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World Leaders Convene for G7; Trump: Johnson is Right Man to Deliver Brexit, Wants Russia at 2020 G7; Moscow Announces Submarine Missile Tests; Hong Kong Demonstrators Hold Different Rallies One Day after Unrest; NRA Upheaval; Brazil's President Sends Military to Fight Amazon Fires; Joe Biden Campaigns in New Hampshire; Audio Glitch Makes Bill de Blasio Sound Like Chipmunk. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired August 25, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The U.S. president in France at the G7 meeting with Britain's Boris Johnson and others though different takes on the U.S. trade wars with Johnson. CNN is live in France with the very latest for you.
Plus lightning strikes a tree at the PGA tournament injuring a group of people who were getting shelter from the storm under that tree.
Also at this hour, Hong Kong's dangerous deadlock. Pro-democracy protesters spent another weekend demonstrating in the streets and pro- police protesters doing the same.
Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. We welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts now.
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HOWELL: It's 4:00 am here on the U.S. East Coast and we start with the G7 summit in southern France. That's where official meetings are now getting underway. This the U.S. president just a short time ago. The leaders there will discuss many issues over the coming hours, including global trade and international security.
President Trump has also called for a session specifically to talk about the U.S. economy. Earlier the leaders of the U.S. and the U.K. spoke at the summit. This their first face to face meeting as Boris Johnson took the helm as the prime minister and Brexit looms large.
President Trump called the British leader the right man to lead the U.K. out of the European Union.
Mr. Trump also denied he was being pressured by other G7 leaders to back off his escalating trade war with China. Despite growing concern, it could lead to a global recession.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) QUESTION: Mr. President, are your allies pressuring you to give up the trade war with China?
TRUMP: No. Not at all. I haven't heard that at all, no. I think they respect the trade war. It has to happen. China has been -- I can only speak for the United States. I can't say what they've been doing to the U.K. and to other places. But from the standpoint of the United States, what they've done is outrageous that Presidents and administrations allowed them to get away with taking hundreds of billions of dollars out every year, putting it into China. So, the answer is, nobody has told me that and nobody would tell me that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Let's go live to the summit where our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live.
Nic, President Trump met with his British counterpart. Tell us more about the nature of the discussions.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Very interesting interchange, of course. Johnson got what he wanted, validation from Trump, saying he was the best person to lead Brexit and Theresa May held the country back in the past from leading the European Union. This is what he wanted.
He also got what President Trump was talking about was the possibility of a future trade deal with the United States but it was sort of interesting to see how Boris Johnson interacted with the U.S. president.
And that clip you just played of President Trump saying no one questioned him so far about the escalating trade war with China, Boris Johnson interjected at that point, saying, except to register a faint sheeplike note that we don't want an escalating trade war. We'd rather have peace.
So Johnson, sort of, in a way, trying to point, also validate the president, saying the president has done a good job on the U.S. economy. And some of these seeming to contradict the U.S. president on the economy, saying Britain had done very well under the last few hundred years.
The president saying what about the last three years?
You couldn't see that, although President Trump likes Boris Johnson and said this was the meeting he was looking forward to this weekend, perhaps Boris Johnson may end up recalibrating how he handles the U.S. president. This is what they both had to say on the issue of trade.
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TRUMP: Our country is doing really well. We have horrible trade deals and I'm straightening them out. The biggest one, by far, is China. BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Yes. Look, I just want to say I congratulate the president on everything that the American economy is achieving. It's fantastic to see that.
But just to register the faint, sheep-like note of our view on the trade war, we're in favor of trade peace on the whole and dialing it down if we can.
QUESTION: Are you in favor of trade peace with China?
JOHNSON: Well, we think that --
[04:05:00]
JOHNSON: -- on the whole, we're -- the U.K. has profited massively in the last 200 years from free trade and that's what we want to see. And so we're keen to see -- we don't like tariffs on the whole.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Yes, but on the whole there. Johnson will be able to walk away from that feeling at least for him right now in the U.K. with a possibility of a general election coming up wanting to show the European Union that he has a good strong relationship with President Trump and the United States.
He will have gotten what he wanted out of that. President Trump though doesn't like criticism and is concerned he is being isolated by other leaders at the G7. So let's watch this relationship closely, I think.
HOWELL: And Nic, as well as speaking about trade issues and the economy as we're seeing here, much of the discussion was around climate issues and things of that nature.
ROBERTSON: Climate is going to come up. That's part of one of the important topics that Macron wants to see discussed, that President Trump feels is something that isolates him. Macron also wanting to discuss inequalities, social, economic but in particular gender inequalities.
And this is an issue that President Trump said to his aides that he feels is a distraction and not a central part of what a G7 is or is important to him, which is the economy and President Trump we understand wants to have the opportunity to speak about how well he is handling the U.S. economy and then any trade war with China is temporary pain for a long-term gain.
But on that issue of climate change, that will be one of the principle reasons that it would seem that president Macron said there's not going to be a joint communique because it's been a stumbling block that everybody can agree with, because President Trump objects to strong language about climate change.
So it doesn't seem that president Macron will get what he wants other than to have the issue on the table and have it discussed. But probably it's not going to move what the world should do together on the climate issue, it's not going to move that forward.
HOWELL: Nic Robertson live for us. Thank you very much.
Let's put it in perspective with Scott Lucas, joining us this hour from Birmingham England, thank you.
Boris Johnson in his new role, his thoughts on trade are a little different than the U.S. president though they seemed to make good there at the table. Johnson desperately needs the U.S. president's support in the United States.
Who has more leverage in that relationship?
LUCAS: The U.S. first of all because the trade deal is mythical. You cannot get a trade deal even under the best of circumstances within 2- 4 years. So the idea that there's quickly going to be a U.S.-U.K. trade deal after a British crashout is not going to happen.
Johnson has to maintain the illusion. The problem is he makes it look like he's in the Americans' pocket. Only a couple of weeks ago, the national security adviser John Bolton said, you want the deal, you need to support us on Iran and you need to support us on measures against China, including Huawei.
You need to back off issues like climate change.
So Johnson yesterday -- this was the interesting thing -- he tried to put a bit of distance between himself and Trump, saying maybe Donald Trump's trade wars aren't a good thing. Trump may take offense at that and let's see what happens later on.
Does Trump give full support to Johnson?
Or does he have a little bit of a dig against him on Twitter?
HOWELL: In the meeting he has also indicated he would like to invite Russia to next year's G7, keeping in mind in the backdrop of all of this is the rising tensions of a possible arms race between Russia and the U.S.
What's your read on why Mr. Trump's approach on Russia continues to be what we have seen before?
LUCAS: He likes Vladimir Putin. It's whether or not it's because of Russia's election or Putin as the strong, tough leader, the fact is that often, in contradiction to U.S. agencies, Trump wants to bring Russia in, including into the G8.
The risk of that is that he's exemplifying that the G7 is no longer the G7 but the G6+1. Because European leaders, the Canadians and --
[04:10:00]
LUCAS: -- possibly Japan will not support bringing Russia back in, given Crimea and Ukraine and aggressive Russian foreign policy and cyber warfare. How far does Trump push this against the other members of the G7 but
the State Department, the CIA and his own military?
HOWELL: The president's aides were angry that the summit focused so highly on issues like climate change. They say without touching on economic issues that's why we see the president getting what he wants here this time, to speak about the U.S. economy.
What is your take on why it's so important for President Trump at a time when the world is concerned about a possible global recession to talk about U.S. economy issues?
LUCAS: It's not just reportedly. Administration officials yesterday were trashing the French because the French were daring to say let's talk about climate change. Let's talk about trade wars. Let's talk about health and gender issues rather than what the administration wants, which was a special session where Donald Trump could tell everybody how wonderful his supposed leadership of the U.S. economy has been.
Why do they want that?
In the past two weeks, there's been signals of a U.S. economic downtown, including a possible recession in 2020. The bond market's inverted yield curve, consumer confidence at the lowest point since January. The stock market with the most serious loss in 2019. And economic indicators of the lowest point since 2016.
So if they can get a boost this weekend. All is well, no problems. By the way, we're running for election in 2020. Maybe that would give them a bit of a boost, despite the bad news. The problem is, France isn't playing along.
HOWELL: There is a lot of talk coming from the administration, saying nothing to see here but at the same time, the numbers are saying other things and the people that follow those numbers will watch and wait to see how it plays out. Scott Lucas, live for us, thank you.
LUCAS: Thank you.
HOWELL: Now to tell you about a new round of Israeli airstrikes striking the Syrian capital on Saturday. Israel's military said they targeted Shia militia and Iranian forces near Damascus. They reportedly targeted what Israel calls "killer drones."
Sam Kiley is live in Jerusalem.
And what has been the reaction from Syria given this action taken by Israel?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So far, neither of them have reacted, at least publicly. These strikes occurred 11 pm local time last night but Syrian local news there reported them alive as they went in. They were claiming they downed some of the missiles. We heard that before without any particular evidence. And unusually too the Israelis were quick to acknowledge they had indeed conducted this operation and singled out the Quds Force of Iran as well as Shiite militia as being the main target, saying these "killer drones" -- that's their term for what they say are an unseen form of weapon in terms of its use against Israel by Iran or Iranian backed militias such as Hezbollah were attacked.
And the IDF spokesperson we talked to last night said it happened in real time; in other words there was a clear and present danger, even though the Israelis have been monitoring this, what they said was an aggressive operation ordered directly against Tehran from Israeli targets in the north of Israel for a period prior to the airstrikes.
This represents something of an escalation. There's also something of a political bounce for the fortunes of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in the middle of a political campaign to hold onto his job in elections on September 17th.
It also comes against the backdrop of hints from Israel, that they might have been behind previous airstrikes against Iranian-backed targets inside Iraq. Last night Netanyahu repeated his statement that Iranian forces that threatened Israel anywhere in the world could not feel safe.
The last time he said that was in response to a question from Israeli journalists as to whether or not Israel had been behind attacks earlier on in Iraq. So we have this steadily increasing, more focused targeting on specifically Iranian targets perceived to be a threat against Israel, George.
HOWELL: This is one to watch for sure. Sam, thank you for the reporting.
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HOWELL: The Russian navy is flexing its military muscle and it wants the world to know about it. Officials say two submarines test fired ballistic missiles on Saturday. The Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea, Moscow reports the tests were a success but about two weeks ago it was a different story.
That's when five nuclear specialists were killed in a blast. There's been speculation that they were working on a nuclear powered missile design.
Kim Jong-un oversaw the test-firing of a newly developed weapon on Saturday. They are calling it a super large multiple rocket launcher and released these images of the dictator himself supervising the test.
Pyongyang also suggested it will continue to develop more tactical weapons to fend off, quote, "hostile forces." In the meantime the U.S. says it was Pyongyang's latest short range missile launch in recent weeks.
Another day of protests in Hong Kong; this time, both sides are hitting the streets and CNN is live, covering both sides when we come back for you. Also right here in Atlanta, several people injured after that, lightning striking a tree at a major golfing event. Wow.
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HOWELL: In Hong Kong, two different events underway at this hour. Protesters who continue to demand more democratic liberty. On the other side, police family members that want more respect shown to the force.
These rallies come one day after clashes broke out between authorities and democracy protesters. Let's turn to our correspondents covering these events, Kristie Lu Stout outside a pro-police rally.
Of course we see people there behind you.
What's the tone, what's the message?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: George, we have been following this rally that's turned into a march, comprising family members of the Hong Kong police. They are not here to defend the tactics of the Hong Kong police.
If you can just distill the message into two parts, they want to return the police to represent the people of Hong Kong and they want political stability. A political solution after 12 weeks of turmoil here.
Basically, these family members are saying enough is enough. They have a list of demands that they've put into a petition. Among those demands, minimize conflict with protesters. They want an independent inquiry and a political solution to 12 weeks of nonstop political clashes between police and protesters.
As we saw again yesterday where tear gas was deployed on a group of violent protesters there. They have delivered the petition to the office of the embattled chief executive Carrie Lam. They're also attempting to deliver an additional petition to the Hong Kong police at police headquarters.
Even though these are family members of the police, they're not taking sides and they just want to see a return to stability and a return to peace.
We heard from certain family members of police officers that stepped forward, sharing their stories. One woman wanted police officers to remember why they joined the police force to begin with. She also added that she wants to see the end of the police being treated as an enemy of the people.
They want, as the slogan said, the police to be returned to the people of Hong Kong. Back to you.
HOWELL: The message that you're sharing is in line what we heard from the chief executive, that says simply, everyone is tired at this point.
STOUT: That's right but the ball is in their court to come up with a political solution. On Monday, she held the press conference to talk to certain stakeholders. It's difficult to see how that's going to work.
There is a feeling of the establishment, whether they're the political establishment or business establishment, they want two of the five demands of the protest, to fully withdraw the extradition bill that started off the protest so many months ago in June.
HOWELL: Kristie, thank you. Let's bring in Andrew Stevens.
Andrew, if you could tell us about what's happening behind you, the crowd size and the sentiment and feeling of the people continuing now for the 12th straight weekend.
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: That's right, George. I think just a sheer testament to the commitment of these demonstrators is it is a miserable day here in Hong Kong. The rain has continued all day. Yet this is what I would estimate now to be tens of thousands of protesters, that they're making their way down from a gathering point, probably 20 or 30 minutes away, on their way to a park where they plan to stay and continue to push their demands for democracy.
It's another Sunday, another very big rally in adverse conditions and the commitment is still very, very clear. There's families here and small children, walking with the protesters. Of course there's young people here. Again, there's many people from all walks of Hong Kong society we have been talking to here.
And they're telling us to offer their support and getting the government to listen to them.
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STEVENS: They continue to say the government does not start listening to them. What I will say is we have seen some of these fences which are basically pedestrian rallies on the road here, being ripped up by the protesters. They're tying them into triangles which they would like to use as barricades against the police.
This is one of those circumstances that tends to build to confrontation. Barriers are set up. If it's anything like yesterday the barriers are set up. A lot of the more violent parts of the protesters start goading the police and provoking the police. And police respond with tear gas. But at this stage, it's very, very peaceful, very determined. HOWELL: Andrew Stevens live for us and Kristie Lu Stout, we appreciate the reporting from you both and we'll keep in touch and monitor events there in Hong Kong. Around the world and the United States, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM live.
And still ahead there's a chilling sign of the times. A U.S. high school renovated to defend against mass shootings. We'll have details on the multimillion dollar project that's taking place.
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HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. I'm George Howell with the headlines at this hour.
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HOWELL: An 8-year-old girl has become one of the latest victims of gun violence here in the United States. This young girl was shot and killed on Friday at a high school event in St. Louis, Missouri.
Authorities say they were clearing crowds in the area when that shooting happened. Three other people were injured and, a few hours later, another alarming scene in the same city. The video here captures hundreds of people frantically running from another high school event, where there reports of shots fired.
In the United States, active shooter drills and bulletproof backpacks are becoming more and more common. And one school renovated its entire campus to make it harder for potential shooters to carry out attacks.
This is the very school that our senior producer attended many years ago. That's how close to home these things are here in the United States. So here's Terry's school. Take a look at that. It now has security features, such as hidden corners for students to hide in.
The architect behind the plan usually designs prisons and he says wanted to strike a balance between security and a welcoming presence. Jacob Barrett from affiliate WWNT has a look at reaction from the community.
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JACOB BARRETT, WWNT CORRESPONDENT: Thad Green's (ph) two children have goals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes it's a nurse, sometimes it's the police officer. It depends on the day. BARRETT (voice-over): But when Hannah and Ethan Green (ph) get to high school in a few years, their mom is happy to know they'll be at a state of the art school when it comes to safety.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're doing everything they can to protect students, the staff, everybody in the district.
BARRETT (voice-over): The new high school will feature curved hallways to reduce long sightlines and impact resistant film on all windows. it will have winged entranceways and hallways and all the doors within the entire school district will be able to be locked with one push of the button.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These safety measures, it's sad they have to do it but I'm thankful they are doing it because I have two kids there and it's exciting to see what they're doing with the high school.
BARRETT (voice-over): The superintendent says he has received criticism for openly revealing the school's security measures designed to impede an active shooter. But he told me today he wants parents to understand the great lengths the district has gone to keeping staff and students safe and secure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's exciting to know they're thinking ahead.
BARRETT (voice-over): So parents like Green (ph) won't have to fear the unimaginable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess I try not to think about it too much. So I know there's always that possibility.
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HOWELL: Schools designed with prisons in mind. That's the state of things. That was Jacob Barrett from affiliate WWNT.
The renovations at the school expected to be done in 2021.
The National Rifle Association has a lot of influence in Washington. However, a recent upheaval at the gun rights organization may change that. Tom Foreman has a look at the turmoil at the NRA.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are done with your agenda to undermine voters' will and individual liberty in America.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The NRA channel is gone. So is a top NRA lawyer, fired with two more attorneys tied to the group resigning. The nonprofit second-in-command is out. And the raging turmoil of this summer may not be over as chief executive Wayne LaPierre appears to be conducting a purge of all opponents within his group.
WAYNE LAPIERRE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: The Second Amendment is not the government. It's your individual right and that's what it's all about.
FOREMAN (voice-over): The "New York Times" says the fight truly is about lawyers, guns and money. Earlier this year, NRA president Oliver North fired a heavy salvo at LaPierre laced with accusations of lavish spending on clothing, foreign travel, makeup and hair services for his wife, legal fees.
And the "Wall Street Journal" says a plan was even floated for the group to buy him a $6 million mansion. The NRA says the expenses were all valid and the house deal fell apart.
[04:35:00]
FOREMAN (voice-over): But LaPierre accused North of cashing in on an NRA deal with an advertising agency and North was pushed out. There have been denials all around, lawsuits and inquiry in New York into the group's tax- exempt status and plenty of unpleasant headlines.
STEVE HILTON, FOX NEWS HOST: For years, Wayne LaPierre has taken NRA members' money to live the life of a king. Wayne LaPierre is an odious little grifter and it's time for him to go.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But even as some high-profile mass shootings have spurred gun control advocates, LaPierre has rallied his base of support. When President Trump started talking about more extensive background checks for gun purchases, LaPierre called him and the message changed.
TRUMP: It's not the gun that pulls the trigger. It's the person that pulls the trigger.
FOREMAN (voice-over): LaPierre, in office for almost three decades, knows the truth of the group's finances better than, perhaps, anyone, whatever that may be. He also has deep ties to the 76-member board of directors, even as six had resigned amid the controversy.
MICHAEL WARREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When all of these problems sort of spilled out into the open, Wayne LaPierre was in a position to protect himself. Anybody that got in his way is now gone.
FOREMAN: The NRA is characterizing much of this as a malicious smear campaign aimed at the group and its leaders, saying Wayne LaPierre chose the difficult but principled path while others opted for the back alleys of, quote, greed, lies and betrayal -- Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Tom, thank you.
Here in Atlanta, six people were injured at the PGA tour championship, which is one of pro golf's premier events. Take a look at what happened here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOWELL (voice-over): Wow. Lightning struck this tree and people were underneath that tree seeking shelter. The video captures one of at least two lightning strikes at the event. Patrick Snell has the story.
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PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Saturday proving to be a day of huge concern for tournament organizers and spectators out on the court here after a total of six people were injured after a lightning strike hit a tree close to the 16th hole here.
Initial reports indicating that the injuries are not appearing to be life-threatening. This after organizers decided to suspend play for the second consecutive day due to the weather.
But after what transpired it would be a decision taken to actually stop play for the entire day. And now the golfers will return to finish off their third round at 8:00 on Sunday morning with spectators back on the course from 7:00 am Sunday morning.
2019 has been a highly significant year for golf events. The U.S. Women's Open hit a tree there, going global as well. But all the attention this weekend on Atlanta. Play scheduled to resume 8:00 am Sunday morning -- Patrick Snell, CNN, Atlanta.
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HOWELL: Fires continue to rage in the Amazon rain forest and Brazil has now called in the military to help out.
But is that just too little too late?
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HOWELL: Fires continue to burn in the Amazon rain forest and help may be on the way. Brazil's president says he's sending in more than 43,000 troops to help fight these fires. He blames the fires, the worst since 2013, on warmer weather.
His critics though say that he is at least partly to blame by calling for the Amazon to be developed, leading to farmers to set fires in order to clear land. Now world leaders want to put those fires on the G7 agenda. Our Nick Paton Walsh has this story from inside Brazil.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The view now, this tributary of the Amazon should be clear. But the smoke from the fires have masked much of it all day. You can smell it the air here, in Porto Velho, it's a town that knows fully well the disaster unfolding further down the highway that drives into the heart of the Amazon.
We drove down that ourselves and remarkably police said to us that actually the fire surge at night because they're started then deliberately by those who seek to get rid of the forest canopy and use the land, the deforested land, for agriculture.
Remarkable that it seems, according to police, many of the fires they come across are in fact started deliberately. Some say that president Jair Bolsonaro has essentially provided a climate where that is permissible, thinking they can get away with it. He said the Amazon is a resource that should be used by the people to
enrich them, and even echoed that in a speech on Friday, when he addressed international criticism of his stance on the Amazon. He appeared to accept the scale of the problem with the fires but still tried to suggest they were still part of the annual dry season's burn here.
But we are seeing the military, as he promised, begin to show up here, 43,000 are supposed to be heading to the Amazon in general. We saw one of the cargo planes landing in the few hours just earlier here, probably part of that broader effort.
But it is a mammoth job, here, there is no doubt of the science that is now 85 percent more fires burned than there were last year, an area every minute equivalent to 1.5 football pitches is being deforested.
And in the statewide man rundown of states (ph), there are the most number of fires. There is an enormous task here and the Brazilian army have experience in this but possibly not the logistical capability to deal with it fast. Many hoping for heavy rains during the week. They may get some lighter ones, starting Tuesday.
Will that curb the effort or curb the spread of the fire?
Unclear and the broader question, too, now internationally, where does Brazil stand?
France says it's lying; the U.K. is clear, more must be done to save the rain forest here. The E.U. says maybe trade deals should be put on hold until the fire is under control. A lot of pressure on Brazil but really, this is a global challenge, the lungs of the Earth, at stake -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, in Porto Velho, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Now to tell you about a tropical storm that is threatening the Caribbean.
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[04:45:00] HOWELL: Joe Biden took his campaign to New Hampshire this weekend. What he says about voters who worry that he's too old to be president. That story ahead for you.
Plus you'd think a presidential hopeful would be glad to start a speech on a high note. Well, not like this. Why Bill de Blasio sounded like he breathed in helium, kind of squeaked by on that one. Stay with us.
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HOWELL: U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden took his campaign to New Hampshire this weekend. It is a small state but it is a key state, as Biden looks to cement his status as Democratic front-runner. More now from the Granite State.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Joe Biden made a two-day swing for New Hampshire taking his pitch and message directly to voters here in this first in the nation primary state.
One thing Biden has repeatedly focused on is the notion of electability. But in New Hampshire, Biden laid out the election, said it's not just about defeating President Trump but also about sparking a movement. Take a listen to what he had to say.
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JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can't just be a campaign about beating President Donald Trump. He's trafficking in some of the ugliest and darkest forces that have long run through this nation's history.
A simple campaign is not enough to beat him. It has to be a movement. It has to be a movement, a movement grounded on the values and ideals that define us as a nation.
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SAENZ: He was also asked during a gaggle with reporters about concerns from some voters about his age. In the past, he has said his age is a legitimate issue in this campaign. Take a listen to what he had to say Saturday.
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QUESTION: Mr. Vice president, every other voter that I talked to that comes to your events says they're concerned about your age and these are people of all ages.
What do you say?
BIDEN: I say if they're concerned, don't vote for me.
QUESTION: They're asking if you lost a step.
BIDEN: What do you think?
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SAENZ: After this trip Biden, is heading to South Carolina next week -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, New Hampshire.
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HOWELL: Democrats hoping to secure the presidential nomination of their party won't be able to debate just on a single issue. The party's national committee voted against single issue debates, including one on climate change. Candidates Beto O'Rourke and Elizabeth Warren have both expressed support for a climate change debate.
New York's mayor Bill de Blasio is hoping for a shot at the Democratic nomination as well. Like all dedicated candidates, he never misses an opportunity to address his potential voters. But when he appeared by video to a group in Iowa, let's just say it didn't quite go as planned. Jeanne Moos explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What do The Chipmunks, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio have in common?
BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK MAYOR AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thank you, everybody. I'm so happy I'm with you and I apologize I couldn't be there in person.
MOOS: Do not adjust your set. The mayor's voice is distorted beyond fixing. Someone tweeted: I like him better this way.
Mayor de Blasio's flight was cancelled due to weather, so he made an on screen appearance at the Iowa Federation of Labor Convention.
DE BLASIO: A real, intense, bold change.
MOOS: What was real and intense was his change of voice, which technicians tried unsuccessfully to fix, even as he spoke.
DE BLASIO: A really, really difficult battle.
MOOS: And no, the presidential candidate hadn't been sucking helium like Jimmy Fallon.
De Blasio's high-pitched voice inspired only a stifled chuckle in the room but jokes dominated online. He represents the lollipop guild. (SINGING)
MOOS: When de Blasio ended his presentation --
DE BLASIO: Thank you, everybody.
MOOS: -- the emcee responded.
[04:55:00]
DE BLASIO: OK. So, that was a little bit different.
MOOS: There were other audio issues.
Joe Biden's mic was turned off at one point.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Spread it. Go spread it,
guys.
MOOS: And even the emcee had to blow and tap, tap and blow.
Organizers apologized and later gave de Blasio a second chance to speak undistorted.
DE BLASIO: Crystal clear.
MOOS: De Blasio later joked a cancelled flight can't stop me from auditioning for "Alvin and the Chipmunks."
Oh, we're talking about it.
DE BLASIO: My message comes down to three words: working people first.
MOOS: Correction, working audio first or your campaign will be headed -- Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Finally this hour, do you remember the classic movie "The Wizard of Oz"?
August 25th marks the 80th anniversary of the release of the classic movie, "The Wizard of Oz." And Google is commemorating the occasion in a rather magical way.
If you search "The Wizard of Oz," the results look -- at first they look normal but click on Dorothy's ruby slippers and you are transported back in time, to a world of black and white, not unlike Kansas all those decades ago.
But if you're not, a quick click of the tornado icon and you are back in the present, in glorious color.
Thank you for being with us. The news continues right after the break. Stay with us.
[05:00:00]
