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Trump Accuses Google of Manipulating 2016 Vote, Insists Economy Doing "Tremendously Well"; Hong Kong Chief Exec Calls for Dialogue after Largely Peaceful Protest; British Prime Minister Lays Out Position on Brexit Deal; Sudan's Ex-President on Trial for Multiple Charges; El Salvador Rape Victim Acquitted Over Baby Death; Sargasso Sea Becoming A Plastic Death Trap. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired August 20, 2019 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): There is reality and then there's the world according to Donald Trump, a world where Google algorithms committed voter fraud and the U.S. economy is performing better than it ever has. Anything to the contrary just proof that they're all out to bring him down.
Boris Johnson beat Brexit, the British prime minister has discovered the Irish backstop is a terrible idea and the E.U. won't renegotiate terms with the deal already in place. Welcome to 2018.
And, hey, let's talk, Hong Kong's chief executive reaches out to protesters and offers a line of communication. Just don't mention an independent inquiry into allegations of police brutality.
Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the, world it's great to have you with, us I'm John Vause you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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VAUSE: When it comes down to a choice between conspiracy theory and, reality this U.S. president seems to favor the former, like this.
Donald Trump tweeted, "Wow, Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election! This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than thought!"
There is no basis in fact for this. None. Nothing. The president's theory comes from disgruntled congressional testimony given last month, while discredited and receiving little attention then. But it did appear on FOX Business on Monday.
Meantime, after denying Sunday that the U.S. economy could be headed into a recession, Donald Trump pointed the finger at the Fed, tweeting this. "Our Economy is very strong, despite the horrendous lack of vision by
Jay Powell and the Fed, but the Democrats are trying to 'will' the Economy to be bad for purposes of the 2020 Election."
For more we, are joined by political analyst Michael Genovese and global business executive Ryan Patel, both in Los Angeles.
Good to have you with us. I want to start with the White House spokesman.
Russia, racism and the economy into one paranoid delusion. Here he is.
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HOGAN GIDLEY, WHITE HOUSE PRINCIPAL DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: Well, they have tried systematically to destroy this president even before he was sworn into office. You saw it with the marches on Washington, D.C., before he had passed a policy or pushed some type of proposal.
It happened from sunup until sundown, the media has been complicit and compliant with those efforts. But, listen, first, they pushed Russia, then they pushed racism and now, they're now pushing a recession. The fact, this economy is doing better than it ever has before.
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VAUSE: Ryan, we will start with you, a fact check please.
How is the U.S. economy performing right now and are there reasons to be concerned?
RYAN PATEL, GLOBAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE: The fact is, this the economy is slowing down, we're down from last quarter, down to our own 2 percent from 3.1 last year. And, consumer confidence is still, high you give it to the economy.
But the yield curve has -- you don't want to get to caught up into it but it has predicted seven of the last 10 recessions. But the facts come on this. When you are intertwined as a global economy and there is, places like China and Germany having their economy slow down and then you put a self inflicted trade war onto manufacturers in the U.S., investments overseas have already been coming down, we've seen the numbers on that and then that provides a U.S. business the reason to not to want to spend more money because of this uncertainty and, yes it does have a ripple effect and we talk about economists.
And I think many believe that there will be a recession. The question is when, is it 2020, 2021?
To be debating will it happen or will it happen it's irrelevant because at this point, the way that we are sitting today with this kind of uncertainty and the self-inflicted wound, we assume they were going down that route.
VAUSE: There seem to be a level of paranoia within this administration, not just from the president but those around him which hasn't really been seen since the days of Nixon.
MICHAEL GENOVESE, POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all even paranoids have real enemies and also have to remember that every administration goes through the same kind of thing. They get beaten up, they get hit from the left and right, every day, that's part of the nature of the beast.
The question is how you deal with it and in the question of Trump and Nixon, they had such fragile egos and they need to protect the face that they put out to the world and they are afraid that something is going to put a crack into the face, that image and the house of cards will come down.
So when you are especially worried, especially paranoid, then you take it very personally. I think in the case of --
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GENOVESE: -- Donald Trump, that means that he converts it into his particular style. Nixon's style was to use dirty tricks and go after people behind the scenes.
Trump goes after you frontally. He starts calling you names, he starts to attack you personally, all of which is designed to go on the offensive because the best defense it's a good offense, to get you before you can get him.
Just to add another expert voice into the mix, here's the chief economist from Morgan Stanley.
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CHETAN AHYA, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MORGAN STANLEY: I opt for 25 percent on the balance of $300 billion of imports from China and stay there for four to six months time, and China does take counter measures similar to overnight, then we will see global economy entering into recession in three quarters' time, nine months time.
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VAUSE: Just to confirm, the trade war with China and other Trump trade policies are hurting the very people who the president promised to help. And be clear, before he took office, the economy was doing well, recovering and growing at a steady rate.
Much of the economic pain that is being felt and will be felt is the sole responsibility of Donald Trump's policies.
PATEL: If we weren't talking about the trade, war the recession would not be there just yet. Just to give some kudos, if I will give to the Trump administration, they realized last week that they had to relax on the tariffs going into the holiday season for the U.S. Because the consumer spending needed to be there, so for me. I would interpret that that they realized that they needed to not get into this trade war, because he was going to hurt the economy. They can say whatever they want to say, they came out on Sunday having
this everything is OK. But their actions tell a difference story and I'm glad that they had some rationale to be in a situation to say, why are we going to put our consumers and citizens in a further behind position in this quarter, three quarters, four quarters?
But they don't need. We have other problems and, even Huawei. Another 90 days for this trade, to give time to the U.S. businesses and that does not hurt long term.
VAUSE: The economy is seen as the president strength, going into reelection but Democrats have an opening and a political opportunity. Here they are over the weekend.
BETO O'ROURKE (D-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm afraid that this president is driving the global economy and our economy into a recession.
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), MAYOR OF SOUTH BEND, IND., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have an economy that is not working for most Americans. There's a big debate going on whether we are on the cusp of a recession. I think we probably are.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There are a lot of danger signs right now in the economy and I'm very worried. We still have time to pull back but Donald Trump just does not seem to understand how.
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VAUSE: Is the view from the White House that by covering the statements from Democratic opponents running from president, that somehow the media is colluding with the president's enemies?
GENOVESE: I think, if you see enemies around every corner, you see every corner having an enemy. So anywhere he turns, the president sees someone out to get him and there is a bit of truth. The Democrats want to undo his presidency and the media is reporting things that the president doesn't always like.
But the economy, for the first 2.5 years, has been Donald Trump's a great strength and now there are worries. And if there are concerns those could affect his reelection bid because, all he had and all he has really going into 2020 is the economy.
And if that tanks, his popularity is going to disappear faster than cupcakes at a pot party. And so the president knows that if he can't get the economy at least neutralized, not working against him, electorally, he's going to be in deep trouble.
VAUSE: This president is known for making a conscious decision to avoid those who disagree with him or challenge him in any way, especially his senior advisers.
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TRUMP: The tariffs have cost nothing, in my opinion or certainly very little,.
WILBUR ROSS, COMMERCE SECRETARY: Thus far there's not been any real basis for saying the tariffs have hurt the consumer.
PETER NAVARRO, TRUMP TRADE ADVISER: They're not hurting anybody here, there's no evidence whatsoever that American consumers are bearing any of this.
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VAUSE: Again, Ryan, to your fact check, what is the reality?
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PATEL: I don't even know I'm, speechless. I saw cupcakes and then I saw this and I think when Tim Cook had dinner with the president and the president comes out and, says, OK, Tim Apple had a good perspective, on how the tariffs are hurting the company, yes, now what can we do about it?
If Apple gets hurt, consumers gets hurt, this follows business leaders. He was on the call Wednesday with all the major banks. He's not doing this for fun, he's doing this because he's actually worried. He's worried about the consumer spending and the fact check behind us is that what they are saying --
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PATEL: -- and what Wall Street believes and what we are looking at in the business community, are two different things. Like I said, this is something you have to show what will go forward when it comes to this rhetoric.
Again, it's the numbers that it will be the one, his actions, his big thing is the economy. He really understands he needs to get this done before 2020 comes around.
VAUSE: Michael, what about those that's around the president, living in that hermetically sealed bubble, where the president is adored. There this belief that Mike Pence was the number one cheerleader for Trump.
But there is a report which appeared in "The New Yorker," what seems to challenge the notion and it's not so much about the vice president but the secretary of state. This report says that a senior White House, former senior White House aide says there is no daylight between Pompeo and the president, regardless of what the president does or says.
Here's more, the former official said that in private, too, Pompeo is among the most sycophantic and obsequious people among Trump. Even more bluntly, a former American ambassador told the reporter here, "He's like a heat seeking missile for Trump's ass."
So a narcissistic president who prefers conspiracy theories over cold hard reality is not only indulged but encouraged. GENOVESE: Well, I think this is a White House in which flattery will get you everywhere and it's widely known both inside and outside the administration that you don't bring bad news to the president. You tell him what he wants to hear, not what he needs to hear and that's because he sends signals that that is what you have to do.
Either you do that or you're not in the inner circle. Therefore, flattery gets you everywhere, Pompeo is flattering the president to death. But he has access. Kim Jong-un sends beautiful letters and the president falls in love.
So as long as you keep feeding that ego and flattering the president, you are OK but if you bring truth to power, if you tell the president what he does not want to hear, you are in trouble. That means that you get what you want but not what you need, which is deadly in a White House.
VAUSE: We're out of time but as far as the accusation about Google changing votes, I will give Secretary Clinton the last word with the tweet.
"The debunked study you're referring to was based on 21 undecided voters. For context, that's about half the number of people associated with your campaign who have been indicted."
On that, I'll say thank you, Michael and Ryan. Good to see you both.
GENOVESE: Thank you.
VAUSE: The first two Muslim woman elected to the U.S. Congress blasted President Trump and the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after their trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories was blocked. Israel barred Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib over they support of a boycott of Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank.
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REP. ILHAN OMAR (D), MINNESOTA: Netanyahu's decision to deny us entry might be unprecedented for members of Congress, but it is the policy of his government when it comes to Palestinians. This is the policy of his government when it comes to anyone who holds views that threaten the occupation, a policy that has been edged on and supported by Trump's administration.
REP. RASHIDA TLAIB (D), MICHIGAN: All I can do as my sittie's granddaughter, as the -- as the granddaughter of a woman who lives in occupied territory, is to elevate her voice by exposing the truth.
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VAUSE: Tlaib was later granted entry to visit her grandmother but she declined, citing conditions with Israel had placed on her entering.
Elizabeth Warren is directly confronting an issue which has dogged her political career in 2020 run for the White House. In front of a largely Native American audience, she apologized for the harm she caused over her past claims of tribal heritage.
Warren has drawn criticism over DNA results that show she only has a distant Native American ancestry.
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SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know that I have made mistakes. I am sorry for harm I have caused. I have listened and I have learned a lot and I am grateful for the many conversations that we have had together.
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Her message was well, received the audience applauded her after she made the apology. She also said she promises to continue her long partnership working to support Native Americans.
To Hong Kong, the embattled leader says she will want to dialogue after another weekend of mass demonstrations. Carrie Lam spoke and said she hopes Sunday's mostly non violent protests can lead to peace and a city rocked by unrest.
She also says there are no plans to revive the extradition bill, which triggered the protest in the first. But she said that before and demonstrators want the bill to be completely withdrawn. They also want her to resign and now it looks like she won't.
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VAUSE: CNN's Paula Hancocks is live this hour for us in Hong Kong.
And, the interesting thing about this from Carrie Lam is she says, let's talk, about having meetings but there is no indication that there will be an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality, a key demand, by the protesters.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's, right that's one of the most frequent chants you hear when you're at one of these mass protests. They want an independent inquiry into what they believe is police brutality, something Carrie Lam and police themselves deny.
What she did say that they have a fact finding study, by the IPCC, the Independent Police Complaints Council. They also say they will bring overseas observers and experts to help that. So there's an element of something that is not Hong Kong or China.
But saying they have had a number of complaints. She has extended the study as well, so it will last longer. It'll be more encompassing and more wide ranging but it is not the independent inquiry that the protests are calling.
She did say she is ready to talk, this was something fairly new but it was not very specific, it was vague, saying she is ready to talk to people about this. She did not say she's ready to talk to protesters and she did not say what this communication platform that she mentioned what entail. So we need more details about what that will entail.
VAUSE: Paula we, appreciate your update, Paula Hancocks for us in Hong Kong.
Boris Johnson has sent his Brexit wish list to Brussels, a month after becoming prime minister. So far, there is no reply, nada, nothing from the E.U. That's next.
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VAUSE: Tehran has warned the United States not to interfere with an Iranian oil tanker recently freed by British authorities. The ship is on the move after leaving, Gibraltar. Gibraltar and the United States made it clear that if the oil carrier is heading to Syria it will violate sanctions. It is unclear if Iran will release a British tanker which was seized last month.
In meetings this week with the French and German leaders, Boris Johnson is laying out his position on a new Brexit deal, he told the E.U. Council president that the current revisions at the border known as the backstop is anti-democratic --
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VAUSE: -- and says an alternative destination is needed. Here's CNN's Nina dos Santos.
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NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One day after an embarrassing leak of a confidential government memo highlighting the risks of a no deal Brexit, Boris Johnson was back on the road this time into southwest of England where he used the opportunity of talking to news crews to send a message to Brussels.
And that was namely, that his predecessor Theresa May's withdrawal deal was out of the window, it was time for a fresh approach otherwise the U.K. would be leaving either way on October the 31st.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm afraid it is very much up to our friends and I hope that they will compromise that they have seen that the U.K. parliament has three times rejected the withdrawal agreement, the backstop. It just doesn't work. It's not Democratic. I hope that they will see fit to compromise. But in the meantime, we get ready to come out on October 31st.
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DOS SANTOS: Well, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has wasted no time even though parliament is on reset on its summer holidays, he has been campaigning for a new general election, saying that this is the only way to get past the current Brexit impasse.
In the meantime, what he says he is proposing is a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson's tenure and he is encouraging members of other parties and rebels even from the conservative party to support him as a caretaker government before calling a snap election and then eventually a second referendum on Brexit.
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JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, LABOUR PARTY: After failing to negotiate a Brexit deal that would protect jobs and living standards, Boris Johnson's Tories are driving the country towards a no deal cliff edge.
Let's be very clear. We will do everything necessary to stop a disastrous no deal from which this government has no mandate.
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DOS SANTOS: Well, either way, a group of 100 members of Parliament from various different parties who are determined to try and stop a no deal Brexit have written to the speaker of the House of Commons urging him to recall members of parliament from their summer recess to try and find some way through the current Brexit impasse.
But there are less than 80 days to go before the U.K. does leave the E.U. and Number 10 in its current tenure has made it very clear that they are ready for a no deal Brexit -- Nina dos Santos, CNN, outside Downing Street.
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VAUSE: And we have Dominic Thomas from Berlin, welcome back, it has been a while.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: So apparently as it turns out, this potential hard border between the Republic Ireland and Northern Ireland, this will keep the U.K. in the E.U. customs union inconsistent with U.K. sovereignty and it could put the Good Friday agreement in jeopardy.
Who knew?
And Boris Johnson says the U.K. and the E.U. need alternative arrangements. He wrote I propose that the backstop should be replaced with a commitment to put in place such arrangements as far as possible before the end of the transition period as part of the future relationship.
What does that actually mean?
What is he saying there?
THOMAS: Oh, it is just absolutely remarkable, John, what he's actually realizing is that being at the helm, being prime minister and dealing with Brexit is a complicated issue, all of the mechanisms that they have previously proposed concerning new technology have been debunked and questioned.
Ultimately the choice is quite simple, you stay in the European Union or you'll remain in the customs union of a single market and the border issues resolved, like it would be with any other country that was outside of the European Union.
I think what this is really about is that Boris Johnson must absolutely bring back into the Conservative Party and ultimately he's pushing and attributing blame to the European Union and hope that they will ultimately help him get this deal over the line so that he can survive politically.
It's not in the interest of Europe and they are unlikely to go by helping him on anyway but I think ultimately what he would like to do is try to push the backstop issue, the insurance policy issue that protects Northern Ireland beyond the general election, when if anything, at that particular moment he may not even rely or need to rely on the DUP any longer. So you can see the strategizing and it's quite transparent.
VAUSE: But if they can't resolve this issue of a border on the island of Ireland, then it's hard Brexit city and a no deal exit and don't let the door hit you on the way out. But Prime Minister Jolly Hockey Sticks says it is all a small trifling detail to be worked out.
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BORIS JOHNSON, INCOMING U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Of course our friends and partners on the other side of the channel --
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JOHNSON: -- showing a little bit of reluctance at the moment to change their position, that's fine, I'm confident that they will.
But in the meantime we have to get ready for a no deal outcome. I want a deal, we are ready to get a deal but if you want a good deal for the U.K. you must get ready to come out without one.
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VAUSE: Here is what a little bit of reluctance sounds like.
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NATASHA BERTAUD, EUROPEAN COMMISSION SPOKESPERSON: President Juncker himself said in an interview a few weeks ago on the 10th of August and if it comes to a hard Brexit -- and this is in no one's interest -- it is the British that will unfortunately be the big losers. This is the situation.
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VAUSE: That doesn't sound like the invitation to the beginning of some friendly negotiations. THOMAS: No, it doesn't, so here he is heading to meet with Chancellor Merkel and Emmanuel Macron a few days ahead of when he will be gathered in Biarritz in France for the G7 with Donald Trump, so you see here very different positions on not just Brexit but the future of Europe.
And ultimately what Boris Johnson is doing is, like we say, trying to bring back into the fray the Brexit Party voters and to ultimately set up a general election that is really kind of a second referendum, the Conservative Party as the unambiguous defenders of Brexit, versus a rather divided opposition on this particular question.
And he's trying to exploit that while showing his commitment to this issue.
VAUSE: You know, over the weekend the "Sunday Times" had leaked details of Operation Yellow Hammer, which deals with the fallout of a no deal Brexit, ones of food, fuel and medicine shortages, a hard border on the island of Ireland, also severe disruptions at ports, why is this even making news?
All of this been known publicly for over a year.
THOMAS: Yes, it's extraordinary, John, and we talked about it in multiple occasions, lorries jammed coming into Dover coming into the French side and so on and so forth, I think ultimately when it gets down to the Brexiteers, they don't really care about these things.
It's never been about the pragmatics and the logistics, it's about delivering an emotional and Brexit that frees the U.K. up from the European Union and takes them off to this in new global era.
And this is really well the opposition in the guise of the Labour Party is part of the problem, not the solution, is the Labour Party has refused to commit to any kind of real opposition to this issue.
Yes, now Jeremy Corbyn is repackaging this as a let's leave the European Union or oppose the no deal. But all along he has been unable to position himself as merely the party and of the opposition of Remain.
In terms of that, it's quite clear that the Liberal Democrats are capturing their intention right now. And so he also is trying to shift the debate but it's not working. You ultimately will end up with the general election around the question of either Remain or Leave and will have to see what the outcome of that is.
VAUSE: You know if 2019 sounds a lot like 2018, then really, you're right, it's like back in the early days. If there was a major someone who is out for something, there would be an announcement, "playing the role of," you know, it sees playing the role of British prime minister would be Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson.
And the problem is he does not have any new solutions to what Theresa May had. She had no idea, there are no solutions for any of these problems. It seems that Boris Johnson is in the same position. THOMAS: Yes, and it's ultimately a divided opposition where the Liberal Democrats are getting some of the votes away from Labour but they are hardly a party that can win an overall general election. The Labour Party is in disarray, Jeremy Corbyn will not survive an electoral defeat.
The Conservative Party are building on this. But you're absolutely right, when Boris Johnson took over, nothing changed. Theresa May warned about this but they are nevertheless in control of this particular situation.
And unless the extension is granted or the withdrawal agreement works its way through Parliament or they find a way to revoke Article 50, then the clock is ticking and yet again we will find ourselves in October, wondering where we will end up with this.
And the European Union has a lot to lose by engaging in the kind of compromises that Boris Johnson expects in order to get his deal through. And I think that is the compromise, it's not in the E.U.'s interest to help Boris Johnson deliver a hard Brexit.
VAUSE: We are out a time but it's also this whole thing like with Donald Trump in the United States, living in this fantasy land of what he believes a reality, Boris Johnson seems to be in a similar place with Brexit and where it will end up. It seems to be a common thread for these parties at the moment.
As always, Dominic, thanks for being with us.
THOMAS: Brilliant, thanks, John.
VAUSE: We will take a short break. When we come back, from presidential palace to the courtroom cage, Sudan former strongman faces corruption charges. Prosecutors have revealed where all the money came from.
And also, she was the victim of the crime held in the jail for almost three years. But after international attention she has been cleared, what landed her in jail and the reaction to her release. That's coming up.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everybody. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause with an update on our top news this hour. U.S. President Donald Trump deflecting warnings of a recession with a tweet, saying the economy is very strong, said that's despite what he called the horrendous lack of vision by Fed Chair Jay Powell. He also takes Democrats who are trying to "will" the economy to be bad.
Hong Kong's chief executive says she hopes a largely nonviolent protest over the weekend can help restore peace. Carrie Lam called for dialogue hours ago. The city is being rough by months of demonstrations with a list of demands, including the withdrawal of extradition bill as well as Lam's resignation. Boris Johnson is reaping into the Irish backstop calling it anti- democratic. The British prime minister says the current provision for the Northern Ireland border must go. Among his Brexit demand in a letter to the E.U. had a meeting this week with the leaders of Germany and France.
It was stunning sign in Sudan that many never expected to see. The country's former ironfisted president or dictator, Omar al-Bashir, sitting in a court case dressed in white, facing corruption related charges.
CNN has learned about a failed jailbreak ahead of al-Bashir's first day in court. Loyalists say the 75-year-old try to free him back in June, according to the statements which is seen by CNN. We got details out from Nima Elbagir.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPNDENT: It was a day of extraordinary symbolism, a day many Sudanese believed would never come. A day in which their former leaders stood in court and simply answered Omar Hassan al-Bashir when asked his name and when asked his current residence, Kobar prison, one of the country's most notorious prison where the former president had sentenced many of his former political opponents.
It was also a day of startling revelation including the revelation that tens of millions of dollars in hard currency had been found in many of al-Bashir's palaces. The defense told CNN that this was simply a gift from the heir to the Saudi throne, among others, Mohammed bin Salman, a gift that could not have been turned down. They say without causing a diplomatic incident and so, they tell us, the president chose to hold on to these gifts, and distribute them among the poor.
[00:35:04] The court also heard that a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family also gave Omar al-Bashir a so-called gift. The defense says that they have witnesses to all of these gifts and that these witnesses will be brought in front of the court in due time. For many Sudanese, this has been an extraordinary few days. The weekend saw a deal between those of the military apparatus that helped al-Bashir rule the country, and civilian protesters to bring about a new government and a new era.
But if this was big on symbolism, Sudanese are waiting to see if it will actually matter on the ground. There are still three years and three months of a proposed transition period to go before they will be allowed to experience free and fair elections, and for many Sudanese, they say that can't come soon enough. Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: In El Salvador, a young rape victim who was accused of inducing an abortion and sentenced to 30 years has been acquitted on all charges. A judge ruled that Evelyn Hernandez was innocent after a retrial which finished on Monday. According to her lawyer, the judge said there was not enough evidence for a conviction. It's a case which has drawn international attention to El Salvador's stringent abortion laws. Hernandez, who was sent 33 months in prison before the acquittal, thanked the crowds outside the court room.
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EVELYN HERNANDEZ, RAPE VICTIM ACQUITTED OF CHARGES (through translation): Thank you for being here and thank God justice prevailed. I also give thanks to all of you that have been there for me, and I also give thanks to all of the international and national countries. I also think my mother for always supporting me in everything. I know it has been hard to be in there, knowing how they judge me for something I was innocent for. I ask that there are a lot of other girls in the jail, for them to also be able to leave.
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VAUSE: Well, staying in five years for the New York police officer accused of fatally choking an African-American man way back in 2014 has now been dismissed.
Official say, Daniel Pantaleo will not be entitled to pension. He was found guilty in a disciplinary trial earlier this month. Pantaleo put Eric Garner in a chokehold while trying to arrest him for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. Garner's last words, you may recall this, I can't breathe. And that became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.
We'll take a short break, when we come back, it is been a haven for marine life, but the Sargasso Sea is first becoming an ocean garbage dump. We'll dive into the dirty deep blue in a moment.
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VAUSE: The Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean is fast becoming a new plastic death trap as microplastics mixed with algae that provide death from marine life. CNN's Arwa Damon traveled to this area, which a Greenpeace study flagged as a microplastic hotspot.
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[00:40:12] ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It is humbling to be out in the deep blue, hundreds of miles from land. We're in the Sargasso Sea named after, named after Sargassum, a free-floating seaweed dumped the Atlantic golden rain force. Under the cloud light mats, there's an unexpected array of biodiversity. But along with out awe is also the shocking realization of what we are doing to it.
DAMON (on camera): In one little chunk. Look at all that.
DAMON (voice-over): There are also tinier pieces hard to see but everywhere. DAMON (on camera): You find little pieces like this throughout. I have to say I was quite struck by the pieces that you actually can see and how much of it is located down there.
DAMON (voice-over): Each time we got into the water we found countless plastic pieces, all different shapes and sizes. Most plastic is not dumped directly into the ocean much of what you see has been discarded on land, traveling thousands of miles and breaking up along the way. The Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic is world's only body of water without shores. It's defined by the current of the North Atlantic drier, currents that also carry with them our plastic felts making it one of five ocean garbage patches.
DAMON (on camera): I think this is someone to do first (inaudible). Wow, there's big plastic in that box. Alex.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got it.
DAMON (voice-over): Alexandra Giolic (ph), a marine constant, our marine biologist.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh these are bit marks like animals taking bites.
DAMON (on camera): Really? Out of the plastic?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, you can tell these are fish because they are little half circles.
DAMON (voice-over): The Sargassum provides a habitat for baby turtles and fish, shrimp plus hundreds of other marine organisms. In the oceans, degrading plastic becomes even more poisonous, as it blinds with other man-made chemical pollutants. All that toxicity ends up in the digestive system of marine life, and travels up the food chain, all the way to our dinner plates.
On board the Esperanza, a man patrol collects water samples, part of a Greenpeace study into microplastics in this remote body of water and its broader campaign for a global ocean's treaty.
DAMON (on camera): You can see quite a bit of plastic already, those ones in here. This has been fairly common and most of the samples that are coming out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. And most of the samples that we have been sampling why there was Sargassum in the sample we have seen a lot of plastics because they get entangled in the Sargassum.
DAMON (voice-over): The initial results of the study are alarming. And its samples Greenpeace found similar or greater concentrations of microplastics to what they found in the notorious great pacific garbage patch last year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to change our consumption or patterns, the way we'll ruin the planet, the way we do things.
DAMON (on camera): You have a son?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
DAMON: When you see the way things are now, are you worried about this nature?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, I am. A lot, because I think what-- with these up with climate change, what that will live in them, it's insane.
DAMON (voice-over): Being out this far from land you can't help with be struck by how interconnected our world is and how destructive we are being to marine ecosystems and with that, also to ourselves. Arwa Damon, CNN, in the Sargasso Sea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN Newsroom. I'm John Vause, please stay with us. World Sport is up next. You're watching CNN.
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[00:45:42] KATE RILEY, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, welcome to World Sport. I'm Kate Riley at CNN Center. Well, two weeks into the New English Premier League season and there are now only two teams left with 100 percent records. You can probably guess one of them. Yup, that's Liverpool and the other is Arsenal. And that's right, play each other next weekend.
Well, there was one Monday night fixture in the EPL Manchester United, had a chance to make it two wins out of two, but they will be ruling a missed a penalty against Wolves. United started well, they got in front in the first half. The very well worked team goal. It was finished by Anthony Martial that would be his 50th goal for the club, Wolves got back into the game.
After the break, though, it was an absolutely star of a goal on the night. All thanks to the push keys international Ruben Neves terrific control, what a strike there. Was get enough for a point in the end because when the United had the chance to win it Paul Pogba blew it. Good save, though. And for the status out there, Pogba has now missed four penalties in the league since the start of last season. So they might want to be rethinking that one.
This season saw more technology being introduced to the EPL and to be fair, fans have indeed been calling out for something to stop all the bash calls that were supposedly ruining the beautiful game, but one of the supporters thinking now two games in.
The tech is called VAR, Video Assisted Referee, however we're now seeing a change of heart as football fans are crying foul because it's ruining the game in their eyes. And defense of the technology it's getting these calls right, but the calls are so marginal, sometimes just a matter of millimeters. One has to wonder is it really all worth it? Well, it's hard to throw yourself into a goal of celebration now because it might be called off in a couple of minutes later. And, if it is allowed to stand, while the excitement has gone, the moment has passed. Supporters at Manchester City can tell you all about that. Last season, they thought they won the Champions League quarter-finals against Spurs only for Raheem Sterling's dramatic injury time goal to be scrubbed from the record books for offside. Spurs went on to play in the final.
And then on Saturday same thing happened again, Gabriel Jesus scored what they all thought was an injury time winner in the EPL. Again, against Spurs, but VAR came in to spoil all the fun. The goal was disallowed because Aymeric Laporte had handled the ball to set up the goal. It had barely touched him but by the letter of this brand new law, there was contact, so no goal game drawn.
All right, well there you can see the two managers from the touchline discussing the way in which their world is changing right before the very eyes.
VAR it new in the Premier League this season, and after just two games, it's the big talker. When you introduced it to the Champion League last season their head of referees try to argue that it would not kill the drama of the game. It would just create new drama.
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ROBERTO ROSETTI, UEFA CHIEF REFEREEING OFFICER: I think that with the VAR there's always emotion, maybe in some situations there is a double emotion. So, VAR cannot kill football, absolutely, cannot kill emotion.
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RILEY: Well, if you're not a fan, we're certainly sorry about that one. Lukas Brud is the secretary of the International Football Association Board. And he said, the VAR concept is still at the beginning. We talked to other sports and everyone told us this is a 10-year project until people really understand how it works.
In other football news, the German champions Bayern Munich will be hoping the arrival of the midfielder Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona will help their cause. It's been confirmed the Brazilian has joined Bayern on a loan from the season, for loan fee of nearly $9.5 million. There's also an option of making it a permanent move for a fee of $133 million.
It brings to an end a relatively disappointing spell in Spain for the 27-year-old. He joined last year with such fanfare at the 30 most expensive transfer in history but failed to live up to the hype.
A familiar name to most of you, Maurizio Sarri is in the news over his health. The Juventus says now being treated for pneumonia. The former Chelsea man spent Monday morning at his new club, although he missed a friendly at the weekend because he originally thought it was just flu. Well, the Syria season start this weekend coming Juventus are away to Parma for that opening fixture. It is not known whether or not Sarri will be well enough to be there.
[00:50:26] So much happened during the Ashes match at Lord's over the weekend as England and Australia battled through a draw and the second test. And if you did you will know that it was a jolly hard to watch out time. The bowling was Jofra Archer, as we all see batsman Steve Smith can tell you all about he was struck in the neck by a ball traveling over 92 miles per hour, suffering delayed concussion.
If you don't play the game, it may seem strange that something so potentially dangerous could be within the rules, but it is a legitimate tactic. It's thought to be a good way to unsettle your opponent, and in Jofra Archer, England have found someone who was very good at that. He has had an incredible year. He only started playing for England this season. But he wasn't included in their provisional score for the World Cup. That soon changed, though, and he was instrumental in helping England win the cup for the very first time.
It wasn't until the weekend's match north that his true potential seemed to be realized. He had been described as a once in a generation type of boulder, consistently fast move, very accurate. England fans now have renewed optimism for the rest of the series, and his captain is excited as well.
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JOE ROOT, ENGLAND CAPTAIN: He makes things happen when not many others in world cricket can, with such a unique action and way of bowling and obviously natural pace. He's always going to be in the game on any surface, so when you've got that and the skill of the other guys around it, it makes very tasty combination and I think that's one of the reasons why we felt we're always in the game tonight. And always felt we could get a result right to the end there. So he's obviously worked very hard, a big work like this weekend to make sure he does everything right to be a 100% read to go heartily.
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RILEY: Well, that's celebration in Brazil. It's a match that was one in some serious style but also which grabbed the headlines for some other reasons to.
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RILEY: Welcome back. He's one of the biggest names in Major League Soccer this season and former England international and the all-time record of goalscorer for his country Wayne Rooney is been making headlines once again. And this is the scene in Derby at the weekend where he's due to join them as a player coach of the championship club come January.
[00:55:04] However, it sounds as though he has came to join them as soon as possible. Rooney has made a major impact in Major League Soccer leading D.C. United to the playoff season. However, on Sunday he was seen and heard swearing at the fourth official as United loss in Vancouver. And then he doubled down on his frustration with a rather tone deaf tweet, writing, "Gutted about the result last night. We deserved more. Looking forward to a 12 hour travel day which could have been done 6 but hey this is MLS. We will get ready for red bulls Wednesday. #charterflights #mls."
Well, Major League Soccer tries very hard to enforce parity amongst the teams, so much so that each club can only charter flights four flights per season, and a season which could stretch to 40 games. It means most of the time they are indeed flying commercial with you and me. Well, when Rooney arrived in D.C. last summer, it was made clear from the start that he wanted to be one of the last. He didn't want any special treatment. Perhaps now he feels role differently. The club did, however, tells CNN earlier the flight home only took seven and a half hours.
All right, many congratulations to the Corinthians Women's team in Brazil, who won 27 games now in all competitions. They say that winning is a habit, but this is some kind of streak. It is one of the historic. They've matched the run set by the New Saints in Welsh back in 2016, and can set a new record on Wednesday if they beat Sao Jose and when number 27 came with a four nil thrashing on Sunday. They scored a total of 95 goals in their street, conceding only eight.
Corinthians is giving way free tickets for the next game. They want a really big crowd to hopefully witness history. Yeah, 27 wins is really quite an achievement. One team, which would likely stop that street here, the two were to me would be Lyon, the four-time defending women's champion league winners and now the International Champion Cup holders as well. Lyon beat the North Carolina Courage with a brilliant goal from a German star, Dzsenifer Marozsan.
Well, before we go the U.S. open tennis tournament is almost upon us. We're going to leave you with a roundup, the weekend's hard-court action in Cincinnati.
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