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President Obama Getting Under Trump's Skin; Trump Complains Debate Commission Rules; Coronavirus Cases Rising Worldwide; Trump Said Not Much Will Change; Iran and Russia Meddling in U.S. Elections; U.S. Intel Says Iran, Russia Interfering in United States Election; Iran Rejects Charges of Election Interference; How Election May Impact Energy and Environment in the U.S.; Child Trafficking in India is Up During Pandemic; Nigeria Protesters Accuse Military of Deadly Violence; Star Athletes Used Social Media to Condemn Police Brutality; Pope Francis Speaks Out in New Documentary. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired October 22, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us. He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: A blistering rebuke by the former U.S. president on the trail for Joe Biden, Barack Obama makes his case against Donald Trump hours before the final presidential debate.
Plus, as the U.S. president downplayed the threat, American intelligence agencies warn Russia and Iran are interfering in the U.S. election.
And CNN's Freedom Project reveals during the pandemic a growing number of children and teenagers in India are being trafficked into slave labor.
Good to have you with us.
The final presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is set to get underway in the coming hours, with the election less than two weeks away, and trailing Biden in most polls. The matchup could be President Trump's last best chance to make a compelling case for reelection. But it's clear many Americans have already made up their minds, so
far, some 40 million people have voted in person, or by mail. That's almost a third of all the votes tallied in 2016.
The president says he is preparing for the debate by holding campaign rallies, and doing interviews. Biden, on the other hand, is at home, pouring through briefing books, while former President Barack Obama campaigned for him in Philadelphia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Just yesterday, when asked if he'd do anything differently, Trump said, not much. Really? Not much? Nothing you can't think of that could have helped some people keep their loved ones alive?
And with Joe and Kamala at the helm, you are not going to have to think about the crazy things they said every day. And that's worth a lot. You might be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner without having an argument.
You will be able to go about your lives, knowing that the president is not going to retweet conspiracy theories. We are not going to have a president that goes out of his way to insult anybody who doesn't support him, or threatened him with jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Ryan Nobles is following the Trump campaign, but first, to Jeff Zeleny, who was on the trail with Barack Obama.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Former President Barack Obama delivering one of the most mocking and blistering assessments of his successor. Coming out on the campaign trail for the first time this year, certainly touting Joe Biden, but making more of an effort to say why Donald Trump does not deserve a second term in office, talking first and foremost about coronavirus, and the Trump administration's handling of the virus.
Saying the president did not take it seriously, saying that the, you know, mask mandate is something that should have been done, and talking about how other countries around the world did, indeed, handle this better than the United States did.
Now from there, the former president went on to really deliver a broadside against President Trump, making fun of how he has conducted himself in office, also talking about the exhaustion factor. Just the day in and day out since the former president said, look, this is not a reality show. This is reality.
But at the end of the speech, some more than 30 minutes or so, delivered in Philadelphia, Mr. Obama also talked to Democrats directly, delivering some tough medicine to them, saying four years ago, many Democrats thought Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump. That didn't happen. So, he called on Democrats to not be lazy, to not be complacent, and he urged them to come out and vote. This is the first of many stops that former President Obama is going
to be making in the next two weeks, certainly, making the case against Donald Trump, and for Joe Biden.
Back to you.
RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump making yet another trip to the important battleground of North Carolina, a state he won four years ago, and a state he desperately needs in the win column if he were to win reelection in 2020.
[03:04:58]
And as the president was making his way here to the Tar Heel state, President Obama was crushing him and his administration in a speech in support of Joe Biden. President Obama making his first appearance on the campaign trail, and had some pretty harsh criticism for President Trump. President Trump had the opportunity to respond here in North Carolina. And this is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: There was nobody that campaigned harder for crooked Hillary Clinton than Obama, right? He was all over the place. The only one more unhappy than crooked Hillary that night was Barack Hussein Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBLES: Surprisingly, the president held his fire for the most part against Obama, refusing to get to in-depth in his response to President Obama's remarks. This is not going to be President Obama's last trip, though before election day on November 3rd.
So, President Trump will have plenty of time to respond, the president saying here tonight, in North Carolina, telling this crowd, that he promises that he will deliver North Carolina, and said it is a key to his reelection bid.
Ryan Nobles, CNN, Gastonia, North Carolina.
CHURCH: Joining me now is CNN political commentators Tara Setmayer and Jess McIntosh. Great to have you both with us.
JESS MCINTOSH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.
TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's great to be here.
CHURCH: We are just hours away from the final presidential debate, Donald Trump has been slamming the format, and the moderator calling this all unfair, but what each of the candidates need to do to sway undecided voters, and what risks do each face? Jess, let's start with you.
MCINTOSH: You know, I still want to put the brakes on the fact that we are sure there is going to be a debate happening tomorrow. A couple of things need to happen that Donald Trump has never agreed to before. He says he is going to this time, but we know that doesn't always work out.
He is supposed to take a negative COVID test, he has said he's willing to do that, but he was unwilling to before the last debate. He also has to agree to have his mic shut off when Joe Biden is talking, which seems like it shouldn't be necessary, but it honestly is.
All in all, this is a pretty risky debate for Trump. He seems like he can't afford to lose any more supporters that he already has, and the last debate performance certainly cost him with a few women. So, I'm still not entirely in the camp that thinks this is 100 percent definite tomorrow night.
CHURCH: Tara, how do you feel about this? And what do you think each of the candidates need to say and do?
SETMAYER: Well, I'm with Jess where, you never quite know what's going to happen until you actually see Donald Trump step foot on the stage. He's been so erratic lately, and he's throwing a lot of temper tantrums, and he's very upset with a lot of people, and that list is getting longer that you never quite know.
But assuming that it does happen, Joe Biden needs to make sure that he does no harm. He needs to continue to represent the adult in the room, needs to continue to show the American people that he is presidential, ready on day one, and he is the complete opposite of Donald Trump.
And the vision that he has for this country, moving forward, is one that, I think that the American people but want to see. They just want some normalcy back. Everyone is exhausted from the Trump show for the last four years, which President Obama was so articulate about today on the campaign trail.
And for President Trump, I mean, he needs to have a moment where he could actually articulate his vision for a second term, and try to stop the bleeding. He has hemorrhaging voters, to Jess' point he's hemorrhaging women voters, his performance in the last debate was atrocious and he -- unless he does that and has a moment to stop the momentum for Joe Biden, which I think is probably not going to happen, but he -- that's what they need debates for. He needs this more than Joe Biden does --
CHURCH: Right.
SETMAYER: -- but I am not holding my breath Donald Trump is who he is, and he is not keen to change.
CHURCH: OK. So, you mentioned President Barack Obama, and former presidents don't usually criticize sitting presidents, but that's exactly what we saw happen on Wednesday when Mr. Obama hit the campaign trail for Joe Biden. He called Donald Trump incompetent, a liar on the eve of this final debate. What impact could this potentially have on the tone of the debate? Jess, to you first. MCINTOSH: Barack Obama is one of the most respected man in America,
and his voice carries a lot of weight. When he speaks, there is the gravity that used to come with the White House behind it. So, the fact that he is willing to make the strong statements that he is willing to make now, this is about fighting for the soul of our democracy.
I think Barack Obama doesn't want to be the last Democratic American president, and I think that when he speaks, we feel the urgency of those words. That's what's going to happen with Democrats. It's one of their most trusted voices, telling them how important it is that they do everything they can in the next few days to make sure the elect Joe Biden. And I think that's how people are hearing it.
[03:10:06]
CHURCH: And Tara, your reaction to that?
SETMAYER: It is extraordinary. We've never seen anything like this before, and it speaks to the seriousness, and the gravity, and the existential threat Donald Trump represents for President Obama to come out of retirement, and go on the trail, and to be this forceful.
We saw a preview of this during the Democratic convention, his speech was, it was remarkable to hear him be that forthright about the importance of protecting our democracy, and the threat that Donald Trump poses. And now he is taking it to the campaign trail, and I think, you know, he felt -- he seemed very comfortable.
He loves speaking in front of people, maybe he misses it a little bit, I don't know, maybe he doesn't, but Barack Obama is the most effective surrogate for Joe Biden outside of Kamala Harris, and he is a secret weapon for him.
And you know, I would love to see George W. Bush do something similar, not quite going after Trump, but speaking about the importance of maintaining election integrity, and maintaining our democracy. but I don't think, I'll hold my breath on that one either.
CHURCH: Right. And Jess, as we've been mentioning, the microphones will be cut off while each candidate speaks for that first two minutes, so they're not interrupted, but that's not going to stop the other one hearing what's said.
I mean, if Donald Trump is talking on the stage there, Biden is going to hear him, and that may very well put him off. We saw moments of that in that first debate. What do you think is going to be the response to this? And does this improve the process?
MCINTOSH: I think it probably makes a more pleasant viewing experience for the audience at home. I can't imagine anybody watch the last debate and went away feeling good about the capable, steady hands that our country is being governed by and we won't have to hear as much of that this time.
I do feel for Joe Biden in all of this. I think Trump walks into these debates looking for ways to destabilize his opponent. We saw some of the absolutely depraved things that he tried with Hillary Clinton in 2016. So, I certainly would not put it above him to make use of the fact that the microphone is off, and that we won't be able to hear what he says, but his opponent will.
I think Joe Biden has a really strong closing argument, and I think that America is desperate to hear from a leader who wants to understand what they are going through, who cares about them, who has a plan for getting us out of the situation that we are currently finding ourselves stuck in.
So, I think as long as he stays focused on who he is talking to, Trump can play whatever mind games he wants, and he is going to get his message out.
CHURCH: And Tara, you get to the final word on all of this.
SETMAYER: Yes, I agree with Jess on that. I think that Joe Biden is in a very strong position to give his closing argument. We've already seen that in ads, and he is uniquely qualified to bring the country together, given his own life experience, his own personal losses, and what better time to have someone who can be someone who can empathize with the loss and the tragedy that's going on in this country, when we have 221,000 dead Americans, and that was preventable, and it's directly correlated to the failure of Donald Trump's leadership on COVID-19.
And Donald Trump, I think, is not having a great week, and the fact that President Obama is now out on the trail, someone that Donald Trump despises, on top of all the other things that are going on, I don't think that he is going to be able to contain himself, and all of a sudden have the magic presidential pivot that's never coming. So, strap in, folks because you never quite know what you are going to get from Donald Trump tomorrow night.
CHURCH: All right, Tara Setmayer and Jess McIntosh, thank you both for joining our panel.
MCINTOSH: Thank you.
CHURCH: I appreciate it.
SETMAYER: Thank you.
CHURCH: And be sure to tune in to CNN for the final presidential debate coverage starts this evening at 7 o'clock Eastern Time, which, of course, is Friday morning in much of the world. And you can also catch the replay on Friday at 8 in the morning in London, that's 11 a.m. in Abu Dhabi, and 3 in the afternoon in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials say they have evidence Iran and Russia are attempting to interfere in America's upcoming election. A live report from Moscow later this hour.
But first, the number of coronavirus cases on the rise in many parts of the world, including in Europe. A look at some restrictions in place to slow the spread. That's next. [03:15:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: A concerning rise in coronavirus cases across Europe and some countries are now looking to curfews to help curb the spread. France has just surpassed 1 million total COVID-19 cases. That's according to Johns Hopkins University. It's the 7th country to pass that mark. France is also dealing with the rise in ICU patients.
In Germany, the country's Center for Disease Control is just reporting a record high number of daily coronavirus cases. That number just shy of 11,300. And in Italy, a new curfew is set to begin at midnight on Saturday in the region of Lazio, where Rome is located.
And Ireland is responding strongly to its surge in cases, now over 50,000. It has just imposed the strictest lockdown measures in Europe. Ireland is now at level five or five, and is said to remain there for at least six weeks. It means people are encouraged to stay home unless they are essential workers and they can't have gatherings in homes or gardens, but schools will stay open.
Nic Robertson is in London. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Nic. So, this is the toughest lockdown in Europe. How is it going to work exactly and what's been the reaction so far?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, CNN was out on the streets in Dublin last night talking to young people mostly, around some of the bars and cafes that were still open late in the evening because it wasn't until midnight that the rules came in closing pubs and bars, only allowing them to do a take away service.
So, the mood was sort of a sense of frustration. Frustration because there is a recognition that, you know, the coronavirus infection rate is going up and something needs to be done. But is this the right thing? And is this sort of a cycle now that everyone is going to have to get used to? S sort of, you know, semi-normal life for a little while, then lockdown for a few weeks. And then back to something else again. All this sort of uncertainty.
One taxi driver CNN spoke to last night there in the center of Dublin said that business had been very quiet over in recent months, but he said last night he got a sense that there was sort of a last hurrah for some people. He said it was a busier evening with people going out to sort of take that last opportunity.
You know, the restrictions that are going to come in place, people will not be allowed to travel more than three miles or five kilometers from their homes. Even for exercise, unless of course you are an essential worker and you cannot work from home.
So the restrictions are going to be very tight and what the Taoiseach, the Prime Minister Micheal Martin told people was that when these restrictions come up on the 1st of December, at least that's the plan, six weeks from now, the hope will be that the infection rate is down and that people can have something of a more normal Christmas. [03:19:56]
But I think the sense in the country is, is that really going to work? We don't know. Is the government making the right decisions at the right times? Are they working quietly and confidently with their scientists, or are there differences between the scientists and the politicians? So, uncertainty is the big word here, I think.
CHURCH: Yes. Everyone is just stumbling around in the dark trying to work at how to deal with this right across the globe.
Nic Robertson, joining us live from London. Many thanks.
Well COVID-19 infections are on the rise across the United States, including in Ohio, which just reported its highest numbers of new cases since the beginning of the pandemic. And that's causing some states to impose new restrictions.
CNN's Brian Todd has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A 24-hour diner in Chicago prepares to shut down indoor dining for at least a couple of weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never thought something like this would happen, you know.
TODD: Illinois, one of several states experiencing rising cases and hospitalizations, and imposing new restrictions on gatherings in bars, restaurants and other businesses.
GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): There is no easy fix for the effects of this virus on our economy and on our public health. But we can, and we will manage through this. We are Midwestern tough here in Illinois.
TODD: It comes a state and local official scramble to contain spikes across the country. Washington State's governor says college students in his state are contributing to what he calls a raging spread of the virus. And he is imposing mask requirements, and a limit of 2 students per dorm room.
GOV. JAY INSLEE (D-WA): Today we have seen fully 35 outbreaks at colleges and universities, with more than 800 cases directly attributable to these congregate living and social gatherings associated with campuses.
TODD: At the University of Michigan, a stay in place order imposed due to heavy cases. More than half the states in the U.S. report a rise in new coronavirus cases. No states are trending downward. More than 60,000 new cases were reported in America yesterday alone, with hospitalizations at around 40,000, the highest in two months.
AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It's going to be up to local states, to different jurisdictions to try to create a patchwork of capacity to stop the virus because right now we simply don't have national leadership leaning in and helping us get past this.
TODD: And the CDC has just updated its definition of close contact with someone who has COVID. Instead of just saying 15 minutes within six feet there now also warning of cumulative exposure so several short contacts could also be considered exposure if it adds up to 15 minutes over 24 hours.
ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: It's been determined that individual who had series of shorter contacts, but overtime added up to more than 15 minutes became infected.
TODD: As marchers in the nation's capital push for a safe coronavirus vaccine, Brazilian health officials say a volunteer taking part in Brazil's trial of AstraZeneca's experimental vaccine trial has died. But the international committee reviewing vaccines recommends that the trial continues.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not clear at least initially when you hear these reports of deaths exactly what happened, or even if the person receives the vaccine or receive the placebo. When you are dealing with tens of thousands of people in these trials, I think the point that they're making is that sometimes the deaths can occur even in placebo groups in for reasons unrelated.
TODD: We should note that AstraZeneca's vaccine trial in the United States is on pause because of an unexplained illness of a volunteer. But there is no reason to believe at this moment that that incident and the death of a volunteer in Brazil are in anyway connected.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: With us now, Dr. Murtaza Akhter, an emergency physician at the Valleywise Health Medical Center and an assistant professor at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine in Phoenix. Always good to talk with you, doctor.
MURTAZA AKHTER, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, VALLEYWISE HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER: Great to be back. Thanks for having me, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So more than 221,000 U.S. COVID deaths, and not one state is trending in the right direction, but President Trump claims he wouldn't change much in the way he responded to the pandemic if he had his time over. What is your medical response to a leader saying that when this country represents 20 percent of the global death toll but less than 5 percent of the global population?
AKHTER: Yes. I would've done everything differently. Now I'm not surprised that President Trump has so much hubris, that's to say that he wouldn't change anything, that's very like him to say that even though he's clearly wrong on this.
Listen, there are many other countries who have done it the right way and we could have done at the right way as well. And I'm not saying the president is to be blamed for everything, but he clearly sent the wrong message multiple times on this pandemic, even though he often had answers that most people didn't have.
[03:24:58]
There is some clear things he could've done like advocating for masks more strongly, not advocating for opening of the economy while we're in the midst of a pandemic, and as you said, we are one of the worst countries, if not the worst, depending on how you look at it in the world, in terms of COVID cases and deaths per capita, and to say, you know, to be the worst country to say I wouldn't do anything differently.
That's like saying I wouldn't be the first president possible, I would continue that way, and I wouldn't change that, which is, I don't know why he would say something like that, but definitely medically, there are way better things we could've done.
CHURCH: And doctor, the CDC has redefined what constitutes close contact with a COVID patient. They now say it's considered high-risk if you are exposed for a cumulative or a total of 15 minutes, previously it was at least 15 minutes of continuous exposure. How significant is this?
AKHTER: Well, I think that everything in medicine, there is very few black and whites in medicine. Obviously close contact is bad, obviously longer exposure is bad. I've been saying that from the get- go. So, for the people who pass each other on the job, in the pathway, that's very short, and probably not a close contact.
For people who are in a room together, that's not well ventilated, even if they are 10 feet apart, but they've been in that room for an hour that's probably pretty bad. Now you can talk about 15-minute cut offs, or 20-minute cut offs, or 10-minute cut offs, but again, nothing in medicine is a binary, everything is in gray scale.
And so, I think, in general, that advice to take from this is avoid close contact with people in particular who isn't your family, distance as much as possible, and when you have to be by people, when you have to be by them, wear a mask. It's actually a simple fix, it's unbelievable that people certainly need to be told that.
CHURCH: Dr. Murtaza Akhter, thank you for talking with us.
AKHTER: Thanks for having me, Rosemary. Stay safe.
CHURCH: You too.
You are looking at pictures from Columbia where thousands of protesters have been taking part in a national strike against the government. There's been anger and frustration over issues ranging from the murder of dozens of activists, rising inequality and the government's response to COVID-19.
On Monday, a group marched on the capital demanding an audience with the president. They are still waiting.
Well coming up, a television station and other buildings burned in Nigeria's largest city a day after soldiers and police gunned down peaceful protesters. We'll explain the escalating crisis.
Plus, U.S. intelligence officials say Russia and Iran are interfering in the 2020 presidential election. Did someone say deja vu?
We're back in a moment.
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Iran and Russia have obtain U.S. voter registration information in an effort to interfere in America's upcoming election. That is according to U.S. Intelligence officials and the FBI. One example is an email sent to hundreds of voters, claiming to be from the far-right group proud boys, threatening recipients to vote for Trump or else.
Intelligence officials and Google say it originated in Iran. The Director of National Intelligence says any attempts to interfere in America's election won't be tolerated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN RATCLIFFE, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: We will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections. And we will continue to work with our many partners to disrupt and to impose costs and consequences on any adversary that attempts to interfere in our Democratic processes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And CNN's Frederik Pleitgen joins us now live from Moscow. Good to see, Fred. So, you of course have reported extensively from both Russia and Iran. What motivates the two nations to try to influence the outcome of U.S. elections? And what are they saying about these specific accusations of election interference?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Russia has long been accused by the United States, Rosemary, of trying to undermine the political process in the United States, and undermine confidence, also in U.S. institutions. That is something that the Russians have denied for a very long time.
We haven't heard from the Kremlin just yet as to these new allegations, and quite frankly also if you look at what the Director of National Intelligence was saying there in that press statement, there was a lot less substance on what they believe the Russians are currently doing, then with the accused the Iranians of doing at this point in time. We expect that maybe in an hour, maybe in an hour and a half, we might hear something from the Kremlin.
Then a lot more substance there as to what the U.S. is accusing Iran of in this -- at this point in time, with those emails that were allegedly sent out, those phony emails. The Iranians were very, very quick, Rosemary, this time with a response. The spokesperson for the Iranian mission to the United Stations -- United Nations, Alireza Miryousefi, he came out last night, and I just want to paraphrase some of what he said.
He obviously denied the allegation. He said, unlike the U.S., Iran does not interfere in other countries elections. The world has been witnessing U.S.'s own desperate public attempts to question the outcome of its own election at the highest level. Not so veiled saying they believe that President Trump and his administration have been undermining some of the confidence in the election, is what the Iranians seem to be saying there.
They later go on to say these accusations are nothing more than another scenario to undermine voter confidence, and are absurd. Iran has no interest in interfering in the U.S. Election, and no preference for the outcome. That's interesting, because that's also something that Iran's foreign minister has been asked in the past, which presidential candidate Iran would prefer. And the Iranians have been saying for quite a while that they have no preference.
They obviously though have been suffering a great deal under some of the policies of the Trump administration, the maximum pressure campaign, which has really put a strain to say the least on Iran's economy. And if we look back, it seems almost ages ago, but it was just last year in the beginning of this year, Iran and the United States, of course, at various occasions came very close to going to war with one another.
And so, certainly relations, if one could speak of those, between the Trump administration and the Iranians have been at rock-bottom for a very long time, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. Fred Pleitgen, many thanks. Joining us live from Moscow, I appreciate it.
Well, here in the United States, voters face two vastly different choices when it comes to the presidential candidate's stance on energy, and environmental issues. President Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax and pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, saying it killed American jobs. Democratic candidate Joe Biden has pledged two trillion dollars in spending for clean energy.
CNN's John Defterios joins us now from Abu Dhabi. John, good to see you, and of course, you know, the two U.S. presidential candidates are polar opposite positions on every issue don't they? When it comes to world energy though, the differences are stark. What did you find?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, here's the energy equation, Rosemary, according to Donald Trump. Put all your chips on oil and gas, deny the science around climate change, become numero uno or number one in oil and gas, compete against the major players here in the Middle East and even Russia.
For Joe Biden, it's embrace the science around climate change, support solar, wind, hydrogen, electric vehicles, put money on the table to change policies. I call it black versus green. Black gold versus green technology. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DEFTERIOS: During the Trump era, oil remained king. U.S. productions
surge to a record of nearly 13 million barrels a day, and the president wore it like a badge of honor.
[03:35:03]
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere on planet earth.
DEFTERIOS: This played well on the oil and gas states in America southwest, in the Rockies and as far north as Pennsylvania. In an industry supporting nearly 10 million jobs.
ROBIN MILLS, CEO, QAMAR ENERGY: That fits into this administration's world view, that were inclined to reduce regulations on the oil industry to partly to allow to reduce (inaudible) also to gather political support from it.
DEFTERIOS: The U.S. produce so much oil and gas, Trump was out to challenge Russia and Saudi Arabia overseas.
MILLS: The export of oil and gas has been seen as a tool, a geopolitical tool, even a weapon. This concept of energy dominance.
DEFTERIOS: That strategy of growth at all costs came crashing down when COVID-19 triggered an oil bust, taking down over 500 energy companies with nearly $300 billion of debt.
This year's wildfires on the West Coast and hurricanes hitting the Gulf of Mexico raised awareness of the growing threat of climate change.
JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 2020 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When Donald Trump thinks about climate change, he thinks hoax. When I think about it, I think jobs. Good, paying union jobs that put Americans to work.
DEFTERIOS: The former vice president has pledged to not shudder U.S. Shale. But the winds of change would blow in the direction of renewable energy.
A Biden presidency could accelerate what is known as the energy transition, away from fossil fuels. He's pledging $2 trillion to a green deal to speed up innovation and investment into clean energy.
Is this the election that defines the energy transmission?
Adnan Amin is the former Director General at the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi.
ADNAN AMIN, FORMER DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY, ABU DHABI: I've talked to him personally on a number of occasions about renewables. I know that he has a passion for this new technology, and the potential that it has, and the potential it has to create jobs and wealth in the United States. DEFTERIOS: So too does Wall Street, with money flowing into renewable
energy companies. In the last month, rising star Next Era topped the market cap of the once mighty oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil. And when it comes to international policy, Trump was proud to pull out of the Paris climate accord in 2017, saying it was a job killer. Biden has pledge to leap back in.
AMIN: I think there is a very important signal, when we are facing potentially catastrophic changes related to climate in the near future, that United States leadership in technology and the political sense in bringing other countries along, but mostly from my point of view, and inspiring others about what can be done is sorely needed today.
DEFTERIOS: A high stakes election that will also define the fate of fossil fuels and clean energy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEFTERIOS: And the world is watching very carefully, Rosemary. We've had the European Union, China, Japan. Japan in the last 24 hours, in fact, all announced policies after COVID-19 to accelerate the move to net zero in emissions, and carbon by 2050. And they are watching to see if America chooses that same path after November 3rd. It's a high stakes game, no doubt.
CHURCH: Yes. Great report there, John Defterios, joining us from Abu Dhabi.
DEFTERIOS: Thanks.
CHURCH: A month's long nationwide lockdown in India has failed to contain the coronavirus, but it has pushed the country's poor deeper into poverty, and that's led to more children being trafficked and forced into working in factories to help their families.
CNN's Ivan Watson has our report.
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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On the streets of Jaipur, India, one of the hidden costs of COVID-19 explodes. During this nighttime bust raid, authorities discovered 19 children, they say were being trafficked. Officials say it's repeating itself far more often since the virus took root here.
RAJENDRA KHANDELWAL, POLICE INSPECTOR, ANTI-TRAFFICKING UNIT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WATSON: Authorities say those children rescued during the pandemic, was young as 11 years old. Under Indian law, it is illegal for children under 14 to work. But the horribly economic toll of the pandemic is forcing many children and teens to take on what some times amounts to slave labor.
14-year-old (inaudible), is one of the children rescued during the raid. He says he, along with other boys, where lured away from their village by a much older man who gave families 500 rupees, the equivalent of 7 U.S. dollars, and promised them a holiday in Jaipur, about 800 miles from their home.
[03:40:11]
Others like this 15 year old Aman, seek no other choice but to sacrifice themselves for the good of their family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WATSON: At Bihar, already one of India's poorest states with a vast migrant population, sheered desperation, the key motivator for those like Aman, who volunteered themselves and those families with no job prospects and no government assistance, they see no other way to survive but to sell one of their children to feed the rest.
KHANDELWAL: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WATSON: 12 year old, Mujib (ph), one of the boys rescued in a raid on Bengal factory, says his parents sold him to the traffickers for 1,500 rupees, for $21. He says he was locked inside this dingy room for five months, and not allowed outside, working from morning until midnight each day, before he was given any food to eat to pay the debt his parents owed. And he says if he or the other children couldn't keep up with the demand, they would be beaten.
Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi say the childhood movement is one of many NGOs sounding the alarm about the rise of what amounts to childhood slavery since COVID-19 began. Satyarthi says his group alongside local authorities have rescued 900 trafficked children, about 70 traffickers arrested between April and August of this year.
KAILASH SATYARTHI, NOBEL LAUREATE: That was just to send a strong message to all the state governments, and the local governments that look, this is happening, and that is growing. So we cannot simply wait and watch.
WATSON: Authorities in Bihar have acknowledged that they are receiving more reports about child trafficking since the pandemic began, and in response, quote, have increased guidelines and advisories, but have not done any field checks due to COVID-19. But Satyarthi says calls from the government to create a tougher anti- trafficking laws have so far yielded few results on the ground. His message for leaders is bleak.
SATYARTHI: If you're not able to protect these children, we are not going to protect all the generations to come. Children have never faced such crisis. This is not simply the health crisis, or economy crisis. This is the crisis of justice. This is a crisis of humanity. This is a crisis of childhood.
WATSON: At the shelter, Mujib and Amman, are among more than a dozen rescued children waiting to go home, and while Mujib is anxious to get back, Amman is less than optimistic. With no end in sight to the economic crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, he will be returning to the very situation he gave up his youth to help his family escape.
Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, Nigeria's largest city is spiraling into chaos after soldiers and police open fire on peaceful protesters.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody sit down. Sit down.
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Coming up, we will get the latest on the violence and what has triggered the unrest in Africa's largest country.
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[03:45:00]
CHURCH: Two weeks of peaceful protest against police brutality are descending into violence in Nigeria's largest city. Buildings in Lagos was set alight Wednesday, including this television station and the city's high court. Police stations were also attacked. It came after witnesses say soldiers and police opened fire on peaceful protesters Tuesday night.
Amnesty International said at least 12 were killed. And soldiers took their bodies away. The military dismissed reports that protesters were shot dead as fake news. One protester described a man behind him with a flag stained with blood. He said we didn't think they would harm us while holding the flag.
CNN's Eleni Giokos is tracking this rapidly escalating crisis. She joins us now live from Johannesburg. Eleni, witnesses say police and soldiers shot and killed these peaceful protesters, but the military is calling this fake news which is exactly what protesters said they would do. What is the latest on this?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN MONEY AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. I mean, look, you have the military saying that they did not open fire. You had a Lagos State Governors saying that it is not within his authority to give orders to the military so there's no sense of accountability or responsibility for the use of live ammunition, and of course what eyewitnesses tell us in the visuals that we have seen where you had men in military uniform shooting into a crowd.
And that is what has created outrage. I was looking at some of the headlights from the main newspapers in Nigeria today, in the Vanguard total paralysis, as fires of furies gone Lagos. The Guardian newspaper of Nigeria outrage of the Lekki attacks and that's where you see smoke billowing from key landmarks. Not only in Lagos State, but actually in other states across the country. This is despite the fact that you actually do have a curfew currently
in place. We've also heard incredible comments from the Nigerian (inaudible) and key figures as well. I want you to take a listen to what Aisha Yesufu say. She's an activist from the Bring Back Out Girls Movement. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AISHA YESUFU, BRING BACK OUT GIRLS MOVEMENT: This is absolutely bad. We have a culture of impunity amongst our -- amongst the Nigerian police. And you know a situation where back (inaudible) they will waste you. They will kill you and what will happen to them (inaudible). The press would not be able to do anything.
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GIOKOS: In the meantime, Manchester United Odion Ighalo said that he is ashamed of this government. We heard from Hillary Clinton, from Joe Biden, from Dominic Raab as well. All voicing concern and calling an end to the violent and acts against protesters. But the Nigerians want to hear from the President Muhammadu Buhari where yesterday we only heard him call for an understanding and for calm in the country, but people want more.
The residents of Lekki that I have spoken to are traumatized. They were scared to leave their homes. We are fearing of chaos playing out in Lagos, and really the essence of the start of the protest action, Rosemary, two weeks ago was to fight against police brutality, to prosecute police and specific units that was harassing and kidnapping people. And of course these are that we constantly hearing. So, they want more. They want leadership. And of course right now, this is going to be a turning point in the protest action that we have seen in Nigeria.
CHURCH: Absolutely. And with the footage coming out of that. It's so horrifying. We can't air it. CNN's Eleni Giokos joining us live from Johannesburg. Many thanks.
Well, as Eleni mentioned, athletes around the world with links to Nigeria are using their influence to lend support and raise awareness of the events in Lagos. And CNN's world sport contributor Darren Lewis has that report.
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DARREN LEWIS, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Death, destruction, and despair. This was the scene in Lekki tollgate in Lagos this week, as protests against police brutality in Nigeria turned bloody.
[03:50:04]
Eyewitnesses have told CNN that soldiers opened fire directly on those demonstrators. The horror has sparked anger and anguish capturing global attention and criticism from Nigerian sports people. Manchester United's Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo was in no mood to celebrate the famous champion's league victory of the Paris Saint-Germain in Paris on Tuesday night. Instead, he took to Twitter to condemn the government of his home country. And to call for help from the international community.
ODION IGHALO, MANCHESTER UNITED'S NIGERIAN STRIKER: I am sad. I don't know where to start from. I'm not the kind of guy that talks about politics, but I cannot keep quiet anymore for what is going on back home in Nigeria. I want to say to the government, you guys are a shamed to the world for killing your own citizens, sending military to the streets to kill unarmed protesters, because they are protesting for their rights? It's uncalled for.
LEWIS: The demonstrators have taken part in daily protests around the country for nearly two weeks. The anger stemming from widespread claims of kidnapping, harassment and extortion by a police unit known as a special anti-robbery squad. And like Ighalo, other current and former stars are speaking out.
Two-time African player of the year (inaudible) said in a series of tweets, why? Why? Why? Stop killing our people. Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who plays for Lester in the English Premiere League sent out two tweets. The first calling for an end to police brutality. The second, showing a blood soaked Nigerian flag.
Britain's world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua who is at Nigerian heritage tweeted, the situation has escalated. The violence and killings are horrendous. All because of people saying that they want to live in peace. Earlier he had posted a message of support for the protesters.
ANTHONY JOSHUA, WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT BOCING CHAMPION: From London and far and wide. Your voices are definitely being heard. So keep on pushing, keep on striving. You have my support through and through. My ears and my eyes have been opened. I understand the issue you guys are facing.
LEWIS: Athletes with a personal connection to Nigeria are using their individual platforms to call for help in the face of police brutality in plain sight. These stars have huge global followings and having seen athlete activists in both the U.S. and the U.K. speaking out on social justice issues with greater effect. They are hoping that their activism will lead to lasting reform in Nigeria. Darren Lewis, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, new comments from the pope on same sex couples are sending waves through the religious community, and while some are praising the progressive pope, others say, he has made a big mistake.
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CHURCH: In a break with the past, Pope Francis has declared support for civil unions for same sex couples. But the churches prohibition of same sex marriage remains enforce. According to the catholic news agency, his comments are part of a new documentary examining the pope's work and views on other hot button issues. [03:55:19]
CNN's Delia Gallagher is following this story. She joins us now live from Rome. Good to see you, Delia. So, the pope is now supporting same sex unions. This of course will anger some Catholics. What will they say about this?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right Rosemary, we've already heard a bit of backlash because the pope's position on this is change from the position of his predecessor, John Paul the 2nd and Pope Benedict the 16th who were against the legalization of same sex unions.
Now the pope's comments came in the context of a film documentary which was just released yesterday here in Rome. Let's just take a look at exactly what the pope said in that film according to the catholic news agency. He said homosexual people have a right to be in a family. Their children of God and have a right to a family. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way, they are legally covered.
So, we have to say, Rosemary that the pope in the past has shown an openness to legalizing civil unions, but this is the first time as pope that he has come out directly in support of it. When he was archbishop in Buenos Aires, he actually argued for civil union over same sex marriage when Argentinian was discussing a same sex marriage law.
So, the pope in this past has made the distinction between providing legal protections for gay and lesbian couples verses a marriage, same sex marriage law. So that is one distinction that he has certainly made in the past, but nonetheless, as you say there have been many people who have welcomed these comments by the pope.
Equally, there are people certainly within the Catholic Church who say, wait a minute, this is a change from what the teaching has been so far. So, we will really have to wait and see, Rosemary. These were comments made in a film. The pope has not yet come out with some kind of official teaching from this. So, we will have to wait and see what happens from here. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. We will be watching. Delia Gallagher joining us live from Rome. Many thanks.
And thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment.
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