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Former Trump Chief of Staff: Trump 'Has No Idea What America is All About'; Activists Fight to Save Tokyo Park and Historic Trees; Pro-Russian Politician Wins Election in Slovakia; Security Council OKs Security Mission to Restore Order in Haiti; French Transport Operators 'Vigilant' on Bedbugs. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired October 03, 2023 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. The West goes wobbling, as a small but growing number of lawmakers in the US and Europe openly question ongoing support for Ukraine. Hurry up and wait. As gang violence spirals out of control across Haiti, the UN approve sending a multinational force, it just hasn't decided on when. And this time it really hurts. On day one of his fraud trial in New York City, Donald Trump is said to be incensed over allegations he lied about his net worth.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thanks for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. We begin this hour with mixed signals over continued support for Ukraine's effort to fight off Russian aggression. There is new uncertainty in Europe with a pro Russian politician, Robert Fico, winning parliamentary elections in Slovakia, a NATO member. And in Washington, congress stripped future money for Ukraine from a bill to fund the government and avert a shutdown. But President Joe Biden says he's confident that support for Ukraine will be restored.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, US PRESIDENT: We cannot under any circumstances allow America's support for Ukraine to be interrupted. Too many lives are at stake, too many children, too many people. I fully expect the Speaker, and the majority of the Republicans in congress to keep their commitment to secure the passage of the support needed to help Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression and brutality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The EU is delivering a more positive message, the foreign ministers met for the first time in a non-member country speaking with Ukrainian leaders in the capital there in Kyiv. The block's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is proposing a five point, $25 billion aid package for next year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks the allies for their continued support, and stressed the need for Ukraine's membership in NATO as well as the European Union.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I am sure that Ukraine and the entire Free World are capable of winning this confrontation, but our victory depends directly on our cooperation with you. The more strong and solid steps, the faster this war will be over. It will be over on just terms with restoration of our territorial integrity and reliable guarantees for peace in entire Europe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukraine received its first batch of refurbished Leopard Two tanks from Poland. The Polish Analyst Group says it's already working on repairing a second round of tanks. Germany, Poland, and Ukraine signed an agreement back in April to set up a hub in Poland to repair Leopard Two battle tracks used in Ukraine to fight against Russian forces. Ukrainian forces say weapons from the United States and other Western countries are vital to their success. CNN's Fred Pleitgen visited the front lines for an up close look.
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FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ukraine's 80th Airborne Assault Brigade storming Russian positions on the eastern front, using US-made weapons to try and dislodge Vladimir Putin's troops. Things that would probably be impossible if Washington cut military assistance, this soldier who we can only name as The Seal tells me.
THE SEAL, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER (through translator): I don't know what to say, that would be tough, he says.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The troops say US supplied weapons like this Browning Heavy machine gun are helping them turn the tide because they are more accurate, more reliable and more robust than what the Russians have.
PLEITGEN: You can see just how important military aid for Ukraine is for that country to stay in the fight. It's everything from rifles to surface to air missile systems to help Ukraine push Russia back.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The US has sent more than $45 billion worth of security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's full on invasion. Any weapons viewed as game-changers by Kyiv like the HIMARS Multiple Rocket Launching Systems and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles which Kyiv says have already saved the lives of many Ukrainian soldiers. Losing US assistance would be catastrophic, Ukraine admits. But the national security adviser tells CNN he doesn't believe it will be cut.
OLEKSIY DANILOV, UKRAINIAN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER (through translator): We are more than confident that this will not happen, he says, that the United States is a country responsible for the democratic world, and has assumed this responsibility. It would be a great joy for Putin and all autocratic regimes if the US withdrew the assistance it provides them.
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PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the Kremlin believes, sooner or later, Washington will buckle.
DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Fatigue from the absurd sponsorship of the Kyiv regime will increase in various countries, including the United States, the spokesman said. This fatigue will lead to a fragmentation of the political establishment and a rise in infighting.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The soldiers from the 80th Airborne say that they badly need US weapons to continue pushing the Russians back in the east, but will keep on fighting with or without American support.
THE SEAL: We don't have a choice, he says. We have to do it, our brigades motto is nobody but us.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, in eastern Ukraine.
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VAUSE: Michael O'Hanlon is a senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institute and the author of Military History For The Modern Strategist. He is with us this hour from Bethesda, Maryland. Thanks for being with us Michael.
MICHAEL O'HANLON, AUTHOR, "MILITARY HISTORY FOR THE MODERN STRATEGIST": My pleasure, thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Okay, so on the one hand, no country has given more military or financial assistance in pure dollar amounts to Ukraine more than the United States. The Pentagon's budget for next year is about $890 billion, just shy. They've spent a bit more than $43 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the war began in February 2022.
So, in terms of percentage of GDP though, Estonia tops that list, spending the equivalent of 1.26 percent of its annual GDP. The US comes in at number 12, about a third of a percent. So, you know, you can slice and dice these numbers and serve them up however way you want, but just put aside the whole ethical and moral reasons and, you know, putting aside defence of liberty and rules of a global based world order.
What has been the return on investment for US taxpayers here, and simply, you know, degrading Russia's military capability, and how long can the US sustain this level of funding for Ukraine just from an economic sense.
O'HANLON: Well thank you, and first of all on the return on investment, it's too soon to say. I mean it's like asking whether, you know, the construction of the first iPhone was a good idea halfway through that process. I mean we are in potentially early days in this war, we don't know where it's going. It could still escalate, it could still expand. Or it could result in the overthrow of Vladimir Putin. So depending on
which outcome we get, it's going to look a lot different when we assess the numbers. I think that so far this has been a remarkable effort by the West, collectively defined, including Europe, Canada, United States and Japan, and a few other countries, to show a lot of commitment to the idea of helping protect a sovereign country that's under attack from a ruthless dictator.
We have devoted more than $200 billion collectively over the last two years, between Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan. That is a remarkable and huge amount of money. It's greater than the Marshall Plan, all of the Marshall Plan.
It is comparable to the Lend-Lease Program of World War II where the United States helped Britain and the Soviet Union with weaponry before it even got involved, and then thereafter. So the overall effort should make us all, if you're supporting and rooting for Ukraine, make us all feel proud. And make us all feel impressed with our unity so far.
VAUSE: But when it comes to that question of doing what's right, and America's role as a global leader, I want you to listen into Ukraine's national security adviser here is.
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DANILOV (through translator): We need to see whether the United States is responsible for democracy in the world. Whether it remains a country that supports democracy or whether it is a country that will stand by and watch as authoritarian state seize more and more territory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Right now it seems for a growing number of Americans, mostly Republicans, the jury is still out on that.
O'HANLON: We're at a crossroads in the way the United States views this war because a Republican-led House of Representatives is now unsure of how committed it should be to this particular security challenge, compared to the Mexico border, the fentanyl problem, the rise of China and other things. And then of course the Donald Trump dimension which brings its own peculiarities, adds another layer of uncertainty.
And I think, as an American, I'm afraid I cannot predict where my country is headed on this issue. Most likely, we will not cut Ukraine off entirely, whether this year or even under a possible future Trump presidency. But I do think there's a distinct possibility we will start to ratchet back the aid.
VAUSE: As the debate goes on in the United States, clearly the Kremlin is watching. Here's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PESKOV (though translator): We have already said this a number of times, that according to our forecast, fatigue from this conflict, fatigue from this absurd sponsorship of the Kyiv regime will increase in various countries, including the United States. And this fatigue will lead to a fragmentation of the political establishment, and a rise in infighting.
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VAUSE: It does seem that right now we've reached a very important inflection point right now, and it seems difficult to argue that his not right.
O'HANLON: It's fine for the Kremlin to go out and say that we are struggling in the West, there are signs of disunity, and that we may not sustain this fight indefinitely on behalf of our Ukrainian friends. We may not give them the support they're hoping for indefinitely. But I will say two things. One, its Russia's fault this war is happening. And secondly, we're not going to collectively desert Ukraine to the point of letting them be overtaken by Russia.
I think a plausible worst-case scenario is we stop providing them weapons to take back more territory. But I'm confident, even with the Trump phenomenon in the United States, we will provide Ukraine enough help, we and our European and Canadian and Japanese allies, and Koreans and others, to make sure they can hold on to the 82 percent of their country they currently hold, protect their sovereignty, protect their government.
So Russian spokesmen who are talking this issue are out in their own fairyland, and do not have a realistic grasp of the plausible paths forward, or of who caused this conflict in the first place.
VAUSE: I guess if money really, really is the problem, here's one solution from Ukraine's foreign minister.
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DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Today I have brought to the attention of my colleagues the necessity of accelerating the work on a legal formula that will allow the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Kyiv.
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VAUSE: As of August, Russia's National Wealth Fund was around $146 billion US, that's up about $750 million compared to a month earlier. Part of the fund has been frozen by international sanctions, why not just take it all?
O'HANLON: Yeah, this is going to be an intriguing question. And I hope that we figure out a way to use this leverage against Russia, to push them and incentivize them toward some kind of a negotiation in the next one to two years. Recognizing they may not get their money back if they don't find a way to negotiate some kind of a settlement with Ukraine.
I've had this conversation with a number of people, I don't think the international community has figured out the legalities, how you seize and keep Russian assets. But I am confident that if this war drags on, that increasingly people are going to look for ways to make that exact outcome possible. And if Russia winds up complaining, so be it. Russia can stop this war anytime it wishes.
VAUSE: Good point to end on Michael, thanks for being with us. Appreciate your time.
O'HANLON: Thank you kindly.
VAUSE: The UN has approved sending a multinational force to Haiti to help wrest control away from heavily armed gangs. Thousands of Haitians have been killed in the last year, even more, the police are outgunned and outmanned. The government and the UN Secretary General have pleaded for international help for a year now. Kenya will lead about two thousand armed security forces into the country.
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JEFFREY DELAURENTIS, US DEP. AMBASSADOR TO THE UN: We have stepped up to create a new way of preserving global peace and security, answering the repeated calls of a member state facing a multidimensional crisis amid alarming, spiraling gang violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's not known how the mission will be received by Haitians. The last time the UN put a force into Haiti it brought cholera, which killed about 10 thousand Haitians. Jacqueline Charles is the Caribbean correspondent for the Miami Herald. She is with us now from Miami, it's good to see you, thanks for being with us.
JACQUELINE CHARLES, CARIBBEAN CORRESPONDENT, MIAMI HERALD: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Okay, so despite all the problems in the past, the decision to send international forces to Haiti has been overwhelmingly welcomed by the government, which has been overwhelmed by gang violence. Here is the foreign minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN VICTOR GENEUS, HAITI'S FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The vote on this text represents significant progress towards resolving the multi dimensional crisis that Haiti is going through. It's a glimmer of hope for the people that have, for too long, been suffering the consequences of a difficult political, socioeconomic, security, and humanitarian situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Okay, so about a year ago, Haiti made this request for international assistance, but two years before that the presidential candidate was assassinated. Is all of this now a day late and a dollar short?
CHARLES: You know, the situation is this. The rampant violence has just gotten worse and people think, like, it can't get any worse than this. And when you think that, something else happens. I mean the US embassy had to basically curtail its services, some people would say close, because of gang violence.
They're trapped between four gangs. After this vote today, I have to tell you that I was just getting from people, oh my God, okay hope, hope, hope. You know, again, there are going to be people who are going to oppose this and there are people who oppose this, but to the average Haitian who has been on the run, in the last two months over 30 thousand people have had to leave their homes. They are living in open air spaces, some on the grounds of schools.
They just feel that they have been left alone. And they know that their police, as much as they are trying to do, they just cannot control these gangs.
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VAUSE: Yeah and by some estimates, about 60 percent of the country is now under the control of, by some estimates, 162 gangs with three thousand well armed gang members. Kenya will send a thousand police officers with a smaller number coming from Bahamas, Jamaica, and Antigua and Bermuda.
Now, this is not exactly the Colin Powell doctrine of overwhelming force. There's 10 thousand Haitian police there that can't control these gangs, this isn't even a UN force, it's a multinational force. It doesn't even have an arrival date yet.
CHARLES: So it's 80 pecent of Port-Au-Prince that is controlled by gangs, it is 3300 Haitian police officers only on active duty throughout the entire country for 12 million people. And while they have had success against gangs the problem is that they just cannot hold territory. But yes, you raise an important question.
The last UN stabilisation mission was six thousand to eight thousand military and police officers, and gangs were not as ruthless as this. We're still waiting to see how large a force this is going to be, when is this force going to deploy, and whether or not the mere presence of this force will make these gangs repel.
We saw that with the US when they sent the deployment of the US Coast Guard ship, for two days there was silence because the gangs didn't know what to expect. I mean nobody can predict what's going to happen here but the reality is that the Haitian police they need help, they have asked for help and they realized that they are outgunned, outmanned by these gangs.
VAUSE: Last time there was a big international force sent into Haiti was after the earthquake and they brought cholera and left thousands dead. Can you elite this force, it doesnt exactly have the best record when it comes to the treatment of the local people meant to put in their care on these sort of missions. I mean there are allegations, proven allegations, of rape and torture carried out by the Kenyans in the past. So this is kind of a catch 22 for the people of Haiti.
CHARLES: Look, the reality is this, is that the president of Haiti was killed, that government that was in place asked for the US to send troops, the US declined to do so at the time. In the two years the violence has accelerated. And despite the pleas from the US and the UN, countries did not raise their hands. Kenya did.
And because Kenya has decided that they are going to lead this force, now you have to figure out, okay, what do we do with this? You know, other countries have stepped forward, Jamaica they have experience of doing anti-gang operations with the police, the US is saying that they're going to hold Kenya responsible and the countries that send personnel if things happen.
The reality is that when you invite outsiders into your home, into your country, you don't know what they are going to bring. And yes, cholera did happen, but today there is cholera as a result of the gang violence, and there is rape as a result of the gang violence.
VAUSE: Here's a snapshot of where Haiti is right at the moment. In the first nine months of the year, more than 2400 people in Haiti have been reported killed. More than 950 kidnapped, and more then nine hundred injured according to UN statistics. About two hundred thousand have been forced from their homes throughout the country. So what is the bigger impact on the region when one country is facing this sort of spiral into destabilization if you like?
CHARLES: Well and that is the concern. I mean when you think about Turks and Caicos where I'm from right next door, I mean they're dealing right now with a violent crime problem and they're saying that guns are coming from Haiti. Jamaica talks about the trade in ganja for guns, the Dominican Republic, despite the current issue they have with the water, they are talking about that spilling over.
The concern is that this situation in Haiti is going to become a regional crisis. It is just two hours from the shores of Florida. But the reality is this, 12 million people were forced to leave their homes, kids could not go to school, gangs have taken over the schools. They want relief. And the people who are saying that they are opposed to international intervention, then the question becomes more what is your solution?
VAUSE: Yeah, Jacqueline, thanks so much for being with us. Your experience and insights are really, really valued, so thank you.
CHARLES: Thank you.
VAUSE: Armenia's parliament is said to hold a session this hour where opposition officials are expected to initiate the impeachment of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Critics and protesters have blamed him and the government for failure to support Armenian separatists in Nagorno- Karabakh after their forced surrender to Azerbaijan. It comes amid reports of an Armenian soldier being killed and two more injured after an attack from Azerbaijani forces on Monday.
Azerbaijan's defense ministry calls the reports completely false. More than a hundred thousand refugees have fled Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia amid the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Meantime Serbia's president says the country has decreased the number of troops at its border with Kosovo by nearly half. A contingent of more than eight thousand soldiers had been at the border following a deadly attack on Kosovo's police force last month.
Authorities say one officer and three armed attackers were killed. A top Kosovo Serb politician reportedly admitted to taking part in the gun battle. Serbia's president told CNN's Christiane Amanpour the incident is being investigated.
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ALEKSANDAR VUCIC, SERBIAN PRESIDENT: Of course Serbia will hold accountable all the eople that committed criminal deeds, and that we might find on our territory. And he is available and he is on our territory and prosecutors will do their job.
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VAUSE: The president says at least 4400 soldiers are still stationed at the border. Well just days after the top US House Republican struck an eleventh hour deal with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown, he's now facing a serious threat to his speakership so far, and that's coming from inside his own party.
A motion to remove Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker has been filed by hard-line Republican Matt Gaetz, who's long been a critic of pretty much everything. A floor vote to oust McCarthy would take a majority to succeed, meaning he will likely need Democratic support to stay in power. Gaetz says this time next week there will be either a new House Speaker or the public will know McCarthy is aligned with Democrats.
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MATT GAETZ, US HOUSE REPUBLICAN: I have made no deal with Democrats, because I believe the Democrats should vote against Kevin McCarthy for free. It's Kevin McCarthy who is out there offering deals to Democrats. So if there's a deal made with Democrats, the only deal is to make one with McCarthy, because I'm not offering anything and won't offer anything. And by the way, if the Democrats want to own Kevin McCarthy, they can have him.
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VAUSE: In a back and forth on X, formerly Twitter, McCarthy wrote, bring it on, in response to Gaetz motion to oust him. Gaetz fired back soon after saying, I just did. Ahead on CNN, Donald Trump did not have to appear at his fraud trial on Monday, but he still did. We'll explain what happened in court, it's a witch hunt yet again. And then a country known for its friendliness says it can't afford to keep welcoming surging numbers of migrants, what Costa Rica's president says the region should do next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Not exactly breaking news these days but Donald Trump appeared in a courtroom on Monday. This was the first day of the fraud trial in New York City, and he was there voluntarily, and went after the New York Attorney General, as well as the judge presiding over the case. The attorney general seeking a quarter of a billion dollars in fines, as well as bans preventing Trump and his sons from doing business in New York. They're accused of inflating his wealth on financial statements to get better terms on loans and insurance policies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: Donald Trump and the other defendants have committed persistent and repeated fraud. Last week we proved that in our motion for summary judgment. Today we will prove our other claims. My message is simple. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The twice impeached, four times indicted former president used the appearance in the courtroom to bolster his presidential campaign, do a little fundraising, and repeat some of his greatest hits.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER US PRESIDENT: This has to do with election interference, plain and simple. We have a corrupt attorney general in this state. This is a pure witch hunt for purposes of interfering with the elections of the United States of America, it's totally illegal. And this links to politics. Now it has been very successful for them because they took me off the campaign trail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: No they didn't. It's not true. Trump was not required to be present for what's expected to be a monthlong child. He chose to be there. CNN's Brynn Gingras picks up the story.
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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN US NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, pretty eventful day for the first day of the civil fraud trial, brought against Donald Trump, his adult sons and the Trump Organization by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Opening statements kicked off today with Trump inside the courtroom. And in those opening statements, the state's attorneys laid out what its case will be for the next three months or so that this trial is expected to last.
Talking about how Trump and his sons and Trump or conspired to commit persistent fraud and saying in doing so, banks took on hidden risks. They talked about how they'll be calling several witnesses to the stand, including Trump's sons, and possibly Trump. And even Michael Cohen, who is of course his testimony to congress is the whole reason why this case even got started in the first place.
When it was the defense's turn to bring its opening statements they talked about how Trump made billions off of just good business deals in real estate. Essentially saying that he did everything by the book and pointing out the fact that no fraud was committed. And that there are really no victims in this case. And some, they say, there is no illegality, there was no fraud, and there are no victims.
Now as far as what was happening inside that courtroom, Letitia James was there inside sitting, as well as Eric Trump and Donald Trump was seated with his defense attorneys. Donald Trump did not acknowledge Letitia James several times as he walked past her, except for maybe one time. Eric Trump actually went over to Letitia James and shook her hand twice throughout the duration of the day.
But Trump did take the time outside of the courtroom to lash out not only at Letitia James but about this trial in general, and about the judge who will be deciding really the balls and the stripes of this entire case. So it'll be interesting to see if he shows up later, on Tuesday for court. But as of now it is unclear if he will show up, although he is eager to testify again in a trial that is expected to last three months. I'm Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.
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VAUSE: The president of Costa Rica is calling for a coordinated international response to a massive surge in migration passing through Central America. President Rodrigo Chaves Robles says Costa Rica is under severe austerity measures, and caring for the migrants as they pass through is, quote, "Becoming unaffordable." More than 84 thousand people entered Costa Rica through its southern border in August alone. That's a 55 percent increase from the month before. Mr. Chavez Robles spoke about the influx with CNN's Issa Suarez.
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RODRIGO CHAVES ROBLES, COSTA RICAN PRESIDENT: Today the large inflow of migrants, mind you 71 percent of them cross within 24 hours, we help them, is putting pressure on our communities, on public safety, on waste management, on health services, and especially on our budget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The president says along with his Panamanian counterpart, they will visit the Darien Gap this weekend, where many migrants depart from South to Central America, to see how they can help them, quote, "In an orderly way." Donald Trump's longest serving White House chief of staff is offering his strongest rebuke yet of his former boss.
In an exclusive statement to CNN, John Kelly called his former boss a president who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. He's now going on the record to confirm a number of damning stories about statements Trump made behind closed doors. More details now from CNN's Jake Tapper. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No other president has had so many former top aides making such harsh public assessments. Most recently, Cassidy Hutchinson.
CASSIDY HUTCHINSON, FORMER WHITE HOUSE AIDE: I think that Donald Trump is the most grave threat that we will face to our democracy in our lifetime, and a potentially in American history.
TAPPER (voice-over): She joins a growing chorus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's unfit for office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will always put his own interest in ratifying his own ego ahead of everything else.
TAPPER (voice-over): And today, Trump's longest serving former chief of staff, John Kelly, is chiming in with his harshest criticism yet. In an exclusive statement to CNN, Kelly says about Trump, what can I add that has not already been said? Calling President Trump, quote, "A person that has no idea what America stands for, and has no idea what America is all about."
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For the first time ever, Kelly set the record straight with on the record confirmation of a number of damning details about Donald Trump from background sources, including from a 2020 "Atlantic" story, reported with unnamed sources by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, including the stunning detail that Trump turned to Kelly on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery in 2017 and asked, "I don't get it. What was in it for them?"
This is Kelly confirming, on the record, stories of Trump insulting Senator John McCain and former President George H.W. Bush, because in Vietnam and in World War II respectively, the former aviators were shot down.
Kelly describes Trump as, quote, "a person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down, or seriously wounded in combat, or spent years being tortured as POWs are all, quote, 'suckers' because, quote, 'there is nothing in it for them.'"
A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because, quote, "It doesn't look good for me."
"A person that demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family -- for all Gold Star families -- on TV during the 2016 campaign and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their heroes who give your lives in America's defense are, quote, 'losers' and wouldn't visit their graves in France."
Kelly confirming on the record a story reported in the book "The Divider," where Trump tells Kelly he wants a military parade, like one he saw for Bastille Day in France, except he does not want any wounded veterans.
Kelly confirming that Trump, in 2018, in France, refused to visit graves of Americans killed in World War I.
To CNN, Kelly calls Trump a hypocrite, saying he is, quote, "not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on Evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women."
And he concludes Trump is, quote, "a person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law." He concludes, "There is nothing more that can be said. God help us."
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's doing a great job as chief of staff.
TAPPER (voice-over): A stunning repudiation by a man who worked side by side with Trump longer than any other of Trump's many chiefs of staff.
Kelly also criticized Trump for saying that former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley should be executed. In a departure speech on Friday, Milley responded.
MARK MILLEY, FORMER JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN: We don't take an oath to a king, or a queen, or a tyrant, or a dictator. And we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator.
TAPPER (voice-over): Some of the people who know Donald Trump the best, now warning of the threat they think he poses, if elected in November 2024.
Jake Tapper, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back here on CNN, the battle over plans for a major park in Turkey and those who want to stop the redevelopment.
Also ahead, a U.S. soldier who fled to North Korea is now back home. So what's next for Travis King?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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VAUSE: Thirty-seven minutes past the hour. Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
In Japan, activists have collected thousands of signatures to try and stop a project to redevelop an historic park and sports facilities in the middle of Tokyo. Some of the park's trees are nearly a century old, part of rare green face among the world's largest urban areas.
CNN's Will Ripley has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A fight for the future of a much-loved Tokyo park. Protesters urging officials respect history, stop the Jingo Gaien district urban redevelopment project.
HIROSHI ONE, PROTESTOR AND TOKYO RESIDENT (through translator): The Jingo Gaien is ours and our kids' cultural inheritance. It's not fair to push through a redevelopment plan without properly consulting citizens.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Protesters fear heritage gingko trees will be endangered by a new stadium, hundreds of others axed, making way for tall buildings of concrete and steel.
This, they say, is not just a fight over one part. It's a fight for the future of Japan's green spaces, the right to have a say. Built with public donations in 1926, the Jingo Gaien is seen as a people's park, home to a famous rugby venue. A historic baseball stadium where Babe Ruth once played.
Its centerpiece, an avenue of 100-year-old gingko trees.
MIU SAKAMOTO, MUSICIAN: It's like a sanctuary to those living here.
RIPLEY (voice-over): That peace already broken. Small-scale construction underway on a billion-dollar redevelopment plan approved by the Tokyo government, led by real-estate firm Mitsui Fudosan.
Developers say they will update aging sports facilities, promote more open green space, protect the avenue of gingko trees. Tokyo says it wants to create a world-class sports hub, like the billion-dollar Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium. Roughly 1,500 trees were cut down to make way for that controversial Olympics project.
Many campaigners don't trust the developer's promise to keep the gingko avenue safe.
MIKIKO ISHIKAWA, DIRECTOR, ICOMOS JAPAN (through translator): Imagine if developers said they'd build three skyscrapers in New York's Central Park and a stadium next to the American elms of East 92nd Street. No New Yorker would accept that.
[00:40:05]
RIPLEY (voice-over): More than 200,000 people have signed a petition calling for a review of the plan. Just this month, the International Council on Monuments and Sights issued a heritage alert, warning of irreversible destruction of cultural heritage.
About 3,000 trees at risk, it says.
Responding to the anger, the Tokyo government again requested developers submit a concrete plan before cutting down any trees. The plan to ensure the survival of as many trees as possible.
Many fear the older gingkoes may not make it.
In an email to CNN, Mitsui Fudosan said it will preserve the environment and work with arborist to ensure the care of each tree.
Pressure is mounting on Tokyo as more people rise up. Just before he died, famed musician Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote a letter to Tokyo's governor, urging people to speak out for the earth. A fight his daughter now carries on.
SAKAMOTO: I think it's -- it's a last letter from him. Saying that keep on thinking, and keep on raising your voice.
RIPLEY (voice-over): As calls to reconsider Jingu Gaien's future grow louder. For now, these heritage gingko trees stand tall, silent guardians of the ecosystem facing an uncertain future.
Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A U.S. Army private who bolted to North Korea from the Demilitarized Zone has been reunited with his family at an Army medical center in Texas, where he arrived early Thursday.
He spent around two months in North Korean custody after the army said that he willfully and without authorization ran across the border into the reclusive country. That was back in July.
U.S. officials say they conducted intense diplomacy with several countries to secure King's release. An Army spokesperson says his status has changed from absent without leave to president for duty and will now undergo a reintegration process, which includes mental care.
Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT is up next after a short break. For those watching in the United States and Canada, I'll be back with a lot more news after a short break.
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VAUSE: A huge fireball lit up the night sky over Oxford, England, on early Monday. British police believe a bolt of lightning hit gas containers, sparking the blaze.
Eyewitnesses reports hearing a shockwave and hearing a loud rumble in the distance, forcing the flames. No one is believed to have been hurt.
A close look now at the situation now in Slovakia, where a pro-Russian leader won the country's general election over the weekend. The victory is important, because as you can see on the map, Ukraine is bordered by Russia to the East and Slovakia to the West. Now, as Robert Fico tries to build a coalition government, there's a
new focus on his comments against sending arms to Ukraine and calling Slovakia's president an American agent.
But as CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, explains, there's no guarantee whether he'll be able to form the coalition he needs to govern.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Robert Fico, Slovakia's pro-Putin populist leader, has been here before: 2006, 2010 and 2016, winning the biggest vote share in national elections, 22.9 percent.
But not enough for his SMER SD party to govern alone, as they did following the elections in 2012. His challenge now: build a governing coalition. The clock is ticking. He has two weeks.
ROBERT FICO, SMER PARTY LEADER (through translator): I want to say to all Slovakia that we are ready. We are enlightened. We are more experienced in the fight we have taken.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): If he succeeds, it would be his third term as prime minister and could have a big impact beyond Slovakia's borders. Fico's "no weapons to Ukraine" policy would be a massive U-turn, potentially ending Slovakia's stalwart support for its neighbor.
FICO (voice-over): We are ready to help Ukraine humanitarianly. We are ready to help in the restoration of the state. But our opinion on arming Ukraine does not change.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): For now, no change in Slovakia's Ukraine policy. The current technocrat foreign minister in Kyiv, with his E.U. counterparts, pledging continuity.
MIROSLAV WLACHOVSKY, SLOVAKIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We came here to express our full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The reality is, his replacement to the Fico- led government may rankle E.U. unity and not just over Ukraine. Ahead of this election, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova warned Russia's disinformation is rampant in Slovakia.
VERA JOUROVA, EUROPEAN COMMISSION VICE PRESIDENT: We speak about dangerous campaigns, which are misleading, which can do harm to society which can radicalize the society and which can radically change the election's result.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): It's too soon to know if Jourova's were realized. But pro-Putin sentiment is already strong. Most Slovaks don't blame him for invading Ukraine.
If Fico fails to build a coalition, as he did in 2010, other parties are confident they can muster the 75 seats in the 150-member Parliament needed.
MICHAL SIMECKA, LEADER, LIBERAL PARTY PROGRESSIVE SLOVENSKO: Realistically, there are two options at the table. One is a government led by Mr. Fico. And the other one is a coalition made up of progressive Slovakian and other partners, which would, in fact, have over 80 MPs.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): For now, it's Fico in the driving seat, potentially putting him on a collision course with European leaders. Something sure to please Putin.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The U.N. Security Council has approved an armed multinational force to restore order in Haiti, which made the request about a year ago.
The Western Hemisphere's poorest nation has been torn by murderous gang violence, political chaos, and the collapse of its economy and health system.
Journalist Stefano Pozzebon reports now on the decisions council.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: The United Nations Security Council approved on Monday --
POZZEBON (voice-over): -- the deployment of a multi-national armed force to Haiti as gang violence and political paralysis continue to affect the Caribbean nation.
The force is expected to be led by Kenya, which has pledged 1,000 policeman to spearhead the mission. Although other countries in the Caribbean have also expressed their intention to participate.
The vote was passed on Monday afternoon with the abstention of China and Russia. It follows repeated calls by the prime minister, Ariel Henry, to pledge for international assistance, and it was actually applauded by the government of Henry.
ARIEL HENRY, PRIME MINISTER, HAITI (through translator): On behalf of the government and people of Haiti, I would like to thank all of those who, through their voices, their efforts, their support and their contribution of all sorts, have finally made today's decision possible. More than just a simple vote. This is, in fact, an expression of solidarity with the population in distress.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Henry took power in 2021 following the assassination of late President Jovenel Moise. Western nations question his mandate.
The security situation has greatly worsened under his watch. The country's capital, Port-au-Prince, for example, is largely controlled by warring gangs.
And the United Nations estimates that some 200,000 Haitians have had to flee their homes due to the wave of violence.
POZZEBON: As of now, it is unclear when these multinational forces would actually reach Haiti, nor the exact composition of this expedition.
For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The World Health Organization has recommended a new malaria vaccine for children. R21/Matrix-M will be rolled out in parts of Africa early next year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: In areas with seasonal transmission, it reduce cases of malaria by 75 percent in the 12 months following a three-dose series of the vaccine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This is the second malaria vaccine approval by the WHO for children in two years.
The disease, which is spread by mosquito and kills half a million children in Africa every year.
This year's Nobel Prize for Medicine has been awarded to two scientists for their work on mRNA vaccines, a crucial tool in curtailing the spread of Covid-19.
Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman jointly won the prestigious honor Monday. The committee praised the scientists for their groundbreaking findings, which it said "fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system."
For the first time, Pope Francis has hinted at the possibility of some same-sex couples receiving blessings in the Catholic Church. He says it could only happen on a limited case-by-case basis.
The church does not recognize same-sex unions.
The pope's opinion came in response to formal questions posed by five conservative cardinals, some of his harshest critics. And it differs from an explicit Vatican ruling against blessings of same-sex couples issued just two years ago.
Some good news from France. French transport operators say that there have been no new sightings of bedbugs in recent days. The bugs have been showing en masse lately, especially inside theaters and public railways in Paris.
CNN's Jim Bittermann spoke with passengers about the pesky problem.
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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here are Gare Montparnasse, one of the bigger train stations in Paris, the authorities say that they, like other SFCS (ph) authorities across the country are on the other 20 bedbugs, should they appear.
And in recent days, they haven't found any evidence that they are appearing. Talking to the passengers, they don't seemed too alarmed. In fact, they seem pretty sanguine about the idea they may be riding right along with bedbugs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I sit down on the train, I verify to see if my seat is in good condition and everything is correct. I'm not particularly worried about bedbugs. If it happens, it happens.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I haven't had any at my place, but everyone is talking about it. So I don't know. Maybe it is a thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to admit, I haven't had any, so I'm not very concerned right now. I hope.
BITTERMANN: The deputy mayor of Paris said, in reality, no one is safe from bedbugs. And that's certainly verified by what pest control people say around the world.
[00:55:10]
America, for example, is the world's leading country as far as bedbugs are concerned, according to pest control people. In London, the bedbug population has gone up 65 percent in the past year.
Some of that may be due to the fact that COVID is over. During COVID, people tended to sleep in their own beds. But now, they're traveling more. And as they travel more, the bedbugs travel more.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Rock 'N Roll Hall of fame singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks now has her own Barbie, all part of Mattel's Barbie music series.
Stevie Barbie includes some of the artist's signature signature items, such as smoky eyes, the bangs, golden moon necklace, and of course, the tambourine.
The look is inspired by the outfit she wore on the cover of Fleetwood Mac's legendary 1977 album, "Rumors."
The Stevie Barbie was available for preorder for $55. It's already out.
Nicks posted on social media on Monday the doll means the world to her.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. "THE SOURCE" with Kaitlan Collins is up next.
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