Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Nigeria Unrest; Second and Final U.S. Presidential Debate; Impact of U.S. Election on Fossil Fuels Clean Energy; Parents of 545 Children can't be Found; Pope Endorses Civil Union Laws for Same-Sex Couples; FBI Asserts foreign meddling in U.S. election; CDC redefines definition of "close contact"; America reports 60,000 COVID cases yesterday; Europe's Second Wave Deepens. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 22, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm John Vause.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Coming up this hour. Election interference in the U.S., just like 2016. Only this time officials say it's not just the Russians but has an added extra of meddling by Iran.
Global outrage after security forces in Nigeria are accused of shooting dead peaceful protesters after another night of violence there. We're live from the region with the very latest.
And the unintended victims of a pandemic lockdown. Children from India's poorest families forced to work in factories or sold into the sex industry.
In a sudden announcement Wednesday night in Washington, senior national security officials issued an urgent warning about foreign interference in the U.S. presidential election.
The director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, appeared alongside FBI director, Christopher Wray, and said both Iran and Russia had obtained voter registration information which was being used by Iran in particular to send fake and threatening emails to Democrats in four states.
One mass email claims to be from the far right pro-Trump group called Proud Boys. And warned "Vote for Trump or else."
Ratcliffe claims the emails were intended to damage President Trump. Notably, there are few, if any, details on Russian attempts to influence voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We are not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections or any criminal activity that threatens the sanctity of your vote or undermines public confidence in the outcome of the election.
When we see indications of foreign interference or federal election crimes we're going to aggressively investigate and work with our partners to quickly take appropriate action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We have more details now from CNN's Evan Perez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: U.S. intelligence officials say Iran and Russia have obtained U.S. voter registration information in an effort to interfere in the election.
Officials say Iran is behind intimidating emails received by voters around the country and purporting to come from the right wing group known as Proud Boys, associated with supporters of President Trump.
The emails telling people to vote for President Trump or spoofs (ph) and appear to be designed to pit Americans against each other.
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe tried to reassure the voters that the intelligence and law enforcement agencies are working to ensure that votes won't be compromised.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN RATCLIFFE, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections. And we will continue to work with our many partners to disrupt and to impose costs and consequences on any adversary that attempts to interfere in our democratic processes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREZ: Officials say that Russia has obtained some of the same data but officials don't know what the Russians are attempted to do with that information in the coming weeks.
In recent months, officials say Russia has been waging a campaign to help Trump's reelection and spreading disinformation about fraud in the U.S. elections amplifying some of the fears that are fanned by the president himself.
FBI director Chris Wray had told voters that those concerns about fraud are bogus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WRAY: We've been working for years as a community to build resilience in our election infrastructure and today that infrastructure remains resilient. You should be confident that your vote counts.
Early, unverified claims to the contrary should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. (END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREZ: U.S. officials in recent days have warned states and vendors that supply their voting systems to patch vulnerabilities after detecting intrusions.
Evan Perez. CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Andrew McCabe is a former acting director of the FBI and he tells CNN that while the U.S. government now has better protections than it did back in 2016 when there was a failure to react to Russia's interference, he still wants more details on this latest plan.
Here's McCabe speaking to CNN's Chris Cuomo earlier.
And then the former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, weighs in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW MCCABE, FORMER FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: It's not clear from the statements we got at the press conference tonight exactly how the Iranians or the Russians accessed voter information.
There's some voter information that's pretty easily acquired online. That's very different from actually probing the voter registration databases of individual states and staging a cyber intrusion into those systems and stealing information.
[01:05:00]
That's the sort of activity that we saw back in 2016. We know the Russians probed the voter registration debates of every state.
If that's what's happening here -- and again, it's not clear that that's -- that's not how they described it -- altering voter registration information can be a very serious threat. Because you could essentially eliminate many people from the voter rolls and then when they show up on election day they don't get to cast a vote.
But the statement was pretty vague. It just simply said that they acquired voter information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Well, unfortunately, these foreign narratives agree with the president and vice versa. That's really unfortunate.
But the bigger point here, Chris, to me is that it would really be nice if we could just take at face value when the director of national intelligence and the director of the FBI come out at a special -- quickly call a press conference.
And it would be so nice if we could just accept what they said at face value and not spend all this time parsing and trying to analyze what's really going on. And that to me is a sad commentary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, the second and last presidential debate is just hours away and with Joe Biden taking time away from the campaign to prepare, former president Barack Obama has stepped in with a blistering takedown of Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tweeting at the television doesn't fix things. Making stuff up does it make people's lives better. You've got to have a plan, you've got to put in the work.
And along with the experience to get things done, Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies.
We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook that would have shown them how to respond before the virus reached our shores. They probably used it to -- I don't know, prop up a wobbly table somewhere, we don't know where that playbook went.
Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us. He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A new CNN poll shows Biden leading Trump in Pennsylvania by 10 points. It's an important swing state, Trump won it four years ago.
More details now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SNR. WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Former President Barack Obama delivering one of the most mocking and blistering assessments of his successor.
Coming out on the campaign trail for the first time this year, certainly touting Joe Biden but making more of an effort to say why Donald Trump does not deserve a second term in office.
Talking first and foremost about coronavirus and the Trump administration's handling of the virus. Saying the president did not take it seriously, saying that the mask mandate is something that should have been done and also talking about how other countries around the world did indeed handle this better than the United States did.
Now from there, the former president went on to really deliver a broad side against President Trump making fun of how he has conducted himself in office.
Also talking about the exhaustion factor. Just the day in and day out -- a sense (ph) the former president said look, this is not a reality show, this is reality.
But at the end of the speech, some more than 30 minutes or so, delivered in Philadelphia, Mr. Obama also talked to Democrats directly, delivering some tough medicine to them.
Saying four years ago, many Democrats thought Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump. That didn't happen. So he called on Democrats to not be lazy, to not be complacent and he urged them to come out and vote.
This is the first of many stops that former president Obama is going to be making in the next two weeks. Certainly making the case against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Jeff Zeleny, thank you.
Now Donald Trump tried to brush off those harsh words from Barack Obama. In North Carolina, he told supporters it's actually good for him that Obama is campaigning for Biden.
More now from CNN's Ryan Nobles.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump making yet another trip to the important battleground of North Carolina, a state he won four years ago and a state he desperately needs in the win column if he were to win re-election in 2020.
And as the president was making his way here to the Tower Hill state (ph) president Obama was crushing him and his administration in a speech in support of Joe Biden.
President Obama making his first appearance on the campaign trail. And had some pretty harsh criticism for President Trump.
President Trump had the opportunity to respond here in North Carolina, and this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There was nobody that campaigned harder for Crooked Hillary Clinton than Obama, right? He was all over the place.
The only one more unhappy then Crooked Hillary that night was Barack Hussein Obama. (END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBLES: Surprisingly, the president held his fire for the most part against Obama refusing to get too in-depth in his response to president Obama's remarks.
This is not going to be Obama's last trip though before election day on November 3rd so President Trump will have plenty of time to respond.
[01:10:00]
The president saying here tonight in North Carolina telling this crowd that he promises that he will deliver North Carolina, and said it is a key to his re-election bid.
CROWD: USA, USA, USA.
Ryan Nobles, CNN. Gastonia, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A diverse group of protesters marching through Bogota and Colombia with a long, long list of complaints. And near the top of the list, the coronavirus. Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When you're dealing with tens of thousands of people in these trials I think the point that they're making is that sometimes these deaths can occur even in placebo groups, for reasons unrelated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A volunteer in an experimental trial has died but little is known about him, the cause of death and what, if any, link there is to that potential vaccine.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Nowhere in the U.S. is the coronavirus outbreak under control. New cases are either rising or holding steady in every single state.
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has redefined what it means to have close contact with someone with COVID-19. It was 15 minutes of continuous exposure but now that 15 minutes is cumulative.
CDC Director Robert Redfield explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: There is some recent data that has been determined that an individual who had a series of shorter contacts but over time added up to more than 15 minutes became infected. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Brian Todd has details now on the new restrictions being imposed in many states.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: A 24-hour diner in Chicago prepares to shut down in-door dining for at least a couple of weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Well, I never thought something like this could happen. You know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Illinois one of several states experiencing rising cases and hospitalizations and imposing new restrictions on gatherings in bars, restaurants, and other businesses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. J.B. PRITZKER, (D-ILL): There is no easy fix for the effects of this virus on our economy and on our public health.
But we can and we will manage through this. We're Midwestern Tough here in Illinois.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: It comes as state and local officials scramble to contain spikes across the country.
Washington State's governor says college students in his state are contributing to what he calls a raging spread of the virus. And he's imposing mask requirements and a limit of two students per dorm room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JAY INSLEE (D-WASH): Today we have seen fully 35 outbreaks at colleges and universities with more than 800 cases directly attributable to these congregate living and social gatherings associated with campuses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: At the University of Michigan, a stay-in-place order imposed due to heavy cases.
[01:15:00]
More than half the states in the U.S. report a rise in new coronavirus cases. No states are trending downward.
More than 60,000 new cases were reported in America yesterday alone, with hospitalizations at around 40,000, the highest in two months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, PROVIDENCE HEALTH & SERVICES: It's going to be up to local states, to different jurisdictions trying to create a patchwork of capacity to stop the virus.
Because right now we simply don't have national leadership leaning in and helping us get past this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: And the CDC has just updated its definition of close contact with someone who has COVID.
Instead of just saying 15 minutes within six feet, they are also now warning of cumulative exposure. So several short contacts could also be considered exposure if it adds up to 15 minutes over 24 hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REDFIELD: (...) been determined that an individual who had a series of shorter contacts but over time added up to more than 15 minutes became infected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: As marchers in the nation's capital push for a safe coronavirus vaccine, Brazilian health officials say a volunteer taking part in Brazil's trial of AstraZeneca's experimental vaccine trial has died.
But the international committee reviewing vaccines recommends that the trial continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: It's not clear at least initially when you hear these sorts of reports of deaths exactly what happened or even if the person received the vaccine or received the placebo.
When you're dealing with tens of thousands of people in these trials, I think the point that they're making is that sometimes these deaths can occur even in placebo groups for reasons unrelated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: We should note that AstraZeneca's vaccine trial in the United States is on pause because of an unexplained illness of a volunteer.
But there's no reason to believe at this moment that that incident and the death of a volunteer in Brazil are in any way connected.
Brian Todd. CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Paul Duprex is the director of the Center for Vaccine Research at the University of Pittsburgh. He joins me now from Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
Paul, thanks for taking the time to be with us.
PAUL DUPREX, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR VACCINE RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURG: Nice to be here, John.
VAUSE: OK. Right now, we just don't know if the death of this volunteer was caused by this trial vaccine or whether it was some kind of pre-existing condition triggered by the vaccine or something totally unconnected.
But so far, AstraZeneca has seen two volunteers fall ill and one now died. And that's what we know of. When does this start to become a concern for you?
DUPREX: Well, I think we have to, first of all, realize that any death during the trial is a tragedy.
Secondly, I think what is important to realize is during phase three trials when we have lots of individuals who are vaccinated with the candidate vaccine and many others who are vaccinated with the placebo -- (inaudible) instance, it's a licensed vaccine for meningitis.
Given the fact that the individual died but the trial is continuing and there would have been an independent review, that tends to suggest -- although that's not been confirmed yet -- that the individual probably was vaccinated with the placebo.
Because someone dying on a clinical trial, of course, is absolutely something that we don't want to happen, if it is linked to the vaccination.
VAUSE: Given all of that, how important, how crucial is it now that AstraZeneca come out and make a full disclosure, be totally transparent, be totally upfront about how this death occurred because maintaining confidence in the process is more crucial now than it ever has been?
DUPREX: Well, maintaining confidence in the process is absolutely vital, for sure. And I think you have to realize that these events will occur and do occur during clinical trials for both vaccines and other biopharmaceuticals.
So it's important to note that AstraZeneca are following due process. They have paused the trials and they're still paused in the United States. Trials have commenced again in the United Kingdom.
There will be a really full and independent investigation of that death in Brazil. And at present, AstraZeneca are doing what they are required to do.
VAUSE: It is important to note that this is happening under a microscope and it is happening at an incredible pace, the development of the vaccine.
And with that in mind, here's the director of the National Institutes of Health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: We are compared to every previous effort that has ever been undertaken in human history to develop a vaccine against a scary disease, we are moving this forward at a pace that is truly breathtaking.
[01:20:00]
Generally, this might have been a six or eight or ten-year effort when in fact, in this case, we'd be able to achieve it, if all goes well, in a little less than a year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So with that in mind, when we're looking at the pace of development here -- I mean, everything seems to be under this microscope and that means -- I take the point about confidentiality of the patient, but there's also this need for AstraZeneca to move just as quickly in reassuring the public about the safety of their trials, right?
DUPREX: Well, I think it's really important whenever we talk about speed and talk about developing vaccines fast, "fast" is fine. Sometimes people use the term "rushed" And absolutely impossible to rush because the connotations with "rush" is not doing correctly. Taking shortcuts, not investigating whether or not there are any adverse effects.
And I think the fact that you're seeing these pauses and these reports indicates that we're doing it fast but it's not being rushed. Because vaccines are way, way too important to rush their development.
VAUSE: (Inaudible).
DUPREX: So I also understand why it's important to talk about these adverse events.
VAUSE: And, as you say, the mere fact we are is a good sign that there is a good degree of transparency. (Inaudible) we didn't hear a lot about the Russian or the Chinese human trials and what happened over there.
But Paul, we're out of time. Hope you come back again because there's a lot to get to here with the vaccines and a lot to talk about. And maybe we could have you back on another night to keep going with this. We'd appreciate that. Thank you.
DUPREX: Absolutely, John. Nice to talk to you.
VAUSE: Likewise. Take care.
DUPREX: Cheers.
VAUSE: Next hour. New exclusive details about Russia's coronavirus vaccine which is being talked up by Moscow for the speed of development and apparent safety.
But CNN has been told just a few thousand volunteers have taken part in human trials and the vaccine is not recommended for everyone.
Next hour. CNN's Fred Pleitgen with an exclusive interview with one of Russia's leading scientists who is playing a major role in that vaccine program.
Using data from Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organization, a CNN analysis has identified that per capita both Belgium and the Czech Republic have the highest number of new coronavirus cases worldwide.
And with that comes new restrictions. Czechs will be forced indoors, allowed to leave only when absolutely necessary. The ban on free movement is now in place until November 3rd.
Ireland has moved to level five measures, the strictest coronavirus lockdown in Europe as of this time.
France is moving to extend red alert status to more areas as the country as a whole surpasses more than one million cases.
And Rome is now joining the list of European capitals with nightly curfews. It will run from midnight to five a.m. starting Saturday and for the next 30 days.
That comes as Italy records more than 100 coronavirus deaths in a single day for the first time since back in May.
Germany has not been spared by this new wave of infections reporting a record high of COVID-19 cases in a single day.
As CNN's Scott McLean reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Europe's second wave of the coronavirus is showing no signs of slowing despite the patchwork of curfews, restrictions and even lockdowns being reimposed across the continent.
Germany has reported more coronavirus deaths over the past week than it did in the entire month of August. The worst hit countries are The Netherlands, Belgium and the Czech Republic.
On Tuesday, the Czech health minister made masks mandatory even in most places outdoors. On Wednesday after an emergency session of parliament, the prime minister conceded that the current set of restrictions simply are not working. So starting on Thursday, the Czech Republic will go back into something you might describe as a lockdown. Only essential businesses will be allowed to stay open, movement will be severely restricted to only essential trips and to work.
And with the country's health care system nearing its capacity, the Czech Republic will be accepting some help from the U.S. National Guard sending in doctors from Nebraska.
The prime minister was praised for his early handling of the first wave of the coronavirus, now he's apologizing for not taking action to tamp down the second wave of the virus sooner.
Scott McLean. CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Colombia's capital on Wednesday. Part of a nationwide strike with diverse groups with a wide array of grievances, not the least of which the government's response to COVID-19.
Colombia has been under lockdown for more than five months set to reach one million infections this weekend.
We get more now from Stefano Pozzebon reporting in from Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Thousands of people have taken onto the streets of Bogota on Wednesday. And there were several agendas colliding together.
[01:25:00]
There were students demanding free education, there were indigenous leaders protesting the killings of their social leaders and massacres in the Colombian countryside. And there were, of course, a lot of unemployed people because unemployment has skyrocketed since the beginning of the pandemic here in Colombia.
And what's taking place today in Bogota with all these protesters joining together in a single national strike against the government of Ivan Duque, what's taking place is not limited to Colombia.
In many other countries in South America, COVID-19 is still going through, making inroads (ph).
And the lockdown measures taken in place in some places since March are starting to produce fatigue because here the vast majority of the population, the marginalized, don't have the resources to (inaudible) the virus (inaudible) and they would like to.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The company that makes oxycontin has agreed to guilty pleas to criminal charges for its role in the U.S. opioid crisis.
Purdue Pharma is unable to pay more than $8 billion in fines and penalties so the company will be shut down, its assets used to create a new company intended to benefit the American people.
Oxycontin is a powerful pain killer at the center of the opioid crisis.
U.S. officials say 450,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 10 years between 1999 and 2009.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY ROSEN, DEPUTY U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: So today's announcement involves one of the most important participants in the supply chain of prescription opioids at the manufacturer level.
And a resolution which, if approved by the court, will redress past wrongs and will also provide extraordinary new resources for the treatment and care of those affected by opioid's addiction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Some U.S. states, though, object to the settlement say the U.S. Government should not be in the business of selling oxycontin.
Well, still to come. A shocking night of violence in Nigeria where army soldiers are accused of opening fire and killing peaceful protesters.
Also ahead, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: In this administration's worldview, they were inclined to reduce regulations in the oil industry partly to allow them to produce more but also to gather political support from it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: For four years, the Trump Administration has encouraged the oil industry but what will the future look like if Trump loses the election? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:07]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
Well, even with parts of Nigeria under curfew there has been more unrest following a shocking night of violence.
According to witnesses peaceful protesters were shot dead by army soldiers on Tuesday. The bodies were then dragged away. At least 12 protesters were killed according to Amnesty International. The army denies soldiers were at the scene.
For nearly two weeks now thousands have been protesting police corruption and brutality. In particular one police unit accused of extortion, torture and murder. Fires have been burning across Lagos and residents reported hearing more gunfire despite the president appealing for calm.
CNN's Eleni Giokos is live in Johannesburg with the very latest on all of this. So I guess what, the curfews are not working at this point and killing peaceful protesters obviously is a nightmare.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly I mean this is just the aftermath. And looking at the state of chaos in Lagos that is what we're hearing from people on the ground, where you are seeing pockets of fire on key infrastructure like the ports authority. A broadcaster was a target yesterday as well. We saw the Lagos high courts being a target, the BRT (ph) buses set ablaze and also this violence playing out and erupting across the country.
And John, this is absolutely many say symptomatic of what we saw -- after what we saw on Tuesday night where many eyewitnesses, the photographs, the footage that we've seen show that peaceful protesters were a target by the soldiers when they use live ammunition at the Lekki tollgate.
And incredibly, we have seen so much anger, disappointment and just hearing from eyewitnesses what is playing out across the country.
Now in Lekki in particular, we heard more gunfire on Wednesday after the Tuesday night's shooting. Amnesty International confirmed that there have been 12 deaths.
Lagos said the governor yesterday had addressed the country and said that he had visited many hospitals and there was only one confirmed death at that point in time. And that was because of brute force but had confirmed that many people had been hospitalized because of other injuries.
But he also importantly said that he does not have the authority to give orders, use live ammunition or any orders to the soldiers or the military. And in fact, no other governor has that authority.
In the meantime as you said the military denies that soldiers were on the ground but the visuals tell us something completely different.
So there's a question on accountability here, a sense of responsibility. The residents in Lekki right now, the people that I've spoken to are traumatized. They are scared. And of course there's a curfew in place right now, and many people are not obeying that.
VAUSE: Very quickly, we are actually now seeing at least some reaction around the world. Specifically, what is that and what impact is that likely to have?
GIOKOS: So John, remember, you know, the whole country was saying Muhammadu Buhari, the president had been very quiet. Yesterday he said that he's appealing for calm as well as understanding.
But the Nigerians in the diaspora have been vocal, as well as important political figures. Manchester United Nigerian soccer player says that he was ashamed of the government.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden also called for the Nigerian military to halt violent crackdown on protesters.
So it's been loud, and it's been a very vocal time, I think, for people living outside of Nigeria.
VAUSE: Yes. Thank you, Eleni. Eleni Giokos there live for us in Johannesburg.
The second and final U.S. Presidential debate of 2020 is just hours away. President Trump again complaining.
This time over the microphones being muted, at least at times. He's calling the moderator unfair and biased. Democrat Joe Biden has called the new mike rule a good idea. It was President Trump who repeatedly interrupted and heckled and talked over Biden at their first debate.
Well, the president isn't expected to do any formal debate prep -- at least that's what he says. preparing A source tells CNN the president told his advisers, he may try to interrupt less but won't hold back if he feels he's being treated unfairly.
Let's go to John Defterios, he's live from Abu Dhabi. You know, these two men could not be further apart on pretty much everything when -- you know, climate change or the pandemic, you know, everything.
[01:34:45]
VAUSE: And on climate change in particular, you know, is it a hoax, is it for real? What influence will their policies have coming out of this election when it comes to energy, I guess? That's the big issue here.
[01:39:57]
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes, it is. Let's set the framework. One believes in science and the other one is a denier when it comes to science and the climate change.
And you know, there is a stark choice here, John, November 3rd across a number of issues as you're suggesting but when it comes to energy, I think the best way to frame it is black and green. Trump for black gold or the crude oil and particularly exports outside the states.
And green for Joe Biden moving to this energy transition, as they call it, to renewable energy and he plans a $2 trillion package to support it. So let's take a look at the contrast of what is on the table for voters November 3rd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: During the Trump era, oil remained king. U.S. productions surged to a record of nearly 13 million barrels a day and the president wore it like a badge of honor.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas, anywhere on planet earth.
DEFTERIOS: This played well on the oil and gas days in America's southwest, in the Rockies, and as far north as Pennsylvania in an industry supporting nearly 10 million jobs.
That fits into this administration's world view that we're inclined to reduce regulations on the oil industry to -- partly to allow just a small velocity (ph) to gather political support from it.
The U.S. produced so much oil and gas, Trump was out to challenge Russia and Saudi Arabia overseas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The export of oil and gas has been seen as a tool, a political tool, even a weapon. This concept of energy dominance
DEFTERIOS: That strategy of growth at all costs, came crashing down when COVID-19 triggered and oil bust. Taking down over 500 energy companies with nearly 300 billion dollars of debt.
This year's wildfires on the West Coast and hurricanes hitting the gulf of Mexico raised awareness of the growing threat of climate change.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: When Donald Trump thinks about climate change he thinks hoax. when I think about it, I think jobs, good paying unions that put Americans to work.
DEFTERIOS: The former vice president has pledged to not shutter U.S. shale, but the winds of change would blow in the direction of renewable energy.
DEFTERIOS: A Biden presidency could accelerate what's known as the energy transition away from fossil fuels. He's pledging $2 trillion dollars to a green deal to speed up innovation and investment into clean energy.
Is this the election that defines the energy transition?
Adnan Amin is the former director general at the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi.
ADNAN AMIN, FORMER DIRECTOR General, International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi. I've talked to him personally on a number of occasions about renewables. I know that he has a passion for this new technology and the potential that it has and the potential it has to create jobs and wealth in the United States.
DEFTERIOS: So too, does Wall Street with money flowing into renewable energy companies.
In the last month, rising star Next Era topped the market cap of the once mighty oil and gas giant ExxonMobil.
And when it comes to international policy, Trump was proud to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord in 2017 saying it was a job killer.
Biden has pledged to lead back in.
AMIN: I think there is a very important signal when we are facing potentially catastrophic changes related to climate in the near future that the United States leadership in technology and in a political sense, in bringing other countries along but mostly from my point of view, in inspiring others about what can be done is sorely really to be needed today.
DEFTERIOS: A high stakes election that will also define the fate of fossil fuels and clean energy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: You know, John. Donald Trump has had this desire, dream, vision for U.S. oil dominance. How is that now playing out in the midst of this pandemic?
DEFTERIOS: Well, there is some history here, John, to flag. Donald Trump is not responsible for the shale boom in Texas and other states down there in the southwest but he likes to take credit for it. His policies pushed it to get the number, one. And they rose to the first quarter to nearly 13 million barrels a day.
And then it all collapsed because U.S. prices are higher than what you see here in the Middle east in Saudi Arabia, even Russia. So we've changed profoundly the equation here when it comes to oil and gas and exports to the United States. We're down around 10 million barrels a day, it could go even lower.
But in COVID-19, John, every government around the world, particularly in the G7 decided to make each shift to renewables seeing the impact on the environment and the drop in energy demands.
So Europe, Japan, China -- have all announced policy changes. Not the Trump administration. And we know if Joe Biden does get in, he goes back into the Paris climate agreement but has a plan to create jobs in the renewable space, not overly dependent on oil and gas.
VAUSE: John, thank you. John Defterios there for us in Abu Dhabi. Appreciate it.
VAUSE: Please stay with CNN for our coverage of this presidential debate. It starts at 7:00 p.m. eastern on Thursday; 12:00 a.m. Friday in London; 3:00 a.m. an update; 7:00 a.m. in Hong Kong.
Remember back in 2018 the kids in cages on the U.S.-Mexico border, officially called family separation? It was meant to be a deterrence.
According to a court filing from the Justice Department the parents of 545 children cannot be found. Hundreds may have been deported without their children.
The pandemic saw the reunification efforts suspended for a while but now attempts to find families have resumed.
The Trump administration ordered the family separations as part of its zero tolerance policy on illegal immigration back in 2017.
Miles Taylor worked in the Trump White House until last year when as chief of staff to the secretary of Homeland Security. He's now a CNN contributor. And is with us this hour from Washington.
And Miles, welcome back. Good to have you with us again.
MILES TAYLOR, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey John, thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Ok. So just very quickly off the top -- a couple of quick questions here.
Firstly can you confirm that this policy of child separation at the border was underway in early 2017 -- a year before then Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced his new tolerance policy?
TAYLOR: Well John, what I'll tell you is this. First and foremost the first year of the Trump administration I was working national security and intelligence issues and not immigration.
So I wasn't directly involved at that point in time but what I can tell you is that yes in the first year, the White House not only was running a pilot program through a DHS agency to see if this was workable. They wanted to go much further.
And in the first year they pressured DHS leadership to implement a deliberate policy of ripping any child apart from their parents that showed up at the border. A proposal that was so extreme that the leadership at the DHS at the time said they would never accept it.
And so Jeff Sessions at the Justice Department and the White House went back to the drawing room table and came up with what later became the zero tolerance policy.
VAUSE: And that happened in May 2018. Sessions made that announcement, and then a month after that 11 senior administration officials were called to a White House meeting by the senior advisor Stephen Miller. Is that correct?
And he asked for a show of hands who supported the policy and notably by this time you are at Homeland Security and your boss Kirstjen Nielsen did not raise her hand. At any point did she tell you why?
TAYLOR: Yes, I mean definitely. There was a period where the attorney general had announced that he wanted to start prosecuting everyone who crossed the border illegally and he wanted that policy to go into effect immediately.
But it didn't go into effect for several months because behind the scenes Kirstjen Nielsen said Mr. Attorney General and she said to the White House this isn't going to work. There is going to be a huge backlog of children because we don't have the resources to do this quickly enough to get these cases processed. So she said I can't implement this.
The White House got so frustrated with her that they called a meeting and they outvoted her, and they said no, this policy is going to be implemented.
And interestingly history was right, she was right. that, you know, it ended up creating a huge backlog of children that were in federal custody that should never have been. And it created one of the worst debacles of the Trump administration.
VAUSE: Do you know if anybody was in the administration raised objections beyond the question of logistics? Did they raise objections about this policy on the grounds that it was cruel, inhumane, immoral, disgusting?
TAYLOR: No.
VAUSE: Anything?
TAYLOR: Well, certainly. I mean John Kelly in the first year of the administration when he was Homeland Security secretary before he became White House chief of staff he was approached by the White House and they said we want to deliberately implement a policy of pulling kids away from their parents. And they said, it will be messy for the first few months but it will scare the migrants and keep them from coming the United States.
And John Kelly told us behind the scenes we're never going to do this. Don't engage with the White House on this. And in fact when Kirstjen Nielsen came in as secretary she said the same thing. We will never implement such a policy and that's why the Justice Department fell back on a modified version and said well, we'll just prosecute every adult that comes across.
They probably knew that the unintended consequence of that or perhaps in their case the intended consequence would be that a lot of children would be left stranded if that happened. So they knew what was going on.
VAUSE: Very quickly, in terms of logistics -- back to logistics here, was there ever a serious attempt made at planning for the needs of potentially thousands of children who would be separated from their parents? Was there ever an attempt at implementing a system for electronically linking these children with their parents until they could be reunited at some point in the future?
TAYLOR: By the White House? No. By the Justice Department? No. But the Department of Homeland Security, was saying behind the scenes, look, in order to do this we need many, many months, and many more people to make sure that kids don't stay in our custody for too much and aren't away from their parents for too long.
[01 We told the White House it will take us at a minimum many months to get ready for this so that it doesn't result in a huge backlog of children stuck in the United States without their parents.
They didn't listen. They were so desperate to implement this policy that they went forward with it before the interagency was ready and it had horrible consequences.
[01:45:02]
VAUSE: Consequences that we know -- 545 children whose parent's cannot be located. Is that definitive? Could you expect it to be much higher?
TAYLOR: Well, I don't think it's definitive. But the number may be higher. And here's why. A lot of those parents were given the choice before they were deported whether or not to take their children with them -- a terrible choice for them to face because they have the decision to either bring their child back to a country that they had a escaped and that they thought their child would not have a bright future in. Or leave their child in the United States, where they might have a better life, but where the family is apart, indefinitely.
It's a horrible choice to face, but a lot of those parents I think will continue to make this decision to leave their children in the United States to have a better life.
That's not a position we should put people in. And it's one reason why the president needs to use his political capital to do immigration reform, so that these parents can travel legally back to the United States and be with their children.
VAUSE: Miles, we are out of time, but thank you very much for that insider's view of how this all played out.
At the time we thought the system was broken, that, you know, it couldn't be this cruel, but it seems that cruelty was in fact the point.
Thanks for being with us. We appreciate it.
TAYLOR: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: Next up on CNN NEWSROOM, India's efforts to contain the coronavirus, and unintended consequences to some of the poorest children in the country. CNN Freedom Project reports when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: A month's long nationwide lockdown in India has failed to contain the coronavirus also at the same time pushing the country's poor deeper into poverty, which means an increasing number of children are being trafficked and forced into factories to help their families.
CNN's Ivan Watson has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the streets of Jaipur, India, one of the hidden costs of COVID-19 exposed. During this nighttime bus raid, authorities discovered 19 children they say were being trafficked, a scene Officials is repeating itself far more often since the virus took root here.
RAJENDRAS KHANDELWAI, POLICE INSPECTOR, ANTI-TRUST unit: In a period of just two weeks. We have raided three buses coming from Bihar to Jaipur and rescued 50 children destined for child labor.
WATSON: Authorities say those children rescued during the pandemic were as young as 11 years old. Under Indian law, it is illegal for children under 14 to work, but the horrible economic toll of the pandemic is forcing many children and teens to take on what sometimes amounts to slave labor.
[01:49:50]
WATSON: 14-year-old Mujeeb (ph) is one of the children rescued during the raid. He says he, along with other boys, where lured away from their village by a much older man, who gave families 500 rupees, the equivalent of $7 U.S., and promised them a holiday in Jaipur, about 800 miles from their home.
Others like 15-year-old Aman see no other choice but to sacrifice themselves for the good of their family.
AMAN: I left home because my family was struggling. My father didn't get any work the past three months. My brothers and sisters also haven't been to school. I thought if I go and get a job, then I can send some money home for my family to eat and for them to be happy.
WATSON: In Bihar, already one of India's poorest states with a vast migrant population, sheer desperation a key motivator for those like Aman who volunteer themselves and for those families with no job prospects and now government assistance, they see no other way to survive but to sell one of their children to feed the rest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Traffickers take advantage of the acute poverty of families. They take the children and sell them for cheap labor in bangle factories.
WATSON: 12-year-old Mishad, one of the boys rescued in a raid on bangles factory, says his parents sold him to the traffickers for 1,500 rupees, and plus $21.
He says he was locked inside this dingy room for 5 months, and not allowed outside. Working from morning until midnight each day, before he was given any food to eat to pay the debt his parents owed.
Andi says if he or the other children couldn't keep up with the demand, they would be beaten. Nobel Laureate, Kailash Satyarthi's BBA saves the childhood movement. He's one of many NGOs sounding the alarm about the rise of what amounts to childhood slavery since COVID 19 began.
Satyarthi says his group, alongside local authorities have rescued 9 hundred trafficked children and got 70 traffickers arrested between April and August of this year.
KAILASH SATYARTHI, NOBEL LAUREATE: That was just to send a strong message to all the state governments and the local governments that, look, this is happening, and that is growing. So we cannot simply wait and watch.
WATSON: Authorities in Bihar have acknowledged that they are receiving more reports about child trafficking since the pandemic began and in response, quote, "have increased guidelines and advisories, but have not done any field checks due to COVID-19.
But Satyarthi says calls on the government to create tougher anti trafficking laws have so far yielded few results on the ground, message for leaders bleak.
If we are not able to protect this generation we are not going to protect all generations to come. Children have never faced such crisis.
This is not simply, the health crisis or economy crisis. This is the crisis of justice. This is the crisis of humanity. This is the crisis of childhood.
WATSON: At the shelter, Mujeeb and Amman our among more than a dozen the children waiting to go home.
And while Mujeeb is anxious to get back, Amman is less than optimistic. With no end in sight to the economic crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, you will be returning to the very situation he gave up his youth to help his family escape.
Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And we'll be back right after this very short break. You're watching CNN.
[01:53:25]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Pope Francis is making history again by endorsing civil unions for same-sex couples. The Catholic news agency reports the Pontiff's support came in a documentary called "Francesco", which premiered in Rome on Wednesday.
We get more details now from CNN's Delia Gallagher, reporting from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis has declared support for same sex civil unions in a new documentary released in Rome on Wednesday. According to the Catholic News Agency, in that documentary, the Pope said, homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They're children of God and have a right to a family.
That way they are legally covered. Now, in past interviews, Francis has suggested that he is not necessarily against civil unions. but this is the first time this pope directly in support of them. Indeed when he was archbishop, in Buenos Aires he advocated for civil unions over same-sex marriage at a time when Argentina was discussing the legalization of same sex marriage.
And Francis' comments represent a departure from the position of his predecessor, John the II, Pope Benefit the 16th who were against the legalization of same sex unions.
Delia Gallagher, CNN -- Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Church conservatives asking the Pope to explain how his comments comply with Catholic doctrine, which opposes gay marriage, but others have welcomed the Pope's stand.
Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin says it's an example of momentous leadership that he hopes will lead to change throughout the church.
And here is Father James Martin. He's a Jesuit priest like Francis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FR. JAMES MARTIN, JESUIT: I think he's creating a new space for LGBT people. There is a 2003 document from the congregation, for the doctor of the faith, against same sex unions, and the Pope is obviously saying he sees things a little differently.
It is -- it's momentous because he is saying it as Pope. He said it before as archbishop of Buenos Aires. He's saying it on the record and he's being very clear. It's not simply he's tolerating it, he's supporting it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, The Soyuz MS 16 spacecraft back on earth. About three hours, an astronaut and two cosmonauts returned from the International Space Station right near Kazakhstan. The three crew member roughed up. 196 days ago and that included more than 3000 orbits of earth. They just wen around and around and round around.
I'm John Vause. Please stay with us.
My colleague Rosemary Church takes over at the top of the break.
You've been watching CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us.
[01:57:30]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
