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CNN International: U.S. Commerce Chief in Beijing Amid China's Economic Woes; Zimbabwe Torn by Accusations of Election Fraud; Video: Indian Teacher Tells Children to Slap Muslim Student; Pressure Grows on Spain's Football Federation Chief to Step Down. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 28, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The investigation is still ongoing, but police believe that it was a conflict ... between several individuals, an argument that led to this particular incident. And two baseball fans injured during a Chicago White Sox game on Friday, though it's unclear where the shots actually came from, either from inside or outside the ballpark. Two people sustained non-life- threatening injuries there.

We're going down this list to remind viewers of just the far-reaching impact of gun violence and how it has affected many aspects of life for Americans, either folks at a store, folks enjoying a sporting event. And it is changing the way some Americans are living their lives.

That's according to research conducted by KFF, a health policy organization that shows one in three adults surveyed said that they have recently avoided large crowds, spaces like crowded bars, music festivals saying their concern is the potential for gun violence to break out.

And yet another sobering statistic, in July the U.S. surpassed 400 mass shootings for the year. We haven't seen such a staggering number so early in the year, since 2013, since the gun archives started compiling these statistics. Just some perspective here, in 2019 it took 356 days to reach that 400 mark. Yet here we are, still several more months left to go in 2023 and we've already surpassed that 400 number.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. Commerce Secretary says it is profoundly important that Washington and Beijing have a stable economic relationship. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo made those remarks during a meeting in Beijing with her Chinese counterpart and other officials as well.

Raimondo's visit comes amid heightened tensions between China and the U.S. and as China faces mounting economical problems ranging from a real estate crisis to slumping exports. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong to discuss this. And Kristie, that is what context because obviously, it's in both America's and China's economic interests to have an optimal trading relationship here. There were warm words exchanged about wanting to create a better environment. But nothing really tangible as an outcome.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nothing tangible just yet. And you know, Biden administration officials have gone out of their way to say don't expect any big breakthroughs from this. But this is critical to just keep the relationship and the trade relationship between these two superpowers stable. You know, the U.S. Commerce Secretary is in China for a four-day visit. She arrived in Beijing on Sunday. And earlier today in Beijing she met with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao.

After that meeting, Raimondo said that stable relations between these two countries are, quote, profoundly important. He pointed out, look, these two countries share more than $700 billion a year in annual trade. But she also added that the U.S. would not compromise on matters related to national security. Which was also the message that we heard earlier in July when Janet Yellen, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Wang Wentao, who said, quote:

I'm ready to work with you, together to foster a more favorable policy environment stronger cooperation between our businesses bolster bilateral trade and investment in a stable and predictable manner.

Now this visit comes at a time of deep economic troubles for China. Because China is dealing with slumping exports. It is dealing with an ongoing and deepening property crisis. It's dealing with sky high youth unemployment data. Data that has been deemed so bad that the government has suspended releasing that data.

Raimondo, who is currently in Beijing, she also traveled to Shanghai, her visit follows a flurry of visits from other senior Biden administration officials. Again, as U.S. tries to steady the boat, as it tries to stabilize this relationship because tensions have flared. Not only over geopolitical issues, but also over trade, over target sanctions, over access to sensitive technology like chips and over ways of U.S. consultancy firms operating in China like Bain, like Mintz.

China has welcomed this visit. Last week we heard from the Chinese Commerce Department, the ministry, it praised the U.S. Commerce Department's decision to lift export control measures on 27 Chinese entities. China saying that measure paves the way to more normal trade. Back to you -- Bianca and Max.

NOBILO: Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you.

FOSTER: Now with summer winding down in the U.S. the temperature isn't the only thing expected to cool down. The Consumer Confidence Index is due out on Tuesday. And investors and economists are predicting a slow down in consumer spending. The U.S. economy's main engine. A softening economy this year is widely expected but there's still hope that the U.S. could avoid a recession.

[04:35:13]

Here's how markets are looking ahead of that consumer report. These are the futures -- it's also amid, of course, the U.S./China meeting. They're looking pretty positive for the start of the week.

NOBILO: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he's concerned about reports of voter intimidation and suspicious arrests in Zimbabwe's recent elections.

FOSTER: The Electoral Commission says the incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa won with 52 percent, but the opposition and civil society say the vote was marred by delayed ballots and voter intimidation, including threats of violence, harassment and coercion.

NOBILO: CNN's David McKenzie joins us now live from Johannesburg to talk about this more. So David, the outcome of this election have been rejected by opposition. Questions have been raised by observers, a lot of concerns about potential rigging, a climate of fear and so on. What happens now?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what happens now, Bianca, and you described very much the complaints from both monitors, the opposition, civil society groups and election observers from outside of Zimbabwe. What happens now is that the opposition say they're going to dispute these results. They say in the coming hours they'll have their own data from polling stations and from districts where they had monitors and others tabulating what they saw as the election and they say don't add up with the official results announced on Saturday putting Emmerson Mnangagwa as the winner of this election and 52 and bit percent of the vote. Here's the leader of opposition, Nelson Chamisa.

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NELSON CHAMISA, CITIZENS COALITION FOR CHANGE LEADER: It is clear that we are rejecting the election as a sham, the result. The process itself we're disregarding aligned with what the SADC observers have said. We reject this sham result and flawed process based on the disputed figures.

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MCKENZIE: And the SADC observers he's talking about is of course the regional bloc of southern Africa that has at this stage criticized the selection, saying it's not in line with Zimbabwe's Constitution and requires of Constitution. We've also had the European Union complaining about voter intimidation. At least 40 people were arrested from civil society and other groups who are monitoring the election. The government is saying they were illegally tabulating votes on devices.

But frankly, we've been here before with these kind of allegations against ruling Zanu-PF who don't appear to be buckling as you might expect on any of the criticism. They say that in one case that the complaints are ridiculous. The fact that many international vote casters are not able to go into their country because they were not given accreditation, speaks to the overall -- according to multiple diplomats -- overall aim of Zanu-PF to keep prying eyes or the focus of the world's media and the world on this election.

So I think it's very important we keep a close eye on this and we expect the opposition and the opposition needs, of course, given those criticisms, to provide some proof of their allegations -- Bianca, Max.

NOBILO: We know you will be keeping a close eye on it for us, David McKenzie live in Johannesburg, thank you very much.

FOSTER: Still to come, disturbing video out of India shows a teacher telling students to slap a Muslim classmate. More on the shocking incident when we return.

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NOBILO: More than 4,200 migrants as arrived on the shores of the Italian island of Lampedusa over the weekend. According to Red Cross data, it's a record for migrants arriving by boat in a single weekend.

FOSTER: Authorities say some migrants arriving at night had to be rescued by local Port Authority boats. Meanwhile, the Italian military has started transporting the migrants to the mainland. The Italian government plans to meet this week to come up with an emergency plan to help the island and work on ways to manage the migrant crisis.

France is set to ban children from wearing at abaya in state-run schools. An abaya is a loose-fitting full-length robe worn by some Muslim women. France's education minister says he would give clear rules of a national level to school heads ahead of the back-to-school season next week.

NOBILO: France has enforced a strict ban on religious signs in state schools. In 2004, it banned head scarfs in schools and passed a ban on full-face veils in public in 2010 which has angered some in the Muslim community.

FOSTER: More than half a dozen people are dead in Haiti after a church led protest ended with gunfire -- according to a local human rights group. Hundreds gathered to march against gang violence in the suburb of Port-au-Prince on Saturday. When a gang opens fire on the crowd with machine guns.

NOBILO: The human rights group said at least seven people were killed and possibly many more. No word on how many more were injured but the group says up to ten people were kidnapped during this.

FOSTER: Now to a shocking incident out of India. A school has been ordered to shut down after a video emerged showing a teacher telling students to slap a classmate who is Muslim.

NOBILO: CNN's Vedika Sud joins us now live from New Delhi. Vedika, Max and I have been speaking about this all morning. It's truly horrifying and defies believe that a teacher would allow, sanction and encourage this kind of behavior. What's the reaction been another worry that just imagine the impact?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Yes, and just imagine the impact on that child, Bianca. I mean, you can't even express in words, can you, for 39 seconds at least that's how long that tape is. Deeply shocking, deeply disturbing. That boy is hit at least three times on the instructions issued by the teacher who is sitting on a chair by the table. He's right next to her. And there are about a dozen or more children who are sitting on a mat.

She called three of them. One after the other, come and get him. The first hits him on the cheek. The second slaps him on the forehead. And then she asks the third to hit him on the waist because his head is going red. And that boy hits him on the waist.

Now this incident we're told happened on Thursday. And there is a complaint that has been filed with the police. The police are investigating the matter, the incident. But the teacher in question says that this video that has gone -- has gone viral online and has led to national outrage and condemnation is edited. Here's what she had to say.

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TRIPTA TYAGI, TEACHER (through translator): Nothing like that happened. His father brought the child in and said to strengthen him out. Now because I can't get up, I thought I'd get one or two children to hit him. I got the kids to slap him around once or twice. After that, his uncle who was sitting there and making a video, he said, will he only do this much? Hit him harder.

[04:45:00]

And I thought how hard can you hit a child? You cannot hit a child so hard. He was saying this, so this man, this is a conspiracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUD: The incident took place in a public school in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in India, and as we all know that is governed by the Hindu Nationalist Party, the Bharti Janta Party, which is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party.

Now the main opposition parties have come out and slammed the Indian government, one of them being a popular opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and here's what he had to say on X, formally known as Twitter. He said -- and I'm going to quote him here:

Sowing the poison of discrimination in the minds of innocent children, turning a holy place like school into a marketplace of hatred -- there is nothing worse than this a teacher can do for the country. This is the same kerosene spread by the BJP which has set every corner of India on fire. Now these words are coming from Rahul Gandhi at a time when there has

been religious tension between the Hindus and Muslims in India. You have activists saying that ever since Narendra Modi's government came to power in the year 2014, Muslims are seeing a rise in violence against them. Back to you.

FOSTER: Yes, because we only know about this, don't we, because the uncle was filming it, and the video went viral. But it does make you wonder how many more similar incidents are taking place in that area. How endemic is it do you think?

SUD: Oh, it's very worrying indeed. And like you said, this has just been reported because someone had a mobile phone in his hand. And had the opportunity to film a 39-second clip.

It's not like, you know, when we talk about the unfortunate rapes in India, Max. You don't know how many of them go unreported because of the intimidation that the victims, you know, feel or witness. So this is, perhaps, endemic, but we don't have enough proof to go ahead and make that statement officially. But this is something clearly that should be a wake-up call to authorities across India. Something that schools should be taking seriously to ensure that their children, the students, don't become victims of such incidents where the psychological trauma can be unending on them -- Max.

FOSTER: Exactly, and thank you so much, Vedika. I mean, it's a struggle to watch the video. And we questioned whether or not we run it. But it's having this great effect of informing people that something that happened and might be happening more often.

NOBILO: Absolutely and might put pressure to drastically and urgently try to resolve what's underpinning those actions. It does make you scared though when you think about the children that are witnessing that.

FOSTER: Yes.

NOBILO: And what if they learn that that's OK to discriminate --

FOSTER: Yes.

NOBILO: -- to physically harm somebody else because their minds are so malleable at that age. It's really terrifying.

FOSTER: Now the Women's World Cup may be starting to feel like a memory. But the controversy of the unwanted kiss won't go away. We'll get the latest reaction from officials and fans in a live report from Spain.

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NOBILO: It's been a week since that unwanted kiss on the lips of a player at the medal ceremony for Spain's World Cup champions. FOSTER: And while the chief of the country's Football Federation shows

no sign of stepping down, the pressure is building. The Federation has defended him aggressively but they're calling for an emergency meeting for today.

Let's go to Atika Shubert in Valencia, Spain for more on this. It really does feel as though the tide has massively turned against him. We saw the matches over the weekend where male and female players were supporting, you know, this idea that he should go. I mean, what's going to come out of this meeting, do you think?

ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Well, this is the big question, because so far, the Federation, the Spanish Football Federation has, as you put it, very aggressively defended Rubiales. So we're going to have to wait and see what they do at this meeting today.

It's been called for later this afternoon and it is with the regional heads of the local Football Federations here. But there is no doubt that Spanish football is in crisis at this moment. What had become -- what was an embarrassment at first, has snowballed into really something of a crisis for football. And it has international repercussions as well. So, at the moment, for example, there has been resignations en masse, from coaching staff at Spanish Football, particularly from women's teams.

And the Spanish women's teams -- women's team instead of being able to celebrate their World Cup victory has actually said will not play, they refuse to play, until the head of the Football Federation here in Spain, Rubiales, is either removed or he resigns.

So this is becoming a huge headache, not just for football, but for the country as well. So it's not clear how exactly this can be resolved. We do know, however, that the High Counsel for Sport here in Spain, has called for a tribunal. So that is one way forward on this. The tribunal to investigate what happened in this incident and to come to some sort of judgment. But that could take a long time yet. So it's not clear what the Royal Federation for Football here in Spain will do at this meeting today. But so far, they have been very aggressively defending Rubiales -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Atika, thank you very much.

Frankly, you know, you wonder how much there is to investigate. Simply because all the evidence is there. It was on live television. The whole world was watching. We saw what happened. And it's already just about that incident.

NOBILO: Exactly, and she's remarkably diplomatic. I would have been fuming. I would have kneed him.

FOSTER: There you go.

Other stories in the spotlight this hour. Star gymnast Simone Biles continuing to make history. The four-time Olympic gold medal won her record eighth U.S. all-around title at the U.S. gymnastics championship in California on Sunday. [04:55:00]

NOBILO: The 26-year-old broke the record she shared with Alfred Jochim who won his seventh title in 1933. She also became the oldest woman to win the championship.

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SIMONE BILES, GYMNAST: I've been doing it for so long. I feel like I don't think about numbers. I think about my performance. And I think overall, I had eight for eight, it's eight. I guess is the lucky number this year.

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NOBILO: Finishing the 27 under par, Norwegian golf Viktor Hovland won the Tour Championship on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia. He is just 25 years old and that makes him the third youngest FedEx Cup champion in history. And comes with an $18 million prize.

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VIKTOR HOVLAND, FEDEX CUP CHAMPION: It's just pretty surreal to be standing here right now. You know, played basically my best golf the last two weeks. And it couldn't have happened at a better moment in front of all of these people. So just want to appreciate you all for being here and being awesome.

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FOSTER: There's an unusual reason for pause in a baseball game in Baltimore on Sunday. The Orioles were facing off against the Colorado Rockies at Camden Yards on Sunday when a swarm of bees forced a five- minute delay in the bottom of the first inning.

NOBILO: They resumed when the swarm was identified as honeybees which are much less likely to sting. The Orioles lost to the Rockies 4-3 in Sunday series.

FOSTER: A new study suggests the connections we feel with our loved ones don't always and after death. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, more than half of Americans say they've been visited by a dead relative in their dreams or in some other form.

NOBILO: Fascinating. Many also report feeling a late relative's presence or even having their loved one communicate with them. Researchers say the survey included responses from Americans of all religious backgrounds. That includes Buddhists, Jews and Muslims.

FOSTER: But not atheists. We'll have to look.

NOBILO: We'll have to look.

FOSTER: Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.

NOBILO: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. "EARLY START" is up next right here on CNN.

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