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Hala Gorani Tonight
Hurricane Dorian Strengthens; Students in Hong Kong Protest Arrested; Israel Warns Lebanon to Stop Harboring Terrorists; Dorian Now Category Three AS It Heads Towards Florida; 25-Year-Old Aims To Unseat U.K. Johnson In Next Election; Protecting The Most Vulnerable Rohingya Refugees; U.S. Health Officials Looking Into Dangers Of E-Cigarettes; Japanese Investment Boots Kenyan Port. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 30, 2019 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:20] HALA GORANI, CNN HOST, HALA GORANI TONIGHT: Hello, everyone. Happy Friday. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani.
Tonight, Dorian is gaining strength in the warm Atlantic, and could be the strongest hurricane to hit Florida's east coast since 1992, how people are
preparing there.
Plus, a former British prime minister is now suing to stop the current prime minister over Brexit. We'll explain.
And a teenager whose lungs stopped working after vaping: what people who use e-cigarettes need to know.
We begin with the ominous warnings about an Atlantic hurricane that is turning into a monster. Dorian has just been upgraded to a Category 3
storm, and is bearing down on the Bahamas. And it is forecast to strengthen significantly, as it turns toward the U.S. this weekend.
By the time it makes landfall next week, it could be the strongest storm to hit Florida's east coast in more than a quarter century. In the Bahamas,
the prime minister is offering his own blunt warning to those in the danger zone: Don't be foolish and try to ride this one out.
We have extensive coverage of this dangerous weather system. Patrick Oppmann is in the Bahamas, meteorologist Tom Sater has the updated
forecast. Patrick, talk to me about what's happening where you are.
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, don't be fooled by the beautiful scene behind me. It looks spectacular, as the Bahamas usually does. But
you'll notice, there's almost no one on this beach.
Actually, if you are a tourist right now, you can't even come to where I am in the Bahamas, the island of Grand Bahama. When we were going on the
plane just a few hours ago, the airport officials said the Bahamian officials said, no tourists are supposed to come here anymore, at least
until the storm passes, because most hotels on this island are closed.
And they said that tourists, just they don't need to have more people in the way of the storm. So they're telling people to evacuate the low-lying
areas, like where I am, which, in the hours to come, we'll see heavier winds and rain.
I'm told that the last major hurricane they had (ph) here, about three years ago, Hurricane Matthew, it ate up large parts of this beach. It
actually went over -- the storm surge, the walls of the houses behind me.
So people here, they know all about hurricanes. They're very concerned about the damage this very powerful hurricane will bring to this island.
But there's not a lot they can do right now, as Bahamian officials said.
People need to make the preparations now, they need to go out and shop for the items that they can find. We've been by supermarkets that are
absolutely bare, Hala. And then they need to hunker down. They need to get away from the water -- because this storm is expected to bring a
massive storm surge -- and try to ride out the storm someplace safe.
The tricky thing, though, is, at this point, you're not going to be able to fly out of this island. The airport is due to close very quickly. You're
seeing people pull their boats out of the water. So if you're on this island or many other islands like it in the Bahamas, you have to ride out
the storm where you are.
GORANI: All right. Are there any tourists there?
OPPMANN: We have not seen any. Literally every hotel, every major hotel has been closed down.
GORANI: Yes.
OPPMANN: On the flight this morning, they told several tourists, "You're not getting on the plane because there's no reason to go to a tourist
destination." And Bahamian officials said they just do not want the headache. Even the U.S. embassy has begun evacuating staff and family.
So if you don't have to be here, if you don't live here, if you don't have family here or, like us, you are trying to do your job from here, there
really is no reason to be here. So Bahamian officials are saying, "Please stay out of harm's way as much as you can," because they will not be able
to send emergency personnel during the height of the storm, to rescue anyone.
GORANI: All right. We'll be watching coverage. Thanks very much, Patrick Oppmann.
Tom, where is the storm now vis-a-vis, first, where Patrick Oppmann is --
TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right.
GORANI: -- and then when do we expect it to hit Florida with intensifying winds?
SATER: Well, it's making its way slowly. It's been slowing down a little bit, but I think it's going to slow down even more toward Florida. So the
forecast, really, since four or five days ago, Hala, has been changing left and right.
The last thing we want is this to slow down. But it is now what's considered a major hurricane, reaching Category 3 strength, you can see the
eye here. In fact, it'll probably go through a few cycles, what we call an eyewall replacement cycle, it's like taking a top and spinning it on a
table. It can only sustain that symmetry and that strength for so long before it starts to wobble. And then once it wobbles, it'll go through a
cycle and generate more strength.
Now, where Patrick is, they're under a watch. Typically, when this makes landfall in these islands, like they would down toward Hispaniola, the
mountains that help release it of a little strength, and maybe weaken it. That's not going to happen here. These waters are well into the 30s, and
so it's just going to breed and get stronger.
[14:05:02] Here it is, now. We went (ph) up to 185 kph. And now that it's churning (ph) and nothing to really break down the strength, it will
strengthen even further.
The models, for days now, have been in pretty good agreement. My first concern, days ago, was that when you have systems come in from the due east
and make a landfall on a perpendicular coast, it's just like punching a wall. That's only happened twice before in Florida; one, of course, was
with Andrew. But with it putting on the brakes, this is even more of a frightening situation.
Now, these storms just want to take that heat and they want to transfer it to the north. So it looks for the path of least resistance. It would be
nice if that path was offshore. But high pressure is stifling that movement and keeping it, now, to where it looks like it could crawl up the
entire peninsula.
There's still some model disagreement. Here's the American model, this is Monday night. And then we get into Tuesday at 4:00 a.m., it's a little --
still offshore here. So we may not have landfall until early Tuesday morning. But once it makes that movement to the north, if it stalls, this
reminds me a lot of Hurricane Harvey, Hala. You could outwalk Hurricane Harvey, and that means unbelievable amounts of rain.
The Florida peninsula has been inundated with rain for the last month in the year, so they can't take any more rainfall. If it's down here, all the
bands of rain are coming to the north. That'll flood them. And then the center has to move over all of that flooding rain.
I fear, really, Hala, thousands and thousands of 911 calls for emergency services. This is going to be a multifaceted storm, but it's still
changing, not only with high tides now and the storm surge, but the winds creating those damages at the landfall. But more importantly, it's going
to be about this rain, if it moves this slow.
GORANI: All right. Yes, those slow-moving systems certainly are a cause for concern --
SATER: Yes.
GORANI: -- in terms of rain, flooding and other things. Thanks very much for that, Tom Sater.
Here in the U.K., the Boris backlash continues. I'm talking, of course, about the prime minister's move to suspend Parliament early, giving
lawmakers less time to debate Brexit and potentially, less time to block a no-deal scenario.
And with panic growing as the U.K. hurdles toward that no-deal exit from the E.U., the prime minister's move has caused consternation. Of course,
he thinks the outrage is unwarranted, and says he now wants the E.U. and the U.K. to, quote, "Step up the tempo on negotiations."
There was a small victory for the prime minister today. A judge said no to blocking his plan to shut down Parliament. So the legal challenges, not
succeeding there. But there were new blows, too. Former Conservative prime minister, John Major, is joining the legal fight to prevent Mr.
Johnson's plans.
Bianca Nobilo is following this story. So, Bianca, let's talk a little bit first -- well, let's talk first about these legal challenges and John
Major. Any chance that they could succeed?
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there is. So what we saw today was an emergency injunction, if you like, was dismissed. The judge, saying
that he didn't think there was a cogent argument for the fact that this suspension of Parliament should be blocked, today.
That's because the earliest time that Parliament can probably be suspended is next Friday. So he hasn't yet adjudicated on the merits of the case.
That will happen next week, most likely Thursday. So that's when he would be able to decide whether or not he thinks that Boris Johnson has acted in
unlawful or unconstitutional manner.
GORANI: Yes.
NOBILO: Now, if that was successful and he did decide that, it would put Britain in an even more uncharted territory. That's because then, Boris
Johnson would have given unlawful advice to the queen, asking the queen to suspend Parliament.
But you mentioned, there are three legal challenges, and that's correct. So we were just referring to one, the one that was spearheaded by Gina
Miller who, of course, back in 2016, was the successful leader of another legal challenge to make sure that Parliament itself had to legislate in
order to activate Article 50. So before then, the government could have just triggered it, itself.
Now, Parliament did trigger Article 50 --
GORANI: So --
NOBILO: -- the other challenges are I Belfast and Edinburgh.
GORANI: So we have to wait a few days to find out whether or not those challenges are successful.
What does Boris Johnson say about all of this? Because he says he wants to up the temp --
NOBILO: Yes.
GORANI: -- in terms of negotiations. How is that going to play out
NOBILO: Well, Boris Johnson's stance on proroguing Parliament, and obviously he's the one that decided to do it, so he thinks it's a good idea
-- is that this is entirely lawful. Let's not forget that every summer, there is always a recess. There's a conference recess -- we're moving into
party conference season -- but unprecedented times, Parliament was even thinking of canceling that --
GORANI: Right.
NOBILO: -- because they've got so much work to do if Britain is to leave with a deal. So that's Boris Johnson's perspective. He says he wants to
refresh the domestic agenda. It has, in fairness to him, been a very long parliamentary session. But we all know, really --
GORANI: Yes.
NOBILO: -- strategically, this is about Brexit.
GORANI: Right.
NOBILO: But let's take a listen to what he had to say to explain his approach to this stage of negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER OF BRITAIN: I think our European friends have understood one or two big points in the last couple of weeks.
[14:10:02] I think they get that the U.K. is really going for a deal, they understand that. But they also understand that the U.K. is absolutely
willing to come out without a deal if we have to, they understand that too. And we're serious, we're totally serious about both propositions. And I
think what that's encouraging is progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: So that's Boris Johnson's strategy, to try and demonstrate to the E.U., "We mean what we say." So that means saying, "We are ready to leave
without a deal." His no-deal preparations, he says, are going better than anybody assumes that they are. And also, proroguing Parliament.
Al those are signals, supposed to demonstrate to the European Union, "We really mean it this time." And he seems to think that his high-pressure
strategy is working, and some of his supporters would argue that too. But this is such a high-stakes situation.
GORANI: Although some would call it a high-risk gamble, rather than a high-pressure strategy.
NOBILO: I don't see how it's anything other than that.
GORANI: But, you know, then, this is really about ordinary people at the end of the day. And there was an interview, a live interview on :Sky News"
yesterday, and a Portuguese woman -- Portuguese national, living in the U.K. for a long time, interrupted that interview, she was so passionate
about -- and she felt like she was being kicked out after all these years here, that she put forward paperwork and that she wasn't given the
settlement status.
I just want our viewers to see, because this went viral quite a bit, online. It highlighted kind of the personal nature of what people are
going to have to go through as E.U. nationals in this country. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Portuguese and I worked here for 20 years, and I have no voice. And the resettlement scheme is not working, all right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you be joining the protest today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I have. Finally, I have. Because I need a voice. I worked and I gave this country my youth. I'm very grateful for
what you taught me, but you must make me part of all this process.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hear, hear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't just be kicked out. I built things for you, I looked after your children, I looked after the elderly in this country.
Now, you kick me out with what?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Yes, and I keep reading stories of E.U. nationals who are trying to apply for settled status and for whatever reason -- either they're
getting rejected or the paperwork is too confusing -- this is -- and the clock is ticking here.
NOBILO: Yes, it is. And it's affecting people's lives. That's a very compelling demonstration of why this is such an emotive issue. So E.U.
nationals have that problem. They feel like their lives and their rights aren't being respected, as people who have made a home and a career,
perhaps, in the U.K.
But then equally, you have people who voted for Brexit, who feel like their democratic right isn't being respected either, that Parliament is thwarting
their will. And that's why we're seeing --
GORANI: But those are two separate issues. I mean, the settled status of E.U. citizens, they were promised --
NOBILO: They were indeed.
GORANI: -- that they would be safe. I mean, this is not -- this is separate from whether or not people who voted for Brexit feel that their
democratic will is being thwarted.
NOBILO: It is. But in terms of the interest of both groups --
GORANI : Right.
NOBILO: -- we had the no-deal -- the ministers responsible for no-deal, saying that they had made a very extensive offer to the European Union, in
terms of the protections that they were going to give people who were E.U. nationals in the U.K., and that the E.U. hadn't returned that protection as
it stands.
Now, obviously, this is a bit of he-said-she-said between the two.
GORANI: Yes.
NOBILO: But what I mean to say is, the fact that people who are E.U. nationals living in the U.K., have very just cases, as we've seen outlined.
We don't know what the nature of the deal is going to be, even if there is one, and what their rights are going of look like --
GORANI: Right.
NOBILO: -- after Brexit Day.
GORANI: Or -- yes, as you mentioned, what U.K. nationals will potentially have to face --
NOBILO: Exactly, it's multifaceted.
GORANI: -- after Brexit. Thank you, Bianca Nobilo, appreciate it.
In Hong Kong, activists are vowing not to back down, even as more of them are getting arrested. Police detained at least seven activists on charges
related to previous anti-government protests. One of the most prominent, Joshua Wong, was later released on bail. He is accusing Beijing of backing
the police crackdown.
Now, the arrests come as fresh Chinese troops pour into Hong Kong. And China claims it is nothing to be worried about. China is saying this is
simply a rotation of its garrison there. But the timing is raising alarm.
We're also hearing that chief executive Carrie Lam tried to meet some of the protestors' demands, but her ideas were shot down by Beijing. Paula
Hancocks is in Hong Kong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police here in Hong Kong say that they have arrested more than two dozen people since Thursday night, in relation
to the recent protests including, this time around, a number of prominent pro-democracy and anti-government activists.
The most well-known out of these is probably Joshua Wong. He was one of the leaders of the 2047 (ph), the Umbrella Movement. He has been very
vocal this time around as well, and has been arrested a number of times, and served prison time.
Now, on this particular occasion, police say that he has been charged with organizing, inciting and participating in an unauthorized assembly. Now,
he has since been released on bail, along with a fellow activist, and he spoke to journalists once he was released.
[14:15:08] JOSHUA WONG, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: I urge international communities to send a clear message to President Xi. Sending troops or
using emergency ordinance is not the way out. We will continue our fight, no matter how they arrest and prosecute us.
HANCOCKS: It's worth reminding ourselves, though, that this is still technically a leaderless movement. So the movements, the different groups
involved, wanted this to be the case so that authorities couldn't just take one particular leader into custody, and then cut the head off the movement.
It is still very much being led by people on social media.
Now, another development this Friday. We also have a report from Reuters, saying that the chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, had suggested to
the central government in Beijing, that they do agree to one of the five demands of the protestors, that they completely withdraw this controversial
extradition bill, which is where these protests started.
Now, according to Reuters, they say that the Beijing government rejected that and said none of the demands should be agreed to. Now, we do have
calls in to Carrie Lam's office, we've also called the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office for confirmation.
If this is confirmed, though, it would show the protestors that what they believe is happening, is in fact true. That Beijing is pulling the strings
behind the Hong Kong government, and this one country, two systems is under threat.
Now, looking ahead to Saturday, we were expecting a very large rally from one of the main and most peaceful protest groups, but that has been denied
by police. They say that they're worried about civil unrest. So that particular group has not called for its supporters to come out onto the
street. They say they can't guarantee their safety. But what we could see is a number of people coming out anyway.
Now, police have said that if that happens and if it is peaceful, then they will act accordingly. They have also said, though, that if protestors do
decide to be violent, they will take appropriate action. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Democracy activist Joshua Wong has spoken to CNN. He says that the one country, two systems bureaucracy has eroded to one and a half
systems. Here's what's at the root of the problem, according to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WONG: Hong Kong government and Beijing have no intention to solve the political crisis by political system reform. They just try to conduct mass
arrests and prosecution. We need to elect our own government. Leaders of Hong Kong should not be handpicked by Beijing authorities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, a mass rally had been planned for tomorrow, Saturday, but was cancelled after organizers failed to get authorization from the police.
Police expect protestors to show up anyway.
GORANI: Still to come tonight, Israel has a pointed warning for Lebanon. Could the latest developments inch the region closer to war once again?
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:06] GORANI: To the Middle East now, and a stark warning from Israel to Lebanon, telling them to stop harboring terrorists who are helping Iran
develop precision-guided missiles.
It comes as Israel steps up its operations to stop Iran from spreading the weaponry. This is something it says it's concerned with. Sam Kiley has
the latest on developments that could inch the region closer to war.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israeli forces on Lebanon's border, already on high alert. Then this:
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): I told our enemies this week, "Be careful of what you do." And today, I tell
them, (INAUDIIBLE), Arabic for "Watch out."
KILEY (voice-over): A week ago, the IDF said that they had stopped this Iranian-controlled Hezbollah team, launching a drone attack from Syria into
Israel. Two days later, the Israelis said that they flattened this compound in Syria to prevent more drone operations. And was accused of
attacking Hezbollah sites with their own drones in Beirut.
Now, a warning of possible attack from Israel against Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based.
JONATHAN CONRICUS, SPOKESMAN, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: Iran and Hezbollah are endangering the Lebanese state by trying to manufacture precision-
guided missiles in Lebanon.
KILEY (voice-over): Increased tensions play well with Mr. Netanyahu. He's campaigning for elections, due next month. But Iran has recently been
showing off new weapons systems: missiles, smart bombs and drones.
YAAKOV AMIDROR, FORMER ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: With these accurate weapons systems, they can neutralize the infrastructure of Israel
And this is why it is so important, not to let them have it. It is very, very important, not to let the Iranians to build these capabilities in
Lebanon.
KILEY (voice-over): Israel has warned that it will strike to stop just that. But doing so could risk a much wider war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, Sam Kiley joins me now, live from northern Israel. Sam, I wanted to ask you about this, because the Israeli military has released a
very slick P.R. video there, naming Iranian names. I want our viewers to take a look at this, with very -- right.
TEXT: These Iranian Quds Force commanders are inside Lebanon --
GORANI: Very sort of action movie music, Iranian Quds Force commanders, they're saying, are inside Lebanon.
TEXT: -- precision guided missile project in order to attack Israel.
GORANI: What is Israel -- I mean, how concerned are people in the region, that really --
TEXT: -- Iran and Israel don't share a border --
GORANI: -- tensions are -- are likely to get us to another conflict situation between Hezbollah and Israel?
TEXT: -- so Iran came to a country that does. They strategically built weapons manufacturing sites in civilian areas in Lebanon using the people
of Lebanon as human shields --
KILEY: Well, hello. I think that this latest propaganda campaign --
TEXT: -- while preparing to attack the people of Israel.
KILEY: -- combined with equally propagandist but nonetheless strategic threats coming from the Israeli Defense Forces and Benjamin Netanyahu's
repeated term, "Watch out," and he's also said Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah who threatened to retaliate over those drones in Beirut, to
calm down.
I think there has been -- or there is a strong sense in his -- here in Israel, that the Israelis have gone through a bit of a step (ph) change.
There is a sense, very clearly, that they're sincere, whatever the facts may be.
That Netanyahu's in the middle of an election campaign, that they are sincere, absolutely sincere, in saying that the Hezbollah would not be
allowed, if they could stop it, from developing these precision-guided missiles. And by implication, really, they're saying they're going to bomb
to prevent that.
They have, of course, as you know, Hala, been conducting really quite heavy airstrikes over the last few years -- they admit to a couple hundred at
least -- against Iranian-backed militia inside Syria.
Almost all of those associated with either establishing Iranian bases, Iranian-backed bases or efforts to get these missiles into the hands of
Hezbollah. And of course, they're just across the border, behind me there -- Hala.
GORANI: Sam Kiley, thanks very much.
This week was another wild one for U.S. politics, U.S. President Donald Trump is lashing out all over the place.
TEXT: Donald J. Trump: ... I don't want to Win for myself, I only want to Win for the people. The New @FoxNews is letting millions of GREAT people
down! We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn't working for us anymore!
GORANI: First, he attacked "Fox News" with this tweet, apparently not happy with the usually friendly network's coverage of him.
TEXT: Donald J. Trump: If the Fed would cut, we would have one of the biggest Stock Market increases in a long time. Badly run and weak
companies are smartly blaming these small Tariffs instead of themselves for bad management... And who can really blame them for doing that? Excuses!
GORANI: Then, today, the president went after the Federal Reserve, again, trying to blame the Fed for a rocky few weeks on the financial markets.
Mr. Trump, seemingly angry at anyone who is not 100 percent loyal to him.
Michael Smerconish joins us now, live from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the host of "SMERCONISH" as well on CNN. So what do you make of Trump's
attacks? Because they -- he's -- they're not becoming more frequent, but he's spreading the love, quote-unquote, if you will, far and wide.
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So I think our international viewers have to understand the significance of him crossing swords with
"Fox News." "Fox News" is the de facto headquarters, the television headquarters of the Republican Party.
[14:25:06] And so to be at odds with his base is really a stunning development. I should point out that his quarrel is not with the prime
time hosts. In other words, he's gone after some of the daytime programming. But for their morning show, for their evening line-up, the
prime time line-up, those folks are lockstep with the president. It would really be an issue for him if he would lose any of their support.
And relative to the Fed, you know, this is part and parcel of the way that he acts. I think he's going to have a tough time with the economy because
if things continue to take a turn, if we head into a recession, it'll be very hard for him to blame President Obama, Jim Comey, Strzok and Page, all
the other people that he normally blames for his difficulties relative to the Russia probe and everything else, it'll be his to own.
He's owned the positive stock market, I think he'll own the negative. But he's tried to lay seeds of doubt relative to the Fed for that reason.
GORANI: I wonder if that plays with his base, though, the idea somehow that the Federal Reserve -- which is kind of a distant institution for most
people, you know, they might not be familiar with its inner workings -- is this a strategy that, if the economy, you know, suffers next year and he's
worried about his re-election prospects, if this will resonate with his base?
SMERCONISH: I think it's a bad strategy except for all the others. Because if you're Donald Trump, I don't know who else you can blame for the
economy. And I agree with your point. I would say that nine out of 10 people couldn't really articulate what the Fed does. And, Hala, by the
way, I'm one of the nine.
GORANI: Well, I mean, I guess it's just the interest rate thing. But even that, I mean, you have to be sort of interested in economics, just kind of
as a field.
Speaking of fields, the Democratic field has narrowed and the debate -- the next debate will be held September 12th. And here, we have an opportunity
to see, Michael, finally, the frontrunners debate each other. So Biden, Warren, Sanders. What do you expect?
SMERCONISH: So you're right that Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden -- and I think by polls and most anecdotal information, they really are the two
frontrunners at this stage -- they haven't been on the debate stage in either of the first encounters.
But 20 candidates were reduced down to 10. It doesn't mean that the others can't run. They can, but as a practical matter, they're just not going to
get the visibility.
So you'll have Bernie Sanders, you'll have Elizabeth Warren, you'll have Joe Biden, center stage. I think that the momentum at this point, has
really shifted to Elizabeth Warren even though she trails Joe Biden in the polls.
GORANI: And why do you think that?
SMERCONISH: Well, I think that because of the size of the crowds that she's drawing. The --
GORANI: Yes.
SMERCONISH: -- momentum just seems to be on her side. Passion rests with her. But I don't know that the raw numbers do. In other words, there's
this feeling that Joe Biden is probably the best equipped to defeat Donald Trump among Democrats. But, you know, it's a head versus the heart. It's
a practicality versus real progressivism battle.
I think many people would rather -- of the party activists -- they'd rather Elizabeth Warren, but they question whether, in the end, she could defeat
Donald Trump.
GORANI: Yes. Because Biden, who's the frontrunner, many of our viewers followed this story. He's been telling kind of a war story for many years.
It's evolved over the years, he's conflated several stories together, and people have criticized him for sort of kind of not being a hundred percent
accurate with the facts on the story he's been telling at rallies and gatherings.
He defended himself when he was confronted with that question. This is what he said.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was making the point, how courageous these people are, how incredible they are. This generation of
warriors. These fallen angels we've lost. And so, that, I don't know what the problem is. I mean, what is it that I said wrong?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GORANI: So what do you think -- is he right to say, "I don't know what the problem is"?
SMERCONISH: So he misstated facts. That was made clear in "The Washington Post." What I think is significant is that he wasn't doing it for self-
promotion. He wasn't doing it for self-aggrandizement. He didn't make himself look better by the version that he told.
GORANI: Yes.
SMERCONISH: But nevertheless, he got it wrong. So, you know, it's not a matter of deceit, I don't think. I wonder if, in the long term, it will
feed some people's concerns about decline and his age. I think that's the real issue.
Frankly, he's always been someone -- it's -- you know, it's a part of the good and the bad --
GORANI: Yes.
SMERCONISH: -- of Joe Biden. Because he's unvarnished, and people like that. But he misstates some things, and others don't like that. But in
the end, will it feed this narrative that he's just not as sharp as he was? Don't know, we'll have to see.
[14:30:05] GORANI: All right. Yes, we'll have to see. And also, his opponent is Donald Trump, who's known for misstating things pretty much on
a -- on a daily basis.
SMERCONISH: No doubt.
GORANI: So we'll see if that's a strategy that can work against Biden.
Thanks very much, Michael Smerconish, as always. Always a pleasure.
SMERCONISH: Thank you.
GORANI: Still to come tonight, hurricane Dorian is getting stronger as it slowly approaches the United States. A live report from the Florida coast
when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Let's return to our top story. Hurricane Dorian is gaining strength as it heads toward the Bahamas and then on to the United States.
Dorian is now a category three with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers an hour.
It's expected to strengthen to category four, though, over the next few days and making landfall in Florida as a slow-moving hurricane.
Forecasters warn that it could dump some really torrential rain on the state for several days, and that always raises concerns of flooding.
CNN's Leyla Santiago is in North Miami, Florida where residents are stocking up on supplies to help them ride out the storm. Tell us what
residents are doing. They have a few days left, Leyla.
LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. And a lot of people still talking about the uncertainty of it all. So let me kind of walk you
through. I am in North Miami, where we've seen a lot of folks getting ready.
And here's just one sign, literally, a sign showing you how they're getting ready. You can see they have a water line and a no water line. And you
can also see that they're actually limiting the amount of water with a sign that says, "Two cases per membership account."
The manager made it a point to tell me that this is just to make sure that everyone can get enough water. They've seen a 60 percent increase in foot
traffic here. And here's a sign of that. You can see the line of folks coming out.
And just about -- let's see, one, two, three, four, five. Of the five carts coming out, every single one of them has two packs of water. Folks
making sure that they have the basics.
Now, they have run out of certain things. For instance, we were asking about gas cans. They said they're out of that. They don't have batteries
either. Folks are really picking that up to make sure they're prepared.
But this is just the outside. Inside, there's another line, as you see it forms out here, and they're going out, getting water as it comes in from
those truckloads. And that water is only really lasting anywhere from half an hour to an hour because people are getting ready for what's to come. A
lot of folks here are talking about Irma, saying they remember what Irma was like. And so they want to make sure that they're not caught off guard
by anything.
So, again, continuing to see folks come out with the very basics of food and water and loading up their cars, making sure that their families are
prepared for whatever it is that Dorian brings their way. Hala?
[14:35:14] GORANI: All right. Thanks, Leyla Santiago. And good luck to you and the team.
I want to return to British politics now and the intense backlash and outrage, what the prime minister is facing over his approach to Brexit.
There are many people who would like to see him ousted from his position and from parliament altogether. One 25-year-old is taking matters into his
own hands and trying to do just that, oust the prime minister by taking his parliamentary seat. Anna Stewart has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Uxbridge and South Ruislip, a quiet suburb and area in West London you probably haven't
heard of.
ALI MILANI, LABOUR PARTY PROSPECTIVE PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE: My name is Ali. I'm a local parliamentary candidate here, so I was standing against
Boris Johnson. We're just going around saying hello to everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.
STEWART: But it could be a key battleground in the next general election. The residents here have the power to topple the prime minister.
At just 25 years old, Ali Milani, has been selected by the Labour Party to contend this area.
MILANI: Someone likes Boris. Yes, make a note of the day and time. It'll go down in history.
STEWART: Milani's family moved to U.K. from Iran when he was a young child. He lives here. He was educated here. He's worked here. And as a
result, he thinks he can beat Boris Johnson.
MILANI: People here deserve leaders who understand what it's like to live like us.
STEWART (on camera): And Boris Johnson doesn't?
MILANI: And he doesn't. He doesn't -- I mean, if you drop him off at the end of the road, he wouldn't be able to find his way home.
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART (voice-over): Despite this traditionally being a conservative safe seat, Boris Johnson's majority halved in the last general election and
Labour were hot on his heels. If Milani wins, he'll be the first MP ever to unseat a current prime minister.
MILANI: No one thought Brexit would happen. No one thought Trump would happen. Well, now, I think it's about time that the biggest upset in
political history actually opens the door for a positive new era in politics.
STEWART: Taking a break from canvassing, we sit down to discuss some of Boris Johnson's controversial comments.
MILANI: To have an MP that writes such brazenly racist offensive comments, is shame for this community.
STEWART: Johnson has apologized for some of his past comments. However, he isn't the only one coming under fire for what he said. In the past, Ali
Milani himself made anti-Semantic comments on social media.
MILANI: The comments you raised when I was a teenager and when I was very, very young, that doesn't make them right. It's not an excuse. I have
apologized. And actually, I've tried to take some really serious steps to rebuilt trust, going on trips to Auschwitz and Birkenau, all the way to
reaching out to the Jewish community doing exercises and training.
STEWART: Despite past controversy, Ali Milani is the Labour candidate, but do voters know who he is?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not especially, no.
STEWART: Clearly, Milani has more doors to knock on. He may not have Boris Johnson's celebrity --
MILANI: I think I need a haircut. I think people are looking through the door and not opening. I need a haircut.
STEWART: But he has plenty of charm.
MILANI: Must be the hair.
STEWART: If the residents of Uxbridge and South Ruislip would only open their doors to hear it.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come tonight, they've been tortured and forced to flee their homes. Now, Rohingya refugees are being targeted by human
traffickers. A CNN Freedom Project report is coming up next.
Also, new questions about the potential health hazards of vaping. We'll go to our chief medical correspondent for answers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:40:56] GORANI: It's been two years since a campaign by Myanmar's military began to force Rohingya Muslims to run for their lives. Most of
them ended up in sprawling refugee camps in Bangladesh where they're now fighting another threat, human traffickers.
For CNN's Freedom Project, here's Matt Rivers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, the largest refugee camp in the world. For the Rohingya
Muslims who have moved here fleeing violence and persecution in neighboring Myanmar, life is difficult, but for some who've tried to leave, the results
have been even more dramatic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a huge population, they're being displaced from their own land. They have so many problems, women particularly in terms of
trafficking.
FAWZIA FIROZE, BANGLADESH NATIONAL WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION: We have been working with the trafficking projects and we have been doing this very
successfully.
RIVERS: Fawzia Firoze leads the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, a non-profit legal aid group that works on behalf of women and
children in Bangladesh. For the past few years, much of the group's work has centered on the Rohingya.
FIROZE: I hear every day hundreds and hundreds stories about the women's struggling with their lives, struggling with their profession.
RIVERS: In the main town of Cox's Bazar, roughly two hours from the camp, there is chaos and congestion. But on a quiet side street, exists a secret
shelter for abused girls. And less than half a year, this shelter has cared for 141 rescued Rohingya girls. Most stay only for a few days before
going back to their families, but others like Ayisha must stay longer, trying to stitch together a life torn apart by violence and abuse.
Firoze says Ayisha left the camp to work as a maid, but the treatment she received made life unbearable. From there, Firoze says, things only got
worse. The man Ayisha thought would help her, instead took her to a hotel, where he raped her and started selling her body for sex.
FIROZE: She doesn't want to tell that story of the darkest side of her story. That she was violated and she was rescued by the police from a
hotel, and the police contacted the camp.
RIVERS: Complicating matters is her status, because she is Rohingya. And without a proper national I.D. card, Ayisha is not allowed to leave these
walls, unless it means going back to the refugee camp on her own, but BNWLA and government officials overseeing the camp say they're doing what they
can to stop other children from being exploited.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our office has been very serious and very tough on this. We have tighten the border areas, the security has been tightened.
They are also trying their best to protect this population from trafficking.
RIVERS: Despite the risk, she and other Rohingya might face, Ayisha is still a young woman, just yearning for the day that she can simply go
outside.
FIROZE: She, said I'm going to be out, it will be my life. If something happens, I will face it. But I would like to have my freedom.
RIVERS: Matt Rivers, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Be sure to watch our new Freedom Project documentary on the fight against trafficking in these camps in Bangladesh. "Stolen Son," about a
search for a kidnapped Rohingya boy. It airs throughout the weekend. You can see it Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in Hong Kong, 11:00 a.m. in London.
Vaping has really been on the rise since people started puffing on e- cigarettes looking for a safer kind of smoking. But is it possible that vaping products carry more health risks than we previously thought?
U.S. health officials are investigating more than 200 cases of severe lung disease, they say could be linked to vaping. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been
looking into that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[14:45:02] DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That 17-year-old Tryston Zohfeld, a previously healthy athletic teen from
Texas whose symptoms, initially, baffled doctors, and then took a turn for the worse.
DR. KAREN SCHULTZ, PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGIST, COOK CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER: His chest x-ray went from having what we would have thought was a little
bit of pneumonia to having a complete whiteout of both of his lungs.
GUPTA: Look at the striking difference to this other scan of his.
MATT ZOHFELD, TRYSTON'S FATHER: When the doctors start telling you that they're worried, then you get worried.
TRYSTON ZOHFELD: I was throwing up everywhere and my heart was just completely pounding and I really couldn't breathe.
SCHULTZ: We eventually had to put a tube down his throat because his lungs totally failed and were not working.
M. ZOHFELD: Within 48 hours of being admitted to ICU, they had him in a medically induced coma.
T. ZOHFELD: They had me on this big machine that was pretty much breathing for me. If that didn't work out, then nothing else was going to work out.
GUPTA: Doctors at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth ran a battery of tests looking for what caused Tryston's mysterious illness, but
they all came back negative. But then came a possible clue.
SCHULTZ: His cousin came forward and started talking about the fact that they had been vaping up in his bedroom.
T. ZOHFELD: He immediately went home and grabbed all the vapes and everything, brought it back up to the hospital, showed them, you know, like
this -- this is what we've been doing.
GUPTA: Tryston's case is like many others across the country now being investigated by the CDC, with health officials saying there could be a link
between severe lung disease and vaping.
SCHULTZ: We do not know what causes this at this point. The best guess is that it is inflammation within the lungs so that you are not able to
breathe.
GUPTA: While it's notoriously difficult to prove cause and effect, it's not just lung disease health officials are looking into. The FDA has been
conducting another investigation into what could be a link between vaping and seizures. All of this in the midst of what's being called an epidemic
of vaping among young people.
M. ZOHFELD: It doesn't matter if your kid's a straight A student, it doesn't matter if your kid's, you know, one of the star players on the
football team, you can't be naive to what they are doing.
GUPTA: Fortunately, for Tryston, after 18 days in the hospital, he is recovering well, and is sharing his story because he wants to enlighten
other people around his age.
T. ZOHFELD: I definitely feel like I was given that second chance for a reason. I'm definitely not the only one. I'm just the one spreading the
word at the moment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: And Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me now.
Sanjay, how sure can we be that this young man's lung problems were related -- were caused, I should say, by the vaping itself?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's a good question. It's still part of this investigation. I can tell you that these numbers continue to go up. These
young, healthy and then suddenly hospitalized people, they all seem to have this one thing in common, Hala, it's the vaping.
We don't know specifically if they're all doing the same vaporizing device, if they're the same e-liquid, are they adult rating, what they're putting
into the vaporizer. Those are all questions that are still being investigated.
But, you know, there was just a few isolated cases. Even a few weeks ago and now over 200 cases in 25 states in the United States where vaping
appears to be the common denominator.
GORANI: All right. And there are other cases, you mentioned, across the nation as well. How close are we to finding -- to discovering whether or
not there's a common cause to all of them or whether they're caused by different things?
GUPTA: It can take some time to really sort that out because, you know, you think even with smoking, you know, decades ago, to really definitively
determine that cause and effect can take time. Scientists want to be pretty certain about that.
But it is being actively investigated. And there's a couple of differences here. One is unlike lung cancer, which is what they were drawing the cause
and effect for with smoking, these are suddenly sick people. You know, healthy -- perfectly healthy, start coughing, as you saw there, and then
end up in the ICU. So that's going to accelerate the timeline just in terms of putting this together.
I think the big question is, OK, if vaping is the common denominator, what is it about the vaping?
GORANI: Right.
GUPTA: Is it the device itself? Is it what you're actually putting into your lungs? You should never put anything into your lungs other than air
or prescribed medicine. Those are going to be the question marks.
But if you look at the map, you look at how this has spread, clearly, there does appear to be a link between all of this.
GORANI: But here in the U.K., as an example, vaping has been determined to be a lot safer that cigarette smoking. And there is a belief among some
medical professionals that encouraging vaping could actually lead to better overall health for the population.
Given these cases in the United States and elsewhere, should people who vape be more concerned for their health and the potential impact this could
have on their health?
GORANI: You're bringing up the absolute balance here with this critical issue, and that is what the makers of these devices have been saying all
along, this can help people stop smoking. And what the concerned scientists have been saying, yes. But if that comes by creating a new
generation of smokers, creating people who are getting ill in this way, isn't that a problem.
[14:50:09] The CEO of Juul, Juul is the largest maker of these vaporizers, the most sold. He was asked this question. Listen to how he responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN BURNS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, JUUL: Worrisome. Worrisome for the category, worrisome for us if we contributed to it. CDC is leading the
investigations. We're obviously in close contact with them. If there is any indication that there was an adverse health condition related to our
product, I think we'd take very swift action associated with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: To be clear, Hala, they are still selling Juul, despite what you just heard there and the worries that they have. The product is still for
sale. They say they're going to be stricter about requiring I.D., identification and things like that to prove age. But that product is
still being sold.
Look, every parent certainly in the United States talks about this now with their kids. We didn't talk about this at all two, three years ago, and
now, it's conversation topic number one certainly among middle schoolers and high schoolers.
GORANI: And lastly, how long before a determination will be made as to, whether or not, vaping is causing some of these serious issues?
GUPTA: I think -- I think within the next weeks, I think, maybe months. And I think as one of the things they may want to wait for, is there a
common ingredient that is part of these vapor -- you know, that's being vaped that is actually the culprit here? Is it something else that's being
put into the vaporizer? They've taken these samples. They're now analyzing these samples and they're trying to piece it altogether. But
we're in constant touch with the CDC. I think this is happening quickly.
GORANI: Thank you, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
GUPTA: You got it, Hala. Thank you.
GORANI: Still ahead, Taylor Swift's new album is already an international hit. Try to guess which country is showing the most love.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Expanding a first-world economy is tricky, so some countries are looking at other parts of the world for growth opportunities. Consider
Japan, the country's prime minister is promising to find value for his country all the way in Africa.
Eleni Giokos shows us a big infrastructure project in Kenya fueled by Japanese money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mombasa, Kenya, is a global gateway.
KATSUTOSHI KOMORI, JAPAN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGENCY: It plays a very, very important role as logistics and the economic helm for east
African countries.
GIOKOS: Because of the port city's strategic location, infrastructure projects are attracting a lot of international investment.
SWALEH SALIM, COMMERCIAL TRUCK DRIVER (through translator): It was very hard to get into the ports, to take up to five, 16 hours. But now, just a
quarter hour to enter the port.
GIOKOS: This is thanks to the completion of phase one of the Japanese- funded port road and bridge project. The first phase opened in June 2018, including 10 kilometers of highway, redirecting port traffic away from the
center of the city.
The entire project stretches 25 kilometers, a costly and ambitious endeavor to be constructed in three phases.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) about $400 million U.S. dollars as that cost for the entire project.
[14:55:04] GIOKOS: JICA, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, has committed a total of more than $3.5 billion in loans to Kenya since
1963.
PETER MUNDINIA, DIRECTOR GENERAL, KENYA NATIONAL HIGHWAY AUTHORITY: We have had a very long relationship with the Japanese government. And of the
biggest advantage or strength that Japanese have is on bridges.
Billion in loans to Kenya since 1963.
GIOKOS: Fujita and Mitsubishi are working together to complete phase two, which includes the bridges over this stretch of waterway.
Tokyo-based, Katahira and Engineers International is consulting on the design of phase two and phase three, which will connect this new highway
system to the Tanzanian border.
JICA has also agreed to fund the upcoming design of the new Mombasa Gate Bridge, rerouting the 300,000 people and 6,000 vehicles currently crossing
the Likoni Channel by ferry each day.
The Kenya National Highways Authority says completion of phase one has already reduced transit time from Mombasa to Uganda from two weeks down to
five days.
MUNDINIA: With all what we have done, there should be a lot of trade that is going to be increased and therefore growth within the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Now, before we go, imagine selling as many albums as Taylor Swift. The numbers are actually mind boggling. But I asked you before the break
which country was showing the most love for the pop singer? Well, it's China, for her new album "Lover." It includes "You Need to Calm Down" with
its seemingly political message. Listen, if you're not familiar. Listen to a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, AMERICA SINGER: Say it in the street that's a knockout, but you say it in a tweet, that's a copout, and I'm just like hey, are you OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, the album has sold more than a million copies in China in its first week. It's setting an international record for an artist there
and making it more popular in China than in the United States, which is interesting.
Thanks for watching. If it's your weekend, have a great one. I'm Hala Gorani. I'll see you next time. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:00]
END
