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Attorney Wants Black Pastors Away for Victim's Family; Trial Underway After Killing of Black Jogger in Georgia; Germany Considers Tougher COVID Measures Amid Surge; Controversial Badiucao Exhibition Premieres in Italy; PSG Women's Flayer Released After Teammate Attacked. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 12, 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 on our top stories this hour.

American journalist Danny Fenster has been sentenced to 11 years in Miramar's Insein Prison. The 37-year-old from Detroit was been held since May and could face even more serious charges.

Also, COP26 negotiators have reached a draft agreement acknowledging the damage done to the climate by fossil fuels.

Now, a defense attorney caused a firestorm with his request during Ahmaud Arbery's murder trial in Georgia. Arbery's family, including his mother, were joined by civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton in the courtroom this week. But on Thursday, one of the defense attorneys created a furor with his request to the judge. He said that black pastors should not be allowed to sit with an African-American family any more. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN GOUGH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Obviously, there's only so many pastors they can have. And if their pastor is Al Sharpton right now, that's fine. But then that's it. We don't want any more black pastors coming in here or other -- Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week, sitting with the victim's family trying to influence the jury in this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, Arbery's mother responded to that request on CNN. She said she was caught off guard by the attorney, even asking for something like that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WANDA COOPER-JONES, ARBERY'S MOTHER: We're very surprised to know that he frowned upon anybody, any pastor that would come in to sit with the family, to keep us encouraged was very -- it was just very insensitive that he would frown upon that. Very surprising, but also very, very rude.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, Reverend Sharpton went much further saying in a statement -- I'm going to read it out to you.

The arrogance and insensitivity of Kevin Gough in asking a judge to bar me or any minister of the families choice underscores the disregard for the value of the human life lost, and the grieving of a family in need spiritual and community support.

Sharpton also said: This is pouring salt into their wounds. I respect the defense attorney doing his job, but it is beyond defending your client. It is insulting the family of the victim.

Well, Arbery was an African-American jogger chased and shot dead in Brunswick, Georgia Wester. The entire incident was caught on video. The three suspects all white men now face murder as well as other charges. Martin Savage has more now on the trial.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVAGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A key witness on the stand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?

LARRY ENGLISH, JR., OWNS HOUSE IN SATILLA SHORES: I do.

All (voice-over): Larry English, Jr., owns the home under construction in Satilla Shores that would become a source of concern and tension in the neighborhood. The same home Ahmaud Arbery seen visiting and running out from the day he was killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that this a fair and accurate representation of your house?

ENGLISH: Yes.

SAVAGE: In testimony recorded in September, due to health reasons, English says he placed security cameras at the property because it was normal for people to come and go from a construction site, and he worried about liability. His cameras captured people on the property several times in late 2019 and early 2020. On October 25th, 2019, English sees a black male on the property and calls 911.

ENGLISH: Got a trespasser there, so he's a colored guy, got really curly looking here, he's tattooed down both arms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever see that person take anything that night?

ENGLISH: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever see anything in his hands, flash flight or any sort of thing on him?

ENGLISH: No.

SAVAGE (voice-over): The same male is seen several times visiting the property at night, but over and over on the witness stand English was asked the same thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was anything ever taken?

SAVAGE (voice-over): Instead, English said he believed at the time it was an unidentified white couple on the property that was responsible for items missing from his boat. Something he told police in this 911 call.

OPERATOR: How many are there?

ENGLISH: There was a male and female.

SAVAGE (voice-over): Three white men, Gregory McMichael, his son Travis and William "Roddie" Bryan, Jr., are accused of chasing Arbery, a 25-year-old black man in vehicles and killing him in their neighborhood last year.

[04:35:00]

Defense attorneys say the defendants were attempting to make a citizen's arrest of Arbery, who suspected of burglarizing English's home. After word began to spread of the intrusions on his property. As he did on the witness stand, English told CNN he never believed Arbery had taken anything.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Do you believe that Arbery stole anything from your house that day?

ENGLISH: None whatsoever.

SAVAGE (voice-over): But on cross-examination the defense argued English has changed his story after receiving death threats and that he originally did see the black male on the property as a threat and suggested the same to police and neighbors in Satilla Shores.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not what you told the police, is it?

SAVAGE (voice-over): On February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was spotted inside the same home under construction. He was not seen just by surveillance cameras, but also a neighbor who called 911. It would be that sighting moments later which would trigger a deadly confrontation.

Martin Savage, CNN, Brunswick, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: A bit of a mixed bag for the United States in the fight against coronavirus. Cases have stabilized the past several weeks but remain at high levels. Mississippi says enough progress has to be made -- has to be made but has a state of emergency can finally be lifted next week. The governor credits increased vaccinations and effective management of infections and hospitalizations.

But if you look in Colorado, the COVID picture is very different. Its governor signed an executive order declaring the entire state at high risk for COVID-19 exposure or transmission. And that makes every resident over 18 eligible for a booster shot.

Meanwhile, Cuba is rolling out the welcome mat for international travelers again. The nation will reopen to foreign visitors on Monday for the first time since the early days of the pandemic. Quarantine requirements will no longer apply for those who are fully vaccinated or have a recent negative COVID test. Cuba's tourism has taken a heavy hit while the country was closed to foreign visitors.

Now, surging numbers of COVID cases are becoming a trend across Europe. The World Health Organization reports that Europe saw a 7 percent rise in infections last week as cases in all other regions dropped or remained stable. As you can see there, the red patches really paint a roaring picture. The rising case numbers have countries across Europe considering tighter restrictions and new lockdown measures. For more on that I'm joined by CNN's Scott McLean on set. And Scott, let's start off with why we're seeing several weeks now a rise in cases.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so, if you ask the German Chancellor, their problem is the fact that not enough people are vaccinated to prevent the virus from spreading through the one-third of the population that has no immunity at all.

SOARES: They started so well.

MCLEAN: They did start really well. But it seems like they are struggling to convince that last part of the population to actually get vaccinated. And so now, you have these German states that are trying to sort of gently twist people's arm. So, for instance, in Berlin today you can go to a restaurant, pub, gym, that kind of thing, if you're unvaccinated as long as you show a negative test that is recent.

But starting on Monday that's going to be changing. So, that testing option is no longer going to be on the table. Other states have already done so, or they're following suit or they're considering whether to follow suit in that department. And this is significant because Germany has always sort of insisted on the right of unvaccinated people to go about their business and that's why they have given them this testing option. But as things start to get worse, they're sort of running out of options in what they can do.

In Germany, by the way, Isa, isn't even going nearly as far as some other countries. In the Netherlands, an expert panel has recommended to the government that they institute a partial lockdown, closing restaurants, bars, nightclubs that kind of the thing, while keeping schools open. No decisions has been made for certain just yet.

And in Austria, this is quite wild. So back in September they actually made a law that says once 30 percent of I.C.U. beds are occupied by COVID patients, that will trigger a lockdown only of unvaccinated people. Well right now, they are at 21 percent. In the Austrian Chancellor says it could be a matter of days before this lockdown is actually triggered because, as he puts it, the vaccination rate is shamefully low, Even than Germany. And their case counts right now or their infection rate is three times higher than Germany. And this isn't going to be a lockdown like, you know, just closing restaurants, that kind of a thing. We are talking about the kind of lockdown that we had early on in the pandemic where you can only leave your house for work or the absolute essentials.

SOARES: And that is incredibly worrying given the fact it's, you know, we haven't even reached winter, you know, when we're all going to be indoors for much longer. Scott McLean, appreciate it. Thanks very much.

MCLEAN: You bet.

SOARES: And still to come right here on the show, China tries to shutdown exhibit by a dissident artist in Italy but fails. Find out why he is continuing to defy the Communist Party. That is next.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Now, the Chinese government is once again taking aim at a controversial dissident artist. He's known as Badiucao. And much of his artwork criticizes the country where freedom of expression it can be hard to come by. The Communist Party has tried to ban the artist's work in China, Hong Kong and now Italy. But local Italian officials have refused.

I want to bring in Ben Wedeman life for us in Rome. Good morning to you, Ben. Give me an idea -- give our viewers an idea of how far China has gone here to try and censor this exhibition.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly they've put in this request with these officials in Brescia, she northern Italy to stop the show. The Italian officials in that town said no, and, in fact, the whole situation sort of blown up in the face of the Chinese government because now there is a lot of attention on that show.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BADIUCAO, ARTIST: It's not just ...

WEDEMAN (voice-over): China is seeing red over an exhibit in the northern Italian city of Brescia. Hosting Chinese Australian artists known as Badiucao.

BADIUCAO: It's almost impossible that you can avoid offending the Chinese government these days. Anything could be sensitive. Anything could be problematic. WEDEMAN (voice-over): So sensitive that the Chinese Embassy in Rome recently requested that the mayor of Brescia canceled the exhibit scheduled to open Friday.

I have to say I had to read the letter twice because it surprised me says Deputy Brescia Mayor Laura Castelletti. It was an intrusion on the city's artistic cultural decision.

CNN's repeated requests to the Chinese Embassy for clarification went unanswered.

[04:45:00]

Badiucao moved to Australia in 2009, his art and uncompromising critique of the Chinese Communist Party. Three years ago, his show he was scheduled to hold in Hong Kong was canceled after he tweeted his family was threatened by China. The exhibit in Brescia, however, is going ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a matter of artistic freedom of expression.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Badiucao has teamed up with Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics, painting shoes for Kanter with messages, championing the cause of oppressed minorities in China. Kanter himself is an outspoken critic of China's alleged abuse of its Uyghur, Turkic Muslim minority.

ENES KANTER, BOSTON CELTICS FORWARD: Heartless dictator of China, Xi Jinping, and the Communist Party of China, I'm calling you out right now in front of the whole world. Close down the slave labor camps and free the Uyghur people. Stop the genocide now.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Words like that, art like this strike a raw nerve in China, which denies claims of genocide and mass incarceration. Increasingly angry in China is also a raw nerve for multinational corporations.

BADIUCAO: They're so into the money market in China, that they were risking that for.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Badiucao says he's regularly harassed online, and occasionally threatened by those who have checked to his work. His art war by other means against a system that has grown ever more powerful in recent years.

BADIUCAO: So, it's like a battleground. And that's how you can use visual language or use internet meme to kind of dissolve the authority of censorship.

WEDEMAN: In the battle at the moment?

BADIUCAO: I think there's a long fight. It is too early to tell who will win.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): That this exhibit is happening, a small win perhaps.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (on camera): Now, officials in Brescia did tell us that they received some discrete inquiries from businesses asking if perhaps they could postpone or cancel the exhibition, but that was flatly turned down by the town's mayor.

Keeping in mind, of course, Isa, that the value of bilateral trade between China and Italy is about $40 billion a year, but the officials in Brescia said the show must go on. And, in fact, the show begins in exactly -- rather, the show's premiere begins in 12 minutes -- Isa.

SOARES: Discrete inquiries, I like that. Ben Wedeman for us in Rome. Thanks very much, Ben, good to see you.

Coming up right here on the show, following the violent assault of a female footballer. The teammate who was arrested has now been released. A report from Paris with our Cyril Vanier next.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Now, the U.S. is bracing for colder weather, heavy rain and winter storm alerts. It doesn't sound good, does it? CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking it all for you. Good morning, Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's likely going to take extra-long to get to work this morning if you're located in New York, D.C. or Boston. We have a cold front moving through and that means heavy rainfall possible this morning. So extra time needed for the roads and the railways depending on how you travel.

Then behind it another system with even yet another clipper bringing reinforcing shot of cold air through the course of the weekend and chances of snow. There's so much weather going on.

But I want to show you this five-day forecast accumulation map. And you can see even some snowfall piling up across northern New England. It will stay all rain for the major metropolitans of the East Coast.

But further West we have a full-fledged snowstorm to talk about. Some of the first snowflakes of the season for many locations. In the meantime, though, just keep an eye to the sky. We do have a potential for some stronger storms, damaging winds, maybe an isolated tornado. Best chances this morning through early afternoon as this cold front passes through across the East Coast. There's the rain and storms throughout New England.

We monitor the chance of blizzard conditions across the central interior, foggy weather across the deep south and another atmospheric river event over the Pacific Northwest bringing heavy rainfall to Seattle.

Look at the snowfall totals across Minnesota. Over half a foot for many locations. We have winter storm warnings, advisories, as well as blizzards warnings across northeastern sections of South Dakota. So, falling snow with winds in excess of 35 miles per hour, reducing visibilities to a quarter of a mile or less. Means blizzard conditions are possible throughout that area.

On the West Coast, we have flood watches from Portland to Seattle, rainfall totals here we're expecting at least 6 inches for some of the lower elevations over the next several days and several feet of snow possible for the higher altitudes of the Cascade Mountains.

Here's a quick look at your temperatures across the country. 65 for New York City and cooling down through the weekend for many East Coast cities. Back to you.

SOARES: Thank you very much, Derek.

Now, new developments in the growing football scandal in Paris. A teammate has been released from custody in the brutal assault of fellow female footballer for PSG's women's team.

CNN's Cyril Vanier joins me now from Paris with more. Good morning, Cyril. And I suspect Diallo -- one of the footballers that we were mentioning there -- was released because there wasn't enough evidence against her. So, where critically does this leave the investigation and the relationship as well between the two footballers -- Cyril?

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, those are great questions. We don't have firm answers. This is such a crazy story. A week ago, there was this mysterious assault on Kheira Hamraoui, the midfielder for PSG's women's soccer team, with masked assailants pulling her out of her car in front of her home and brutally beating her legs. As if they purposely wanted to take her off the pitch in the following game. Which is by the way, what happened.

[04:55:00]

That story took a darker twist when Diallo was arrested this week on suspicion of being connected somehow to this attack.

Now she's been released. But crucially that doesn't mean she wasn't connected. It doesn't really tell us what her role was, if she played any role in that attack. It just means investigators were not able to gather enough evidence to tie her to the attack in the 48 hours max that they have to hold her in custody. Therefore, they released her, but the investigation will continue.

And you know, the crazier part of this story is these two players are friends. Officially, they are friends. They keep posting pictures of each other and going on holiday together -- we can pull those up -- Instagram pictures. And they've known each other for a long time and have traveled together multiple times.

According to L'Equipe, the French sports daily which first reported the story, they left the police station together. What does that mean? I don't know. It is hard not to speculate that there would be at least some tension in between those players and definitely a lot of tension in that locker room until we know why Hamraoui was attacked and by whom.

SOARES: Yes, and we know, I believe I read Paris Saint-Germain have a game this weekend. We shall see what happens on the pitch.

VANIER: A crucial game against their league rivals on Sunday. And as of now, Isa, we don't know whether either Diallo or Hamraoui will be on the pitch.

SOARES: And I know you'll keep us posted on the story. Cyril Vanier from Paris, good to see you, my friend.

And that does it for me for today. I'm Isa Soares in London. "EARLY START" and Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett are up next. And they'll have much more on our top stories. The Capitol riot investigation and the chance Donald Trump's Chief of Staff could be found in contempt of Congress. Have a wonderful day. I shall see you next week. Do stay right here with CNN. Bye-bye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)