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Russian Hacking, Aleppo Refugees, Donald Trump Picks, Philippine President Speaks Out
Aired December 17, 2016 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CYRIL VANIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR : Laying the blame on Vladimir Putin. Barak Obama points to the highest levels of the Russian government for interference with the U.S. election campaign. And evacuations in Aleppo have stopped again, with civilians still desperately trying to get out. Plus the Philippine president vows to carry on his war on drugs and lashes out at his critics.
Hello everyone and a warm welcome. Thank you for joining us. I'm Cyril Vanier live from Atlanta. CNN Newsroom starts right now.
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VANIER: And this just in to CNN, Turkish news outlets are reporting an explosion near a university in Turkey's central Province of Kasiri. Sources say a bus transporting soldiers drove past, what they believed was a car bomb. Ambulances are rushing to attend to the wounded. We'll bring you more on this story as we get it. We're currently working to confirm whether there were any fatalities. And of course, this comes just a week after a deadly bombing in Istanbul, dozens of people killed. That bombing there, those twin bombings claimed by TAK (ph), an affiliate of the Kurdish rebel group PKK.
U.S. President Barak Obama says Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential campaigns stopped after he personally confronted Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit last September. Mr. Obama says he warned the Russian leader, that if Moscow continued to launch cyber attacks against U.S. political organizations the consequences would be serious. We get the latest from CNN's Michelle Kosinski.
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MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama won't say definitively he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin himself authorized the hack of the Democratic National Committee, but he leaves little room for doubt.
PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA: This happened at the highest levels of the Russian government. And I will let you make that determination as to whether there are high level Russian officials who go off rogue and decide to tamper with the U.S. election process without Vladimir Putin knowing about it.
KOSINSKI: The President recounted what he told Putin face to face at a summit in China in September.
OBAMA: I felt that the most effective way to ensure that that didn't happen was to talk to him directly. And tell him to cut it out, there were going to be serious consequences if he didn't.
KOSINSKI: President Obama vowed there will be a response.
OBAMA: How we approach an appropriate response that increases cost for them for behavior like this in the future. But does not create problems for us is something that's worth taking the time to think through and figure out.
KOSINSKI: And rebuked some Republicans who were supportive of Putin.
OBAMA: Over a third of Republican voters approve of Vladimir Putin, the former head of the KGB. Ronald Reagan would roll over in his grave.
KOSINSKI: We should point out that those numbers come from an economist UGOV survey that doesn't meet CNN's polling standards. Regarding President-elect Trump's dismissal of the intelligence blaming the Russians, the President says, he's urged his successor to work in a nonpartisan way.
OBAMA: My hope is that the president-elect is going to similarly be concerned with making sure that we don't have potential foreign influence in our election process. I don't think any American wants that. And, that shouldn't be a source of an argument. I think that part of the challenge is that it gets caught up in the carry over from election season.
KOSINSKI: We heard the President say today, that he feels the real vulnerability is fierce partisanship in America right now. That when everything comes under suspicion, everything is viewed as corrupt. Fake news propagates and that's where foreign influence can gain a foothold. He also kind of threw a bone at one point to the next administration. When he was asked, you know, some of the foreign policy stances that we've seen from them, could that be a good thing? Or does that put America on some collision courses? He said, he sees it as somewhere in between. Acknowledging though, that fresh perspectives on foreign policy could be a good thing for democracy, including on China. Michelle Kosinski, CNN, the White House.
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VANIER: And for more on this Daniel Treisman joins us now from Los Angeles. He's the author of the book, "The Return, Russia's Journey from Gorbechev to Medvideth" and a professor at the University of California-Los Angeles. Daniel, my first question is, what sets Russia apart when it comes to espionage? I understand that all the world powers do it. Barak Obama acknowledged as much and we knew that anyway during this press conference. But it seems like it's something that Russia does better than most. especially when it comes to destabilizing foreign governments.
DANIEL TREISMAN, PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES: Well a lot of the - - the spy craft is not visible. So we don't really know. We are aware of considerable hacking by the Chinese, but obviously Russia occupies very high prominent place in this type of thing. I think what's different in the current situation, it's not so much that Russia was spying, was trying to get into the operations of important institutions and people, but that it released the information. It made public this, these leaks to Wikileaks during the campaign. Apparently in the attempt to embarrass Hillary Clinton and influence the election.
VANIER: That was going to be one of my questions. Do you believe this was a personal thing against Hillary Clinton? Or this was a country to country thing. destabilizing, undermining democracy in the U.S. at large?
TREISMAN: Well, of course, it could be both. There's definitely a complicated relationship between President Putin and Hillary Clinton. He blames her for, in his view, supporting the protestors against him in 2011, 2012, and trying to undermine his position in Russia. So, clearly, that could be part of it. We haven't seen the classified, or at least I haven't seen the classified evidence, that the intelligence services and President Obama have referred to. But it's certainly possible that they have good evidence that the goal was to undermine Hillary's position and throw the election to Trump.
VANIER: I want to ask about a very interesting argument that you put forward in one of the articles that you wrote recently. That Donald Trump is going to be at a disadvantage entering his relationship with Vladimir Putin when he comes into power.
TREISMAN: Right. Well he's already, basically given away a lot of - - a lot of things that you would imagine that an American leader would bargain over. He's made it clear that he doesn't care that much about supporting Ukraine. He's made it clear that he wants to work with the Russians in Syria. That maintaining, overthrowing Assad is not as key a priority as it was for the Obama Administration. And he's already - -
VANIER: So you're saying he's got no leverage left. Is that it?
TREISMAN: That's right. He's - - he's - - he's definitely diminished his leverage. He's already undermined confidence in NATO to a considerable extent, by suggesting that he would have to think hard before making a decision if one of the NATO U.S. allies was attacked. So he goes into that negotiation with Putin, basically having - - having agreed to all the things that - - that Putin wanted and so he has to kind of step back and rebuild his bargaining power in some way.
VANIER: Daniel Treisman, joining us from Los Angeles. Thank you very much.
TREISMAN: Thank you.
VANIER: On Friday, President Obama also spoke at length about the worsening situation in Aleppo, Syria. He defended his administrations policy in the region and criticized the Syrian government and its allies. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA: Responsibility for this brutality lies in one place alone, with the Assad regime and its allies, Russia and Iran. And this blood and these atrocities are on their hands. I understand the impulse to want to do something. But ultimately, what I've had to do is to think about what can we sustain? What is realistic? But I continue to believe that it was the right approach, given what realistically we could get done.
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VANIER: And let's see what's happening on the ground in Syria now. Civilian evacuations out of Aleppo have stopped, at least for now. Convoys are being forced to turn back toward Aleppo. A word that's become a synonym for hell, according to the United Nations chief. But there are conflicting reports from the Syrian state media and volunteers on the ground about what is stalling the process. One civilian took a video, showing a frantic scene as evacuees run to escape a wave of gunfire.
He blamed an Iranian militia for the violence, but the Syrian government blamed the rebels. And that war of information is growing more fierce as the regime and it's opponents fight to have their message heard above the chaos. The conflict gets bloodier every day with many innocent people paying the price. Our Muhammad Lila reports.
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MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN ANCHOR: We drove along the barren Turkish-Syrian border to a location so sensitive we weren't allowed to film directly outside. Inside, we were given a tour of a make shift hospital run by a Turkish religious foundation, where doctors scrambled to treat patients who'd been evacuated from Aleppo. This is what it looks like inside this make shift hospital. You can see how bare it is. The doctors tell us that of the 100 patients they've treated, 30 of them were children. And this man spoke to us with his six year old son crying by his side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE THROUGH TRANSLATOR: I don't want to go back to Aleppo he says. My wife and most of my children have died. I don't have anyone left in Aleppo. I only have this child left. Should I return and cause him to die as well?
LILA: This doctor who asked us to not show his face for security reasons, says many of the injuries are critical.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very serious. Amputation of leg. We have four patient amputation.
LILA: Four patient amputations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday came patient, two eyes out.
LILA: Out. Blind in both eyes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two eyes out.
LILA: The most critical cases can't be treated here. So they're loaded onto ambulances bound for more advanced hospitals in bigger Turkish towns. While they head in one direction, truckloads of relief are heading in the other. Into Syria, reportedly filled with food, clothes and blankets. Part of a plan to set up a refugee camp housing up to 80,000 people inside Syrian territory. Something the Syrian government, they see as a provocation. Muhammad Lila, CNN from the Turkish-Syrian border.
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VANIER: We're going to take a very short break. Coming up after that, Trump picks a close advisor to be his envoy to Israel. Once again, that pick proving to be controversial. Plus the Philippine president details how many people he killed and which weapon he used to do it, when he was mayor of his hometown Davao. Stay tuned to CNN for more on that.
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VANIER: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has picked campaign advisor David Friedman to be his Ambassador to Israel. And that choice is stirring praise in some quarters, alarm in others. Friedman is against several tenants of what has been long standing U.S. policy. He's questioned the two state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. He's also indicated that he supports moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That again, could heighten tensions. Ian Lee has more now from Jerusalem.
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IAN LEE, CNN ANCHOR: This could mark a seismic shift in U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel, Palestinians, and the peace process. David Friedman has views that run counter to a number of long standing U.S. positions held by both Democrat and Republican presidents. Rarely, does an ambassador so personally vocal about domestic politics in the country he serves. But Friedman will, when he presents his credentials to Israel.
First he is a strong supporter of settlements in the West Bank. Previous U.S. administrations have called them illegitimate and obstacles to peace. The international communities views them as illegal. Second, he and President-elect Donald Trump want to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, marking Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Every previous U.S. administration believed that Jerusalem's status would be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
Finally David Friedman doesn't support a two state solution. And this has been the cornerstone to the peace process and supported, not only by the U.S. government and international community, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The reaction from Israeli officials has been mixed, some welcoming, others criticizing. As for the Palestinians, politician Mustafa Barghouti called the incoming Trump administration and ambassador very discouraging. Warning that it could create a dangerous situation saying, if the hope for a two state solution is killed, then what is the alternative for Palestinians? Ian Lee, CNN, Jerusalem.
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VANIER: The U.S. is accusing China of unlawfully seizing one of its underwater drones. The U.S. military says the incident took place in the contested South China Sea about 160 kilometers from the Philippine port Subic Bay. This U.S. research vessel, the Bowditch, was in the area on Thursday to retrieve two unmanned underwater vehicles. And that's when the Pentagon says that Chinese warships swooped in and snatched one of the drones with a small boat. The U.S. says the drone was measuring ocean conditions and not spying.
Staying in the region Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is defending his controversial war on drugs. On Friday, he implied that he will not stop until all drug dealers are dead. He then proceeded to tell our Will Ripley how many he killed and why he makes no apologies for doing so.
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RODRIGO DUTERTE, PRESIDENT OF PHILIPPINES: I did kill. I was only three months mayor, in 1988.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte making no apologies, elaborating on his stunning claim that he shot and killed suspected criminals.
DUTERTE: I love my M-16, American made mind you, to kill criminals.
RIPLEY: Nearly 30 years before he was president, in his early days as mayor, Duterte of Davao was considered one of the Philippines most dangerous cities. Today, police say it's one of the safest and many here credit Duterte.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can not (inaudible) no danger.
RIPLEY: No danger anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Because we have no addicts.
RIPLEY: No drug addicts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, no drug addicts.
RIPLEY: As mayor, the former prosecutor encouraged the mass killing of drug suspects, earning him the nickname, "The Punisher". Do you recall how many people you killed? Are you certain that all of them were guilty?
DUTERTE: I count one, two, three. One, two, three. When I tell you now, that I killed, do not term them as suspects. Because all of them died while they were fighting government people.
RIPLEY: As president, he's taken his drug war nationwide. In less than six months, nearly 6,000 have died.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the name of human rights, it's bad. But if, in terms of, for the safety of the people, it's good.
RIPLEY: In a nation fed up with crime and corruption, Duterte's approval rating is still almost 80 percent. Though it's down from 90 percent in July. Voices of opposition are growing louder.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are mass murders. Mass murders certainly fall under the category of high crimes. And high crimes is a ground for impeachment under our constitution.
RIPLEY: Duterte's most prominent critic, Senator Leila de Lima is calling for his impeachment. Duterte has fired back, accusing de Lima of ties to illegal drugs. Some critics say that Duterte has used his drug war to weed out political adversaries, a claim he denies.
DUTERTE: At least I kill to protect people. I am not here a dictator killing for my political opponents to stay in power.
RIPLEY: Just this week, a newspaper quoted Duterte warning so called corrupt politicians to resign or face death. Judging by the president's own words, it may not be an empty threat. Will Ripley, CNN, Davao, the Philippines.
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VANIER: Venezuela's cash crisis keeps getting worse. Protests and clashes have broken out as people lined up at banks to trade out old bills. New money was supposed to arrive by Thursday after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that the 100 Bolivar notes would be discontinued. He said the move was aimed at fighting mafias hoarding the bank notes. But tensions spiraled after the replacement money didn't arrive at many banks. Coming up after the break, a German woman is erasing hate one wall at a time. How she's using spray paint to cover negativity, when we come back.
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VANIER: And freezing cold weather is one thing, but an accumulation of ice across the U.S. Midwest and east, could make conditions down right dangerous. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis joins us now with the latest, Karen.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And it has turned deadly already. And we're talking about road conditions that have really deteriorated over the past 24 hours and will so as we head towards the weekend. This is a big weekend, because a lot of people are taking this week off before Christmas. They're traveling so they're out on those interstates, and it is going to be horrendous. A lot of those interstate travelers, especially across the central U.S., will have to encounter not just a layer of ice, but then snow on top of it. You don't see that slick black ice.
Well I just took a look at some of the Department of Transportation cameras out of Iowa, and the roads are empty except for a few. And those are traffic accidents that are being tended to. Take a look of what's come out of Mitchell, South Dakota. This is in the north central United States. Well it doesn't look so bad, but in fact, it is very icy here. They could see very poor traveling conditions, very poor visibility, not necessarily the heaviest of snowfall amounts. We're expecting maybe 10 to 20 centimeters in some cases. But what we're looking at is that dangerous cold. The wind chill factor is about 50 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Fahrenheit and Celsius mean at -40. So that just gives you an idea just how bone chilling cold this weather is across the Dakotas, into Nebraska and into Iowa.
But there you can see more significant amounts of snowfall into the Great Lakes wrapped into the Ohio River Valley, across some of those higher peaks across the interior west, and then along that I-95 corridor headed up towards New England. So, if you're an international traveler and you're going to a destination in Boston or may New York, pack your patience, because it is going to be a miserable 48 hours. And I'll mention, in Chicago, Illinois, it could be one of the coldest starts to an NFL football game that we have seen in decades. And Cyril, it looks like it could be a high temperature of about zero or -1 degree Fahrenheit.
VANIER: Karen Maginnis from our International CNN Weather Center, thank you very much for that. Now one woman in Germany is on a mission. She prowls Berlin neighborhoods looking to destroy swastikas, wherever she sees them. CNN's Atika Shubert has more on the 70 year olds war against neo-Nazis.
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ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN ANCHOR: Seventy year old Irmala Schwam (ph) scours the streets of Berlin, armed with a scraper and a spray paint and nail polish remover.
IRMALA SCHWAM (ph): (Inaudible)
SHUBERT: Then she sees it, a Nazi swastika amid the street graffiti. She gets to work. Schrum (ph) calls herself a "Poliputza" (ph), a political cleaner of neo-Nazi and racist graffiti. And every week Schrum (ph) spends up to 17 hours scraping off racist stickers and painting over swastikas with hearts.
IRMALA SCHWAM (ph) THROUGH TRANSLATOR: I could look at that swastika and say, oh that's awful and walk by, she says. But no one would dare to do anything. Well I don't want to wait for someone else to do something about it, she says.
SHUBERT: At home, Schwam (ph) shows us her catalog of work. It started 30 years ago. When she spotted a flier supporting convicted Nazi war criminal Rudolph Hess plastered to her bus stop. Disgusted, she took her house keys and scratched the flier off.
SCHWAM (ph) THROUGH TRANSLATOR: I just scrubbed the hate away until it was all gone, she says. It was a fantastic feeling afterwards. The mind pollution was gone.
SHUBERT: It has become a personal mission that has taken her across Germany and six other countries. She says, she has cleaned more than 130,000 neo-Nazi symbols and racist graffiti. And the amount she sees on the street is increasing, she says, especially against refugees.
SCHWAM (ph) THROUGH TRANSLATOR: Well people tell me that I'm intolerant. I don't respect the far right's freedom of speech, she says. But I say, freedom of speech has limits. It ends where hatred and contempt for humanity begins.
SHUBERT: Neo-Nazi groups have sent her death threats. Police have warned that her work is too provocative and that she could face thousands of dollars in fines for defacing public property. On the day we tagged along, a Berlin cleaning crew was simply annoyed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE THROUGH TRANSLATOR: I like what you're doing said this cleaner, but not the way you're doing it.
SHUBERT: Well dismisses the cleaners with a laugh, as she does to most of her critics. Just as she's about to call it a day Schwam (ph) spots a big one across the street, Nazi Keats (ph) or Nazi neighborhood. She whips out her can of red spray paint and gets to work. This graffiti war is an never ending battle. But Schwam (ph) seems happy to continue the fight, one heart at a time. Atika Shubert, CNN, Berlin.
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VANIER: And that wraps up our edition of CNN Newsroom, thanks for watching. I'm Cyril Vanier and I'll be back with the headlines in just a moment. Stay with us.
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