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Netanyahu Asks For "Forgiveness" For Not Saving Israeli Captives; U.S. Seizes Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's Plane; Pope Francis Embarks On 12-Day Trip To Asia; U.K. Suspends Some Arms Exports To Israel; Putin Visits Mongolia In Defiance of ICC Arrest Warrant; Alarm in Germany over Far-Right Gains; Harris Opposes Sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese Firm; Bangladesh Torture Victims Speak Out after Fall of PM Hasina; Thousands of U.S. Hotel Workers Trike on Busy Holiday Weekend; MoMA Focuses on Making Art Accessible. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 03, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Vause live from Studio H in Atlanta. Ahead this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I'm asking for your forgiveness that we didn't manage to bring them back alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Rare contrition and remorse from Israel's Prime Minister, as many blame him and his failure to get a ceasefire in Gaza for the murder of six hostages by Hamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Venezuela's version of Air Force One used by President Nicolas Maduro to fly around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The plane, the plane. Oh no, not the plane. Venezuela's autocratic ruler, Nicolas Maduro grounded after his luxury jet was seized by U.S. authorities for sanction violations.
And four countries, 12 days, 20,000 miles, Pope Francis touches down in Jakarta for the start of one of Israel's grueling and physically challenging trips ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: After nearly 11 months of war, the longest in Israeli history. Maybe, just maybe, most Israelis have had enough. Monday saw another day of nationwide protests erupt from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to Caesarea in the north. Precise numbers are difficult to confirm, but organizers claim hundreds of thousands took part, all demanding a cease fire, with Hamas and many accusing the prime minister of stalling tactics and demanding his resignation.
Labor unions also staged an hours long general strike, causing chaos for air travel. Hospitals reduced services and staff and many businesses closed down. Protesters also gathered outside one of Netanyahu private homes, lighting fires and chanting, you are the leader. You are guilty.
Publicly, Netanyahu appears to be unmoved, insisting he will not make any concessions and promising Hamas will pay for the murder of six hostages who were found dead over the weekend, murdered by Hamas to prevent their rescue by the Israeli military.
Many believe a ceasefire deal could have saved their lives. Hamas is warning further rescue attempts by the Israeli military will lead to more hostages being killed. And there is criticism too from Israel's most important ally. When the U.S. President was asked if Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing enough to secure the release of the hostages, the answer was a blunt, firm no.
On Monday, the President and Vice President met with U.S. officials who have been part of ceasefire negotiations and later, President Biden said a final deal is close.
The latest sticking point appears to be Israel's demand to retain control of a narrow strip of land which divides Egypt and Gaza, as CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports Prime Minister Netanyahu argues withdrawing Israeli forces will allow Hamas to rearm and once again threaten Israel.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Outrage in the streets of Tel Aviv for the second night in a row, tens of thousands raising their voices demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strike a deal to bring home the hostages alive.
This outpouring of grief, anger and frustration prompted by the deaths of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recovered over the weekend. Hamas executed them hours before Israeli troops discovered the tunnel where they were being held.
But to many here, their deaths are a grisly reminder of the Israeli government's failure.
MIMI ZEMAH, PROTESTER: The day before they were alive. You saw their names on the deal that could have been signed. Three names were on that deal, and they're not here.
GIL DICCMANN, RELATIVE OF HOSTAGE: We know that Hamas has agreed to a deal at some point, and Israel was the one putting on more and more terms and actually postponing the deal. And right now we know the decisions that our Prime Minister Netanyahu has made, made it impossible for Carmel and other hostages to return and put their lives in great danger, and that's what killed them.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Netanyahu meanwhile, doubling down on a core Israeli demand that has been a sticking point in negotiations and blaming Hamas.
NETANYAHU (through translator): The evil axis needs the Philadelphi Corridor, and for that reason, we must keep control of the Philadelphia corridor. This is why Hamas insisted we are not going to be there, and this is why I insist that we are going to be there.
DIAMOND (voice-over): In Israel, the pressure is building on Netanyahu. Schools closed early, flights delayed and busses disrupted as the largest union went on strike Monday for the first time since October 7 and in the U.S. more pressure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you think it's time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more on this issue, do you think he's doing enough?
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: No.
DIAMOND: For the family of 23-year old Israeli American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, grief is now taking center stage.
[01:05:05]
RACHEL GOLDBERG-POLIN, HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN'S MOTHER: I will love you and I will miss you every single day for the rest of my life, but you're right here. I know you're right here. I just have to teach myself how to feel you in a different way.
DIAMOND (voice-over): And hope that this moment will be different.
JON GOLDBERG-POLIN, HERSH GOLDBERG-POLIN'S FATHER: For 330 days, Mama and I sought the proverbial stone that we could turn over to save you. Maybe, just maybe, your death is the stone, the fuel that will bring home the remaining 101 hostages.
DIAMOND (voice-over): That his son's death will not be in vain. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining us now from Washington is Steven Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as author of "The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present and Future in the Middle East." And welcome back. Good to see you.
STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: OK, so there's this growing number of Israelis who not only support a ceasefire in Gaza and in return for the rest of the hostages, but they also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to do more to make that happen. And that was a question which was put to U.S. President Joe Biden, here it is.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think he's doing enough?
BIDEN: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So no confusion there over Biden's position. And in fact, the only support for Netanyahu is coming from the far right extremists within his coalition, people like Ben-Gvir. Here's where he stands on Gaza.
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ITAMAR BEN-GVIR, ISRAELI'S NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER (through translator): We will do our job so that Netanyahu does not back off, so that there is no reckless deal so that we do not negotiate with those who murdered, raped, slaughtered, burned. There is only one way to talk with Hamas through weapon sites.
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VAUSE: You know, with friends like that is Netanyahu out of options here, or is fuss running out of options?
COOK: Well, I mean, that's the problem the fact that Itamar Ben-Gvir has vowed to hold Netanyahu his feet to the fire, and he is the key to maintaining Netanyahu government. So in ways, there is no much more that the prime minister can do, despite the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of Israelis in the streets demanding that he do more. If he were to do more, it would bring down his government.
VAUSE: Well, Israel's Haaretz newspaper makes this point, public sentiment is ultimately what will decide whether one of the darkest chapters in Israel's history ends now, or whether we allow ourselves to be pulled down the abyss by Netanyahu and his far right allies.
If public sentiment really had that much sway, then wouldn't a deal have been happened long ago? And what will it take for that to actually happen to convince Netanyahu to change course? And you know, is there any point if Netanyahu cannot govern as prime minister, which it seems to be the case, then why not let the government collapse? Why not let it fall?
COOK: Right. Well, Netanyahu -- despite what Haaretz says, Netanyahu has a coalition of 64 seats in the Knesset, an absolute majority that he needs and a little bit of a cushion. So despite public sentiment, given the way that Israel's electoral laws are set up, he can remain as prime minister, and this government can continue and fulfill its term, which would end in 2026.
Netanyahu would either have to resign and hand the government over to someone else, and the Israelis would organize elections in the next 45 to 60 days, or parties from the outside would have to vow to support Netanyahu through a hostage deal, because Ben-Gvir and others would likely bolt that government. That's a possibility.
Yair Lapid, who is one of the opposition leaders, has said that he would support the government from the outside so long as there is a hostage deal, but would only support Netanyahu for the hostages.
VAUSE: Well, the latest sticking deal in these ceasefire talks, it's over the Philadelphi Corridor. Here's the Prime Minister explaining what that is and why Israel wants to retain control.
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NETANYAHU (through translator): Philadelphi Corridor is the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, and once we left it, there's no barrier there against infiltration of arms and weapons and means for digging tunnels.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I've reported from the Philadelphi Corridor back when it was under Israeli control. It's a no man's land, and Israel military outposts come under the constant attack. But the Prime Minister's claim about no barrier isn't true. I mean, for a start, the Egyptian security routinely finds in flood smuggling tunnels. They intercept weapons and other contraband. They've been doing this since the Gaza disengagement 2005, now maybe could it be better. Sure. What are Israel's security options here short of permanent control of the Philadelphi Corridor?
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COOK: Well, on this question of the Philadelphi Corridor, I think Netanyahu is on stronger ground than some of his critics might suggest. It is clear that Hamas has been resupplied through the tunnels that are dug underneath the Philadelphia corridor. There are members of the Egyptian security forces who are complicit in the smuggling under the Gaza Egypt border, and that's why it's been so difficult for the Israelis to get a handle on this. And that's why they are now saying, or at least Prime Minister Netanyahu, is now saying, that the IDF needs a presence on the Philadelphi Corridor.
Of course, this is in violation of an agreement, a diplomatic agreement, that agreement, that they need with Egypt in 2005 when they initially withdrew from the Gaza Strip. But nevertheless, this is a significant security concern for the Israelis, and if they do want to make sure that Hamas cannot resupply itself, there is this question of who controls the Philadelphi Corridor and how to plug up those tunnels that are being dug underneath with in some cases, the complicity of Egyptian security services.
VAUSE: Steven, thank you for being with us. Really appreciate it. Steven Cook, Senior Fellow (INAUDIBLE) it studies at the Council of Foreign Relations.
COOK: Thank you.
VAUSE: U.K. has suspended some weapons exports to Israel, including parts of fighter jets, helicopters and drones are the concerns they could be used to commit war crimes in Gaza. British officials, though, insist this is not an arms embargo.
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DAVID LAMMY, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain U.K. arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk, but they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
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VAUSE: All up 30 of 350 arms export licenses will be suspended. Israel says it's disappointed by that decision, arguing it sends a very problematic message to Hamas.
Well, two more oil tankers have come under attack in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels based in Yemen. According to the U.S. military, both tankers came under fire from ballistic missiles as well as drones. For now, the Houthis have claimed responsibility for just one attack.
Over the weekend, a week ago, rather, a Greek oil tanker also came under Houthi fire. The ship is now drift, crewless, on fire and carrying the equivalent of a million barrels of oil. Shipping in the Red Sea has been under attack since November. The Iran-backed Houthi say they're targeting vessels as a sign of support for Palestinians in Gaza.
The start of a new school term in Ukraine, Monday was marked by Russian airstrikes and attacks in the capital Kyiv and other cities wounding at least four people. Also Monday, Ukraine's Foreign Minister chastised allies for forcing the country to fight with its hands tied behind its back. He's calling on allies to allow Ukraine to fire on military targets deeper inside Russia in order to stop the attacks on civilians in Ukraine.
This comes as Ukraine's president says its military is experiencing mixed success on several fronts.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Yes, the Kursk operation is fulfilling its tasks. It is going according to plan regarding the difficulties at the Pokrovsk and Toretsk front sections. Yes, we do believe that the Kursk operation could also influence these sections and that there could be a lessening and intensity of fighting due to fewer Russian troops being there. However, as of now, we see that it remains difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukraine's successes in curse and setbacks in the next region are bringing the world's attention back to the war. Local businesses are reacting with urgency. CNN's Christiane Amanpour has a closer look at a factory in Kyiv that is ramping up efforts to help Ukraine. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): The evidence keeps growing, even here in Kyiv, far from the front, memorials occupy ever more space. And since Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region, the war has returned to the cities with a vengeance.
Last night, ballistic missiles hit Kyiv, destroying infrastructure, tripling the energy grid, raising fears.
Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk tells me it's been a tradeoff.
NATALIYA GUMENYUK, UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST: There is no discussion whether the Kursk was right. But the question is how much we lose in Pokrovsk, in the Donbas. It boosted the morale among the military. It showed that, you know, Ukraine can do something.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Just outside Kyiv, there's an urgent race against time in this factory that's building unmanned vehicles or land drones, because aerial drones make the front lines ever more dangerous for soldiers on both sides.
Here's CEO and former Special Forces officer Oleksandr Biletskyi.
OLEKSANDR BILETSKYI, CEO, SHERP: That's why we should have technologies to kill more Russians with the purpose and using the new technologies, like using drones, using robots. That's it.
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AMANPOUR (voice-over): And these all-terrain, all-weather drones are meant to save more Ukrainians. On the front, they can be controlled from as far as three kilometers away. Here, we follow along behind. They can deliver everything from ammunition to water and also remove the wounded from the front lines.
Their production has ramped up since the full-scale invasion of 2022 and the company insists Ukraine must develop more technologically advanced systems for asymmetrical warfare to counter Russia's overwhelming manpower. And they want to be much more self-sufficient for the long haul.
Thirty months into this grinding conflict, with the prospect of international support fading, are Ukrainians now ready to negotiate an end to it all?
GUMENYUK: It's really a matter of survival. We can't allow them to control our territory. And what they suggest is unconditional capitulation.
AMANPOUR: Surrender, yes.
GUMENYUK: Unconditional surrender or occupation.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): And here, Nataliya quotes her friend and Ukraine's Nobel laureate who warns that occupation is not peace, it's just a different way of war. Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Russian president is beginning a two-day visit to Mongolia, apparently not concerned by the possibility of arrest. Mongolia is a member of the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for Putin's arrest last year for war crimes. ICC member states have an obligation to arrest suspects and transfer them to The Hague. This is Putin's first trip to a member country of the ICC, but Mongolia has shown no intention to arrest Putin.
In fact, President Putin is expected to meet with Mongolia's president in the hours ahead. Russia and Mongolia have been discussing building a natural gas pipeline linking both countries over.
Coming here on CNN, Pope Francis begins a 12-day tour of Southeast Asia, arriving in the world's largest Muslim majority country. What's next on his schedule after touching down in Asia.
Also, had U.S. officials hitting Venezuela's president where it hurts, how the Maduro government responded to the seizure of his luxury plane.
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VAUSE: Pope Francis touched down in Jakarta just a short time ago, his first visit to Indonesia and the first stop on his 12-day tour of Southeast Asia. This will be a complicated and physically grueling trip for the 87-year old pontiff, who plans to meet with Indonesia's President and other officials on Wednesday, then he heads off to three other countries on this tour. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout following all the developments. She joins us live from Hong Kong.
No one does outreach quite like Pope Francis. You know, if this is an attempt to, you know, reach out to Southeast Asia, he's so far expecting a fairly warm reception from those in Jakarta and those other countries as well.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's incredible, isn't it, John? You know, with this marathon visit, Pope Francis is showcasing his commitment and his termination this 12-day visit to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific is now fully underway.
[01:20:04]
He just arrived in Indonesia about 11:30 local time, and while using a wheelchair, the pope disembarked from the plane via a lift and on the tarmac he was greeted by Indonesian children. Honor guards are also present, as well as local Catholic leaders and our colleague the CNN Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb, he was on the plane with the Pope, and he says, on board this long flight, a 13-hour overnight flight, Pope Francis was in good spirits, and at the back of the plane, you can see the photo there, he greeted the journalists traveling with him.
Now, after Indonesia, the pope will later visit Papua New Guinea, East Timor, as well as Singapore, and this visit will be a challenge. It is his longest and farthest trip ever. It is one of the longest foreign trips for any Pope, and it will test his strength and fortitude. Pope Francis is 87 years old. He is using a wheelchair. He's been battling health problems, and the Pope, upon landing in Indonesia today, he will not have any public events on Tuesday, he will rest.
But his first official events will take place on Wednesday, and on Wednesday, Pope Francis will visit Jakarta's vast Istiqlal Mosque. It's one of the largest mosques in the world. And a mosque has this very interesting symbolic tunnel, this underpass that links it to a neighboring Catholic Cathedral.
On Wednesday, Pope Francis will have an interfaith meeting at the mosque, and then he will visit that tunnel, this 28 meter long underpass, it's known as the tunnel of friendship. Pope Francis is also scheduled to meet with the outgoing president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, and hold a mass service in the capital.
I should note that Indonesia is a secular state, but it is the largest Muslim population the world. Total population of 280 million. Only 3 percent are Catholic. 90 percent are Muslim, and many Muslim Indonesians are welcoming the Pope. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELDY (through translator): Frankly, I have a different religion, but I like it. It means being together, the Union. It means mutual respect. That's what I like. I'm OK that he's coming to Indonesia. I like it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: And although this visit is a strong symbol of friendship, Indonesia must be said, has a patchy record when it comes to religious harmony. Minority religions can still face discrimination there. I want to bring up some statistics for you on this statement that came up really quickly from the 2023 annual report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, saying this quote, Indonesia's religious freedom conditions remained poor, but this visit will allow the pontiff to highlight inter religious dialog and harmony, which has been a very key theme throughout his pontificate. Back to you, John.
VAUSE: Kristie Lu Stout, thank you for that. It certainly -- he certainly looked to be a good spirit after such a long journey, and he's in good shape.
LU STOUT: Yes.
VAUSE: We'll keep following the purpose visit.
LU STOUT: Yes, remarkable.
VAUSE: Thanks, Kristie. Well, Venezuela's government accuses the United States of piracy and escalating aggression after seizing President Nicolas Maduro plane. U.S. says the jet was acquired in violation of sanctions among other criminal activity. CNN's Oren Liebermann has details. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This jet was in the Dominican Republic for maintenance when U.S. authorities seized it. FBI agents flew it from the Dominican Republic to Florida. There, you can see video obtained exclusively by CNN as it landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and was taxiing around there. It's not quite the 747 jumbo jet that the U.S. uses as Air Force One, but it is, according to two U.S. officials, Venezuela's version of Air Force One used by President Nicolas Maduro to fly around to meetings and to other events there.
According to Garland, it was purchased for some $13 million. He buy a Shell company before it was illegally flown out of the country.
Now, the U.S. and Venezuela have long had a frosty relationship that's only gotten worse, perhaps even almost outright hostile since the July presidential election, the U.S. not recognizing the claimed results of that election. According to Maduro's own regime, he won with some 51 percent of the vote, the U.S. not recognizing that as a free and fair election. In fact, many other countries not recognizing it as well.
It is because of the results or claimed results of that election that the U.S. reimpose sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas industries. Venezuela said the seizure of that jet was, quote, piracy. Oren Liebermann, CNN in Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: For more now we're joined by Brett Bruen, President of the Global Situation Room, a private consulting firm focusing on crisis management and international security. Before that, he held senior positions on the National Security Council and at the U.S. State Department. Brett is good to see you.
BRETT BRUEN, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL OFFICIAL: Good to be with you. John.
VAUSE: OK, so here's part of a statement from the U.S. Attorney General, Merrick Garland on the seizure of Maduro is playing. The Justice Department season aircraft we allege was illegally purchased for $13 million for use by Nicolas Maduro and his cronies.
[01:25:00]
The Justice Department goes on to say the plane was illegally exported in April of 2023 from the United States to Venezuela by the Caribbean. So, what this is all just about violation of U.S. sanctions. This wasn't done to send a message to Maduro to hit him where it really hurt. So was it a bit of both?
BRUEN: Well, it's all about the timing. And quite frankly, the Biden administration has been looking for ways symbolic as well as some significant ways that they can send a message to Caracas. And by taking Maduro's plane, I think they have achieved a small modicum of that message to say, you know, symbolically, but also, you know, for a head of state not to be able to fly around in their own private jet with all of the, you know, John, I was looking at some of the features this jet has earlier on today, it's going to be a little bit less comfortable for Maduro on his next flight abroad.
VAUSE: Yes, just what sort of play was this? I know it's electric plane, but what were the features?
BRUEN: Well, look, it's got a private bedroom. It has nicely upholstered seats and nicely finished cabins. So his trips around Latin America were a little bit more comfortable than they had been prior to the $30 million purchase of this plane at the same time, though, look, I think we're seeing and just within the last few hours, there have been some reports that the U.S. plans to sanction Venezuelan election officials that Maduro had used in order to find seal these elections. So they are going to take other steps.
The real question here is, will it amount to more than a hill of beans, or will it simply just be a whole lot of showmanship, as you said in the past, that hasn't swayed the Venezuelan leaders very much.
VAUSE: Well, we also have this statement from the U.S. Commerce Department. Let this seizure send a clear message. Aircraft illegally acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset.
Anytime in Venezuela, a government statement described the seizure of the plane as piracy, saying the U.S. illegally sees an aircraft that has been used by the President of the Republic. They actually referred to seeking it again another aircraft. This is an example of the supposed rules based order, which, disregarding international law, seeks to establish the law of the strongest.
OK. So just how difficult is it to seize a plane used by a head of state? And also, would you expect reprisals? Perhaps, you know, from the Maduro government?
BRUEN: Well, let's start with this is not unprecedented. The U.S. has actually received about seized, about 70 Venezuelan planes, most of them associated with EVASA, the state oil company. They even just, within the last year, seized a plane in Argentina.
So this is a common practice, but as you said, seizing the plane of a head of state is a stronger step. It sends a message to not only to Venezuelan leaders, but quite frankly, to leaders around the world who still gotten gains and those ill-gotten planes are going to wind up in our hands if, in fact, you cross the United States, especially as Maduro has by trying to just blatantly steal another term in office.
VAUSE: And speaking of which, all of this does come a month after Maduro declared himself winner of that much disputed election, and ever since, according to the U.S. State Department, Maduro has ratcheted up repression through politically targeted threats, unjust and indiscriminate detentions and censorship in a desperate attempt to hold on to power by force.
Maduro's actions have exacerbated the Venezuelan crisis and left him increasingly isolated from the international community. Well, even more so now without his plane.
On the surface, at least, these elections seem to be playing out as the previous elections. Maduro claims victory at a rigged vote. The opposition cries foul, protests, erupts, people get killed. Is it different? Because it will be any different this time.
BRUEN: John, I wish I could answer that. My cynical side says, no, we're going to see a lot of the steps that we have seen in the past. The U.S., perhaps Europe, in some respects, will go through all of these motions. But it isn't clear that there is a plan, a strategy, that they can execute to effectively try and apply pressure to create more deterrence on Maduro just bulldozing ahead, because, let's face it, he's already pretty isolated.
There was an effort led by Lula de Silva, the head of state in Brazil, to try and negotiate some exit for Maduro that hasn't, quite frankly, yielded very much. It did yield a proposal that we'd have a do over but I don't think there really are do overs in democracy, so we're left without a great path forward for the West.
VAUSE: Brett, great to have you with us. Really appreciate the insight and the analysis as well. Good to see you.
BRUEN: Sure thing.
VAUSE: Germany hasn't seen anything like it since the rise of the Nazi party.
[01:30:00]
In a moment, why so many in Germany are concerned about historic gains in weekend elections by the far right anti-immigrant party, the AfD.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
The German chancellor has called on mainstream parties to shun the far-right Alternative for Germany Party. And in particular do not begin negotiations to form a coalition. Over the weekend, the AfD did incredibly well in two state election as the first far-right party to win a state election since the Nazi era.
Olaf Scholz wrote online the election results are bitter, that his central left coalition remains stable and united. He did warn though the results are cause for concern and the country must not get used to this. Adding that the AfD is damaging Germany and Democratic parties are required to form stable governments without right-wing extremists.
The anti-immigrant AfD won the eastern state of Thuringia and was a close second in Saxony. This comes one year before the next federal election.
CNN's European affairs commentator Dominic Thomas is with us now from Los Angeles for more. Welcome back. Good to see you. DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: OK. So those not entirely familiar with the Alternative for Germany Party or AfD, here's the party's leader, Alice Weidel, speaking to reporters on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALICE WEIDEL, GERMANY'S AfD PARTY LEADER (through translator): Our school classes are being flooded with children and young people from foreign cultures who come from archaic backgrounds, marked by Muslim beliefs. They are uneducated and all they speak is gibberish. Children no longer learn anything.
And this is the result as to why those young people who still want to have a perspective in our country have supported the AfD as much as they have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: She seems nice. AfD started out as a protest party, but over the years it's become increasingly radicalized, increasingly anti- immigration.
The party is under surveillance at the federal level, categorized as suspected extremists, and their popularity has steadily risen.
This move by Chancellor Scholz asking mainstream parties to shun the AfD in coalition talks is it a bit like fixing a leaky faucet in a burning building.
THOMAS: Well John, that's certainly one way of looking at it.
I mean first of all, you know, just to go back to those words that we heard, which I think tell us a lot about the AfD talking about the country being flooded implies that somehow it's being overwhelmed by immigration and so on.
And that's simply not true in the particular area of the east that we're talking about now where immigration numbers are lower and secondly where the labor needs are especially high.
[01:34:49]
THOMAS: But you're absolutely right. The AfD is a party that essentially was catapulted onto the front of the German scene in the aftermath of the so-called 2015 migrant crisis, when it entered the German parliament in 2017.
And that was the first time in 60 years that a far-right party had entered in that configuration. And since then, their presence has grown incrementally all the way up to this weekend where they won one of the 16 state elections. That's a significant development.
The problem is with Scholz's words right now is that the party outperformed everyone else coming ahead with 33 percent of the vote. So it's becoming increasingly difficult for this party to be kept at bay in the way that other European countries have struggled with that. And some of them have now opened up the option of working with them on coalitions.
And the risk John is ultimately that by not working with them, you end up providing their supporters with the oxygen they need to support their ideas that they're being left out and left behind, John.
VAUSE: is there a point to be made here that these two states are relatively small states, only about 7 percent of the German population. But, you know, is this sort of indicative of the country nationwide.
Well, the thing about the AfD, you know, it's interesting is of course, so much of the coverage is on there, sort of exceptionally high numbers in that region of the east where there are five of the 11 states.
But the fact is proportionately they do quite well in other areas of the country with more significant populations where they have been scoring 10, 12, 13, 14 percent and so on.
So I think it's part of a broader kind of move towards immigration. And I think in different parts of the country, the AfD is able to garner support of those who perhaps feel left behind in the east versus those that are struggling with the representation and the debate on immigration in the country as a whole.
VAUSE: I want you to listen to the leader of the main opposition party, the Christian Democrats. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION LEADER (through translator): The government coalition in Berlin suffered a total fiasco yesterday. Something like this never happened to a German government before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, the saying is while history doesn't repeat, it sometimes rhymes. Is there a comparison here with the slow and steady rise of the Germany Workers' Party in the 1930s, the Nazis essentially.
THOMAS: Yes. Well, these comparisons are always very difficult to make because of that history and the scale of it. But I think there are so many areas in which that comparison becomes valid.
First of all, the state of Thuringia we're talking about is the state in which the fascist made their initial inroads and entered into government. And they were able to do it by convincing people and tapping into certain grievances around people sort of cost of living, standard of living, being left behind was there.
So there are some legitimate grievances but the fact that the AfD today, and that's where the comparison is, has significant number of their leadership that are Nazi sympathizers and that are scapegoating immigrants, Muslims, ethnic minorities, and so on, is especially problematic and draws a comparison that they have not been able to shake off, John.
Dominic as, always, it's so good to have you with us. I really appreciate the information and the insights as well. Good to see you.
THOMAS: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris says U.S. Steel should remain an American-owned company despite a takeover bid by Japan's Nippon Steel. Harris campaigned in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Monday with current President Joe Biden, hoping to win over union members.
CNN's senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris appearing on the campaign trail for the first time since Harris ascended to the top of the ticket.
President Biden delivering a forceful defense of his one-time running mate, who is now running to succeed him as president, celebrating the work that they've done for the last three-and-a-half years, particularly when it comes to organized labor.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We made a lot of progress and Kamala and I are going to build on that progress and she's going to build on it. I'll be on the sidelines but I'll do everything I can to help.
TAUSCHE: While the two exhibited their characteristic and stylistic differences, they were in lockstep on much of their message. That Democrats running for office this year are the ones who have a platform that will promote and provide more benefits for those who are members of unions.
Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on the Republican side they say, have no platform that would do the same. But they did have one area of agreement in particular where the two were in lockstep and that was the endorsement of American ownership for iconic Pittsburgh-based company, U.S. Steel, currently at the center of a $15 billion takeover by a Japanese rival.
Shareholders have approved the deal, but union members have voiced their opposition. And today, Vice President Harris echoing President Biden's own opposition, which he staked out in Pittsburgh last April.
[01:39:48]
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: everywhere I go, I tell people, you may not be a union member, but you've got to thank unions for that five-day workweek, thank unions particularly -- thank unions for paid family leave, thank unions for your vacation time.
Because when wages go up, everybody's wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, all workplaces are safer. When unions are strong, America is strong.
TAUSCHE: It's a singular issue, but its emblematic of the debate in Middle America, that is resisting the control of foreign interests and foreign ownership and keeping American manufacturing wholly-owned and strong going into the future.
There's just 64 days left before the election. And this is a message that is going to be carried throughout the heartland.
President Biden will be campaigning and making official visits in Michigan and Wisconsin. Vice President Harris will be visiting New Hampshire, where she'll be delivering a speech, rolling out the next phase of her economic plan.
Kayla Tausche, CNN -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: No campaign appearances Monday for Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance. But Trump did post a few insults about Harris on social media, like this one.
"Under Comrade Kamala Harris all Americans are suffering during this holiday weekend." It's Labor Day here on Monday. "
High gas prices, transportation costs are up, grocery prices through the roof. we can't keep living under this weak and failed leadership."
Trump will take part in a Fox News town hall Wednesday night with rallies in North Carolina and Wisconsin later this week.
Elon Musk, owner of X, seems to be breaking his own rules with a recent post of a fake image of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. She's wearing a hat with a communist symbol. He added this comment. "Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one."
Can you believe that she wears that outfit? We all know because it's fake. X policy states users cannot share any media that has been manipulated or attempts to deceive or confuse people. Those posts are meant to be labelled to notify users as such.
So far, no such label on Musk's post.
Still to come, hope is on the rise in Bangladesh, free from the repressive rule of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the country now looking to chart a new path.
At the same time, political prisoners are speaking out about the horrors they endured under Hasina's regime.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: There's a renewed sense of hope in Bangladesh after the ouster of longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled the country last month after weeks of anti-government protests and deadly crackdown by police. Her 15 years in power marked by stifling of civil freedoms and harsh measures to crush dissent.
Now, as the country turns a new chapter, political prisoners are coming forward sharing stories of abuse and torture at the hands of Hasina's regime.
[01:44:49]
VAUSE: CNN's Anna Coren met with some of those former prisoners. She joins us now live from Hong Kong. And they had some pretty horrific stories to tell.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They certainly did, John. And despite what they have endured, they say they would do it again for freedom.
Sheikh Hasina and her authoritarian government, they were overthrown by this mass uprising less than a month ago. And so much has happened since the 5th of August, especially as the country takes steps in seeking answers and accountability for its dark history in human rights abuses.
Look, we've recently traveled to Bangladesh and we met with student leaders who were pivotal in this protest movement. They say they were tortured by security services under orders by Hasina. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: The fresh faces of the future against that of the past. Shoes hanging in the face of Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the ultimate insult and show of defiance in a country where people on the streets achieved the unthinkable.
What began as a student-led protest against government quotas in early July, morphed into a mass uprising after Hasina, who'd been in power for more than 15 years, ordered police to open fire on the crowds.
Over the following weeks, hundreds of people were killed while thousands were arrested.
NUSRAT TABASSUM, PROTEST COORDINATOR: They came to my house, they broke three doors, they took me with them and oh, my god, the physical torture, that was miserable.
COREN: Nusrat Tabassum, a 23-year-old political science student, says she was beaten for hours on end. Her face repeatedly hit. Some of her teeth now loose. Her right eardrum burst.
TABASSUM: Without a hearing aid, I can't listen in my right ear.
COREN: After five days in custody, Nusrat was paraded in front of the cameras. The only female in the group of prominent student leaders forced to make an apology. For fellow student, Iftekhar Alam, his detainment was even more sinister. Snatched from his home before dawn, he was blindfolded, handcuffed, and believes he was taken to a notorious military intelligence facility in Dhaka, where over the years hundreds of Bangladeshi considered anti-state have been disappeared.
IFTEKHAR ALAM, STUDENT PROTESTER: I was like there is no escaping from this, and my life will end here, and no one will know.
COREN: The law student says for hours, he was beaten with a metal rod, breaking bones in his feet. A burning cigarette was then pushed into his fingers and toes as part of what they called their little game.
ALAM: When I closed my eyes, I remember that I went to that horrible day.
COREN: Once released, he discovered Hasina had resigned and fled to India.
ALAM: The people's Bangladesh, it is the people's country.
COREN: The capital now awash with colorful murals, has a very clear message, there is no going back.
As the U.N. investigates the hundreds of protestor deaths, the people have entrusted Interim Chief Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus to bring about desperately needed reform.
The fall of the government has unleashed a spirit that has electrified every level of society. It has given a voice to everyone, from students to doctors, even rickshaw drivers, as they take to the streets to make their demands.
But change doesn't happen overnight, especially in a country of 170 million people where the iron fist ruled, and corruption and cronyism reign.
TABASSUM: My country is sick, but our people, we stand together. I believe there will be sunshine in future.
COREN: A future this generation will continue to fight for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well John, as well as the U.N. fact-finding mission into the atrocities that occurred in the recent mass uprising, the interim government has set up a commission to investigate the hundreds of suspected enforced disappearances. Human rights groups believe more than 700 Bangladeshi were disappeared under Hasina's 15-year reign. She has fled to India, as we say, and that many in Bangladesh are calling on India to send her back to face trial for the abuses that happened under her watch.
John.
VAUSE: Anna, thank you. Anna Coren in Hong Kong with that report. With that, we'll take a short break. You're watching CNN.
[01:49:47]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: More than 10,000 hotel workers chose the Labor Day long weekend in the United States to begin industrial action, demanding higher wages, fairer workloads and a reversal of pandemic era staff cuts.
According to union organizers, workers went on strike in at least 25 hotels in nine major U.S. cities.
A spokesperson for at least two hotel chains have told CNN they are committed to reaching deals with the union. Here's how a local union representative described the situation many are now facing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY BARNER, UNITE HERE UNION STEWARD: And you know, I've had a lot of people with tears in their eyes who don't have enough money to even go back and forth to work, to pay for Uber, even pay for a bus.
And it's really hard to be in this business and smile and greet a guest when in the back of your mind, you're trying to figure out where your next meal is going to come from. Or whether you're going to be able to keep your lights on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Volkswagen is considering closing some factories in Germany for the first time in the company history. In a statement Monday, the German automaker said it could not rule out plant closures in its home country.
Volkswagen is trying to cut costs as it faces increasing competition from Chinese electric vehicles. Volkswagen says it may also try to end employee protection agreements with labor unions which have been in place since 1994.
Volkswagen has nearly 300,000 workers in Germany, that's nearly half of its worldwide workforce.
It's been five years since the Museum of Modern Arts' latest great expansion. Nestled in Midtown Manhattan, it's a draw for art lovers everywhere, facing (ph) an everchanging array of contemporary work. But the moment is also steeped in colorful history as well.
CNN's Richard Quest takes us back to MoMA's beginning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art. It was born in turbulent times when MoMA opened days after the 1929 Wall Street crash.
MoMA's idea was simple. New York needed a museum focused on the art of today, not that ancient stuff.
GLENN LOWRY, DAVID ROCKEFELLER DIRECTOR, THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART: This institution, when it was founded in 1929 by three extraordinary women and Alfred Barr as its young director, actually had a global perspective.
Among the first exhibitions here were exhibitions of Mexican art, exhibitions of American primitives, exhibitions of subcontinental Indian art.
QUEST: The idea has caught on and within three years, MoMA had outgrown its original home in a 12-story apartment, moving to a nearby town house and its permanent home, steps (ph) for New York's Fifth Avenue.
The greatest artists of the 20th century hang on these walls. Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol -- they've all made their names on the walls of the MoMA.
Today's artists use the MoMA as a launching pad, taking careers to new heights.
LATOYA RUBY FRAZIER, ARTIST: I was stunned when MoMA reached out to me to offer me the exhibition. It was FDR who was on the radio who talked about the purpose and the mission of the Museum of Modern Art, and he distinctly pointed out that first of all, art belongs to the people.
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Friends of the Museum of Modern Art, the mission of this museum is plain. We are dedicating this building to the cause of peace.
[01:54:50]
QUEST: Today, this museum is considered the epicenter that the modern art world and it is a position the director, Glenn Lowry takes very seriously.
LOWRY: I worry about everything. I worry about whether anybody will show up at the museum in the morning. Literally, will people bother to come to the museum?
I worry about whether it is going to rain or not, because when it rains, more people come to the museum.
So I am one of those people that looks at a sunny day and goes, oh, no, not another beautiful day. because I know -- I know that if its bad weather, more people will visit the museum.
QUEST: Over its 95-year history, the MoMA has weathered many storms.
A devastating fire in the late 1950s wiped out some of its prized treasures.
REPORTER: Many others are scooted to safety by employees undaunted by the fire.
QUEST: And recently, the MoMA has undergone expansions, relocations, and renovations galore.
LOWRY: So I think of the institution not as a fixed entity. Imagine the British Museum, or the Louvre, or the Metropolitan, they are historical institutions, their responsibility is to tell this very long story in a very measured and ordered way.
We are a work in progress.
QUEST: Perhaps that is the beauty of The Museum of Modern Art -- always changing, always reinventing itself, much like the art that fills its galleries.
Richard Quest, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you, Richard.
And thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church after a short break.
See you right back here tomorrow.
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