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President Donald Trump Impeachment Inquiry; Race for the White House; Alliance Under Strain; Wall Street Hits New Record; Brazil Court Ruling Could Free Jailed Ex-President; Family Mourns in Mexico; Bolivian Mayor Dragged From Office by Protesters; New Zealand Lawmaker Shuts Down Heckler With Witty Retort; Two Former Twitter Employees Accused Of Spying For Saudis; Auschwitz Survivor Under Police Protection In Italy. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired November 08, 2019 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Natalie Allen, live from CNN Center in Atlanta. Coming up here on "CNN Newsroom," U.S. House Democrats are on a fast track to getting the U.S. president out of the White House, giving signs he could be impeached by Christmas.
The French president declares NATO is suffering from brain death, and blames President Trump. And it was the clock back (ph) heard around the world. We will talk with the New Zealand lawmaker who shut down the heckling colleague with two words: OK, boomer.
Thank you for joining us. Our top story, Democrats and the U.S. House are signalling they could be on track to impeach President Donald Trump by the end of next month. And they released more damning testimony from their closed-door hearings Thursday. CNN's Jessica Schneider is in Washington for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, the full extent of Rudy Giuliani's influence is coming into focus with the release of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent's testimony transcript. Kent detailing what he called a campaign of lies orchestrated by Giuliani that led to the ousting of U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
Kent also recalled the conversation he had about Trump's July 25th call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, saying that Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert at the White House, felt uncomfortable by the call, adding, "He said that he could not share the majority of what was discussed because of the very sensitive nature of what was discussed."
The testimony transcript comes as the spotlight of the impeachment inquiry has turned to Vice President Mike Pence for the first time. His top national security aide, the first from his staff to go behind closed doors, answered lawmakers' questions.
Jennifer Williams was one of nearly a dozen officials listening to Trump's July 25th phone call. A source says she testified that she found the conversation to be unusual because it was political in nature, but did not raise those concerns to her supervisors.
Williams though could clarify what the vice president knew about plans to withhold military aid in exchange for Ukraine announcing investigations into the 2016 election and the Bidens, which Pence was asked about today.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president's focus has been, as my focus was in my meetings with President Zelensky, on supporting President Zelensky's efforts to deal with a historic pattern of corruption in Ukraine.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): As for Trump's call with Zelensky, which clearly shows him asking the Ukrainian leader to look into the Bidens, Pence mimicked the president's talking points.
PENCE: The American people have the transcript of the president's call, and they can see there was no quid pro quo, and the president did nothing wrong.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): But questions continue about Pence's interactions with the Ukrainian president. On September 1st, Pence replaced President Trump on a trip to Poland, where he held a bilateral meeting with Zelensky. Pence insisted the two did not discuss an investigation to the Bidens but has acknowledged military aid and corruption were on the agenda.
PENCE: In all my discussions with President Zelensky, we focused exclusively on President Zelensky's efforts to end corruption in Ukraine and also enlist more European support.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): While Williams was cooperating, former national security adviser John Bolton was a no-show on Capitol Hill despite being invited to testify today. Democrats never issued a subpoena for his appearance as they have with other witnesses, and Bolton's lawyer previously said he wouldn't testify without one.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are lining up a list of witnesses they want at the public hearings next week. Top on that list is the whistleblower.
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): (INAUDIBLE) started it all. We think he should sit in front of us under oath, answer our questions, and do that in person.
SCHNEIDER: Now to the rules, Democrats have the ultimate say on the witness list, and they do not have to accept all of the witnesses Republicans are proposing, including the whistleblower. The public phase, of course, it starts next week.
And once the committee is complete, the evidence gathering, all of that will be compiled and sent to the Judiciary Committee, which will decide whether to draft and debate articles of impeachment before a likely vote on the House floor estimates are, that could all be complete by the end of the year.
Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:04:58]
ALLEN: A White House official says it is unlikely acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney will appear before the House Intelligence Committee in the coming hours after a last-minute subpoena. But there is plenty more on tap in the impeachment inquiry. CNN's Lauren Fox has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: There are questions about whether or not one or when the official will appear for his deposition today on Capitol Hill. That person is Mark Sandy.
We don't expect another official, Mick Mulvaney, the president's acting chief of staff, to show up for his testimony behind closed doors but this all comes as Democrats shift into the public phase of their impeachment inquiry.
Next week, we are going to hear from three officials in public. One of them is Bill Taylor, the top official in Ukraine. Also, we are going to hear from George Kent, his transcript was released yesterday from the House Intelligence Committee, Kent, a top official in the State Department.
Then on Friday, Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador who was a more than three-decade career diplomat, will come to Capitol Hill in a public setting on Friday.
This all assigned that things are moving quickly. Democrats potentially could be wrapped up with their impeachment inquiry before the Christmas holiday, a couple of weeks of public hearings, then the Thanksgiving break.
Once that comes along, there will be an opportunity for the House Intelligence Committee to have and draft their report on what's been happening in their investigation. Then all eyes move to the House Judiciary Committee. That's the committee responsible for drafting articles of impeachment. They may have public hearings. That process could take a few weeks.
But potentially, going to the floor, the week before Christmas could be articles of impeachment. All of this could be wrapped up in the House of Representatives just before the holiday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Let's talk about these developments. Joining me now from London is Thomas Gift, a lecturer in political science at University College. It is good to see you and good morning.
THOMAS GIFT, POLITICAL SCIENCE LECTURER, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Great to see you, Natalie.
ALLEN: Let's begin with the top State Department official testifying Thursday that Mr. Trump wanted the president of Ukraine to announce an investigation that would help Trump politically. It's more of the same Democrats have heard. This corroborates the key part of their impeachment case. How damning is yet more testimony like this for the U.S. president?
GIFT: I don't think that Kent's testimony is the game-changer, but certainly not good news for the president or his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. It did provide more confirmation that Giuliani was operating essentially a shadow foreign policy with Ukraine.
What struck me most about the testimony was the strength of tense language, saying, for example, that Giuliani was engaged in a "campaign of slander" against Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and that he was pursuing a classic disinformation operation. He took the criticism a lot further than many others.
Kent's testimony was also unique in that he did express questions about Hunter Biden and his role in the oil and gas company, Burisma, which of course Republicans will latch on to. However, it seemed to be more about the optics of him serving on the board rather than any clear evidence that he or Joe Biden did something unethical.
ALLEN: This official, Mr. Kent, will testify in public hearings that begin next week. With the slow drip of evidence continuing to drip, how significant might these public hearings be?
GIFT: I think they are very significant because up until this point, everything has really been happening behind closed doors. So far, Republicans have been able to make the case that this is all problems of process, that nothing is out in the open, and that this is sort of a crypto impeachment, and so on.
And so this will really be the first time that Americans are able to see these individuals testifying in public. I think that probably will add to the momentum of this impeachment inquiry. Certainly, Democrats are hoping that it will.
ALLEN: Right. Let's talk about some other Democrats on this campaign trail. Former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg indicating he might be worried about whether the current field of candidates can beat Trump in 2020. He might jump in there. How would you view a Bloomberg candidacy?
GIFT: Well, there are two things that you need to jump into a presidential race this late. That's money and name recognition. And of course, Bloomberg has both of them. He's a billionaire and he was also the former mayor of New York City.
I think Bloomberg was reluctant to enter the fray as long as Biden was a frontrunner. But with Biden losing ground to Warren and some of the other progressives, perhaps Bloomberg does think that there is an opening. He will probably cast himself as a moderate voice. He is a Republican or a former Republican, excuse me, after all.
But that doesn't mean that he's going to advocate (ph) on a lot of these issues. He's been a really strong, staunch defender of stronger gun control legislation and efforts to combat climate change. So I think that will resonate with a lot of Democrats.
[02:09:59]
GIFT: He also has a sense of electability, which of course is important to many voters intent on beating Donald Trump.
ALLEN: Right. His organization on gun control worked hard in Virginia and we saw how that race went this past week, two are Democrats. Well, meantime, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders pounced, taking digs at Bloomberg's wealth. Will it be an advantage or a liability?
GIFT: I think it will probably be a little bit of both. I mean, having money certainly doesn't hurt when you're running for president of the United States. But, of course, he's going to be accused as being out of touch, kind of a billionaire, a member of the one percent, and so on.
And so certainly, a lot of Democrats are going to use that to their advantage and try to critique Bloomberg if this does become a legitimate presidential run. So it's hard to tell at this point. But probably at the end of the day, it will (INAUDIBLE).
ALLEN: All right. We always appreciate your insight. Thomas Gift for us. Thank you.
GIFT: Thank you, Natalie.
ALLEN: Sure. Have a good day. French President Emmanuel Macron has made a remarkably blunt and pessimistic assessment of NATO. Speaking to the economists, he says the western defense alliance is experiencing a brain death, thanks to growing indifference from the United States.
The French president says -- here is a quote -- "You have partners together in the same part of the world, and you have no coordination whatsoever of strategic decision-making between the United States and its NATO allies. None."
But not everyone agrees with that statement. Our Melissa Bell has this report from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: This was really a wake-up call from Emmanuel Macron to his European partners about how much he believes Europe can and cannot count on NATO in the future given the changes now being brought about, in tone from Washington, by the Donald Trump presidency, but also the rise of totalitarian tendencies in countries like Russia and Turkey, and the growing threat of China. It was a fairly bleak message from a president that simply doesn't speak that often, give that many interviews to journalists, and so a fascinating insight into a fairly bleak way of looking at the world at the moment and the future of the sort of liberalism and universalism that he embodied in his campaign and in his presidency.
Very quickly, though, Angela Merkel, who speaks alongside the secretary general of NATO in Berlin, gave her response. Have a listen.
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): French president has found rather drastic words to express his views. This is not how I see the state of corporation within NATO. I don't think such a sweeping judgment is appropriate.
BELL: Angela Merkel there is taking her distance from Emmanuel Macron. It is no surprise that Emmanuel Macron has voiced his concerns. This is after all a president who has really elected on the platform of multilateralism, universalism, liberalism, that he should feel it so under threat, is not terribly surprising.
But I think the strength of his words about NATO and the future of the alliance and particularly his concerns about Turkey within NATO were probably the most interesting and most worrying for the alliances' future.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Joining me now is David Sanger, CNN political and national security analyst and national security correspondent for The New York Times. David, thanks for coming on.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES: Great to be with you, Natalie.
ALLEN: Thanks. First, were you surprised by the French president's remarks and does Macron have a point?
SANGER: The only thing that was surprising was that he spoke the truth in public. And yeah, he's got a very good point. I mean, his basic argument was that NATO was hollowed out. That it really only works when everybody knows that a superpower is there to back it up.
That after all that President Trump has said and the actions in Syria, there are reasons to doubt that the United States would come to the aid of NATO nations. And therefore, they needed to have a separate European force that was not dependent on an outside power to back them.
The problem is who is that force going to consist of? I mean, he praised his own country's military, but the fact of the matter is that France, Germany, Britain, have not kept up in military terms.
ALLEN: Yes. And when Donald Trump has kind of snubbed NATO, it's been about military spending. What about Macron's charge of lack of leadership as he points to the White House there?
SANGER: He's right that there is a lack of leadership within NATO because President Trump kept saying NATO was irrelevant and he grudgingly said they were relevant again but only because of him.
[02:14:59]
SANGER: And he's done nothing along the lines of creating new initiatives to tie NATO together. And of course, all that he has done in Syria, his threats of pulling back American troops in Europe, his threats of pulling them back from South Korea and Japan have all made people question that.
In Europe, there's also been a lack of leadership. They agreed to two percent -- spending two percent of defense spending by about four or five years from now. Two percent of GDP, I'm sorry, on their defense. Some are getting there, some aren't. Some are cheating by including in the numbers pensions for retired military, which doesn't exactly build your strength.
And I would have to say that NATO has been extremely slow in trying to grapple with both the strategy and technology of new weaponry starting with cyber.
ALLEN: Who can step in and lead here? Angela Merkel was swift to disagree with Macron, tracking a hopeful and positive tone. How does NATO get out of its quagmire?
SANGER: Oh, it's an interesting question. I mean, I think that Chancellor Merkel's statements would have carried more weight, if she right now carried more weight, and if Germany was willing to take more of a leading role.
Right now, with Britain pulling away from Europe, Macron is really the only one who can go play that particular role. And it's not clear to me that he necessarily can get the other European leaders to spend more, but more importantly to have a cohesive military and defenses strategy, one that is not that dependent on Washington.
ALLEN: Well, the secretary of state who visited the former Berlin Wall Thursday said that -- Mike Pompeo -- I think NATO remains an important critical, perhaps historically one of the most critical strategic partnerships in all of recorded history. Has President Trump at any time reinforced that stance of his secretary of state?
SANGER: He really hasn't. You'll remember that when he went to NATO to open up their new headquarters, he refused to repeat the lines about Article Five, which of course is the section of the NATO charter that says that an attack on one is an attack on all. He grudgingly later did it in the Rose Garden under pressure from H.R. McMaster, then his national security adviser.
But he has not put forward new initiatives that would tie NATO together. And while Secretary Pompeo, I think, accurately said that historically, NATO is one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of alliances, and I think that's right, the question here isn't about its history, it's about its future.
ALLEN: Right. What region in the world reflects the shaky ground of NATO? Of course, Syria comes to mind.
SANGER: It does. You know, NATO experimented for a while with what they called out of area operations and that was certainly through when they were operating in the Balkans and so forth. I think now with the resurgent Russia, they are trying to figure out what is their strategy to go deal with Russia.
I thought one of the most interesting parts of the Macron statement was basically saying we can't isolate them. We have to try to find a way to go reincorporate them, which certainly puts him on some common ground with President Trump.
But that gets to the fundamental tension within NATO. They thought after the fall of Berlin Wall 30 years ago and picking off some of the former Soviet states and incorporating them into NATO, that they could basically co-op the Russians and that that would no longer be the unifying principle behind NATO.
I think they now realize that was a miscalculation. And 30 years later, the question is, do you try once again to integrate Russia, seems hard to imagine while Putin is still running the place, or do you once again make containment of Russian interference the sort of organizing principle of NATO?
ALLEN: We'll see how and when that question is answered. We appreciate your expertise and your insights. David Sanger, thank you.
SANGER: Great to be with you, Natalie.
ALLEN: The prospect of a trade deal sparked the rally on Wall Street. We explain why investors think tariffs between China and the U.S. could finally be rolled back. That's coming up.
Also, CNN heads to the crime scene in Mexico, where nine Americans were shot, killed, and some burned.
[02:20:02]
ALLEN: Families are still looking for answers.
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ALLEN: Investors are optimistic that a China-U.S. trade deal is near, helping Wall Street close out another record day. The Dow set a new high for the third time this week, closing up 182.24. Both suggest tariffs could be eased as part of their preliminary agreement.
China's commerce ministry says tariffs could be rolled back even before a deal is signed. New U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made electronics and toys are set to take effect on December 15th.
Brazil's top court has reached a decision that could release inmates who are appealing their conviction. That includes jailed former president, Luiz Lula da Silva. He went to prison last year over a money laundering scandal.
But the reinterpretation of Brazil's penal code allows convicts to exhaust their appeals before being sent to jail. Lula as he is known is still politically popular, and in recent months Brazil has seen widespread anti-government protests.
More funerals are being held in the coming hours for some of the nine Americans shot and killed in Mexico near the U.S. border. On Thursday, a woman and her two children were buried. They were part of a convoy, ambushed, and set on fire. We are now hearing the audio messages shared between family members just hours after the attack as they frantically tried to find out what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Guys, Aunt Donna and Christina are dead. Aunt Donna's son Trevor got here. I don't know how many other of the kids got here. But get that out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Trevor arrived in La Mora. Aunt Donna and Christina are gone. They are not -- they are dead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Eight children survived, including this seven-month-old baby named Faith. Her mother put her in the backseat of the car before she was shot and killed. Our Matt Rivers is at the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it took us hundreds of miles of driving on small, winding mountain roads to get to this part, a very rural northwest Mexico.
[02:24:59]
RIVERS: When we arrived, we found an area teeming with a military presence.
(Voice-over): At the checkpoints, soldiers cover their faces, guns and armor aside, better to stay anonymous in such a violent place. Bienvenidos a Bavispe, a town closest to where nine Americans were slaughtered on Monday.
(On camera): So this place is so locked down right now that we are being given military escor through the area where at least one of the shootings happened.
(Voice-over): The massacre started here.
(On camera): This is the exact spot where Rhonita Miller and four of her kids, ages 12, 10 and two eight-month-old twins were killed. They were ambushed by armed gunmen, shot, and their vehicle lit on fire. This is what remains.
(Voice-over): Up the road a few minutes later, two more cars were ambushed. Two mothers and two children also killed by gunfire. Another seven kids escaped. They'd all left just minutes before from Rhonita's home, just a few blocks away.
They were part of a community of hundreds of Americans, largely Mormon, who have lived here for a long time. Julian LeBaron found one of the bodies.
JULIAN LEBARON, FOUND SOME OF THE BODIES: And she was just laying on the ground when we came on her. And I could tell that, you know, I could tell from the bloodstains that they aimed for her heart.
RIVERS (voice-over): The family wants to know who would shoot and kill women and children and then light their bodies on fire. We saw Mexican investigators at the scene on Wednesday.
(On camera): Might not look like it, but this area can be one of the most dangerous drug trafficking routes in the entire world. The U.S. is a hundred miles that way and drug cartels have been fighting over this land for a long time. And the government says that could be the reason why the people on this road were killed. They say that maybe one cartel mistook that caravan for another. But, increasingly so, the family of the victims isn't buying it.
(Voice-over): They think the families were specifically targeted by drug cartels, though they don't know why. This community has had run- ins with games before, but say this came out of nowhere.
LEBARON: We haven't been threatened, at least not in any way to suppose that women and children would be murdered.
RIVERS (voice-over): Mexican President Lopez Obrador campaigned on the need to reduce crime in this country, though Mexico's murder rate now stands roughly six times higher than that of the United States. The president insists his strategy of poverty reduction will eventually ease drug violence. But some are losing patience.
(On camera): And while authorities aren't yet saying who is responsible for the shooting, they are saying that the shooters used American-made firearms, firing some 200 rounds at three women and 14 children.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Sonora, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: We turn now to political turmoil. In Bolivia, the mayor of a small town there was dragged from city hall, beaten, covered with paint, and her hair cut before police rescued her. It is a graphic example of tensions, which have been boiling in Bolivia since President Evo Morales declared victory last month's controversial election.
The mayor is a member of the president's political party. Protesters went after her when it was reported she brought in buses of government supporters to break up a demonstration and one protester was killed. The latest internet moment is officially in the parliamentary record
in New Zealand after a lawmaker used a millennial rallying cry to shut down a heckler, a baby boomer. My conversation with the member of the parliament is coming next.
Also, the U.S. Justice Department charges two former Twitter employees with spying Saudi Arabia.
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[02:30:00]
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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Natalie Allen. Thanks for staying with us. Let's update you on our top news this hour. A State Department official is blasting Rudy Giuliani's efforts in Ukraine as a campaign of lies, aimed at forcing out the U.S. ambassador. Democrats released the transcript of George Kent's testimony, Thursday. the House could vote on impeaching President Trump by Christmas.
French President Emmanuel Macron says NATO is experiencing, quote, a "brain death." He told The Economist that your needs to rethink its security and defense because it cannot rely on the U.S. to defend its allies anymore. NATO's Secretary General disagrees, saying stronger European unity cannot replace cooperation with the United States.
Wall Street had another record day on word that a China-U.S. trade deal could be near. The Dow set a new high for the third time this week. The S&P 500 also set a record. Both China and the U.S. suggests tariffs could be rolled back in a preliminary agreement now being worked out.
A witty retort from a New Zealand lawmaker left her older colleagues baffled but delighted millennials around the world. 25-year-old Chloe Swarbrick was speaking in Parliament about the climate crisis when she mentioned her age. She was then heckled by an older lawmaker, to which she responded with two words, OK, Boomer. A tongue in cheek way to dismiss condescending older people. Take a listen. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHLOE SWARBRICK, NEW ZEALAND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: In the year 2050, I will be 56 years old. Yet, rights now, the average age of this 52nd Parliament is 49 years old. OK, Boomer. Our current political institutions have proven themselves incompetent of thinking outside of a short political term.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Chloe Swarbrick joins us now from Auckland. Ms. Swarbrick, thanks so much for coming on. How are you doing?
SWARBRICK: I'm good, thank you. Thank you for having me. It's been a bizarre 24, 48 hours.
ALLEN: Haven't it though? I think I -- first picked up my iPhone, I think you were the first thing I saw there. Were you surprised when you uttered those two words toward your Baby Boomer colleague that those two words went like viral?
SWARBRICK: Yes, I was. I was surprised to a certain extent. I mean, I think for some, that terminology has become kind of the rallying cry for not just my generation, but a number of generations that come in the brackets of Generation Z all the way through millennials, and then through Generation X, who are going to be inheriting this planet, and therefore things like the growing gap between the rich and the poor, and the climate crises. So, it was interesting to see that those two words are what took off like wildfire, not the substance of the state, which was about the problems that we're facing.
ALLEN: Oh, well, the speech was excellent. I want to talk about that in a moment. What did you think of the reaction you had been praised by some and you've been criticized by some?
SWARBRICK: Yes, interestingly polarizing as you can kind of expect, right, it's the internet. And social media kind of typically tends to do that. It has been interesting.
ALLEN: Right.
SWARBRICK: The sit in people thinking that I'm trying to incite some kind of generational warfare. That was never the intention. In Parliament, or I think, you know, in your chambers in America, you see people giving it as good as they get it, and it was simply casting back a little bit of the shade that I was getting.
ALLEN: Right. You did throw shade. Wasn't intended as a general slide or climate in action slide, or both?
[02:35:05]
SWARBRICK: I think more than anything, it was just intended as a summarization of the collected exhaustion and frustration that not just my generation, but a number of fields awards decades of climate inaction from successive governments. So, more than anything, it was responding to that heckling, and just saying, hey, let's all just calm down and actually deal with the substance of what we're talking about here.
ALLEN: Right, enough already. The bill you were touting and supporting was a carbon zero by 2015 plan, and it passed with historic cross party support, so that's the good news. Only one vote against it. So, it seems the Baby Boomers finally came around.
SWARBRICK: Yes, yes, it was pretty big time. And the point that I made in my final reading speech, which we've been debating this legislation all of this week, so interesting that that feels like it's been overshadowed somewhat by a meme, but it is as you've just said, to get to carbon neutrality. And (INAUDIBLE) New Zealand by 2050. And it was really big for us in particular and the Green Party, because we have been leading this charge for generations, ironically now.
And to have the Green Party minister of climate change, I'm sure who was a co-leader, to be leading the charge on that and to have worked across the House with Conservatives and Liberals alike, was massive. And I think that it demonstrates hopefully, to other jurisdictions across the world that this is what can happen when younger people, middle-aged people, and older people come together and demand that their governments get it together.
ALLEN: Right. That's what I was going to ask you. Clearly, your speech, your call for an into inaction has now been seen and heard around the world. So, in a way, you might have your heckler to thank for that.
SWARBRICK: Yes, I will definitely be thanking my colleagues in the National Party. There's often a bit back and forth. So, it's interesting that this is the one that caught the eye of international media, but nonetheless, I will take it if it puts the microscope on Climate Action.
ALLEN: Well, it certainly did. And you apparently have a long future ahead of you in politics, and we wish you well. And the Baby Boomers need to just chill it.
(LAUGHTER)
SWARBRICK: I don't know if I necessarily want that long future in politics, if anything, (AUDIO GAP) that all of the young people coming in after me are prime to just get the job done because far too many people have occupied the whole (INAUDIBLE) far too long. So, let's get on with it.
ALLEN: Yes. All right. Well, we wish you well, Chloe Swarbrick. Thanks so much for coming on, and talking with us about it.
SWARBRICK: No worries. Have a good day.
ALLEN: You, too.
The two former Twitter employees are accused of spying for Saudi Arabia. U.S. prosecutors say the men, a Saudi national and a U.S. citizen used their access at the social media giant to gather sensitive information on dissidents of the Saudi regime. A third man, another Saudi allegedly acted as a go-between between the ex-employees and the Saudi government. Our Dan Simon has more about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we know from these charging documents is that these two former Twitter employees allegedly used their position within the company to obtain private data about critics of the Saudi Arabian government. And they did this by tapping into the internal servers and getting thousands of users private data. And then, allegedly funneled that information to the Saudi Arabian government. Now, the U.S. attorney in San Francisco is saying that with these charges, it is making clear that U.S. software technology companies are not going to be made vulnerable by repressive regimes.
Now, for its part, Twitter did put out a statement it says, "We understand the incredible risks faced by many who use Twitter to share their perspectives with the world, and to hold those in power accountable. We have tools in place to protect their privacy and their ability to do their vital work. We're committed to protecting those who use our service to advocate for equality, individual freedoms, and human rights." Now, even though companies like Twitter do have safeguards in place to protect against this type of bad behavior, what this makes clear is that their systems can be made vulnerable. Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: CNN has reached out to the Saudi Embassy in Washington for comments. So far, no response. In the United Kingdom, accusations and insults are flying, make it near hard for Britain's Conservative and Labour Party to keep their election message front and center. More about that just ahead. Plus, a controversial televangelists joins the White House. We'll tell you what's behind the move involving President Trump's longtime spiritual advisor.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:00]
ALLEN: Welcome back. A senator in Italy, an Auschwitz survivor, is under police protection after receiving anti-Semitic threats. Liliana Segre received a flood of online abuse after establishing a commission against racism and anti-Semitism. The Interior Minister abstained from the vote, calling the initiative a committee that would muffle free speech. Segre was assigned a security detail after a right-wing party put up a banner near where she was speaking that denounced anti- fascism. She gets about 200 social media attacks a day. An 89-year- old woman.
In Britain, the Labour Party has been haunted by criticism it hasn't done enough to combat anti-Semitism within the party. And now, a U.K. newspaper, The Jewish Chronicle, has called opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn a racist. And a former Labour colleague has asked party supporters to back the conservatives. It all happened on a day when Corbyn wanted to focus on the economy. Our Nic Robertson has more about it from London.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Day two in the election campaign, the focus was on investment in the future. Both parties laying out how much they'll be prepared to spend the big hitters from Conservative and Labour. Conservative indicating they'll be spending tens of billions, but going over their own borrowing thresholds, the Labour Party indicating that they will be investing hundreds of billions heavy borrowing for that in the coming decades. Both talking about spending money on schools, on rail, on roads, on education. But those messages getting lost a little bit, particularly for the
Labour Party by the news that one M.P., one former senior M.P. have been a cabinet member previously, said that the party shouldn't vote -- voters shouldn't vote for Jeremy Corbyn. That is a significant blow from such a senior figure formerly within the Labour Party. He said that Corbyn was anti-Semitic, that in the past, he's supported terrorists, and therefore, Boris Johnson would make a better Prime Minister than the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn. Also, the deputy of the Labour Party, the Deputy Leader Tom Watson stepping down. Again, another blow for the Labour Party while they're trying to ramp up their election campaign. The Conservative Party, the Prime Minister in the northeast of England and Scotland, and in Northern Ireland, visiting at a crisp factory there.
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But again, the message that the sort of electoral campaign message, getting lost, still in the spin doctoring of this party -- overzealous spin-doctoring, doctoring of video of an opposition party. Member -- words spoken by one of his Cabinet members of the cabinet member had to take back.
But also the resignation of a Cabinet minister with -- within Boris Johnson's party. So, all of this a distraction from the court message today all about money, many more weeks of this though for the voters to make up their minds.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
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ALLEN: Donald Trump's spiritual adviser Paula White is joining the White House staff. The question is will the controversial televangelist helped the president shore up his evangelical base?
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has our story.
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PAULA WHITE, WHITE HOUSE SPECIAL ADVISER TO FAITH AND OPPORTUNITY INITIATIVE: When I walk on White House grounds, God walks on White House grounds.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Pastor Paula White, President Trump's televangelist spiritual adviser is the latest addition to the White House staff. Hired to lead the faith and opportunity initiative serving as a bridge to religious leaders.
WHITE: In the name of Jesus.
DIAMOND: But controversy comes with her. Her transactional brand of Christianity, a prosperity gospel, promising health and wealth to its believers and donors.
WHITE: -- you do not call that toll-free number, and you do not become a ministry of sustainer, you will never see sustainment in your life, and your dream will die.
DIAMOND: Has made her a target of criticism, including from Christian conservatives, a key voting bloc, President Trump is relying on to win reelection.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our evangelicals are here tonight and they're all over the place.
DIAMOND: Russell Moore, who leads the Southern Baptist public policy arm has called her a charlatan and a heretic.
WHITE: God, said Paula --
DIAMOND: And Erick Erickson, a Christian conservative political commentator says she is the wrong messenger to shore up the evangelical vote in 2020.
ERICK ERICKSON, CONTRIBUTOR, FOX NEWS CHANNEL: Seeing a prosperity gospel minister, most of these people look at as a heretic and charge at faith-based outreach, sends a signal that maybe he's not taken into seriously as some people think.
DIAMOND: Despite a reputation as a philanderer, most conservative evangelicals got behind Trump in 2016 after he secured the Republican nomination. But White's relationship with Trump goes back nearly two decades when the real estate mogul caught her sermon on T.V.
WHITE: So, I get on the phone and I pick it up. And he said you've got the, it factor.
DIAMOND: The pairs drew close.
KATE BOWLER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DUKE DIVINITY SCHOOL: He thinks, wow, your theology actually sounds a lot like mine. The Art of the Deal and Paula White's books like Deal With It! are not really that far apart.
DIAMOND: And when Trump turned to politics, you relied on her to rally evangelicals around his campaign. Her reward came after Trump's victory, a prized platform on inauguration day.
Unlike the pastors who quietly counseled past presidents, White has not hesitated to get political.
WHITE: First, it was the Russian hoax, now was the Ukrainian, the inquiry of impeachment, and it's, it's just baseless.
DIAMOND: And go to bat for the President, describing her relationship with him as an assignment from God.
WHITE: To say no to President Trump would be saying no to God. And they're -- and I won't do that.
DIAMOND: Wife's prominence, a sign of how much the prosperity gospel has moved mainstream. BOWLER: It was considered this sort of late-night T.V. preacher with greasy hair, ripping off a widow in Florida, kind of reputation. And it's honestly amazing to me that it's gotten the kind of political, social cachet that it has.
DIAMOND: And beyond the cachet, there's also the financial upside to her relationship with the president. She was given her White House post just as she was promoting her latest book full of references to Trump.
White has declined to say if she cut financial ties to her ministry, but she has already back at her church preaching and soliciting donations.
WHITE: Here to write your checks to Paula White Ministry.
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DIAMOND: On those government ethics questions, the White House explained that Pastor White is a special government employee working part-time at the White House and entitled to continue working outside of governments.
I also asked the White House why the president feels that Pastor White is the appropriate messenger, given the criticism of her prosperity gospel. White House spokesman Judd Deere, said in a statement to CNN, "No president has done more for the faith-based community in the United States than Donald J. Trump. Pastor Paula White is someone who has the respect and admiration of the faith community across the country. The president has called her a religious leader and is grateful for her prayers and counsel."
Now, as for Pastor White, she declined our requests for an interview. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
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ALLEN: We now turn to a grim situation in Senegal where many young boys can be found on the streets each night sleeping in filth and without shelter. One activist takes CNN's Freedom Project on a night patrol to see if he can coax the boys off the streets.
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ISSA KOUYATE, FOUNDER, MAISON DE LA GARE: Here we go.
DOMINIKA KULCZYK, FOUNDER, KULCZYK FOUNDATION: Where is he? Oh, no, no.
I followed along with Issa when he and his team went for a night patrol. It was really painful and very moving and shocking experience.
KOUYATE: A little fear.
KULCZYK: To see children literally sleeping on the streets covered with garbage, hiding themselves.
KOUYATE: When we find a boy sleeping on the street, we are just coming to wake up him, but we need to be so close to him because they need a protection. First, we just try to keep them out and bring them in Maison de la Gare, where they can be protected by our teams.
After that, we have a question. Do you want to follow us and nine in -- nine percent, it's yes, I have to follow you.
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ALLEN: You can watch our full report, our latest documentary from CNN's Freedom Project "BEGGING FOR CHANGE" will be broadcast Saturday at 5:30 in the afternoon in New York, and that would be 10:30 at night in London.
South Africa's 3rd Rugby World Cup championship is more than just a sport's victory, it is bringing the entire country together. We'll tell you why the win is so significant, coming next.
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ALLEN: A French historian says he has solved a mystery that dates back to centuries, and it involves one of Napoleon's top generals. Saskya Vandoorne has our story.
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SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: For 200 years, it lay undisturbed in a Russian Park. The skeleton of a one-legged man, a general who died of gangrene after having his leg amputated during Napoleon's failed invasion of Russia.
The remains of a man believed to be Charles-Etienne Gudin, one of Napoleon Bonaparte's favorite generals were found by Russian and French archaeologists in July during an excavation in Smolensk Park, 250 miles west of Moscow.
French historian Pierre Malinowski led the dig and personally flew part of the skeletons femur and teeth to Marseille, where DNA was matched to the remains of the general's mother, brother, and sons.
The Kremlin said it was ready to facilitate the repatriation of the rest of the remains as soon as it receives word from the French government.
Gudin's descendant, Alberic d'Orleons welcomed the news and hopes the general will now be buried near the site of Napoleon's tomb in Les Invalides in honor of his sacrifice. Fighting in another world and another time more than 200 years ago.
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
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ALLEN: The South Africa's rugby team is traveling the country with their World Cup trophy. The Springboks beat England last week 32 to 12, and the victory has united the entire country. David McKenzie has our story.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Extraordinary scenes here in Soweto as the World Cup champions, the Springboks, are carrying the Webb Ellis trophy down and up the Vilakazi Street, right where Nelson Mandela lived. This is a uniting moment for the country.
You can see Siya Kolisi, the first black captain of the Springboks up there with the trophy. The scenes here are incredible. I've never seen a diverse crowd like this out to celebrate what was once mostly white sport. South Africa seems united today as the Springboks go through this great nation to celebrate the win.
Look at these people. This has been a full day of parade through Johannesburg, through Soweto. They're going to many different cities in this country to celebrate this win of the Boks.
Hey, my man, what is it like to see the Springboks?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, Springboks is nice.
MCKENZIE: Yes, but why did you come here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I came here to see the cup.
MCKENZIE: And are you happy that we were --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm happy to see it.
MCKENZIE: Thank you.
The bus us traveling up Vilakazi Street. All these people have been waiting for many hours to witness this moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Bokke!
MCKENZIE: Go Bokke, they are shouting. Sir, why did you came here today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We came to support the Bokke, our three main players: Mapimpi, Cheslin, Jantjies. Yes!
MCKENZIE: Such a great moment for South Africa. For several days I'll be parading throughout this country. This is what it means for South Africans to win the World Cup. David McKenzie, CNN, Soweto.
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ALLEN: Well that's a great one to end on. Thanks so much for joining us this hour. I'm Natalie Allen. I'll be right back with more news. You're watching CNN.
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ALLEN: This is CNN NEWSROOM. Hello, everyone. I'm Natalie Allen. Coming next here, new details from the impeachment deposition. Plus, word that the House impeachment process could wrap up by Christmas.
Also, why French President Emmanuel Macron, says Europe is facing the brain death of NATO. Implying that the alliance is on life support, is it? We'll talk with an expert.
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