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Father Of Georgia High School Shooting Suspect Arrested, Charged; Deadly Super Typhoon Yagi Headed For Southern China; Video Footage Appears To Show Russians Killing Surrendering Ukrainian Soldiers. One on One with Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi; Putin Weighs in on U.S. Elections, Mocks Harris' Laugh; Pope Francis Heads to Papua New Guinea to Continue Asia Tour; South Korean Province Launches 4-Day Workweek Pilot Program. Aired 1- 2a ET
Aired September 06, 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: Ahead here on CNN Newsroom.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These charges stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon.
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VAUSE: Not just possess, but allegedly bought his teenage son an AR-15 style semi-automatic for Christmas, which police say was used to shoot dead four people who will never celebrate another Christmas.
Bracing for Yagi, the killer storm turned super typhoon, set to slam southern China in a few hours from now, and four into five equals five. South Korean set to try a four-day working week, the latest in a long list of countries for a five-day week may soon be a relic of the past.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: A day after 14-year-old Colt Gray allegedly opened fire at his high school with an AR-15 style automatic weapon, shooting 11 people and killing four of them. Police have arrested his father, Colin Gray.
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CHRIS HOSEY, GEORGIA BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION DIRECTOR: He is charged with the following four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. Mr. Gray, these charges stem from Mr. Gray knowingly allowing his son, Colt, to possess a weapon. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Law enforcement officials say Colin Gray told them the AR style rifle was a Christmas gift for his son purchased last December, seven months before that, sheriff deputies had questioned both father and son about online threats to carry out a school shooting.
14-year-old Colt Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder. More charges are expected when Gray makes his first court appearance in the coming hours. CNN's Ryan Young has more now from Winder, Georgia.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So God, as we come before you tonight, we come before you with humble hearts.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the winder community grieves the killing of two students and two teachers from Appalachee High School.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just sad that people had to die.
YOUNG (voice-over): Warning signs about the 14-year-old led shooter emerge. Colt Gray and his father were questioned by law enforcement last year regarding several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting.
The FBI Atlanta and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said in a joint statement that they received tips about online threats in May of 2023 and tracked then 13-year-old Gray as a possible subject and interviewed him.
The subject denied making the threats online. The father stated he had hunting guns in the house, but the subject did not have unsupervised access to them, and there was no probable cause for arrest or further action at the time, according to that statement.
CNN obtained the incident report from Jackson County detailing that interview. Colt expressed concern that someone is accusing him of threatening to shoot up a school, stating he would never say such a thing, even in a joking manner. The county alerted local schools for continued monitoring. But Gray later moved to neighboring Barrow County where the shooting occurred.
That's where law enforcement sources tell CNN, authorities found writings in Gray's bedroom. They believe he wrote referencing the 2018 Parkland Florida High School shooting massacre. Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the gun used in the school shooting was an AR platform weapon.
Due to Gray being a minor, he's being held at Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center, but will be tried as an adult. The school shooting has been heartbreaking for many, especially those who knew the victim, 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. KATHTRINE MALDORADO, APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: Why would you just shoot innocent people? They use it now, and he's actually like a sweet person.
YOUNG (voice-over): Teachers Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, a former football coach.
MICHAEL GORDON, APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: He had a wife and kids, and that's just so wild to me now that I talked to him that morning and he satisfactory my shirt, and now I just never talked to him again.
YOUNG (voice-over): One student telling us she feels unsafe to return to school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time I walked in the school, I never thought anything would happen to me like that's honestly a place I've honestly felt protected now I don't even want to be in the hallways alone.
YOUNG: Hundreds and hundreds of people have stepped up to this memorial to place flowers, to come to the school to pay their respects. We've seen it happen all day long. A lot of them have the same questions about exactly what the motive was behind the shooting, but what they do know is this, this shattered a sense of security that's been around this community and the school for quite some time.
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They really are trying to figure out what the next steps will be. Court will happen on Friday at 8:30 morning. We should figure out what investigators can share with us then. Reporting at Winder, Ryan Young, CNN.
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VAUSE: More now on the arrest of the father of the accused 14-year-old shooter who killed four people at Appalachee High School here in Georgia. Bernarda Villalona is a criminal defense attorney and former New York prosecutor joins us this hour from New York. It is good to see you. Thank you for being with us.
BERNARDA VILLALONA, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: So, Sheriff Jud Smith, he spoke to CNN a short time ago. He said the 14-year-old suspect has been talking, almost rambling, telling investigators at one point I did it. He's the sheriff.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How would you describe the level of what he's talked about?
SHERIFF JUD SMITH, BARROW COUNTY, GEORGIA: I mean, I don't know of any emotions, but I mean, he just, he was -- he described, you know, I did it. I don't know if he's obtained legal counsel. Obviously he'll have to have legal counsel. But the thing that goes that we're trying to figure out as a 14-year-old why.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We may not know why yet, but we have a pretty idea about how. Colin Gray telling investigators this week he had purchased this gun you were just using the killings as a holiday present. That was in December last year, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation.
And just on the purchase of the weapon itself, I'm willing to bet that Colin Gray isn't the first dad in the U.S. to buy his son an AR-15 style semi-automatic for Christmas. Apart from being beyond stupidity, is that a violation of any state or federal law?
VILLALONA: Well, it's definitely a violation of Georgia law, and that's why the father is now in custody. That's why he's being charged, because in Georgia it is illegal to provide a minor with a firearm, and here we have a father that is providing his 14-year-old son arming him with an AR-15 so that's how we got here to begin with. He equipped him with the firearm that was ultimately used to kill these four individuals.
VAUSE: But it wasn't just equipping him with the firearm. Colin Gray is now facing multiple charges after the FBI revealed that they were tipped off about online threats last year involving school shootings and a son of corco (ph) rather, the son. The local sheriff's office interviewed both father and son, Colin Gray told deputies that he had hunting guns in the house, but his son, Colt, did not have uncivilized access to them.
That all happened in May, and the dad still went out and bought his son a semi-automatic for Christmas. You put these two events together and you have a start having a fairly serious case, don't you?
VILLALONA: Exactly. And it's all going to boil down to what was the knowledge that this dad had about his son. You have a few months prior that FBI comes to you and informs you that there's been threats online allegedly made by your son, and you're equipped with this information, and instead of having a conversation with your son or actually seeking some kind of mental treatment for your son or therapy, you instead give him a firearm, the very means of what this 14-year-old was allegedly talking about.
The FBI, of course, they determined that it was unfounded. He couldn't corroborate it, but at least they put the father, the dad, on notice, and that notice is what is backfiring on the father now.
Now, we know that Colin is talking. He is talking to law enforcement. So he's providing law enforcement with information of how he access that gun, and how much interactions he had with firearms, and what information, if any, he's provided to his father to show what is the notice, what is the mental state, of what this dad knew, of what his son was capable of. VAUSE: There's a case in Michigan back in April. It's very similar to
this one. The parents providing a weapon to their son, knowing that he was likely to be dangerous and unstable. He goes out, murders four people, mother and father, jail for 10 and 15 years respectively.
As far as the father is concerned, in this case, are you expecting some kind of similar outcome here?
VILLALONA: I am. I am expecting a similar outcome again, you know, when we were talking about the case of the Crumbleys in Michigan, we said, oh, this is the first time that this has happened. This is unheard of. This is a unique situation. So you would think that it wouldn't have happened again.
Instead, what Michigan, that Michigan case, did is that they put the world, in the country on notice that as parents, if you are in possession of a firearm that you are responsible for the actions of your son, you have to be aware of what is the capability of your son, what they're going through, what access they have to these firearms that are capable of causing death.
VAUSE: Here's part of a statement from the group called the gun control group, rather called Every Town for Gun Safety. The parents from Newtown actually. The fact that Mr. Gray bought his son a weapon of war as a present months after being investigated for making threats to shoot up a school is a complete and utter dereliction of responsibility, both as a gun owner and a community member.
I would argue, as a father as well. This does feel like a watershed moment in some ways.
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One conviction like the one in Michigan could be easily be dismissed. Another conviction, if this happens in this instance, is this when parents who have guns and firearms in the home might actually start taking notice and taking responsibility for those firearms and for their own children's actions?
VILLALONA: Well, that's exactly what we expected to come out of the Michigan case where Ethan Crumbley parents were both arrested, were both charged, were both convicted, and now are serving lengthy state sentences. But even though that just happened, and we just talking about a few months ago, here we are again with another school shooting, another parent with access to guns, actually, his son had access to the guns, and still we have the same outcome where a school is being shot up by this teenager.
VAUSE: Well, I guess we'll see what happens. And clearly, the parents now have are on notice everywhere that they have responsibility for their kids and for their guns. Let's see what happens. Sadly, there will be a next time. Let's see what happens next time. Bernarda, thank you so much for being with us. Really appreciate it.
Most powerful storm China has seen in more than a decade, set to make landfall in the coming hours, super typhoon Yagi bowing down right now on Hainan Island. Schools are shut for a second day. Flights have also been canceled. Yagi is the second most powerful tropical cyclone so far this year, with maximum sustained wind speeds right now, 240 kilometers per hour, that's the equivalent of a strong category four Atlantic hurricane.
Let's go to our meteorologist CNN Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong for the very latest on Yagi's and how strong this set to be. It looks a little better behind you right now. Is the worst overall? Is the worst set to come?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, check this out. What a difference an hour makes at least for folks here in Hong Kong, this storm has swept past. You know, here in Hong Kong, we've been feeling the effects of the super typhoon as it swept past the city. There has been heavy rain, wind and in the harbor, huge swells.
Damage appears to be minimal here. But this is a powerful storm, and it is on the move. It is the second most powerful storm in 2024 by wind speed, and it is heading straight to Southwestern China and Hainan Island. Now, here in Hong Kong, signal three has been raised, replacing the earlier signal number eight, which effectively shut down the city. Many businesses here still closed. Schools are closed. Dozens of flights have been canceled. Hong Kong stock market was suspended.
Now we're looking at what's going to happen next. This super typhoon is set to make landfall in southern China later on Friday in just the next few hours, Hainan Province, Guangdong Province, they are bracing for impact, and conditions are rapidly deteriorating there.
Will show you the video that we have from Hainan and from southern provinces there. Now for Hainan, this is the island it's known as the Hawaii of China, that super typhoon projected landfall is rare, because most typhoons that land on that island are classified as being weaker.
Now the provincial government is on alert. We know that bus services, ferries, railways, flights have been suspended, and residents there in Hainan are not taking any chances. They're heating warnings and alerts to stay indoors, and before that, they've been stocking up on food, as you can see, leaving store shelves empty.
Residents have been advised not to go outside. Tourists told so as well, several tourist attractions have been shut down, and authorities have been warning that the winds when it hits Hainan could be massive and destructive. Hainan again known as the Hawaii of China, because this has sandy beaches, five star resorts. You got your duty free shopping there. It is, thankfully not peak travel season there, and the island also has a pretty good record of being able to handle and weather storms, but this super typhoon will be a rare one, and will be a menace, and it will make landfall in the hours ahead. John.
VAUSE: I just want to see this sort of like disaster fatigue right now for China, they've been through so much for most of this year, and now here comes, you know, the biggest storm they've had to deal with in a decade or so. LU STOUT: Yes, absolutely, this has been a very cruel and difficult
China in terms of a number of natural disasters. You've had the extreme rain, the extreme heat, and we're looking at what could happen with Yagi. The deluge from Yagi could threaten rice crops in Guangdong Province, and what has already been a very difficult season of again, extreme rainfall and deadly flooding, hundreds of people dead or missing, over a million people relocated, devastating financial losses.
You know, the government earlier reported that in the month of July alone, it suffered, this is China, suffered 10 billion in losses from natural disasters including extreme rain, and flooding caused by that extreme rain. And all of this has contributed to another economic problem, and China has been facing a number of economic issues, but it's contributed to a spike in food prices in China. So inflation, food inflation also a major issue. So the fallout across the board has been huge for China. John.
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VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout there with the very latest on Yagi and also the ongoing situation that China's been facing some time. Thank you.
Well, CNN speaks with Ukraine's army chief in a world exclusive, that's just ahead. Also disturbing, video appears to show Ukrainian troops being killed after trying to surrender.
Also, Israel's military wraps up a major operation in the occupied West Bank. Some residents now allowed back home, only to find houses destroyed and a city without electricity or water.
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VAUSE: Israeli officials say a counterterrorism operation in the West Bank city of Jenin is over, and Israeli forces are withdrawing. More than a week, one of the biggest Israeli military operations in recent years has focused on the flashpoint cities of Jenin and Tulkarm, as well as other nearby areas.
The Palestinian health ministry reports 39 people across the West Bank were killed by Israeli forces during that week, including eight children. Palestine residents have now been allowed to return to their homes, but for some, there are no homes to return to. Many others have no electricity or water.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Fox News a ceasefire deal with Hamas is not close denying reports by CNN and others that the Biden administration believes an agreement is 90 percent complete.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Hamas is not there with a deal. There's not a deal in the making. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened. They want to reconstitute their terror kingdom, and it's unfortunate start close, but we'll do everything we can to get them to the point where they do make a deal.
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VAUSE: The White House, though, is standing by its own assessment. In an interview with CNN Kaitlan Collins, the Israeli ambassador to the U.N. was asked why Netanyahu his latest comments contradict the more optimistic statements coming from the Biden administration.
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DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We want to lower expectations, because we have experience with Hamas. In May, the U.S. proposed the deal. We said yes. Hamas said no. In August, another deal was proposed, modified by the U.S., we agreed to the deal. Hamas said no. So they rejected all deals that were proposed. That's why we don't want to rate expectations. But we are still continue to send the head of the Mossad and other officials to negotiate. We will not stop with that. Hopefully we will reach an agreement. But with Hamas, you never know.
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VAUSE: Meantime, protesters in Tel Aviv carry 27 coffins representing the 27 hostages killed in captivity in Gaza, whose bodies have actually been returned. They symbolically placed the coffins in front of the Israeli military headquarters.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host the Ukraine defense contact group in Germany in the coming hours. It's made up of about 50 countries that focus on keys and military needs to try and fend off Russian attacks.
The meeting comes as the U.S. announced it's currently producing more than 40,000 artillery munitions a month for Ukraine as part of a push to increase production.
Meantime, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed a new foreign minister. Made a major shakeup of his cabinet.
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Several other ministers also resigned this week before Zelenskyy's upcoming trip to the United States. He says his government needed new energy.
CNN has obtained exclusive drone video that appears to show Ukrainian soldiers executed after they surrendered. It's one of several incidents being investigated by the United Nations. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has details and a warning some of the video in his report is disturbing.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY (voice-over): The scene all too common on Ukraine's imperiled Eastern Front, smoke billowing a position overrun. Ukrainian troops staggering out, appearing to surrender to advancing Russians, a brief close up on Ukrainian drone. Video seen here for the first time, shows them on their knees.
The drone operators ask each other for a better view, and then seconds later, it is too late, the three fall to the ground, dust nearby, suggesting gunfire executed in cold blood. Ukrainian official familiar with the incident said, despite hoping to be taken prisoner by the Russians.
It is from near the besieged city of Pokrovsk in late August. The source said the hottest spot on the front now where Russia is persistently advancing and follows a horrific pattern.
Prosecutors say they're investigating a total of 28 cases in which 62 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after surrender on the battlefield.
ANDRIY KOSTIN, PROSECUTOR GENERAL OF UKRAINE: If prisoners of war surrender, if they show that they surrender, if they are without weapons in their hand -- in their hands, then summary execution is the war crime.
WALSH (voice-over): It has worsened in the past 10 months. CNN obtaining from Ukrainian intelligence officials a detailed list of 15 incidents most backed up by drone video or audio intercepts.
WALSH: Now, United Nations investigators have scrutinized many of these killings, and a U.N. investigative source said to me, quote, there are many. There is a pattern, and the killings are war crimes. Individually, they said, in their opinion, and together, could amount to crimes against humanity.
WALSH (voice-over): And near Repotina (ph) site of some of the fiercest fighting this year in Zaporizhzhia. Another Ukrainian drone filmed in May, these images that are upsetting to watch. Ukrainian soldiers emerge one by one from the dugout. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence said they intercepted the Russian commander's order to execute or zero them, and gave us this transcript, take them down. Zero them. Take them. Zero them. The officer says, got it, plus, comes the reply. Once you zero them, report back, he adds. Once they're all out, face down, the Russians fire.
Ukrainians we spoke to left asking, why to just terrify them, or is it simply sport for the Russians?
PETRO YATSENKO, UKRAINIAN COORDINATOR CENTER FOR THE TREATMENT OF POW'S: The main reason is to made Russian soldiers believe they it's very dangerous to surrender to Ukrainian forces, because Ukrainian soldiers will kill them, like Russians killing Ukrainian prisoners of war. This forced them not to surrender, but go forward to their death.
WALSH (voice-over): A horror not always publicized or fully accounted for, yet being felt steadily by Ukrainians as they struggle to hold the Eastern line. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Ukraine's commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, has revealed the strategy behind that brazen incursion into Russia last month, an evasion which caught Russian forces by surprise so to American officials. He spoke to CNN chief international anchor, Christiane Amanpour, in this CNN exclusive.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Some of your for instance, your defense minister, has said publicly that the reason was to divert Russian forces from other parts of the Eastern Front. But there are others on the Eastern Front, commanders who say it hasn't diverted enough forces, and there's still a lot of pressure on your forces on the Eastern Front, that important logistical hub of Pokrovsk.
So, has it been strategically a success, and even tactically a success, what you've done in Kursk? Do you think you might lose Pokrovsk?
GEN.OLEKSANDR SYRSKYI, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE (through translator): We do everything possible not to lose Pokrovsk. We increased our defense capability in the area. Indeed, over the last six days, the enemy hasn't advanced a single meter in the Pokrovsk direction. In other words, our strategy is working.
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Of course, the enemy has concentrated their most trained units in the Pokrovsk area, but we've taken away their ability to maneuver and to deploy their reinforcement forces from other directions. In other words, it turns out that even though they did not take any units from the Pokrovsk direction, well, except for one Marine brigade. They are now unable to maneuver their reserves as they used to.
And this weakening definitely has been felt in other areas. We note the amount of artillery shelling, as well as the intensity of the offensive has decreased. In fact, the cross direction remains the most problematic for us, whereas the situation is stabilized in other areas.
So I think this strategy was chosen correctly, and it will bring us the desired result.
AMANPOUR: There appears to be uncertain, you know, commanders and frontline soldiers have told CNN that there's a bit of a morale problem in some parts of the front line that a lot of young conscripts, young trainees, are being sent out there. The battle is very difficult for them. Some of them just, you know, leave the trenches and go home.
And I just wondered, you know, again, you said boosting morale is a very important part of your job, and I think there's something like 19,000 cases that have been brought before the military authorities of desertion and the failure to turn up for duty. Talk about that. How can somebody like you boost morale and make
people still want to fight, because that we feel we hear that that moment of patriotic fervor that was so obvious at the beginning of the invasion seems to be cooling down.
SYRSKYI (through translator): You're right on this point, the issue of morale is a very important area of our work. Of course, talking about the Kursk operation, we should note this is what has significantly improved the morale of not only the military, but the entire Ukrainian population.
It was and still is an incentive that has boosted the morale of our servicemen, their thirst for victory. That's the first of all.
Secondly, speaking of the training, of course, everyone wants the level of training to be the best, so we train highly qualified professional military personnel at the same time, the dynamics at the front require us to put conscripted servicemen into service as soon as possible.
That is why we conduct a compulsory basic military training for at least a month, qualified training which is at least two weeks a month.
AMANPOUR: I want to know what, I mean you as commander. Do you go to the front lines? Do you go to the trenches? Do you talk to soldiers there and commanders? What do they say to you? Because I know some of them have been there for, you know, more than two years. They barely get rotation. They don't get to see their family. They're these glide bombs, these terrifying things that, and the drones. And there's just so much.
I mean, it's almost World War I kind of, you know, attacks on them in the trenches, and they're there for a long time with no real hope of rotation. What do they say to you when you go to see them and talk to them?
SYRSKYI (through translator): First of all, we speak the same language. We understand each other, no matter who I am talking to, whether this is an ordinary soldier, a rifleman, for example, or a brigade commander or a battalion commander.
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You know that I have been in this war since 2014 and over the last two and a half years, since the beginning of the full scale aggression, I've personally been participating in combat operations as the commander of the operational and strategic group.
Now I am the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In other words, the frontline is my life. We understand each other. I know all the problems that our servicemen, soldiers, and officers experience.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: After the break how to troll the U.S. vice president and interfere in the upcoming election all at the same time and with a smile. A masterclass from the Russian president.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone.
I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Prosecutors in Donald Trump's election subversion case may be able to reveal new evidence in that case just days before this year's election.
A schedule set by the presiding judge includes a deadline for settling many issues before actually setting a trial date. Key among those issues, deciding whether Trump should have immunity for his actions on January 6, the uprising on Capitol Hill.
When Trumps lawyers voiced concerns about sensitive information being released just days before November's election, Judge Chutkan said, her focus is on the four-count indictment. She's not concerned with the electoral schedule.
Meanwhile, the Republican presidential nominee is proposing ways to improve the U.S. economy. He says he found just the man to help do it, billionaire businessman and recent Trump supporter, Elon Musk.
Speaking in New York Thursday, Trump said Musk has agreed to lead a new commission that would dramatically shape -- change the shape of the U.S. government. Oh, boy.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms. We need to do it. Can't go on the way we are now.
And Elon because he's not very busy has agreed to head that task force.
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VAUSE: In his speech, Trump also outlined plans to boost energy output, ease inflation, lower taxes.
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VAUSE: He reaffirmed his plan to place sweeping tariffs on imports, which critics say could harm rather than help the economy.
Trump's opponent Kamala Harris is also unveiling new details about her economic agenda, proposing new tax incentives for small businesses. And she says she supports boosting the capital gains tax rate to 28 percent.
The details come with Trump and Harris are preparing for their first debate, the two set to tackle the economy and other issues. It's going to be Tuesday.
While the Trump team says he's keeping his debate prep low key, sources familiar with the Harris campaign, say the vice president plans to spend the next few days preparing for their first and possibly only face-off.
Russian president Vladimir Putin seems to be trolling the U.S. presidential race. This happened Thursday. He did it with a smirk on his face while expressing his so-called support for the U.S. Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris. It all happened at an economic forum in far eastern Russia in Vladivostok.
U.S. Intelligence agencies believe that Mr. Putin actually wants Trump to win. Duh.
Putin's comments come one day after the Justice Department indicted two Russian media employees in a scheme to interfere with the upcoming presidential election.
The White House pushing back on Putin's comments. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, saying the Russian president should quote, "stop talking about our election and stop interfering in it".
David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst. He's also the author of "The New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West.
Welcome back David, it's good to see you.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to be with you, John.
VAUSE: Here's the Russian president turned kind of funny man, it was Thursday at an economic forum in Vladivostok. He was talking about the U.S. election and how Joe Biden was his preferred candidate.
Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: But he was removed from the race and he recommended all his supporters to endorse Miss Harris. Well, that is what we will do too. We will support her.
And also she laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that she is doing well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: One Russia watcher described Putin's remarks as high-level trolling, saying Putin knows that his comments will help Trump as in Harris is a weaker candidate that's why he -- Putin wants her as president. Is there more here than just Putin being that smug teenager throwing spitballs from the back of the classroom as Barack Obama once described him? SANGER: Not much. Not much more than that. Because he has said before he doesn't really have a preference in this one. He thinks all the Americans are the same.
He clearly has a preference. Don't listen to what Putin says. Watch what his intelligence services, what RT, the news channel and others do. They are very much in former President Trump's camp.
And there's no particular surprise about why that is. I mean obviously, at various moments, Donald Trump has said -- he said to me during 2016 why wouldn't I want to have a good relationship with Russia. Putin has been very complimentary of me.
And we saw during his presidency how he dealt with it. Oddly enough, many of his aides were Russian hawks and they did place a lot of sanctions on Russia at various moments but Trump himself obviously, talked about his admiration for Putin on many occasions.
And it seems pretty clear to me that while Putin may say he would favor Harris, I somehow doubt that if he had a vote he would pull the lever that way.
VAUSE: Yes. I think you could be right on that one. Putin did not comment though on Wednesday's announcement by the Justice Department that the two employees at the Russian state-owned broadcaster RT, had been charged in ten other sanction for running a covert operation, trying to influence the outcome of this year's presidential election in the U.S.
But other Russian officials and commentators have and for the most part, there's been much mockery, sarcasm, a lot of merriment to be had at the announcement by the Justice Department.
That type of uniform reaction doesn't happen just by accident, does it?
SANGER: No, it's a pretty coordinated one. It is interesting that the Justice Department is working this hard to get out ahead of this. You're not going to get trials in these cases that. The people they've indicted are all in Russia but it is clear that by doing this, they're sort of throwing brush back pitches, saying we're watching everything that you're doing.
I'm not sure that's going to work Russia doesn't embarrass all that easily. What we are seeing though, is the kind of more sophisticated approach that they took in 2020 versus say, what they did in 2016.
You may remember that in 2016, the Russians sent some influencers over here. They then went back to St. Petersburg.
[01:39:45]
SANGER: They wrote social media posts that were meant to be divisive about the United States but the post came from Russians themselves.
By 2020, they figured out the smarter way to do it was just to amplify what real Americans have written because those Americans are protected by the First Amendment. They can write whatever they want. And the Russians can get a lot more mileage at just amplifying their comments.
VAUSE: And in terms of the sophistication of this operation, as you say, it's becoming more sophisticated, especially compared to 2016 when it first began.
You know, it's quite the Rumsfeld Matrix when it comes to election security (INAUDIBLE). There are the known knowns, the known unknowns, unknown unknowns, and then the unknown -- but you get it.
But the unknown unknowns out there is it possible to in fact secure an election and still had those unknown unknowns out there looming large?
SANGER: You know, there are always going to be a lot of Rumsfeld's unknown unknowns. I think you can protect against two major kinds of approaches for the Russians.
The first is the disinformation and you only do that by exposing where it's coming from and that's really what these indictments are all about.
The second is more in the realm of cyber operations than disinformation. You'll remember that before we knew in 2016 about the disinformation campaign, we knew that there had been emails stolen from the Clinton campaign.
We knew that the Russians had gone in and seized some records, copied them from the voter registration rolls in Illinois, Arizona, later we discovered in several other states.
That's actually what worries me more, a ransomware-style attack against some of these registration systems that would then make it difficult for people to register or would indicate when you went to vote John, you know, oh we believed you've move to a different state, something like that. And that would give a pretense for secretaries of state, some of the more recent appointees who were election deniers and others to say, there's something suspicious about this election and hold up the certification of the vote.
VAUSE: David, always great to have you with us. Really appreciate your time. Thank you.
SANGER: Great to be with you.
When we come back, is a four-day working week the key to solve South Korea's declining birth rate. One province, planning a four-day workweek. We will find out what happened. Details in a moment.
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VAUSE: Pope Francis is en route to Papua New Guinea right now, the second leg of a marathon tour of Southeast Asia.
The pontiff was given a farewell ceremony at Jakarta's International Airport as he ended his first visit to Indonesia which was an attempt by the Holy Father to improve interfaith relations with Indonesia's majority Muslim population.
[01:44:53]
VAUSE: Our man in Jakarta, Christopher Lamb.
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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: The largest mosque in the country with the world's largest Muslim population, the scene of an embrace across faiths, across cultures. Two leaders, believers from different worlds coming together in Jakarta, Indonesia.
POPE FRANCES, HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH: I'm grateful to those who work with the conviction that we can live in harmony and peace and are aware of the need for a more fraternal world.
LAMB: The 87-year-old Francis is on the most ambitious tour of his papacy and perhaps none more important for the legacy he wants to leave.
During his trip Francis has seemed in good spirits, praising Indonesia for having large families, drawing a smile from the president.
POPE FRANCIS: Keep it up. You're an example for everyone. For all the countries that may be -- and this might sound funny -- these families prefer to have a cat or a little dog instead of a child.
LAMB: It was here at the Istiqlal Mosque the largest in Southeast Asia that Pope Francis has signed a declaration with the Grand Imam of Indonesia calling on world religions to reject extremism and fight climate change and global conflicts.
The declaration is both hope and some lamenting the use of religion to fuel extremist violence, and promising faith as an antidote to hate.
POPE FRANCIS: I hope that our communities may increasingly be open to inter-religious dialogue and be symbols of the peaceful co-existence that characterizes Indonesia.
LAMB: In Indonesia, the relationship between religion and democracy is carefully calibrated. No person or politician is meant to put their faith in opposition to their nation. And these images of respect from Indonesia's leadership are potent underlining the space made for different religions in the majority Muslim country.
ULIL ABSHAR ABDALLAH, NAHDLATUL ULAMA: The initial experience is very important in the sense that we show that that Islam can co-exist, one with democracy.
LAMB: Thursday evening tens of thousands of Catholics turned out to hear Pope Francis' homily. This trip, which takes in Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore is indicative of his desire for a diverse Catholic Church, which embraces the entire globe.
Perhaps just as important is the welcome he has received from the 3 percent of Indonesians who identify as Catholic and the leadership of a modern vibrant nation.
Christopher Lamb, CNN -- Jakarta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The days of hardworking, career-driven South Koreans may -- may be coming to an end. Authorities in one province will try a four-day working week with the goal of a better work-life balance, more time with family and friends, but also as a possible solution to South Korea's drastic decline in birth rate in recent years.
Last year, South Korean workers clocked in nearly 1,900 hours on the job. That's 348 hours more than the United Kingdom, just for an example.
Joining us now from Austin, Texas is career coach Caroline Castrillon, founder of Corporate Escape Artist. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.
CAROLINE CASTRILLON, FOUNDER, CORPORATE ESCAPE ARTIST: Thank you. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: You're welcome. Now globally, there does seem to be this momentum which is building for a four-day working week. "The Washington Post" reports that France is among most recent countries to pilot a four-day workweek. Belgium became the first country to officially approve the shortened week back in 2022.
Other countries that have been experimenting with the four-day workweek include Iceland, Japan, and South Africa. That's just to name a few.
But this pilot program in South Korea seems to stand out for a couple of reasons. You know, one of the hardest working countries in the world. And also because of a very specific goal here. A shorter working week should mean more time together for couples, which you know, the officials there are hoping will increase what is an already falling birth rate.
So ultimately though, it all comes back to one thing, work-life balance.
CASTRILLON: Yes, absolutely. So the four-day workweek is becoming more popular especially since the pandemic because people have been adjusted to, you know, working more flexible hours, working from home, and they've realized that they can be as productive or more productive in that environment as in an office environment or even a hybrid environment.
[01:49:36]
CASTRILLON: So what it really comes down to is the fact that the four- day workweek originated back in the 1920s with, you know, manufacturing workers where that does make sense, you know, in manufacturing, engineering environment, hospitality, retail, health care. But when we're talking about knowledge workers and some other
industries that it's something that needs to be considered because people should be paid not based on the number of hours that they work, but how productive they are.
VAUSE: Two years ago, 61 companies in Britain tried a four-day week for workers ranging from banks, to fast food restaurants, to marketing agencies. 2,900 workers were given a paid day off a week to see whether they could get just as much done while working less but more effective actively.
More than 90 percent of the companies said they would continue testing the shorter week, 18 plan to make it permanent -- this is according to a new report from the study's organizers.
And that's because productivity remained about the same as a five-day week and workers were a lot happy (ph), you mentioned this. There was a high rate of attrition.
So what are -- just go over the benefits of a four-day week for both employers and employees.
CASTRILLON: So for employees, the benefits are added flexibility. So this is wonderful for especially for people that are caretakers, caring for children.
We're talking about more of women in the workplace, work-life balance increased, decreased stress, less burnout, better work-life balance as I mentioned.
For employers, so this is basically a win-win for both parties. There's decreased attrition, the ability to attract top talent by offering these sorts of benefits, increased productivity, if not, you know, maintaining productivity, increased revenue, which has been shown by many of these studies, and just, you know, a better corporate culture which is, which benefits the company in the long term.
VAUSE: Yes. That's one of those intangibles really isn't it when you look at the benefits, you know, much healthier work culture.
All the things I've read, it just seems positive. Is there any downside to this.
CASTRILLON: Unless we're talking about specific industries where it may not at be as applicable. I don't see any downsides at this point.
I feel like we should be evolving to offer people you know, the ability to work when, where, and how they want and still be able to, you know, produce the output, that, you know, the company is requiring.
So --
(CROSSTALKING)
VAUSE: Yes. So the only thing better than a four-day working week, I guess is a three-day working week which Microsoft founder Bill Gates thinks is ok.
He was interviewed by Trevor Noah in his podcast and Gates told Noah, if you eventually get a society where you only have to work three days a week, that's probably ok. He said machines can handle the mundane daily tasks such as making food and stuff.
He said, A.I., in particular would play a key role making all of this happen. However, given how important our jobs are beyond just a paycheck, important for identity, purpose, social status, a whole lot of things, is there an ideal number of days at work and days not at work, which we should be aiming for.
CASTRILLON: Yes, I think it really depends on the individual. I'm sure there's some people out there that would say I still want to work five days a week. I'm used to that schedule. I like it. I like spreading out my work across five days.
Others would prefer a four-day week. So I think it depends on the employee and what their lifestyle looks like, what their needs are, you know, what sort of environment they work in.
VAUSE: Absolutely.
And do you think that this will in fact, eventually it will become what is just considered normal in the workplace, a four-day week?
CASTRILLON: I think there's definitely signs that we're headed in that direction and based on the multitude of countries that are adopting the four-day workweek, I hope that it makes it, you know, to the U.S. in a more impactful way.
VAUSE: Caroline, thanks so much for being with us. We really appreciate it. I work a four-day week and this is my Friday.
CASTRILLON: Good for you.
VAUSE: Thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.
CASTRILLON: Thanks. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: This just in to CNN. 17 students in central Kenya are dead after a fire at an elementary school. A police spokeswoman says the students were burned beyond recognition. At least 14 others are in hospital with serious burns.
First responders are on the scene right now, more on the way. Right now the cause of the blaze is not known. We will have more details as they come in to us at CNN.
We'll be right back. You're watching CNN.
[01:54:60]
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VAUSE: Boeing's Starliner will leave the International Space Station and head back to earth in the day ahead, sans crew.
NASA made the call for the crew to stay behind. Initially over fears Starliner could collide with the space station as it undocks. Even though that has since been ruled out, NASA decided overall risks are too high for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams to return on Starliner.
So now they will remain on the space station until February, which means what was meant to be an eight-day visit will last about eight months.
Join us for the coverage of the Boeing Starliner's return to earth at 6:00 in the evening eastern Time, 11:00 p.m. in London. We'll see if the spacecraft undocks from the International Space Station.
And just after midnight Eastern, NASA and Boeing plan for the Starliner to land at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
Hope it all goes according to plan.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the 39-year-old Portuguese soccer sensation, claimed the 900th goal of his career on Thursday for a record milestone. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored in the 34th minute or Portugal's two to one win against Croatia in UEFA Nations League group stage.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. CNN NEWSROOM continues after a very short break with Kim Brunhuber.
Have a great weekend. See you right back here next week.
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