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New U.K. PM Truss To Unveil $172 Billion Energy Bailout; E.U. Weighs Power Rationing, Price Cap On Russian Gas; Putin Critical Of Deal To Export Grain From Ukraine; Saskatchewan Stabbing Suspect Dies Following Arrest; High Waters Preventing Residents From Burying The Dead; Government Struggling To Provide Relief To Flood Victims. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 08, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:41]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Around the world, you're watching CNN Newsroom. Liz Truss will soon announce how she will ease the financial pain from Britain's energy crisis spending billions to cap prices. A plan she criticized just two weeks ago, saying she opposed government handouts.
President Jair Bolsonaro rallies tens of thousands of supporters on Brazil's Independence Day, turning a national celebration into a campaign rally complete with a military show of force. And progress in some countries but offensive in others. Why Saudi Arabia has banned this cartoon from its children's Netflix platform.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: The British Prime Minister is about to outline her plans to address the nation's energy crisis. Liz Truss will unveil how she will help businesses and consumers deal with soaring prices. The Financial Times report she is preparing a $173 billion bailout that would freeze the average annual energy bill for U.K. households around $2,800. As it stands right now, electricity prices are up 54% through July of this year, natural gas nearly 96% higher. Without this plan, average annual energy bills could top 4,000 pounds almost $5,000 per household by January.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I understand that people across our country are struggling with the cost of living, and they're struggling with their energy bills. And that is why I as prime minister will take immediate action to help people with the cost of their energy bills. And I will be making an announcement to this House on that tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Joining us now for more on the U.K. Prime Minister's energy plan as well as price caps on Russian gas is Amy Myers Jaffe, research professor and Managing Director of the Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University. Welcome to the program.
AMY MYERS JAFFE, RESEARCH PROFESSOR, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: OK, so during the first question time as prime minister, Liz Truss took a lot of heat ahead of the release of her energy policy. Here she is with some details on the long-term strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUSS: What we need to do is increase our energy supplies long term. And that is why we will open up more supply in the North Sea which the honorable gentleman has opposed. That is why we will build more nuclear power stations, which the Labor Party didn't do when they were in office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So it's a long term solution, which doubles down on gas and oil from the North Sea. There's also apparently a lift, betting -- lifting the ban rather on fracking. Correct me if I'm wrong, but London just had its hottest day on record. And this Prime Minister wants to pump more carbon into the atmosphere. This seems like an opportunity to invest in renewables.
JAFFE: I mean, there's no question is a huge opportunity invest in renewables. And, you know, it's everywhere. I mean, of course, the United States finally put together a giant package to do so. An offshore wind is going to be a big thing here in the United States, and also in other European countries, even Germany has suddenly, you know, got the gospel on offshore wind and so forth and renewables.
But even India, you know, India has increased its targets and renewables, just a week ago, China increased its targets on renewables. So we're definitely going in that direction. And really, I think what governments are coping with is, you know, I need a solution now.
And so it's very hard to say, well, listen over the long term, we're going to go to renewables, and we're going to do these other things. And the Russians are just going to lose the market forever, which I think is ultimately what's going to happen. But the leverage they have, you know, in the next month, two months, three months is very high. And that's a very big political problem.
VAUSE: Yes. Well, you know, energy supplies also the focus of the E.U. on Wednesday, you sort of touched on this. Member states have been asked to approve a plan, a wide-ranging plan to cut price of Russian gas, as well as a lot of other measures, which include cutting the use of electricity. All of this is to stop paying Russia billions of dollars for oil and gas to fund his war in Ukraine. Here's the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) [01:05:00]
PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: We all know that our sanctions are deeply grinding into the Russian economy with a heavy negative impact. But Putin is partially buffering through fossil fuel revenues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So from what we know this plan, will it be effective? And we'll I guess, European unity hold over a tough winter?
JAFFE: You know, I think the problem is, yes, is sort of an easier question. There's no place for the Russian gas producers to go with their Siberian gas except for Europe. So the question is, is you're going to buy any of it? Are they going to cut you off completely? When they cut you off completely, that basically means they're keeping it in the ground, or they're going to somehow figure out a way to use it in Russia. And that's it. Right?
So the long game is, if you're, you know, Gazprom or you're the Russian government, you know, you're basically giving up that market forever. But for oil in the short term, it's very hard to move against the market in oil. You know, you just have some inelastic demand, that's very hard to get rid of, hard to get people out of their cars, hard to move away from heating in the winter, to the extent that you have markets where they're using heating oil. So it's really a big much bigger challenge in oil.
VAUSE: Well, the Russian president in response to all of this said, it was done. Here he is.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): What comes around goes around like a boomerang. You asked me about the price cap on our energy commodities that some people are making some decisions about. It's an absolutely dumb decision if somebody tries to implement it. This won't lead to anything good for those who take this decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, I mean, there really is no way out for Putin here, because the only place the gas can go is Europe.
JAFFE: Listen, he's making this decision, President Putin is making the decision that he doesn't want the revenue, that he's got bigger goals. You know, some people say -- and it's so hard to know what the motivation is -- but some people say he's hoping that these horrible energy shortages that might hit Europe over the winter, are going to toss out governments and put in more friendly governments to Russia, and therefore, you know, he's got to be able to control his customer, the future.
But if he's betting wrong, and we have a unified Europe, and people understand the threat to democracy and the threat to their future, from this whole situation, and we make it past this winter, the pain is going to flow in the other direction. And --
VAUSE: Yes, it's quite the gamble by the Russian President. Amy, so we might leave it there, though. Thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate your time.
JAFFE: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Vladimir Putin made the threat to cut supplies to European countries at an Economic Forum in eastern Russia. And as CNN's Claire Sebastian report, he had a lot more to say about grain as well as energy.
CLAIRE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was a defiant defensive speech from Vladimir Putin that aim to prove that Russia is not on the backfoot in Ukraine, that it still has plenty of cards to play in the economic war, and casting doubt on the one diplomatic achievement to come out of the war. So far, the U.N. Black Sea Green Deal, President Putin criticized the way the agreement is being executed, saying only 3 percent of the grain leaving Ukraine's southern ports is going to developing countries and the rest to the E.U. itself.
Well, that is incorrect. The U.N. tells us that so far, 30 percent of the grain and other foodstuffs that have made it out under the deal, have gone too low and low middle income countries. And yet Putin used the wrong data to make this threat.
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PUTIN (through translation): Just like many European countries over the past decades have acted like colonial powers, they are continuing to act like that today. Once again, they have deceived developing countries and are continuing to deceive. It's clear that with this approach, the scale of the world's food problems will only grow. Unfortunately, which is capable of leading to an unprecedented humanitarianism catastrophe. It might be worth restricting the export of grain and other food via this route. I will definitely discuss this with Turkish leader Erdogan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Alongside that threat, the Russian President lashed out at the E.U. over its proposal to cap Russian pipeline gas prices. He called the idea stupid and said that if a price cap is put in place, Russia will supply nothing at all no oil, coal, gas, or any other fuel. Well E.U. ministers are set to discuss a potential price cap on Friday as a way of bringing down soaring prices for consumers and preventing Russia from earning more as a result of the disruption its caused to energy supplies
[01:10:00]
And amid growing reports from Western and Ukrainian officials that Russia is struggling to keep up momentum on the battlefield in Ukraine, Britain's defense minister saying recently that 80,000 Russian troops have either been killed, injured or deserted. Putin offered an alternate narrative on that too, saying Russia has, quote, lost nothing. And there's in fact gained greater sovereignty from what it calls its special military operation as a result. An effort perhaps to keep spirits up at home as the war approaches its 200-day.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.ER
VAUSE: United Nations claims so documented cases of mistreatment of Ukrainian civilians during so-called filtration checks by Russia. Almost all are interrogated and searched. Those seen as affiliated with Ukraine's government, all armed forces are being arbitrarily detained and tortured.
The U.N. also says there's credible evidence that unaccompanied Ukrainian children are being sent to Russia for possible adoption by Russian families. The U.S. says thousands of children may have ended up at some point in Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Just look at how Russia is treating Ukrainian children. Estimates indicate that thousands of children have been subjected to filtration, some separated from their families and taken from orphanages before being put up for adoption in Russia. The United States has information that over the course of July alone, more than 1,800 children were transferred from Russian controlled areas of Ukraine to Russia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Russian ambassador to the U.N. dismissing the report on the filtration operations is unfounded.
That outgoing fire, the artillery fire was on pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region where their ground offensive appears to have stalled. But Ukraine is slowly getting further ground in the north. CNN has geolocated these. This video showing Ukrainian troops in a small village about 70 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv which until recently was occupied by the Russians. And for that, President Zelenskyy praised the troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): This week, we have some good news from the Kharkiv region. You all have probably already seen the reports about the activity of the Ukrainian defenders. And I think every citizen is proud of our soldiers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukraine's top general is hinting that Ukraine was behind last month strikes on Russian military targets in Crimea. Russian airbase and other military sites came under fire last month, which Ukraine has not publicly claimed responsibility for. In an article published in Ukraine state media, this top general cites those strikes as an example why Ukraine needs long range weapons.
He wrote that, "Only by balancing the weapons operating range can we get to a turning point of the ongoing war." The general added, "There's every reason to believe the conflict is not going to end anywhere within 2022."
Those suspect in a deadly stabbing spree in Canada are now dead. Myles Sanderson was on the run for almost four days when he was taken into custody Wednesday and later died. His brother Damien died on Monday. This comes after a rampage on Sunday left 10 people dead and 18 others wounded.
CNN's Josh Campbell has more now on how it all ended.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was the development that police and residents of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan had been hoping would come quickly. And now we are hearing from police at the manhunt for a second suspect in that brutal stabbing spree over the weekend is now over. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announcing Wednesday that suspect Myles Sanderson was located and taken into custody near Rosthern, Saskatchewan.
Police canceling a public alert that had gripped so many Canadian residents after this mass stabbing Sunday that left at least 10 people dead in 18 injured across multiple crime scenes in central Canada. Authorities did provide details of the arrest at a press conference Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RHONDA BLACKMORE, COMMANDING OFFICER, SASKATCHEWAN, RCMP: At approximately 3:30 p.m., the suspect vehicle was seen traveling south on Highway 11 south of Rosthern. To ensure the safety of drivers on the highway, the vehicle was directed off the road and into a nearby ditch. Police officers surrounded the vehicle and through verbal identification, confirm the identity of the driver to be Myles Sanderson.
Shortly after his arrest, he went into medical distress. Nearby, EMS were called by police to attend the scene and he was transported to hospital in Saskatchewan. He was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Now police were originally searching for Myles Sanderson and his brother Damien but authorities announcing Tuesday that Damien Sanderson was found dead near a home on the James Smith Cree Nation reserve. Police said they did not believe that his injuries were self- inflicted. Of course, as this manhunt was underway, residents at nearly 250,000 square kilometer area were subject to frequent shelter in place orders as authorities work to find the person or persons responsible for this bloodshed.
The motive remains unclear at this hour, but we know Myles Sanderson had a significant criminal history involving charges of assaulting a police officer, stabbing, domestic violence.
[01:15:09] He had been jailed for armed robbery, but in August of last year was released by a Canadian parole board. Officials there indicating at the time that they did not believe that he posed a continuing threat to the public. Of course, authorities now believe he was involved in the killing of at least 10 people.
Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.
VAUSE: We're watching two dangerous hurricanes right now in the eastern Pacific. Warnings have been issued for parts of Baja California and other parts of Mexico. Hurricane Kay is expected to produce dangerous storm surge and coastal flooding. If you ask Mexico's coastal regions, will begin to feel the strength of case powerful winds.
And in the Atlantic, Hurricane Watch has been issued for Bermuda. Hurricane Earl is set to pass to the east of the island and then expected to become a major hurricane.
Let's go to CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for all the details. So yes, we got two on it, two at once.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Opposite sides, right? Yes, we've got one impacting Mexico here, John. And this particular one was a category two. Just a few hours ago, it has -- since weakened to a category one and official certainly on alert. Across Mexico here we've got flights that -- about 50 percent of flights out of the Cabo, San Lucas area have already been halted as a result of this system being so close to this region.
And will kind of skirt the Western periphery of the Baja region and potentially kind of maintain this intensity at least for the next 24 or so hours. And notice, portions of the west central region of the Baja with hurricane warnings in place. Officials there across the state of Bahia Asuncion saying that any sort of non-essential businesses had been cancelled as well as areas with shelters have been opened up here for folks in evacuation routes.
But notice the storm system. By the time we get to Thursday night and Friday morning, the system is within about 400 kilometers of Southern California as a category one hurricane. It's the first time in about 25 years' time, a system has reached a category one within this close proximity to Southern California to San Diego and potentially even a tropical storm on approach near the Mexican-U.S. border.
The models do suggest it will shift away from this region but could produce a significant amount of rainfall and certainly gusty winds within the canyons of Southern California. But notice this, Thursday and Friday rainfall amounts could be excessive in parts of Mexico into California as well. Generally speaking for Mexico, could see 200 millimeters plus into Southern California, maybe as much as 50 millimeters into the Mojave Desert.
So beneficial rainfall, certainly flooding concern, absolutely. We have the Flood Watches across this region as well. And the temperatures going to be significantly cooler as a result of it with some benefits here towards some of the fire we've seen into Southern California. Temps in Bakersfield from 42 down to 32. Palm Springs from almost 40 down to about 30 degrees in a span of a couple of days.
And John, activity is also brewing into the Atlantic as well. A couple of areas of disturbance that are developing, one in Danielle which looks to be a fish storm for now. Not much of a concern. Earl, that's the storm we're watching carefully here because right now it's still well away from Bermuda, but officials there have prompted watches in advance of the system that is forecast to get to a major hurricane strength potentially get uncomfortably close to Bermuda. But right now, forecast to stay just east of it, John.
VAUSE: Pedram, thank you. Appreciate the update.
Still to come, the overwhelming flood disaster confronting Pakistan, a rising death toll, fears of waterborne disease. And now the extent of the destruction is now on, it will be in the billions.
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VAUSE: Right now, Pakistan seems to be drowning. Third of the country's underwater but beyond that. This is a disaster so immense the government is overwhelmed. Many are left to fend for themselves as best they can. And many in the heart of Sindh province were left terrified after the country's largest lake overflowed for a third time on Tuesday. The U.N. refugee agency says the main goal right now is to get humanitarian aid to residents as fast as possible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY CLEMENTS, DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER, UNHCR: We are trying to bring in aid from our regional stockpiles in Dubai. We've had three airlifts already. We're bringing aid from Termez by road and then using -- basically emptying stocks in the country that we have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The high waters is so vast in some parts. It is a struggle to find dry land just to bury the dead.
CNN's Anna Coren has this report and a warning it contains so many images which will be difficult to watch.
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A metal box is pulled through the floodwaters. What's in the box, asked the bystanders. A dead body, replies a man. They open the lid and show the body of a man crammed in. The family doesn't have money for a funeral, he explains.
There is no place to bury the dead. That is how bad the situation is. They continue to hold the makeshift coffin through the brown murky water searching for higher ground to bury the corpse. In another district, a group of villagers drag a makeshift raft with another man's body through the floodwaters. We came across an official with a tractor, says a man looking distressed. We requested help to transport the body but he denied. There is no ambulance, no support by anyone.
As Pakistan's catastrophic floods continue to inundate one-third of the country, the province of Sindh in the country southeast is now bearing much of the brunt of this climate change induced disaster. With the water unable to drain away, there is nowhere to give the dead a dignified burial. Instead, these villagers hold a funeral procession for their relative in the very waters that claimed his life.
Pakistan's unprecedented monsoonal rains that have been falling since June have affected at least 33 million people across the country. That's 15 percent of the population. Millions have been displaced having lost their homes and crops in the flood waters and the government and aid agencies are struggling to provide enough food, medical care and shelter to those who've lost everything.
The ferocity of the flash floods has been the biggest killer. More than 1,300 people have died, one-third of them children, including a three-day-old baby girl whose family tried to escape their home as the water almost reached the ceiling.
PETER OPHOFF, INTL. FED. OF RED CROSS & RED CRESCENT SOCITIES, PAKISTAN: The wife had the baby in her hands. And just at the end, she couldn't hold it because the water was too strong and the baby swept away. They found the baby but unfortunate baby died.
COREN (voice over): For the people living near Lake Manchar, Pakistan's largest freshwater lake, a looming disaster supposedly averted has come at a very high price. Officials were forced to breach it to reduce dangerously high-water levels, but tens of thousands of villagers downstream have now been left homeless and further flooding is still expected.
It destroyed our crops and houses. No one informed us what was happening. No one warned us, explained this farmer. Tending to his cattle barely keeping their heads above water.
The village is submerged. There is no way to get to our village, says this man. Some families are now stranded. We appeal to the government to send rescue teams and help these people. A plea to an already overstretched government grappling to deal with this unprecedented calamity.
Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
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VAUSE: Pakistan's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Munir Akram joins us now from New York. Ambassador, welcome to CNN Newsroom.
MUNIR AKRAM, PRESIDENT, U.N. ECONOMIC & SOCIAL COUNCIL: Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: Now you're a long way from home. And right now, the country is essentially drowning. It must be difficult, it must be frustrating to watch all those images of suffering and the destruction from so far away.
AKRAM: Right. It is a tragic situation. It is a catastrophe which is unimaginable for anybody, especially for Pakistan. We did not imagine that we could suffer a tragedy of this proportion so suddenly.
[01:25:20]
And, obviously, we are responding the making of national effort to government, the army people. And we hope that, you know, with our resilience, and with the assistance and support of the international community, we will be able to overcome this stage of recovery, at the moment. Relief operations, and then move on to rehabilitation and reconstruction of that country.
VAUSE: This flooding is unprecedented in both scope and misery, and it's a crisis not really of your making. Do you believe that the United States and Europe and other countries which have the resources to help actually realize that they've contributed to this disaster through global warming?
AKRAM: You know, we have been talking about the phenomena of global warming and the responsibilities for global warming and climate change for some time now. And there is a recognition that developing countries or countries which are vulnerable, like Pakistan, which emits only 0.8 percent of global emissions, but is one of the most vulnerable countries. That these countries are must be supportive and that there must be a international responsibility to support such countries in situations like this.
We have asked for a not only greater financing for adaptation projects, to build resilience against such disasters, which we also asked for a financing facility for loss and damage.
VAUSE: Environmental activists, Greta Thunberg talked about the flooding in Pakistan this week. She said it's an example of wealthy countries, which are not significantly impacted by climate change, not dealing with this crisis with the urgency it deserves. Here she is.
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GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: We treat the climate crisis as a distant threat far away in the future. It's not something that impacts people here now. But it is very much impacting people here now. Just take Pakistan now, as an example, a very clear example. But since many of us, that's a very distant threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: What are the implications if there is not some kind of recognition that the crisis is here now, because many countries not just Pakistan are struggling? AKRAM: Yes, that's true. This year, 50 islands in the Maldives come under water suddenly, without any explanation. Climate change is having impacts across the world in surprising ways, with rising oceans, impacts of monsoons, hurricanes, and so forth. So the situation in Pakistan, easily vivid illustration, but it is also a wakeup call for the world. Because today it is Pakistan. Tomorrow, it can be anywhere in the world.
Climate change can strike in strange ways. And it may have -- it's mostly vulnerable countries in the third world, which may be suffering at the moment. But climate change, the impacts are magnified, the impacts are spreading. And tomorrow, it could be a country in Europe. It could be -- I mean, you've seen the drought, a drought in the United States already.
So climate change is global. And the global community must respond to it with international solidarity, and with the global consciousness that is required to respond. This is as catastrophic as a potential nuclear strike.
VAUSE: Ambassador Akram, thank you so much, sir, for being with us. Best of you and to the people of Pakistan.
AKRAM: Thank you so much, John.
VAUSE: Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, after all the accusations and threats over the results of Kenya's presidential election, it seems both winner and loser are no longer talking tough. And just a moment, the incoming president talks to CNN.
Plus, Obama is returning to the White House. After a long, long absence, their official portraits are finally unveiled.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Another void (ph)in civil liberties in Hong Kong with five speech therapists found guilty on Wednesday of conspiring to publish children's books considered seditious by the Beijing-backed government.
CNN Kristie Lu Stout covering this live for us in Hong Kong. Just precisely what was the offensive material.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well look, we have five former Hong Kong speech therapists. They've been convicted of sedition for publishing children's books depicting cartoon sheep being chased by wolves. They released three picture books that reference actual events in recent Hong Kong history, including the 2019 Hong Kong protests, as well as the 12 pro-democracy protesters who attempted to flee Hong Kong by speedboat to Taiwan, but were captured by the Chinese marine police. And these books -- these children's books have been deemed to be anti government. Now this is a significant case because this is the first sedition case
for publications to go to trial here in Hong Kong since the 2019 pro- democracy protest and the imposition of the national security law by Beijing upon the Chinese territory the following year in 2020.
We have this written statement from the presiding judge from this case who wrote this, quote, "By identifying the PRC government as the wolves the children will be led into belief that the PRC government is coming to Hong Kong with the wicked intention of taking away their home, and ruining their happy life with no right to do so at all," unquote.
The convictions use a colonial era sedition offense that critics say has been revised alongside the national security law to increasingly target dissent here in the territory.
The sentencing is expected to take place this Saturday. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty. If convicted and have those sentence, they could facing up to two years in jail. And a number of human rights organizations including Amnesty International are urging for their immediate release.
You have this statement from the China campaigner of Amnesty who says this, quote, "These sedition convictions are an absurd example of the disintegration of human rights in the city. Writing books for children is not a crime and attempting the educate children about recent events in Hong Kong's history does not constitute an attempt to incite rebellion," unquote.
Now critics call the conviction part of a greater crackdown on dissent, on criticizing the government, on free speech in Hong Kong. Authorities say all prosecutions are fact based or based on evidence, and insist that the national security law is about order and stability to the city.
Back to you, John
[01:34:52]
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout there, live for us in Hong Kong.
Ah yes, that's Brazil's president on two wheels waving to supporters in Rio de Janeiro. Jair Bolsonaro celebrated the country's bicentennial day by holding campaign rallies. It's a day which is not meant to be political.
He's in a race for reelection and polls show him trailing former president Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro now claims the polls are a lie because he's trailing.
CNN's Shasta Darlington reports now from Sao Paulo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Wednesday wearing yellow and green shirts and waving flags.
In Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, they lined up for military parades. Officially, the festivities were staged to celebrate Brazil's 200 years of independence from Portugal. But critics accused President Jair Bolsonaro of hijacking the holiday, as he turned the event into campaign rallies ahead of elections next month.
After the parade in Brasilia, Bolsonaro dedicated his speech not to independence, but to the electoral race.
JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We face a battle between good and evil. The evil lasted for years in our country and almost broke at. Now they want to go back to the crime scene.
DARLINGTON: He was referring, of course, to his main political rival, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. During the speech he also called electoral polls that show Lula beating Bolsonaro by a comfortable margin, quote-unquote, "lies".
In Rio de Janeiro, he rode a motorcycle before addressing huge crowds on Copacabana Beach. His supporters also organize dozens of other political rallies around the country including here in Sao Paulo.
Critics say Bolsonaro is planning to use the big turnout at these festivities as proof of not only popular but military support for his electoral campaign and evidence that the polls are flawed.
Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned the polls, as well as the widely respected electronic voting system here in Brazil. Without providing any evidence, he says the system is vulnerable to fraud, in an echo of the kind of election-denying rhetoric employed by Donald Trump.
In Rio, he used his speaking time to denounce his political rival, Lula. Noticeably absent from the celebrations were other institutional leaders, such as the presidents of Congress, the Senate, and the Supreme Court.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: To Princeton, New Jersey now and Miguel Lago, a political scientist and lecturer of international and public affairs at Columbia University. Welcome to the program.
MIGUEL LAGO, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Now, Bolsonaro he first embraced the way that Donald Trump cast doubt over the election results. But since then he's kind of taking this to, you know, a whole different level. Now for months without any evidence, he's raised questions over the security of the voting machines, raised doubt whether he'll accept the outcome of the election.
The question of the voting machines is being repeated now by military leaders. The Supreme Court's You has been attacked. Put all this together, many observers say Bolsonaro is setting the stage for a coup, if he loses in October.
You, though, argue there's a lot more happening, which points not to a coup, but to a revolution.
LAGO: Exactly. Because a coup, you need to have the army with you. And we're not sure in Brazil, if Bolsonaro has the support of the army for a coup.
And Bolsonaro has led rallies and mobilizations and he has a very dynamic constituency, that is weaponized so he could really try to do a revolution. He has set the conditions for that.
VAUSE: And one of the hallmarks of an autocratic leader in the making, I guess is demonizing opponents, always claiming the high ground against an evil enemy. Kind of like this. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLSONARO: we face a battle between good and evil. The evil lasted for years in our country, and almost broke it. Now they want to go back to the crime scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: In another speech, he told supporters to go to war to protect freedom which was under threat of the opposition one. And in your article in the "New York Times, you pointed to the six fold increase in gun licenses over the past four years. And you write, "One of the major achievements of the Bolsonaro administration has been to weaken gun control, flooding the country with firearms.
Now there're over 670,000 people holding gun licenses more than the police and the armed forces.
That alone seems to imply that Bolsonaro was sort of planning a revolution from the moment he went into office.
LAGO: Yes, I think he is. I think he is because everything that Bolsonaro does, Bolsonaro doesn't look like a president. He doesn't behave as a president. He behaves as a leader of a revolution.
[01:39:52]
LAGO: So basically everything that he does, all his acts and policies, are directly connected to the way that he mobilizes his constituents. And there's a lot people in fact. At least 20 percent of the population in Brazil.
And so he tries to keep this (INAUDIBLE) extremely mobilized, and he has oriented for that.
VAUSE: How does he actually fire up his base? Who are the enemies?
LAGO: Right. So the enemy will be the globalists, will be the leftists, and he calls everybody a leftist. Everyone who doesn't agree with him, even if it's a conservative, he's attacking everybody and everyone that could oppose him.
So basically he identifies people in the civil servants for instance and the administration, and he fires them, and he says he's fighting against communism, when he's firing a civil servant, for instance.
VAUSE: There is a report from Freedom House, which documents 16 years of democratic decline around the world and has this dire warning. "The global order is nearing a tipping point. And if democracy's defenders do not work together to help guarantee freedom for all the authoritarian model will prevail.
At this point in time is Brazil kind of a bellwether for the rest of the world in terms of democracy versus autocratic rule.
LAGO: I think it is. I think it is. I think, I mean the path to autocracy is very clear, if Bolsonaro gets reelected, or if Bolsonaro do stage his revolution. I think it's absolutely essential that the democrats around the world's make sure that he won't be able to do his revolution.
Miguel Lago, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate your time, sir.
LAGO: Thank you so much, John.
VAUSE: In Kenya, the contentious presidential election and the legal challenge which followed, has confirmed William Ruto won, Raila Odinga lost. But both might soon be working together.
President-elect William Ruto told CNN's Christiane Amanpour he will work with Odinga in an effort to unite the country. Here he is on the outcome of a peaceful election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECT: I think it speaks to the heart of the maturity of the democracy of our country. No citizen, no leader wants their country to be famous for violence.
And as the people of Kenya, we have raised the standard, I think in our continent. And we have raised the standard even for ourselves, that we can go to an election, we can decide who our leaders are, and the next day we can go back to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: William Ruto also told Christiane Amanpour that the outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta has yet to congratulate him for the win.
Ruto says that his vice president (INAUDIBLE) a little disappointment (ph).
The official portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama are a lot more than pain on a canvas.
It was the first time in ten years that an unveiling was held. There was no ceremony for the Obamas (INAUDIBLE) in the Trump White House. It also marked Michelle Obama's first visit back there since 2017.
Reviving the time honored tradition is meant to symbolize a smooth and peaceful transition of democratic power from one administration to the next.
The former president joked about the photo realism of his own portrait, including the gray hair, but gushed about the painting of the former first lady.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to thank Sharon Sprung (ph) for capturing everything I love about Michelle. Her grace, her intelligence, and the fact that she's fine. She is, her portrait is stunning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Some of these portraits also represent a dramatic departure from previous White House portraits. The former president is shown against a stark white background. The former first lady is seated in an elegant designer dress.
Coming up Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors, threatening legal action against Netflix over content they say violates Islamic values. Details in a moment.
[01:44:15]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Every year at least 14 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans threatening marine life, contributing to climate change, even impacting our health. Today on "Call to Earth" an organization in South Africa is tackling the problem of plastic pollution with a unique, multipronged approach.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lush vegetation flags (ph) this peaceful South African river. Water, flowing smooth and unhindered.
But a bird's eye view reveals a grim detail. Plastic waste, threatening its beauty and all forms of life that depend on this water to survive.
FABIAN LEBRON, LITTERBOOM PROJECT: There's so much stuff in the river, it's really mind-boggling. And even the community also, they will tell us like what it looks like before, and what it looks like now. (INAUDIBLE) and actually, it makes me glad because, we are making a difference in our work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's exactly what Cameron Service (ph) had in mind when he created the Litterboom Project devoted to river cleaning. Because, 80 to 90 percent of the plastic in the oceans comes from river systems. CAMERON SERVICE, LITTERBOOM PROJECT: For us, it's always been with the
intention of trying to remove all the plastic from the ocean, to be able to restore the pristine beauty of the oceans and rivers, back to its original state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Formed in 2017, the young nonprofit took an innovative approach to clean rivers.
SERVICE: We set up a black (INAUDIBLE) park across the river, which is on top of the river and the intention in such a way that the floating plastic pollution gets caught in the litterboom and our teams who collect daily will remove the plastic from the rivers, and sort it.
We're in six rivers in (INAUDIBLE), and three rivers in Cape Town. We've collected over 350,000 kilograms of plastic from the rivers, and we have offset about 250,000 kilograms of plastic through recycling and innovation initiatives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amid the success, the company continues to improve on its process.
KYLE MACLEAN, RESEARCHER: We installed to time-lapse cameras along the river, and the idea is that they take pictures every 30 minutes And using algorithm and software, be able to identify what is the amount of plastics that are intercepted by booms.
The data is very useful, not only for the amounts, also for the compositions. If we know that a lot of the product is coming from the food and beverage industry, that puts pressure, we know where to channel our efforts and mitigation measures.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not all of the plastic they collect is recycled, but they strive to repurpose as many of those items as they can.
SERVICE: One of the challenges that we face is that no one is taking the non-recyclable plastics. You've got an amazing partnership with a company in Cape Town (INAUDIBLE) and they are one of the many projects that are really focusing on post-consumer innovation, and taking the plastic and putting it over to building bricks, that are ABS approved, so they can be used commercially in South Africa.
[01:49:56]
ABRAHAM AVENANT, CRDC SOUTH AFRICA: We have tested over 60 different samples of plastic seedstock (ph) or potential seedstock with a very high success rates, which just makes us a total new game-changer within the concrete industry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And while the potential of these new products is promising, the founder of the Litterboom Project believes so much more needs to be done.
SERVICE: It's important that we don't see this as a stand-alone solution, because there still needs to be a responsibility to reducing the amount of plastic being created in the first place. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cameron dreams of a day when litterbooms are
cleaning rivers around the world. But for now, he's focused on the water, and the people he knows best.
SERVICE: We really want to start taking a deep dive into the communities, where a lot of this plastic is accumulating, because there's insufficient waste infrastructure. We've been working really hard to establish landbased interception programs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An upstream approach to a cleaner, healthier ocean.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Let us know what you're doing to answer the call, with the hashtag, #CallToEarth, that's hashtag Call to Earth. Let us know.
And we'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back everyone.
Big oil has made a big deal about going green, advertising and PR campaigns make an image of being all in on reducing carbon emissions.
But a London based think tank says there's a chasm between what they say and n what they do. Or to be specific, where they invest. Shell was called out for having the biggest gap between words and actions. 70 percent of the company's PR message was pro climate, but only 10 percent of spending goes to low carbon investment. Shell says that figure will rise by 2 percent this year, up to 12 percent.
Similar story with ExxonMobil. The analysis found 65 percent of the corporate messaging, all about various green claims, but only 8 percent of spending actually goes towards climate friendly initiatives.
How about that.
Countries in the Persian Gulf are threatening legal action against Netflix if it does not remove content on the streaming service which they say violates Islamic and societal values.
CNN's Scott McLean has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This all started with a joint statement aimed at Netflix from the Saudi Arabian government and the Gulf Corporation Council warning Netflix about content directed at children that in its view violated Islamic and societal values.
Now it didn't specifically identify the content in question. But a Saudi state TV report did. The show is called "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous". This is an animated spin off of the Jurassic Park films, and this is the scene in question. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The truth, is Sammy, I've fallen for you, like
hard. Real hard.
I know, I heard you earlier. I just wanted to hear you say it again, because I've been wanting to hear you say that. I don't even know when.
MCLEAN: So that Saudi state TV report blurred that kiss and said that the show aimed at kids is calling for homosexual actions, and moral corruption in its words.
[01:54:51]
MCLEAN: Now the statement from the Saudi government in the Gulf Cooperation Council called on Netflix to remove the content, saying in part, "In the event that the violating content continues to be broadcast, the necessary legal measures will be taken."
Now, the Emirati government also put out a very similar statement, and it seems like there has been some action taken. If you access Netflix from the Emirates right now, you will find this show has been completely removed from the children's section.
You can still access it through an adult profile, though it now carries the rating of 18 plus. We have reached out to Netflix for comment but so far got no response.
Of course, homosexuality is illegal in both the UAE and in Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, the Saudis even started cracking down on rainbow colored toys and clothing, for the same reason that they are taking aim at this show.
Now, this is not the first time that Hollywood has been asked to censor itself. Earlier this year, the film "Lightyear", a spinoff of the "Toy Story" franchise, was not shown in several Middle Eastern countries, because of a similar same-sex kissing scene.
In 2019, Netflix removed an episode of its show, "The Patriot Act", which was critical of the Saudi government over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Streaming services are now having to adapt to the regions that they're operating in. Just last month Disney+ said that its content should align with local regulatory requirements. So censorship, it seems, more and more, is the price of doing business.
Scott McLean, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Apple has just unveiled its new iPhone 14. The phones have upgraded cameras. You can send a call for help via satellite in an emergency, they use electronic sim cards. They detect a car crash and dial emergency services, how about that?
And the price, $799, get them while they last. The same as last year's model. Apple also showed (ph) three new smart watches with the highest end model design for extreme sports, like scuba diving. Available now at all stores.
I'm John Vause. Thank you for watching.
CNN NEWSROOM, continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church in a moment.
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[02:00:01]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, Europe's energy --
