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The Global Brief with Bianca Nobilo
Presidency In Peril: Ex-Diplomat On Hill As First Witness In Impeachment Inquiry; At Least 34 Killed In Three Days Of Protests In Iraq; The Brexit Debrief: Boris Johnson Presents New Plan To Parliament; World- Level Nuclear Talks Begin In Stockholm Friday; Court Orders Facebook To Remove Post, Decision Could Affect Social Media Users Worldwide. Aired 17- 17:30p ET
Aired October 03, 2019 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: You have been watching special edition of THE LEAD: the White House in crisis continues. Our coverage on CNN continues
right now. See you tomorrow.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Tonight on THE BRIEF, President Trump publicly says China as well as Ukraine should help investigate his
political opponent. More than 30 people dead in violent protests. Why Iraqis are furious at their leaders? Boris Johnson proposes his new Brexit
plan. What is different and why the EU is skeptical?
Live from London, I'm Bianca Nobilo. Welcome to the show. We begin with a twist in the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump that almost no one saw
coming. Already under investigation for pressuring a foreign country behind the scenes for information on a political rival, U.S. President did it
again today, only this time it was in plain sight and he want just calling on Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: China should start an investigation into the Bidens, because what happened to China is just about
as bad as what happened with - with Ukraine. So I would say that President Zelensky, if it were me, I would recommend that they start an investigation
into the Bidens because nobody has any doubt that they weren't crooked. That was a crooked deal, 100 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: The lead investigator in the impeachment inquiry slammed the President's comments. House Intelligence Committee Chair, Adam Schiff, says
it is a repugnant abuse of office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF, CHAIRMAN, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE (D): The President of the United States encouraging a foreign nature to interfere in and help
his campaign by investigating a rival is a fundamental breach of the President's oath of office. It endangers our elections, it endangers our
national security. It ought to be condemned by every member of this body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Vice President Mike Pence came to Mr. Trump's defense today, saying the unproven allegations about Joe Biden and his son are worth looking
into. Reporters asked Pence whether he had discussed the Bidens when he met with Ukraine's President last month. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT: We focused entirely in my meeting with President Zelensky of Ukraine on the issue that President Trump had
raised as a concern, namely a lack of support from European partners for Ukraine and real issues of corruption in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: All of this happening on a big day in the impeachment investigation. The first witness is talking to three Congressional
Committees behind closed doors. Kurt Volker is the Former U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and was mentioned in a whistleblower complaint for
allegedly setting up a meeting between Mr. Trump's Personal Attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and Ukrainian officials.
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is on Capitol Hill where the President's Former Special Envoy to Ukraine spoke to lawmakers behind those closed doors.
Sunlen, what have you learned about his testimony so far?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bianca, notably, this testimony is still going on, now reaching and surpassing the seven-hour
mark that he has been behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, speaking with lawmakers on three powerful House Committees. Now, the lawmakers shuffling
in and out of the meeting not offering much by way of substance, not specifically speaking to the content of what Kurt Volker is revealing in
the room, nor those pages and pages of documents that were turned over to the Committee late last night on his behalf.
And the response largely has essentially fallen into partisan camps. We have Republicans coming out with somewhat of a unified talking point,
saying that nothing that they've seen or heard in the room advances the Democrat's impeachment inquiry. They've said though, of course, without
offering any specifics to back that up. Here is just one of the Republican Congressmen, Jim Jordan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Not one thing he has said comports with any of the Democrat's impeachment narrative, not one thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: And going into this deposition today a source with knowledge of Volker's thinking offering up some explanations for the allegations that
were laid out in the whistleblower complaint, saying that he was trying to get the Biden/Giuliani issue off the table given it was a political effort,
not in his role as a State Department employee at the time.
We will see, Bianca, if he is making a similar argument and what, of course, evidence he is holding up to make that argument in the room today.
Bianca.
NOBILO: Sunlen Serfaty on Capitol Hill, thank you so much for joining us. Ukraine is at the heart of this inquiry, so let's go to our Senior
International Correspondent Sam Kiley he is in Kiev. Sam, you had an exclusive interview with a Former Ukrainian Prosecutor. What did you learn
about Rudy Giuliani's contacts with the Ukraine?
[17:05:00]
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Former Deputy Prosecutor General David Sakvarelidze told me that the - essentially the
case built by Mr. Giuliani in a dossier that he handed on to the State Department, which has now been handed to Congress, copies of which are now
in the hands also of CNN, we showed him those copies.
They relate to allegations made by Viktor Shokin, who is the former prosecutor general and his successor Euro Lukashenko, both of whom made
allegations implying a degree of corruption, denied, I must stress, by Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, alleged interference.
Now, in all of this his reaction was one of complete scorn that these individuals could be taken seriously as potential witnesses, used by Mr.
Giuliani. This is how he put it, Bianca.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID SAKVARELIDZE, FORMER DEPUTY PROSECUTOR GENERAL TO UKRAINE: Shocking, corrupt and he had to be dismissed. Lukashenko was deeply corrupt and he
had to be dismissed. And because of these guys we lost five years in Ukraine, five desperate years with no punishment of the corruptioners, with
minus in the economy, with a lot of millions of Ukrainians leaving this country and working as workers all over eastern and Western and Eastern
Europe, and that's a tragedy. These people don't have any moral rights to talk in the name of this country beautiful country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: Now, I should say, Bianca, both Mr. Shokin and Mr. Lukashenko have denied all and any wrong doing with regards to this, but nonetheless I
think what we have seen here is the energy behind perhaps some of those theories that Mr. Trump said that he wanted investigated, at least here in
Ukraine, Bianca.
NOBILO: Sam Kiley in Kiev, thank you. We know you will keep digging around in the Giuliani dossier. Thank you very much. Now, security officials in
Iraq say at least 34 people have been killed and 1,500 wounded in three days of violent protests against the government. Baghdad is now telling its
citizens to leave Iraq immediately for their own safety. CNN's Michael Holmes explains what is behind the unrest?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of Iraqis demonstrate against a government less than a year old public anger and frustration visceral, and
the government response deadly. Iraqi police using live ammunition, tear gas and water cannon, trying to disburse protesting that most recently
kicked off Tuesday.
As clashes bled into a third day, the government imposed a pre-dawn curfew and shut down internet access across much of the country to limit protester
ability to coordinate. It did little to quell the deadly and growing civil unrest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: To give you an idea of how this has spread? The protests initially began in the capital, Baghdad, but from there they spread to provinces and
cities all across the south of the country, including the oil-rich Shia- dominated area of Basra, critical to the economy. By Thursday morning the government had imposed an indefinite curfew on Baghdad, Hilla, Najaf and
Nasiriya.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: In some of the largest protests seen in decades, demonstrators point to corruption by ruling establishment, economic mismanagement and a
deteriorating quality of life during a time of relative peace.
In the two years since the defeat of the Islamic state in Iraq, the country has enjoyed some measure of security, but sporadic uprisings are often
harshly put down by the government. They're generally not partisan issues, instead bread-and-butter issues, jobs, corruption, electricity supplies,
clean water the most basic of services in a country with vast oil wealth.
In the years since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, governments have been elected and come and gone, promising much, in reality changing little.
Rising poverty and unemployment turning into public outrage that cuts across sectarian lines.
INTERPRETER: We are calling for our rights. This is all we want. We want an occupation and a job that would bring good to us.
HOLMES: The U.S. invasion in 2003 caused massive disruption to infrastructure in areas like electricity, water and sewage. Sectarian
violence and years of ISIS made things worse. Through it all protesters say a culture of corruption has endured, thrived even. False promises of change
leaving Iraq's beleaguered citizens in the crosshairs of their own government. Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: The Paris police force is reeling after one of their own turned on his colleagues in a brutal act of violence. Three police officers and a
police administration were killed in a knife attack at the headquarters of the Paris police.
[17:10:00]
NOBILO: The attacker, who was shot and killed, was a long-time employee of the police force. CNN's Jim Bittermann told me a bit more about that.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bianca, I think, what was particularly shocking about this is it was a police-on-police
attack. Basically, the assailant - 45-year-old assailant was someone that worked at the police station, not a policeman but one of the administrators
that worked at the station.
Suddenly at 1:00 this afternoon went on the attack against his colleagues. He has been part of the administration since 2003, so for some time he was
well-known to other employees. In fact, the motive behind this is what people are wanting to know right now.
The Paris prosecutor has picked up his wife and also has ordered an investigation into his house to see if there's anything there, any kind of
a clue, and the Paris prosecutor also said that earlier on that there was nothing to make this man a particular suspect of any kind. There was never
any suspicion anything like this could have happened.
Four people dead. Three of the four were police officers involved in intelligence, one was a police administrator and another critically
injured, a human relations woman apparently is critically injured, in the hospital here, and police continue to investigate. Bianca.
NOBILO: Thanks to Jim for his reporting. Coming up on THE BRIEF, Boris Johnson has spent the day trying to sell his new Brexit plan, but the
response from Brussels has been Luke-warmed to say the least. We will debrief next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: Boris Johnson has spent the day trying to convince Britain's Parliament that his new Brexit proposal is worth backing. His idea removes
the controversial Irish backstop and replaces it with this. Northern Ireland would remain in a single market for goods, meaning that Ireland and
Northern Ireland would become an all-island regulatory zone.
That amounts to a new border in the Irish Sea. Then Northern Island would leave the EU Customs Union along with the rest of Britain. There would be
no physical infrastructure at the Irish border, declarations would be done electronically, and any physical checks carried out away from the border.
A Northern Ireland Assembly would have to approve the plans every four years. That's the same assembly that hasn't been sitting since 2017. All in
all it is complicated. Here is how Boris Johnson laid it out to parliament.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There will be no need for checks or any infrastructure at or near the border between Ireland and Northern
Ireland. Indeed, I have already given a guarantee that the UK government will never conduct checks at the border and we believe that the EU should
do the same. So there is absolute clarity on that point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[17:15:00]
NOBILO: It is worth noting who was sitting right behind the Prime Minister, his predecessor Theresa May watching on from the back benches. She secured
a withdrawal agreement with the EU which could not get through parliament. If Boris Johnson managed to get a slender majority for his Brexit deal,
then he may face the opposite problem.
One thing Theresa May got very used to was criticism from Labor Leader Jeremy Corbyn, and he's not changing his tune for the new Prime Minister or
the new proposal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY CORBYN, BRITISH LABOR PARTY LEADER: Mr. Speaker, these plans are simply unworkable. Mr. Speaker, for what we have before us is not a serious
proposal to break the deadlock. Instead, these proposals are nothing more than a cynical attempt by the Prime Minister to shift the blame for his
failure to deliver. We can only conclude - we can only conclude his political adviser was telling the truth when he called the negotiations
with the EU a sham.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: One group of people Mr. Johnson has got on board is the Northern Ireland DUP, and that is important given how crucial the Irish border is to
everything. But he also needs the support of every member of the European Union, and the mood music there isn't positive.
Here is Donald Task, the European Council President to Ireland he says, Europe stands behind you. To Boris Johnson, we remain open but unconvinced.
Here is what Ireland's Prime Minister had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEO VARADKAR, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: The proposals that have been put forward by the UK are certainly welcome in the sense that we now have
written proposals that we can engage on, but they do fall short in a number of aspects.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBILO: Watch the space. Now, after several days of steep losses the U.S. stock market managed to end in positive territory today, but investors
remain very worried about the slumping manufacturing sector and impact of ongoing trade wars.
One thing that helped bounce back is hopes that the U.S. Central Bank will cut interest rates again as fears of precession on growing. Incoming
European Central Bank Chief Cristine Lagard says it is a pivotal time for the global economy. A short time ago she spoke to Richard Quest about her
biggest concerns.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Bianca, the number one concern about the global economy is, of course, the trade war and the relationship
between U.S and China and just how much worse this is going to get. Because everywhere we look at the moment, there are an increasing number of
tariffs.
Just witnessed, for example, the tariffs that now go on European goods going to the U.S. because of the Airbus/Boeing dispute. I very much asked
the Former Managing Director and the President Designate of the ECB what she was concerned about when it does come to tariffs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRISTINE LAGARD, OUTGOING MANAGING DIRECTOR, IMF: Two things, U.S. versus China and generally U.S. trade policies are having direct effect on the
consumer prices, on the volume of import and export. If you go and buy a Cell phone, if you go and buy a fridge, if you go and buy a television set,
it is going to cost you more simply because of the tariffs that no manufacturer in his mind would ever pick up for himself. He will pass it on
to the consumer, so that's impact number one.
Impact number two, because you don't know what the tariffs are going to be, you don't know how you are organizing your supply chain? You don't know
whether you will be able to tap into such-and-such markets? You just sit back and you don't invest. So it is a combination of the direct and the
indirect impact of those trade policies and trade uncertain future policies that are correcting this impact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: And this is not just academic, Bianca, the evidence is now there. If you look at the latest numbers from the WTO, the World Trade Organization,
that we saw this week, the global trade, they've revised downwards their estimates for growth and if you look at the numbers coming out from
individual countries Germany, the UK, the United States.
So overall the serious concern of trade, how it will hit economies and whether that, of course, eventually leads to recession. Bianca.
NOBILO: Negotiators for the U.S. and North Korea began working regulatory nuclear talks in Stockholm on Friday. While President Trump and Kim Jong-Un
won't be there, the U.S. President briefly mentioned the negotiations Thursday saying, "We will see what happens". But on Wednesday, a day after
both sides agreed to resume talks, North Korea says it test fired a new type of submarine-launch ballistic missile.
[17:20:00]
NOBILO: Turning to the Middle East now, Iran says it is open to starting a dialogue with Saudi Arabia. This comes more than two weeks after an attack
on a Saudi oil facility wiped out half of the country's oil production and ratcheted up tensions in the region.
The attacks are widely blamed on Iran, but Iran denies involvement. Earlier I spoke with CNN's Fred Pleitgen about where things stand at the moment?
FREDRICK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right now both the Saudis and the Iranians really are trying to tone things down a little
bit, trying to take the temperature down a little bit if you will.
I think right now the Iranians, at least militarily, feel extremely emboldened. They still say they weren't behind these cruise missile attacks
on the Saudi oil facilities, but they managed to shoot down an American drone a couple of weeks ago. Just having been in Iran a couple of times
over the past couple of months, you can see that right now they're showcasing more of their high-end military.
They have a lot of times their generals are coming out and saying, look, you better not mess with us. The Iranians are saying they don't want war,
however, they are saying that they are ready for war. The Saudis for their part also seem to be trying to tone things down right away. There is some
talk of maybe some diplomatic initiatives between the two sides.
I think the Saudis for their part have noticed that maybe the Americans are not going to stick up for them as forcefully as they would have thought. I
think those attacks on the oil facilities really a wake-up call for the Saudis. I think they believed that the U.S. would have a stronger response
to that.
So right now it seems as though both sides are really trying to tone things down still very much in the early station. We have to wait and see whether
or not there could be a diplomatic initiative that comes out of this, because one of the things we have to keep in mind is that, of course, while
the Iranians, as we said, feel emboldened militarily they are struggling economically. So some sort of - might be something that could be good for
them as well.
NOBILO: Fred, for his part Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he hasn't seen any evidence that it was Iran that was involved in the attacks
on the Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure. What do you make of that?
PLEITGEN: Look, Vladimir Putin is a big ally of Iran, and you could see from the early stages after the attacks took place that Vladimir Putin
really was someone that said he was skeptical about whether or not the Iranians were behind that. Of course, one of the things that he told the
Saudis after these attacks took place on the oil installations, he said, look, you need to do what the Turks are doing? You need to buy Russian air
defense systems.
So that's the one thing he has been saying. On the whole I think the Russians have big interest in things not getting out of control in that
part of the world. Obviously they're in a strong position, they're in Syria. They really wouldn't want one of their big allies or current allies
and the Iranians to face any sort of backlash or broader backlash from a broader coalition.
The interesting thing about the Russians is also that of course they have a strong position right now both with the Saudis and also with the Iranians,
and it really seems as though the Russians are trying to make a mark also may be with those remarks as well.
NOBILO: Fred Pleitgen for us in Moscow. Thank you. When "The Brief" returns, Facebook is under increasing scrutiny for its perceived role in
spreading false information. Now Europe's top court is weighing in, and it could have huge repercussions for social media and EU details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: Turning now to North America. The Eastern United States is far from fall-like weather. It is October and it is sweltering record-breaking
temperatures.
[17:25:00]
NOBILO: Meteorologist Tom Sater joins me now. Tom, just how record-breaking is this unseasonable heat wave and what is behind it?
TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, records, Bianca, in many cities here go back over 150 years and we have never seen anything like this, just
shattering records. In fact, it is the summer for the northern hemisphere that doesn't want to end for some.
Each one of the dots May, June, July, depicting a daily high temperature record, monthly all-time record. We had a massive heat wave, of course two
of them in Europe, one in Japan, hundreds died from the heat. We are still enduring this in the U.S. waiting for this front to pass through. It has
been a tailor to air masses we've had historic snowfall up to meters worth.
Northern Rocky has been high pressure is causing the air to compress and what we're seeing is day after day after day all-time records warmest
September on record, shattering all of these cities for October warmth. New York City hitting 34 degrees first time to get above 32 since 1941. Even in
Atlanta where we are here, the record for days at our 32.2 or higher is 90.
We have tied it today. Tomorrow will be day 91, 50 more records today. In fact, in Atlanta the last nine out of ten days have been record-breaking.
The last 14 out of 24 madness 36, you typically just do not have this in the month of October. You have a better chance in the Ohio Valley to have
snow showers this time of year.
Now, they are cooling down. New York, 34, today, 14. That's nice. 35, 18 in Philadelphia. Eventually we're going to start to see this kind of fizzle
away and bring in autumn like we should have. While you're enduring some strong winds from what was hurricane Lorenzo, so hold on to your hat.
NOBILO: Thanks, Tom. No one breaks down Meteorology like you. Good to see you.
SATER: Okay, you too.
NOBILO: A top European court has ordered Facebook to take down a post. Now, that might sound trivial, but it could actually change how billions of us
use social media. That's because when a European court orders something to be taken down, it must be removed anywhere it appears. The case came about
when an Austrian politician asked Facebook to remove disparaging comments about her that has been posted on Irish person's page.
Facebook as you would imagine were not happy with the ruling, saying this judgment raises critical questions around freedom of suppression.
Governments and courts have struggled to keep up with the expansion of online giants, but the European court ruling marks a change in how to
protect people from attacks online. That's THE BRIEF. I'm Bianca Nobilo and "WORLD SPORTS" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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