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Joe Biden Says No to Presidential Run; Syria's Assad Meets Putin in Moscow; Israel/Palestine Peace Urged as Kerry Set to Meet Netanyahu; Netanyahu Blames Late Muslim Leader for Holocaust; Tuition Hike Protests Turn Violent in South Africa; Hillary Clinton Testifies Today Before Benghazi Committee; New Delhi, Most-Polluted City, Has Car-Free Day; Major Cities Struggle with Pollution. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 22, 2015 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:18] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Joe says no. What the vice president's decision not to run means for Democrats in 2016.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: America's top diplomat will meet with the Israel's prime minister this hour. The latest push to ease the violence in the Middle East.

BARNETT: The most-polluted city in the world takes a drastic step to help clear the air.

CHURCH: Also coming up, we'll preview Hillary Clinton's much- anticipated testimony before the Benghazi Committee on Capitol Hill.

I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. A big welcome to viewers in the U.S. and around the world. You are with us for the next two hours on CNN NEWSROOM.

CHURCH: The U.S. vice president has ended the speculation about whether he will run for the White House. Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he will not seek the presidency. He told reporters the window of opportunity for a successful campaign had closed as he grieved over the death of his son, Beau.

BARNETT: Biden's decision will likely end his four-decade career in U.S. politics. He says he will fight for important issues facing the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent. I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation. And this is what I believe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now one person who was certainly a factor in Biden's decision was Democratic presidential front-runner, Hillary Clinton. She released a statement following the decision. In it, it reads, "I am confident that history isn't finished with Joe Biden. As he said today, there is more work to do. If I know Joe, he will always be on the front lines, always fighting for all of us."

CHURCH: Biden's move is a game changer for the Democratic presidential field. The latest CNN/ORC poll, with Biden in the race, shows Clinton leading with 45 percent support. Closest rival, Bernie Sanders, at 29 percent. With Biden out, Clinton jumps to 56 percent with Sanders at 33 percent.

BARNETT: So what does this all mean? Chris Kofinis is a Democratic strategist and the former communications director for John Edwards, and he joins us in Atlanta.

Thank you for coming in.

CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST & FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR JOHN EDWARDS CAMPAIGN: Thank you.

BARNETT: So the anticipation is over. But the reason Vice President Biden gave was that his family need time to grieve. They ran out of time for this campaign. That plays well outside Washington. You are a bit of an insider. And this was the lifelong dream. So what do you think was the reason he calculated.

KOFINIS: The calendar became his enemy. When you run a campaign to become president, especially against some one formidable as Hillary Clinton, you have to have time to set up a campaign to hire a staff, the fund-raising, all of the things the average person doesn't see operating behind the scenes. I think it became impossible when you look at the calendar in that we are not that far out from the Iowa caucuses. I think he saw that and it became too difficult kidding that, that, you know when you look at the current polling, both nationally in key battleground, she, she has a pretty formidable lead.

BARNETT: Even the political landscape was tipping in Hillary Clinton's favor. She had this Benghazi problem. Republicans admitted it is political in nature. While the establishment says that's not true. We will have this other hearing on Thursday, the 8th. That's become less of a hindrance for her. How much might that have played into Biden's decision?

KOFINIS: I think there was a bunch of things happening. She had, you know the Clinton campaign had a tough summer. The e-mail issue was seemingly swamping them. And then it was just overwhelming at times. And then, the admission by Republican leadership that the Benghazi Committee was political opened up the floodgates against the Republicans, and for her. So that changed the dynamic. And then, she had a very good debate performance. You know I was in Iowa and we were doing focus groups with undecided Iowans and she had a strong performance. So did Bernie Sanders. She didn't falter. There was no fundamental big mistake where people said she is just not ready.

BARNETT: Then what becomes of Joe Biden? He sounded very much the statesman, making this announcement, saying Democrats need to come together. The opposition is not the enemy. What will his role be now over the next year of this campaign?

[02:05:05] KOFINIS: Well, I think both for the administration and to some extent, potentially, even for the Clinton campaign. Almost becomes the negotiator in chief. That's been his behind-the-scenes roll. The real priority is going to be to help the president get his agenda done over the next year and a half. He has got -- you know, what's interesting about the vice president, because he spent so much time in the Senate, he has incredibly good, strong relationships with the Republican leadership. If there is going to be any bipartisan deals, and I'm not going to be too optimistic there is going to be, but if there is, he is going to be the one that will help lead that. The other part, when the Clinton campaign moves forward, assuming it does win the nomination -- a fair bet that she does -- he also, I think, gives her an enormous powerful voice, a statesman, at the convention as well among key demographics that he plays well with, folks like labor, the rank-and-file, blue-collar Democrats, he becomes a powerful surrogate.

BARNETT: Chris Kofinis, a Democratic strategist. Thank you for coming in.

KOFINIS: My pleasure.

CHURCH: To another big story we are following, there are hopes Russia will use its influence to move Syria's civil war towards resolution. We broke this story on our show yesterday. Syrian President Bashar al Assad making what is believed to be his first trip outside of his country since the conflict began to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Tuesday.

BARNETT: The Kremlin said the two men discussed military coordination. Both leaders said their partnership is essential.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Syria is a friendly country to us. We are prepared to do whatever we can, not only in the course of military efforts to fight terrorism, but also in the course of the political process.

BASHAR AL ASSAD, SYRIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): The terrorism that is now spreading today would perhaps be, without your decisions and actions, would have spread to even more territories and states, not just in our region, but to other regions, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Our Matthew Chance joins us now from Moscow with more.

Matthew, of course, a picture is worth 1,000 words, as they say. The optics from this meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Syria's Bashar al-Assad says clearly Russia is in the driver's seat. How is the international community reading it?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean I think you are right about the message this meeting sent. It shows, first of all, that Assad is more confident than any point over the past four years. This is the first visit he has made outside of Syria, since the crisis in the country began, in 2011. It also sends that powerful message that if there is going to be a political solution in Syria, it will go through Moscow and Moscow is backing President Assad, Bashar al Assad, in any negotiations. So he'll have a role if Russia has anything to do with it, in any future interim government at the least.

In terms of what the international reaction has been, well, there has been condemnation from the White House. A White House spokesman saying that the -- that the -- basically condemning what they said the red carpet, said was the red carpet welcome for Assad, a man who has used chemical weapons against his own people. They said it is counter to the aims of the Russian government to embark on, find a political solution. I'm paraphrasing the White House spokesman, but essentially condemnation from the White House.

Nevertheless, the Russians digging in their heels, saying categorically that Assad is the man they continue to back.

Matthew, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov on Friday. How will the meeting with President Assad likely impact that meeting between those two gentlemen?

CHANCE: Well, I think there is an opportunity for Lavrov to discuss with his U.S. counterpart, John Kerry, what the outcome of the meeting was and to see if there is any possibility of some kind of common ground between the two. It's been, you know, not possible to find any on the future of Syria so far. But certainly Russia has embarked on a diplomatic offensive since this meeting with Assad took place. I mean after it ended, Vladimir Putin got on the telephone to the king of Saudi Arabia, king of Jordan, the presidents of -- president of Turkey and others as well, to discuss what the outcome of that meeting was. The outcome hasn't been really made public. But again, Russia is positioning itself as the -- the center for any future political settlements in Syria.

CHURCH: Matthew Chance, bringing us update on the meeting between Syria's and Russia's leaders. Many thanks to you.

[02:10:02] BARNETT: We want to bring you a new development into CNN this past hour. A man in the U.S. has confessed to killing a 4-year- old girl in a road rage incident in New Mexico. They say an anonymous tip led them to 32-year-old Tony Torres.

CHURCH: The young victim is Lily Garcia. Her father had just picked her up from school on Tuesday when this happened. Police say her dad and Torres had cut each other off on a highway when Torres pulled up and opened fire. Albuquerque's mayor calls it a senseless murder.

BARNETT: Pleas for peace in the Middle East amid new violence. Comments from the U.N. chief as Israeli's Netanyahu and John Kerry of the U.S. are bound for a meeting in Berlin.

CHURCH: Plus, in South Africa, protests against a tuition hike turn violent. More police forces are being deployed. That's next.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley, with your CNN "World Sport" headlines.

The most eagerly anticipated Champions League game of the night ended goalless. There was drama in Manchester. Man City went behind, and went back in style to turn around the group D game. Blues equalize thanks to a goal. And then in the very last minute found a winner through Kevin Debroyner (ph). The victory put City three pints ahead.

One of the greatest names in football has been investigated by a committee of FIFA. The German, Franz Breckenbuer (ph), was provisionally banned. The world governing body said the suspension was over failing to cooperate with the inquiry into the bidding process of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. FIFA's adjudication committee will decide whether take any action against him.

And the count down to the World Cup semifinals is well and truly on. The first rugby semifinal takes place on Saturday with South Africa facing New Zealand before Argentina play Australia Sunday. And ahead of Saturday, they said they weren't making any changes to the starting 15 when they face the All Blacks for the first time since 12007. South Africa has not changed their starting side between successive World Cup matches.

That's a look at your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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CHURCH: We turn to the latest in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. We are expecting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to meet in the coming of hours in Berlin to discuss the violence.

[02:15:00] BARNETT: Meanwhile, the United Nations chief, Ban Ki- moon, is urging peace from both sides. The U.N. secretary-general told reporters, in the West Bank, both Israelis and Palestinians need to show courage to move towards a solution and away from fighting.

We just learned that within the past hour of a new attack.

Our senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, joins us from Jerusalem with details.

Ben, while high-level diplomats try to make head way in diffusing the situation there's been yet another stabbing and another case of mistaken identity. What's new there this morning?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we have this morning, Errol, is there was an attack or attempted attack in the West of Jerusalem. There, according to police spokesmen, two individuals tried to board a bus in that town. People on the bus pushed them out. The two, according to the police report, stabbed a 25-year-old Israeli, who is now in moderate condition. The police showed up, shot the two individuals. They're injured, not dead. The latest we received from the Israeli police that the two are Palestinian men. This comes a few hours overnight. There were reports going out that there was a so-called terrorist was killed on a bus by two Israeli soldiers. It turns out he was an Israeli Jew. It's not altogether clear why it got to the point he was shot dead by the two soldiers.

It comes two days after an incident south of Hebron where a Palestinian truck driver hit and killed an Israeli. Initial reports were that it was an intentional hit-and-run incident. But it turns out that he turned himself in to Palestinian police and Israeli police are ruling that it was mere lowly a traffic accident -- Errol?

BARNETT: It is crazy. So many violent, lone-wolf style attacks. It is hard to keep up. You wonder what kind of document or agreement could possibly address that, or at least diffuse it.

WEDEMAN: Yes, obviously, in the case of lone wolf attacks, and of course, it is important to keep in mind that no militant groups have claimed responsibility for any of them. They praised them. But they haven't claimed responsibility. Now, what sort of sparked this current round of tension and violence, were -- was the impression of many Palestinians that the status quo, that unwritten informal agreement about arrangements for the Temple Mount. We understand Secretary Kerry is going to propose to the Jordanian, who have custodianship over the Temple Mount, to the Israelis and the Palestinian authorities that the status quo be put down in writing. That there be a mechanism where by the three parties can consult and, therefore, can perhaps avoid the kind of tensions that have flared so violently in recent weeks. Whether that will actually bring this current spate of attacks and clashes to an end is very difficult to say because, often times, when you have a deterioration of the situation here, it takes on a life of its own. There are clashes, attacks, people are killed, people are wounded. It become is a cycle. That often times, because becomes disconnected from the cause or spark to that cycle. We shall see whether Secretary Kerry can pull off some agreement between the three parties and that may perhaps lead to a period of calm -- before the next storm, of course.

BARNETT: Right. A cycle of violence Israelis and Palestinians are all too used to.

Ben Wedeman, in Jerusalem. Thanks.

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not backing down from comments made on Wednesday, blaming the idea of the Holocaust on a late Palestinian Muslim leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time. He wanted to expel the Jews. And Amin al-Husseini said, if you expel them, they will all come here. So what should I do with them, he asked? He said burn them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Mr. Netanyahu's charges are being condemned by Palestinians as divisive, which you might expect. But criticism is also coming from Israeli politicians and historians. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People didn't need any advice from somebody. Of course, not the advice of some small fry like the mufti of Jerusalem. So, the whole dialogue that Netanyahu mentioned was invented.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:20:15] BARNETT: Speaking right next to Mr. Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany alone shoulders the responsibility for the Holocaust.

CHURCH: CNN's Atika Shubert is in Berlin. She joins us now with more on the reaction to Mr. Netanyahu's controversial charge.

So, Atika, criticism from Palestinians and Israelis on the extraordinary comments. What is being said? And why is Mr. Netanyahu making these comments at this time?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why he is doing it at this time is a matter of speculation. Critics say he's trying to score points at a tense time in Jerusalem at this moment, across the country, really. So he arrived here in Berlin. And, he got that response, as you saw, from Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying Germany alone takes responsibility and there's no need to change history in Germany's view. So, he is getting criticism not just from within his own country but internationally as well. In fact, State Department spokesperson just before Kerry's arrival here this morning, said that Netanyahu's comments simply aren't supported by scholarly evidence. So that sets the stage for the meeting, which is now happening, should be happening within the next 15 minutes or so, between secretary of state, John Kerry, and Prime Minister Netanyahu.

CHURCH: And, Atika, before we get to that, where did this notion come from, that Mr. Netanyahu was saying, is now moving the blame from Hitler to a Palestinian and Muslim leader, where -- was that discussed at any pin the earlier? Where is that from?

SHUBERT: A footnote in history. And Netanyahu picked up, really turned a microscope to. According to, as you heard from the historian, exaggerated somewhat, his critics say, to his own political gain. But what Netanyahu says is you can't rule out the role, the historical role of the grand mufti, Palestinian out of Jerusalem. So there is a lot of argument at the moment as to what kind of weight to give his words and his personal view of history. What many of his critics and internationally what many are saying, basically Netanyahu has given too much of a role to this Palestinian grand mufti in history to further his own political gains. CHURCH: All right. And of course, Atika Schubert, reporting there.

We will talk to you later, once we get more feedback on what happens during this meeting, Secretary of state, John Kerry, and Benjamin Netanyahu there in Berlin. Many thanks.

BARNETT: Now to another big story we're tracking today. Police in South Africa are mobilizing more forces after violence protests after a proposed university tuition hike. On Wednesday, students stormed gates of parliament in Cape Town. Riot police responded with stun grenades.

CNN's David McKenzie joins us live from Johannesburg.

David, I've been inundated with messages online from students in South Africa. They're furious. They're organized. In some ways, they have been successful in their fight. What is the latest on all of this?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Errol, you are right. They have been successful to a point. The government and universities adjusted their calls for a hike in the fees of the universities here in South Africa. But the students aren't accepting that adjustment. This is all about, on the face of it, the fee increases proposed in universities. But it spread into a nationwide movement here in South Africa through social media and just on the ground. More than a dozen universities closed, and expecting protests. Wednesday, we saw the dramatic scenes playing out in Cape Town. Students mostly from the University of Cape Town stormed the gates of parliament. Pushed back by stun grenades by riot police. A lot of anger by students by the reaction of the police. The police said it was the force appropriate for the situation. You have these ironic scenes playing out with the Southside and the parliamentarians sitting inside. Many say the South African government, including the president, has been tone deaf to the protests of the youth movement -- Errol?

BARNETT: We're seeing footage of police tussling with students and the media. The tuition hike is the catalyst for the outbreak of anger. But does it speak to a larger frustration there among South Africa's youth.

[02:25:07] MCKENZIE: Errol, the youth is frustrated in South Africa. There is a growing sense that the inequality that's persisted for the more than 20 years of democracy here is getting worse. Many students going to university struggle to pay their fees and then get out into a workplace where there's rampant unemployment. The government has faced criticism from youth when it comes to education, service delivery. The support of the ruling ANC has eroded in the past few years. This is a major challenge for them and their government. They have called for calm. Say they're going to meet with students today. We'll see if the students accept that meeting. Several students were arrested at the protests. Many have been released. They'll have a court date today. So whether this snowballs depends. It's potentially a flashpoint in South Africa with dozens of universities joining the call for a nationwide shutdown now -- Errol?

BARNETT: David McKenzie, all over the story, live in Johannesburg. We will continue to keep a close eye on it. David, thanks. CHURCH: We'll take a short break. Still to come, Hillary Clinton

prepares for a very long day in Washington. She'll testify yet again on Benghazi. A look at how she handles being in the hot seat.

BARNETT: Plus, covered in smog and struggling to breathe. Cities around the globe are struggling with pollution. See how some have found effective ways to fight back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:08] CHURCH: And warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. A lot of moving stories today. Let's get you the latest information.

Israeli police say they shot two armed men after an Israeli was stabbed in the town west of Jerusalem. It comes as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepare to meet in Berlin. They're discussing the spike in violence between Palestinians and Israelis.

CHURCH: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden decided he will not run for the White House. He told reporters Wednesday that he was mourning the death of his son and the window to launch a credible campaign had closed. Biden says he plans to stay active in U.S. politics.

BARNETT: New Mexico police say this man has confessed to killing a 4- year-old girl in a road-rage incident. 32-year-old Tony Torres faces murder and weapons charges. The young victim, Lily Garcia, was in the back of her father's car, and police say her dad and Torres cut each other off and Torres opened fire.

CHURCH: Hillary Clinton is expected to testify for hours in the coming day before the House of Representatives Committee on Benghazi. Some politicians hinted it could be brutal. The former secretary of state is being questioned over how she handled the attack in 2012 when four American diplomatic staff members, including the ambassador, were killed in the Libyan city.

BARNETT: Some of the questions the committee is expected to ask include, why wasn't Secretary Clinton aware of requests for extra security in Benghazi, and could security improvements have been made before the attacks?

CHURCH: Well, Democrats have accused Republicans on the committee of targeting Clinton to derail her presidential campaign. And one prominent Republican has admitted the committee caused Clinton's poll numbers to fall. The committee maintains it just wants answers.

According to our CNN political commentator, they're missing the point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: One of the problems with the committee, it is so focused on the -- every little detail that happened in Benghazi that it has missed the bigger picture of what happened in Libya writ large. I think if Republican had focused on the fact that the Obama administration -- pushed by Hillary Clinton who supported the policy, intervened in Libya, without a plan for the aftermath. If they had just gone and looked at that broad-brush policy, which let's all admit was and is a failure given the state of Libya today, they may have had more success. That's a legitimate criticism of Hillary Clinton.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We will have more interviews with Ryan Lizza next hour.

BARNETT: Figuring out what happened in Benghazi has spanned many investigations since the attack. And then, the Benghazi Committee itself has become one of the most highly politicized stories in the U.S.

CHURCH: CNN takes a look back at how the investigation got to this point.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: It is not common for Congress to set up a Select Committee like this. They do not want to be seen as a political witch-hunt.

REP. TREY GOWDY, (R-SC), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON BENGHAZI: The seven members of my committee are much more focused on the four dead Americans than we are any one's presidential aspirations.

RAJU: Democrats do not believe anything he has to say.

After the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Republicans wanted to get to the bottom of what happened there. Republicans began investigations. There were several investigations on Capitol Hill, led by, in the House Oversight Committee, Darrell Issa, the chairman of the committee.

REP. DARRELL ISSA, (R-CA), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Our ambassador and three other individuals are dead and people are in the hospital recovering because it only took moments to breach that facility.

RAJU: His investigation really prompted a lot of concerns among Republicans that he was not getting to the facts. Not figuring out what happened, and maybe for lack of a better word, not drawing enough blood from, the administration.

John Boehner was very nervous about this being perceived as a partisan committee. So he chose Trey Gowdy, a former U.S. attorney in South Carolina, who had a reputation for a fair arbiter of the law.

We saw over time that started to change.

Hillary is more of the focus of the investigation. At the beginning, she was not supposed to be part of the focus. When we learned that Hillary maintained a private e-mail server at her home in New York and was communicating with State Department officials, Trey Gowdy was not certain whether or not he wanted the Benghazi Committee to look into that. But John Boehner believed he was the man to get to the bottom of this.

GOWDY: My position has been the same. Four dead Americans is more than enough work for me.

[02:35:10] RAJU: The debate over the Benghazi Committee really shifted a few weeks ago after, Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, went on FOX News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN MCCARTHY, (R-CA) HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: We put together a Benghazi special committee. Her numbers are dropping. Why? She is untrustable. No one would have known any of that had happened had we not --

(CROSSTALK)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: And it really gave Hillary an opening to suggest that, everything the Republicans are doing is for political reasons.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE & FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: This committee is basically an arm of the Republican National Committee.

RAJU: That's one reason why Chairman Gowdy has been frustrated.

GOWDY: I have told my own Republican colleagues and friends, shut up talking about things you don't know anything about.

RAJU: Republicans have a really fine line to balance. They want to be able to go after Hillary. But at the same time, they do not want to be seen as going after her in political terms.

This is Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The website WikiLeaks published information it says came from the personal e-mail of CIA Director John Brennan. The CIA condemns it as, quote, "a crime with malicious intent."

BARNETT: The spy agency doesn't believe classified documents were revealed. But the information published includes sensitive data about Brennan's security clearances. WikiLeaks says it plans to release more documents Thursday.

CHURCH: Environmentalists call New Delhi the most polluted city in the world. Ahead, we'll see what the Indian capital is doing to clear the air.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00] CHURCH: "Two Degrees Celsius" is what climate experts say is the difference between stabilizing global warming and runaway climate change.

BARNETT: There is sobering news from scientist whose monitor the global temperature patterns.

Our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us with details on that.

Pedram, what do you know?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know what, guys, NOAA, releasing a statement today talking September 2015, the warmest month on our planet. Weather record could become to 1880 on our planet when you talk global temperature observations. Take a look at the perspective, the temperatures above normal, January through September of 2015. Areas indicated in red, above average, the record values. Notice only parts of New Foundland, Labrador, South America and part of the North Atlantic Ocean are the only locations on our planet that had temperatures below normal. And then you look at the rest of the plant, above average temperatures. In fact, look at the 1880 observations, all the way to 2015, the end of the charts here. Trend from 1980 forward has been upwards. Then you talk about this particular trend as far as the last several months. Each of the last five months have been record warmest across our planet. Officials actually, quite, quite seriously considering that not only has this been the warmest trend since the 1880s but potentially the warmest trend on our planet since the year 600. Many wonder, how do they know what happened since 600, thousands of years back. Ice core samples give us incredible data, and tree rings give us incredible data. Ocean sediments give us data. If you look at the observations, once they peer inside the ice cores, there are trapped air bubbles that release information when it comes to the C02 concentrations, a greenhouse gas. They can melt the ice core sample down, look at the variables within the water molecules. That tell us what the water temperatures and the air temperatures were on the planet as well. So incredible data can come back going back thousands of years looking at ice core observations across this region.

Want to talk about something. Look at the maps, we have something to share of a unique perspective. Get outside in the next couple of hours, you get one of the more spectacular meteor shower events, between Gemini and the Orion constellation. On the order of 15, 30 meteors per hour take place. They're streaking across 150,000 miles per hour. If you have an opportunity to get outside, clear skies in the eastern United States, parts of Europe, we'll give you perspective to see this.

We'll leave you with this, an update on what is now Hurricane Patricia. A category 1 hurricane. You take a look at the forecast, it's sitting off a very popular beach destination. It could be category 2 as it makes landfall. Something we are watching here with the strengthening storm system -- guys.

BARNETT: A wet weekend ahead for that region. (CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: Thank you, Pedram.

BARNETT: Appreciate the update.

JAVAHERI: Thank you.

BARNETT: The pollution causing climate change. Actually, also poisoning our air, especially in places look New Delhi, labeled most- polluted city on earth.

CHURCH: According to the World Health Organization, the air pollution is more than 15 times what's considered safe to breathe.

BARNETT: Wow.

CHURCH: Of the top five cities with the worst air pollution in the world, four of them are in India. But New Delhi is making an effort, declaring Thursday a car-free day.

CNN's New Delhi bureau chief, Ravi Agrawal, joins us live from New Delhi.

Ravi, they call it a car free day. Just a few hours but it was actually a few hours. What impact will that have, big picture, or is it more about appearing to do something?

RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: It really is more about awareness, Rosemary. So the car-free day -- or morning, we should call it that -- it just ended 10 minutes ago. I was on a street nearby and there were a fair number of cars on the road. To put that in context, today is a national holiday. There shouldn't be many to begin with. The point of today is to spread awareness, get the word out. Indians haven't thought much about dirty air. The focus in India is development, growing the country. It's only in the last 12 months or so, with the World Health Organization data showing Delhi's the air is most polluted in the world that this is really starting a major conversation right here.

BARNETT: Ravi, where does that conversation go? You noted a new government there, it's a new initiative, trying to bring attention to something. How receptive are people likely to be?

[02:45:00] AGRAWAL: You have of a new government in New Delhi, and in India, the center. Both have been talking about trying to do something about the climate. India released its climate change plan to the United Nations where is said it was going to try to get 40 percent of energy from renewable sources from 2040. And most of those big-ticket initiatives are really sort of driven by the government, not really an average people initiative. What we are looking at today is more of an initiative from a state government to get people to not use their cars, try to take public transport, take the buses, which run on cleaner gasses. But in a place like India, you need immense amounts of public investment in infrastructure to make something like that happen. BARNETT: We should let our viewers know Ravi scared us. He said he

was stuck in traffic and couldn't get to the live shot. So we're glad you made it.

CHURCH: That tells the story.

(LAUGHTER)

BARNETT: It really does. Obviously, a well needed initiative.

Ravi Agrawal, thank you joining us this morning from New Delhi.

CHURCH: Thank you.

Other major cities around the world are struggling with pollution.

BARNETT: Many of CNN's correspondents are living in the cities.

Let's take you around the world and start in Bangkok.

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SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Saima Mohsin, in Bangkok. Here, air pollution has improved dramatically over the past decade. It remains a concern. The implementation of industrial zones means that it has become a factory free metropolis. That simply means the pollution has been transferred elsewhere. And emissions figures are hard to track down. There is a stricter monitoring of the 36 million vehicles across Thailand. And 70 percent of them are running on unleaded petrol. They make up 5 percent. That's a million vehicles on the roads here. Add to that the open-air cooking, garbage burning, and agricultural burning practices in Thailand and by its neighbors. There are huge challenges ahead. The industrial and economic growth in Thailand has come at a cost.

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DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Diana Magnay, in London. Now London's mayor, Boris Johnson, is making big changes to the city streets in a bid to improve air quality, starting off by cleaning up the bus fleet. He brought 1300 new hybrid buses to the city streets with hundreds more expected next year. He's mothballing 6,000 of the oldest, polluting black cabs. By 2018, any new taxi will meet zero emission standards. He wants the whole city by 2020 to be the world's first ultralow emission zone. That means if your car doesn't match the right standard by then, you have to pay a fine to drive through the center of town.

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BARNETT: Here in the U.S., one way the country is combating air pollution is through incentives for folks who want to drive electric vehicles. Take a peek at the CNN Atlanta parking lot. You see there, an entire row of electric cars. One of them is mine. CHURCH: One of them is mine.

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BARNETT: One of them is Rosie's.

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CHURCH: Pedram has one as well, and a whole lot of people.

Georgia, California, Hawaii, Washington State have some of the highest percentages of electric cars due to tax incentives. The federal government alone a $7,500 tax credit and also throws in some money. And the state in some states does as well.

BARNETT: If you are buying the car outright.

CHURCH: Yeah, if you're buying it.

BARNETT: Yeah, if you guess which color is ours, a shout out.

CHURCH: You get to watch us for another hour.

BARNETT: Coming up, the story of two London lawyers who took the biggest risk of their lives.

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HELEN PATTINSON, CO-FOUNDER, MONTEZUMA'S CHOCOLATE & ATTORNEY: And we had a plan to travel around, South America for a year. So we sold our house, gave up our jobs, put everything into storage except for a rucksack full of stuff.

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[02:50:34] JAVAHERI: Starting off your Thursday, Pedram Javaheri, CNN "Weather Watch."

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CHURCH: Here is a question. Would you give up everything just to travel? One English couple did just that.

BARNETT: I would consider it.

CHURCH: You would do it?

BARNETT: I would consider this. This is their story of the trip of a lifetime.

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PATTINSON: I am Helen Pattinson, the co-founder of Montezuma's Chocolate, which is a British producer of premium chocolate products.

We make about 20,000 (ph) metric tons of chocolate, which equates to 25 million bars. This year, will be 7.5 million pounds. More we're focusing on exports, exporting brand Britain, sending British chocolate to the states. Quite a bit into Europe, China, Hong Kong, through the Middle East.

In my former life, I was a lawyer, a city lawyer working in London. I then met Simon, my husband, in the same law firm. We had become kindred spirits in this mission to get out of the law. And we had a plan to travel around, South America for a year. So we sold our house, gave up our jobs, and put everything in storage except a rucksack full of stuff and a tent, and jetted off.

We traveled the length and breadth of Argentina and Chile. The breadth of culture and climate there is incredible. Like a planet in itself.

The moment was when we were in a little town, which is in the middle of Argentina and in the lake district. Simon was laid up with an upset stomach. I've spent three days walking around the town to discover it had about 10 chocolate shops. I was in heaven. So we ended up in Venezuela at one point. The whole journey was thwarted by cocoa farmers drying beans across the road because the road is the hottest thing they can access. We ended up staying on the plantation for a few days.

[02:55:23] By this time, we were enthralled by the subject of chocolate. And the food is all the rage now. Everybody is making it, even in their kitchen and stuff like that. 15 years ago, quality chocolate was hard to come by.

I love what I do. I created a business out of product that I'm compassionate about. And I get to eat chocolate for breakfast every day if I want to.

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CHURCH: Great story. Lot of chocolate.

BARNETT: Lot of chocolate.

Got out there, explore the world.

CHURCH: Good idea to do it at some point in your life, for sure.

We'll have much more CNN NEWSROOM after this very short break.

BARNETT: Remember, you can always follow and connect with us on social media any time.

After the break, we'll get you an update on what is happening here in South Africa with the student protests.

Stay with us.

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