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Impeachment Inquiry, Democrats To Release More Witness Transcripts; President Trump Goes After Witnesses, Whistleblower; Fight Over Trump's Taxes Headed To Supreme Court; Race For The White House; Hong Kong Protests; New British House Speaker Elected; Man Save From Oncoming Train; Lebanese Protests; Iraq Protests; India's Toxic Smog Remains Hazardous; Fire Fight, Trump Versus Newsom; Crowdfunding Campaign For Shuri Castle. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired November 05, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Impeachment inquiry testimony from former U.S. State Department officials lays out how President Trump personal lawyer interfered in Ukraine diplomacy.

Also ahead how the toxic smog in New Delhi is affecting people's health and daily routines. Plus, we'll tell you about the British Parliament's new House Speaker and why he was physically drag to his new position.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN Newsroom.

House Democrats say they will release more transcripts in the coming hours from witnesses in the Trump impeachment inquiry. On Monday that disclosed testimony from former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. She says she expressed concerns about Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani's involvement in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, an attorney for one of Giuliani's associates Lev Parnas says he is in talks with impeachment investigators to provide documents and testimony. Parnas and three others have been indicted on campaign finance charges. CNN's Lauren Fox has more on the newly released transcripts.

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LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: A significant day on Capitol Hill. We saw the release of the first transcripts from these closed- door depositions, that had been going on now for the last month on Capitol Hill and it's a big opportunity for lawmakers who haven't been in the room over the last several weeks to see what has actually been occurring. To one of the transcript that we saw was from Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine who grew very concerned that her reputation was been damaged and that the president was losing faith in her. There was rumors basically that she was not supportive of the

president. She essentially wanted the State Department to put out a public statement defending her. She was told that the State Department couldn't do that because there was concern that if they put out a statement that the president could potentially undermine it. Even with something as simple as a tweet. She said quote what I was told they said there was concern that the rug would be pulled out from underneath the State Department if they put out something publicly.

She also went to her colleague E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland and asked him for some advice. He's advised to her, go big or go home. Essentially what he argued was that perhaps she should tweet her support for the president. Say that these rumors weren't true. Now Michael McKinley's transcript was also released today. He's a former top aide to Mike Pompeo. Essentially, he said he left the State Department, because he believed that career diplomats were being used to advance the president's political agenda, something that he did not support, but more testimony and transcript expected to be released this week, including that of Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland.

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CHURCH: CNN's Lauren Fox reporting there from Washington. Well, Donald Trump is trying to distance himself from former Ambassador Yovanovitch, whom he recalled in May.

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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I really don't know here. But if you look at the transcripts, the president of Ukraine was not a fan of hers either. I mean, he did not exactly save (inaudible) things. I'm sure, he's a very fine woman. I just don't know much about her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In fact, if you look at the transcripts as the president suggests you will see that he is the one who first brought out Yovanovitch, calling her bad news. Ukraine's president agreed and said he felt Yovanovitch supported his predecessor instead of him.

So, let's talk more about all of this with CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. He is also a senior editor at the Atlantic. Thanks for joining us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, AND SENIOR EDITOR OF THE ATLANTIC: Hi, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, two critical transcripts made public Monday by House Democrats, one from former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch saying she felt threatened by a smear campaign against her and was warned by Ukraine to watch her back and then Michael McKinley is a former senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said he resigned over diplomats being used to advance political goals. How significant is all of this and how does it move the whole impeachment inquiry forward? BROWNSTEIN: You know, it's the beginning -- to me, it's the beginning

or likely to be several weeks of Republicans. He only like the dog who caught the bus, you know, I mean, for weeks, rather than trying to engage on the substance of the allegations and increasingly the evidence against the president. They have focus on processing forum that are currently behind close-doors, that people are not seeing the witnesses.

[03:05:03]

Now is the beginning -- today really begins the process of moving us into a public phase and I think that, you know, the kind of evidence, particularly Yovanovitch offered in her testimony. Now that is public, you know, it's hard to see how that makes Republicans any more comfortable and I think this is the beginning of a process of several weeks of this kind of drip, drip, drip for them.

CHURCH: All right, now, of course, we can expect two more transcripts coming out, Tuesday. But President Trump is again pushing to reveal the identity of the whistleblower. He's obsessing about this. Why would he do that? Give them details of what the whistleblower revealed initially have already been corroborated by others? Hasn't this already gone beyond the whistleblower?

BROWNSTEIN: Clearly it has gone way beyond the whistleblower. It has also gone way beyond the individual -- the call with Zelensky, you know, what has come out of a testimony is a sustained and really unrelenting campaign of pressure from the administration to coerce the Ukrainian government t publicly declaring they would investigate Burisma and the Bidens, before they got either of the things they wanted most. Their military aid to protect them. Let us not forget, against the Russian incursion and also they are being with the White House. And I think what you see from the president here, is a very common strategy.

I mean, he is really trying to refrain and affect the indictment. He is basically saying the issue is whether the whistleblower can be trusted. The issue is what you'd think about a call when in fact on both fronts the testimony from any witnesses that has been garnered over these past several weeks had made clear that there is a much bigger broader picture that is threatening him at this point.

CHURCH: Right and then, of course, President Trump is also hinting he'll go after the character of White House witness Alexander Vindman. How is that acceptable to Republicans watching on and saying very little about all of this?

BROWNSTEIN: Right. I mean, you know, really in some ways, the Trump years and had been more revealing about the Republican Party and even about the Republican coalition in the concierge it has been about him. I mean, it is a step-by-step process, the Republicans, I think find themselves accepting if not defending things they could not have imagine they would have put themselves on the line for a few years ago.

You know, I just -- you just kind of deeper and deeper into the water and then one day your over your head and this is another example, I mean, the idea that Ronald Reagan or George H.W. Bush Republican Party would have attack, you know, kind of -- someone chain to the United States, serve the country, was wounded in combat. Whose offense has been to testify what he saw and what concerns him in the White House in the year -- the host, Fox News, suggested that he's some kind of double agent.

That to me is a -- is a measure of how far the party has moved. And the Trump -- and by the way, the fact that they are -- that part of this attack is that he is an immigrant and that he can't fully be trusted, because he is an immigrant is, you know, consistent with the way Trump is refashioning that party at fundamental level. Each of one institution that is -- revolves around anxiety and resistance to demographic and cultural change.

CHURCH: And before you go. We now know, of course, an appeals court has ordered President Trump to turn over eight years of tax returns. He's lawyer is vowing to take this to the Supreme Court. So how likely is it that we will ever see those tax returns?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, the reality in every one of these legal cases against the administration, not only personally as Trump but against their policies, that in the end of every one of those legal lines are (inaudible), Republican appointed justices on the Supreme Court and occasionally John Roberts might break from the administration as again in the (inaudible) case, that there had been many other incidences where they have sided with him, as on the Muslim travel ban.

I think, the court is doing their best to avoid dealing with these issues before 2020, and it is highly likely that Trump will be able to runoff the clock until 2020. I don't think they can stall it for another four years. So, if he is reelected, ultimately, I think the Supreme Court is going to have a whole series of decisions.

Because we have seen the presidents so aggressively and comprehensively trying to expand the boundaries of executive power, executive immunity, really undermine the ability of Congress and for that matter the judicial branch to perform oversight or constraint on the administration. Sooner or later, if he is reelected, John Roberts is going to have to make his call about far he is willing to go down that road.

CHURCH: Ron Brownstein, always great to have your analysis and perspective on all of these matters, I appreciated it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, right now, the impeachment inquiry looms large over the 2020 election campaign. But despite the constant flow of negative news polls show President Trump remains competitive in battleground states like Wisconsin. According to a new time Sienna College poll, Democrat Joe Biden is at 47 percent ahead of President Trump at 43 percent.

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Senator Bernie Sanders is ahead of 47 percent to President Trump's 45. And the president is level with Senator Elizabeth Warren, both of polling at 46 percent. All of these numbers are within the poll's margin of error. CNN's Kyung Lah, asked some voters in Wisconsin, who are they backing in 2020 and why?

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's do this Wisconsin.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The 2020 battle for Wisconsin starts now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, good morning. We will get you clipboard and simile.

LAH: Democratic foot soldiers fanning out across the badger state. Are people talking about impeachment here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not what you are hearing at the coffee shop. It's not what I'm hearing when I'm at the hardware store.

LAH: A year from Election Day, this is a door-to-door mission. To find out what matters most to voters here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Trevor. So, what's important to you in the selection?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jobs and environment especially.

LAH: Do you feel that it is a house to house battle?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is, completely. You know, here you have a community that is in the county that voted for President Obama and also Donald Trump.

LAH: Racine, a swing county in a critical swing state. President Trump won Wisconsin by fewer than 23,000 votes. We need Democrat Bruce (inaudible). How long have you work for Chrysler?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 26 years and two weeks. It's not too many times (inaudible).

LAH: He's live Racine's ups and downs during trump's term, he seen some jobs come back, done cares most about the economy and health care. What about impeachment? You did not mention impeachment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I kind of don't like the impeachment, you know the people on the other side. I don't think they're going to jump ship because of it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely ridiculous.

LAH: Unlike the Democrats, Wisconsin Republicans are talking about impeachment. This Racine packers and politics party is one of the 150 GOP events in Wisconsin just this week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These Republican people are very (inaudible). LAH: Is impeachment then helping you or helping the Democrats?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's definitely helping the Republican Party right now. I say go for it, go bring it on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are just digging in our heels deeper, to fight what they're going to do and we will do it by voting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, my name is Elisha, I'm with the (inaudible) Democratic Party.

LAH: But driving Democrats, the bitter sting of 2016 and the determination to not have it happen again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I can convince at least one maybe two. Every time I talk and I take a packet out, that's going to sway on election.

LAH: Were talking and it's snowing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to keep doing it through the snow. I've done it through worst. Were a swing state. We've been a swing state, but we can swing back.

LAH: Democrats say they knock on more than 50,000 doors just this weekend. Now that is doubled the number of votes that President Trump won the state of Wisconsin by in 2016. Democrats say that margin is so slim it basically breaks down to less than two votes per ward. They feel they can flip the state, but it's not by talking about impeachment. Kyung Lah, CNN Racine, Wisconsin.

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CHURCH: Chinese president is praising Hong Kong's chief executive despite months of violent protests on her watch. Xi Jinping had a surprise meeting with Carrie Lam on the sidelines of the China international import expo. President Xi reportedly applauded Lam's efforts to stabilize the situation, but also demanded more be done to end the violence. China recently dismissed reports it was planning to remove Lam over the pro-democracy protests now in a fifth month.

Well, it's one of the most influential jobs in British politics, especially in this era of Brexit. After the break, meet the new Speaker of the House of Commons.

Plus, just in the nick of time, a transit worker spring into action after a man fell right into the path of an oncoming train. We will have that in a moment.

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CHURCH: Well, Lebanese protesters are not giving up their demands for a new cabinet. They turned out in force in Tripoli, Monday. Mass demonstration were also held across urban areas over the weekend. The unrest was sparked nearly three weeks ago by a proposed tax on WhatsApp calls, but it grown into a movement against the ruling elite and alleged corruption. The Prime Minister resigned last week. Now, the country lacks a government as it faces a growing economic crisis.

Well, another day of protest and bloodshed in Iraq, Monday. At least eight people were killed and more than 170 wounded as demonstrators and security forces faced off in Baghdad. The protests started in October over unemployment, government corruption and lack of basic services, but now the demonstrators want the government to step down.

Well, a man praised for his kindness has been elected to one of the most senior roles in British politics. What could it mean for Brexit? CNN's Simon Cullen takes a look.

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SIMON CULLEN, CNN PRODUCER: U.K.'s House of Commons has a new speaker Labor M.P. Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like Lindsay Hoyle to take chair of the house.

CULLEN: In he's acceptance speech, Sir Lindsay paid tribute to his family including his daughter Natalie, who died last year at the age of 28. Sir Lindsay was drag to the speaker's chair by fellow lawmakers. It's a tradition that they expect the dark ages of British politics and the speaker acted as a messenger between Parliament and the monarch. At the time, the speaker often paid the price for delivering a message the monarch didn't like which led to some reluctance by lawmakers to take up the post. Sir Lindsay has been one of the deputy speakers since 2010 and he's promising to be a fair umpire of Parliamentary debates in his new position.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- will continue as I promise I will be neutral. I will be transparent. I think this house could do more to ensure that that transparency continues.

CULLEN: Sir Lindsay takes over from John Bercow whose 10 year in the speaker's chair prove controversial at times, because of his decision to allow lengthy debates on amendments to the government's Brexit plan. Now, it's Sir Lindsay's turn to navigate the highly charged environment of Westminster politics as lawmakers debate the next steps of Brexit. Simon Cullen, CNN, London.

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CHURCH: An amazing rescue by California transit employee John O'Connor saved a man who fell off the train platform after an NFL game in Oakland on Sunday. The bay area rapid transit says the man was intoxicated when he slip onto the tracks. O'Connor grabbed him by his shoulders and pull them up just as the train went by, wow.

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JOHN O'CONNOR, BART TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR: He came to the side and I figured out he wasn't going to make it. So, I grabbed him and pull them up on the platform, you know, that's what we do here and that's why we're here. That's what we are supposed to do. You know, we are all human beings and life is precious so thank god he gets to see another day. We both made it up.

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CHURCH: And just in time. Just incredible. O'Connor says, he told the man to pay it forward. Well, India's capital city is desperate for a breath of fresh air, toxic smog is creating dangerous conditions in New Delhi. What India's government is doing about it?

Plus, Donald Trump attacks California's governor over the state wildfires. Like Gavin Newsom says, the president should not be part of the conversation. Back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Well, India's capital is struggling to breathe, record levels of toxic smog are expected to hang over New Delhi for at least a week. A public health emergency has been declared and India's highest court has banned all farm fires to try to get a handle on the pollution which is more than three times the hazardous level.

So, let's turn to our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, he joins us with more on all of this. And closely, you and I talked about this 24 hours ago, I mean, this is just dreadful. But the government is trying to do something about it, isn't it?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, you know this is among the worst we've seen, Rosemary, looking back even in recent years. The intensity of what's happening here and the long duration event of this, of course, becoming really impactful across the area that is not only densely populated, but well-known for its pollutants across this region, especially as you head in towards the cooler months and cooler seasons. But you take a look at kind of what's inside the smog, we are seeing here essentially out photochemical smog.

So, the visible end of all of this essentially nitrogen oxide of volatile organic compounds put that together and you get the sun to interact with this. You see that yellowish smoggy perspective across the city. But, of course within you've got carbon monoxide, you also have sulfur dioxide, is in particulate matter extremely small, small enough to enter your blood stream. We know, of course breathing passages become inflamed and also begins to damage the lung tissue, very abrasive material that is made up of these areas with of course the combustion particles in the air.

But the size of them roughly 25 psi times smaller than the diameter of your hair, and about 40 times smaller than a grain of sand. So it speaks to you how tiny they are, but of course, you put the smear in large formed you get that hazy coloration that you see. But 400 to 500 air quality index, that puts it in the hazardous to beyond index categories and that is precisely where millions of people are dealing with this.

We broke down, of course, the wally (ph) being part of the factor here with fireworks, which is about 10 cubic meter area pollutants just from one fire cracker itself. But, of course, there are vehicles, there are millions of people and a lot of industry to be had as well and looking back in November 2018, we kind a see the 30 days laid out, notice 29 of these 30 days were beyond what is considered sensitive -- for sensitive rips, only one day was 1 percent. So, not a single day considered fit to breathe by the World Health Organization in 2018, for the month of November.

The month of December of the month of November 2019 comes in with the first four days. Going beyond index. So it kind a speaks to you how much worse it is even this go around compared to what was a dismal set up last year, but the pollutants here going from Monday and to Tuesday, you kind a see them gradually shift a little farther to the south base on the steering environment and the atmosphere.

But as we go on from Thursday. Unfortunately into Friday and Saturday, we expect the pollutants once again to be on the rise. And, Rosemary, look at this, 300, 400 potentially back up about 500 this time next week. So really speaks to how serious of the situation this is and how much more effort needs to be put in place for this to be a solution long-term.

CHURCH: Yes, unbelievable. Thank you so much, Pedram. I appreciate it.

Well, President Trump is finally making good on his promise to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, he announced the U.S. was leaving the landmark deal back in 2017. But the U.N. was only formally put on notice Monday.

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The withdrawal will take a year rapping up on November 4, 2020, one day after the U.S. presidential election. Critics like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have called the move disastrous. She says U.S. Democrats will push ahead with calls for climate action.

Well, President Trump has repeatedly said he doesn't believe in climate change, but that hasn't stopped him from attacking California's governor for the way he's handling wildfires. CNN's Stephanie Elam has more now from Los Angeles.

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TRUMP: We got fires eating away California every year, because management is so bad.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump again taking aim at California and its Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom tweeting that the governor has done a terrible job of forest management, and that he told Newsom he must clean his force floors.

In another tweet, Trump writes every year as the fires rage in California burns, it is the same thing and then he comes to the federal government for money help. No more, get you act together Governor. Newsom shot back at the president, you don't believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation.

Trump's tweets are drawing criticism from scientists who point out that federal government actually controls the majority of California's forest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take a look at how much forest floor would be cleaning up if it doesn't even make any sense. And the only thing is a lot of our fire, they are not burning in forest, they are burning in grassland and (inaudible).

ELAM: Yet Newsom acknowledging California's need to step up its prevention efforts has bolstered fund to clear out potential wildfire fuels like deadwood and scrub rush.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We are better than this or more capable than this, not only in our vegetation management forest management, bit our utilities must be made more capable to deal with these conditions.

ELAM: Wildfires are only the tip of this Twitter tug-of-war. The political opponents have also squared off over the environment, immigration and homelessness.

TRUMP: The governor doesn't know, he's like a child. He doesn't know what he's doing.

ELAM: But there is some evidence, the two leaders can be more civil than it seems. Newsom recently telling CNN.

NEWSOM: Interestingly we communicate not in public, on the phone, in person and he's very gracious in those calls and I hope in turn, I am as well.

ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.

CHURCH: The nations are pouring into hope restore, Shuri Castle, in Okinawa, Japan. Nearly $3 million has been raised in three days. As fire burned the UNESCO world heritage site last week. Okinawa City office asked for donations to help restore it and a crowdfunding campaign was launched.

For more than 400 years, rulers of the Ryukyu kingdom called the castle home. It was then destroyed during the battle of Okinawa in 1945 and wasn't completely reconstructed until the early 1990s.

And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Inside Africa is up next. But first I'll be back with a check of the headline. You are watching CNN. Do stick around.

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