Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Pittsburgh Rejects Trump's Presence; Controversial Birthright Citizenship to be Taken by President Trump's Executive Order; A Lead to Lion Air's Crash Found; Christian Woman Acquitted of Death Penalty; Pakistan's Supreme Court Spares Asia Bibi's Life; President Trump Travels To Pittsburgh To Pay Respects; Notorious Mobster Whitey Bulger Killed In Prison; India Unveils World's Tallest Statue; Humans Causing Mass Animal Extinction; Duke And Duchess Take On New Zealand Customs. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 31, 2018 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: The U.S. president went to Pittsburgh to pay his respects to the victims of the synagogue shooting but he -- why he was shunned by many in the community.

After days of searching, investigators are finally detecting signals from the flight recorders on the Lion Air plane that crash at sea.

And a towering controversy in India, the prime minister has just unveiled the world's tallest statue. But critics say it's a costly political ploy.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And this is CNN Newsroom.

Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail in the coming hours following a somber visit Tuesday to Pittsburgh, a city grieving over the deadliest attack ever on Jews in the United States.

The president and the first lady kept a low profile on their visit making no public comments, instead lighting candles and placing flowers for the dead at the sight of Saturday's mass shooting, the Tree of Life synagogue.

He was greeted by the rabbi. But not everyone thought this was the right time for the president to come. Demonstrators protested nearby, some holding signs saying, we do bridges, not walls. And another sign saying denounce white nationalism.

CNN's Gary Tuchman is in Pittsburgh. He talked with several of the demonstrators about what they want for the city and for the United States as a whole.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the things during the campaign for president that Donald Trump has had that I watched personally from a rally, I took careful note of, because I thought it was so important, is when he said that if he were elected he would be a unifier. This is further evidence that he has not been able to keep that

promise. People here are very angry and very upset, saying that words matter. No one I've talked to here blaming the president for what happened here on Saturday with this gunman going into the synagogue and savagely murdering all these people.

But everyone who is standing here feels that his words led to the atmosphere that caused that. And what people are chanting behind me is they want him to go home. They don't want him to attend here in the first place.

They feel that the police all here watching this demonstration guarding him during his visit are taken away from resources which are need for people who are being laid to rest this week and all the suffering that's going on this community.

I want to give you an idea what people think. These two young ladies, turn around for me a second. You're holding a banner that says our religion is love. What is that implying.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just represent unity in Pittsburgh. We welcome everybody here.

TUCHMAN: Including the president?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I respect the president because he's our president but he represents division to us and that's not what we are about here, so.

TUCHMAN: And how do you feel about then?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here to support not only the Jewish community but all the communities that have been affected by the divisiveness that's going on our community and across the country. This I hope is going to a foundation to build and create some unity in our nation.

CHURCH: And White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says President Trump called his visit to Pittsburgh very humbling and very sad. She added that Mr. Trump wanted to show his respect and support on behalf of the entire country.

More now from CNN's Jim Acosta.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Mr. President, any message for the people of Pittsburgh?

With the first lady on his side, President Trump traveled to Pittsburgh. The city in mourning after the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue. The city of Pittsburgh is split over Mr. Trump's presence with some community leaders wishing he would stay home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICH FITZGERALD, ALLEGHENY COUNTY EXECUTIVE: We're trying to heal right now. Yes, I think a later time would be better. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: While the synagogue's rabbi left his door open.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAZZAN JEFFREY MYERS, RABBI, TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE: This is not about one person. It's about hate, and the good must win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Mr. Trump is igniting passion at reactions to nearly every move he makes, in part because he's inflaming an already bitterly divided country. Just one week before the midterms the president is resurrecting a controversial proposal he's made before. To end birthright citizenship in the U.S., something he claims he can do with an executive order.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was always told me that you needed a constitutional amendment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

TRUMP: But guess what.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: But he's wrong. The 14th amendment to the Constitution guarantees citizenship to people born in the U.S. Presidential scholars and members of Congress from both parties agree Mr. Trump would have to amend the Constitution.

(BEGIN VOICE CLIP)

PAUL RYAN, UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Well, you obviously cannot do that. You cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order.

(END VOICE CLIP)

[03:04:59] ACOSTA: The citizenship issue is straight down to the president's midterm play book to energize his base with racially loaded rhetoric like his claim that the convey of migrants, many of them women and children, heading for the border is an invasion, requiring a military response when it doesn't.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RYAN COSTELLO (R), PENNSYLVANIA: I don't know how much political calculus he's playing to this. I think he thinks maybe the race. But my point is, I don't like it. I don't think it's effective. It's not good for our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: The president is also using questionable language in describing Florida's Democratic candidate for governor, Andrew Gillum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Look, he's a guy that in my opinion is a stone-cold thief. He's a disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: That followed a tweet for Mr. Trump that describe Gillum's opponent as a Harvard, Yale educated man. Gillum fired back in a tweet of his own, saying, "I heard Trump ran home to Fox News to lie about me. But as my grandmother told me, never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it."

The White House is scrambling to clean up after the president's remarks, even Vice President Mike Pence try to maintain that Mr. Trump respects the American press despite dubbing some news outlets the enemy of the people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the president believes in freedom of press. What the president is complaining and it's often mischaracterized not by you, either of you. But the president says fake news is the problem, not news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: The question is whether any of this will have an impact on the midterms as Democrats are hopeful voters have grown weary of the president's rhetoric.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am sick and tired of this administration.

(APPLAUSE)

BIDEN: I'm sick and tired of a strong (Ph) man.

(CROWD CHEERING)

BIDEN: I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I hope you are, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And Mr. Trump's attacks on the presser are also right out of the president's midterm playbook. A source close to the White House says is outside and inside advisers are urging the president to keep on slamming the media despite the pipe bombs that were mailed to CNN over the last week.

Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: Joining me now to talk more about all of this is Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for politics. Good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR POLITICS: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, let's start with President Trump's trip to Pittsburgh. Why do you think he traveled there despite the fact the mayor and others asked him to wait until after the funerals?

SABATO: Well, we know one reason why. He has rally stacked between here and Tuesday, the election day. And he wouldn't want to cancel any of them. He didn't cancel the one the evening of the shootings.

So, you know, my sense of it is that this was the day that fit into his schedule best. His schedule best. And there was a lot of opposition as a consequence.

CHURCH: Wow. I mean, that's pretty damning given what we're dealing with here. I mean, this was a national tragedy. So, there are calls for the president to unite and comfort this nation in the wake of that synagogue e shooting and other hate crimes playing out across the country at this time.

How likely is it that we could perhaps see the president do that talk to the nation, is he getting any advice from within the White House that he needs to stop rhetoric that he's using and actually comfort the nation.

SABATO: It is amazing that this president doesn't seem to have the basic ability that other presidents of both parties, even some who were rhetorically challenged, let's say, actually did have in extending the hand, in feeling the pain of Americans going through trauma and calming the nation.

He doesn't have it, he can't do it. And I don't think he's going to develop it at this age. He's in his 70s and he is what he is. It's is just remarkable it's another tragedy of this presidency, and as I say I'll be surprised if it ever changes.

CHURCH: Let's turn to the other big issue that has everyone distracted and confused. In fact, and that is President Trump suggestion to end birthright citizenship with an executive order.

Now this is what Vice President pence had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PENCE: We all chairs the language of the 14th amendment but the Supreme Court of United States has never ruled on whether or not the language of the 14th amendment, subject to the jurisdiction thereof apply specifically to people who were in the country illegally.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: So, legal experts say Mr. Trump would have to change the Constitution. Si this just politics at play do you think ahead of the midterm elections or could Mr. Trump very well try to end birthright citizenship. And when we were listening there to Vice President Pence oftentimes he's not trying to explain how the go forward with this.

[03:10:00] SABATO: Rosemary, there's no doubt this is about the election, just like the emphasis on the dangerous caravan that's a thousand miles away from the U.S. border. These are issues to stir the Trump base to get more Republicans to vote on Tuesday. That is the main purpose.

But let's say he really intends to do this. It's absolute poppycock what Vice President Pence said and what President Trump has said. You cannot change a constitutional amendment or any part thereof with anything other than another constitutional amendment unless there is a provision in the Constitution or in that amendment, which permits you to do so and that is not true with the 14th amendment.

So, this is, if it's not made up. It ought to be. Executive -- executive orders don't cover the Constitution. One Democrat said to me today. You know what? Maybe I agree to that. Letting taking the executive order doing away with birthright citizenship if we'll agree that the next Democratic president can abolish the electoral college by executive order. Of course, Republicans would never permit that.

CHURCH: When you listen to what Vice President Pence says, though, he is more or less trying to say that the 14th amendment doesn't apply here. So, it doesn't apply to illegals. So is there -- I mean, would they move forward on a legal argument like that so that they would suggest there is no need to change the Constitution because these illegal immigrants do not fall under that amendment.

SABATO: Actually, there was discussion in Congress about similar circumstances and it was clearly understood that the people could be in the United States noncitizens for whatever reason. And if someone gave birth the baby was automatically a citizen of the United States.

And by the way, the Supreme Court did adjudicate a case in 1898 that dealt in part with this very issue and it was determined that the 14th amendment should be upheld and that citizenship should be granted.

So, I don't know who's advising Vice President Pence. And I don't know who's advising Donald Trump. Maybe themselves, but they really need to take a refresher course in constitutional law.

CHURCH: And we should be watching to see what impact to all of this has on the midterms not far away right now. Larry Sabato, thank you so much. We appreciate your perspective and analysis.

SABATO: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And one of Donald Trump's most trusted aide counselor Kellyanne Conway is also defending his birthright citizenship plan. She denies the president is pushing the issue to drum up support from his conservative base before the midterms. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISOR: There are constitutional scholars who say the 14th amendment has been misinterpreted and actually the Supreme Court has never given a solid opinion on this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But Conway's husband, attorney George Conway has a different view. In a Washington Post op-ed he called President Trump's proposal unconstitutional and he wrote in part this. "It exceeds the scope of his authority. Our Constitution could not be clearer that it is Congress, not the president who is in the driver seat when it comes to immigration. A constitutional amendment would indeed be necessary to revoke birthright citizenship but no matter what an executive order could never suffice. Notwithstanding the president's assertion."

And President Trump's vow to end birthright citizenship is his latest salvo against immigration laws. He fears lead to chain migration. And we should point out that his own family has taken advantage of those very same laws.

Earlier this year, Melania Trump, an immigrant herself finalize the process for her parents to be granted American citizenship through her sponsorship. Now that type of family visa is exactly one of the categories that President Trump has tried to repeal.

The immigration lawyer who help Melania Trump's parents get their citizenship, says the president's fears are unfounded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL WILDES, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: The dialogue has deteriorated tremendously. The notion of an anchor baby and the fear that the president is instilling is just not factual. I have not seen in my 30 years of practice, a woman coming in pregnant so that 21 years later, yes, 21 years later, a parent can then be sponsored by child but only if the parent entered illegally and overstayed.

So, we have legal mechanisms and we shouldn't be playing to fears and this is just another political effort unfortunately where immigration is a Ping Pong. And again, we have foreign students that are looking to onboard into the workforce. We're going to be competing against them. We're distracting the most vulnerable.

[03:14:59] And scores of people watching this, clients that are coming to immigration lawyers throughout the nation are living in fear every time something like this happens. Do not fear. This won't work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we should note birthright citizenship is not unique to the United States. As you can see here 30 countries, including the U.S. offer birthright citizenship. It's most common in the Americas compared to other parts of the world,

almost all European, African, Asian and oceanic countries grant their citizenship through right of blood, that is children inherit citizenship through their parents, but not their birthplace.

We'll take a break here, but still to come, getting closer to some answers. The latest developments in the investigation of the Lion Air crash in Indonesia.

Plus, a Christian woman was found guilty of insulting the Prophet Mohammed and sentenced to death. Now Pakistan's Supreme Court has weighed in on the case, and we alive from Islamabad with a report on that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Indonesian investigators are closing in on the flight data recorders on board the doomed Lion Air flight. Officials say they have heard transponder pings that could lead them to the plane's boxes. Investigators are trying to determine why the fairly new Boeing 737 max 9 went down 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta on Monday.

Our Will Ripley joins us now from Hong Kong with a live report. So, Will, what is the latest on these pings that have been detected and how long do Indonesian officials think it might take to retrieve these boxes?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At this point they just don't know, Rosemary, but it does seem to be at least at the moment that authorities believe there is positive momentum in terms of what they are hearing underwater that will hopefully lead them to, not only the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder which could provide vital clues as to what actually happened flight 610, but also the fuselage itself, which undoubtedly holds the remains of the majority of the 189 people on board.

Now whether those remains will actually be able to be recovered is an open question. And for the, you know, hundreds of family members who are waiting to hear if their loved ones will be positively identified.

These are obviously just painful agonizing moments just the hours after the plane disappeared and vanished from radar where many were holding out hope that perhaps there were survivors.

[03:20:06] Clearly, hope of survivors is now lost. But at least for people who want closure they want to get to their loved ones identified and laid to rest, note, depending on their religious beliefs. It's very important to have those.

And I know that rescuers are certainly trying their best. The caller that we're getting from journalists on the scene our own CNN team is that it really is just a sad and depressing grim situation when these boats come back and they bring the remains they have to lay them out.

You have the site, you have the smell, all of the things that remind you that just an awful event has taken place. And there is grief, but there are also many questions as to what could have happened. What could've caused this brand-new plane, the state-of-the-art cutting- edge Boeing 737 max, a version of one of the most popular jetliners in the world, a jetliner that most people who fly.

I have flown on at one time or another takes off and just 13 minutes later vanishes from radar, plummets into the Java Sea. But these ocean searches even with relatively shallow water, shallow waters of 35 meters or 114 feet.

It's still extraordinarily difficult to locate a plane even know they do have the debris field and they have the fuel floating to the surface and all the things that lead, you know, about a thousand rescuers who were out there on boats, helicopters, that the divers it gets them closer but still it's a painstaking difficult effort.

You know, it's a cliche to say finding a needle in a haystack but when you're talking about a small aircraft in a big ocean that is essentially what it is. And they're using all the latest technology that they have at their disposal in Indonesia right now to find that plane and get people the answers that they deserve.

CHURCH: And Will, as you have been talking with us we've been taking these live pictures there clearly some of the loved ones. The family members. They are going through some of the retrieve belongings. A grim task for those family members.

And you also mentioned the questions. One of the big questions here that needs answering is why the pilots requested to turn back to Jakarta but never actually declared an emergency. Presumably we'll only know the answer to that if these black boxes can be retrieved.

RIPLEY: That's absolutely right. Because what it indicates to aviation experts is that perhaps the pilots thought whatever issue was taking place and it does -- when you look at things like an erratic change in altitude direction and speed, aviation experts say that points them to speculate that there was some sort of an equipment failure, but what piece of equipment.

Was it related to the technical issue that was reported on this plane the night before that Lion Air says was repaired, the flight passed off pre-flight inspections. It was deemed airworthy. Or was this something else, something unexpected that took the crew by surprise.

Those are things that they will not know until they are able to analyze the data, both recorded, you know, from the plane's instruments itself, but also listening to the captain and his copilot in the cockpit who are undoubtedly as all pilots and copilots do every day.

You know their number one priority is to get that plane and get everybody on board to their destination safely. And 99.9 percent of the time it happens it obviously didn't happen in this case.

It is heartbreaking, Rosemary, to see these family members looking through the pile of clothing. If you think about the fact you know if somebody's favorite shirt or the little pink slippers that were undoubtedly for one of the children. There was a child, two infants on board the plane.

To think that people are looking through and they see items that that belong to the people who they love who are now lost somewhere underneath the Java Sea. It is truly as is with every plane crash we covered just heartbreaking to think about what they're going through right now.

CHURCH: It is the truly heartbreaking and hard to grasp exactly how many of those family members will continue on. They want the answers to their questions and that's why these black boxes being retrieved is so important for the sake of those loved ones and for future travel on that particular plane.

Thank you so much, Will Ripley joining us live from Hong Kong.

Well, Pakistan's Supreme Court has decided to spare a Christian woman's life. Asia Bibi has been on death row since 2010 when she was found guilty of blasphemy, but she has now won her appeal against the conviction and the sentence.

Bibi was charged with making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed during an argument with three Muslim women. Her case had gained international attention.

CNN's Sophia Saifi joins us now from Islamabad. So, Sophia, what has been the reaction there to this decision by Pakistan's Supreme Court to overturn the conviction of this Christian woman.

[03:25:04] Now there's been a little more time for people to digest this result here.

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, when this decision was made and when it made -- was made public there was a lot of celebration, there has been a widespread joy at this decision by the Supreme Court among human rights activists, among the lawyers who'd been working very hard on getting Asia Bibi free.

Now on the flipside, we had seen across the country protest breakout. Now what's happening is, is that because the blasphemy laws and any kind of, you know, condemnation -- you know, any criticism of the Prophet Mohammed is seen as blasphemy.

There is a lot of reticence amongst local media to be reporting on any of these protests that are taking place. So we're getting some very murky reports but a lot of chatter is taking place on social media and on WhatsApp, et cetera, people sharing information that there has been, there been protest in Karachi which is the largest city of Pakistan.

There has been protest here in the capital. Even when we are in our bureau a lot of the roads around us have now been locked down and people are taking their children out of school. This might more be -- maybe more panic than actual, you know, mob riots in the country, but there is this fear that this could now spiral out of control. Rosemary? CHURCH: And Sophia, talk to us about what pressure was brought to bear to acquit Asia Bibi after eight years on death row. And of course, what happens to her now because she and her family members cannot live in safety there.

SAIFI: Exactly, Rosemary. I mean, there is a massive fear for her family, for herself, even for her lawyer and for her lawyer's family as well. I mean, the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, was killed when he spoke out in defense of her back in 2011.

So, you know, there are concerns that, you know, they will be -- I mean, it will take about two to three days for her to be freed from jail in Lahore. But when I spoke to her lawyer there have been some overtures by western countries to provide asylum to her but we wouldn't really know until she's probably flown out of the country.

There had been a lot of pressure put on by the Vatican. The Pope himself met members of her family. There was pressure from the European Union. They have warned of economic consequences if this matter had not been resolved by Pakistan.

So, you know, there had been a lot of international pressure, there had been a lot of pressure by human rights organizations here in Pakistan, as well. So, you know, that had been, of course, that had, you know, been taken into effect by the Supreme Court.

So, we're seeing this situation and rather before us and we're going to continue to monitor what lies ahead for Asia Bibi's future here in Pakistan.

CHURCH: Of course. Many thanks to our Sophia Saifi reporting there live from Islamabad.

We'll take a short break here. Still to come in the aftermath of the synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh, a grieving community came together, but the arrival of the U.S. president has revealed a growing divide in the city and well beyond. That is still to come.

And the crown prince has big plans to remake Saudi Arabia's economy. But a number of controversies could block his agenda. We'll take a look at that when we come back.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM HOST: Welcome back everyone. This is CNN "Newsroom," and I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check the headlines for you this hour. Pakistan's Supreme Court has acquitted a Christian woman who has been on death row on blasphemy charges. Bibi, the mother of five was found guilty in 2010 of taking the prophet's Mohammad's name in vain while arguing with her Muslim colleagues, but she now won her appeal against the conviction and death sentence. Indonesia authorities have detected a ping signal from the flight data

recorders on the doomed Lion Air flight. This could lead divers to the boxes and the fuselage of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane. 189 people were on board when the nearly new plane crashed 13 minutes after takeoff on Monday.

Critics greeted President Trump in Pittsburgh three days after 11 jurors were gun down in the synagogue. The President and First Lady lit candles and laid flowers and stones at the memorials for the victims, a block away, thousands of protesters gathered some calling on Mr. Trump to denounce White nationalism.

Well, President Trump's visit to Pittsburgh while low-key and somber has further exposed to political divisions in the U.S. ahead of next Tuesday's midterm elections. More now from CNN's Sara Sidner.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first funerals of the faithful after the massacre in Squirrel Hill. Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz considered family by those he treated for generations. Daniel Stein, a father and husband.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was a fun guy, he had a dry sense of humor.

SIDNER: And beloved brothers David and Cecil Rosenthal who made each soul who entered the synagogue feel special and welcome. This is what the community is focusing on there are funerals for seven more yet to come. Enter President Trump. The mere mention of his name evokes a reaction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please it is not about him. It is about the deceased, it is about the family, it is about the community. But now we all have to try to survive and move forward. He needs to just stay away and stop his provoking words.

SIDNER: Becky Goldberg's Christian her husband is Jewish. She knows a little something about acceptance and doesn't want division entering this heartbroken place, but it has. Jewish leaders are at odds, diversity of thought prevalent in the Jewish community as it is in other communities. The former tree of life synagogue president sent this message.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do not welcome the president to my city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a citizen here, he is my president, and he is certainly welcome.

SIDNER: Tree of life synagogue Rabbi Jeffrey Myers welcome the president and paid a price for it.

JEFFREY MYERS, TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE RABBI: When ICE first said that the president was welcome, I've received a lot of email, the sad thing that said to me is those emails also contain hate. And it just continues in this vicious cycle, hate -- promulgating more hate to getting more hate and that's just not the solution. SIDNER: But he is clear his first duty is to comfort his people as

the 20 minutes of terror rattles around in his head. He has not stopped. We watched as he removed the sacred Torah from his synagogue turned crime scene at one of the many makeshift memorials that have appeared throughout the neighborhood. His message of unity, peace and love are abundant, but there was great concern that the president very presence would distract from what this community really needs, a message that comforts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am an American, and the president is an American and he could go where ever he wants. I hope he chooses his words that are genuine, that are reuniting and genuinely compassionate.

SIDNER: The president arrives here in Pittsburgh and yes there were protests, hundreds of people gathered to protest his presence here.

[03:35:00] We also heard a very small group of people here in this neighborhood protesting the president as well. They live here and they do not appreciate him coming at this time. To be clear, it appears there are a lot of people here in Pittsburgh who simply did not want to see the president at this time, no matter what he had to say. Sara Sidner, CNN, Pittsburgh.

(END VIDEO)

CHURCH: One of the most notorious gangsters in American history has been killed. James Whitey Bulger was found dead in his cell in a West Virginia prison on Tuesday killed by an unknown assailant. He had just been transferred to the prison hours earlier. Bolger, who alluded federal authorities for more than 16 years before his arrest in June 2011, was serving the rest of his life in prison for a litany of crimes which included his role in 11 murders. At one point he was the FBI second most wanted man just behind 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden.

His story was so well known Hollywood made a movie about him Black Mass, starring Johnny Depp. Bulger was also the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in the film, "The departed."

U.S. defense chief, James Mattis and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, are calling on all participants in Yemen Civil War to agree to a cease-fire in the next 30 days. They are insisting on a swift end to airstrikes and want to support the U.N. special envoy to find a solution. Mattis says it's urgent. Both sides start talking soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MATTIS, DEFENSE SECRETARY GENERAL: Improved accuracy of bombs is still a war. So we've got to move toward a peace effort here and we can't say were going to do it sometime in the future. We need to be doing this in the next 30 days. We've admired this problem for long enough down there. And I believe that the Saudis and the Emirates are ready, and in fact that the Houthis not walked out of the last effort to Mark Griffin had joined we would probably be on our way there right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Thousands of people have been killed and millions are threatened by famine. Yemen is one of the factors influencing investors in Saudi Arabia investigation into the killing of Jamaal Khashoggi is another. The Saudi Crown Prince wants to reboot the kingdom's economy and make it less oil dependence. His vision 2030 relies heavily on foreign investment and Western know-how. John Defterios reports Jamal Khashoggi killing has put his plan at risk.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: For the hometown crowd Saudi crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, enjoys their rock star status. His followers eager to capture his image. Bold declarations of further packed the audience at his investments summit, with high- profile regional leaders were met by rapturous applause.

But the multibillion-dollar question and what the Saudis called a premeditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the international and doing of the Crown Prince's economic blueprint called vision 2030.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think ultimately, we will go back to the opportunity, the reciprocity, we look at win-win situation, we look at what is beneficial for one nation with Saudi Arabia and the others.

DEFTERIOS: The region's biggest economy, which is over half trillion dollars of cash reserves is counting on a similar amount of foreign investment to complete its 2030 master plan. The conference causes megaprojects dreamers like the NEOM City of the future and the Red Sea Island resorts. That today only exists in flashy videos. To come to life, they require Western design, engineering prowess and competence.

Foreign investors are rattled by the collapse in oil prices, but better than two years ago that eventually collided with three key events. The detention of 300 Saudi billionaires, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the economic embargo against Qatar and the ongoing nasty war in Yemen. Combined, it raise the level of risk in Saudi Arabia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investing money is all about risk and reward, and if Saudi Arabia is able to present the risks versus the rewards in a way that's favorable to investors. Investors will resume looking at the kingdom.

DEFTERIOS: The Crown prince may fine going back to highest profile U.S. corporate leaders challenging with the reputational risk at hand. But the daily tome over Jamaal Khashoggi's murder investigation, analyst suggest could eventually lead to a Middle East political reset driven by Turkey's president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Erdogan is a fine politician who is certainly leverage was going on now to Turkey's benefit and then many advantages to be obtained for Turkey from what is happening now. One advantage is which for everyone, which is more rapprochement between these two large economies, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, better relations.

DEFTERIOS: Which may be the first step for the Saudi Crown Prince to rebuilding the kingdom status, depending of course another murder investigation concludes. John Defterios, CNN, Riyadh.

(END VIDEO)

[03:40:10] CHURCH: India unveils a tarring memorial to an icon, but there is controversy over the world's tallest statue. A look at the criticism in a live report.

Plus, the earth's wildlife population faces what researchers call a mind blowing crisis. I'm been talking with the wildlife researcher who worked on that startling assessment. We will have more from him in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. The world tallest statue has been unveiled by India's prime minister. The statue of unity honors Sardar Patel, the freedom fighter is credited with uniting India during its independence era, but the huge monument is hugely controversial. New Delhi Bureau Chief, Nikhil Kumar, joins us now with more on all of this. Nikhil what are the critics saying about this and why would the Indian government choose to erect this massive statue at this time?

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI'S BUSINESS CHIEF: Well, Rosemary the critics and there are among the critics, many renowned historians. They say that this is an attempt a naked political attempt by Prime Minister Modi and his (inaudible) or of course on the right flank, opinion, politics, the try and appropriate to try and own the legacy of the very popular national figure who actually belongs at the other end of the spectrum of the political spectrum in this country. Sardar Patel is the first deputy Prime Minister, he was a lifelong member of the Congress party. Today of course, sits in opposition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KUMAR: It stands 182 meters tall, more than double the height of the Statue of Liberty. This mammoth iron and bronze sculpture depicts an Indian national hero. This is India's first deputy prime minister who was credited with unifying the country after independence. The project's chief engineer says it wasn't easy to build.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATOR): The first challenge was its height. Secondly, the location is remote. The third problem was structure. The shape of the statue was such that the foundation is narrow and the upper body is wider so that was a challenge.

KUMAR: A museum at the site shows Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the nickname iron man, because he threatened military force to pressures some 500 self-governing princely states to join the new state of India.

[03:45:06] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was only because of his efforts. His knowledge and art of bringing them together today we are one India, we are one united India.

KUMAR: Many see the project as a not-so-subtle bid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP party to appropriate an Indian hero from the opposition Congress party.

Some community organizations say the statute huge price tag should've been spent improving the lives of local people and in the construction damage to the environment. Being in government claims that despite the remote location 15,000 tourists will travel to see India's newest Iron Man every day. A food court and guest house complex on the construction, but right now the nearest city in hotels to stay in our hundred kilometers from the statue.

(END VIDEO)

KUMAR: Rosemary, as you can see, where is on the one hand, the BJP, Mr. Modi, people on the right wing of politics in this country where they say that this is a fitting monument to a towering national figure. There are lots and lots of critics. Political critics who say as I said that that want to appropriate the legacy of somebody from the other end of the political arena here and also people who are asking the question, well, why you spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a statue, one day could be better spent on say development.

The central focus of Mr. Modi's 2014 political campaign. The campaign that brought him to power and one more thing that is worth highlighting, this comes as India gives up the national elections next year and so many people also pointing out that the timing that Mr. Modi, the BJP had put themselves in the center of all the what is this high profile event is unveiling of the statue as they try really to generate publicity ahead of the beginning of what will be by all means a hotly contested -- by all accounts a hotly contested campaign. Rosemary.

CHURCH: Nikhil Kumar, many thanks to you for that live report from New Delhi. Conservationists say the whole global wildlife population is facing a mind blowing crisis, the World Wildlife Fund has just released its biannual report which says the populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians have dropped by 60 percent over 40 years and we've lost about half of the earth, shallow water corals. Human activity covers three quarters of landowners and by 2050, as little as 10 percent of land on earth might be left untouched by humans.

The World Wildlife Fund, Martin Taylor joins me now to talk more about this report. Thank you so much for being with us.

MARTIN TAYLOR, THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND, AUSTRALIA: You're welcome.

CHURCH: Also the population of the world wildlife dropped 60 percent over 40 years. How alarm should we be about those sorts of numbers now world leaders listening.

TAYLOR: Well, look, you know, we should be very alarm, these alarm bells has been going on for decades now, we do this every two years and every year it's -- it's worse than the last time we did it. And don't forget that is a global average of wildlife, the main species doing much worse and that so here in Australia for example, our koala is declined faster than that the 60 percent over that period. So Kola is going down faster, and many other threatened species are declining faster.

CHURCH: And you put it all down to human impact?

TAYLOR: Oh definitely, you know, all of the studies are being done, shows that where in the sixth mass extinction on earth. This one, where definitely the cause and the rights of extinction are hundreds of thousands times larger than the natural right of extinction.

CHURCH: So what can be done about this crisis confronting us? How can we slow down the impact that humans having on all other living things on this planet? What is the solution here?

TAYLOR: Look, the solution is, is to stop bulldozing the forests and to bring our use of natural resources on to a sustainable footing. It's not to stop using the world's resources. We depend on them for a livelihood, but just to start using them in a more responsible way and we believe that is quite possible to do that. I know it requires is political will in many cases.

CHURCH: If that's the knockdown what happens? What will be the outcome in another 40 to 50 years?

[03:50:00] TAYLOR: The outcome will be a much poor planet with many species of animals like koalas that we have now possibly gone forever and it would be terrible for us, I mean, you know, we have already seen the turnaround in the value of work on eco system services that (inaudible) provide to us and is already been an analysis to show that the value to us of those ecosystem services is now under threat. It's now declining as well, because we are degrading nature so badly, but what we get out of nature is also declining and so, what we are doing to the earth is also a threat to us, as humans.

CHURCH: Using this sufficient understanding across the globe that something needs to be done and is there any political will to do it. You did touch on that.

TAYLOR: Well, we are looking and asking global governments for a new global deal. The nature is similar to the Paris agreement. You know, we have seen in the past that -- when politicians particularly become aware of problems, they are capable of sitting down and crossing an effective solution. Look at the way we got rid of Ozone destroying chemicals that induce (inaudible). We got the Paris agreement now on greenhouse gas emissions. And so now we want to go wider and ask for a global deal for nature. So that we can write in the impacts were having on the natural environment.

CHURCH: Martin Taylor, we will watch and see if world leaders will get on board with any of these suggestions. Thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

TAYLOR: You're welcome.

CHURCH: All right. Let us take a break now and just ahead. It's all about ancient ways and new experiences as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wrap up their world tour in New Zealand. We are back in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back. A royal protocol took on a new look in New Zealand Monday, Prince Harry and wife Meghan press (inaudible) with local elders doing the final leg of the Pacific tour. A Maori greeting known as a Hongi. The two week tour which has been called a charm offensive also stopped in Australia Fiji and Tonga.

On Tuesday, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Arden hosted the world couple, the Duke of Sussex spoke to a gathering of young people from Pacifica communities, a term used for people from the Pacific Islands. He greeted them in six local dialects praising their dedication to the communities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, OF WALES: Prime Minister, Honors and guest, ladies and gentlemen, (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(APPLAUSE) This is definitely the first I mean I spoke most of those languages.

So, I apologize if my accent was any good, but I had to give it a go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:55:00] CHURCH: Well done. And Prince Harry isn't the only one doing the unexpected in a twisted, a Turkey fashion show a stray cat happen to steal the show, luckily the feline model took to the cat walk like a natural. Jeanne Moos has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What tends to steal the show at a fashion shows is when a model -- or even two models, completely wiped out, but at this fashion show in Turkey. It was a cat that ruled the cat walk doing its grooming on stage instead of behind it.

To the delight of the crowd. The cats simply appear in Istanbul's fashion school show. Models have to step around it, as it playfully swipe at them. Istanbul was known as a city of roaming cats. So much so that there was even a documentary about them. This one was said to have entered the show tent from a nearby garden. Strutting as if to the beat of the music, the fashion editor who shot this video said the cat stayed seven or eight minutes longer turn on the cat walk than any of the actual models.

We don't know the feline fashionista already has a name, but if not, Cat Moss was our favorite suggestion, assuming Kate Moss doesn't mind. The chat greeted its fans even Smith and outstretched finger. Hey, who said you can touch the models.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO)

CHURCH: Helping to promote the show there. Thanks for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church and remember to connect with me anytime on twitter @rosemarycnn. The news continues now with Hannah Vaughan Jones in London. You are watching CNN. Have a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)