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World Leaders Prepare to Convene in Rome, Glasgow; Biden to Deliver Address at COP26 in Glasgow; International Pressure Mounts on Sudan's Coup Leaders; Trump Endorses Brazilian President; Civil Trial of "Unite the Right" Organizers Gets Underway; Delta Air Lines and TSA Test Facial Recognition Technology. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired October 28, 2021 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff said the gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie "Rust" had a suspected live round. The shot killed crew member Halyna Hutchins and injured the film's director. It could be weeks before investigators decide on criminal charges.
And in the coming hours, President Biden is expected to leave for his second foreign trip, but first he will make a last-minute stop at Capitol Hill to really lobby Democrats to strike a deal on his economic agenda.
Well, after that, the president will meet with G20 leaders in-person for the first time in more than two years, and he has a busy schedule. Have a look at this. The president is expected to meet with Pope Francis on Friday. The G20 summit will be held over the weekend. And then on Sunday he heads to Glasgow for the U.N.'s COP26 climate summit. We get the very latest from CNN's Arlette Saenz at the White House.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden is set to depart for his second foreign trip Thursday as his domestic agenda hangs in the balance. Democrats are still scrambling to come together on with deal with the president's signature economic agenda. The president is expected to travel up to Capitol Hill to talk with House Democrats about both that bipartisan infrastructure proposal and the larger spending package.
This comes as the president is preparing to go on a six-day trip overseas, starting with a stop in Rome, Italy, where he will meet with Pope Francis. Biden is the second Catholic to serve as president, and someone who takes his Catholic faith very seriously, attending mass, and often wearing his son's -- late son's rosery beads on his hand. So, this will have a visit, a very personal significance, when President Biden sits down with Pope Francis. The president while in Rome will also attend the G20 summit where a
host of issues are expected to be on the agenda, from the economy to COVID-19 and also that withdrawal from Afghanistan. After that G20 summit in Rome, the president will then head to Scotland where he will participate in a major climate summit.
The president in his private meetings here in Washington had urged lawmakers to pass and come to some type of agreement when it comes to his climate provisions, hoping that he would have something to sell as he is also asking these world leaders to make commitments when it comes to combatting climate change. That will be the final end for the president's trip as he is also trying also reassert America's position on the world stage.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Of course, we'll have much more on the president's trip in about 30 minutes or so on "EARLY START."
Now the leader of Sudan's military takeover are now facing growing pressure from across the globe and growing calls at home for civil disobedience. Now protesters took to the streets again on Wednesday to oppose the unfolding coup. Seven international envoys met with Sudan's Prime Minister. Pressure also coming from the African Union which suspended Sudan's membership. And the World Bank has now paused it's investments for all operations.
CNN's Larry Madowo is following developments and joins me now live from Nairobi. And Larry, good morning to you. I mean, the pressure, not just clearly from those protests as we have been seeing in the streets, but also from the U.S., World Bank and now the African Union. Is any of this pressure, Larry, making a dent on the army chief's strategy here, if there is a strategy?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Isa. It's too early to tell if this will make a dent, but the army has had to deal with protests before. Back in 2019, it is popular protests that led to the ouster of Omar al-Bashir from power after 30 years. And when the military tried to stay longer after that, again, the protests that led to the military having to share power with a civilian government that they dissolved Monday and grabbed power back to themselves.
There is sustained international pressure. Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, have spoken twice with leaders in Sudan and he's called again and again for a return to the transitional government, release of the several ministers, civilian ministers who are still in custody, and a return to the Democratic aspirations of Sudanese people.
The African Union has suspended Sudan. The World Bank is suspending aid that they badly need. The U.S. suspended about $700 million of aid that was part of midwifing this Democratic transition. These are all important steps. But the big thing, Isa, is going to be on Saturday because this is all
leading up to another major protest that they're planning in Sudan and around the country to pressure the military leaders to make sure that they are going back to what the protesters have been demanding since 2019, an election in 2023, and a return to normalcy, to civilian rule. And we don't know if the military will do that. It's hard to tell.
[04:35:00]
Because General Burhan, the military leader now of Sudan, met with the U.S. envoy for the Horn of Africa just hours before this coup happened, and they went against everything they promised the U.S., everything they promised the envoys. So, we're not sure if this time it will make much of a difference.
SOARES: Well, we know you'll be keeping an eye on those protests on Saturday for us. Larry Madowo in Nairobi. Thanks very much, Larry.
Now Brazil's Senate commission has officially recommended criminal charges for President Jair Bolsonaro for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. President Bolsonaro is asking the Supreme Court to intervene claiming the commission doesn't have the authority to investigate him. And there is no support for Mr. Bolsonaro coming from his counterpart in Venezuela. In a televised speech, president Nicolas Maduro called Bolsonaro an idiot over his baseless claims COVID-19 vaccines could increase the risk of AIDS. Mr. Maduro has decided the vaccines are product of science, that are protecting as well as saving lives. He said president Bolsonaro's remarks were, quote, something stupid, typical of someone from the right. Discredited and not loved by his people. Those were Maduro's words.
Well, President Bolsonaro's approval rating is at the lowest point since he took office in 2019. But he's getting a vote of confidence from a former leader who shares his political outlook.
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SOARES (voice-over): He's been dubbed the Trump of the tropics, and with less than a year until the Brazilian election, President Jair Bolsonaro is getting a reelection boost from the man himself.
In a statement, former U.S. President, Donald Trump, calls him a great president who will never let the people of his great country down.
Trump's show of support coming just hours after a Brazilian Senate committee recommended that Bolsonaro face nine charges, including crimes against humanity for his mishandling of the pandemic, which has claimed more than 600,000 lives. Only the United States has lost more lives.
The explosive report accuses Bolsonaro of intentionally allowing COVID-19 to spread throughout Brazil in an effort to reach herd immunity. It also claims he delayed vaccine distribution in Brazil by ignoring at least 72 e-mails from Pfizer. Bolsonaro has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, blaming his opponents and leftist groups. JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): They label me as genocidal, a charlatan, document forger, and exterminator. It's absurd what these guys have done.
SOARES (voice-over): Throughout the pandemic, Bolsonaro has repeatedly dismissed the severity of COVID-19, calling it a gripezinha, just a little cold, and spreading misinformation about the virus.
Just last week, he claimed on a Facebook livestream that COVID vaccines could cause AIDS. Facebook finally removing the misleading video, almost a week later.
But with growing anger on the streets and plummeting approval ratings, Bolsonaro has increasingly looked to the American right for inspiration.
DONALD TRUMP JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP: Do you go the path of socialism? Or do you remain steadfast and strong for freedom?
SOARES (voice-over): Just a few months ago, the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, an American import, joined in, hoping to revive Jair Bolsonaro's dwindling base. Taking a page from the Trump playbook --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bolsonaro will win, unless it's stolen by -- guess what, the machines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The machines.
SOARES: Bolsonaro has been sowing doubt on the integrity of Brazil's entire electronic voting system, calling for printed ballots to supplement electronically cast votes.
BOLSONARO (through translator): You don't have proof that there is fraud, but there's also no proof that there isn't.
SOARES (voice-over): As the calls for his impeachment grow louder, and the threat of criminal prosecution loom large, Bolsonaro continues to fight for political survival, echoing the words of his U.S. ally and role model, Donald Trump, and threatening not to hand over the presidency next year, if there's a suspicion of fraud.
BOLSONARO (through translator): I have three alternatives for my future, being arrested, killed, or victory.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES (on camera): Now, the report by the Brazilian Senate recommending criminal charges will be handed over to the Attorney General. But many really aren't sure that anything will come of it. Attorney General Augusto Aras was appointed by the president and is seen as an ally as well as supporter of President Bolsonaro. The report however is denting his popularity. Less than a year until the election, Bolsonaro's popularity is at the lowest ever, in fact. Only 22 percent of Brazilians believe he's been good or great. That is according to a poll. We'll keep on top of that story for you. Now four years ago white nationalist descended on the city in Virginia and chaos erupted. Now a jury will decide if the organizers should be punished. We'll have a preview of the Charlottesville trial. That is next. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
[04:40:00]
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SOARES: Now we are just a few hours away from opening statements in the civil trial in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a far-right demonstration four years ago -- if you remember -- turned deadly. The jury will decide whether the organizers of the Unite the Right rally will be held responsible and whether they conspired to commit racially motivated violence. CNN's Brian Todd has the story for you.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A horrific weekend of violence, which further exposed America's racial divisions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is our town now!
TODD (voice-over): Now, people injured at the infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, are seeking justice. The jury is now chosen, setting the stage for a civil trial to begin Thursday, targeting the organizers of the 2017 gathering for white supremacists.
The claim? That they knowingly planned for violence and should be held liable.
With its Nazi slogans, like blood and soil, a torchlight march the night before and vicious battles in the streets, the rally shocked America with its brazen racism and anti-Semitism.
MARCHERS: Jews will not replace us!
TODD (voice-over): And the equivocation from then-President Trump poured fuel on the controversy, seemingly legitimizing the alt-right, white supremacists, and white nationalism in America.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: You had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides.
TODD (voice-over): Dozens were injured in street brawls. The violence culminated with a white nationalist, James Fields, plowing his car into a crowd of counter-protestors. One of them, 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer was killed. Several others were injured. One of the nine plaintiffs is Liz Sines, who says Field's car almost hit her.
LIZ SINES, PLAINTIFF AGAINST "UNITE THE RIGHT" ORGANIZERS: I will never forget watching them attack my fellow students or the feeling of running for my life.
TODD (voice-over): Another plaintiff is Natalie Romero, the lawsuit says she was hit by Fields's car, causing a skull fracture and a concussion.
[04:45:00]
And Marcus Martin seen here in mid-air who said his leg was broken and he couldn't work for nine months. The lawsuit says social media posts and imagery by organizers suggested violence. Discussions in their chat rooms of bringing guns, quote, cracking skulls, even running over protestors.
AMY SPITALNICK, INTEGRITY FIRST FOR AMERICA: The lawsuit is replete with example after example after example of how these defendants and their co-conspirators intended to commit violence. Comments like next stop Charlottesville. Final stop Auschwitz.
TODD (voice-over): But the defendants who include some of America's most notorious white supremacists have several potential arguments against liability. That free speech is protected, that they are not responsible for the actions of others. And that the police failed to keep order. To win a court judgment under the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, the plaintiffs have to prove there was a conspiracy to engage in racially motivated violence.
MICAH SCHWARTZMAN, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF LAW: It's a demanding standard but there is an enormous amount of evidence. The plaintiffs are going to put on quite lengthy case with lots of testimony and lots of evidence, especially from online discussions that anticipated the Unite the Right rally.
TODD: The plaintiffs say one of their goals is to bankrupt white nationalist organizations and members, even before the trial began, at least one defendant claimed he was financially crippled. Richard Spencer, a white nationalist alt-right leader who is representing himself in this case without a lawyer.
Brian Todd, CNN, Charlottesville, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Brian Todd for that report there.
And still ahead right here on the show, what if new technology could let you skip all the lines at the airport and breeze your way to the gate? Wouldn't that be nice? All you have to do is lower your mask.
Plus, Chris Evans goes into infinity and beyond in a teaser for his upcoming animated role. And Twitter fans just can't contain their excitement. More on that after the break.
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[04:50:00]
SOARES: Now, the Houston Astros have evened up at the World Series, at one game apiece. Let's get right to the action in the second inning. As you can see there, an infield hit by Jose Siri for a 1-1 tie. The runs for Houston just kept on coming. Another hit and a costly defensive mistake by the Braves gave the Astros two more runs in the inning. Houston scored early and often after losing the Series opener. The Astros Jose Altuve is now tied for the second most home runs in postseason history after this shot in the seventh inning. Final score, Astros 7, Braves 2. The best of seven series moves to Atlanta for the next three games and this weekend.
Now American Airlines says a passenger assaulted a flight attendant Wednesday forcing a New York to California flight to be diverted to Denver, where the attacker was taken into custody. The airline says violence against its employees is not tolerated and the perpetrator won't be allowed to fly an American Airlines ever again. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says so far this year, there have been nearly 5,000 reports of unruly passengers with nearly 3,500 of those cases involving people refusing to wear masks.
Now to what's being called the future of air travel, facial recognition technology may prove interesting to some but for other passengers it could prevent a lot of stress and wasted time at the airport. CNN's Pete Muntean shows us how it's supposed to work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For the first time, your next flight could be unlocked by facial recognition technology, starting at bag check, going through security, and all the way to the gate.
MUNTEAN: Success.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're welcome to board.
MUNTEAN (voice over): The new partnership between Delta Air Lines and the Transportation Security Administration aims to save passengers time as people are flooding back to airports.
RANJAN GOSWAMI, DELTA AIR LINES: And really hopefully reduce stress and increase the speed at which people traverse through the airport.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): Delta's Ranjan Goswami showed me how the system works at bag check. He says what typically takes two minutes and 30 seconds is now down to 30 seconds. He says the process of verifying your identity at a TSA checkpoint is now down to only six seconds.
GOSWAMI: I think the timing could not be more perfect in many ways because, you're right, more and more regular travelers are coming back to travel.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): The trial will start at Delta's busiest hub, at first for those in Delta's Frequent Flyer Program who also have TSA Precheck. Passport and visa photos in a federal database are compared with your live photo. The TSA insists that file is immediately destroyed, upping security from cyberthreats and hacks.
JESSICA MAYLE, TSA SPOKESWOMAN: We've definitely taken privacy considerations into account the whole way. If somebody does not want to participate, they do not have to opt-in and participant. They really have that choice if they want to have the experience.
MUNTEAN (voice-over): American Airlines is also trying facial recognition at its DFW terminal lounges, but industry experts think that using the technology, from the moment you arrive at the airport, could cut the time you spend waiting in half.
HENRY HARTEVELDT, TRAVEL INDUSTRY EXPERT: If we see the TSA get that kind of an increase in productivity, long airport security lines could be a thing of the past.
MUNTEAN: Delta is already using some of this technology at its hub in Detroit and it says more hubs will come online soon. But this will be really put to the test here in Atlanta. Delta anticipates serving about 2 1/2 million people during the Thanksgiving travel period, more than 40 percent of all of its passengers airline wide.
Pete Muntean, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Thank you, Pete.
Now, "Toy Story" fans will soon see how one of the film's most beloved characters came to be. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: G minus 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 0.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Pixar has just released -- you can see there -- the trailer for "Light Year," a new animated movie that tells the story of the real person behind the iconic toy Buzz Lightyear.
[04:55:00]
Actor Chris Evans goes to infinity and beyond by voicing the title character. And he didn't hold back sharing really the excitement of the film.
He tweeted this: Animated movies were an enormous part of my childhood. They were my escape. My adventures. My dreams -- he tweets. They were my first window into the magic of storytelling and performing.
And fans on Twitter shared the same enthusiasm. One person tweeted that he always wondered what Buzz looked like without the purple space suit. Well, now he knows. He looks like a normal person. Another fan pointed out this new movie is what the cool kids watch in the world of "Toy Story." "Light Year," of course, is set for release next summer.
Now, before we leave, I want to show you this story. DNA science is shedding some light on the origins of 13 mysterious mummies found in a desert in northwest China. Now, they were buried in boats, remarkably well preserved you can see there. And they puzzle scientists ever since they were first discovered. Their origins had long been unclear, but their facial features, clothing and other items suggested they may have traveled long distances from West or Central Asia. Thanks to new DNA analysis, researchers have found the mummies actually belong to a local group which descended from an ancient ice age population. Fascinating story.
And that does it for me for today. Thanks very much for your company. I'm Isa Soares. You can connect with me on Twitter and on Instagram @IsaCNN. "EARLY START" with Christine Romans is up next and she'll have much more of course on our top story. President Biden's overseas trip. And be sure to tune in on Friday morning. I have the day off. But CNN's Wolf Blitzer anchors live from the G20 summit in Rome. Have a wonderful day. I shall see you next Monday. Bye-bye.
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