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House Committee Votes to Hold Steve Bannon in Contempt; Biden Meets with Lawmakers, Discusses Economic Package; Brazil Senate Panel Pushing for Charges Against Bolsonaro; U.N. Security Council to Discuss North Korea Launch; Gang Demands $17 Million Ransom for Missionaries; Flooding Kills at Least 73 in India and 25 in Nepal; India to Pay Compensation to Next of Kin for COVID Victims. Aired 4- 4:30a ET

Aired October 20, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and right the world. I'm Isa Soares in London, and just ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Bannon will comply with our investigation or he will face the consequences.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's blatant contempt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This committee means business and nobody is above the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Bannon in contempt, the committee investigating the January 6th insurrection votes in favor of prosecution for Trump aide Steve Bannon.

Bolsonaro under fire, Brazil's president will be accused in the coming hours of crimes against humanity over his handling of the pandemic.

And battle over climate. U.S. Democrats debate on how much to spend on climate change, but some Americans are still choosing coal as a clean energy.

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Isa Soares.

SOARES: Hello everyone, it is Wednesday, October 20th. And we begin this hour with a milestone in the Congressional investigation of the January 6th insurrection. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Schiff?

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Aye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Aguilar? REP. PETE AGUILAR (D-CA): Aye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Aguilar, aye.

Mrs. Murphy.

REP. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-FL): Aye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, with that, the House Select Committee unanimously, as you heard there, holding Donald Trump's close ally Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress. The full house will vote Thursday on referring the charges to the Justice Department. Trump has urged his former aide to reject requests from the committee and Bannon has claimed executive privilege. The committee emphatically rejected that argument.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS): For folks watching at home this evening, I want you to think about something. What would happen to you if you did what Mr. Bannon is doing? If you were a material witness in a criminal prosecution, or some other lawsuit, it's a shame that Mr. Bannon has put us in this position, but we will take no for an answer. No one in this country no matter how wealthy or how powerful is above the law. We won't be deterred, we won't be distract and we won't be delayed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, a person found liable for contempt of Congress could face a fine and one year in prison but the process is rarely used. This pressure appears to be designed to send a message to others under subpoena. Ryan Nobles reports on what's ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The House Select Committee designed to investigate the January 6th insurrection has formally reported out a criminal contempt referral against Steve Bannon. The Trump ally who has a podcast, a host, a conservative provocateur, encouraged people to come to Washington on January 6th, inciting what he called a revolution in the days leading up to that event.

The committee holding a 30-minute meeting on Tuesday night where they voted 9-0, a unanimous vote to refer out this criminal contempt claim. And it was pretty revealing, what they talked about in their prepared remarks, the chairman, Bennie Thompson, and of course, the Vice Chair, Liz Cheney. Cheney even revealing a bit of their strategy. Why they are so interested in what Steve Bannon was doing in the days leading up to January 6th.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): Mr. Bannon's and Mr. Trump's privilege arguments do however appear to reveal one thing. They suggest that President Trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of January 6th. And this committee will get to the bottom of that.

NOBLES: Now this begins a legislative process here on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, the House has scheduled a vote to report out this referral to the Department of Justice. It should pass without a problem. It will then be in the hands of the Attorney General Merrick Garland to begin the prosecution phase of this. At the end of this, this is all about the committee trying to get this information from Steve Bannon. They also hoping to send a message to the other individuals, they would like to cooperate with the committee, they aren't messing around, they will do whatever it takes to get the information.

Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, of the 11 people the committee has subpoenaed, Bannon is the only one to defy the call to testify.

[04:05:00]

Members of committee explain the importance of hearing from him to reconstruct the days leading up to January 6th and to send a message the committee intends to enforce the rule of law. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. ELAINE LUNA (D-VA): We have to hear from the people who were closest to the former president at the time of January 6th and we're familiar with his thinking and can understand, like Ms. Cheney said, things that we know very publicly from public statements that the president, the former president was aware of these things going on around him, and you know made comments himself and failed to take action himself to tell people to stop and go home.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): It's blatant contempt of the Congress. We had a subpoena for him to turn over all of his documents on the 7th, and then to come and testify on the 14th, and he literally just blew us off. You know, very few Americans would do that, the vast majority of folks we've subpoenaed or approached have come in to testify. Very few would think in such a sneering and derisive and contemptuous way of a governmental process like that but he did. And it's a crime in the district of Columbia, punishable up to 12 months of jail time.

If he is found guilty, of course, he has every right to due process. But if he's found guilty of what I think he's blatantly guilty of, then the prosecutor makes a recommendation and there are certain sentencing guidelines and precedents and so on that the court will look like. And look, the point is not to make him suffer, the point is to get people to testify.

REP. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-FL): We are trying to lay out a set of facts around the run-up to and the day of January 6th. So that we can prevent this from ever happening again. Our democracy is at stake in this moment, when if people believe that it is OK to try to overturn a free and fair election through the use of political violence, then our democracy is at real risk. And so that is a very clear mission. And it has been passed by the House of Representatives, so we do have the legislative cover for what it is that we're doing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Well, meantime, Trump's legal team is asking a federal court in Washington to stop the National Archives from turning over White House records to the Select Committee. Now the lawyers are asking for a hearing within 21 days on Trump's lawsuit over documents from his presidency. More than 45 records that Trump wants to keep confidential are set to be turned over on November 12th unless a judge intervenes. The Biden administration has declined to protect the documents through executive privilege.

Now U.S. President Joe Biden heads to a plant in Pennsylvania later today as he looks to push for support for his economic agenda. The White House says he will focus on explaining how it would help working class Americans. And that comes of course one day after met with lawmakers including moderates and progressives in his party in an continuing effort to close a deal on a sweeping spending package.

And one source says Mr. Biden discussed the possible top line price of $1.9 trillion, a figure closer to what Senator Joe Manchin has had in mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): We're communicating and negotiating, OK. That's what it is all about. That's what the process is about, and we are having good conversations. We're talking to everybody and all of the players and everybody, we understand each other's position and the talks are very, very good.

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): We all feel still even more optimistic about getting to an agreement on a really transformational bill that will fundamentally lift people up with the priorities that the progressive caucus had laid out five months ago. At the end of the day, the idea that we can do these programs, a multitude of programs, and actually get them going, so that they deliver immediate transformational benefits to people is what we're focused on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Also, Mr. Biden told Democrats the final bill is likely to exclude tuition-free community college which was a priority for the White House.

And be sure to tune in on Thursday, President Biden will join Anderson Cooper for a CNN Town Hall where he'll take questions about his economic agenda. You can catch it right here at 8:00 p.m. in New York, 8:00 a.m. Friday in Hong Kong, only on CNN.

Well meanwhile, Washington is also trying to unclog the supply chain backlog with hundreds of ships waiting in ports to offload their cargo. Right now, there's not enough truck drivers to deliver the goods. The American Trucking Association says the industry is short of 80,000 drivers. A 30 percent spike from before the pandemic. If President Biden's infrastructure bill pass, it would expand the call of potential cross-country truckers to people as young as 18 lowering the age a bit from 21.

[04:10:00]

Now the U.S. oil bench mark, WTI, hit a seven year high on Tuesday with the fourth consecutive trading day in a row stoking inflation fears of course. And Brent Crude, as you can see there, climbed over $85, its first close above that mark since 2018 --October, 2018 to be precise. Both have fallen slightly since then. Americans are also paying more at pumps than the last seven years as gas prices surge more than 5 percent in September. We will keep on top of that for you.

Now, COVID booster doses may be available to Americans as young as 40 soon. A source tells CNN U.S. health officials are likely to recommend lowering the age for Pfizer and Moderna boosters. This comes amid growing concern over hospitalizations among fully vaccinated younger people. Boosters are already available for those over 65. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say more than 10 million people have already received a booster shot. The CDC also says the daily pace of new vaccinations has ticked up above 250,000 for the first time in a week.

Well, here in the U.K., health officials are urging the government to reimpose COVID restrictions to avoid a winter crisis. The National Health Service Confederation says mandatory face coverings in crowded places should be reinstated immediately. As they say, the health care system could be overwhelmed. It comes as new daily infections and deaths are rising sharply. The British government says it's closely monitoring the surge.

Now, in the coming hours, a Brazilian Senate panel will present their report on President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and will call for criminal charges. In a draft report, the panel blames his policies for the deaths of more than 300,000 Brazilian, about half of the country's total death toll. The Senators initially called for charges of mass murder but not long ago dialed that back. Stephano Pozzebon has all the details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Isa, just late last night, the Senators behind the investigation into President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic decided to drop the recommendations for charges of mass murder and genocide against the president due to lack of consensus. Bolsonaro will still have to answer allegations for crimes against humanity, inciting to commit crime, and charlatanism over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this is according to an explosive draft report that was leaked to CNN by a representative of the Brazilian Senate's pandemic inquiry, CPI. These reports blames directly on Jair Bolsonaro's policy for the death of more than 300,000 Brazilians or roughly 50 percent of the death toll of the coronavirus in the country and we know that Brazil currently has the second highest coronavirus death toll in the word. And even though right now there is widespread skepticism in Brazil on

whether these reports will lead to an effective charge against the president, given that the Brazil Attorney General in charge of any eventual investigation into Bolsonaro's actions is a close ally of Bolsonaro himself. The report will forever a strong stain on Bolsonaro's legacy, just as the president is preparing for an electoral campaign in search of a second presidential mandate next year. Isa, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Thank you very much, Stefano, and that report will be presented in the coming of five hours or so.

Now the U.N. Security Council will meet today to discuss North Korea's latest ballistic missile test. Pyongyang says the submarine launched missile, a new design with advantaged guidance technology. Pictures from state media show, there as you can see there, a smaller missile than previously designed. The White House is urging North Korea to refrain from further provocation but says the U.S. is open to diplomacy with Pyongyang.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live this hour for us in Seoul. And Paula, when you and I spoke this time yesterday in fact you said something that really stood out to me. You said it's not the quantity but the quality of the missiles that are being launched. What does this latest missile tell us? And what concerns does the U.S. and its allies have here -- Paula?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, what this shows is that North Korea is pushing its weapons capability forward. There's no doubt about that. And this is what the concern that the U.S. and those in the region have. The fact that they are counting weapons tests, of weapons they haven't used before, it appears at least. What we're hearing from North Korea, for this particular one on Tuesday, it is a submarine launch ballistic missile which they have launched before but this one does appears different. They also claim that it was fired from a submarine.

[04:15:00]

Now they also claimed that about five years ago, but experts doubted that that was the case in the past. They had fired them from underwater platforms, or barges, to make it easier, so certainly, if this was fired from a submarine, that is a significant move forward in their capabilities. Very difficult to know for sure though from those images that North Korea has shared.

But what we've seen over the past couple of month, Isa, is they are testing new weapons. We have seen or at least North Korea has said they have tested a hypersonic missile, some long-range cruise missiles, also antiaircraft weapons, the sorts of weaponry that they have been showcasing and unveiling in recent military parades. And that's really the key there. What they show at these military parades, experts and intelligence agencies know, eventually they will want to test to make sure that they work. To show the world that they have that capability, and of course, to give them leverage when and if they start to talk to South Korea, and the United States, in any constructive way in the future.

So, this is the concern at this point, that North Korea is not necessarily doing as many missile launches, as it did in 2017, for example, but the quality and the caliber of these missile launches is higher. It shows that they are testing new capabilities and they are moving their ability further forward -- Isa.

SOARES: Paula Hancocks, thanks very much, Paula.

Now a gang in Haiti seeking millions to free the group of missionaries they're holding captive. The latest on what officials are saying about the negotiations. Will have that next.

Plus, the Indian government is offering compensation to the families of every COVID victim in the country. But for many, getting that money won't be easy. We'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:00]

SOARES: Now, families and victims of the 2018 school mass shooting in Parkland, Florida have reached a $25 million settlement with the Broward County School District. An attorney for the families says the money will be given to 52 victims including the families of the 17 students and staff who were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The lawsuit accused the school district of negligence but the district admits no wrongdoing as part of the settlement. It comes Nikolas Cruz, the alleged shooter, is expected to plead guilty later today, according to his attorney. Prosecutors have said they want to seek the death penalty.

Now, America's top diplomat says the Biden administration is, quote, relentlessly focused on the kidnapping of 17 missionaries in Haiti, most of whom are Americans. That message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken comes as the FBI is helping with the negotiations after the gang holding the group demanded a $17 million ransom. CNN's Matt Rivers has more now from Port-au-Prince.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to the justice minister that I spoke to during the day on Tuesday, negotiations are ongoing between the gang "400 Mawazo," are responsible authorities say, for the kidnapping of the 17 missionaries and the group the missionaries were here working for, Christian Aid Ministry. Negotiations for their release are ongoing with the gang demanding at least at this point $1 million per person, as a ransom. Of course, that would total up to a $17 million total ask.

We're told that FBI agents are on the ground here, from the United States, they are sifting that ministry and its leadership along with Haitian negotiators, and the police force here, to help assist, but they are not directly communicating with the gang. It is in fact the ministry itself that is doing the communicating with the advice being given from these law enforcement entities.

We are told several calls have taken place between the kidnappers and this ministry group since this abduction took place on Saturday afternoon. The justice minister also telling us that it is likely that these hostages are being held somewhere outside of the gang's main area of control, which is a suburb of Port-au-Prince called Croix-des- Bouquets. They're likely being held in a location outside of that area, it's something that the justice minister says this gang often does, even moving hostages around from time to time, it has been known to happen.

Interestingly, the justice minister says it has been communicated to this gang that there will be severe consequences for the gang if any harm is to come on these kidnapping victims. He said that has not swayed this gang, however, and they are sticking to their demands. A source in haiti security forces tells us that at least as far as they know, the kidnapping victims are in good health at the moment. They seem to have not have suffered too bad physical effects from this kidnapping. But of course, that's something they're monitoring very closely. That source also adding that in the conversations between the gang and the ministry group, the gang, representatives from that gang appear calm.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Now, Japan is raising the alert level on the main southern island Kumamoto, after a volcanic eruption from Mount Aso. The blast spewed volcanic ash 3,500 meters or 11,000 feet into the sky -- as you can see there. There are no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is asking people to take precautions and follow the latest guidance from the government.

Meanwhile, Geologists say there is no way to predict how much longer the volcano in La Palma in the Canary Islands will keep erupting. It's been spewing molten lava for over a month now covering nearly 800 hectares or 200 acres and destroying about 2,000 buildings. No one has been killed by the volcano, but thousands of people have been forced from their homes.

[04:25:00]

Devastating flooding has killed at least 73 people in India, and 25 in Nepal in recent days, army helicopters are helping with rescues and evacuations in Northern India, while a Hindu pilgrimage has been temporarily halted due to of course the extreme weather. Dramatic images show military personnel forming a human chain to help people through the raging flood waters. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the latest for you -- Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, good morning, Isa. We saw the flooding earlier in the week across the state of Kerala, that was to the south. Now back into northern India, where tremendous amounts of rainfall in just a matter of 24 hours here have set the stage for another round of deadly flooding that unfortunately is taking shape across parts of northern and eastern India. And we know this is the tail end of the monsoon season. We know typically in late October, into November, we see the regression of the monsoon, the withdrawal of the monsoon, but pushed farther toward the south.

But the soil here has been so saturated that any additional rainfall we get leads to flooding and any time you're talking about the rainfall that is three, four, even 500 millimeters worth of rains coming down, in just 24 hours, that is going to be devastating. And really by comparison, you look at some of these numbers, say a major cities across western Europe, take London for example, well known for its rainy conditions, they see a little over 600 millimeters of rainfall every year. But here you can see them with rainfall amounts that are exceeding 540 millimeters in 24 hours. Literally almost a London's year worth of rainfall in just one day.

And the incredible stark contrast between what's happening on western India where drier air is locked in place, or the eastern India with the moisture content through the roof here. We've got tropical moisture coming in, the monsoonal moisture also lying in place, and you can take a look, here are the hash lines kind of showing you when we expect the monsoons to withdraw out of this region. And typically, where we should be by the latter portion of October is across southern India and we're getting there. But you'll notice where the current position is, and it is locked in from just north of Kerala all the way towards northeastern India, where we've seen some of the heaviest rainfall.

Isa, this is how it looks like in this northern region. We do expect some good news. We do expect some rainfall to be reduced at least in the forecast. Maybe kind of improved entirely by the time we get to Friday afternoon. But notice the south now begins to see more rains pick up from Wednesday into Thursday. So, conditions kind of reversing a little and working their way toward the south -- Isa.

SOARES: Thanks very much, Pedram.

Now the Indian government is planning to pay about $670 in compensation to the closest relatives of every coronavirus victim. That's a total of more than $300 million, based on the country's current death toll. But the paperwork required to get the compensation could result in many families losing out on the money. CNN's Vedika Sud joins me now live from New Delhi. Vedika, talk us through what families are being saying. Do they feel this is going far enough?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Good to be with you, Isa. Well, it's definitely a step in the right direction. We've spoken to some family members who were keen to avail of the compensation but they remain divided. Some are too hurt to even apply. They don't want the money. Some others that we spoke to are in desperate need for this money. They've lost the sole bread winner in their family and this money, though debatable whether it's enough to sustain the family through its financial problems, could go for a month or two, keeping them in place in their homes without making them homeless.

But the bigger question here is, is this going to be a logistical nightmare despite the government assuring that families will not lose out on this compensation, if they don't have a COVID-19 certificate. There will be a grievance committee set up in districts for them to contest their eligibility if they're told that they are not eligible for this payout.

But here's the problem. According to the U.S. based Center for Global Development, at least the excess deaths that India has seen over the last one and a half years through the pandemic could be ten times higher than the official death toll. Those are staggering numbers if true. These of course have been denied by the Indian government repeatedly here in the country.

But for those families who claim that their loved ones died of COVID and they don't have documents to prove it, this could be both an emotional and a logistical nightmare. The Indian government is setting up these committees in all districts. But a lot of families say that they're not aware of the guidelines, and this despite the top board that is monitoring the entire compensation program and then approving it earlier this month, stating that all states that will be rolling out this compensation have to make sure that everyone who is entitled to this payout knows about the system, knows about the policy and the guidelines. According to experts, Isa, the process has to be less complicated and more empathetic -- Isa.

Vedika Sud, do keep us posted on any developments. Thank you very much. Vedika, good to see you.

And coming up right here on the show, the relationship between Donald Trump and Steve Bannon and what role it might have played in the insurrection. We'll have that for you.

Plus, Moscow's launching new restrictions after a surge COVID deaths in among seniors in the city. We'll have a live report next.