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Trump Racketeering Case May Hinge On Judge's Ruling; Millions Of Americans To Travel For Labor Day; Russia Claims To Stop Ukrainian Attacks On Crimea Bridge; Pope Francis' Historic Visit To Mongolia; Debating Age Limits For Elected Officials; French President Reaffirms Ban On Muslim Clothing In Schools; Gabon Coup. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired September 02, 2023 - 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): And welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the list of Donald Trump's co-defendants who say they're innocent keeps growing. Where a trial stands and what we're expecting next.
Plus, millions of Americans are getting ready to hit the road this holiday weekend as summer comes to an official end. Flying or driving, a look at why travelers will want to head out early.
And the pope making what might seem like an unusual trip. We'll look at how it might be more about one country's neighbors.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: The sprawling racketeering case in Georgia that's been brought against Donald Trump and 18 others could be upended at any time by a federal judge. At issue is whether one defendant, former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, should have his case moved to federal court.
If that happens it could have a snowball effect on the others, including Trump. Meanwhile, coconspirators Rudy Giuliani and six others are the latest to enter their pleas. CNN's Sara Murray has our report.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We're following a flurry of developments in that Georgia election interference case. Of the 19 defendants charged in the sprawling racketeering case, we now know a dozen have entered pleas of not guilty and chosen to waive their arraignments. Those include people like former president Donald Trump and his former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Now we're still waiting for the others to decide what they're going to do, if they're going to plead on paper or show up in person next week.
We're also waiting on a major ruling from a federal judge, who is still considering whether Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, should be able to move his case from state court in Georgia to federal court.
We know that Donald Trump's team is watching that decision closely because Trump may try to do the same thing, which is move to federal court. If that's the case we lose this ability we would have in state court to have cameras on these proceedings, to see a Trump trial on camera.
That doesn't exist in federal court. No cameras allowed. So again, there are a number of steps in this case that could move forward next week -- Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: Two more members of the Proud Boys have been sentenced for their roles in the riot on Capitol Hill.
Ethan Nordean received 18 years in prison, one of the longest sentences in this case so far. Prosecutors said he was the undisputed leader on the ground on January 6th. Nordean now calls the riot a complete and utter tragedy and claims he went to the Capitol to be a leader and keep people out of trouble.
The other Proud Boy sentenced Friday, Dominic Pezzola, here he is smashing through a Capitol window with a police riot shield. Once inside, he lit a celebratory cigar. In court, he told the judge he wished he'd never crossed into a restricted area and he apologized to the officer whose shield he took, adding, quote, "There's no place in my future for groups or politics whatsoever."
Still, after that apology and after the judge sentenced him to 10 years, he exited the courtroom by raising his fist and defiantly yelling, "Trump won."
The U.S. labor market appears to be cooling to a much more manageable pace than the white hot gains of the past 2.5 years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy added a healthy 187,000 jobs in August.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose unexpectedly to 3.8 percent, likely due to an increase in the labor force, which could help cool off wage growth and slow inflation. President Joe Biden says the numbers suggest the economy is moving in the right direction.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: More than 700,000 people joined the labor force last month, which means the highest share of working age Americans are in the workforce now than at any time in the past 20 years. People are coming off the sidelines, getting back to their workplaces.
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BRUNHUBER: Wall Street took the latest employment numbers in stride. The Dow closed on Friday with a 115 point gain. U.S. markets will be closed on Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
And the U.S. has kicked off a three-day weekend to mark the Labor Day holiday. And this year, the country is expected to see a significant rise in the number of travelers. CNN's Pete Muntean reports.
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a climatic end to a record breaking summer of travel with a new survey saying more than half of all Americans expect to travel for Labor Day.
At Chicago O'Hare, officials are bracing for a 7 percent increase in passengers compared to the holiday weekend last year. The TSA says after this weekend, the summer will set a new air travel record with more than 227 million people screened at airports since Memorial Day.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says flight cancelations are going down. But the latest numbers from FlightAware show it is delays that have increased. This summer, more than 25 percent of flights arrived late by an average of 57 minutes.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: This year, we have seen significant improvement. That doesn't mean that the system was immune from some tough travel days this year and this summer.
MUNTEAN: AAA says, even still, travelers remain undaunted, booking 4 percent more domestic trips compared to last Labor Day weekend and 44 percent more international trips with destinations like Vancouver, Rome and London topping the list.
SCOTT KEYES, AIR TRAVEL EXPERT: You are seeing flights and trips over to Europe and down to Latin America booming right now, with numbers that are significantly higher than what we saw pre-pandemic.
MUNTEAN: The crowds also stretched to the roads. AAA forecasts that popular routes like Palm Springs to San Diego and the Jersey Shore to Manhattan will hit peak congestion on Monday. Before this weekend, the average price for a gallon of regular gas flirted with a seasonal record set back in 2012.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like everything else, it just keeps going up and that's why I'm meeting my family half way. I would have driven all the way down to Baltimore and back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We knew they were going to go up. We knew it. So we filled up before we left Jersey. MUNTEAN: The TSA says Friday will go down as the busiest day for travel. The agency will screen a total of 14 million people through Wednesday -- Pete Muntean, CNN, Reagan National Airport.
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BRUNHUBER: Some parts of the U.S. will be unusually hot while others can expect heavy rainfall.
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BRUNHUBER: President Biden says he plans to meet with Florida's governor when he visits the hurricane damage in that state later today. But the governor's office is disputing that, saying Ron DeSantis has no plans to meet with the president.
DeSantis is, of course, running for the Republican nomination for president, hoping to replace Biden. On Friday, DeSantis claimed he told Biden in a phone call he was concerned the president's security entourage might interfere with recovery efforts.
But the White House says no such concerns were raised in the call and added that every effort would be made not to impede emergency workers during the president's visit.
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be in Hawaii today, touring Maui's fire disaster area with a group of congressional lawmakers. The country's office says Republican lawmakers want to see firsthand what happened in Maui and plan to meet with officials involved in the recovery efforts.
Some Republicans have vowed to investigate the federal government's response to the wildfires. On Wednesday, President Biden said he hoped they would do so and then approved additional funding for FEMA's disaster relief fund.
Officials say there's little change to the list of those missing from the wildfire; 385 people remain unaccounted for and the death toll remains at 115. State officials approved more than $2 million to help rebuild Hawaii's struggling tourism industry.
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BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, advancing on the front lines, Ukraine says its military is moving forward against Russian forces. We'll have latest on the counteroffensive in a live report next.
Plus days after a military junta seized control in Gabon, the coup's leader is promising an eventual return to democracy. The latest in a live report there, stay with us.
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(MUSIC PLAYING) BRUNHUBER: We begin in Crimea, where Russia says it's foiled three
attacks on a vital bridge in the past few hours. The ministry of defense says it destroyed three Ukrainian sea drones loaded with explosives launched at the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge.
It's just the latest attempt at an attack on the bridge, which is a critical lifeline for Russian forces.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign minister attended a roundtable meeting with foreign ministers from the E.U. on Thursday. He spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour about the promised weapons from Ukraine's allies. Here's part of the interview.
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DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I wish some things happened and arrived in Ukraine some time ago.
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KULEBA: But things happen as they happen. Countries need time to go through their reflection process, decision-making process.
And we're not criticizing anyone for being too slow in providing weapons because we understand that there's a certainly reality. So, please, again, governments, do not criticize our counteroffensive for being slow.
But then I ask experts and commentators also to respect that we are fighting with what we have against an enemy who is strong.
But the most important, of course, decision of recent months is the agreement reached between President Zelenskyy, President Biden, prime minister of Netherlands, Denmark and Norway on providing Ukraine with F-16s and we are deeply grateful to the United States for giving green light for these deliveries.
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BRUNHUBER: Katie Polglase joins me now live from London.
We heard the foreign minister there, talking about the counteroffensive.
What's the latest on that front?
KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE RESEARCHER: Well, the counteroffensive is continuing and there has been some positive progress for the Ukrainians this week. We've seen them capture Robotyne the end of last week then move further on, continuing to progress south and east.
But we're noticing a lot of this counteroffensive is happening away from the front lines. That's why we've been seeing aerial drone attacks over vast swathes (sic) of Russian territory this week. And last night into this morning, we saw more drone attacks, this time sea drones, effectively an unmanned boat that has explosives on board. And it targeted the Kerch Bridge that you mentioned. That happened in a variety of stages.
First the attack was at 11:00 pm or so local time on Friday night. Then there were two more drones that the Russians claimed to have intercepted this morning. Now this, if you look at the geography of this area, the Kerch Bridge connects the occupied Crimea territory to Russia's mainland.
So if this is a Ukrainian sea drone, as it's widely suspected to be Ukrainian, it would have had to have traveled hundreds of miles to get there.
And that's clearly part of the Ukrainian strategy we've been seeing recently, to show Russia and show its Western allies and the globe potentially they now have weaponry that can reach far, far into Russian territory.
It's notable we saw yesterday President Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, saying mysteriously he had a 700-kilometer range weapon that has successfully hit a target. We don't know what that target was; we can't independently confirm it.
But it shows what Ukraine is trying to send as a message to Russia here, that they have this weaponry. They're continuing to develop this weaponry and they will be using it in these attacks.
And to these sea drones, while Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility for it, they have previously spoken quite openly, quite proudly about their use of these sea drones. We spoke earlier this month to the head of Ukraine's security services, that said that these sea surface drones are really a unique invention.
That Ukraine has them, they're not developed by private companies and this is part of a theme that Ukraine is saying it has the domestic capacity to build these weapons, particularly drones, and keep building them and using them with increasing regularity.
That's something they're trying to show the Russians as part of their new strategy moving forward.
BRUNHUBER: Appreciate the update. Katie Polglase in London, thanks so much.
Ukrainian forces say they've penetrated Russian defenses in the Zaporizhzhya region. But they're being hampered by Russian trenches and barriers on the front lines. CNN's Melissa Bell reports.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The scars of war, Russia's sprawling network of fortified defenses, including the infamous dragon's teeth, clamping into Ukrainian ground. These pictures, shot by Ukraine security service and shared
exclusively with CNN, a reminder of all that lies before Kyiv's advancing troops. The counteroffensive gain so far slow but steady.
KULEBA: We are not failing. We are moving forward. We liberated thousands of square kilometers of land through minefields with no air coverage.
BELL: The Ukrainian military says it is consolidating positions on the southern front lines and looking into the next layer of Russian defenses, with the country's foreign minister, reassuring impatient allies.
KULEBA: Our partners who are helping us, including the United States, they understand that things are moving in the right direction and they understand that there is no tragedy or no kind of slowdown.
BELL: Meanwhile, Russia renewing nuclear fears. The country's space agency announcing that it's put the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile on combat alert.
As attacks on Russian soil increase, drone strikes, once shocking, now routine.
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BELL (voice-over): Moscow's mayor announcing on Friday the foiling of yet another attack by Ukrainian drones on the capital as well as surrounding regions.
Russia's defense ministry spokesperson also praising Russia's air defenses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Two hundred eighty-one Ukrainian uncrewed aerial vehicles were destroyed, including one Tu- 141 Strizh jet, as well as 29 Ukrainian aircraft type UAVs in western regions of the Russian federation.
BELL: But some drones did get through this week. These new satellite images show the damage to planes at the airbase in Russia's western Pskov region, an attack launched from inside Russia, according to Kyiv. The burned remains of the aircrafts, Russia's own scars of war -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian children started the new school year on Friday, the third academic year disrupted by the war. Many parents prepared their children with two backpacks, one for school supplies and another for the bomb shelter.
Ukraine has invested heavily in making schools safer and building shelters. The government says about 84 percent of schools are equipped with bunkers, which is a requirement for any school that wants to bring students back to the classroom.
UNICEF reports many students are falling behind in their schooling and struggle with mental health issues because of the war.
For the 43rd time since becoming head of the Catholic Church, 86-year- old Pope Francis is again traveling to far-off places, this time making a first-ever visit to Mongolia. These are live pictures now of the pope in Mongolia. It's a curious choice since Mongolia is mostly Buddhist and has very few Catholics.
Two dozen Catholics from neighboring China were there to greet him. And the pope began his first full day by meeting with the Mongolian president and delivering an address at the state palace. Pope Francis is in Mongolia until Monday.
And joining us from Rome is senior Vatican analyst John Allen.
Walk us through this visit. I mean, it seems to be, you know, a lot more to his agenda than just Mongolia itself. But let's start in Mongolia.
Why would he travel, you know, 5,000 miles to visit fewer than 1,500 Catholics?
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SR. VATICAN ANALYST: Hi, Kim, well, it's a great question. I mean, you know, one of the interesting things about this trip is that this may actually be the very first papal visit in history.
By the time this is over, the pope will have physically said hello to every last Catholic in this country. There are fewer than 1,500; the count is about 1,450. It's entirely possible he may shake all of their hands.
What is this about?
This is about Pope Francis. One of the hallmarks of his papacy from the beginning has been the outreach to the peripheries; that is, bypassing established centers of power, trying to reach out and lift up places that are often forgotten about, overlooked, marginalized.
And there aren't too many points in the compass more marginal than this incredibly sparsely populated country with this incredible tiny Catholic flock. Yet this is the pope, basically saying that size doesn't matter.
BRUNHUBER: So take us through what kind of reaction he's been getting there.
ALLEN: Well, look, I think Mongolians generally are delighted anytime any major world figure comes to their country. It's a place that's often overlooked and it often lives in the shadow of its two superpower neighbors.
Of course, Mongolia shares massive land borders with both Russia and China. And so often is sort of just overwhelmed by all of that. And so I think many Mongolians feel this is a kind of moment in the sun.
Now make no mistake, while the pope is in Mongolia primarily for the Mongolians, this is also an opportunity for him to address these two superpowers that are cheek by jowl with the country.
We saw him earlier this morning to deliver an address to civil authorities in Mongolia, in which he prayed aloud that the clouds of war would be dispelled. He didn't specifically mention Ukraine. But right there in the neighborhood with Russia and China, it seemed, Kim, pretty clear what he was talking about.
BRUNHUBER: Absolutely. And, of course, the pope has been getting a lot of criticism from Ukrainians about being perceived as too neutral in this conflict. Every word that he speaks will be scrutinized by both sides.
You mentioned China as well there. Take us through how the Catholic Church functions there. It seems to have two tracks of Catholicism, the official and the underground.
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ALLEN: Yes, so there has long been this split between the official church, which is recognized by the Chinese Communist Party and the government, and an underground church that sort of defies the Communist control.
Now the Vatican's long-term project has been to try to heal that rift, because what they don't want is a church that is in schism, that is, you know, doesn't have any relationship with the authorities in Rome.
They signed a deal in 2018 with the Chinese authorities to try to regularize the nomination of Catholic bishops. Critics of that deal would say it's been more honored in the breach than the observance, that China has repeatedly violated it.
Even this week there are reports that the Chinese Communist authorities blocked some Catholic bishops in China from coming to attend the pope's visit in Mongolia. But obviously the Vatican's calculus here is that you can't ignore a superpower country that represents, you know, what is it, one-sixth of the human population.
They want to try to normalize that relationship ending in full diplomatic relationships. I think the pope hopes that this trip to Mongolia will be a down payment on that long-term project, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Well, I'm wondering, then, I mean, we noted there are some Catholics from China did come to Mongolia to greet the pope.
I'm wondering, from China's perspective, is all of this actually helping to improve relations or will it be seen as interference by them?
ALLEN: Well, that is the great unknown. I mean, the Vatican's hope here is that they can persuade the Chinese authorities that it is possible to be both a good Catholic and also a good citizen of China, that is you can be fully loyal to the country and also fully loyal to your church.
Now whether the Chinese authorities are going to buy that is an entirely different question. They are notoriously allergic to anything that is perceived as outside interference.
And again, critics of this controversial deal that Pope Francis has inked with the Chinese authorities will say, that since it has been signed some five years ago now, it's been renewed twice, that that deal has been repeatedly violated, that China has continued to nominate bishops without the kind of consultation with the pope that's supposed to take place.
But you know, this is the Vatican, Kim. They think in centuries. They're not really that concerned about today's reality. They are looking at this as a down payment on what they hope will be an improved situation, maybe a century, two centuries, five centuries down the line. We may not live to see it, you and I, but that is their hope.
BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll have more on the pope's visit to Mongolia next hour. John Allen in Rome, thank you so much, appreciate it.
Well, the top Republican in the U.S. Senate had another strange health incident this week. We'll have more on that along with my talk with an ethicist about aging politicians in the U.S. Congress, stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.
U.S. presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told CNN Friday he believed Mitch McConnell should step aside. The comment came after the Kentucky Republican froze up during a press conference on Wednesday for the second time in recent weeks.
That incident is raising new questions about McConnell's health and his ability to serve effectively. Our Melanie Zanona has more.
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MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Next week is going to be critical for Mitch McConnell to assuage concerns about his health and also to tamp down speculation about his political future. And that is because the Senate is returning after a month-long recess next week.
And McConnell is going to face reporters and cameras at his weekly press conference, where his performance, no doubt, will be heavily watched and scrutinized. But he's also going to face his own members for the first time.
They have the weekly party lunches and there is also been some chatter among the rank and file Republicans about forcing a special conference meeting to specifically talk about his leadership.
It would only take five Republicans to force such a meeting to happen but there is no formal mechanism to formally remove Mitch McConnell.
So really, this is a conversation and a question about whether Mitch McConnell intends to serve beyond 2024, which is when his current term as leader is set to expire.
And, you know, it is really unclear whether he would run again or whether he would have the support even within his own conference to do that.
But whenever he does decide to step aside, it is going to be a scramble to replace him. Remember, he has served in this position since 2007. He's the longest serving party leader in Senate history -- Melanie Zanona, CNN, Capitol Hill.
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BRUNHUBER: McConnell is one of many older politicians on Capitol Hill. According to the Pew Research Center, the average age is nearly 58 in the House and just over 65 in the Senate. Ten senators are 79 years old or older, five Republicans, three Democrats and two independents, who caucus on the Democratic side.
A recent Associated Press-NORC poll found that 77 percent think President Biden is too old to be effective for four more years. Even though he's just three years younger, only 51 percent think that of former president Donald Trump. Republican Nikki Haley, who is 51, had this to say about older senators.
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NIKKI HALEY (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's sad. What I will say is, right now the Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country. I mean, you know Mitch McConnell has done some great things and he deserves credit but you have to know when to leave.
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BRUNHUBER: And joining me now is Nancy Jecker, an adjunct professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Thank you for being here with us. So Nikki Haley's words there, the tone is obviously harsh but it expresses a sentiment I think many people share in this country. It's one of the few things most Americans agree on. Polls show that almost three in four Americans think that there should be some sort of age limit on elected officials.
So from your point of view, can politicians be too old to serve in office?
NANCY JECKER, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Well, I appreciate the attention to this topic. I think it's important to underscore that, in the case of senator Mitch McConnell, the concern there was really not the fact that he was 81.
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JECKER: The concerns were with recent episodes were that he may have a condition, a health condition, that's impairing perhaps his ability to do the job. And it's really his ability to do the job and his health to the extent that that impacts it that we're concerned about.
Older people as a group are diverse. You look at the Senate floor, 34 out of 100 senators are in their 70s or older. They're not making the news and presumably that's because they're doing their job just fine.
You know, we decided as a country, back in 1967, that we would not use age as a factor in the workplace. We banned the use of age. We banned age discrimination. And, you know, that's because we decided it was arbitrary, like race or religion or sex.
BRUNHUBER: It's also true, I mean, you know people tend to suffer medical conditions, you know, more as they age.
Their mental acuity and sharpness does decrease in measurable ways, right?
JECKER: We should get out those factors, not age per se, because the -- we don't want to discriminate against healthy older adults, do we. And we can check directly for health, for example.
We do that for the president; the President of the United States undergoes an annual health check to determine if he's fit for the job. So we could, if we decided as voters, impose health checks on members of the Congress.
To the extent that once health impacts one's ability to do the job, I think that's a better way to get at this concern than looking at age, which discriminates unfairly against those who are perfectly capable of doing their job.
BRUNHUBER: Right. But certain jobs do have maximum age limits. You know, aviation is a good example. Air traffic controllers in this country have to retire at 56, pilots in their 60s.
So you know, why is it not OK to pilot a plane but it's OK to essentially pilot the country?
JECKER: I do think that we need to consider what's relevant to their ability to do that job. And I would argue, going back to the case of McConnell, that senator McConnell, the concern there is that he might be impaired in his ability to do the job.
It's not that he's 81. So if we start to point to age, which is really a marker of something else, then there will be negative effects in terms of impacts on attitudes toward older adults. It really puts older adults down unfairly. BRUNHUBER: There is another ethical issue at play here. It gets at
those words, again, from Nikki Haley, you know, knowing when to leave, not just for the public's sake or for their own sake but for the sake of the next generation.
I mean, many among this current crop of politicians -- and one could say Supreme Court justices as well -- seem unwilling to make way for the next generation, waiting in the wings.
JECKER: Well, no one owns these jobs. The idea that they really belong to younger adults and older adults should step aside and give younger people a turn, the assumption there is that younger people rightfully should fill these jobs, not older people.
That really begs the question. I mean, after World War II the same kinds of statements were made about women who were occupying the jobs that had been left by men when they went to fight war. And when they returned from the war, women were expected to vacate their jobs.
But really, you know, they have as much right to work as men do. The same is true for older adults. They have as much right to work as younger people do. And it should be based on their ability to do the job.
BRUNHUBER: It is a fascinating discussion and this won't be the last time we're discussing this issue. Really appreciate your insights, Nancy Jecker, thank you so much.
JECKER: Thank you, Kim.
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BRUNHUBER: Parts of Asia are bracing for more wind and rain as powerful storms sweep through the Pacific. Typhoon Haikui is churning toward Taiwan with hurricane force winds and is expected to continue gaining strength in the hours ahead.
Meanwhile Typhoon Saola is -- has weakened as it brushes the coast of Southern China. This as the storm lashed Hong Kong with heavy rain that caused flooding and storm surge. Its fierce winds triggered the city's highest threat level but the city was spared the worst with no reports of casualties or massive damage.
North Korea fired more missiles early Saturday. South Korea's joint chiefs of staff says it detected several cruise missiles around 4 am local time, adding they were fired into the Yellow Sea. Military officials are analyzing details. The U.S. and South Korea just wrapped up joint military exercises on Thursday.
French students prepare to begin a new school year, facing a strict new dress code on religious clothing. We'll tell you what France's president is now saying just ahead.
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BRUNHUBER: Stay with us. (MUSIC PLAYING)
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BRUNHUBER: Days after a coup in Gabon swept the president from power, the new military leader promised an eventual return to democracy.
In a televised address, Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema said he does not want to rush into new elections that make, quote, "the same mistakes as the previous regime."
A recent vote that gave President Ali Bongo a third term was marked by irregularities and an internet shutdown. In his remarks, Nguema said the break with democratic norms would not be permanent. For more on all this, CNN's senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann joins us now.
Take us through the latest developments and the reaction.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: I think one of the latest developments, what you just highlighted, that is, Kim, the idea that this junta that's taken control in Gabon is going to relinquish power.
Now of course, in Africa and elsewhere in the world, the history of military juntas relinquishing power is not exactly brilliant. But let's take a listen to the way the new junta leader, who is going to install himself as president on Monday, is saying what he's going to be doing in terms of restoring democracy. Here's his remarks.
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GEN. BRICE OLIGUI NGUEMA (through translator): The dissolution of the institutions of the republic is temporary. The aim is to reorganize them, to make them more democratic tools, more in line with international standards in terms of the respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law.
But also in the fight against corruption, which has become commonplace in our country, money laundering and above all, the preservation of the environment, which is a battle dear to our country.
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BITTERMANN: The opposition initially has cheered this end to the Bongo dynasty, which has lasted 55 years in Gabon --
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BITTERMANN: -- between the father and the son, Ali Bongo. In any case, they initially were in favor of this.
But when they heard the general's remarks, they're a little dubious and they want to know when this is all going to take place, this return to democracy. The French, by the way, are wondering that, too, because they have a great deal of interest in Gabon.
Unlike in Niger, where the coup took place a week ago, the French will find themselves in a position where they've got 80 subsidiaries of major French corporations and about 7,500 French citizens there as well as 400 French soldiers there, training up the Gabonese army.
So this is being watched carefully and not a lot of judgments are being made where this is going, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Jim Bittermann, appreciate it.
France's president is making no apologies for banning certain types of Muslim dress during the upcoming school year. Now the latest ban targets abayas, a long, robelike garment, from being worn in the classroom.
Despite sharp criticism over the decision, President Emmanuel Macron on Friday reaffirmed that abayas and other religious symbols would not be allowed in France's schools. And he said teachers would have additional help to enforce the new rules. Here he is.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): In the most difficult high schools, special staff will be seconded to work alongside head teachers and teachers to support them and to engage in the necessary dialogue with families and pupils.
But we won't let anything get past us. At the start of the new school year, I'm going to be frank with you, we know that there will be cases, because we know that there will be, some through negligence, perhaps, but many to try to defy the republican system. We must be uncompromising.
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BRUNHUBER: Now critics have denounced the latest ban as a new Islamophobic campaign. But Macron said displaying religious symbols in schools is contrary to France's secular education policies.
Demonstrators in southwestern Syria are calling on president Bashar al-Assad to resign. The rare protests have been happening for two weeks with Syrians demanding regime change and decrying poor living conditions as the economy continues to freefall.
So far, the protests are showing no signs of stopping. And in an unusual move, Syrian security forces have done little to crack down on the demonstrations. People took to the streets in southern Spain on Friday to rally in support of Jenni Hermoso, the footballer who was forcibly kissed by federation president Luis Rubiales at the Women's World Cup.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The rally comes as Spain's sports tribunal opens a probe into Rubiales' conduct at the event in Sydney. Journalist Atika Shubert has the latest from Madrid.
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ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Protesters have been demanding that Luis Rubiales, the disgraced president of Spain's football federation, be sacked immediately. Doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon.
On Friday, Spain's independent sports tribunal accepted the government's request to start an official investigation. But only because it considers the unwanted kiss and other complaints to be, quote, "serious offenses."
That is an important legal distinction here because the government cannot interfere with sports disputes like this unless they are considered very serious or very grave. So the tribunal by ruling needs to be lesser offenses, had effectively saved Rubiales from being immediately suspended by the government.
The minister for culture and sport has said the only thing the government can do now is urge the tribunal to suspend Rubiales immediately.
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MIQUEL ICETA, SPANISH CULTURE AND SPORT MINISTER (through translator): The superior sports council is going to request the court to proceed to temporarily suspend Luis Rubiales from his functions until the issue that affects him is definitively resolved.
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SHUBERT: In the meantime, rallies like this will be keeping the pressure on Rubiales -- Atika Shubert for CNN, in Madrid, Spain.
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BRUNHUBER: Billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son, Dodi, died with Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris in 1997, has passed away. His family says he died peacefully due to old age at 94.
For decades, Al-Fayed insisted the Princess of Wales and Dodi were murdered. Investigations showed otherwise. After landing in the U.K. in the 1970s, the Egyptian-born Al-Fayed invested in lavish real estate, transforming Harrods department store into what he called his pyramid.
Scorned often by the British establishment, he failed twice to become a British citizen. His foundation helps impoverished children and those with life-threatening illnesses.
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BRUNHUBER: India has just launched its first observation mission to the sun. Have a look.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three, two, one, zero.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): India's space agency is sending the probe to a region about more than 900,000 miles from our planet. The mission is carrying scientific instruments to observe the sun's outermost layers in a four-month journey.
It was just over a week ago that India became the first nation to land a spacecraft near the moon's south pole.
A 100-year-old African tortoise is back with his human family in Louisiana. Biscuit is his name. The sheriff's office in the Parish of Asuncion found the 80-pound tortoise in a canal. He apparently can't swim.
Animal control took him to a shelter. Biscuit's owners say he escaped after wind and rain blew open the gate in his back yard and they thanked the animal shelter for helping return their Biscuit home.
And, in Florida, a hunting party wrangled a nearly 14-foot long alligator near Orlando. Have a look at that. The mega gator weighed 920 pounds. It could be the second heaviest alligator caught in Florida. The largest gator on record topped 1,000 pounds. It took three men four hours to wrestle this alligator into captivity.
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BRUNHUBER: Finally this hour, you might want to play a Billy Ray Cyrus song for this next story. Have a look.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This Tennessee woman is proud to have the longest mullet hair style of its kind in the world. She says she hasn't cut her hair since 1990. Tami Manis is the proud Guinness world record holder for the longest female mullet. Here she is.
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TAMI MANIS, GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER: Growing the longest mullet never really started out as anything other than it was the '80s and everybody had a rattail and I started growing mine.
And over the years it's just kept growing. A lot of people just notice it when I turn around. So most of the time, it's like they don't realize how long my hair is until they look at the backside. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: She says her nearly six-foot long mullet is only a problem when she rides her motorcycle and she has to tuck it into her pockets to avoid running over it.
I'm Kim Brunhuber, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in a moment. Please stay with us.
