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Steve Bannon Indicted For Contempt Of Congress; Poland-Belarus Standoff; New COP26 Draft Agreement Published; Judge Ends Britney Spears' Conservatorship; Closing Arguments Monday In Kyle Rittenhouse Trial; Tough Measures Considered To Battle European COVID-19 Surge; Michigan Lawmaker Touts Infrastructure Bill In Divided State; World's Largest Metro System Going Green. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired November 13, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada and the around. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Steve Bannon indicted for criminal contempt of Congress, sending a message to others who could be called before the committee investigating the Capitol riot.
Global leaders are working overtime, hoping to strike a climate deal at COP26.
And Freed Britney. Britney Spears has won her legal battle to regain control of her money and her life.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We begin in Washington and a major development in the investigation of the January 6th insurrection. Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's longtime ally and former adviser, now faces federal charges.
A grand jury indicted him for contempt of Congress after he defied the subpoena from the House committee investigating the Capitol riot. CNN's Paula Reid has more on the charges and the message it may send to other witnesses.
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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Bannon now facing two criminal charges, one for failing to show up to his deposition and another for failing to produce documents.
Both of these counts carry a minimum one-month sentence, up to a maximum one year if convicted. Bannon is expected to self-surrender Monday and appear in court that afternoon.
Now it is not likely that he will engage in a plea deal with the federal government. It is expected that he will likely fight this in a trial. He's one of the few people with the resources to fight charges like this. Not everyone can go up against the Justice Department.
If, big if, he is convicted, he would also have the option to appeal. So this could be a long, drawn-out process. But right now this will is a win for the committee. This is certainly a deterrent for anyone else who's thinking about defying a subpoena.
Again, not everyone has the money and the resources or the desire to go through a criminal process like that. Right now, in the immediate future, we would expect that likely witnesses, I've spoken to several of them, they were watching to see what happens with Bannon to decide if they wanted to continue to stonewall.
Now that he's been charged, it is likely that the committee will see more engagement from prospective witnesses. But there's no guarantee that they will get full cooperation. These witnesses will likely try to negotiate and narrow the topics that they are willing to answer questions about.
They also have the option to show up and invoke the Fifth Amendment, any questions that they objected to. So in the immediate future, it is a win for the committee and we'll continue to report on how much cooperation this victory yields -- Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: January 6 committee chairman Bennie Thompson and vice chair Liz Cheney had a simple message for others who may be considering defying a subpoena.
In a joint statement they wrote, "Steve Bannon's indictment should send a clear message to anyone who thinks they can ignore the select committee or try to stonewall our investigation.
"No one is above the law. We will not hesitate to use the tools at our disposal to get the information we need."
The committee has issued 35 subpoenas to individuals and organizations as part of its investigation into the Capitol riot. Several are Trump's closest allies from his time at the White House and on the campaign trail.
Some of them include Mark Meadows, his former White House chief of staff; Kayleigh McEnany, Trump's former White House press secretary; Jason Miller, the former senior adviser to Trump's reelection campaign and Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser.
Now so far the White House isn't commenting on Bannon's indictment. But as Phil Mattingly reports, there was one comment earlier about possible prosecutions from the president himself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think the White House is keenly aware of what's happening right now but they've also taken pains to keep their distance from what the attorney general ends up deciding or how he decides to move forward.
No comment about the indictment. For the most part, that is tracked with how they've operated as it relates to the January 6th committee with one exception: the president. When he was asked by our colleague, Kaitlan Collins, if those who defy subpoenas should be prosecuted, he said this a little less than a month ago.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope that the committee goes after them and holds them accountable.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Should they be prosecuted by --
BIDEN: I do, yes.
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MATTINGLY: Shortly after those comments, the Justice Department put out a statement, pushing back, making clear any decisions it makes would be independent and the president himself walked it back, saying in a CNN town hall a few weeks later, those comments weren't appropriate.
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MATTINGLY: The real role the White House has had is through their counsel's office and, as it relates to executive privilege, the president and his lawyers have made very clear they're waiving executive privilege as it pertains to the specific issues that the January 6th committee is investigating related to the attack on the Capitol and the leadup to that.
It's not just specific to Steve Bannon; it's also other White House officials, as well, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Now as it pertains to Bannon, the counsel's office was very clear that given the fact Bannon had no role in the White House at the time that this transpired, the idea that he would have any privilege claims simply weren't in existence, based on what the counsel's office said at that time.
One thing to remember, Steve Bannon, in that book, "Peril," by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, "The Washington Post" reporter, said he wanted to strangle the Biden presidency in its crib. At this point in time he will now have to face the Justice Department at some point in the weeks and months ahead.
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BRUNHUBER: So what lies ahead for Bannon after he turns himself in on Monday?
Earlier, one legal expert explained the process step by step.
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ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: He'll be arraigned on Monday, meaning he'll be formally advised of the charges against him. They'll make sure -- the judge will make sure that he has a lawyer to represent him.
And then the court will consider the question of bail. In some cases, defendants get locked up pending trial. I think there's virtually zero chance that happens here with Steve Bannon because the maximum penalty's only one year and because he has no prior convictions.
Worth noting, he was indicted by the Southern District of New York on a fraud case but then pardoned. So he will be arraigned Monday. Then they'll go into motions. Steve Bannon will argue throw this case out.
He'll argue that he has a legitimate indication of executive privilege and then we will have a trial unless Steve Bannon pleads guilty -- I don't expect that. But we will eventually have a trial, United States of America versus Steve Bannon. If he gets convicted, he goes to jail for at least one month and possibly as much as a year.
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BRUNHUBER: Bannon's case has been referred to a judge appointed by former president Trump. It could potentially take years for the case to play out through the court system. We'll have more on Bannon and his history in just a few minutes.
As the standoff at the border between Poland and Belarus escalates, the Polish interior minister says the influx of thousands of migrants is an attack on the European Union and an artificial attempt to create a migration crisis.
Right now, Belarusian officials say there are about 2,000 people waiting to cross over into Poland and they warn that number could double in the next week.
Things at the border are tense and growing increasingly difficult as temperatures plunge and migrants search for food and ways to stay warm. Polish police say the body of a young Syrian man was found in the woods near the border Friday. No word yet on the cause of death.
Nada Bashir has more from London.
As the situation's clearly becoming more deadly for the migrants out there in the cold, how are European leaders planning to handle this?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, all eyes will be on Brussels on Monday, where European Union foreign ministers are set to meet to talk about how they can deal with this crisis on the border of the European Union between Poland and Belarus. But a particular focus for these foreign ministers will be potential
sanctions on Belarus, the German foreign minister Heiko Maas saying earlier this week they will be taking a look at expanding E.U. sanctions on companies and individuals believed to be involved in human trafficking, in driving this crisis that we're seeing on the border.
We've heard in recent days from the European Union members of the U.N. Security Council. They claim that Belarus is trying to destabilize the European Union's external borders by driving this migrant crisis on the border.
They've also accused Belarus of potentially trying to divert attention from human rights abuses within Belarus. So there are some serious diplomatic efforts ongoing at the moment.
German chancellor Angela Merkel speaking with Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier this week as well, she believes that Putin has the potential to influence the situation. He clearly has a strong relationship with Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko.
So there are efforts ongoing but really now the focus is on the dire situation that the refugees find themselves in at the border. As you mentioned, thousands there, the numbers expected to continue to rise.
The situation is really difficult for these refugees. Many of them coming from the Middle East and Asia, living now in freezing conditions, severe shortages in essential items like food and medicine.
And the European Union has been trying to work with transit countries to ensure that no further influxes are seen coming in toward the border. We heard earlier this week that talks between the European Union and transit countries are beginning to pave the way for these situations to become a little more under control.
We've heard that the European Union has spoken to countries like Turkey, for example, which is a major transit point. Turkey has announced it will halt flights for citizens from countries, including Syria, Yemen and Iraq, from traveling to Belarus in an effort to control the situation.
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BASHIR: But clearly there's a major crisis here. These refugees, vulnerable refugees caught in the middle of this political standoff, unable to advance into the European Union as they wish to do so via Poland but also unable to return home. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll keep an eye on that volatile situation there at the border. Nada Bashir in London, thanks so much.
Heated talks and missed deadlines on the climate crisis. We're live in Glasgow, where a new draft of a final agreement has just been published. Plus, Britney Spears' fans are celebrating now that Free Britney has
helped lead to freed Britney. How the pop star's 13-year conservatorship finally came to an end. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Our breaking news from COP26, a new draft of the climate agreement has just been published. Our Phil Black joins me now live from Glasgow.
This came out just moments ago. I'm not sure if you had a chance to see what's in this new draft.
What can you tell us?
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, I've had a few minutes to look at what I think is the headline issue really and that is what is agreed upon in terms of reducing emissions, particularly in the near future.
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BLACK: Let's start with something that is unprecedented, so significant news for that reason. That is the dimension of phasing out coal power and fossil fuel subsidies is still in this third draft of the text.
There has been almost a sense of expectation that this would be cut out, stripped out of the text, before we get to the end. But it has now survived to a third point with just one additional piece of language added to that, which says, "recognizing the need for support toward a just transition."
What that essentially says is developing countries will need some help, financially, probably in terms of technology as well, in order to phase out coal power in that way.
The other key language is there, too, the stuff that sort of talks about the science and why 1.5 degrees should be the goal in terms of limiting global warming, why that goes -- and that goes further than the language of the Paris agreement, which talked about well below 2 degrees and preferably closer to 1.5. That's important.
And we know there was also some opposition in the room to that. That has continued to survive. And so has, crucially, perhaps most critically of all the call, for parties to go away, look at their emission targets again in the short term -- that is the cuts before 2030 -- and come back with better, stronger ones next year.
The reason why that is so important is that, as it says in the text still, the world has to cut emissions by 45 percent by the end of this decade in order for 1.5 to remain an achievable goal. We are nowhere near close to achieving that. Emissions are still increasing. So to have any chance of doing what
the science says is necessary, there needs to be a credible path forward in the near term. That key language is still there, telling countries to come back next year and try again -- Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Really appreciate your great reporting there from Glasgow. Phil Black in Glasgow, Scotland, thank you so much.
So for more on this I want to bring in Helen Mountford, who's vice president for climate and economics at the World Resources Institute. She joins me as well from Glasgow.
Thank you so much for being here. The third draft came out. I'm not sure if you've had a chance to go through it, either.
But from what you've seen and heard so far, is it an improvement over the previous draft?
I guess on the positive side it hasn't been watered down as much as many feared.
HELEN MOUNTFORD, V.P. FOR CLIMATE AND ECONOMICS, WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE: Thanks very much. There's definitely some elements. We've only started parsing it out and going through and comparing text. Bit there's definitely some elements that have stuck there, that were important to keep in the text.
There's a few that seem to be improvements and strengthening. In particular one of the issues that we're following closely is what's happening in terms of the support for developing countries on adaptation to the climate impacts they're seeing and feeling on the ground and aren't responsible for, in large part.
And then also for dealing with the losses and damages that go beyond, where we have devastating losses happening. And it looks like they've added something new in this text, which will be a dialogue between parties and organizations to really take forward this critical issue of loss and damage.
A key issue we want to see is that there's discussions there on actually how to provide financial support. So we'd already seen in the previous drafts some discussion of that, some operationalization of the discussions around loss and damage, a technical assistance facility.
Now it looks like there's also going to be a dialogue where parties can really actually start to grasp this issue.
There's other areas where I think we need to look carefully at the text, particularly around adaptation finance. There had been texts before, which said there would be a doubling of adaptation finance to 2025. It's still in there.
But from what I'm seeing, it says that it would be based on the 2019 numbers, doubling from 2019 numbers to 2025. To me, that looks like that might be a bit of a weakening of the text, given that we've had a number of announcements come forward here on adaptation finance. We actually want to see that it really would be, from now, doubling.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. And you know, timelines are important here. As you've pointed out, it's not necessarily about what gets done but when. I mean, you've been critical that countries have made plenty of long- term targets but very little action in the short term.
So from what you've seen from the last draft, maybe from this one, is that still a big problem, that we're kind of kicking the can down the road?
MOUNTFORD: Well, one of the things that's great is we've actually kicked the can down only very shortly down the road here. So I think that is an important signal. We knew coming in here we did not have enough in terms of ambition to actually achieve the 1.5 C goal.
So the question was how do we keep it alive?
How do we keep moving in that direction?
There were a number of initiatives, a number of commitments that were shifting in the right direction. But we need more. And what this text clearly does is urges and calls for countries to come back next year with enhanced ambition on what they're doing in their 2030 targets.
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MOUNTFORD: But also what they'll do in the longer term, their sort of 2050 vision and strategy, and says they should align that with a just transition and with reaching net zero around 2050. So starting to lay out a path, where countries come back next year already with enhanced ambition, to try and close that gap to keep 1.5 C alive.
BRUNHUBER: Let's look at the U.S. Joe Biden, when he ran for president, said all the right things about fighting climate change being a priority. Now he and his administration have a chance to actually do something about it.
How do you feel about the U.S. commitments made here?
Is his administration living up to the expectations or has it been a disappointment?
MOUNTFORD: Well, the U.S. is definitely back and, in advance of Glasgow, made some important commitments in terms of stepping up their own actions, their commitments on 2030 and 2050 and also agreed to quadruple their international climate finance.
That's not enough still. I mean, it's impressive but it's not enough. And that is clear. I think what we've seen here is the U.S. has been trying to move things forward. There's still a number of issues, where, to be frank, I don't think they've been listening enough to what the developing countries are saying but are starting to hear them.
And we're starting to see that come out in some of this better text that -- on some elements around loss and damage. I think that's something which, not just the U.S., a number of the developed countries had not really been listening, had not been understanding the importance of this.
And now they're beginning to grasp it and start to move forward; slow and late but starting.
BRUNHUBER: I want to look ahead to when this is all done and dusted. Several climate activists I've spoken to have talked eloquently about the energy and the passion they're seeing, that, even if this conference isn't a game changer in terms of the results, you know, it will still have succeeded in raising awareness and activism around the issue of climate change.
But recent polls, at least here in this country, suggest that attitudes in terms of the threat of climate change were about the same as we were seven years ago and that basically your attitude about climate change just comes down to which party you support.
Do you find it's getting harder to move the needle when it comes to public opinion?
MOUNTFORD: I mean, that's interesting. I've seen other polls, which actually show people are shifting. And we're seeing that with voters. Voters are moving.
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BRUNHUBER: Yes, let me just jump in , so it looks like Democrats are seeing a greater awareness of climate change but Republicans are moving the other direction. So it's a net even effect, I guess.
MOUNTFORD: Right. And I mean, well, I was referring also to other countries. And so in a lot of other countries we've actually seen there's been a big shift. And even conservative countries, countries which have governments that are conservative, including the U.K., for example, are stepping up on climate change, realizing it's not actually a partisan issue, it's not a political issue. It's about all of our futures.
And I think one of the challenges in the U.S. is being able to communicate that even better. This is about when we see floods in the Midwest that wipe out the crops for a given year or where we're seeing tropical storms that's are wiping out towns or wildfires wiping out towns, infrastructure, devastating lives and livelihoods.
So I think the awareness of how it is actually impacting us in the U.S., everybody in the U.S., in some form or another, as well as how much worse it is in many other countries, is starting to grow.
I think the other thing that's really starting to shift is just an awareness that actually a lot of the solutions we need are better, are cheaper. They're going to be better for health. We know that clean energy, renewable energy is actually cheaper than coal and increasingly cheaper than gas in a lot of places.
So if you want to bring down the costs of energy to households and to consumers, if you want to have clean air so that you don't have children with asthma or other breathing-related diseases, air pollution-related diseases, these are the solutions we need to embrace.
And I'm hoping that will start to resonate. We're definitely seeing it do so in many other countries.
BRUNHUBER: All right, well, listen, we're out of time. But thank you so much for your perspectives, really appreciate it.
MOUNTFORD: Thank you. Great to speak to you.
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BRUNHUBER: Britney Spears has won her long legal battle with her father. And her fans, they're celebrating.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): On Friday a judge ended her 13-year conservatorship. CNN's Stephanie Elam has more.
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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For the first time in 13 years, Britney Spears is once again in control of her own destiny. A Los Angeles County judge, terminating the conservatorship, effective immediately.
We understand, from her lawyer, that there will be some safeguards put in place, to protect her and also, to protect her estimated $60 million estate.
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ELAM: We also know, that there will be two more court dates but those will be for technicalities.
This is essentially the end of the conservatorship at this point now. There were no objections in court, which is noteworthy, considering that we have seen her go back and forth with her father since this started playing out in court earlier this year.
Remember, in those two explosive testimonies over the summer, Britney Spears said she was forced to take birth control, that she was forced to perform. And she said she was a victim of conservatorship abuse. And she was pointing the finger at her father.
After those testimonies, her father petitioning the court to end the conservatorship. Instead, in September, the judge terminating him as co-conservator of her estate but keeping on the conservatorship until now, finally, ending this long saga for Britney Spears.
Obviously, the Free Britney band, out here, in great numbers, celebrating. We saw some people who were hugging and crying. There was pink confetti everywhere. And you can also see some people performing and singing her songs.
And Britney Spears herself, taking to Instagram to post about it, writing, "Good God, I love my fans so much. It is crazy. I think I am going to cry the rest of the day. Best day ever, praise the Lord. Can I get an amen?"
Then, she signed off from it with #FreedBritney.
When you look at how her fans have played a role in this, her thanks to them really makes a lot of sense because, without them, who knows if this day would have come as quickly as it did -- Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.
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BRUNHUBER: Just ahead, a win for the U.S. House committee investigating the January 6th insurrection. The message, they say, Steve Bannon's indictment sends to others.
And protesters in the Netherlands turn out in force to reject a return to a partial lookdown. We'll go live to Rome for the latest on Europe's escalating COVID crisis after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
More on our top story; Steve Bannon, longtime ally of former president Trump, is expected to turn himself in on Monday after he was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress.
It comes after he defied a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6th insurrection. If convicted, he could face up to a year behind bars for each count.
Members of the select committee say the indictment should be a clear message to others who think they can stonewall their investigation.
Now this isn't the first time Bannon has faced federal charges. Before leaving office, former president Trump pardoned Bannon on charges of defrauding political donors. More now on the man who always seems to be near the former president and always relishes a fight. Here's Tom Foreman.
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is not ready to speak to Congress about the violence of January 6th but Steve Bannon is talking plenty on his daily podcast whipping his followers into a frenzy.
STEVE BANNON, FORMER DONALD TRUMP ADVISER: Elections have consequences. Stolen elections have catastrophic consequences and that's what we're seeing in this country right now.
And we need your blood to boil. We need to be in a situation you're not going to back down, OK.
FOREMAN (voice-over): He's done it all along. He appeared to confirm reports the just days before the insurrection, he was on the phone with Donald Trump discussing how to kill the Biden presidency in the crib.
BANNON: Forty two percent of the American people, four-two percent of the American people think that Biden did not win the presidency legitimately. We told you from the very beginning, just expose it. Just expose it,
never back down. Never give up and this thing will implode.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Promoting the big lie of election fraud fits Bannon's long-standing affection for radical right-wing theories and his apparent appetite for conflict.
BANNON: If you think they're going to give you your country back without a fight, you are sadly mistaken.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Take his fascination with the book, "The Fourth Turning," which argues every 80 years or so, cataclysmic upheavals are necessary to political and social realignment.
BANNON: Turnings are like the seasons, every turning is necessary.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Bannon was so taken with the idea he made a movie about it, savaging liberals, blasting traditional governments. And as one film critic put it, pushing a clear message.
ANN HORNADAY, FILM CRITIC, "WASHINGTON POST": Bring on the apocalypse. There is an almost fetishistic desire to see everything blow up. It's almost like he's inviting a cleansing fire to just raise the edifice raise the institutions. I think it's that dramatic.
BILL MAHER, TALK SHOW HOST: Steve Bannon is over here. Steve Bannon --
FOREMAN (voice-over): Bannon's turns in the spotlight have not always thrilled his most famous boss, who was reportedly annoyed when Bannon showed up on the cover of "Time," which Trump clearly craves.
He was pushed out of Trump's immediate orbit but never far away.
MAHER: I would love to know what advice you would give to Donald Trump if he didn't leave, even after he lost because I saw Hillary Clinton.
BANNON: You're obsessed with this.
MAHER: I am obsessed with this. BANNON: Why do you think he's not going to leave?
MAHER: Wait a second.
BANNON: Just because -- I know he's had the time of his life --
MAHER: Because he is an insane narcissist.
FOREMAN (voice-over): And since the uprising, Bannon has been firmly in the losing candidate's corner, trotting out guests to insist the riot was the work of Antifa and undercover Federal agents.
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PERSONAL ATTORNEY: Two hundred and twenty six Antifa members were tasked with making that -- what should have been a peaceful protest a riot.
FOREMAN (voice-over): And insisting prosecutors are dead wrong to say these are Trump's and his people.
BANNON: Either they are totally incompetent or they're lying to you. Right?
They're totally incompetent or they're lying to you. They're either totally incompetent or they're lying to you -- pick them.
FOREMAN (on camera): There are no facts to back that up. But listen to Bannon's podcasts. Watch his interviews and you will see that he has very little use for facts unless they back this notion that America as we know it must end so America, as he would have it, can begin.
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BRUNHUBER: That was our Tom Foreman, reporting there from Washington.
Five hundred Wisconsin National Guard soldiers are on standby, ready to deploy to Kenosha for the verdict in the murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.
Closing arguments are set for Monday. Rittenhouse faces five felony charges in the shootings of three people last year during Black Lives Matter protests. Two of the people Rittenhouse shot died. But he insists he pulled the trigger out of self-defense.
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BRUNHUBER: The judge in the case is expected to tell attorneys today whether the jury can consider lesser charges in the cases.
In another high-profile case, jurors heard new testimony and watched more bodycam video Friday in the trial of three white men accused of chasing and killing an unarmed Black jogger, Ahmaud Arbery.
The trial is in the southeastern Georgia town of Brunswick and the specter of racism has been looming over the proceedings from the beginning. Our Martin Savidge has the latest.
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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a much more contrite Kevin Gough, the defense attorney, that represents William Roddie Bryan, who rose in court on Friday morning to try to make amends for what many saw as outrageous statements on Thursday, when he said we don't need any more Black pastors in the courtroom.
Gough said, quote, "If my statements yesterday were overly broad, my apologies to anyone who might have been offended."
During the noon recess of court, another defense attorney, Jason Sheffield, who represents Travis McMichael, he got up and just lambasted Kevin Gough for the comments that he made. Here's Jason Sheffield.
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JASON SHEFFIELD, DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR TRAVIS MCMICHAEL: There's been a lot of reporting on a statement made by Kevin Gough yesterday in court about not wanting no more black pastors. That statement was totally asinine, ridiculous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Now it's clear what's going on is one defense team is trying to really put a lot of distance between them and Kevin Gough and say, look, we don't think the way he does.
Meanwhile, testimony on Friday, there were some interesting witnesses, including Robert Rasch (ph) who is a police officer with the Glenn County Police Department. It's his body camera that really is the most intriguing.
It's on the night of February 11th, 2020, 12 days before Ahmaud Arbery is chased and killed in the very same neighborhood. It's outside the home under construction again. This time police have been called because a Black male has been sighted once more inside.
But this time the caller is Travis McMichael. And Travis McMichael, in calling 9-1-1, adds something else to the description that changes everything.
He says it appears, when he saw the Black male, the man was reaching either to his waist or into his pocket. "I think he's armed."
From this point on, the trespasser going into the home under construction, who's a Black male, is no longer looked upon as just an annoyance; he's looked upon as a threat. And you know this because, in the body cam footage, when police go in to search that home, this time they have guns drawn.
Their eyes are looking right down the gun sights and they've got their flashlights going into every corner of the home. But of course, they don't find anyone.
But less than two weeks later, Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, both armed, pursue Ahmaud Arbery, corner him and eventually kill him, believing he carried a gun only to find out he was unarmed -- Martin Savidge, CNN, Brunswick, Georgia.
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BRUNHUBER: Booster shots for all adults in the U.S. could soon become a reality. A source tells CNN that the Food and Drug Administration will likely bypass outside vaccine advisors when considering whether to authorize Pfizer's COVID-19 booster for those 18 and older.
Pfizer applied for emergency use authorization earlier this week and, if it passes, the CDC will still need to sign off on its use.
U.S. health officials are worried that a recent plateau in COVID-19 infections could be the calm before another storm. Now while new cases have fallen in some areas, they're rising in half of U.S. states, along with deaths and hospitalizations. And with the holiday season approaching, experts say now is the time to get vaccinated.
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DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Certainly we're in a better place than we were in September during the middle of the Delta surge. But we saw this peak and the hope was that we would have the significant decline.
Right now we seem to have plateaued at over 70,000 new cases every day, more than 1,000 deaths every day. That would bring us up to about 400,000 daily deaths over the course of a year.
We cannot plateau at this point and especially coming into the winter. We're already seeing in places in Europe that even in countries that have higher vaccination rates than we do, that they're going through a massive winter surge.
And I'm very worried about the holidays ahead. And so everybody who's eligible to be vaccinated should be vaccinated, including now children 5 to 11. And also all those eligible to get boosters should do so, too.
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BRUNHUBER: Health officials across Europe are scrambling to implement new measures to fight a growing surge of COVID cases. The World Health Organization says the continent recorded nearly 2 million new infections in the last week alone.
For more on the escalating COVID crisis in Europe, let's bring in contributor Barbie Nadeau, live from Rome.
What's the situation in the worst hot spots?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The worst hot spot right now is Germany. They're looking at 50,000 new cases a day. And they've got a very high vaccination rate but they don't have a very high booster rate. So people have obviously lost their immunity and are becoming reinfected.
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NADEAU: We're also looking at a hot spot in Austria, where they're going to implement a lockdown for those people who have not been vaccinated. Now that's something that we haven't seen before, these sorts of targeted lockdowns across the rest of Europe.
We've got surges and cases here. In Italy, the cases are slowly climbing higher. But we've got serious mandates here that remain in place. And we have never been without a mask mandate indoors.
So what we're looking at going into the winter months, when people will be gathering more indoors, is just health authorities calling for more vigilance but also calling for people to get their boosters if they haven't already done so.
BRUNHUBER: OK. So you mentioned the lockdowns in Austria; you know, trying to get more boosters.
How else are authorities trying to get a handle on this latest wave?
NADEAU: Well, they are looking at, throughout the European Union, they're looking at various forms of restrictions. Whether that's limiting the number of people who can dine indoors, limiting the number of people who can gather at events or, as we've seen in many cases, especially here in Italy, limiting protests.
Some of these protests have been the cause of outbreaks of infection. We've seen huge numbers of infections in the north of the country, where there were no vax protesters gathering for weekends on end.
And so these targeted restrictions are really what people are looking at as a way forward. Nobody thinks they're going to have the kind of lockdowns we saw a year ago. But, of course, it's really too soon to tell how bad things are going to get before they get better again.
BRUNHUBER: Appreciate the look there at the situation in Europe. Barbie Nadeau, thank you so much.
Still ahead, Michigan lawmakers touting President Biden's infrastructure bill in a district won by Donald Trump.
So what do voters think of the bill?
We'll find out next. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: A Democratic lawmaker from Michigan is touting the just- passed infrastructure bill in her deeply divided state.
Former president Donald Trump lost by just under 3 points in Michigan and he's still a force to be reckoned with there. But she hopes the new law will bring opportunities to the state's workers, no matter their politics. CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports.
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REP. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): At least every Michigander I know wants money for infrastructure and here we have it.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michigan Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin finally has something to crow about, the long-awaited infrastructure bill once celebrated by both parties.
SLOTKIN: And we should be happy about that, whether it's Biden's signature or Trump's signature. And if Trump's signature had been on that thing, I would be just as happy to talk about people what this would do.
ZELENY: Slotkin will be on hand when President Biden signs the law on Monday. But former-president Trump is also not far from her mind, considering he won her district, giving her a front-row seat to the nation's deep political divide.
SLOTKIN: I couldn't have won unless there were voters who voted for both Donald Trump and me. And that's a pretty independently minded person.
ZELENY: For the next year, the road to winning control of Congress runs right through places like Michigan's 8th district and whether Democrats get credit or blamed for Biden's agenda, starting with infrastructure.
SLOTKIN: Being able to see it actually signed into law is a big deal. And again, we haven't seen this kind of investment since we did the highway system.
And, you know, in the 1940s and 1950s. But it doesn't end in the oval office. They watched us go back and forth on it. I am sure they are happy that it's signed but it's like we're in Michigan and what matters is facts on the ground and getting things done.
ZELENY: Last month, Biden visited a union training center here that, soon, will be thrust into overdrive, preparing workers to build roads, bridges, airports and more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It takes a lot of training to be able to get certified in this.
ZELENY: John Habercorn (ph), an instructor on these tower cranes, believes the bill will create unprecedented opportunities for workers no matter their politics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A job's a job. They -- they don't ask you on your application if -- if you're red or blue.
ZELENY: Jeremy Denton didn't vote for Biden or Slotkin but he supports the action on infrastructure.
JEREMY DENTON, MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN VOTER: It's cost of doing business. You have to reinvest if you are going to build these things. If you have a bridge that needs to be repaired, repair the bridge.
ZELENY: Slotkin, a former CIA officer, elected to Congress in 2018 believes the deep divisions among Democrats have raised legitimate questions about the party's ability to govern and to connect with all Americans.
SLOTKIN: Yes. I think there is a disconnect. I mean, I think that the average person is not looking for radical ideology on any side of the spectrum. They are looking for their government to function and to deliver for people.
ZELENY: She has real questions about part two of Biden's economic agenda. Both, its scope and timing. Given rising concerns about inflation, gas prices and more.
Like other moderate Democrats, she's waiting to see the cost of the bill before committing her vote.
Is the White House addressing the needs of everyday Americans?
SLOTKIN: I -- I think, certainly, they are trying but we could be doing more. We have got to address inflation. We've got to address the worker shortage. We've got to address the high price of things going into the holiday season.
ZELENY: On Monday when President Biden signs the bill into law at the White House, congresswoman Slotkin will be there. And then President Biden coming here to Michigan next Wednesday to sell the virtues of this infrastructure plan, Michigan getting some $10 billion alone in road, bridges and other spending.
But the politics suddenly are more complicated. Former president Trump has urged Republicans to speak out against this. So the question is how this develops over the next year. It certainly will play a key role in this congresswoman's re-election -- Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Michigan.
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BRUNHUBER: The daughter of Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte will run for vice president next year. Sara Duterte Carpio, seen here with her father, filed for her candidacy on Saturday. Until now she gave mixed messages about running despite favorable political polls.
President Duterte isn't allowed to run for re-election but some experts say he wants loyalists in high places to shield him from possible legal action over his brutal war on drugs, that killed thousands of people.
The world's largest metro system is taking a new turn. Next, Shanghai's city trains began a long journey to go solar. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: In Shanghai, China, the world's largest metro train system is picking up steam and going green. The switch may be a rough ride for a system that carries more than 3 billion passengers every year. But as David Culver reports, officials still believe they're on track to meet their goals.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shanghai, China's financial hub, its bright lights and bustling streets showing a constant consumption of energy.
Keeping a population of more than 24 million people on the go, the city's metro rail system.
CULVER: Shanghai metro is currently the biggest in the world and it's one of the busiest.
CULVER (voice-over): With 19 lines spread throughout this metropolis, 460 stations and more than 10 million rides daily, built nearly 30 years ago, Shanghai's metro was not designed with renewable energy in mind.
Like much of China, it's powered mostly by coal. But with China pledging to become carbon neutral by 2060, nearly every industry is now rethinking their power source.
Metro planners decided to look up for their energy, harnessing solar power by using the many train garages and installing panels on their barren roofs, wasted space finding a new purpose.
CULVER: What you're looking at here, this is only the beginning. This pioneer solar project is being expanded to more metro stations across this city.
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MU ZHENYING, SHANGHAI METRO NEW ENERGY COMPANY LTD (through translator): As we install more solar panels its power generation capacity will keep on growing.
CULVER (voice-over): These rooftop solar panels may not be generating a massive amount of electricity just yet. But as China races to fulfill carbon promises in the near future, every little bit helps.
While China still may be the biggest carbon polluter in the world, it is also the largest investor, manufacturer and employer of solar and wind power. President Xi Jinping has proclaimed "green is gold," making renewable energies vital if China hopes to meet their carbon reduction promises.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: China, I think, over a very short period of time, mastered the clean tech sector, in particular wind and solar. We managed to build roughly the renewable energy of Germany in a single year. This will be the pace over the next 10 years or so. And in fact we actually need to move even faster in that regard.
CULVER (voice-over): Shanghai's green metro initiative is a part of that. And it is likely to be replicated in dozens of other cities across China.
MU (through translator): So if each company in every industry and every citizen takes one small step, collectively, it will be a big step toward a green and low carbon future for the city.
CULVER (voice-over): Countering China's massive emissions will be challenging. This project just one of the many major investments needed now, so as to lay the tracks for a greener future in China and beyond -- David Culver, CNN, Shanghai.
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BRUNHUBER: I'm Ken Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more CNN NEWSROOM. Please do stay with us.
