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Connect the World
Leading Women: Interview with Astronaut Karen Nyberg from International Space Station; President Obama Arrives in South Africa; Obama Not Traveling to Kenya; Vatican Official Arrested for Money Smuggling; Entertainment Preview; Parting Shots: Cronut Craze in New York; Well- Wishers Gather Outside Mandela's Pretoria Hospital
Aired June 28, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: And tonight, debating the future of a revolution, Egyptians take to the streets in rival rallies ahead of the one year anniversary of President Morsi coming to power. I'm going to speak to both sides of the divide this hour.
Also ahead, an unholy affair: a Vatican official is arrested on suspicion of corruption. How will Pope Francis respond?
And...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN NYBERG, ASTRONAUT: We just passed over the east coast of South America and we are heading up towards Africa.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Cruising along hundreds of miles above Earth, but still having time for a chat. Astronaut Karen Nyberg talks to me about life on board the International Space Station.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: Well, first up this evening, protests in Egypt turned deadly. As the country's leading religious authority warns against a slide into what he says is civil war. Officials now confirming U.S. citizen was killed today during clashes in Alexandria. At least 70 other people were injured.
Supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi are holding rival demonstrations nationwide ahead of an even bigger protest planned for Sunday.
Critics are demanding the president resign, saying he's broken promises and mismanaged the country, but supporters say he has a democratic mandate to lead.
Let's try and sort this out, shall we? I'm going to bring in Reza Sayah in Cairo for the very latest.
On the one side, Reza, we see demonstrable support for the president. On the other, we expect a clear sign at least on Sunday, if not today, that many Egyptians are fed up with Morsi and his government.
Is this a watershed moment for Egypt?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think there's certainly the potential. By the way, Becky, we're not going to be able to sort this out, because Egyptians haven't been able to sort this out. And there's developments that signal a potentially chaotic and violent, ugly couple of days ahead. And one of those developments is the death of a 21- year-old American in Alexandria.
We confirmed during the past hour that this 21 year old was stabbed to death in Alexandria, that was the scene of clashes between supporters and opponents of President Morsi. We haven't confirmed if this 21 year old American had any links to those clashes, but we can tell you that he was stabbed to death somewhere near the offices of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In those same clashes, another Egyptian was killed, dozens of people were injured, all of this amid the buildup to Sunday. That's when opponents of President Morsi, his critics are planning mass demonstrations against him. Today, supporters of President Morsi tried to one-up their critics, tried to preempt those demonstrations. They held a rally in support of the president, but clearly, Becky, you can feel the drama building up, the anticipation building up to a potential showdown coming on Sunday.
ANDERSON: All right, Reza is in the bureau for you this evening. With everything going on around him, it's been a rocky first year in office for President Mohammed Morsi. Thank you, Reza.
He won the presidential election last June and set out to stamp his authority on what is Egyptian politics, of course.
In August, a dismissed defense minister Hussain Tantawi and chief of staff Sami Hannan (ph) and banned the military of any role drafting the new constitution.
Then in November, he was forced to back down on plans to strip the judiciary of the right to challenge his decisions.
He got a boost in December when a draft constitution increasing the role of Islam was passed in a public vote.
The president's problems, though, continued into this year with the courts stopping his plans to bring parliamentary elections forward in March. But Mr. Morsi hasn't backed down. Just this month, he appointed 13 governors close to his Muslim Brotherhood group, including a former member of the armed group Gamaa Islamiya to be governor of Luxor.
Well, Mr. Morsi's presidency has deeply divided Egyptians. You've seen the protests. You've seen the pictures. We're going to show them again as we talk to two people now from opposing sides.
Dalia Ziada is a prominent blogger and human rights activist. She is the executive director of Ibin Kaldun Center for Development Studies in Cairo, has been on the show before, and we welcome you back. Also joining us from Cairo, Sondos Asem. She's a communications adviser to the presidency.
And let me start with you. He may have been elected democratically, but there are millions of Egyptians who say, Sondos, they have lost their faith in Mr. Morsi because of his gross mismanagement of Egypt. Do you sympathize with his detractors?
SONDOS ASEM, COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENCY: First of all, let us (inaudible) taking place in Egypt right now, we see on the one side a very positive phenomena, we have two million man marches, both here, right here in Tahrir Square against the president. And in Ramallah, (inaudible) square supporting the president. And both are peaceful demonstrations, which we encourage and support.
ANDERSON: Yes, hang on a minute. And I appreciate that. I do appreciate that. We expect tens of thousands on the streets on Sunday. So my question was, do you sympathize with the president's detractors?
ASEM: I couldn't hear the full question.
ANDERSON: OK. Let me move on to Daria, and I'll come back to you and let's sort out your communications.
Dalia, Sondos is making a very good point, there are thousands of people on the streets in support of the president. Let's have a look very quickly at what he said earlier this week. I want you to just respond to this.
He apologized in what was a big speech a couple of days ago for the fuel shortages and the long lines at petrol stations and for failing particularly, and I thought this was important, to involve the nation's youth enough. How did that resonate with you, if at all?
DALIA ZIADA, IBN KHALDUN CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES: President spoke about so many good things in his speech, but he has been speaking like this for over a year. Since he became in July 2011, he made a wonderful speech, giving so many promises and none of them was delivered. That's why we believe that he lost his legitimacy for two reasons.
It's true there are thousands of people marching now in support of President Morsi, but there are 15 million people who signed petitions calling for the immediate resignation of the president and for running early presidential elections. And those people are the people who are suffering from day to day lack of energy, lack of electricity, lack of economic resources where they can depend on. And most importantly the youth who have been tortured by police forces, arrested, and one highlight case for example the case of Mohammed El Gandi (ph) who was killed because of torture. He's a young man from (inaudible), yes.
ANDERSON: Dalia, let me stop you there. And I know Sondos we're working on your communications.
While we do that, I hope you can both hear me, it's great to talk to you to. Another way to view Egypt, of course, is through sort of stats and indexes. One of those is a failed state index. I want to just get our viewers a sense of where the Egyptian picture stands on that, because it doesn't look good.
The listing is put together by the U.S. based Fund for Peace. It considers factors that include the stability of the central government, public services, corruption -- you get the idea. No surprise at who tops the list, it's Somalis, the Democratic Republic of Congo there and The Sudans and Chad also high up.
Egypt comes in at 34th. That's well within a group considered at risk. It includes Syria and North Korea, also marks a consistent decline for Egypt since before the revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
I'm going to talk to you both shortly, but earlier this year -- and I want you to hear this -- I talked with Mohamed ElBaradei who is a prominent opposition leader, you'll both know him, who once headed the International Atomic Energy Agency. Here's what he said about the state of Egypt. And this was back in February. I want you to respond to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMED ELBARADEI, EGYPTIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: We are very much on the list of the failed state. I think we were number 45 last year. We are now number 31. I mean, it's not the greatest honor to be on the failed state. But by all economic -- by all governance indicators, as I mentioned, law and order, political participation, economic opportunities, respect for human rights, we are a failed state. The economy is about -- we are about to default probably in two or three months. Law and order is -- we are turning into a militia-like state. I mean, we are a failed state, but we can switch it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Sonos, he says we can switch it. But nothing has changed. You listened to what Mohamed ElBaradei says. With respect, there are people on the streets and supporting Mr. Morsi tonight and we acknowledge that, but we're looking at a failed state. And the guy has had a year. What's he going to do to make things better?
ASEM: First of all, President Morsi is the first democratically elected president in the history of Egypt. And this is something the Egyptians should respect and appreciate. Also, the president has made repeated calls for dialogue with the opposition. And unfortunately in most of these occasions the many opposition members have declined to join dialogue.
We have...
ANDERSON: Stop you there, hold on for one moment. You have to acknowledge that 15 million people have signed a petition against him. He may have been democratically elected a year ago, but things haven't improved, they've got worse. My question was, how does he improve things at this point?
Let me bring Dalia in. Dalia, do you fear a civil war at this point?
ZIADA: No. I don't think we will get to this point, because Egyptians -- actually it's hard to (inaudible) what we are seeing today that Egyptians are divided between Islamists and liberals, or let's say civilians. And I think the main reason for this was this course of the president from the very beginning as he was always referring and working for -- in most of his speeches referring his speech to have what he calls (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) or my family and my people. That's why we are seeing this division now.
But knowing very well of the nature of Egyptians, how they were working together over the past two years toward this dream and goal of democracy, I think we will not get into civil war. But it's very expected to see a lot of violence happening over the next two days.
And I would say that the president will be 100 percent responsible for any violence that will take place, because if he was truly -- or if he really cares for democracy and for the Egyptian people and their lives, he should resign immediately and make a new round of presidential elections...
ANDERSON: OK. Dalia, what's your response.
Sondos, sorry.
AMES: ...and you have seen today. Yeah -- as we have seen in the last couple of days (inaudible) there have been approximately three deaths and the three deaths have been from the pro-Morsi side. And regrettably also today an American citizen has been cut in front of an office of the Freedom and Justice Party.
And our confirmed reports is that this young American has been filming the attacks on the Freedom and Justice Party office when he was stabbed by the gangsters who were attacking the office.
All these are violent expressions of opinion which we strongly reject and condemn.
We appreciate any peaceful expression of opinion. And we also call on the opposition and people who are now in the streets opposing or supporting the president to uphold democratic means and mechanisms. The fact that 16 -- 16 million signatures have been collected, either supporting or opposing the president -- also by the way on the other side, there are also signatures supporting the president. This is not democracy works.
There is a mechanism for democracy which is the ballot box. And there are terms for the president which should be completed. And the opposition should prepare itself for the upcoming elections.
ANDERSON: OK. Dalia, prepare yourself for the upcoming elections.
How do we break this status quo?
ZIADA: Yes, actually I agree very much with Sondos that the ballot is the solution. And I remember that the president two days ago in his speech, he said I am ready to run presidential elections from tomorrow if it is according to the (inaudible) constitution. And I will say to him, we have written a new constitution -- or you have written a new constitution. And now it's working. A new constitution is a new social contract between you and the people. And last year you were elected according to the 1971 constitution. So please give us a new opportunity to elect you according to the new constitution and put an end to this violence which we all reject and condemn.
ANDERSON: We'll have you both back on next week. We do hope and pray that things are quiet and peaceful on Sunday, but we do expect many, many, many people out on the streets. To both of you, we thank you very much indeed for joining us.
You're watching Connect the World live from London. Our top stories tonight, tension in Egypt ahead of an historic anniversary as democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi gets set to mark one year in office, his supporters hit the streets in his defense ahead of planned anti-government demonstrations this weekend.
Are we witnessing a second revolution in Egypt?
We'll watch this space.
Still to come tonight, reports of an investigation into a leak of classified information, but this time it's not Edward Snowden.
The case that has gripped America, we'll give you the latest on the trial of George Zimmerman.
And a setback for Pope Francis' fight to improve the Vatican's reputation. A senior cleric is among three arrested on suspicion of corruption. Stay with us. You're 90 seconds away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Fugitive U.S. intelligence leader Edward Snowden may be willing to return to the United States. A lawyer for his father, Lonnie Snowden, laid out conditions for his return in a letter addressed to the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. In that letter, the lawyer stipulates that Edward Snowden should remain free prior to trial. It also demands that he not be subject to a gag order and that he be tried in a place of his choosing. The letter goes on to state, if any of those conditions are broken the prosecution would be dismissed.
Well, a retired high ranking U.S. general is the focus of a Justice Department investigation into the leaking of classified information about the 2010 Stuxnet computer virus, that's according to an NBC news report at least. A CNN source says retired Marine General James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the focus of the inquiry.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Becky, retired General James Cartwright, not just any general, he is close to President Obama. He is an expert in cyber war and nuclear weapons, now said to be under investigation by the Justice Department for material related to what was in the book published by David Sanger, the New York Times journalist on Iran's nuclear program.
NBC News reporting that he is under investigation for leaking information about Stuxnet. The computer virus that the U.S. has said to have put into Iran's nuclear program to try and slow it down.
This White House, the Obama White House, very tough on leaks to the news media. But I have to tell you, it is unprecedented that a four star, even a retired four star general, would be under investigation for this type of potential leak.
At this point, General Cartwright is not charged -- Becky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Nelson Mandela remains in critical, but stable condition at this hour in a Pretoria South Africa hospital, his spokesman says. Crowds continue to gather outside the hospital singing, dancing, leaving cards and praying for the anti-apartheid icon.
Mandela has been hospitalized since June 8 but with a lung infection. His ex-wife Winnie Mandela gave a cautiously optimistic assessment Friday on his condition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINNIE MANDELA, FORMER WIFE OF NELSON MANDELA: I'm not a doctor, but can say that from what he was a few days ago, there is great improvement, but clinically he is still (inaudible)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A witness in the murder trial of George Zimmerman has said he saw teenager Trayvon Martin on top of Zimmerman during a struggle. Zimmerman, he was a neighborhood watch volunteer is charged with shooting the unarmed 17-year-old in a Florida gated community last year. Now this case has taken on racial overtones, because Martin was African-American.
Given in evidence in court today, former resident Jonathan Goode said he never saw anyone's head being slammed against the pavement, which is a key element in Zimmerman's defense. Zimmerman insists that he shot Martin in self-defense.
With the very latest, CNN's Martin Savidge joins us live from Sanford in Florida.
How much more are we learning at this point, Martin?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Becky, what was interesting about the two witnesses, especially that took the stand, both of them were men and both of them were residents in the subdivision where the shooting took place. You mentioned Jonathan Goode. He actually saw, he says in testimony, the struggle that took place between George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watchman, and the teenager Trayvon Martin before the fatal shot.
This is really fascinating, because up until now everybody else who has taken the stand has pretty said what they heard, describing the screams, describing phone calls. But in this case, you've got Jonathan Goode saying he could see -- and he made out colors of clothing.
He said that the person that appeared to be on top, raining the blows down, was somebody dressed in dark clothing. And the person who seemed to be on the receiving end was somebody dressed in red or white.
Well, it's widely known that George Zimmerman was wearing a red jacket. That would place him on the ground, according to that witness. And then it was Trayvon Martin wearing the dark hooded sweatshirt. That witness places him on top.
He also described that the blows were coming in an MMA style, mixed martial arts. And then also added additional color saying the person on the ground seemed to be getting a ground and pound, in other words that he was literally being beaten against the ground.
So even though you pointed out that the prosecution was able to say that that witness see a head being slammed on the ground, everything else that witness brought out seemed to support George Zimmerman's case of self- defense.
He even went on to say that when he heard that voice screaming for help, he believes it was George Zimmerman.
So it seemed to be a pretty good day, actually, for the defense who had the other gentleman who spoke out this is the man who went up to Zimmerman seconds after the shooting. And he quoted George Zimmerman as saying I had to shoot. It was in self-defense.
Those are powerful words, especially since they're delivered by a witness who says he was speaking to George seconds after it all just happened.
ANDERSON: Martin, briefly for our viewers who may not be watching the machinations of this or who may not remember the machinations of this case when we first learned about it, can you describe how big a deal this is to the American public?
SAVIDGE: It's a huge case, because it encapsulates a lot of hot button issues in the United States. You mentioned one of them already -- race, racial profiling is another issue that has been brought up here that this young teenager who had every right to be in that neighborhood was profiled by George Zimmerman who looked at him and based upon his color and actions thought that he was suspicious.
Then there is the issue of guns. You know, this is a shooting. George Zimmerman was licensed to carry a weapon. He says he fired that weapon only because he thought that he was being beaten to death.
Then you have the other issues here of self-defense, stand your ground is a particular law in the state of Florida.
So all of that propelled this.
But on top of it was the fact that initially George Zimmerman was not arrested for weeks, as many people thought he should have been. And that he received favored status, say, from the police department because he was white.
Well, he isn't actually white, he's white Hispanic perhaps is the way he's been described ethnically. And the young teen was black.
So all of that played into what became a huge outcry and a national debate that still continues as this trial goes on.
ANDERSON: Martin Savidge for you out of Florida this evening. Martin, thank you.
As ever, this is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. 24 minutes past 9:00.
Coming up, another possible stain on the Vatican bank's reputation as a monsignor is held over allegations of corruption. Details coming up here on Connect the World.
And a Leading Woman out of this world, quite literally. I may have spoken with her, but the questions were all yours. A truly cosmic interview coming up after this very short break. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: As we speak traveling above us or somewhere around us in orbit about 380 kilometers away. Earlier today, she joined me for a live interview from the International Space Station. Well, I asked her some of your questions. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You've received questions from our audience all over the world via CNN.com, Facebook and Twitter. So let's get started. Our first question, Simeon Birchall, a CNN.com commenter asks, "is there huge competition for every seat on a shuttle launch?
KAREN NYBERG, ASTRONAUT: When a class is selected, they start flying people from that class. And then it -- it depends on what roles are needed. If we need to fly somebody who is going to be the commander of the space station frequently, most often that is somebody who has experience flying. If we need somebody who is going to be doing space walks, we need somebody that can do that.
ANDERSON: @Alizabev asks, "what type of experiments are you currently working on?
NYBERG: This week we've been doing a lot of experiments on our ocular health. We've had some -- or noticed some problems over the past several years with many of our astronauts. They come back to Earth after three to six months in space and have long-term vision problems, changes in their vision. We really need to understand this so we don't degrade the vision of every astronaut that is going into space.
ANDERSON: Well, one CNN commenter, Marik asks, "what do you think of the Mars One project which aims to privately settle people on Mars?
NYBERG: Yeah. Of course, I think it would be interesting. I think there are a lot of challenges and a lot of things that need to be figured out before that can be a successful mission. That's -- Mars is a long ways away. And we have a lot to learn.
ANDERSON: Floyd Moore, aged 5, and Cmaper Carl of @AZChallenger both asking the same questions, "what is it like to sleep in space? And have you ever floated out of your bed?
NYBERG: It's actually quite comfortable sleeping in space. We have sleeping bags that are -- that we hang from the wall. And no, I've never floated out of the bed. I'm usually zipped in pretty well.
ANDERSON: Question from me, have you given up trying to tie your hair down?
NYBERG: Sometimes I wear my hair out, sometimes I tie it up. I tried to -- when I'm working in close quarters with other people I try to keep it -- the main goal is to keep it out of other people's faces.
ANDERSON: Under control.
@Womenintheair asks, which women astronauts have influenced you? And did you meet any of them as an astronaut yourself?
NYBERG: Yes. When I was in high school when I was certain that being an astronaut is what my goal was, it was a very important time when Sally Ride was making her first flight into space. And she really -- she really impacted me. And also just looking back, I did some research onto Valentina Tereshkova when I was in high school, because she was the first female to fly in space. And I actually did meet her last year for a brief moment before traveling to Vikenor (ph) for one of the missions.
ANDERSON: @FadhelIndonesia asks, when you read my message -- or listen to my message as you are now -- what continent are you looking at at present?
NYBERG: Well, let me see. We actually have a program here. We are - - we just passed over the east coast of South America. And we are heading up towards Africa. We should be there in just a couple of minutes. And then we'll head up over Europe and into Asia.
ANDERSON: In a couple of minutes time. That is absolutely remarkable.
One quick question. CNN Leading Women co-anchor Kristie Lu Stout asks us -- says that you're a bit of a DIY design geek. Do you get crafty in space at all?
NYBERG: Sundays is really my day, and I actually got a few things out the other day and drew up a design on a piece of paper and cut up some old t-shirts and have started sewing things together. I'm not quite sure exactly how it's going to turn out, but I have spent a little bit of time, and I have the supplies, so I'm ready to, when I find the time, sit there and do that only. Hopefully I'll get something done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Karen Nyberg, somewhere up there this evening.
The latest world news headlines is just ahead as you would expect at the bottom of the hour here on CNN. Plus, they allegedly smuggled millions of euros out of Switzerland, they got arrested in Italy, and among them, a senior Catholic cleric. More on that coming up.
And Air Force One has landed. Barack Obama arrives in South Africa at a difficult time for the nation there. A report on what is expected from that visit after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The headlines this hour at the bottom of the hour. Egyptian officials say a US citizen was killed in Alexandria today. Fearing clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi, now the two sides are holding rival demonstrations nationwide ahead of even bigger protests planned for Sunday, the one-year anniversary of President Morsi coming to power.
Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden may be willing to the return to the United States. A lawyer for his father has laid out conditions for his return in a letter stipulating that Snowden must remain free before his trial and would not be subject to a gag order.
Nelson Mandela remains in critical but stable condition. The 94-year- old has been hospitalized for three weeks in Italy for a recurring lung infection. On Sunday, President Zuma announced Mandela's health had taken a turn for the worse, but this Friday, his ex-wife told reporters there had been some improvement over the past few days.
A British judge has set November the 18th for the trial of two men accused of killing a soldier near his barracks in the Woolwich area of south London. Michael Adebolajo, shown here, and Michael Adebowale are charged with murdering Lee Rigby in broad daylight last month. They're also charged with illegally possessing a firearm.
US president Barack Obama has arrived in South Africa, the second stop on his week-long African tour, but the president's visit has been overshadowed by Nelson Mandela's critical condition in hospital. The two men had initially been due to meet, but after Madiba's health took a turn for the worse last Sunday, that meeting was called off.
Jessica Yellin is traveling with Mr. Obama and joins us. Now, Jessica, the president's schedule is still up in the air. Do we know if he'll be meeting with either Madiba or the Mandela family as scheduled?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know, Becky, the president is playing down expectations that he will be meeting with President Mandela or visiting him in the hospital.
He made the rare move of coming back to speak to press onboard Air Force One as he was headed here to South Africa, and he said that the last thing he wants to do is get in the way as the Mandela family is honoring President Mandela and he said he doesn't need a photo op with Nelson Mandela.
President Obama has honored Nelson Mandela throughout his own political career, calling him his own political hero, referring to him as - - in the same breath as Dr. Martin Luther King, a civil rights leader in America, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Clearly, he recognizes this is a delicate time here in South Africa and is leaving his own schedule flexible to honor the wishes of the Mandela family. So, the simple answer would be he will be available to meet with them if they want it, but will not in any way insist on it and is going about his own itinerary, which would not include a meeting if they're not demanding it or insisting on it. Becky?
ANDERSON: Jessica, stick with me for a moment. I just want to get our viewers up to date on another issue, here. Not everyone in South Africa is happy that Barack Obama is there.
A group calling themselves Nobama held protests Friday in Pretoria and in Johannesburg, student groups, union workers, and members of the Communist Party joined forces in a march towards the US embassy and some burned a US flag.
They are angry at US drone policy in Afghanistan and Mr. Obama's failure to close Guantanamo Bay detention facility. They also see his visit as long overdue, saying he's only visiting now because the Americans feel threatened by China.
Jessica, you may not have been on the ground long enough to know what public reaction has been or will be like to Obama's trip, but you might be able to answer this: how much of a PR exercise would you suggest this is?
YELLIN: Look, this is -- the visit to Africa is an issue that's both close to the president's heart and also one that they in the White House care about in terms of economic ties and genuine political importance. It's of genuine political importance to the White House.
They do recognize and have been asked about the perception that the US has militarized its relationship with Africa. The sense and criticism that the US's relationship is very heavily based on Africom, the US's Africa command here, drone use here.
But they also point out that there is now -- they're increasing US focus on economic investment here and ties to Africa. There -- I fully expect, and we'll see this more tomorrow, Becky, that there will be an embrace of President Obama, the first US president of African descent, coming to this continent and fully embracing his ties to this region.
He said today on a stop in Senegal -- or I can't even remember time, it may have been yesterday. But he did say, as America's first African- American president, it's important to recognize where the slaves have -- where the slaves came from, what happened to them, and visit this continent.
So, I do think that that will resonate with the people here, and perhaps he will leave having changed some minds or reminding them that there is a more personal connection than just that political impression that has been left for some of these --
ANDERSON: Yes.
YELLIN: -- last few months and years.
ANDERSON: Yes. All right. Jess, thank you for that. Never easy when you're traveling on Air Force One with the president, you really don't know where you are at any one time, so well done, Jessica Yellin for you this evening.
As you can see, one country Mr. Obama won't be visiting in Africa is Kenya. That's a decision that took many Kenyans by surprise, because his father, of course, was born there. Since his election in 2008, Kenyans have long been expecting Barack Obama to return to his roots. CNN's Nima Elbagir has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Cafe Deli in Nairobi, Kenyans can signal political allegiances and celebrate their special occasions all at the same time. Cakes of former prime minister Raila Odinga, among others, are still big sellers.
But there's one man who's had a pretty spectacular slide down the rankings: US president Barack Obama.
OBADO OBADOH, OWNER, CAFE DELI: We are really, really disappointed. And now that he is coming to Africa and he's not coming to Kenya, now that is -- makes it even worse.
ELBAGIR (on camera): Now, you were actually making this especially for us.
OBADOH: Yes, sure.
ELBAGIR: Because you just don't get any orders.
OBADOH: Not anymore.
ELBAGIR: But at one point, this was one of your biggest sellers. And then, how many do you sell now?
OBADOH: Absolutely none.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Often referred to as East Africa's anchor state, Kenya is a US ally in the fight against Islamist militants and is viewed as crucial to regional economic growth.
So, in the fact that President Obama's father hails from here and the country's omission from the president's itinerary has left some Kenyans feeling more than a little snubbed. But if the Kenyan government is feeling slighted, it's certainly not letting on.
MUTHUI KARIUKI, SPOKESMAN, KENYAN GOVERNMENT: We have not been snubbed, because like I've said it before, President Obama did not snub us as a country. The areas that he goes to, only three countries in Africa. Yes? Not the 54. And that is a point I should point out, OK?
So, I wouldn't say that we have been snubbed. And I'm not worried. And we as a government are not worried.
ELBAGIR: If there is one place Mr. Obama will be assured a warm welcome if and when he does visit, Kenya's Western Nyanza province, where is father, Barack H. Obama, Sr. was born and raised, and his cousin, Said Obama, is asking his fellow Kenyans to be a little patient.
SAID OBAMA, US PRESIDENT OBAMA'S COUSIN: Whatever he does, there will be -- there will always be criticism. If he engages with Africa, there will be criticism. If he doesn't, there will be criticism.
ELBAGIR: He has visited Kenya before, most recently in 2006 as a senator, but many Kenyans hope Mr. Obama will eventually visit his father's land again as president. And then, all, they say, will be forgiven.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, Nairobi.
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ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from London. I'm Becky Anderson for you here on CNN. Coming up, another corruption scandal hits the Vatican. A senior cleric is among a trio arrested for allegedly smuggling millions of euros. Details on that coming up.
And the Lone Ranger is back. See how the people behind "Pirates of the Caribbean" revived the 1950s TV series in our entertainment news roundup.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: When he was inaugurated back in March, Pope Francis knew that he was inheriting the leadership of a church in need of reform. Back then, fresh clergy sex scandals had just emerged. Now, four months on, the church's finances are under scrutiny, not just by the new pope, but by police. As Atika Shubert reports, a Vatican official is among three men arrested in what is a sophisticated case of money smuggling.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the same week that Pope Francis opened a committee to investigate the Vatican Bank, Italian police arrested a Vatican priest for allegedly plotting to bring more than $25 million in cash to Italy aboard a private jet from Switzerland.
Monsignor Nunzio Scarano worked as a financial analyst in the office that administers Vatican properties. Prosecutors believe he worked with a former secret service police officer and a financial broker to fly the case to Rome under armed escort.
Now, the alleged plan, which took place in July last year, did not succeed and no cash left Switzerland, but all three now face possible corruption charges.
Scarano is also under investigation for withdrawing more than $700,000 from a Vatican bank account to pay off personal debts. The alleged plot to fly cash from Switzerland was discovered as part of a wider investigation into Vatican financial dealings in Italy.
The Vatican said that Scarano had already been suspended from work more than a month ago, after it had been told he was under investigation.
(CROWDS SHOUTING)
SHUBERT: The timing of the arrest, just after Pope Francis turns his attention to the Vatican Bank, may simply be a coincidence, but Italian prosecutors say their investigation is ongoing, and there may be more to come.
Atika Shubert, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: It was only last month that the new pope called on world leaders to end what he called the cult of money. "Money," he said, "is to serve, not to rule." So, is this latest move a sign Pope Francis is prepared to put his own money where his mouth is, as it were.
Let's ask the host of "The Sunday Mass" and CNN contributor Father Edward Beck, who's a regular on this show, joining me live from New York tonight. Let's deal with the story at hand first. Monsignor 500 or Cinquecento Scarano, as he was known, was known as a priest with lots of cash. Was his arrest a surprise to you?
EDWARD BECK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it's a surprise to me, Becky, that this stuff is still happening. This was a guy known as Monsignor 500 because supposedly he always had 500 euro in his pocket.
Now, he knows he's under investigation for what he did. He took what was in his bank account in the Vatican, 530,000 euro, which was donor money, raised supposedly to build a house for terminally ill people, which we're saying now he took that and said to his friends, 50 of them, you know what? Just take 10,000 each, give me cashier checks so I can redeposit it. If that's not money laundering --
And then he was going to use it to pay off personal debt. So, he has that going on, and then on top of that, he now tries to smuggle 20 million euro into Italy from Switzerland so that his rich friends can avoid paying taxes? I mean, you cannot make this stuff up.
ANDERSON: Father Beck, what do you expect the message, if any, from the pope to be on this, them?
BECK: Well, I think he's already sent a very clear message. He is wanting Vatican bank reform. He just launched this commission just a few days ago that's going to investigate the Vatican Bank. And he wants to clean it up, he's made that quite clear.
I would not be surprised, Becky, if you find at the end of this, Pope Francis saying, you know what, we don't need a Vatican Bank. We're not going to use one. We're going to use regular commercial banks that have greater scrutiny, and if we need private funds for something else, it's going to be private funds. This conflation of --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Do you think he'll go that far, Father Beck? Because let's be fair --
BECK: I will --
ANDERSON: There's always been a question of transparency around the Vatican Bank. It doesn't function as a regular financial institution, does it? Do you really think he'd go that far?
BECK: I think that he may have to go that far. First of all, in Argentina, he used regular banks when he could have had other private funding that he didn't -- chose not to do because of the transparency reasons.
I also think he can still have some kind of a trust fund for supposedly religious works, which is what this bank is supposed to be involved in.
But to have a bank, now, that is making money from investments, and then we're not sure what's happening with the money because it doesn't follow the same rules as the rest of banks in Europe, I don't think he can let that go on, because people are saying, look, this is donor money you're talking about. It has to come under some kind of scrutiny.
ANDERSON: It's going to be fascinating to see what happens here next at the Vatican Bank. It always seemed -- to me, at least, and I'm not making any allegation here -- always seems to be behind what can be a rather smelly Vatican banking environment.
So, all right, let's see what happens next. Father Beck, always a pleasure to have you on. Fantastic story there, and one we will follow here on CONNECT THE WORLD.
Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, a revival of the Lone Ranger by the team behind "Pirates of the Caribbean." More on that and your other entertainment news in what is CNN Preview after this.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome to CNN Preview, our weekly look at what's new in music and in movies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the filmmakers and cast of "The Lone Ranger."
ANDERSON: The team behind "Pirates of the Caribbean" turn their attention to the Western in "The Lone Ranger," a revival of a 1950s TV series about a masked lawman and his Native American partner, Tonto.
ARMIE HAMMER AS THE LONE RANGER, "THE LONE RANGER": Let's do this.
ANDERSON: With producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski behind the camera, Johnny Depp draws on his own Native American heritage to elevate Tonto's role from sidekick to leader.
JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: The first things we addressed was the approach and treatment of the Native Americans has to be like nothing Hollywood has ever done before. It's got -- they must be treated with respect and dignity and with reverence and thanks, you know?
DEPP AS TONTO, "THE LONE RANGER": Justice is what I seek, Kemosabe.
ANDERSON: Depp and the crew worked closely with members of the Navajo and Comanche communities.
DEPP: You'll find them the most generous people in the world. They will give you a piece of turquoise that's been in their family for a hundred years and won't think twice about it. It's an incredible culture that we could learn a lot from if we really paid attention
ANDERSON: The movie is an epic Western for a new generation, with spectacular effects, a great soundtrack, and plenty of humor.
W. EARL BROWN AS STACHE, "THE LONE RANGER": Going somewhere?
DEPP AS TONTO: Yes!
HAMMER AS THE LONE RANGER: No! No!
DEPP AS TONTO: Yes!
HAMMER AS THE LONE RANGER: No!
DEPP AS TONTO: Yes!
HAMMER AS THE LONE RANGER: No, we are not.
DEPP AS TONTO: Yes!
HAMMER AS THE LONE RANGER: No!
DEPP AS TONTO: Yes!
BROWN AS STACHE: Shut up!
(TRAIN ENGINE)
DEPP AS TONTO: Yes.
(SHOUTING)
ANDERSON: One of the artists performing on "The Lone Ranger" soundtrack along with Johnny Depp is rock legend Iggy Pop. Their relationship goes back many years, but didn't start too well.
IGGY POP, MUSICIAN: Johnny Depp was in a couple of band in the Florida area, I think Rock City Angels and the Kids. And apparently, once when I -- when I was in my -- maybe in my wildest phase, I played in Gainesville, Florida, and he came to the club.
He tells me he tried to meet me and tell me about his band, and I said, "Shut up you little (expletive deleted)."
(LAUGHTER)
POP: Like that. And since then, we've played on and off. We've jammed on and off. We recorded one thing together years ago called Hollywood Affair, and we've played -- we played once on French tele.
ANDERSON: Currently touring Europe behind a new album with the Stooges, "Ready to Die," the 66-year-old front man is defying death despite continuing to indulge in the stage-diving antics he pioneered 45 years ago.
POP: The first time I did it -- it was just -- I was 21 years old. I was opening for Frank Zappa. We were a local band, and I felt it was my job to make sure that when we played, no one forgot about us.
Last year, I did a couple of big dives, and I got a bunch of stitches. Sometimes I overdo it. At this stage, I just fall in once in a while
(LAUGHTER)
JAY-Z, RAPPER: What the hell is that?
ANDERSON: Media mogul, sports entrepreneur, and rapper, Jay-Z seems intent on pushing the boundaries of traditional music marketing. In a deal struck with Samsung, the electronics company bought one million copies of J's latest album, "Magna Carta Holy Grail."
The music tracks will be available for download exclusively to Samsung Galaxy handset users on July the 4th before global release.
Z: We don't have any rules. Everyone's trying to figure it out. That's why the energy is like the wild west. The wild, wild west. We need to write the new rules.
ANDERSON: Fans can expect slick lyrical storytelling from the new album, plus collaborations with legendary music producer Rick Rubin, Timbaland, and Pharrell Williams. For Jay-Z, the one million pre-sales will not contribute towards the album's final chart position, but when you are already at the top of your game, does a number one spot really make that much difference?
Z: Oh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which speaker was it?
Z: I think we blew a speaker.
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson. That's it for this edition of CNN Preview.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Your roundup of music and film news. And in tonight's Parting Shots, business folk would probably call it a successful merger, but for those in the culinary world, it may seem like an unholy union. I'm talking about the "cronut." That is half croissant, half doughnut pastry people, apparently, in New York can't get enough of, as my colleague, Richard Quest, found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should I just go and bite?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the tale of where the doughnut married the croissant and created the cronut, a fried pastry filled with cream that's literally selling lot hotcakes.
QUEST (on camera): Cronuts are not for the faint-hearted. Only the truly dedicated, who are prepared to stand outside and wait quite a long time -- how long have you been here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An hour and a half.
QUEST: An hour and a half? You are barking mad.
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: The line goes back further and further. Do you have any idea how long you're going to have to wait?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not at all, but we've come from Melbourne today, so we're hoping to get one.
QUEST: Have you got a job?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
QUEST: Not much longer if you wait in that line. Carry on.
QUEST (voice-over): Dominique Ansel is the pastry chef who created this confection. He wasn't out to start a trend. He just wanted to bake something new.
QUEST (on camera): What was the catalyst? Was there an article in the paper? Was it on television? What was the moment that hit it?
DOMINIQUE ANSEL, CRONUT CREATOR: It just like went viral right away.
QUEST: Why?
ANSEL: Just in one -- one blog. Because it's new, because it's fun, because it's unusual, because it's good
QUEST (voice-over): Besides being tasty --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mm!
QUEST: -- the cronut is an example of pure economics. Only about 300 are made each day, and because customers are limited and can buy just two, demand overwhelms supply. So, a $5 cronut sells for $40 or more on the cronut black market.
QUEST (on camera): When you have a coveted cronut of your own, one feels compelled to share.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, here you go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I am not ashamed to take half a cronut.
QUEST (voice-over): Painful as it was, I shared my cronut, too.
QUEST: (on camera): Go on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
QUEST: Cronuts have gone, so has the queue. You can call this a New York fashion and fad or a trend. What you can't do is argue with success.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: What do you think of the cronut? Have you had one? If you have, how are they? Can't get them here at the moment in London. I'm sure we will soon.
What else do you think about whatever we're covering here on the show? We want to hear from you, facebook.com/CNNconnect, have your say. You can always tweet me, as you know, @BeckyCNN. Your thoughts, please, @BeckyCNN.
I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team here, it's a very good evening. We leave you tonight with some of the most vibrant sights and sounds of well-wishers outside the hospital where Nelson Mandela is being treated. Good evening.
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