyed.

We'll take a short break here. Still to come, Saudi Arabia has a warning for the world. If there are sanctions, oil prices will go up. We will look at the economic fallout from the disappearance of a Saudi journalist. And we're back in Istanbul in just a few minutes. Do stay with us here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Becky Anderson in Istanbul.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:07] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Becky Anderson in Istanbul.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church here in Atlanta. I want to check the headlines for you this hour. Final but unofficial result show a major setback for German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Bavaria's election. Her ally, the Christian Social Union has lost its absolute majority in the state legislature. The left-wing Greens were boosted to second place. The far-right alternative for Germany came in fourth.

U.K. and European Union negotiators have gone home without a Brexit deal following a weekend negotiations. Officials say they made progress but a number of issues remain including protecting the open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The U.K. is set to leave the E.U. on March 29th. Nicaraguan police are accused of manhandling dozens of anti-government protesters Sunday. Video shows officers dragging, grabbing, and shoving some demonstrators.

Nearly 40 people were arrested. The police say the protest marches happened without prior authorization. Human rights groups are condemning the violence.

ANDERSON: Well, Saudi Arabia's king speaking to Turkey's president just hours ago about the disappearance of a prominent Saudi journalist and perhaps interestingly and importantly. It was not the kingdom's powerful crown prince on the phone. More on that in a moment. This hour, both countries are reportedly forming a working group to discuss the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. Turkish officials believed he was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabia vehemently denies the claim. Well, there is international condemnation of the journalist disappearance and the threat of sanctions. Riyadh responded with its own threat of greater action but later worked step bad to those countries that did not jump to conclusions about the incident. Well, Saudi Arabia's stock market took a bit of a beating over Khashoggi's case and are joining that terrorist report this could spell trouble for the world market as well.

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Investors don't like geopolitical risk and right now Saudi Arabia is delivering uncertainty by the boatload. A harden position from Riyadh on the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi only making matters worse. The Saudi Tadawul Stock Index lost seven percent at the start of trading day but finished out nearly three and a half percent. Here's a look at the index since the disappearance of the Saudi journalist.

We are now looking at a loss of nine percent or just short of what's known as a market correction. This comes after the Saudi Exchange joined the global MSCI Emerging Markets Index back in June. A seminal moment opening up the markets who international investors who at this stage see more trouble brewing. Riyadh formally declared it will not take potential western lead sanctions against the kingdom lying down. It said if it receives any action, it will respond with greater action.

Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of oil at nearly 11 million barrels a day. But many attributed that statement as a potential threat to supplies. This could dramatically impact U.S.-Saudi relations. U.S. President Donald Trump has lend on Saudi Arabia, another Gulf producers to fill the void left in the oil market by Washington sanctions against Iran. The implication many in the market believe is that oil could rise to a hundred dollars a barrel again last seen back in 2014.

John Defterios, CNN Business, Abu Dhabi.

ANDERSON: Well, the list of business leaders pulling out of Saudi investment conference continues to grow. JPMorgan Chase just announced its CEO, Jamie Dimon won't go. Ford said its executive chairman is no longer attending either even though they said it's due to a scheduling conflict. Now, these matters the conference which build itself as Davos in the (INAUDIBLE) key part of the Saudi rebranding. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Sectary Steve Mnuchin still plans to attend but that may change later in the week.

Well, CNN one of several media outlets who have pulled sponsorships from the conference along with CNBC, the Financial Times, and Bloomberg. Journalist Andrew Finkel joining me now here in -- all right. CNN is one of several media outlets who have pulled sponsorship from the conference along with CNBC, the Financial Times, and Bloomberg. All right. Let's bring in journalist Andrew Finkel now joins me now in Istanbul.

[02:35:06] What lies if any to these developments overnight shared on the (INAUDIBLE) to where Jamal is and where this wider diplomatic crisis is going?

ANDREW FINKEL, JOURNALIST: Well, I think the curious thing of course is that although this (INAUDIBLE) is going on or these phone calls have been made, we're still actually no nearer than we were even a week ago to knowing what actually the fate of Jamal Khashoggi. We've had a call from the king significantly bypassing the prince to the Turkish president clearly trying to put to steal the troubled waters.

Now, I'm emphasizing the Turkish-Saudi friendship of course this is a slightly barred complimented basically putting pressure on the Turks not to make a fuss. We believe that the Turkish government actually has recordings of what actually happened could actually clarify this matter and yet that information is not forthcoming.

ANDERSON: Yes. Release that information and the rumor and speculation, the conjecture as to what has happened to Jamal might begin to see. Do you think that and this will be a discussion today that this might be the end of the bromance as it were between a small covert in the Trump administration, Jared Kushner being one of them and the crown prince in Saudi and a different relationship that might emerge, a more traditional relationship between the Saudi government and the U.S. administration?

FINKEL: Well, I'm sure there are many people in the state department who are hoping that that's the case. I think what we saw perhaps in the early days of the Trump administration was a privatization of foreign policy that it was taken over by personal contacts would have been nourish by business contacts over the years and that this relationship have become less and professional and had encourage really this bad behavior that we may have witness now.

So I think it would be with some relief that, you know, if that relationship falls back and it's done in a proper way and that, you know, genuine outrages express at what is maybe a terrible event.

ANDERSON: We discussed now for some days the rancorous strategy in all of this and we've been revealing this notion that Turkey with a very challenging economic environment at present (INAUDIBLE) surrounded by the potential to worsen or improve relations with three key partners let's say. Let's not necessarily call them allies these days. But Washington on the one hand, well, some will call the (INAUDIBLE) on the next and then -- and then Riyadh which has been relationship which has been tough and to say the least the Ankara- Riyadh relationship.

As things stand the beginning of a new working week with Washington now increasingly embroiled in this sort of diplomatic chaos, what do you think Ankara's strategy will be next?

FINKEL: Of course, you've left out Iran which is -- which is -- (CROSSTALK)

FINKEL: -- it's a quadrangle (INAUDIBLE) not just economic but it's Syria. It's geopolitical as well. Of course, Ankara now has this power at its hand that really does have this tape. But of course, it's a very dangerous sort of power to use and I think we've seen a great deal of reluctance for them to actually take a stand one way or the other. Of course, and you have to remember there's actually probably genuine sense of outrage that this has happened on Turkey's soil.

Jamal Khashoggi was well-connected within the Turkish establishment. He knew the president. He had friends here. He was close to government circle. So I think, you know, the fact that this were leaked is a -- is a real sense as much as strategic outrage but real anger.

ANDERSON: And this lack of transparency on the part of the official Turkish authorities will only go to remind people around the world just that this is sort of the cloud of problematic sort of issues here that Erdogan is accused of so often.

FINKEL: Well, of course Turkey does not have a great record in treating with its own journalist or and indeed its manage to extract various dissidents from other countries of its own, so it's no angel in this regard, although, it hasn't gone as far as actually what we think may have been the case of actually murdering someone and chopping them into bits. However, you know, Turkey is really in typical bind because, you know, it probably knows exactly what happened but to confront an economic power like Saudi and a political power as well and given its relationship with Iran this requires a great deal of courage.

ANDERSON: And the notion in Washington at least was the speed of which it got involved in this was (INAUDIBLE) and many more say that is because Donald Trump's administration is focusing on the release of Andrew Brunson, the pastor which is done certainly done the Washington-Ankara narrative and an enormous amount of things, correct?

[02:40:21] FINKEL: Well, that is correct. I mean what Turkey as you said is on the brink of a really very serious economic crisis and might someone said that crisis is already upon it. Now, to get out of that crisis it needs really to end the sense of isolation that it's been in. It's been fighting with Washington. It's been fighting with Europe. It's, you know, it has the Syria conflict on its sources. So it really need some friends to survive economically.

So the Brunson maneuver was very much an attempt to reduce pressure on the Turkish lira. It was an attempt to reestablish itself in the concourse of nations.

ANDERSON: And successful to certain sense.

FINKEL: To a certain extent.

ANDERSON: Andrew, thank you. Andrew Finkel with me here (INAUDIBLE) not least, Rosemary, the one that sit to the center of all of this which is where is Jamal Khashoggi? Back to you.

CHURCH: Thank you so much, Becky. And we will talk with you again next hour. Well, an important border is reopening but a war still needs to come to a close. The latest on the renewal of ties between Syria and Jordan. That's coming out in just a moment. Plus, the Pope names seven new saints including two of the most contentious Catholic figures of the 20th century. Back with that in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:44:51] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, elsewhere in the Middle East, Syria's long-running civil war has stoked tensions with its southern neighbor, Jordan. The fighting isn't over but there are signs improve relations could be underway. The two countries say they are reopening a shared border crossing. Reuters' news agency reports the crossing has been closed since 2015, for Syrian government forces seized the area from rebels back in July.

Well, this also comes as a key crossing is reopening in the Golan Heights. That's where CNN's Ian Lee is live with the very latest. We go to him now. Ian, good to see you. So, what is the significance of the reopening of this crossing? And what might have signaled?

IAN LEE, CNN FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Rosemary, really does signal, Syria's re-engagement with the region. Like you said, not only is this border crossing opening the Quneitra border crossing, but you also have the one in Jordan. But the one that's opening today right behind me, you can see there's a heavy security presence here. And that's because Syria and Israel do not have formal relations.

This border crossing is operated by UNDOF that is the U.N. agency that oversees the -- this demilitarized area. And so, they are the ones that are going to be opening it with coordination from the Israelis, from the Syrians.

But this is a border crossing. You'll have U.N. soldiers that will be coming through here. But in the past, you would have some trade apples being the primary would be coming from the Israel control Golan, into side Syria, you would also have some people who lived here. The true -- truth minority community that lives in the Golan, they are -- where they can also go into Syria which is something that is unique about this border crossing. I also want to show you over here.

This is the kind of military presence that UNDOF has here. There's about a thousand soldiers roughly that will be monitoring this frontier. And many of them like these soldiers here are from Fiji. And in 2014, when this border closed, al-Qaeda backed militants captured 45 Fijian soldiers. They were released after negotiations.

So, this has been a very tumultuous border crossing -- a tumultuous area. But now with the rebels gone, I can see that a Syrian flag is fluttering on the other side. They are set to reopen in about an hour.

ALLEN: And Ian, what more you learning about these renewed ties between Syria or in Jordan?

LEE: Well, this one is crucial because, before the war, Syria and Jordan had a good trade, especially, on the Jaber-Naseeb border crossing there. One of the main border crossings between the two countries. But, this is going to be very important because Jordan has over a million Syrian refugees.

So, the fate of them that also will be a question what will happens to them? Will they go back to Syria? Can they go back to Syria safely? Or will they have to have another plan? But this just shows that -- again, Syria is reengaging with the region, especially with Jordan with that border crossing being reopened after Syrian forces were able to recapture it after they lost it in 2015.

ALLEN: Our Ian Lee with that too significant development, joining us live from the Golan Heights. Many thanks to you, Ian. We'll take a short break here. Still, to come, thousands of people gathering Vatican City as the Pope canonizes seven new Saints. And we will tell you who they were. Back in just a month with that.

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[02:50:54] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Now, it is the time of year of portions of the United States still hanging on to what seems like summer warmth, at least, locked in across the southeast and expected to warm up here in the next couple of days.

Well, towards the north, that is winter weather radar beginning to come in as some snow showers expected to enter the picture here. In fact, you kind of see that across the northern portion of Michigan. A quick glancing blow across portions of the plains here.

Certainly, wet weather in the form of wintry weather is back in the forecast. And these high temps in places absolutely supported. Winnipeg, a high temperature of four degrees. Chicago only manages to make it up to eight, where remember several weeks ago, we were comfortably into the middle and upper 20s in places such as Chicago may not see that again for quite some time.

And, of course, the trend here across the South keeps it rather mild wants to warm it up a little towards the heart of the week, while we do get pretty significant bouts of cold air to the north here. In New York City, how about dropping from almost 20 down into the single digits come Thursday afternoon.

They do rebound nicely but notice the end result as we pushed closer and closer towards the latter portion of Halloween is going to be those higher areas of the single digits for high temps expected to remain in the forecast.

Havana Cuba, 32 degrees, Belize City, around 28. A few thunderstorms in Managua temps there should be into the middle and upper 20s while down towards Manaus. At 35 degrees Lima, Peru, cloudy conditions, will go for about 21 degrees.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the original everything store has declared bankruptcy after 132 years. U.S. retailer, Sears, has been struggling for a while now. But the final stroll was a $134 million debt payment due on Monday, a debt it could not pay.

Sears parent company which owned Sears and Kmart stores says it intends to stay in business, it plans to keep profitable stores open along with its online shopping sites.

Pope Francis has canonized 7 new Catholic saints. Among them, Archbishop Oscar Romero and Pope Paul VI. CNN's Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher has the details now from Rome.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: A day of celebration at the Vatican as Pope Francis declared 7 new saints including two women. Founders of religious orders in Germany and Spain. And a young boy from Naples who died at the age of 19 of bone cancer. And whom Pope Francis said was an example to young people of humility and courage.

Perhaps, the most well-known of today's new Saints are Pope Paul VI. He was Pope in the 60s and 70s. From 1963 to 1978, and oversaw the changes of the Second Vatican Council bringing the Catholic Church into the modern world.

And Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. The archbishop who was assassinated in March of 1980 while he was saying mass in El Salvador. And Pope Francis was wearing the blood-stained belt of the archbishop that he was wearing on the day that he was assassinated.

Here's what one priest from El Salvador told us about the importance of Saint Romero.

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FATHER JORGE ALBERTO FUENTES, PRIEST, ROMAN CATHOLIC (through translator): Of the prophetic strength of Romero, his social message always current. His defense of the poor and the most vulnerable of society, without doubt, it's a message that we need to reconcile for our country.

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