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Russians Move Into Northern Syria After U.S. Pullout; U.S. Military Hardware Ends Up In The Wrong Hands In Yemen; Zuckerberg Asked About Fact-Checking Ads On Facebook; Mark Zuckerberg Defends Libra And Political Ads Policy; Storming The Room With Pepperoni; U.S. Troops in Syria Heading to Iraq; Impeachment Inquiry; Peace Activist Rabbi Beaten. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired October 24, 2019 - 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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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Shifting dynamics from northern Syria with Russia moving in and the U.S. pulls out.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to go in there today and demand we need our rights as members of Congress.
NEWTON (voice-over): A chaotic spectacle on Capitol Hill as Republican lawmakers stormed a room where a key witness in the impeachment inquiry was about to testify.
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NEWTON: Plus a CNN investigation finds American made weapons, are falling into the wrong hands in Yemen's war now a leading Democratic contender for U.S. president is demanding answers.
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NEWTON: Thanks for being with us. Donald Trump says it's time for the U.S. to get out of northern Syria and let others fight over it. Leaving it to Turkey, Russia, Iran and Syria. Russian security forces have arrived in the region, under a new deal between, Ankara and Moscow together, their mission is to push the Kurds 30 kilometers away from the border.
The Syrian Kurds were staunch U.S. allies and partners in the fight against ISIS. Turkey says the incursion into Northern Syria is over for now, that prompted President Trump to lift all sanctions against Turkey. And he says the Kurds are grateful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: Countless lives are being saved as a result of our negotiation with Turkey, outcome rich without spelling one drop of American blood, no injuries, nobody shot nobody killed
I have just spoken to a general, a Muslim, a wonderful man, commander in chief, of the SDF, he was extremely thankful for what the United States has done, could not have been more thankful.
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NEWTON: Despite what the president said, the reality on the ground, the Kurds are paying a very steep price, for the sudden U.S. withdrawal and, the U.S. special envoy for Syria told Congress that this invasion is a tragic disaster for the Kurds, with evidence, of war crimes committed by Turkish backed fighters, listen.
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JAMES FRANKLIN JEFFREY, U.S. ENVOY ON SYRIA: We haven't seen any widespread ethnic cleansing in that area since the Turks have come in, many people have fled, because they're very worried about these Turkish supported Syrian opposition forces as are we. We've seen several incidents which we consider war crimes.
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NEWTON: You heard the ambassador's assessment there, it's backed up, by disturbing video of the Turkish military offense, it shows what happened, some of those Kurds, as those Turkish backed militants we were talking about caught up with them. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has our report. I want to warn you, some may find it disturbing.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Arabic).
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The gruesome videos keep coming but not just the normal brutality of war. Something, uglier, more radical.
Scenes of the Syrian rebels Turkey is backing abusing here the corpse of dead Syrian Kurdish female and male fighters Tuesday near Tal Abyad. Rebel leaders said they had arrested and would punish the fighters behind this.
A U.S. official had said these fighters backed by Turkey, are mostly extremists, former ISIS and Al Qaeda and from the start they were accused of savagery. This is the widely circulated video of the murder of Kurdish activist Hevrin Khalaf, badly beaten before execution.
We found their vehicle heavily shot up and discarded on the highway. Startling acts of violence like this have made many reassess exactly who Turkey is using to try and execute its goals here in northeastern Syria. An autopsy report CNN can't independently verify said that the widely
traveled activist was dragged by her hair and beaten with a blunt object on her head before being shot to death.
Some of the videos rebels had posted of themselves add support to the theory that Turkey was in such a hurry to build militia to fight for them it did not vet out extremists. It may be now liable for war crimes.
JAMES FRANKLIN JEFFREY, U.S. ENVOY ON SYRIA: We have seen several incidents which we consider war crimes.
MARK ESPER, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I've seen reports as well. We are trying to monitor them. They are horrible. And if accurate -- and I assume that they are accurate -- they would be war crimes, as best as I know the law of land warfare.
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ESPER: So I think all those need to be followed up on. I think those responsible should be held accountable. In many cases, it would be the government of Turkey who should be held accountable for this because we cannot allow those things to happen.
WALSH (voice-over): Turkey and the rebels have rejected many accusations and often post media of how life has returned to normal under their control and some, with their behavior here though, posted on the rebels' own Telegram channels, is now distant to ISIS's old videos.
Turkey has loyal rebel forces in Idlib province, which Western intelligence has said it is now unfiltered by Al Qaeda. But it is unclear which units of rebels Turkey is using.
Will these men stop when Turkey tells them to?
Will Turkey tell them to?
And what sort of society will they build?
Will it have a place or reject ISIS? -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Irbil, northern Iraq.
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NEWTON: Joining me now CNN analyst David Rohde, thank you so much for joining us, we just saw that piece, that's absolutely horrific, what was stunning to me, is you have the Defense Secretary and he said, "All those responsible should be held accountable, in many cases, the government of Turkey."
Do you believe the U.S. has, the willingness or the power, quite frankly, to see any of this, through?
Especially considering we may only be at the beginning of the horrors that are going to come in that area of Syria in the next few weeks or months?
DAVID ROHDE, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I don't see how the U.S. has any authority here and President Trump made it clear that U.S. is leaving and he's proud the U.S. is leaving.
There's a complete and utter contradiction of what the president is saying and what the Secretary of Defense said.
NEWTON: And the U.S. is a global power, not even trying, and the Defense Secretary put it on the line, saying it's horrible, and people should be held accountable and the answer is, so what?
What are you going to do about it?
David, do you think we've been overstating it, in terms of how, you know the balance of power have changed the region so dramatically?
ROHDE: I don't think it's an overstatement, this is the end of decades of American foreign policy where the United States would protest against the war crimes and atrocities and you know before our eyes, over the last week, you know, the president of the United States, pulled a small number of Americans out of the region.
Atrocities are now happening in that region and he's playing on stereotypes about the Middle East, talking about the people fighting for centuries and using derogatory terms. And those stereotypes aren't true. But again before our eyes, decades of American foreign policies come to an end.
NEWTON: David, you've studied this quite closely in your book. A lot of what you talked about there was soft power and are we just throwing all of it out of the window right now?
ROHDE: I would say the Trump administration and I really think it's the president personally, who is a leading this shift, is throwing it away, it's very contradictory like, we're going to counter Iran we're going to defend Israel but we're going to withdraw from the region at the same time.
We're going to spend a record amount on our defense budget but we are not going to use our military anywhere in the world.
This was a small deployment of about 1,000 American soldiers that was keeping that area safe, most importantly keeping the Islamic State at bay. We can ignore the world, according to Trump, yet we're somehow going to be safe from the dangers exist around the world.
And that's a contradiction and we are going to see how it plays out on the ground now in Syria.
NEWTON: Just specifically Turkey, one of the countries you looked at, for several years, what do you think that, has changed there, are they an example of the way you handle the Trump administration, if you're a country like Turkey? ROHDE: I think, yes, I think president Erdogan has completely outmaneuvered President Trump and, I think Vladimir Putin as well. This is simply, a big win for Turkey and for Russia and Iran and this does not fit the broader Trump strategy of countering Iran.
So it's just a disappointing outcome and again you know this broader issue of human rights and democracy, the president of Turkey has been accused of being a straw man and president Trump sort of elevated him by doing this.
So again, decades of American ideals and what the country stands for you know are being reversed right now by this president.
NEWTON: Before I let you go, the counter points here, we know there is going to be some currency for this in other places in the United States.
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NEWTON: And that will include members of the military who say we've been in the Middle East far too long, it has gotten us nowhere and they're listening to the president who says you know this is what we should be doing going forward, what's your counter point to that?
ROHDE: There has not been major terrorist attacks in the United States since 9/11 and the Islamic State has been defeated. That's because of the brave efforts of American soldiers and diplomats and intelligence officers.
The question is, I'm not talking about 100,000 troops, there were 1,000 troops in Syria and keeping them there, would that have kept us safe, I don't know. We cannot answer that question, but have we found a model, with small numbers of special forces and most of the fighting is being done by the Kurds, was that a successful model?
We have just thrown that away, I agree we cannot be everywhere but is this rapid pullback, is going to is it going to make us safe or less safe in the future?
NEWTON: And this will continue to unfold, especially as the president believes that he keeps saying this is a great success. David, thank you so much, appreciate it.
ROHDE: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now British police are trying to solve a horrific mystery after 39 bodies were found in a truck container outside in London. They have not identified the victims or where they were from except to say they were adults and possibly one teenager.
Some politicians could be related to human trafficking but police have not confirmed that yet.
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PIPPA MILLS, ESSEX POLICE: This matter has attracted national and international interest. And it's absolutely imperative that the operation is conducted with the utmost respect for the 39 people who've lost their lives.
The lorry and the trailer will be moved to a secure location at Tilbury Docks so the bodies can be recovered whilst preserving the dignity of the victims. We are yet to identify them and must manage this sensitively with their families.
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NEWTON: Now the truck's driver has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and officials identified him as 25-year-old Morris Robinson from Northern Ireland.
Time for a short break here but just ahead.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a pathetic stunt, all of this is going to be forgotten very soon, because the real story is what did the president do, and lie, and harm that it's done to our national security.
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NEWTON: An impeachment inquiry descends into absolute chaos as the Republicans barge in on a closed-door meeting, what they are demanding of Democrats, that's next.
Plus a severe spike in violence targeting the Palestinian olive harvest as farmers injured and entire hillsides of olive groves burn to the ground.
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NEWTON: CNN is learning damaging new details about U.S. dealings in Ukraine at the heart of this impeachment inquiry. Sources say, Ukraine President Zelensky and his team were discussing pressure from the Trump administration to investigate the Bidens two weeks before Zelensky took office as president.
In, the meantime, the testimony in the impeachment probe descended into absolute chaos on Wednesday. CNN's Manu Raju has the story.
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REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): We're going to try to go in there. And we're going to try to figure out what's going on.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): House Republicans today stormed the closed door impeachment hearing after damning testimony revealed that President Trump may have stalled vital military aid to Ukraine in exchange for help with his reelection prospects.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a sham and it is time for it to end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is happening here is not fair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is Adam Schiff trying to hide?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a total political hit job on the president of the United States.
RAJU (voice-over): Roughly 2 dozen lawmakers taking part and refusing to leave, some even flouting House rules by carrying electronics into the secure space. As one Republican member screamed at House Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff, Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings responded, shouting at Republicans and asking, if they were trying to teach their children that it's OK to lie, steal and cheat, so long as you don't get caught?
Leaving the hearing, room Republicans argued the process was not fair, saying the GOP is being kept in the dark. But Republicans are involved. The ones who sit on the committees can ask questions and attend the hearings.
Few GOP members would talk about the damning testimony from Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, who testified that U.S. ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland told him that President Trump held up U.S. military aid to Ukraine until that country agreed to reopen an investigation into the Bidens and the 2016 campaign.
RAJU: Mr. Brooks, Mr. Brooks, the opening statement says very clearly -- this is not -- this is what Bill...
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REP. MO BROOKS (R-AL): The opening statement doesn't make any difference.
RAJU: Hold on. Let me finish what I'm saying. Let me finish my question.
BROOKS: You should not be relying on it!
RAJU: Why should I not be relying on a public testimony?
BROOKS: If you were in a court of law -- if you were in a court of law, would you rely just on the opening statement of an attorney or the first witness called or would you have cross-examination?
RAJU (voice-over): Democrats called the protest a stunt to distract from Taylor's testimony.
REP. TOM MALINOWSKI (D-NJ): It's a pathetic stunt. All of this is going to be forgotten very soon because the real story is, what did the president do and why? And the harm that it has done to our national security.
REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD.), MEMBER, JUDICIARY AND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES: Our Republican colleagues have evidently freaked out because they have nothing substantive to say about that.
They're not denying it in any way, they're just trying to avoid it and so, instead, they attack the committee process of Congress. It's really a pathetic show on their part.
RAJU (voice-over): GOP leaders stuck to the White House line, insisting there was no quid pro quo, based on a rough transcript the White House released of a July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nowhere in that phone call is there a quid pro quo. The president, asked just as America does every day, to work on different cases.
RAJU: Kevin McCarthy also said there is no quid pro quo because there is actually nothing exchanged from the Ukraine. He said, name me one thing Ukraine did to release the money, nothing. That is essentially a new line of argument that we're starting to hear from Republicans in the aftermath of that testimony.
Now also today, in federal, court there was a setback for the Trump administration's State Department, ordering a turnover of documents within 30 days to a watchdog group who had been suing for records, communications between the secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Rudy Giuliani.
Now Democrats on Capitol Hill who have sought the same records, issued subpoenas to the State Department who has not complied. Rudy Giuliani has not complied but under a separate law, this group is seeking those records.
We will see if they ultimately get compliance, because that could add some more fuel to the Democrats' impeachment push if those records ultimately become public -- Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
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NEWTON: We want to bring in Larry Sabato to talk about all this, he's the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
It's quite a move, very dramatic today, with those of the GOP basically storming the committee hearing.
Who was the audience, principally, in of all this?
LARRY SABATO, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: There is no doubt they were aiming that at President Trump, who has been complaining that, the Republicans have not been as dedicated to defending him as he expects.
[02:20:00] SABATO: It was really something, because no one expect Republicans to revive something the Left has used since 1960s called guerrilla theater, that's what it was, guerrilla theater.
It's putting on a morality play a stunt of some sort, to attract public attention, that's essentially what we saw in that committee.
NEWTON: I'm glad you mentioned this is a tactic that has been used before, they're saying the process is not fair, are they right about that?
SABATO: I'm really trying to understand what it is that they are unhappy about, there are Republicans on that committee. It's true that, it was not open to the general public, it was not on television.
But this is often done, you get the information in private then, the overall committee and the leaders in the House decide, what's going to become public, when the actual hearing starts.
So, I'm just, I just find a very odd, I have to believe, that they're trying to please Donald Trump, they're trying to stress process because they don't have a strong hand in substance.
NEWTON: In terms of trying to please the president and perhaps Republican base, let's go through a few things here. I want to go to Donald Trump and his Twitter and he absolutely cannot ignore it and if you want to. He said the Never Trumper Republicans though on respirators with not many left are in, certain ways in more dangerous for our country, than the do nothing Democrats, watch out for them, they are human scum?
That last terminology, these are people in his own party, Republicans, he's calling human scum?
SABATO: He's clearly tossing in people like senator Mitt Romney, who was the national presidential nominee, in 2012, not very long ago. It is shocking language from any president in public, Im so sure that presidents use worst language in private, but this is public, it's highly inappropriate, but for this president, nothing is inappropriate.
NEWTON: I guess the issue that it is being used against people of his own party, he didn't mention Mitt Romney but not many of us need him to mention it. I want to bring up a poll, we have a CNN poll and the other day, the most recent poll, saying that, 83 percent, of Republicans, approve of, the job the president is doing.
Larry, do you see that changing through this impeachment process?
As you know that's what the president is getting at and for those Republicans who stormed that hearing today, those, are the numbers that count for them?
SABATO: That's a great question because that's a key of this whole impeachment and conviction saga, as long as Trump holds 80 percent of the Republicans he has nothing to worry about. He's probably going to be impeached by the House but that's because it's Democrats controlled.
It's Senate that he has to be concerned about, it takes at least 20 Republicans to vote to oust the president Trump, to get him out of the office, as long as he keeps the vast majority of the 53 Republicans in the Senate together he, cannot be ousted, right now,
You have to stretch, to find even five Republicans who would vote to oust him, probably fewer than that.
NEWTON: Yes like you said probably fewer than that it's amazing with all of that, the president seems so rattled by the impeachment inquiry.
SABATO: He's been rattled throughout his career particularly in the nearly three years in his presidency. This is the way he responds to challenges and to attacks. I guess in his own mind he believes that in order to win a battle he has to hit harder and harder every time.
It's just that in our history, generally speaking, it's not appropriate for presidents to do.
NEWTON: And he's doing it and reminding everyone it was actually the first lady reminded us first, he hits back harder. Thank you very much, Larry, for coming in here.
SABATO: Thank you.
An 80 year old rabbi is recovering from an attack as he tried to protect Palestinian farmers as they harvested olives in the West Bank. Israeli human rights groups say this attack, as well others by extremists, show the obstacles, that still stand in the way of peace in the region. Our David McKenzie reports.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're called the Hilltop Youth, in footage shot in the last week, shared by an Israeli human rights group they're shown descending through olive groves, attacking Palestinian farmers.
Extremists, Israeli settlers, the kamijialo (ph), locals say, to disrupt the Palestinian harvest. Every year Rabbi Moshe Yehudai volunteers as a human shield for the farmers but this year, his faith offered no protection.
RABBI MOSHE YEHUDAI, PEACE ACTIVIST: They knew that I am Jewish. So for them, nothing can be worse than that.
MCKENZIE: Why is that?
YEHUDAI: Because they think the Palestinians are the enemies.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The rabbi says masked men surrendered him, beat him with an iron rod and fractured his arm. "I'm 80 years old. I told them to leave me alone," he cries, "my arm
hurts so much."
It's really striking to me how close these settlements are to the Palestinian villages. We are heading out where they seldom let outsiders in.
In the settlement, there's little remorse
"It's a pity. We reject violence, it's a pity that they hurt him," said this man.
"But that rabbi has a complex, a complex of self-hatred, he comes to help the people, the Palestinians that were trying to kill us."
The hilltop youth have harassed the Palestinian farmers for years, even burning down their groves. In the recent attack of an Israeli military and a senior officer, it was a step too far, drawing condemnation from settlers who called it an outrage, even by the Israeli prime minister.
An Israeli commander locked down the areas to try to maintain the peace.
Israeli military has condemned this kind of violence.
Do you take them seriously?
LIOR AMIHAI, YESH DIN: Today, unfortunately, if you're an Israeli citizen, you violate the rights of Palestinians, it will take a miracle, that something you will be prosecuted, you will be indicted.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): But now Palestinian farmers like him and his sister must sneak into the closed military zones, hiding behind their own trees to finish the harvest.
"We are surrounded by settlements, left and right, you see settlements, you will see soldiers."
When they ripped down branches like this, he says, it feels like they're ripping out the arms of his child -- David McKenzie, CNN, West Bank.
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NEWTON: Thanks to David.
CNN exclusive reporting inside Yemen prompted U.S. presidential candidates to turn up the heat on the Trump administration. Elizabeth Warren wants to know how did U.S. military hardware end it up in the wrong hands.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hey, welcome back. I'm Paula
Newton. I want to update you now on the top stories this hour. House Republicans are demanding more transparency in the impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump. About two dozen members of Congress forced their way into a closed-door deposition Wednesday despite the fact that Republicans are already a part of those proceedings.
British police are trying to retrace the journey of a truck found with 39 bodies outside London. Many politicians are linking the case to human trafficking but police have not yet confirmed that. The driver is under arrest in suspicion of murder. A local official says he is 25-year-old Morris Robinson from Northern Ireland.
President Trump is lifting sanctions on Turkey now that it says it has ended attacks on Kurdish forces in Northern Syria. Mr. Trump claims its, quote, a great outcome. His special envoy to Syria says the incursion was a tragedy with war crimes committed by Turkish-backed forces. Now, one country that can certainly claim a great outcome is Russia. Its military has quickly moved to fill the void left by the U.S. when it pulled out of Northern Syria. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.
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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Russians making some very fast and very decisive moves in Syria right after they put in place that agreement that they reached with Turkey on Tuesday. Now, the Russians very quickly moved towards the Turkish border at noon local time when the agreement kicked into place. And in fact, Russian troops were seen patrolling the streets of Kobani later in the day on Wednesday. Of course, that's one of the places that the Russians are going to be present more and more as that agreement unfolds.
But the first order of business for the Russians and also for the Syrian government forces to make sure that Kurdish fighters that were formerly fighting on the side of the United States against ISIS. And of course, we're so important in the fight against ISIS, that those fighters leave a zone 30 kilometers away from the Turkish Syrian border. Now, the Russians have made very clear to the Kurds that they are not going to let up on that commitment. In fact, the Kremlin spokesman said that if those Kurdish fighters don't leave that border area, that they are going to be quote, steamrolled by the Turkish military.
Now, the Kremlin spokesman then also took some pretty big shots at the United States, as well, saying that the Kurds had always been the best allies of the United States, but had then been both abandoned and he said indeed, betrayed by the United States. Of course, very much referring to President Trump's decision to pull U.S. forces out of northeastern Syria. So, right now, the Russians very much the dominating force in that area. But to them, it's also very important to bring the Syrian government back into the equation. The Russians also putting out a map on Wednesday indicating that the Syrian government was going to put up 15 border posts on the border between Syria and Turkey. So, certainly, the Russians moving very fast and very decisively to make sure that that agreement really holds up. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Sochi, Russia.
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NEWTON: U.S. Presidential Candidate Elizabeth Warren wants answers from the Trump administration after a CNN investigation inside Yemen. Now, our Nima Elbagir reported that American military hardware supplied to U.S. allies is now falling into the hands of rival militia groups in Yemen. Now, this includes some who have turned against each other complicating Yemen's four-year Civil War. Now, Warren sent the letter to U.S. Secretary Defense Mark Esper and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that said, quote, "These unauthorized diversions of American military hardware to armed groups undermine U.S. national security objectives in securing a political settlement to the conflict in Yemen, which has no military solution and remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises."
Nima and her team traveled to Yemen where they uncovered evidence that the UAE and Saudi Arabia were distributing military hardware to those militia groups in violation of U.S. law. Here's what Nima's team discovered.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Separatists militia in southern Yemen, and armed groups loyalty internationally recognized Yemeni government. Just a few months ago, these forces were on the same side, backed by the Saudi-led coalition supplied with U.S. weapons. Now, they've turned those very weapons against each other. And terror groups are exploiting the results in chaos.
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In January, we traveled to Yemen, documenting the proliferation of U.S. weaponry there.
Like a graveyard of American military hardware. And this is not under the control of coalition forces. This is in the command of malicious.
This in violation of the law governing U.S. arm sales, which says they can't be passed on. In our original investigation, we identified American-made armored vehicles, which had been sold by the U.S. to the UAE under a 2014 arms sale contract, and had fallen into the hands of armed groups. The conflict in Yemen divided North from South. With the Iran backed Houthis controlling the capital Sana'a and the U.S. supported Saudi led anti-Houthi coalition, seizing the historic ports of Aden but in-fighting in the south has further splintered territorial control between militia groups, threatening to plunge the entire country into a protracted Civil War. Turning the Saudi and Emirate-provided weaponry on each other.
Six months on and we spot one of the Emirate-supplied vehicles. The U.S. made MaxxPro being paraded by UAE-backed militia known as the Giants Brigade. Giants Brigade forces have a new mission. Here on their way to the strategic port city of Aden to fight against the very legitimate governments. The Emirates armed them to restore. They are now fighting with the separatists. The Giants Brigade did not respond to CNN's request for comment. But
the UAE hasn't denied supplying them with U.S. made vehicles. The Giants Brigade, they told us earlier this year, are part of Yemeni forces that fight the Houthis on the ground, and under direct supervision.
The supervision has failed. Healthy Iran as fighting between separatists and government forces escalates, we set out to find out what happened to the American MRAP vehicles. In the aftermath of our original reporting, we received death threats, so we haven't been able to return to Yemen. But working with local journalists, we have been able to verify that amongst the military vehicles being used to wage Yemen's escalating civil conflict, those that we identified in the U.S. you a contract in our initial reporting.
Our team traveled to East Germany capital son, a Yemeni army commander told CNN and this far flung war zone. US military technology is a game changer. Whichever hands it ends up in.
There are lethal and powerful weapons that the militias were using against the people. American weaponry is deadly. If the malicious or others have them, they may be the winning side.
ELBAGIR: CNN also filmed this, an armored vehicle captured by forces loyal to the legitimate government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. It's the U.S. made BEA Caiman.
We contacted real time laborites who confirmed it had been supplied under a U.S. government contract, but said, they couldn't comment on what the government may have eventually done with the vehicle. America has been supplying women's to Saudi Arabia and the UAE since the war in Yemen began. These countries have passed them on illegally.
To militia on the ground that was supporting the Yemeni government, all to aid in the fight against the Iranian-backed Houthi. This latest time laboratories who confirmed it had been supplied under a US government contract, but said they couldn't comment on what the government may have eventually done with the vehicle. America has been supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE since the war in Yemen began. These countries have passed them on illegally. To militia on the ground that was supporting the Yemeni Government, all to aid in the fight against the Iranian-backed Houthis. This latest schism has seen the UAE-backed separatists forces turn the U.S. made weaponry on the Yemeni Government further complications the Civil War and bringing the country closer to the abyss.
Already the terror group ISIS has stepped in to exploit the chaos, launching a campaign of multiple suicide bombings. The group's first successful strikes in over a year, with a promise of more to come. After years of drone attacks and the U.S. concentrating its military might on degrading, terror groups once more developing a foothold.
The U.S. a key ally to the UAE and Saudi Arabia; And both countries have spent time and effort lobbying D.C. decision makers. High on the agenda, rolling back the move by U.S. lawmakers earlier this to obstruct arms sales to both countries.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): There is no reason for the United States to be involved in this war in Yemen. It is a humanitarian catastrophe, but it is also a natural security catastrophe.
[02:40:03]
ELBAGIR: Triggered by CNN's original reporting.
SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Again, a recent CNN Report that suggest that weapons that have been provided to UAE and to Saudi Arabia have wound up in the hands of Houthi. That they have been traded and then used on both sides of that conflict.
GEN. JOSEPH VOTEL, HEAD OF CENTCOM: We have not authorized Saudi Arabia or the Emirates to re-transfer any of this equipment to other parties on the ground.
ELBAGIR: Publicly, the UAE in Saudi Arabia have been struggling to explain how and why forces loyal to them have opened fire on each other. Worse, as we've learned, that they're using proprietary U.S. technology to do it with.
CNN has reached out to both the Emirate and Saudi Arabian governments for comment. The Saudis didn't respond. But the UAE told us that there were no instances when U.S. made equipment was used without direct QA oversight, except for four vehicles that were captured by the enemy. CNN found us made vehicles being used in attacks on key locations and personnel within the U.S. back legitimate government of Yemen. This in spite of the fact that the UAE told us no weaponry was being used without a direct oversight. We also contacted the Pentagon, who told us there is an ongoing investigation into our previous findings. For how much longer or what they'll do with it, they won't say. All the while, the war in Yemen rages on, more lethal than ever. Nima Elbagir, CNN, London
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Bolivia's President Evo Morales has now claimed victory in the recent elections. But he says the vote is being stolen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVO MORALES, PRESIDENT OF BOLIVIA (through translator): I've called this press conference to denounce before Bolivia and the whole world a coup is underway. Although I want to tell you we already know was coming. The right has been preparing for a coup with international support. Some confused, confused sectors, should not be strung along confused sectors should not be strung along by untrue messages on social networks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: OK. Morales' political rival Carlos Mesa, meanwhile, is calling the election process a fraud. So far, the results of the race looked very tight and if Morales can't get a 10-point advantage over Mesa there will in fact be a runoff vote in December.
In Chile, meantime, a horrifying moment captured on camera as protesters gathered in central Chile. You can see their government official says two people including a 4-year-old child were run down by a car and killed. So far, 18 people have died during protests right across the country. In the capital, Santiago, police fired water cannon and tear gas and a curfew is extended for the fifth straight night. The demonstrations began last week after Metro fares were raised and it has grown to include other issues as well. Chile's President is promising economic reforms.
Mark Zuckerberg was back on Capitol Hill trying to move forward with Facebook's cryptocurrency project called Libra. The Lawmakers also wants to discuss so many other concerns with the social media giant.
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[02:45:00]
NEWTON: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, spent today on Capitol Hill making one of his bowless pitches, yet. That a social web site should be allowed to launch a global cryptocurrency called, Libra.
Now, some lawmakers were not so impressed. And Zuckerberg told them that if Washington blocks his plan, the U.S. could lose its standing as the world's financial leader with China moving in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ZUCKERBERG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, FACEBOOK: I just think that we cannot sit here and assume that because America is today the leader, that it will always get to be the leader if we do not innovate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: But, some fear the Facebook's digital currency could upend the global financial system and make the company even more powerful than it is today.
Now, in an opening remarks, Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters explained why she believes Libra is just a bad idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA): Perhaps, you believe that you're above the law. And it appears that you aggressively increasing the size of your company. And are willing to step on over anyone including your competitors, women, people of color, and use, even our democracy, to get what you want.
All of these problems I've outlined and given the company size and reach, it should be clear why we have serious concerns about your plans to establish a global, digital currency that will challenge the U.S. dollar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: So, it was (INAUDIBLE) reaction there. Josh Constine is the editor-at-large at TechCrunch, and he followed, of course, this testimony closely. And given the hours there on Capitol Hill, and he definitely was a fairly good punching bag for a little while there.
What did we learn in terms of him being able to be held to account for that many hours?
JOSH CONSTINE, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, TECHCRUNCH: Zuckerberg sat for six hours receiving this intense throbbing on everything from cryptocurrency to how it -- police this misinformation in political ads. And yet, we really didn't learn that much that was new.
Zuckerberg relied on old points, like saying that if you don't let us, China will. And that -- you know, Facebook needs to be able to innovate if it's going to help the (INAUDIBLE).
But really, we didn't learn that much and were no closer to Libra actually launching on its scheduled date next year.
NEWTON: And in terms of Libra itself, Josh, where do you stand because there is this debate as the fact that is it just another competitor on the cryptocurrency file, or is it innovative, especially now that all of those other companies have pulled out?
CONSTINE: It's very different than most cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum. There, you gamble and you hope that the value of the coin goes up. Whereas, with Libra, it is just on the state permanently stable so that you can pay and receive funds in it, and not be worry that the funding is suddenly different than what you are expecting.
And it is innovative in that it is using this broad approach of bringing all these different companies. But, the promise that Facebook is still at the core, and it's not the kind of company that people want launching a cryptocurrency or potentially endangering the global financial system.
NEWTON: Yes, and nothing prove that more than really -- Zuckerberg, again, having to answer questions about the way it's going to handle. The way its handled elections in the past, and the way it will handle them in the future.
Now, I know you've written about this but I just want you to listen in on some of the more contentious testimony from today. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): Onto your policy, you know, using census data, as well, could I pay to target predominately black zip codes and advertise them the incorrect election date?
ZUCKERBERG: No, congresswoman, you couldn't. We have even for these policies around the newsworthiness of content that the politicians say and the general principle that I believe that --
(CROSSTALK)
OCASIO-CORTEZ: But you said you're not going to fact-check my ads?
ZUCKERBERG: But we, we have -- if anyone including a politician is saying things that can cause -- that is calling for violence, or could risk the eminent physical harm or voter -- or census suppression, where we roll out and the census suppression policy. We will take that content down.
[02:50:03]
OCASIO-CORTEZ: So, you will -- there is some threshold where you will fact-check political advertisements, is that what you're telling me?
ZUCKERBERG: Well, Congresswoman, yes, and for specific things like the ad where there's imminent risk of harm.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Could I run ads targeting Republicans and primaries, saying that they voted for the Green New Deal?
ZUCKERBERG: Sorry, can you repeat that?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Would I be able to run advertisements on Facebook targeting Republicans in primary saying that they voted for the Green New Deal? I mean, if you're not fact-checking political advertisements, I'm just trying to understand the bounds here, what's fair game.
ZUCKERBERG: Congresswoman, I don't know the answer to that off the top of my head. I think probably.
(CROSSTALK)
OCASIO-CORTEZ: So, you don't know if I'll be able to do that?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, there. Congresswoman taking it to Zuckerberg there. I mean, Josh, you wrote about this a couple of days ago making it very clear that Facebook would go so far but not a step further. He seems confused about his own policy there.
CONSTINE: Mark Zuckerberg simply doesn't have a great argument for why it should allow misinformation and political ads. Especially given the ads don't make Facebook that much money and cause it great controversy it has repeatedly claimed that this policy favors challengers instead of incumbents.
Yet, we've seen that it's the richest voices and the biggest incumbents that spend the most on Facebook ads. And I worry this could lead to an arms race of political misinformation in campaign ads, where people say, increasingly terrible things about their competitors and say, only I can save society, donate to me now, and then just buy more ads, spreading more (INAUDIBLE). NEWTON: Yes, it definitely has been weaponized that we've already seen in incredible ways that unfortunately the bottom line is have a work. What's been interesting here is to see where he came down on it, which is basically nowhere like you said, we didn't learn very much.
Josh, I want to ask you some people have suggested that, you know, Zuckerberg, and maybe even Sheryl Sandberg here have become too toxic for this company. That if they really wanted to achieve anything that they should really just step out of the way.
Do you believe it's them or do you believe it is the company itself at this point in time that it just can't withstand the scrutiny?
CONSTINE: It's definitely their fault. They are -- have been the one that have pushed growth over safety and have focused intensely on optimism and idealism. They are a company that constantly believes in this tech utopia, and consistently misses opportunities for people to misuse their products.
They can just never foresee how humans would be greedy or try to lie to each other for their own benefit. But, removing them won't fix those problems and these executives probably have the most experience.
And meanwhile, if Facebook is ever going to be able to recruit the kind of talent that it needs to fix the problems that it's caused with society, Mark Zuckerberg is probably still the best CEO.
NEWTON: Well, it'll be interesting to see if he gets what he wants though, with this cryptocurrency going forward. That was really rough today. Josh, thanks so much. Appreciate you being with us.
CONSTINE: My pleasure.
NEWTON: Google, meantime, says it's made a quantum leap in computer supremacy. Stay with me here. The search engine company, says its quantum computer solve the complex problem in a little more than three minutes. Something a normal supercomputer would have taken thousands of years to crack.
Now, instead of using binary ones and zeros -- we're all used to that, right? Quantum computers use something called quantum bits or qubits, which can be ones, zeros -- or here is the key folks, both, simultaneously. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUNDAR PICHAI, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GOOGLE: For many years, practical quantum computing was only theoretically possible. Google's team has proven it can work. This is the hollow world moment for quantum computing that many of us have been waiting for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: OK, now, hold up, this is a part that I love. IBM is saying not so fast. It's developing its own quantum computers, and it says, classical computers still rule supreme.
It says a regular supercomputer could solve the same problem in at most two and a half days. But here is the thing, they claim it would be far more accurate.
OK, still to come on CNN. Republicans crash a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill but take time to chew on some fast food.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TOM MALINOWSKI (D-NJ): A bunch of freedom caucus members having pizza around the conference table -- pretending to be brave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:56:15]
NEWTON: Now, it turns out staging a made-for-T.V. storming of a secure room on Capitol Hill, can apparently work up quite an appetite, right? Jeanne Moos, now with her report on the politicians, the press, and the pizza pies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: While accusing Democrats of --
REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): Weird, theatrical performances.
MOOS: The Republicans put on one of their own. Storming the secure room used for impeachment proceedings, and then, ordering pizza?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I understand that they brought pizza and Chick- fil-A.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Steve Scalise ordered pizza for the press.
MOOS: The news trickled out mostly in tweets. The Republicans occupying the SCIF ordered pizza for themselves and the press.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a large three-topping pizza from Domino's.
MOOS: Side note, they sent us Domino's and got themselves, we the pizza, arguably the best in D.C. "Major ethical dilemmas facing hungry reporters right now," read one media tweet, prompting the reply, "Domino's is not an ethical dilemma. It is like $5.99."
Did the press flock to it like New York City pigeons? Let's see who touches it. Well, someone touched it, but we're not sure who. This woman is all of us right now. "Y'all I have become a meme. I'm dead."
Actually, she's the press secretary for one of the Republican occupiers. A departing Democrat described the scene inside the SCIF. MALINOWSKI: Bunch of freedom caucus members having pizza around the conference table -- pretending to be brave.
MOOS: The politicizing of pizza even included impeachment jokes. Republican Mark Meadows just walked out and said, off the record, this pizza is for you. There's no quid pro quo. You can eat it.
Instead of angry Republicans demanding a more open impeachment process --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Show your face.
MOOS: Stuff your face was the order of the day. Jeanne Moos, CNN --
DEAN MARTIN, FORMER ACTOR, COMEDIAN: Like a big pizza pie, that's amore.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Oh, I'm glad there is still a sense of humor somewhere. Thank you, Jeanne Moos, as always.
And thank you for joining us. I'm Paula Newton, I'll be right back with more news in just a moment. You're watching CNN.
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