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Krebs Fired By Tweet For Saying Election Was Fair; Inside Iowa's Escalating COVID Crisis; Trump Legal Battle Loses Its Swagger; Transporting Vaccines By Air Right Up There As Top Logistical Challenge; Coronavirus Finds Rural Counties After Spread In Cities; Nigerian Army Calls Allegations "Fake News"; Three Former Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Lawmakers Arrested; Thousands of Troops to Withdraw from Afghanistan, Iraq; Facebook, Twitter Chiefs Grilled by U.S. Senators; Inside COVID Quarantine with Actor Wade Williams. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 18, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hello everyone, I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from studio seven at CNN's world headquarters, in Atlanta.
VAUSE: Ahead this hour. "You're fired," by tweet. Donald Trump takes his revenge on the senior official who corrected the one-term president declaring the 2020 election vote free -- the vote free, fair and without fraud.
COVID surge across the U.S. now hitting hardest those states which played personal freedoms ahead of the pandemic restrictions.
Plus a CNN exclusive. Our investigation into accusations at Nigeria's army that shot and killed peaceful protesters.
VAUSE: In these final days of his first and only term, it seems Donald Trump to reward the "yes" men and sycophants within his administration while punishing those who speak truth to power.
On Monday, Trump fired the senior official of Homeland Security who rejected the president's baseless claims of election fraud.
VAUSE: Chris Krebs's crime was to declare the 2020 election safe and secure and that no votes were deleted or compromised.
Trump still remains behind the closed doors of the White House still fuming over his bigly defeat.
More now from CNN's Alex Marquardt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT (On Camera): Chris Krebs might not be a name that most American voters know but he played perhaps the biggest role in terms of making sure that Americans could go to the polls and cast their votes safely and securely. MARQUARDT (Voice Over): As the head of the Department of Homeland
Security's cyber arm Krebs has been pushing back more and more aggressively in the days following the election against claims, lies, conspiracy theories by the president, his allies, his supporters, that the vote was rigged. That votes changed and were fraudulent and that voting machines were manipulated.
On that last count, on Tuesday, Krebs tweeted part of a letter from some top election security officials saying in part that these claims either -- "had been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent."
MARQUARDT (On Camera): But perhaps the biggest crime, in the president's eyes, that led to Krebs getting fired on Tuesday night by tweet, was a statement that his agency, known as CISA put out along with other federal, state and private election officials.
In which they said that the 2020 election in the United States was the most secure in American history.
MARQUARDT (Voice Over): They went on to say -- "There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."
After Krebs was fired, we learned that his number two, Matt Travis, also resigned after learning that he would not be taking over CISA after Krebs's termination.
MARQUARDT (On Camera): Krebs, for his part on his personal Twitter now, responded to his firing which was not entirely unexpected because of the pushback that he had been giving the president since the election.
MARQUARDT (Voice Over): Krebs writing -- "Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend today, secure tomorrow" -- MARQUARDT (On Camera): -- was Krebs's motto in the lead up to the 2020 election.
Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Donald Trump seems to be pinning his hopes of overturning his election loss to Joe Biden on the state of Pennsylvania and also his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
But Giuliani's appearance in a federal courtroom on Tuesday was long on theatrics, short on substance. And it's not clear if he will get the president what he wants; an as yet elusive legal victory.
Here's CNN's Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice Over): "Disgraceful, living in some fantasy world." That is how an attorney for election officials characterized the president's lawyer in a Pennsylvania court, as Rudy Giuliani claimed election irregularities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, ATTORNEY TO PRESIDENT DONALD Trump (On Camera): Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (Voice Over): Trump's man argued some of the same arguments that he raised in that ill-fated Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIULIANI (On Camera): I know this city has a sad history of voter fraud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (Voice Over): But when a judge asked Giuliani how he could possibly justify throwing out millions of votes, the former New York mayor dodged and just kept pushing his story.
And that is pretty much how it's going in Trump's quest for a legal solution to his lost election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (On Camera): There's tremendous litigation going on. And this in a case where they're trying to steal an election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (Voice Over): In hotly content Arizona, Team Trump has abandoned legal action now that it's clear it can't help him win there.
In Wisconsin, a recount would cost Trump almost $8 million up front and any hope for that appears to be dying.
In Michigan, an appeals court has rejected the president's claim of fraud for lack of proof.
[01:05:00]
Ever since the vote, Trump has howled that the election was rigged, ballots were altered, signatures not checked and voting machines full of glitches. But he has produced no evidence for any of that.
His Department of Homeland Security says this election was -- "the most secure in American history."
And long time lawyer for Republican election interests, Ben Ginsberg says looking over the cases the utter lack of proof is just part of the problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN GINSBERG, REPUBLICAN ELECTION LAWYER (On Camera): Whether or not there are any valid charges in what the Trump team has filed, what is clear from the pleadings is that there are not enough votes in question to change the outcome of the election in any of the states they're trying to contest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN (On Camera): What happened to Giuliani was by some accounts humiliating and to many a sure sign that the president's desperate legal bid for victory is coming to a painful, final and failed conclusion. With Joe Biden still the winner.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Harry Litman is a former U.S. attorney now the host of the "Talking Feds" podcast. He's with us from Lahoya in California. It's been a while, Harry. Good to have you with us.
HARRY LITMAN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Thanks, John. Good to be here.
VAUSE: It's almost difficult to rank the egregious actions of this soon-to-be former president but firing the guy who told the truth and declared the emperor has no clothes has to be up somewhere at the top, right, at least in terms of actions since he lost the election?
LITMAN: Well, I think so -- certainly this week. But it's true because on the one hand it's in the service of this perfectly Orwellian claim he keeps making and it's almost like he has to do it in order to substantiate the claim.
But it's also -- this is a guy who really deserves garlands and victory laps. There were things we were genuinely afraid of in terms of foreign interference, possible violence at the polls, utter chaos.
And it was by all accounts, all objective accounts, the smoothest election ever. And so he merely told the truth and that was enough to get him sacked.
He knew it was coming. There was a kind of one upmanship that I think he actually played well where he came shortly after being fired onto his personal Twitter and said we did the right thing and glad to go forward. The second in command was also fired.
Trump just goes further up river every day. But every time he has to go to court where you actually have to provide some substantiation he gets his head handed to him. They're now 1 and 25 and going nowhere fast.
And they're, in fact, not able to even make certain claims because it would wind up producing sanctions against the lawyers.
So that's the only kind of hold on reality that the Trump Team now has.
VAUSE: You touched on this. Krebs was the director of cybersecurity --
LITMAN: Right.
VAUSE: -- at Homeland Security. I had never seen the department's rumor control website which had been very effective, very quick to debunk disinformation and rumors during the election.
And you mentioned last week, he told -- there was a Reuters report out there that he was telling colleagues that he was about to be fired. So he knew it was coming.
But is Krebs about the only official, the only Republican official to leave this administration with a better reputation than he went in with?
LITMAN: Well, we'll see where things stand in a month or six months or whatever. I think, in general, I think of maybe Alexander Vindman or the true -- or Fiona Hill, the true principled resignations.
I think that history will acquit them very well. And even others with more colorable records I think will still be doing fine.
At the end of the day, my sense -- I second what Adam Schiff said, that history will not be very kind to Trump.
And that means the people that he really unfairly sacked will be restored to their reputations by and large.
But this is a pristine example. He did -- he not only told the truth, he told the truth about doing something splendid for the country and it's in the service of everyone. Except Donald Trump's fictional account that he wants to adhere to.
Obviously, that will serve him well going forward. Chris Krebs has a future.
VAUSE: Yes. OK. Well, Trump's campaign lawyers, they continue these lawsuits, you mentioned this.
It seems that it's all about Pennsylvania. There's another ongoing lawsuit there.
Here's the state attorney general, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH SHAPIRO, ATTORNEY GENERAL, PENNSYLVANIA (On Camera): Right now, they've got this last-ditch effort in federal court here in Pennsylvania on a relatively narrow issue.
And I will tell you that there is no merit for their claims, there's nothing on fraud, there's nothing on illegal votes. They don't even have standing to bring these claims sort of Law School 101. (END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:10:00]
VAUSE: Overall would you say Team Trump lead by Rudy, it's this game that couldn't sue straight. And aren't there consequences for bringing frivolous lawsuits?
LITMAN: Well, that's the question. Because certainly as to your first point, yes, definitely.
It's hard to remember any kind of sustained litigation with this -- 1 in 25, they would normally kick you out of the league.
But the fact that they've had to -- what Josh Shapiro just said is correct. They've had to tack to a different theory because if they tried to advance a theory that would change the election, it would be so patently false, they could be sanctioned.
But now having retreated to this modest theory, it can't possibly change the election and will be dismissed for that reason alone. So it's simply down to P.R.
They have previously -- and Giuliani today, made some assertions that could, in fact, get lawyers in hot water. And you've heard that some lawyers are now -- this is his third set of lawyers in Pennsylvania, Giuliana the fourth.
They want to run away from this because among other things they're forced to take positions that bring them into professional disrepute. The whole legal enterprise has been a debacle.
And it has nothing to do with what he has tried to do which is stop the certifications. It's simply for him to have that talking point that you heard -- well, there's a lot of litigation going on.
VAUSE: I remember when progressives and liberals were the snowflakes and needed to be handled delicately. I guess things have changed.
Harry, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.
LITMAN: Likewise. Good to see you, John.
VAUSE: Coming up. Mask mandates and nighttime curfews.
U.S. states turn to tougher COVID restrictions as infection rates are set to soar to record heights. But will it be enough to ease pressure on health care systems?
Also, a logistic nightmare. Airlines face a daunting task of delivering possible COVID-19 vaccines.
We'll tell you about their preparations when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: From New York to California, tougher coronavirus restrictions are being ramped up to try and contain a runaway surge of infections.
Over the past week, the United States has averaged more than 155,000 new cases every day. By far the worst stretch since the pandemic began.
At least a dozen states are now facing stricter containment measures which range from mask mandates to nighttime curfews.
State governors are calling for everyone to follow the guidelines and mandates, no matter how tough they may seem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R-W.VA.) (On Camera): I need you to quit believing in any way that somebody's going to come and take your guns or it's constitutional or whatever it may be. Who cares about all of that, right at this moment?
[01:15:00]
Right at this moment, all we need to do is try to some way break the chain of this killer that's eating us alive.
We need to stop listening to this noise out of people that just want to take your money to buy their campaign rhetoric or want to absolutely just be relevant [ph] silly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Iowa has also just implemented a mask mandate after initially resisting calls for tougher restrictions.
Over the past two weeks though, hospital admissions have more than doubled across the state, rising to the fourth highest rate in the country.
CNN's Miguel Marquez reports health care workers are now being pushed to their limits.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice Over): Butch Hansen, 84 years old, diagnosed with COVID-19 last week.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We're going to get a CAT scan of your chest. You've got some junk in your chest. So you've probably got a little pneumonia but I want to make sure you don't have a blood clot in your long.
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): Today he's back in the emergency room.
Why did you come in today?
BUTCH HANSEN, DIAGNOSED WITH COVID-19: I had a rough with that phlegm last night. That's all I did, cough up that phlegm.
I (inaudible) that well, it's either the COVID or something else. They have to find out what it is.
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): Hansen, a retired farmer, says he's been careful.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Open your mouth. Say, "ah."
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): But may have picked it up from a family member.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: There's going to be a short poke here. OK?
HANSEN: That's fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): Regional Health Services of Howard County in Cresco, Iowa, it's the hospital, the ambulance service, the public health department and hospice care for the entire county.
The 19-bed facility moves most of its sickest patients to larger hospitals. With Iowa, the Midwest and the country all seeing a sharp increase in cases and patients, finding an available bed in a larger facility not so easy these days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOHN KAMMERER, REGIONAL HEALTH SERVICES OF HOWARD COUNTY (On Camera): The biggest concern in the last week is when we call and ask for them to help take care of our patients who are maybe sicker than we're used to taking care of, they don't have beds for us.
And so that's where the strain really comes on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): Over the last month, hospitalizations across Iowa have skyrocketed. Under 500 COVID patients hospitalized in mid- October, now nearly 1,400 Iowans hospitalized with COVID-19.
And if there is a surge with nowhere to send critically ill patients?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: So this is the "In case of emergency, open this." Pretty much, pretty much.
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): How many more people could you surge up to with everything in here?
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We have the capability of adding up to 50 beds. My hope is to never have to open this trailer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): Today the entire health care system here pushed to its limits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
What is COVID doing to places like Howard County and Cresco right now?
CHAD RASMUSSEN, NURSE PRACTITIONER (On Camera): It's starting to stress us out. We have limited resources.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): In the first month of the pandemic here Howard County saw 13 coronavirus cases. Over the last month, there were 411.
With holidays around the corner, the fear? It's going to get a lot worse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ (Voice Over): With Thanksgiving coming up, how concerned are you with what you're going to see around Christmas?
RASMUSSEN (On Camera): I have a feeling it's going to be out of control. I really worry about health care in general around Christmas.
Because if everybody gets together on Thanksgiving, has all their big gatherings, within two weeks, they will start to see the outbreak start.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ (On Camera): And this is the (inaudible) that towns, big and small, across Iowa, the, Midwest and across the country are facing.
The system is essentially filling up. There are fewer and fewer places that hospitals in Cresco, Iowa can send patients to.
They're facing the real possibility that, at some point, people may be dying in their homes, in the parking lot waiting for health care.
One good note in all of this. The gentleman that was in this story at the top, Mr. Hansen, he went home. They think he will be A-OK.
They make them tough in Iowa.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Dr. Joel Wells is the chairman of the Board of Health in Wayne County, Iowa which is the county with the state's second highest number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
Dr. Wells, thanks for being with us.
DR. JOEL WELLS, CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF HEALTH, WAYNE COUNTY, IOWA: You're welcome. Thank you.
VAUSE: I should add, as a state, Iowa has the third highest rate of COVID-19 spread in the country.
And that's according to the White House, the task force report as the its == spread is exponential and unyielding.
How do you explain what's happening in Iowa right now?
WELLS: I think part of it is we're a very rural state. When coronavirus hit, we were fortunately spared a little bit so i think we were lulled into a false sense of security.
We're a very rural county in Iowa so we're an hour and-a-half from any urban population center.
[01:20:00]
However, the coronavirus finally did find a lot of these rural counties in the state itself.
And I think we failed to take all the measures that we could have to prevent our escalation up the ladder as to the number of cases per capita.
VAUSE: The state governor has announced a series of measure to try and slow the spread. She stopped short of a ban on in-person service in bars and restaurants, instead she imposed a 10:00 pm.
There's also limits on social and community gatherings but that doesn't include religious services, for example.
Finally though, she did order a statewide mask mandate, if but reluctantly. Listen to this, here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV KIM REYNOLDS (R-IOWA) (On Camera): No one wants to do this, I don't want to do this.
If Iowans don't buy into this, we lose. Businesses will close once again, more schools will be forced to go online. And our health care system will fail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's good that the governor is taking action but it does seem in many ways it's kind of too little, too late.
Would this crisis have been different if she acted faster and more aggressively?
WELLS: I think we always could've done better with this from the very start, we could've taken this more seriously. But I don't believe the answer's to look back and talk about what if we did this or would have, could have.
I still think there's a future for us to do better. And our local board of health has tried to boil this down into fundamentals . Socially distance, everybody do it. Hand hygiene, normal precautions, everybody do it. And universal mask wearing, 100 percent participation.
We are literally trying to change everybody's behavior so that we get 100 percent unification throughout the populs to do this. That that is the way forward.
VAUSE: Once again, though, doctors and nurses -- not just here in the United States but around the world -- are being asked to go above and beyond.
They've already done it once or twice in some places, now it's their third time. And many are already struggling.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEAH DANIELS, NURSE, NEURO TRAUMA INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (On Camera): Our morale is low, our nurses need each other more than anything right now. Our strength comes from our coworkers. But when we come home -- we are seeing things that no one else is seeing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: How much more difficult is this crisis knowing a lot of people are just denying the seriousness of the pandemic? And how much worse will this get before you see some relief?
WELLS: For us, I know there's going to be a peak at some point and it is in the future. So it's going to get worse. I think there'll be a point where it can only get so bad.
And I sympathize with all of our health care workers. This this is the single most challenging medical problem I've ever faced in my career and I know we're not done with it.
So there are a lot of good professionals, though, and they'll do the best they can for as long as they can. And you can count on that from your health care workers.
VAUSE: We wish you and all of them the very best of luck. And thank you for what you're doing, sir.
Dr. Joel Wells, appreciate it.
WELLS: Thank you.
VAUSE: Throughout the world, many countries which once believed the virus was under control are now facing outbreaks or COVID clusters.
The Australian state of South Australia has announced a new six-day lockdown starting midnight Thursday local time.
The move is described as a circuit breaker after a small outbreak in the suburb of the state capital, Adelaide. Only essential services like supermarkets and medical facilities will remain open. And only one person will be allowed to leave each home, once a day for specific reasons.
In Germany, state leaders have managed to force a delay in new lockdown measures until next week.
A defeat of sorts for Chancellor Angela Merkel who went on to urge the country to work together to bring the virus under control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (Through Translator, On Camera): Infection numbers aren't growing exponentially anymore but are still far too high. So we have to reduce contacts, reduce contacts, reduce contacts.
I am fully aware that the measures to restrict all contacts are and remain a burden, a democratic burden. And they are among the toughest decisions I have made in office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: While several vaccine candidates are showing promise, they do come with a transportation hurdle, to say the least.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen takes a look at how Germany's national Lufthansa, is preparing to deliver this lifesaving cargo safely and quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SNR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (Voice Over): While the world's passenger airlines face an uncertain future, because of COVID-19, freight airlines like Lufthansa Cargo are gearing up for a huge operation to try to help end the pandemic.
PLEITGEN (On Camera): In the coming months and years, airlines like Lufthansa Cargo face the daunting challenge of having to transport billions of doses of vaccine around the world.
As a rule of thumb, they say, the colder a vaccine needs to be stored, the more difficult it is to ship it.
[01:25:00]
PLEITGEN (Voice Over): Several vaccine makers believe they'll be able to apply for an emergency use authorization for their candidate soon.
But Pfizer's vaccine, for instance, needs to be stored at around minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 70 degrees Celsius, requiring complicated cooling.
Lufthansa says its pharma logistics hubs are equipped to handle ultra- cold medical cargo using special containers like these packed with dry ice.
Still keeping them cold enough isn't easy. As the head of the pharma hub says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARIN KRESTAN, HEAD, LUFTHANSA CARGO HUB (On Camera): The temperature minus 70 degree is really a challenge because we have to use dry ice in the bunker. We for sure need dry ice within the compartment.
So we need more dry ice -- we need to have another dry ice concentration on board the aircraft.
So these are all things that we have to consider.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (Voice Over): Another issue. The dry ice emits a lot of CO2 gas. That can be dangerous for flight crews inside the plane so each cargo flight can only carry a limited amount of containers holding dry ice.
The challenges are immense but the airline says it's been building capacities and consulting with vaccine makers and thinks it's ready to start delivering vials as soon as a candidate gets regulatory approval.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER GERBER, CEO, LUFTHANSA CARGO (On Camera): Of course, this is a special situation. But given what we have done during the last month, with all this masks [ph], with all the flexibility with all of the things we had to produce and to perform on very, very short notice our team, I believe, is ready for this challenge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (Voice Over): A massive logistical challenge. As the world not only waits for a vaccine to be certified but also to be delivered fast and in large amounts.
Fred Pleitgen. CNN, Frankfurt, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM . In Nigeria, accusations the army used live fire on protestors. An allegation the army denies.
In a moment, a CNN exclusive investigation into what happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:29:39]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause. Well, in Nigeria, thousands have been protesting against police brutality as part of a largely peaceful movement called NSARS (ph). But on October 20, the army and police allegedly opened fire on unarmed demonstrators.
Nigerian authorities denied the allegations. But a CNN investigation has reviewed hours of videotape, and heard from dozens of witnesses.
And as Nima Elbagir reports, the denials are not true.
We warn you that -- warn our viewers might find some of the content in her report disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Nigerian government denies this happened. A peaceful protest turned deadly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The police came. We are peaceful. They came and start shooting outdoors.
ELBAGIR: CNN investigated the events at Lekki toll gate, the night of October 20th in Lagos, Nigeria. After analyzing hours of footage we are going to tell a story that is radically different than the one the authorities are telling.
This is Gotsen (ph) he was one of the demonstrators having fun livestreaming the event. He, like many others gathered in peaceful demonstration of discontent.
After weeks of protest against what they called systemic police brutality and corruption. What Gotsen and the protesters did not know is that the army is already on its way.
This is Bonny Camp a military garrison on the south side of Lagos. We know through analyzing footage they left at 6:29 p.m., heading towards Lekki toll gate. We can see here the Nigerian government forces approaching. The protesters are gathered on the other side of the gate.
As Nigerian forces get closer, you can see shots. At 6:43 p.m., we start hearing gunfire. We know this from the time stamp and data on this video. Here's another angle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're using fire. They're releasing fire.
ELBAGIR: Nigerian authorities say they fired blanks into the air and not at protesters.
But CNN obtained video that appears to show the army shooting towards the crowd. Here and at the top of your screen here.
In the midst of a chaotic scene, it (INAUDIBLE) switch. A Nigerian celebrity and activist, she is broad casting live on Instagram.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted people to see what was happening. I didn't want anybody to come and twist the story.
ELBAGIR: Witnesses tell CNN ambulances were stopped from entering by Nigerian authorities. You can see here, people at the scene, trying to conduct CPR.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please explain to me how it is part of the world do you go to a protest with live bullets?
Everybody look at this. These are the bullets that were falling. That were falling by our side. We are dodging bullets.
ELBAGIR: CNN has verified that these bullet casings are from a live ammunition. They are of mixed origin, some are Serbian. This one from 2005.
(on camera) Nigerian military sources verified to us that these ammunitions that are currently in use by Nigeria's army. And in collaboration with the Balkan investigative reporting network, we were also able to procure a Serbian export documents proving that Nigeria purchased weaponry from Serbia for almost every year between 2005 and 2016.
F1 (voice over): The shooting continued past midnight. Eyewitnesses tell us it wasn't just the army. At this point they say police arrived and opened fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My hand is broken. My leg is broken. The police are still shooting at us. If I don't make it through the night, let it be known that I died fighting our freedom.
ELBAGIR: So, why we're live rounds used peaceful protest? Many family members of those still missing are asking that question. As they hunt for answers or the bodies of their loved ones.
Elijah's brother, Victor, was at the protest that night.
ELIJAH: Someone picked up my brother's phone and called me. I see that my brother -- is that I'm our brother Victor Sunday, is among those who died, who were shot, at Lekki toll gate. And I entered into the hospital and I searched. I did not see him.
We are trying. We are trying our best. Just to find him. But there's no way to find him.
ELBAGIR: What we're about to show you is incredibly graphic, but it's also incredibly important. This is Elijah's brother, Victor. The data in this footage shows it was filmed at 1:04 a.m. at Lekki toll gate.
Elijah says he received a call about his brother's death around this time. This places Victor exactly at the location of the protest, on the night witnesses say they were shot at.
[01:34:58]
ELBAGIR: This is important because Nigerian authorities deny anyone was killed at the scene. Since this incident, CNN has contacted over 100 protesters and family members.
We asked what they hide.
And felt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was shot and the bullet went through my back.
ELBAGIR: Many are in hiding. Some have fled the country. CNN tried to share these findings with the Nigerian army, but received no response. Lagos state authorities would not comment on our reporting until they said a judicial panel of inquiry presents its findings.
The wait for answers here continues.
Nima Elbagir, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The Nigerian army has called the allegations fake news on Twitter. CNN has repeatedly reached out for comment but has not heard back.
But a Nigerian army general testified before a judicial tribunal saying, "There is no way officers and men will kill their brothers and sisters. I repeat, no way. We have those who constantly seek to drive a wedge between us and between the citizens in Nigeria.
Well, now to Hong Kong and another blow from Beijing to the beleaguered political opposition. Three former pro-democracy policy makers have been arrested for protesting over the proposed Chinese national anthem bill earlier this year.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout, live for us in Hong Kong with the details.
So first come the expulsions if you like, from the legislative body, and now come the arrests.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is very much an ever- changing city here in Hong Kong SAR with news that the three former opposition lawmakers here in Hong Kong in the early hours of this morning, were arrested for protest actions they did back in May and June. The three are Ted Hui, Raymond Chan and Eddie Chu.
They were not arrested under the new controversial national security law but for contempt and for potentially causing harm to others when they attempted to disrupt the passage of a national anthem bill, again back in May and June.
They had poured this foul smelling fertilizer into the chamber of legislative council to sort of block the passage of the law. The law passed anyway, making it a crime to mark or insult China's national anthem here in the territory.
Now, news of their arrests first emerged this morning from their official Facebook pages, on the official Facebook page of Ted Hui, his assistant posted video where we see the Hong Kong police entering his home in the early hours of this morning, before 7:00 a.m. And reading aloud the reasons why he was being arrested.
Now Ted Hui was one of the last remaining opposition lawmakers who resigned en masse last week to protest the immediate disqualification of four opposition lawmakers earlier in the week as a result of that resolution passed by Beijing.
This is a critical moment for Hong Kong. The pressure is on the opposition. Their voices have been silenced on the streets and in the legislature. The economy is weak. Chinese control, mainland Chinese control of the territory is getting stronger and stronger.
There were very interesting remarks made on Tuesday, which was the 30th anniversary of the Basic Laws, the mini constitution here in Hong Kong where we heard the top Chinese officials say that patriotism is a legal requirement here in Hong Kong.
I want you to see, just a transcript of what Jian Zemin (ph) said on Tuesday. Jiang Zemin is the deputy director of the State Council of Hong Kong in the (INAUDIBLE) office. He said, quote, "Those who love the country and Hong Kong govern Hong Kong. Those who oppose China and disrupt Hong Kong are out."
This is a political rule under one country two systems and it has now become a legal requirement.
So John, this is a top down declaration to Hong Kong. Patriotism above all, patriotism first.
Back to you.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout there with that live report. Appreciate that.
Now, Hurricane Iota has killed at least six people in Nicaragua, caused extensive devastation in its path. Tens of thousands are in government shelters. Iota has been downgraded but it's still causing catastrophic flash floods as it moves through Honduras leaving a kind of trail of uprooted trees, destroyed or damaged homes and roads that are under water.
Forecasters expect this storm to weaken and dissipate as it nears El Salvador on Wednesday.
Well Republicans and Democrats rarely see eye to eye on anything these days but social network chiefs came under fire from both sides on Tuesday. And we'll tell you why.
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VAUSE: The U.S. will withdraw thousands more troops from Afghanistan and Iraq by January, just days before President-Elect Biden is sworn in. After the withdrawal about 2,500 troops will remain in each country. President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper last week, after Esper and his team pushed back on the withdrawal from Afghanistan while militant violence continues.
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller announced the drawdown on Tuesday.
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CHRISTOPHER MILLER, ACTING DEFENSE SECRETARY: This is consistent with our established plans and strategic objectives supported by the American people and does not equate to a change in U.S. policy or objectives.
Moreover, this decision by the president is based on continuous engagement with his national security cabinet over the past several months.
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VAUSE: The former head of the NATO mission in Afghanistan told CNN's Jake Tapper, in very empathic terms, the troop draw down is a serious mistake.
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ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS, FORMER NATO ALLIED SUPREME COMMANDER: It's astoundingly foolish from a military strategic, diplomatic and political perspective. And, by the way, Jake, let's keep it in perspective, you know these numbers. But when I commanded that mission, it was 150,000 troops. It's now down to 5,000 U.S. troops and 5000 allied troops.
It's a tiny amount, but it creates leverage, and it allows the Afghan security forces to put pressure on the Taliban militarily. That's what's brought them to the bargaining table.
We've got a terrific ambassador, (INAUDIBLE), you know him well, who is capable, I think, of landing this deal.
But if we precipitously pull our troops out, with the theory that hey let's bring them home by Christmas, or at least at this point, cut them by 50 percent, you crater those negotiations. So it's a military mistake, and a diplomatic mistake.
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VAUSE: The chief executives of Twitter and Facebook found themselves between a rock and a hard place in Washington, Tuesday or better described as between Republican and Democratic senators, all upset but for different reasons.
Democrats were concerned about the spread of misinformation on social media. While Republicans made accusations of censoring conservative views. Both Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey admitted, their companies had made mistakes, but they defended their policies.
Here's one notable exchange between Dorsey and Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
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SENATOR TED CRUZ (R-TX): Mr. Dorsey, does voter fraud exist?
JACK DORSEY, CEO, TWITTER: I don't know for certain.
CRUZ: Are you an expert in voter fraud?
DORSEY: No, I'm not.
CRUZ: Well, why even is Twitter right now putting reported warnings on virtually any statement about voter fraud?
DORSEY: We're simply linking to a broader conversation so that people have more information.
CRUZ: No you're not. You put up a page that says, quote, "voter fraud of any kind is exceedingly rare in the United States".
DORSEY: The link is pointing to a broader conversation where tweets from publishers and people all around the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Let's go to CNN's John Defterios in Abu Dhabi for more on this. So John, you know, this showdown between Cruz and Dorsey was guaranteed to produce fireworks. Cruz has long had it in for Twitter. His staff produced a poster for a class that made it look like a boxing match.
So, apart from pleasing alternatives, and satisfying their needs to beat up on Jack Dorsey, did this hearing actually achieve anything?
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JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I think it's going to lead to something else in the next presidential leadership, John, to be quite frank. We see a case now where social media companies are getting squeezed as you suggest in your lead-in there between Republicans and Democrats.
But let's cover Ted Cruz, the Republican senator. He, he we know is a big supporter of Donald Trump. And he's suggesting that social media companies are censoring the content of the president.
We know that Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and his, team have been much more aggressive over the last 30 days about voter fraud itself. So every time the president does tweet and say I want a recount, and there's been voter fraud, they are just sticking with the facts and labeling saying this doesn't match what the evidence is out in the market today. But this goes much deeper, for the Republicans on that senate committee. They are pointing back to a "New York Post" article, that accused Hunter Biden of misdealings (ph) in eastern Europe, as you know, serving as a board member in Ukraine, accusations that have said that the Biden campaign did not agree with.
So, at the time, Facebook and Twitter pulled down the continent. So the next wave of this is not just about censorship, they are suggesting that Silicon Valley has and an anti conservative bias, and they are trying to block that. And doing so by putting it under against the Republican Party in general, which of course, plays in the narrative that the president has right now asking for the vote recount.
This is Ted Cruz at his best in terms of trying to attack the West Coast, if you will.
VAUSE: Yes. So it's a big issue though with the social media companies not held to account for content that is on their platform which is actually protected by U.S. law.
DEFTERIOS: Yes, I think it's interesting. If you take a step back, there is some common ground between the Republicans and the Democrats. You don't hear this in the early stages of the debate, right now. these social media companies, John, as you know, are protected under Section 230 of the Communications Act. They are not treated as newspaper publishers or digital platform producers of content or for that matter like broadcasters. Right.
There's a legal measure in place to take account for what is going out on the airwaves or in print. That does not apply to the social media companies.
Joe Biden has suggested he would like to, basically, abolish section 230 and hold these social media companies to account.
The Democrats, particularly in the House said they want to reform it to say they do need to be legislated in the meantime or in the future.
Now, the other reality is John, there is three billion users on these platforms not limited only to the United States. And as we say in the United States, this horse has left the barn. It's going to be difficult to corral them.
I think there is an argument to be made here, that the content moderation, by the social media companies that Silicon Valley, they have to do a better job, they to step up. There are making a fortune. Are they the reinvesting to manage it on the platform? It could lead to reforms and a common ground between the Republicans and the Democrats.
VAUSE: I'll give you another saying -- that dog don't hunt.
We'll see what happens. John -- good to see you. John Defterios.
VAUSE: John, Good to see. John Defterios in Abu Dhabi. DEFTERIOS: Take care.
VAUSE: Well, quarantining in New Zealand, not the typical role for actor, Wade Williams. But he is starring in that right now. How is that all going. Well hear from here.
We will hear from him, up next. From quarantine
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VAUSE: New Zealand has been a success story in controlling the spread of the coronavirus, acting quickly and decisively. It's now reporting about 2000 infections for the entire year.
By now, less than 60 active cases.
Character actor Wade Williams is starting in his own reality show if you like. He is documenting his time in quarantine in New Zealand.
Williams has been a constant presence in movies and television for decades. Withdrawals -- in TV shows like "Prison Break" and movie critics spanning from Erin Brockovich to the Dark Night Rises.
And here he is right now. in quarantine.
WILLIAMS: I feel good. I'm eating good. I hope you're good. Thank you for your help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No problem, thank you for your time.
WILLIAMS: That's my health check. And get one of those everyday actually sometimes guys date. They'll take my temperature. It has I get one of those every day, we take my temperature, which has to be less than 38 degrees Celsius, which is normal in Celsius.
Anyway, so far so good.
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VAUSE: He was in New Zealand reshooting scenes for a new Netflix series, when he was exposed to the coronavirus. Just over 24 hours after that, his time in isolation began, and Wade Williams joins us now with from what might be his last few days in quarantine somewhere on the north island.
Wade, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.
WADE WILLIAMS, ACTOR: Hey, how are you?
VAUSE: I'm good. You're good too, right?
WILLIAMS: Yes, thank goodness. I tested negative, I had two, three actually three tests, you know, swab test, and I tested negative three times. And I tested negative two days ago, I have to wait 48 hours after my last negative test to be able to get released from this great quarantine situation here in New Zealand.
VAUSE: Now you have been documenting your stay there are in quarantine. I want to play a clip from a few days ago, before they took that swab.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: It's going to be all right everybody, don't worry. Like I said, either I got it or didn't from my massage. We'll see. Like I said, I got my other -- my second swab done yesterday, so I should know if I'm negative today for that one.
Then I have another one on the 12th day I'm in and if that's negative, I have to wait 48 hours with no symptoms, and they will let me do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, right now, what there's just two symptom free days between you and freedom, right?
WILLIAMS: That's right, it's actually about 24 hours. I'm supposed to get out tomorrow, at 4 pm. If I don't have any symptoms. And they always call, and run them all down, you know,. Do you have this, that, the other thing.
There's about 10 they go through. So thank goodness I've been able to say no I don't have it so far.
VAUSE: Now what seems incredible, is how quickly the contact trace is managed to actually track you down and identify you were someone exposed to COVID-19.
So in broad brush strokes, walk us through what happened? How does this all work?
WILLIAMS: Well, when I first came here, I was educated by the New Zealand government in a very kind of short little class about how to use their app which is you get it on your phone, and it takes -- it scans the deals where you go, whatever store, you scan in your coupon, same deal. But it says when you go in, you scan the yellow warning, and when you leave you scan the orange one.
So you know -- they know when you've been somewhere, and who's been there with you, right. And they know when you left, and when they left. So the cool thing is and it's all confidential, so you know and they know pretty quickly, whether there's been somebody there with you that had tested positive for COVID or had symptoms of COVID and tested positive.
And I had gone, I have been doing this piece of work here, and I had to like do some stunts where I three myself on the ground about 10 times, and I just died falling backwards. Anyway, I was a little sore. So I went to a nice spa and then had a massage.
And I just have to lay on the massage table with my face in that little hole. That somebody who had tested positive for COVID had just been in. Right before I went in.
[01:54:51]
WILLIAMS: Now, even though they clean the table, and they changed the sheets, and they, you know, clean the room, and wore masks, and the temperatures, they were concerned that I might get it.
So that was on a Thursday afternoon. And I started getting calls on Saturday morning. I finally figured out kind of what it was. I called back and by the, I don't know, the end of that day, or the next morning I was in quarantine for 14 days. And I'm happy to do it, to be honest with you.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: here's a little more. I want to play a little more from the clip from your time in quarantine. How you spent your day. Take a look at this.
WILLIAMS: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: I just want you to real all the messages, on the asphalt here. Here's one of my favorite. COVID does suck.
24th day in quarantine and counting.
At least the food's good, I can vouch for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Overall, how would you describe the way you've been treated there in New Zealand by the health authorities?
WILLIAMS: Well you know they've been wonderful to me. The words I would use is respect and loving kindness. They have really done a good job with this. When the virus came out, this pandemic, they're are an island nation which I don't think actually makes a difference the way they do it. I think anybody could do this if they just would ask people in New Zealand how they did it.
They had all of these empty hotel rooms, and they didn't have any quarantine facilities, because who did at that time? And that hotels were empty. Nobody was making any money, the staff was only laid off, and they came up with this great idea to create the quarantine facilities in these hotels. And they are like four or five star hotels. So they've employed all the chefs and the hotel workers, the people that clean rooms, the concierges, the people that book reservations and they treat us as guests.
We do have to follow the PPE rules, you know. You have to wear a mask, I'm in my room now so I don't have to. But if I go out there, I have a little station where I have my PPE, and I put it on. And I follow the rules.
And I stay, you know, two meters away from everyone. And everyone is really great. And you know it's, interesting, when you're in a kind of tough situation together, like we all are with this virus, you know. People are all together.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: It is a good to finish on. We are out of time. But thank you very much for this.
It's a great example of how a system should work. So thanks for your time, Wade. And best of luck on getting out.
WILLIAMS: Thank you so much. My pleasure.
VAUSE: Take care. Thank you, Wade.
And I'm John Vause. Thank you for watching. I'll be back with a lot more news on CNN NEWSROOM after a very short break.
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