Return to Transcripts main page
Hala Gorani Tonight
Impeachment Inquiry Updates; Interview With Evan Siegfried; Landslide Election Victories For Hong Kong Protestors; Michael Bloomberg Making First Campaign In Virginia; Scotland A Key Battleground In Upcoming Vote; Young Elephants Captured In Zimbabwe For Chinese Zoos. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired November 25, 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 INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone. Live from the CNN Center, I'm Hala Gorani.
Tonight, new details about an extensive effort from inside the White House to justify President Trump's decision to withhold Ukraine aid after the
president ordered the money be held up.
Also, a stunning landslide victory in Hong Kong as pro-democracy parties flip all but one of the territory's districts away from Beijing.
Plus, a shocking heist in Germany, something straight out of the movies. They've made out with priceless treasures in Dresden. We have all the
details, just ahead.
U.S. lawmakers are on Thanksgiving break this week, but there's still a lot going on in the impeachment inquiry including a court ruling expected any
minute now, that could dramatically alter the scope of the inquiry itself.
For the first time, a judge will weigh in on the clash between the White House and House Democrats over who can be compelled to testify in all of
this. The judge will decide whether former White House Counsel Don McGahn must be forced to testify.
Democrats say the ruling should apply to other key witnesses as well, including those at the very heart of the scandal. But it's a safe bet that
even if they win, the White House will appeal so this will be a prolonged process.
Now, it is a big problem for House Democrats, all this, even as they accuse President Donald Trump of unprecedented obstruction that could do permanent
harm, they are not willing to drag out impeachment by waiting for lengthy court battles to end.
Let's get more from our reporters on the ground. Sarah Westwood is live at the White House, and Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill.
And, Sarah, let me start with you. As we await this court ruling, what is the expectation? Obviously the White House has been resisting Don -- the
idea that the inner circle of the president would testify now, since the beginning of this whole process.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Hala. And the White House had declared that McGahn, the former White House counsel, had
absolute immunity in this case. That's not directly related to the impeachment proceedings, but could have implications for what House
Democrats are doing now.
Now, the House Judiciary Committee issued that subpoena for Don McGahn's testimony all the way back in April, and the House sued McGahn and the
White House -- this administration -- in August to try to compel McGahn's testimony.
Now, that is related to the House Judiciary Committee's ongoing investigation of Russian collusion. They wanted to examine what McGahn had
told Special Counsel Robert Mueller about Trump's alleged obstruction.
Now, House Democrats, Hala, have already signaled that they plan to use this case as a guide if the judge determines that McGahn can be compelled
to testify despite the fact that the White House has attempted to exert immunity over his testimony.
Then, other former administration officials, crucially among them, John Bolton, could also be forces to testify under a subpoena from House
Democrats.
GORANI: And so, Manu, for our international viewers, we of course aired, wall-to-wall, these impeachment hearings. And the biggest question I get
abroad is, what happens next? We've heard from the witnesses. What do Democrats intend to do, given that in the Senate, it is very unlikely --
unless something changes drastically -- that a Senate trial will actually lead to the impeachment of the president. What do they do now?
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The House Democrats are setting the stage for the president to be impeached, likely
before the end of the year. What's happening right now is that members and the aides have gone behind closed doors to draft a report that will detail
the findings of this investigation that has been going on since late September.
It's going to be exclusively focused on the Ukraine matter, the president's efforts to push for these investigations into his political rivals at the
same time as withholding that military aid that Ukraine had sought, withholding a key meeting with the president of Ukraine it had sought with
President Trump.
They're going to detail what they believe is a scandal that shows abuse of power in the White House, and that's going to lay the groundwork for the
House Judiciary Committee, a separate committee, to take up articles of impeachment against the president.
That's going to happen probably through the course of December, and that will lead -- ultimately lead for (ph) a vote before the full House to
impeach this president. And Democrats believe there are probably going to be enough votes, at least a majority of Democrats, enough to impeach
President Trump, which will make him just the third American president to get impeached by the House.
But, Hala, you're right. Afterwards, it goes to the Senate, controlled by Republicans, and that's where a trial could take place. That trial could
take several weeks long, but two-thirds of the Senate needs to vote to convict and remove the president from office. And that is highly unlikely,
given the makeup of the Senate and given the fact that we'd need 20 Republicans to break ranks and join all Democrats to do that. And as we're
seeing from Republicans who are siding with the president, that is highly, highly unlikely -- Hala.
GORANI: So, Manu, what is the best-case scenario for Democrats here?
RAJU: The best-case scenario is for them to take their argument to the American public, convince the American public that the president engaged in
serious misconduct, that the Republicans covered it up for the -- for -- on behalf of the president, ignored what they view as clear criminality, hope
that they can convince the public that that's the way to go.
But what we're seeing from polls, Hala, they are -- the public is still very divided about the notion of impeaching and removing the president.
While more Americans do support that idea, it's still a very bitterly divided public. So at the end of the day, both parties are going to have
to make their arguments to the voters. So next November will be the ultimate decision --
GORANI: Yes.
RAJU: -- about whether President Trump stays in office.
GORANI: And, Sarah, last quick one to you. Is the White House nervous about this whole thing? Or are -- what are you sensing from your sources
inside the White House?
WESTWOOD: Well, right now, Hala, the White House is really turning its focus to the potential Senate impeachment trial. President Trump has been
meeting in small groups with a number of Republican senators. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone has been briefing Republican senators on what a trial
could look like.
So now, the White House, really turning its focus away from the inquiry in the House. And that's after President Trump and his aides weathered
criticism of the fact that they didn't really have a strategy as the impeachment inquiry was unfolding in the House, really, until it was too
late to affect the proceedings that were going on in the lower chamber.
Since then, the White House has brought on two temporary hires, Pam Bondi and Tony Sayegh, to help coordinate that strategy with Capitol Hill. But
ultimately, now, the White House, turning its focus on a Senate trial, hoping to keep that trial short and influence what kind of witnesses can be
called and what that structure of that trial will really look like -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Sarah Westwood and Manu Raju, thanks very much to both of you.
The public impeachment hearings revealed strong evidence that President Trump and his aides tried to pressure Ukraine for political favors. Bu
Republican support of Mr. Trump really has not budged. Some Republican lawmakers are even repeating debunked conspiracy theories against Ukraine.
Listen to Senator John Kennedy -- Republican Senator John Kennedy -- speaking on "Fox News."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: Who do you believe was responsible for hacking the DNC and Clinton campaign computers, their e-mails? Was it
Russia or Ukraine?
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): I don't know, nor do you, nor do any of us. Miss Hill is entitled to her --
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: Well, I mean, let me just -- let me just interrupt to say the entire intelligence community says it was Russia.
KENNEDY: Right, but it could also be Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: My next guest says Mr. Trump's base, for them, it doesn't matter really what he does or what he's accused of, that they will stand by him.
Evan Siegfried is a Republican strategist and commentator. He's also the author of GOP GPS.
Evan, thanks for being with us. What do you make of the fact that these high-profile Republican lawmakers are now doing the rounds, peddling these
debunked conspiracy theories about Ukraine having potentially hacked the DNC server when every single intelligence agency in America has pointed the
finger at Russia?
EVAN SIEGFRIED, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST AND COMMENTATOR: Well, at this point, it's either one of two things. They're either playing the political
game in order to stay in office --
GORANI: Yes.
SIEGFRIED: -- because, as they know that the base 100 percent wholly believes these debunked conspiracy theories. Or they just aren't smart
enough and they are just, like several members of the base who think it's, ah, it's completely true.
GORANI: Evan, they know -- they know full well. They're smart enough. I mean, you have Ivy League graduates who are saying Ukraine potentially
hacked into the DNC server in 2016. So they know they're playing a political game here, though. But it's a dangerous one, right? Because --
SIEGFRIED: It's --
GORANI: -- they're ignoring facts.
SIEGFRIED: It's very dangerous because facts are now supposed to suit your personal feelings and leanings, and not get in the way with them, at least
in their eyes. And I find it to be very distressing and disturbing.
GORANI: Yes.
SIEGFRIED: Let's not forget, here's a fact. Everybody's been asking -- and many Republicans, from the president on down, have been saying, where
is the server? Where is it? Well, we know where the server is. It's 20 blocks from the White House, in the basement of the Democratic National
Committee headquarters, right next to the Watergate cabinet that was broken into by Nixon's plumbers.
And nobody has had any -- contested that fact, but it's still being pushed. It disappeared into Ukraine, we don't know. And it's very distressing as a
Republican to see what is happening to the party. We've become more and more insular and are going out and going solely to defend the president as
opposed to principles and ideology.
GORANI: And Rick Perry, the energy secretary, had something very interesting to say about the president, that he is the chosen one. Listen
to Rick Perry.
[14:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK PERRY, SECRETARY OF ENERGY: God's used imperfect people all through history. King David wasn't perfect, Saul wasn't perfect, Solomon wasn't
perfect. And I actually gave the president a little one-pager on those Old Testament kings about a month ago. And I shared it with him. I said, "Mr.
President, I know there are people that say, you know, you said you were the chosen one." And -- and I said, "You were."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: And, Evan this is interesting because we're seen, all around the world, obviously, where you have in some countries, people who claim to
have somehow been anointed or chosen by the gods, and we would laugh at those types of leaders. Today in the Republican Party, you have cabinet
secretaries saying this on television about President Trump. What do you make of that?
SIEGFRIED: Well, this mirrors something that has been happening on all fronts, from the conspiracy theories on CrowdStrike, et cetera. What
happens is, within the base of the Republican Party -- in this case, evangelical Christians -- you see them saying, well, Donald Trump is a
flawed man, but he's still the chosen one because he's going out and he's achieving all these victories for our ideas.
And then it filters up to cabinet secretaries and their evangelical leaders as well, who keep repeating it. And now we have Rick Perry saying it.
We've even had Trump joke about it in the Rose Garden, where he pointed to the sky and said, I am the chosen one. This was about a year ago.
And it's very, very disconcerting for me as well as other Republicans I know. But the problem is, many Republicans aren't speaking up. They view
it as -- speaking up as a death sentence for them politically, and it could impact their ability to either get elected or even have a job in the
industry.
GORANI: Yes. There's a political analyst and reporter who tweeted about new voter registration numbers in Texas -- and I think in other red states,
you're seeing similar trends -- where over 2 million new voter registrations have taken place in a deeply red state like Texas, right?
TEXT: Tom Bonier: Your random election data stat(s) of the day: 2,644,532 people have registered to vote in Texas since Election Day '16.
1,660,173 of those new voters are people of color and/or under the age of 25. Trump carried the state by 807,179 votes.
GORANI: Two-point-six million people have registered to vote, 1.6 million of those new voters are people of color and/or under the age of 25. Trump
carried the state by 807,000 votes.
The demographics are changing deeply red-state voter bases, right? And the Republican Party is not diversifying its base of support, as you're seeing
from some of these numbers. Is this something that could hurt them in 2020?
SIEGFRIED: Hurt? It's -- I think "hurt" is too understated a word. I think right now, what we've been seeing -- and there are several of us
Republicans who have been warning about the changing demographics of America that was a problem for Republicans long before Donald Trump became
president. Mitt Romney lost in 2012 because the demographics in this country changed. And we had the vaunted autopsy report.
And what ended up happening to the autopsy report, which recommended reaching out to minority voters, younger voters, and trying to bring them
into the fold? Younger voters, one out of every five identifies as a Republican.
GORANI: Right.
SIEGFRIED: That is very troublesome. And a lot of Republicans threw this report in the trash and said, well, younger voters don't vote and we know
that -- or minority voters are going to vote for Democrats because somehow they've been bought off. And they just said, we're going to stick to the
base.
Well, the base is shrinking. We're relying on white, rural, non-college- educated voters. More and more Americans are having a college education, and we're just speaking to that one particular audience --
GORANI: Yes.
SIEGFRIED: We -- whereas Democrats are going out and speaking to others.
What we heard -- again, in 2018, just before the midterms, younger voters don't vote. Well, younger voters voted so much so that they helped swing
several -- or the House to Democrats --
GORANI: Yes.
SIEGFRIED: -- and we're also seeing that Republicans are turning off older voters.
GORANI: Yes.
SIEGFRIED: Voters 65-plus traditionally go to Republicans, and Republicans will always win them.
GORANI: Although --
SIEGFRIED: They won them -- go ahead.
GORANI: Sorry to jump in. Although the impeachment hearings did not increase support for impeachment among Republican voters. In fact, support
for impeachment ticked down after all that compelling testimony, regardless of what side of the aisle you're on. Fiona Hill and others, I mean, these
are really career diplomats, many of whom are not, by the way, necessarily left-learning.
Internationally, it was seen as a compelling case against Donald Trump. Domestically though, support for impeachment went down. How do you explain
that?
SIEGFRIED: Well, I explain it because when you actually go and look at what's been happening since President Trump took office, you have a lot of
people who have just gotten so used to the noise, and they're sick and tired of it. It's always some new drama.
GORANI: Yes.
SIEGFRIED: If this impeachment had come out of the blue and these -- everything about the Ukraine, the allegations had come out without any sort
of preceding drama, none of the Charlottesville, none of the other completely ridiculous statements that President Trump has made, or
embarrassing situations he's gotten himself into, it would have been a shock to the system.
Now, we are not shocked. I think voters from suburban women to senior citizens to younger voters, they're going out and they're registering and
they are very upset and engaged. They might not like the Democratic candidates right now, but they certainly despise Donald Trump and he is
actually a shot in the arm for Democrats right now. The question is, will Democrats do as they always do and blow it.
[14:15:08]
GORANI: All -- yes, we'll see that. Evan Siegfried, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate having you on the program --
SIEGFRIED: Thank you for having me.
GORANI: -- today.
Speaking of politics but in Hong Kong this time, Hong Kong is proving that though its voting power may be small, it is quite mighty. Voters gave a
landslide victory to pro-democracy candidates in Sunday's District Council election.
It's one of the few chances residents have to participate in direct elections, and they showed up in record numbers despite fears of chaos and
protests. It was one of the most peaceful days in nearly six months of demonstrations.
The result puts pressure on the city's pro-Beijing leader, Carrie Lam, to figure out how to respond to the voices that are louder than ever against
her. Nick Paton Walsh is in Hong Kong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): Taking on Beijing rarely gives cause for celebration. But after months of
protests and clashes with riot police, nobody thought the pro-democracy movement would ever win this big.
JOSHUA WONG, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: It's a remarkable achievement and the efforts of all of the Hong Kongers that paid a price and sacrificed for the
movement. I never imagined it would happen. But now, we are the majority in the District Council to show our cause on freedom and democracy.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): Hundreds of pro-Beijing candidates, sent packing by voters on Sunday. But it was a victory as unexpectedly huge as it was
ultimately hollow. China says Hong Kong will remain part of it no matter what. And in Hong Kong, democracy only goes so far, as the newly elected
councilors decide local issues and not major policies or laws. That's left to those hand-picked by Beijing, like Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
The unprecedented rejection of her rule -- she once called protestors enemies of the people -- hasn't, however, forged an easy path out of months
of darkness.
JOSEPH CHENG, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR: The danger, of course, is that people do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. There must be a
process of reconciliation, a dialogue with the pro-democracy movement, a response to the demands made starting with the setting-up of an independent
commission of inquiry.
PATON WALSH: The polls may have closed and the results may be extraordinary, but the standoff here remains the same, hatred still rife
between police up on that walkway and protestors down on the streets, who are now assured of a strong mandate shown at the polls by the vast majority
of the people of Hong Kong.
Yet still, they wake up, though, to a territory where China remains ultimately in control. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come tonight, a shocking heist at a German castle where the loss cannot be measured in financial terms alone. We'll bring you all
the details, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Each month, thousands of migrants risk their lives in the Mediterranean Sea trying to make the dangerous journey to Europe in search
of a better future. On Saturday alone, the coast guard says it rescued 149 people after their boat capsized near the coast of Lampedusa.
[14:20:13]
And this is dramatic video I wanted to show you: an Italian coast guard diver, pulling a young girl in the purple jacket -- you might be able to
see her there -- out of the water. She was brought to safety along with her mother and her father. So far, five women have died. Survivors say up
to 20 people are missing.
Take a look there at that video. This is seen from the vantage point of the rescuers, obviously. This is tough work for them, and this is the type
of reality they're confronted with, just as many countries are closing their doors more and more to migrants fleeing impoverished and conflict-
ridden areas in Africa and the Middle East. This video, from the Italian coast guard, shot on Saturday.
A daring pre-dawn jewelry heist has stunned Germany and the world. Thieves broke into the world-famous Green Vault museum at Dresden Castle, escaping
with diamonds, pearls, rubies and other national treasures.
While one German newspaper estimated the loss at more than a billion dollars, officials say the cultural loss is priceless. Phil Black has our
story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The target, one of Europe's most valuable collections of treasure, suggests a technically complex
professionally planned and executed movie-style heist. But as this security video shows, it was far less sophisticated. One of the two
thieves is seen repeatedly striking a display case with an axe.
The museum's interactive tour shows the contents of that case. They escaped with three sets of jewelry including finely crafted necklaces.
Together, the sets were made up of around 100 individual diamonds, pearls and rubies.
The Green Vault is famous for its extraordinary priceless collection from the early 1700s. The incredibly ornate rooms were first built by local
leader Augustus the Strong when he was king, to turn the region into a Florence-like hub of art and culture. The collection survived World War
II, but the vault's rooms, like much of Dresden, were rebuilt.
The museum says the value of the stolen pieces can't be calculated accurately because they're too well-known to ever be sold on the open
market. But news of the Green Vault raid inspired shock among local officials, who say the collection is invaluable as part of the region's
culture, history and identity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's not just about the material value, but also the immaterial value, which is inestimable for the state of
Saxony. As our state premier has said, overnight, the whole of Saxony was stolen from.
BLACK (voice-over): Police don't know if the thieves had hoped to get away with more. But one extraordinary piece of treasure was well beyond their
reach: the famous 41-carat Dresden Green Diamond is currently on loan to the Met Museum in New York. Phil Black, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: The director of Dresden's State Art Collection, not mincing his words. He called the robbers cold-hearted cultural barbarians. Phil Black
is in London, following this story.
What do you do with this -- with this loot? I mean, it's not like they can pawn, you know, rubies from a state collection. I mean, how are experts
saying that they'll even offload this stuff?
BLACK: Well, so the suggestion there is, Hala, that it's bound for the black market --
GORANI: Yes.
BLACK: -- perhaps for an illicit private collection, perhaps multiple collections. And even the possibility that these precious jewels could in
some way be broken up in order to distribute them and offload them even more easily.
And the directors of the museums in Dresden today, well, they said that is just a horrible thought, to think that that could be their destiny, because
of the importance that they place upon this for the region's cultural and - - cultural importance and identity and that sort of thing -- Hala.
GORANI: Yes. And this was a very sophisticated operation? I mean, it would have taken many people and a lot of planning, right?
BLACK: Well planning, yes. But I think that security video we had in the story shows how blunt and brutal and low-tech this ambitious smash-and-grab
operation was. So simple in those terms, but we learned a couple of details from the police that suggest there was planning involved.
One is, they found what they believe is the getaway car. It's been burnt out, and we've seen movies, we know that the thieving types like to burn
out the vehicle in order to destroy evidence linking them to it. Another interesting details is a police suspicion, which says another fire at a
nearby electricity hub was deliberately lit, they believe, in order to knock out the street lights in the surrounding area, and obviously make it
easier for them to get in and get out without being seen too much.
So planning, yes. But ultimately an operation that was carried out purely by brute force. They literally broke in, smashed their way in and they
were gone within minutes, and it's proven to be very effective because the police are really playing catch-up now. Both the thieves and the jewelry
have effectively disappeared -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Well, let's hope they find them, the thieves and those national treasures. Thanks very much, Phil Black.
A major bump in the road for Uber. If you visit London, that's one of Uber's biggest markets. The transit authority in that city has decided not
to renew Uber's license. It says a pattern of failures is putting passengers at risk, that there are safety issues there including letting
unauthorized drivers give rides.
Uber plans to appeal, calling the decision extraordinary and wrong. It will be able to keep running, though, while the appeal is under way. Now,
one-quarter of Uber's business comes from five cities, London is among them. CNN business reporter Hadas Gold is there.
Did this come as a surprise, though, to Uber? Because their license was suspended once before, they were given a few months to right the wrongs as
far as TfL, the transit authority, is concerned in London. And now, finally, this decision has come down. Was it a surprise?
HADAS GOLD, CNN REPORTER: I don't know. I mean, I think Uber says that they are surprised by it and they think it's wrong. But this has been a
long-running battle between London and this ride-hailing app. As you noted, back in -- over a year ago, their license was also not renewed, they
were given an extension and allowed to continue operating.
But now, what TfL is saying, that actually just the last few months, they found overwhelming evidence where they say that certain drivers were able
to use other drivers' accounts simply by swapping out the photos. So these would be unauthorized drivers. And as a result, TfL says that up to 14,000
rides were uninsured. Because if you're not being driven by somebody that's actually employed by the platform or uses the platform, then they
won't have insurance on it.
They also say that some people were able to create accounts even if they had been previously dismissed or suspended from the platform.
GORANI: Yes.
GOLD: Now, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said in a statement that he knows the decision may be unpopular with Uber users -- as you noted,
there's millions of people in London who use this -- but that "their safety is the paramount concern. Regulations are there to keep Londoners safe,
and fully complying with TfL's strict standards is essential if private hire operators want a license to operate in London."
Now, Uber has already said that they are planning to appeal this. They have 21 days to lodge that appeal, and then it's likely going to go into
this lengthy court battle. This is something that Uber has done before in London. And so -- in the meantime, if you're coming to London, you can
still use Uber.
Now, Uber is saying that they've changed. Their CEO wrote in a tweet that they understand they're held to a high bar, as they should be, "But this
TfL decision is just wrong. Over the last two years, we have fundamentally changed how we operate in London. We've come very far, and we will keep
going for the millions of drivers and riders who rely on us."
But London is incredibly important for Uber. As you noted, it's one of their top five highest-grossing cities, the only one in those top five
that's out of the Americas. A lot of rides are made in London. This is an incredibly important market for them.
But I think it's an important, also, flash point, an important example for the rest of the world, for other cities as well. They're all going to be
watching how this battle works out between the regulator and Uber, to see what they might do next around the world.
GORANI: But I -- what, is this the last appeal now? Or if -- I mean, could they lose this one and be given more time, or is this it, this is the
end of -- if they don't -- as far as TfL, the transit authority, is concerned -- rectify these issues, that's it for Uber? What's -- what is -
- what is the next step?
GOLD: Well, I mean, you can continue going back and forth with licenses and trying to reapply and get them. So I don't think this is necessarily
the end. And again, I really don't think that Uber's necessarily going to stop operating in London. I think this is sort of a back-and-forth between
the regulator and the platform.
There have been some reports that some -- one of the things that the regulators want is sort of more -- more instruments in place to help verify
drivers, potentially even using biometrics -- fingerprint scans, facial recognitions, things like that -- I could see that being part of the
negotiations as they go back and forth. But this is going to be a lengthy likely court process before we get any sort of answers.
This will go through a full appeals process. They've done this before, they've succeeded before in getting an extension because of how important
London is to Uber. I do think that we'll still see them on the streets for some time to come.
GORANI: All right. Maybe drivers will need an iris scan before they can start the engine on their Prius. Thanks very much, Hadas Gold.
[14:29:46]
Still to come tonight, Michael Bloomberg enters the race for the White House with his multibillion-dollar fortune. Will all that money help or
hurt him? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:20]
GORANI: Today, marks the beginning of Michael Bloomberg's campaign for president. Just minutes ago, he arrived at a dinner in Norfolk, Virginia,
where he met with some voters getting coffee or late lunch there.
There were dozens of reporters and cameras on hand. His very first campaign speech is expected to start in the next half hour. Bloomberg
announced his candidacy on Sunday, and he's taking an unusual path avoiding the early primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire, where other candidates
have been campaigning for months to, instead, focus on bigger states that vote later on in the primary calendar.
Let's talk a little bit about how Michael Bloomberg might change the race. I'm joined by CNN White House Reporter, Stephen Collinson.
So, how might he change the race? He's obviously, he's a household name in the United States, another billionaire. Though he's worth a lot more than
the sitting U.S. president.
He says he won't take money from donors. So, could he upset the race? Could he hurt Democrats?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It's very unlikely that Bloomberg can build a head of steam, Hala, behind his campaign getting in
this late.
Historically, this is not been the way to win the nomination, but who knows? He's already laid plans to spend more than $30 million in T.V.
advertising over the next two weeks. That is more than all the entire Democratic field with the exception of his fellow billionaire, Tom Steyer,
has spelled -- spent in his entire campaign, so far.
So you can see, at least in terms of making himself visible, Bloomberg has an advantage. The problem he's going to have is because as you say he's
not taking money from donors, he's not going to be out of reach the standard of certain amount of donors that you need to get into the
presidential debate. So he's going to be out there all on his own for months. So that's going to complicate his campaign.
And the root of this, this is a Democratic primary in which most of the candidates spend a lot of time lashing out at billionaires. It's a
questionable proposition I think that what Democratic voters really want is another billionaire to vote for.
GORANI: Yes. And he's buying $37 million worth of ads, as we've been mentioning. That figure dwarfs every one other than Tom Steyer, you
mentioned that. If you take him out of the mix, Bloomberg is spending more on advertising more than every other Democrat in the field combined.
So this obviously opens and have the accusations that he's trying to buy this election, you know. I wonder how that's going to -- how will that
play with voters?
COLLINSON: Right. That is exactly what candidates on the left of the party like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are saying. Their entire
campaigns are attempts to hit out the ruling money classes, the establishment. People who buy their way into political office. The
corruption of the political system. For them, Bloomberg is proving the central point of their campaign.
[14:35:18]
The other question is, how Bloomberg's entry will hurt more moderate candidates like, for example, former president -- former vice president,
Joe Biden.
You could see perhaps that even if he gets five, six percent in some of these primaries, that vote is probably going to come from candidates like
Biden. The question is, does that open the door a little bit more to a left wing candidate like Warren who perhaps maybe not quite as strong
running against Donald Trump in a general election campaign when the vote is tend to be slightly more moderate than they are in a primary campaign?
So this is one of the most interesting questions that the Bloomberg entry into this race is beginning to raise.
I think it's going to take a little while to see whether the fact that he's not in the debates and the advertising he's buying how much of an impact
that really does have when we get into the early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire in the beginning of February when Bloomberg will really struggle
to get a look in, because he's not competing in those races.
GORANI: Yes. So one of the top polling Democrats, Bernie Sanders, have this to say about this announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT): We do not believe that billionaires have the right to buy elections. That is why we are going to overturn citizens
united.
(CROWD CHEERING)
That is why multi-billionaires like Mr. Bloomberg, are not going to get too far in this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: For Democrat -- Democrats and Democratic voters, they may be voting strategically in 2020, not necessarily for the favorite candidate
but for the candidate they believe is best positioned to beat Donald Trump.
How likely is it that as Michael Bloomberg says himself he is one of the best positioned because he's a billionaire, because he understands, you
know, the language of the outsider billionaire businessman turned politician? Is that a likely proposition?
COLLINSON: I think you could make an argument that Bloomberg, politically at least, is just as well aligned with a majority of the American
electorate as is somebody like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren.
So where he in a head-to-head contest with Donald Trump, it's possible that he could beat him. The problem is going to be that most Democrats are not
crying out for another billionaire candidate.
Would Bloomberg drive Democrats at a diverse coalition of Democrats? So that to the polls in places like Philadelphia, around Detroit and Michigan
where Democrats really need to get a huge, enthusiastic turnout to win back those Midwestern states from Donald Trump.
So, you know, yes, it's possible in a head to head, anything can happen. He doesn't seem to have the profile that would get the kind of enthusiastic
Democratic vote that could put some of those states in play.
That's, I think, the big unknown about the Bloomberg candidacy if, you know, it would seem much more likely that Democrats, even those who are bit
of a more left-wing persuasion would far prefer someone like Biden who has a long history in the Democratic Party who was in the Obama administration,
who has strong support among African-Americans than a latecomer like Bloomberg who's sort of vacillated all over the political spectrum. He was
a Republic Democrat, and then he was Republican, and then he was a Democrat again.
GORANI: All right. Stephen Collinson, thanks very much.
To the U.K., Scotland could play a key role in next month's parliamentary election.
Our Nic Robertson reports now that if the Scottish National Party wins enough seats, it could derail Prime Minister Boris Johnson's hopes of a
majority.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just look at here first, Madam, quickly, right here.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: On the charm offensive, cameras catching every moment.
NICOLA STURGEON, FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND: Ta-da.
(LAUGHS)
ROBERTSON: Scotland's first minister, and leader of the Scottish National Party, SNP, making jam, winning friends, meeting children.
STURGEON: Hello, I'm Matthew.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, I'm Matthew.
ROBERTSON: Wanting votes.
ROBERTSON (on-camera): Nicola Sturgeon is at the vanguard of the SNP's election campaign. If Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to be defeated, then
Scotland and Sturgeon's party are going to be key in achieving it.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Her second visit to Stirling in two weeks, Scottish independence her big issue.
[14:40:05]
STURGEON: At the heart of the election, there's a question, who decides Scotland's future. Is it people like Boris Johnson, who will take us down
a path we don't want to go down or do we take our future into our own hands?
ROBERTSON (o-camera): A hundred and fifteen chilly miles north, Elgin is one of 13 conservative held seats in Scotland. They won it at the last
election in 2017. The question now, are voters here turning their back on Boris Johnson?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): A few weeks back, Johnson flew 600 miles from London to campaign for his candidate, Douglas Ross. Now, Ross challenging
Sturgeon to come visit too.
DOUGLAS ROSS, CONSERVATIVE PARTY CANDIDATE FOR MORAY: Please, Nicola, come to Moray because that reminds people that this is a two-horse race between
myself and the SNP. And if you want to stop the separation for Scotland, you've got to back Scottish conservatives here and across Scotland.
STURGEON: My message to him would be, be careful what you wish for. I'll be in all parts of Scotland over the next, we will.
ROBERTSON: This election, harder fought than previous, and voters, more volatile.
ROBERTSON (on-camera): Do you think you might be drifting towards the SNP?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct, yes.
ROBERTSON: Did you vote for them the last election?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I didn't.
ROBERTSON: So you'll be drifting away from the conservatives and maybe --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Possibly, yes, yes, yes, yes.
ROBERTSON: Why would that be?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's fairly obvious. I think Brexit has been a disaster.
WENDY CHAMBERLAIN, LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARTY CANDIDATE IN THE NORTH EAST FIFE: Elgin number two.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Early morning in Fife in Eastern Scotland, pro- remain liberal Democrat candidate, Wendy Chamberlain, is chasing votes hard. Many voters at work. She has good reason to keep trying.
CHAMBERLAIN: This is my (INAUDIBLE) of oath, so far.
ROBERTSON: They lost by two votes to the SNP, the tightest margin across the whole U.K. Her pro-remain pitch, Brexit is simpler without Scottish
independence.
CHAMBERLAIN: Nicola Sturgeon suggested that their priority isn't remains (ph) independence. So I think that, for me, dilutes the stop Brexit
message of the SNP to some extent.
ROBERTSON: The SNP's incumbent also talks up Brexit, independence, not so popular in this constituency.
STEPHEN GETHINS, SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY CANDIDATE IN NORTH EAST FIFE: The SNP is the biggest and most united remain party in the U.K. We've worked
cross-party and we're going to stop Brexit and stop the Tories.
ROBERTSON: Volatility, here too, and, again, Brexit at the root of it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was SNP but I'm swerving.
ROBERTSON (on-camera): Oh, you're moving away from Mr. Gethins then?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could be, yes.
ROBERTSON: And what would be a reason for that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to leave Europe.
ROBERTSON: Across Scotland, the message is clear. Many people are confused, frustrated, even angry, predicting the outcome of the elections
is a huge challenge. Perhaps nowhere more so than here in the country's post-industrial heartland, where the last elections, labor support surged.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): In traditional labor strongholds, like Glasgow, Northeast, incumbent, Paul Sweeney, believes the SNP has had its day.
PAUL SWEENEY, LABOR PARTY CANDIDATE IN NORTH EAST GLASGOW: The big story of the last election was the SNP were collapsing because the anger and
frustration of the wake of the 2014 independence referendum. It kind of just dissipated.
Well, we go off into this across the second decks.
ROBERTSON: At the doors, elderly voters backing Sweeney.
SWEENEY: All right. See you later on then.
Vote for (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm always (INAUDIBLE)
SWEENEY: Get the unit then.
ROBERTSON: But on the nearby streets, younger voters bucking his analysis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're voting SNP.
ROBERTSON (on-camera): Why SNP?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every generation of (INAUDIBLE) has been SNP. I would like to go for independent. So, yes, SNP, definitely, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the same here.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): In this winter election, young and motivated might trump old and loyal.
Back in Stirling where Sturgeon's SNP lost to Johnson's conservative last election, heavy campaigning is paying off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've had nothing but Scottish Nationals through the door, at the door and they want it bad. Scotland should be able to do what
is good for them.
ROBERTSON (on-camera): Whatever the outcome of this election, what is clear here in Scotland is that the political battle for independence is
getting closer.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Scotland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come tonight, these young elephants were born free in Zimbabwe. Now, they're in cages in China and it is outrageous. We'll
bring you our exclusive investigation, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:08]
GORANI: CNN has exclusively obtained video of dozens of young elephants being held in cages in China after being born free in Zimbabwe. They were
later separated from their herd and sold.
Now, despite widespread outrage, Zimbabwe's government says it needs to sell the wild elephants to fund its conservation efforts.
David McKenzie went to the heart of elephant country to investigate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thirty young, wild African elephants captured, sold, and sent to China to fill
amusement parks and zoos.
But first, they will be broken here. This cell phone video is an exclusive look at the latest shipment from Zimbabwe. In cage after metal cage, the
signs of suffering are clear.
Just weeks ago, they were among family groups in Hwange National Park.
MCKENZIE: What they do when they come and capture these elephants is they separate the youngsters. Not the very youngest, but the young elephant
from the rest of the herd. And scientists say that elephants are incredibly social animals. They develop bonds for a lifetime. And by
ripping them away from their families and sending them off to a foreign country, they say it's extremely traumatic for the elephants that go and
elephants that remain.
MCKENZIE: Despite these concerns, the trade up until now has been legal. But that window is closing. New rules preventing overseas shipments from
countries like Zimbabwe come into full effect at the end of November. Zimbabwe park officials say they will abide by those new rules.
CHRISPEN CHIKADAYA, SENIOR INSPECTOR, ZNSPCA: There's no transparency any more.
MCKENZIE: But animal rights inspector, Chrispen Chikadaya, says he's already seen a shift towards secrecy.
CHIKADAYA: Something is not right.
MCKENZIE: For the past year, officials blocked his team from entering the park, claiming they needed special permits that were not actually required.
He fears that the already opaque sales won't end, they'll just go underground.
MCKENZIE (on-camera): What was it like being pushed away?
CHIKADAYA: I'm a government-appointed inspector. And it's our mandate to see the welfare of those animals. They don't belong to national parks,
they belong to the people of Zimbabwe.
MCKENZIE: So now we've got the GPS coordinates of where we think these elephants have been kept. There's some 30 elephants that were shipped to
China, caused global outrage.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Animal rights activists and park sources told us that just beyond this boom gate, elephants were left behind and were
getting prepped to be sent away.
MCKENZIE (on-camera): But is it not possible to come in now with you, just to have a look?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, nothing we can do. Sir, you know, this place, for all the clients who come here, they are cleared by the manager.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): We went to management, and were repeatedly refused entry. They told us there was nothing to see, but they did agree to an on-
camera interview.
[14:50:03]
MCKENZIE (on-camera): Why is Zimbabwe selling elephants to China?
TINASHE FARAWO, SPOKESMAN, ZIMPARKS: It's part of our management plan. We have rangers in this park who will spend 21 days in the bush, protecting
these animals. They don't have uniforms, they don't have boots, they don't have tents, and they don't have food.
As an authority, we believe that the elephants must pay for their upkeep. They must also pay for their protection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's one of the elephant affected on the drought.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): But protection for Zimbabwe's wild elephants is far from assured. Elephants are dying, more than 200 in just the last few
months, succumbing to the severe drought that's hit the region. In this lean season, elephants in the wild are suffering too.
But Ranger Oscar Sibanda says, better to let nature take its course.
MCKENZIE (on-camera): And do you think it's good that some elephant are sent away to zoos in China, Pakistan, the U.S.?
OSCAR SIBANDA, HWANGE RANGER: I don't think it's right. We have to be proud of our country. These are our animals for our children,
grandchildren.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): But these elephants, taken from Zimbabwe, remain trapped far from home.
David McKenzie, CNN, Hwange.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: We're going to have a lot more news after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: The Hungarian capital of Budapest is known for its gothic architecture, its dramatic history and, obviously, rich culture.
But dig a little bit deeper and you'll find a city in the midst of a culinary revolution.
CNN speaks to the chef who served up the city's first Michelin Star restaurant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL VIEIRA, CHEF, COSTES: There's a very famous quote, I think, it was from (INAUDIBLE), there's only two types of cuisine, the good and the bad
one.
I'm the chef that doesn't like to come to the dining room and talk to guests because sometimes I don't really know what to say. So where I feel
well is cooking -- is in my little world. You know, it's where you can create, where we have freedom.
One of the biggest compliments we can have here is somebody tells Miguel, I feel (INAUDIBLE) the personality.
And if I can incorporate a bit of Hungarian traditions here and there, I'm happy to do so. But that is not -- I mean, that is not the golden rule
here.
ANDRAS JOKUTI, HUNGARIAN FOOD CRITIC: Hungarian cuisine, originally, had just one goal. It was always a pretty poor country. So, the main goal was
to stay alive. So, it was very important to have lots of energy from the food. So it's mostly -- it was originally based on potato and meat.
VIEIRA: The hunting season here starts around September and we have the young ones, the little deers where we used to saddle mainly where is
smaller and more tender.
[14:55:02]
And then as the months go by, the animals get bigger, and then we get to road deer, which is these ones, with the horn, I believe.
We choose this producer because it's very important for us to have happy animals between the (INAUDIBLE)
The flesh is much firmer. That is if the animal is stressed, and this one, as you can see, they're stressed-free. They seem to be happy animals. But
it's very important.
I always say this and to the boys every day. We should cook for ourselves, we should do what we believe is not cooking for awards, is not cooking for
status, a not cooking for recognition. I mean, that's the cherry on top of the cake, but that's not why we work 14, 15, 16 hours a day and that's not
certainly why I wake up every morning still thrilled to cook.
Believing our own kitchen here, we do what we believe. And so when people tell me I could feel personality here, because probably they have something
in a way they haven't seen not in the city, but anywhere else.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, if that got your mouth watering, take a look at this. A football fan snuck an entire pumpkin pie into Chicago's soldier field on
Sunday. It's not as easy as you think. Because the field doesn't allow outside food to be brought into the stadium and all bags are searched.
The pie-loving fan also managed to smuggle in a can of whipped cream. And there you have it. No word if he shared that pie with others. Maybe he
has a whole Turkey in there, as well.
Thanks, everyone, for watching. It's been a pleasure having you with us this hour. I'm Hala Gorani. There's a lot more ahead on the other side of
the break. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is coming your way with all the latest business and financial news. I'll see you next time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
