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Trump Will Keep "American In Suspense" Over Accepting Election Results; ISIS fighting back in Battle for Mosul; Russian Announced So- Called Humanitarian Corridors; Pres. Duterte Separating From U.S.; Presidential Candidates Debated Foreign Policy. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 20, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense. OK.
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well Chris, let me respond to that because that's horrifying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN "CONNECT THE WORLD" ANCHOR: An unprecedented situation, Donald Trump refuses to say whether he will accept the results
of next month's U.S. presidential vote. The third and final debate was another testy affair. We have full highlights and analysis ahead.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Also this hour, this is the front line and being this close to the fighting and one can't help but to
think, but to wonder about the fate of the civilians who potentially might be attack and fight.
JONES: And that is with Iraqi forces as they take on the ISIS. CNN has been on the front line in the battle for Mosul plus the Philippines
controversial president drops a bombshell on a visit to China. We're live in Beijing for more on that.
Hello and welcome to "Connect the World", I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones sitting for Becky Anderson here in London. It was a defining moments all of the
final debate and perhaps Donald Trump's entire presidential campaign. The Republican candidate set off shocked waves during his showdown with Hillary
Clinton on Wednesday night by refusing to commit to accepting the election results.
For that moment, drew gasps in the debate hall and in living rooms across America and almost overshadowed almost everything else that was on stage
even though they were actually some substantive policy clashes. CNN's Manu Raju has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Donald Trump refusing to say he will accept the election results.
TRUMP: I will look at it at that time. I'm not looking at anything now, I look at it at that time.
CHRIS WALLACE, ANCHOR OF FOX NEWS SUNDAY AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Are you saying you're not compared, not to predict to that principle?
TRUMP: What I'm saying is that I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in suspense.
CLINTON: Well Chris, let me respond to that because that's horrifying. You know, every time Donald thinks things are not going in his direction,
he claims whatever it is, is rigged against him.
RAJU: Trump suggesting Hillary Clinton's e-mail use is disqualifying.
TRUMP: She shouldn't be allowed to run. It's crook -- she's guilty of a very, very serious crime.
RAJU: Clinton changing the subject of her Wall Street speeches to Russia and pressuring the GOP nominee to condemn Russia for hacking and stealing
Democratic records. Trump taking debate.
CLINTON: Well Donald Trump admit and condemn that the Russians are doing this and make it clear that he will not have the help of Putin in this
election that he rejects Russian espionage against Americans which he actually encouraged in the past.
TRUMP: I don't know Putin. He said nice things about me. If we got along, well, that would be good. If Russia and the United States got along
well and win after ISIS, that would be good. She has no respect for her. She has no respect for a president and I'll tell you what, we're in very
serious trouble. From everything I see has no respect for this person.
CLINTON: Well that's because he rather have a puppet as president of the United States.
TRUMP: No puppet. No --.
WALLACE: You condemn their interference.
TRUMP: Of course I condemn.
RAJU: Throughout the night, Trump repeatedly interrupting and attacking her.
TRUMP: You're the puppet. It is wrong.
CLINTON: It's pretty a very clear fact that authority --.
TRUMP: Wrong. Excuse me my turn.
CLINTON: --replenish results of the security trust fund.
TRUMP: Such a nasty one.
RAJU: Trump did have a strong start sparring with Clinton on issues that play well with conservatives like abortion.
TRUMP: Based on what she's saying and based on where she's going and where she's been, you can take the baby and ripped the baby out of the room in
the ninth month, on the final day and that's not acceptable.
CLINTON: Using that kind of the scare rhetoric is just terribly unfortunate. You should meet with some of the women that I've met with,
women I've known over the course of my life. This is one of the worst possible choices that any woman and her family has to make. And I do not
believe the government should be making it.
RAJU: Trump even going as far as claiming his pro-life Supreme Court picks would automatically overturn Roe v. Wade, something he can't guarantee.
Later, Clinton hitting back on immigration.
CLINTON: When it comes to the wall that Donald talks about building, he went to Mexico. We had a meeting with the Mexican president, didn't even
raise and he choked.
TRUMP: Of course we had a very good meeting with the president of Mexico, very nice man.
RAJU: Trump raising eyebrows with this response to the question of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.
TRUMP: Once the border is secured at a later date, we'll make a determination as to the rest but we have some bad hombres here and we can
get them out.
[11:05:02] RAJU: And once again rejecting the growing number of accusations from several women of making unwanted advances.
TRUMP: Because the stories are all totally false. I have to say that and I didn't even apologize to my wife who's sitting right here because I
didn't do anything. I didn't know any of these women, I didn't see these women. These women, the one on the plane, the one, I think they want
either fame or her campaign did it. And I think it's her campaign.
CLINTON: Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth and I don't think there is a woman anywhere
who doesn't know what that feels like. So we now know what Donald thinks and what he says and how he acts toward women. That's who Donald is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Manu Raju, reporting that. Let's bring in Juana Summers now for more. She's an editor for CNN CNN Politics. We'll come to you Juana, and
Donald Trump may not won the debate but he suddenly stole the narrative on this one. Everyone is talking about Trump's refusal to say whether or not
he'll accept the outcome of the election come November the 8th. And what kind of chaos that could that can bring to the American system?
JUANA SUMMERS, EDITOR FOR CNN POLITICS: Absolutely. And what's important to recognize about that is this election on November 8th is not just about
Donald Trump, by saying that he refuses to potentially accept the results of the election. He's putting Republicans in down ballot races in the
House and Senate in a really difficult position where their supporters, their opponents, reporters like us are going to go ask them. Will you
accept election results? Do you believe that that is right?
And so, I think that put Republicans in a really difficult position as they are hoping to keep control of both the Senate and the House and there are a
lot of really competitive races out there that can put both chambers in jeopardy.
JONES: I want to just standby first for second because I want to play a view, it's something that was said by a Donald Trump's campaign manager.
He also needed a strong performance in this debate and this question over the legitimacy of the election result which is being put to everyone in his
campaign. This is what Kellyanne Conway told Chris Cuomo earlier on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, DONALD TRUMP WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: He said let's see what happened.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: He said I want to keep you in suspense?
CONWAY: Let's see how close it is.
CUOMO: The GOP had Reince Priebus.
CONWAY: And said to the press --.
CUOMO: All these different GOP lawmakers came forward and said that was wrong. Laura Ingraham said, he has to say that he'll accept it unless
there is another floor.
CONWAY: And I said yesterday. I've said, I'm his campaign manager, his running me, his ordering. We've all said the same thing. Absent
widespread fraud or in disease of irregularities but please don't say, he said, "Unless I win, I won't --"
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: He didn't say, he said, "I won't tell you until then."
CONWAY: He did not say that.
CUOMO: He didn't say what you said either. He didn't say, oh look, if there's a huge irregularity or something like that, like Florida then we
have to look at it. He didn't say that. He said, I don't know. I'll look at it when it happens. I want to keep you in suspense. He didn't say what
you said.
CONWAY: So he was supposed to give 10 or 12 different hypotheticals to prove his --.
(CROSSTALK)
CUOMO: No he was supposed to say, I accept the outcome of the election because we want a peaceful transfer of power. And then if there's some God
forbid that happens like in 2000, he deal with it when it comes. You don't undermine the system before you come to that. It's not a fair statement.
CONWAY: Chris, I think you're just asking me the same question over one long segments, so I'm sure that if I turn on CNN all day, that's basically
what I'll say.
(OFF-MIC)
CONWAY: But I think the voters learned a lesson in 90 minutes. On yesterday, historian answers, his running mate answered and more
importantly he's answered it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: Juana, Kellyanne Conway, they're saying that everyone on the campaign is saying the same thing but crucially they're saying different
things to what Donald Trump is saying. It's a big difference to what the campaign. The campaigner himself is saying to one of his campaign manager
says to even what his daughter is saying about whether they will accept the legitimacy of the election result.
SUMMERS: You are absolutely right and in this situation, the only thing that matters is the candidate. So it's great that all these people around
him are saying, you know, well he accept this. We will tell him too. Kellyanne Conway said I believe after they pondering last night that she
would tell him to accept the result of the election, if he does in fact lost him. That's what happened. The other thing that's really important
to keep in mind in this discussion is you heard Kellyanne Conway say that she believed Donald Trump would accept the results of the election
abstained allegations of widespread fraud or irregularities.
History tells us, those things have not happened. When there been instances, other regularities and voter fraud, there are few and far
between, we're talking in the tens, not thousands and certainly not the national of a widespread as Donald
Trump and some of his surrogates have suggested.
So a situation in which Donald Trump based on his campaign managers were would be in a situation where he would question allowing the peaceful
transfer of power to continue, something that's a hallmark for American democracy, it is highly unlikely.
JONES: What about how Hillary Clinton did last night? She's obviously going to face questions as she did about the e-mail scandal that she's been
broiled in throughout her campaign. Do you think she manage to combat all of the attacks coming towards her and perhaps to even reach out to those
disaffected or undecided voters who are still yet to kind of fall behind Trump at least on this campaign?
[11:10:06] SUMMERS: I do. And I think on two issues, she simplified that very well. Those are on the second amendment, a gun issues and on
immigration. And her answers on the way that she discussed her possessions and the way that they've changed over time. She was really speaking, not
the people who make up based to democrat and independent who have made it clear to her. But even Republicans across the aisle who maybe searching
for a candidate not too happy with Donald Trump who -- and she tried to reach out to them and say that yes she believes in the right the second
amendment right, but she also believes in making sure that the tens of thousands of people killed by guns every year that is not continue
happening in this country.
So, I think that you saw her thread the needle very carefully. More importantly though, what we saw from Hillary Clinton was a performance in
which she kept Donald Trump playing defense constantly. Actually, I found in some moments, she was playing from the Donald Trump playbook. She got
under his skin. She agitated him and you saw it's not especially in the final 30 minutes of the debate when he is -- at first, he was a little bit
more reserved then he came out with a few more attacks, you know, then that was in the final minutes to make hold her, you know, such a nasty woman and
she was answering conversation.
She really effectively I think won the night. It made Donald Trump seemed unprepared out of his gap on a number of policy issues whereas she came
across. She's able to rise above and to expand the base which is really what both candidates needed to do here. And I think that we can dependably
say that Hillary Clinton did that significantly more effectively than Donald Trump did.
JONES: Very interesting, Juana Summers, we appreciate. Thanks very much indeed.
SUMMERS: Thank you.
JONES: Well, there were plenty of fireworks over foreign policy during the debate as well. Clinton and Trump spot there were several issues including
the battle for Mosul in Iraq. Trump suggested the offensive on the ISIS stronghold with -- stronghold rather was the launched to help his
Democratic rival win?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're now fighting for Mosul that we had. All she had to do is stay there. Now, were going in to get in. But you know who the big winner
and Mosul's going to be after we eventually get it. And the only reason they did it is because she's running for the office of President and they
want to look tough. They want to look good. She violated the red line in the sand and he made so many mistakes -- made all mistakes. That's why we
have the great migration. But she wanted to look good for the election so they're going in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Well, Clinton called Trump's claim another one of his many conspiracy theories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: What's really important here is to understand all the interplay. Mosul is a Sunni City. Mosul is on the border of Syria. And yes we do
need to go after Baghdadi and just like we went after Bin Laden. While you were doing celebrity apprentice and we brought him to justice. We need to
go after the leadership but we need to get rid of them. Get rid of their fighters. There are estimated several thousand fighters in Mosul. They've
been digging underground. They've been prepared to defend. It's going to be tough fighting.
But I think we can take that Mosul and then we can move on into Syria and take back Raqqa. This is what we have to do. I'm just amazed that he
seems to think that the Iraqi government and our allies and everybody else launched the attack on Mosul to help me in this election, but that's how
Donald thinks, you know. He always looking for some conspiracy.
TRUMP: Let me -- Chris, we don't gain anything.
CLINTON: He has all these conspiracy.
TRUMP: Iran is taking over Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Well as you hear that, the discussion of a Mosul definitely got heated. CNN's Clarissa Ward is new Mosul and with the analysis force. And
there Matthew Chance is reporting from Moscow and the candidates are references to Putin and across the Cyber attacks of the U.S. has blamed on
Russian.
Matthew, to you first, there was so much doing refer and wasn't know the -- who is Putin's puppet? Is Russia reveling a toll in the prominence that
it's playing in this election campaign?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, publicly it's not reveling. Now in fact, publicly it's been quite critical of the
fact that its name has been taken in vain as it were on so many occasions throughout these various presidential debates. It's called the anti-
Russian sentiment, you know, and is criticized this, you know, but I think secretly, you know, these -- the fact that Russia is playing such a large
part in this presidential debate and has become such a key issue will be received quite positively amongst the highest echelons all of the Kremlin
has been an objective of the -- of Russian Foreign Policy for several years under Vladimir Putin to place the country at the center and been snatching
diplomacy.
And it certainly they're know, you know, it's a reflection of the fact that the Kremlin with its walls in Syria and his intervention in Ukraine a
couple years ago is now an extremely important and extremely influential country and that's being reflected in this presidential debate. The fact
that it's being mentioned so often and in such heat exchanges.
JONES: Let's bring in Clarissa Ward. Clarrisa is in the Mosul force in Iraq, that was so much mentioned of Mosul in last night debate. Clarissa,
Donald Trump saying that the offensive there is to help the Clinton campaign.
[11:15:03] And Hillary Clinton for her part is that in her administration, there would be no American boots on Iraqi soil in the near time anyway.
How realistic both of those decisions?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's start with Trump's claim that this offensive was launched to help Hillary Clinton
win the election. One thing I do think is clear that for President Barack Obama, this is a question of shaping his legacy. It is deeply embarrassing
for the U.S. President that this militant group ISIS who he want to dismiss is being J.V. then went on the second largest city in Iraq, completely
changing the entire dynamic of the region.
So of course, it is important for President Obama. He would like to see some kind of a resolution or at least the beginning of this offensive
during his tenure. However, does he or anyone in U.S. politics have the power to make it so? No, I don't they do. I think we would have seen this
offensive start much, much earlier. If indeed they did have that kind of power and certainly then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton actually left
her role as Secretary of State in February 2013 way before sacking of Mosul even happen. So, I don't think that is realistic. Though, of course
President Obama does have an interest in shaping his legacy by launching this offensive before he leaves office.
As for Hillary Clinton's claim that she doesn't want have any U.S. troops on the ground. First of all, there are about 5000 Americans currently on
the ground here in Iraq, 500 or so special forces inside Syria as well, and she has said repeatedly that she would like to establish a no-fly zone
inside Syria. Analysts who are looking at those options say, it be very difficult to do that without some kind of a significant military
escalation. Can it be done without putting U.S. troops on the ground? I don't know. I'm not a military expert. We'll have to see, but certainly
it does signify a ratcheting up or an escalation of America's military involvement in Syria. Ra -- Hannah, forgive me.
JONES: That's quiet all right. And Mathew Chance, back to you in Moscow, in any event when it gets to November 9th, which candidates Donald Trump or
Hillary Clinton with the Kremlin prefer?
CHANCE: Well, I mean, again officially to the Kremlin say they didn't have preference. It's up to the American people they say to decide. But if you
watch state television which is obviously controlled by the Kremlin, you get a very clear picture that there is one candidate and it's Trump that
the officials in the country honestly prefer. And I think there's number reasons for that. I mean, the foremost amongst them is that Donald Trump
reflects the kind of world view that the Kremlin itself has when it comes to international diplomacy. He has criticize Nato, he has criticized the
expansion of Western institutions. He has talked about building a better relationship with the Kremlin. This is all music to the ears of those
highest echelons inside the Kremlin.
At the same time, Hillary Clinton is seen as somebody as very anti-Russian. She supported -- seemed to have supported the protests against President
Putin when he was reelected through four years ago here in Russia. At the same time, Trump is not seen as somebody who was particularly reliable.
And there was a sort of voice of dissent, as it were from that mainstream opinion in Russia that Trump might actually not be good for Russia because
he is so unpredictable. Whereas, the Russians know what kind of person Hillary is, and they doubt with her in the past that, you know, Trump is an
unknown quantity. And that something that's disturbing to many Russian officials when they watch this presidential debate in this election unfold.
JONES: All right, thanks to both of you Matthew Chance, he's live for stay in Moscow. And Clarissa Ward is new Mosul force in Iraq. Thank you to
both.
And so to come on "Connect the World" this evening, bombs have stopped falling on Eastern Aleppo and civilians are being urged to leave, but all
people using the roots. We will have the latest on the situation in Syria, coming up.
Plus, CNN's reporters are working on the front lines in Iraq. We'll get you the latest on that battle for Mosul, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: As the battle for Mosul rages around them, Black smoke smothering the horizon, gunfire and artillery shaking the air, this is what a escape
looks like. Families' capped in death, crowding into the back of trucks with whatever they can carry desperately trying to get out of the way.
Some who've gone back to their villages, also ISIS have been first to push to found them booby-traps by the militants.
Hello, you are watching CNN. And this is "Connect the World." I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones in London. Welcome back to you.
ISIS seems to be quickly being crushed around Mosul. Iraq's Prime Minister says, his forces are advancing faster than anyone expected.
CNN's teams took these footage just hours ago. As you can hear, pockets of the militants are still putting up a hard fight. Well, this is look at who
controls what right now, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi forces have been making gains on several fronts at today Thursday, that's according to
CNN analysis of the battlefield. They've now taken back more than 100 square kilometers of territory.
CNN's Arwa Damon joins us now alive from Erbil, which is about an hours drive from Mosul. I bet she was there the video that we just showed she
was filmed. And Arwa the latest we're hearing is that, with the fighting right now, the Iraqis have taken back a Christian village. What can you
tell us about that?
DAMON: That's right, Hannah. That is the town that we were just at and you saw how intense the fighting got during certain hours of the day as the
Counterterrorism Division Special Forces Brigade pushed forward on three different fonts. They came across the usual truck bombs and explosives
that ISIS had left behind. They did engage the fighters on numerous occasions and really unleashed with everything that they have within their
own possession as they tried to push forward into the town of Bartella, a Christian enclave that we had actually visited around two years ago, just
before ISIS took it over where people had said that they didn't want to flee. Even if ISIS did come in where the priest had just recently
renovated the troops.
As far as we know, all inhabitants did flee well before ISIS arrived and as far as we know, according to the Iraqis, there are not many -- if any
residents that remain during the battles. We are hearing from the top Iraqi Brigade Commander that at this point in time, the majority of
Bartella has been liberated. They're still do remain small pockets of resistance. But when we're talking about the broader battlefield Hannah,
it's important to look at the landscape.
You have in the Nineveh Plain surrounding the City of Mosul itself. Relatively speaking, fairly large stretches of terrain that made things
like calling in an air strike or donating an incoming suicide car bomber or even a truck laden with explosives on the side of the road fairly easy
because the chances of collateral damage are significantly diminished the chances of civilian deaths are significantly diminished.
We're seeing some of the challenges that the forces are facing when they do move into the villages where people weren't able to flee before the clashes
broke out. And that is going to change it drastically once they actually reach the City of Mosul itself, where the armor won't necessarily be able
to push forward first, where they won't be able to call in air strikes with such ease out of concern for the civilian population.
[25:25:14] Because remember, there are upwards of one million civilian still believed to be trapped in the city Mosul. And a lot of the Iraqi
commanders we're talking to, even though they say that they're not necessarily encountering the level of resistance from ISIS that they were
anticipating, they're not allowing that to let their guard down because they do believe that IISIS is preparing itself to put up a very fierce, the
toughest fight today when it comes to trying to defend the City of Mosul and trying to prevent it from falling back into the hands of the Iraqis.
JONES: And Arwa just briefly please. Is the fact that this progress into Mosul is faster than expected? Is that because of the efficiency of the
Iraqi forces or the deficiency of the ISIS defense?
DAMON: Look, the Iraqis have gained quite a bit of battle experience especially over the course of the last eight months when they began trying
to move across Nineveh province. And the Kurdish Peshmerga of course they've been holding their defensive berms around the city itself for about
the last two years. And they are battle hardened as well. They have gained a lot of self-confidence from the fact that they do have the U.S.
and other coalition partners that have been advising assisting them that they do have very crucial to note, you know, U.S. and coalition airpower,
and other assets and enablers that has allow them to push forward that on the one hand.
On the other hand, we've also seen ISIS slightly changing its tactics. Some eight months ago, when the Iraqis were pushing forward, they struggled
to just retake a few small villages. ISIS used to send wave after wave of suicide bombers. They're not really doing that anymore not fled to the
thought that ISIS is effectively perhaps to a certain degree acknowledging the fact that it is eventually going to loss the City of Mosul and is
preparing itself in other ways. But that does not necessarily mean that even though they are advancing faster than expected through the Nineveh
Plain toward the city itself that the battle for the city is going to be simple.
JONES: We appreciate it Arwa Damon is live for stay in Erbil, Northern Iraq. Thank you.
Well, the Mosul offensive was a major topic of discussion during Wednesday's U.S. presidential debate. Fellow judge's talks to me about the
foreign policy were uncovered during the final phase off between the two candidate. That's coming up in around 15 minutes time.
Plus, is the Philippines really cutting ties with the U.S.? New comments from the Philippines Presidents are raising some eyebrows and lots of
questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:32] JONES: Hello. Welcome back. This is Connect the World. The top stories for you this hour. Donald Trump under for refusing to say if
he'll accept the outcome of the presidential election, that remark overshadowed almost everything else in Wednesday's debate with Hillary
Clinton when pressed by the moderator to commit to the principle of the peaceful transfer of power Trump declined and said, "I will kick you in
suspense."
Lebanon's former Prime Minister, Saad Hariri is backing his political rival and Hezbollah ally Michel Aoun to be the country's next president. Lebanon
has been without a president for two and a half years. Aoun, is a former army chief he could be elected by parliament later this month.
Iraqi led forces say they made gains on several battle fronts in the assault on Mosul on Thursday. The country's prime minister has announced
that the advance to take back the city from ISIS is going much faster than expected. The militants snatch control to hold that city more than two
years ago.
Syria and Russia have stopped bombing Eastern Aleppo. A daily 11 hour pours will last through Saturday. The two countries say, this is to allow
rebels and civilians to leave the rebel held section of the Syrian City through humanitarian corridors.
Well, this map shows you all of the possible passageways that have been set up and to allow people to leave. You can see the routes along Costello
Road and towards the top of the map. Another corridor for rebel fighters crosses the government held portion of Aleppo to the west allowing fighter
to reach rebel held territory even further west. But residents though have told us, they've seen no clear sign of these so-called safe corridors that
have been promised.
Well, for more on the situation in Aleppo. I'm joined by Ivan Witson. He's following developments force from neighboring Turkey. Ivan, let's
start by talking about this humanitarian east corridors that ever have popped up supposedly. And this pours in the air strikes. In practical
terms what is getting into Aleppo and who is getting out?
IVAN WITSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point what's really important here is that is this third straight day that the Russian and
Syrian government forces have suspended their punishing bombardment of the rebel held part of Eastern Aleppo that is encircled and besieged. There
were weeks of deadly air strikes and artillery strikes. And that has come to a pause, a much-needed pause for the people there.
Now, the Russian military has announced the creation of these so-called humanitarian corridors. We've gotten reports that the Syrian helicopters
have dropped leaflets over this area, urging people to leave. We've gotten through to one resident, to one very shellshocked resident who has
suggested that some of the people there do in fact want to leave. But they're facing some challenges. They don't trust the Syrian government on
the one hand. And on the other hand, not getting support from some of the rebel fighters who control that little enclave to leave either, so some big
questions there.
In the meantime, a criticism coming from Europe over the punishing again, Russian and deadly Russian and Syrian government bombardment in past weeks
of that part of the city with the French President Francois Hollande coming out and basically saying that this amounts claiming that this amount to war
crimes. We're hearing from an E.U. council official saying that sanctions are being discussed, not only European Union sanctions against the Syrian
government officials, but possibly also against Russian officials as well, though that is only in the draft stage at this point. Hannah?
JONES: And Ivan, just briefly. And Turkey carrying out its own air strikes, its own action in Syria, took us through at the targets of these
strikes, and what's happening now?
WITSON: Well, this is striking. While the Russian government and the Syrian government forces suspended for several days their bombardment of
Eastern Aleppo. The Turkish government announced that it carried out air strikes against Kurdish fighters in other parts of northern Syria, dozens
of air strikes. And the Turkish military claimed to have killed hundreds of Kurdish fighters.
Now, we can't independently confirm that. What we're hearing is that perhaps 10 or more Kurdish fighters from that PYD faction that's allied
with the Kurdistan workers party, the enemy -- and enemy of the Turkish State that they were killed. But this is the most intense series of
Turkish air strikes against the Kurdish fighters that we've seen in northern Syria.
[11:35:10] Thus far, some real criticism coming from the Kurdish side, and you have to recall that these Kurdish fighters have worked alongside, have
been allied with the U.S. military with the U.S. in Syria in the past. And of course Turkey is a NATO ally which is supporting other armed factions in
Syria, a sign of the tangled alliances and how you even have two NATO allies who were supporting different and sometimes rival proxies in this
very, very messy very, very awful war across the border in Syria. Hannah?
JONES: Ivan, we appreciate it. Ivan Watson live for us there in Istanbul, in Turkey.
Now the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says, he's separating from the United States. A while in China he announced a break with the U.S. on
military and economic interests. For more on this, our Matt Rivers is live for us in Beijing.
And Matt the president has been increasing his anti-American should we call it rhetoric overlay. But these comments seem to take that to another level
all together.
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They absolutely do. And they come at a very auspicious time. The president of the Philippines Mr.
Duterte here in Beijing for his first official state visit in China and we were expecting the major news of the day to come, while Mr. Duterte was
meeting with his counterpart President Xi Jinping here in China. But it was actually at a business forum several hours after that that meeting with
President Xi that he made these comments that really have very, very large implications.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS: Marching soldiers, military band and red carpet welcome for President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both
men oversaw agreement signed in 13 different areas from trade to tourism. But the real news of the day came at a later business forum where Duterte
spoke towards the end of his speech. He said this.
RODRIGO DUTERTE, PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES: Your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States, both military, not maybe
social -- both in military but economics also.
RIVERS: The implications of a statement like that could be serious. Philippine President Duterte has regularly engaged in anti-U.S. rhetoric.
And these are his strongest comments today. But it's unclear how this will play out in practical terms.
Militarily the United States and the Philippines are treaty allies with a mutual defense obligation. The U.S. regularly rotates military troops and
equipment through the Philippines. And the two countries have also conducted several joint naval patrols in the South China Sea this year. A
true separation as President Duterte suggested would mean an end to both the treaty and the true presence.
But President Duterte has made statements before that his staff then has been forced to walk back or clarify. CNN reached out to Duterte's office
for more details on his announcement. We've received no reply.
In the past, Duterte has expressed anger over the U.S. military presence. But said the treaty would remain because his advisors told him it was
necessary. He did however cancel joint military exercises set for next year. What Duterte meant by separating economically is less clear, though
U.S. Philippine trade is worth tens of billions of dollars.
In that same speech, the president also indicated what he has said for months now that he wants to leave the U.S. behind in exchange for new,
stronger allies.
DUTERTE: Maybe I would also go to Russia. We'll talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world, China, Philippines and
Russia. It's the only way.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS: And so all of this really can be seen altogether as a forceful and poignant rebuke of the United States. It's certainly something that
Washington is going to be paying attention to. And frankly, we'll have to respond to at some point to determine whether this is just more rhetoric
from President Duterte or if it has to take his words at face value and it could really alter that historic relationship between the United States and
the Americans. One more day left for President Duterte here in China. He goes back to Manila sometime tomorrow afternoon. Hannah?
JONES: Yes, disturbing rhetoric nonetheless. Matt Rivers, we appreciate it, live for us there in Beijing. Thank you.
Live from London. This is Connect the World.
[11:40:02] Coming up, from Russia to ISIS, the candidates covered a lot of ground during Wednesday's final U.S. presidential debate. So how would
each them been managed foreign policy if they won the election? The vote now is just 19 days away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones, sitting in for Becky Anderson. Welcome back to you.
Some of the presidential debates most explosive moment centered on foreign policy. Take listen to this exchange over cyber attacks. But the U.S. has
blamed on Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: She has no idea whether it's Russia, China or anybody else.
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am not quoting myself. I am quoting 17 --
TRUMP: Hillary, you have no idea.
CLINTON: Seventeen intelligent -- do you doubts 17 --
TRUMP: Our country has no idea.
CLINTON: -- military and civilian agency as well.
TRUMP: Yes. I got it. I doubt it.
CLINTON: He'd rather believe Vladimir Putin than the military and civilian intelligence professionals who are sworn to protect us. I find that just
absolutely --
TRUMP: She doesn't like Putin because Putin has outsmarted her at every step of the way. Excuse me. Putin has outsmarted her in Syria. He's
outsmarted her every step of the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: And Fawaz Gerges joins me now to talk about how the candidates debated foreign policy in that last face off before the election. He is
the chair of Contemporary Middle East Studies at the London School of Economics. And also the author of "ISIS: A History." Fawaz, thanks very
much for coming in.
And let's talk about Russia to start of with then. In the event of a Clinton administration or indeed of a Trump administration, what would that
mean for U.S.-Russia relations? Who is the puppet? And who's pulling the string?
FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES: Well, we know Hillary Clinton has a history. We know where she stands. If you ask me, "How
would you define Hillary Clinton administration?" I would say small continuity with Barack Obama than this continuity and change. It is
reliance on multilateral diplomacy, avoidance of any direct military intervention and also putting together local coalitions to confront America
security challenges. She would pursue the same policies in Iraq and Syria, using local forces and using American Special Forces and intelligence and
airpower.
Here are the differences between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton will be more muscular. She would basically she would not shy away
from the threat of use of force against Russia. She would deter Russia. She has made it very clear. And as you know, Hannah, Hillary Clinton is
well known for her interventionist impulse. That is she's much more muscular than Barack Obama. And the word used in the debate that it safe
zones in Syria is a code word that Hillary Clinton would be willing to challenge Russian power in Syria by strengthening Putin to prevent Russian
and Syrian Air Force from really flying in certain areas in Syria.
[11:45:00] JONES: And let's talk about Syria then. And Donald Trump in particular in his potential relationship with Vladimir Putin in Russia.
There is a deadlock around Aleppo at the moment and any diplomacy around how to stop fighting there. Is there a potential for Donald Trump under
his administration at least to break that deadlock, for there to be a different approach to how the world community comes together and try to
tackle this heat --
GERGES: You know, I have listened to everything Donald Trump has said about foreign policy. I don't think really, I mean really hard and I'm not
trying to be unfair to him. He does not have a foreign policy vision.
JONES: Is it just that he's unknown entity or --
GERGES: He doesn't know foreign policy.
JONES: He doesn't know.
GERGES: He's a businessman. In fact, he looks at foreign policy through the lens of business. And really if you ask me, "OK. What intervene if
you pay for it?" In fact, his approach to foreign policy was to -- I mean really change the United State into a mercenary power, even when it comes
to NATO.
I mean when he talks about Aleppo. Aleppo has fallen. He's already given up on Aleppo. Go into Mosul. Why would you go to Mosul? You're giving
Mosul on a silver platter to Iran. What really Donald Trump is extremely incoherent. He's all over the map. And let me defector him. Now, it
probably would be establish close relation of this Putin. He thinks that relation with Russia would help United States confront ISIS in particular.
It praises dictators whether it's Saddam Hussein or Bashar al-Assad. You know, they're smart.
Let me find -- my final point in terms of Trump and foreign policy is all negativity. I mean, he criticizes both traditions, the Republican Party
and the Democratic Party. He just does not offer any constructive ideas. We don't know where he stands.
JONES: What about -- let's refer back to Mosul again, because it came up in last night's debate a lot for both candidates. Hillary Clinton, you
said that she's more interventionist than perhaps Barack Obama is or perhaps the Donald Trump is. But she has said, no American boots on the
ground in Mosul Bay, wouldn't be filling any power vacuum that will be left after this current offensive. And to her potential administration, how do
you see that the layout of the whole of the Middle East at the moment, and then the crisis in taking on ISIS in particular?
GERGES: I mean I think this is the critical question. Again, when it comes to Mosul, Hillary Clinton administration would not change
dramatically from Barack Obama, relying on American Special Forces. You already now have as you know we have more than 5,000 troops in Iraq,
relying on local forces, but increasing the pace of American indirect military intervention.
Hillary Clinton in the past debate and the second debate, she used a very important statement code word. She says, "I have learned the lessons of
Iraq." As you know, she voted for intervention Iraq. That means she will never send American troops to fight at the fore-flights -- forefront. But
she will use American forces to support local coalition. The only difference between Hillary Clinton administration and a Barack Obama
administration, she's willing to use more power. She's willing to use -- threaten the use of power.
And my take on Russia, she'll be more willing to challenge Putin in Eastern Europe and Syria, and other places as well.
JONES: One other thing that I wanted to ask you about in particular with foreign policy, nuclear proliferation across the world. Barack Obama has
been very clear that he wants to reduce nuclear stockpiles across the world. Hillary Clinton would presumably stick along the same kind of lines
as the Obama administration. But Donald Trump has been flip flopping over weather he would allow or want other countries to have a nuclear stockpile,
countries that don't currently have a nuclear stockpile. What would this mean in terms of the balance of power geopolitically?
GERGES: I mean, in the past, you might say, in the past 30 o 40 years, American strategy is based on the foundation that nuclear proliferation is
bad, is dangerous, to limit nuclear proliferation. Here you have Donald Trump saying, so what if Japan gets nuclear weapon? It's fine. Or South
Korea? He is really opening the case. I mean this is a dangerous situation. Even on nuclear power weapons. I mean we have reports in which
he says, so what if we use nuclear weapons? I mean he tells you a great deal about his ignorance about foreign policy.
And also he's really does not have any knowledge about the gravity of nuclear weapons. And this is the ultimate weapon you don't risk it. You
don't experiment. In this again, the idea of incoherence final point on his foreign policy, one word, isolationism. He really is -- I mean the
presents and particular old version of isolationism in American foreign policy.
JONES: And some would argue, we haven't learned that from history, then as far as that policy isn't sent for us.
Thanks very much for coming in joining us on Connect the World.
Live from London, this is Connected the World.
Still to come though this hour, ratings bonanza, how the final U.S. presidential debate feed on T.V.
[11:49:37] Plus, it's the face that launched 1,000 tweets. We'll show you how the reaction to this photograph helped transform one man's life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to secure the border. And once the border is secured at a later date, we'll make a determination as to the rest. But we have
some bad hombres here and we're going to get them out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: On that phrase that came in overnight sensation on social media for better or for worse. A Twitter lit up with a hashtag bad hombres after the
presidential debate. Some people joked about Trump's use of the Spanish word for men when talking about immigration while others considered it
offensive to Latinos.
Let's talk more about the debate with CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter. And Brian, started off relatively calm doesn't it? But then he
got very heated let's say after Putin was brought in to all as well. But from a tele visual perspective, who won?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: The CNN overnight poll found that Clinton prevailed, according to the debate watchers about 53
percent to 39 percent for Trump. That essentially is where the electorate is overall, Clinton ahead of Trump in national polls. But Trump holding
onto about 40 percent of the U.S. voting population. Looking at the overnight ratings, looks like this debate was higher-rated than the town
hall last week but lower rate in the first debate, so it sort of in between the two of them.
And if you believe that Clinton prevailed as most commentators do and as the polls do, then that means it was great news for Clinton because the
more people they were watching, the better for her campaign.
JONES: And good night as well for the moderator.
STELTER: Yes. Chris Wallace from Fox, pretty much unanimously praised by media critics and by the Clinton and Trump campaigns. Rave reviews for
Wallace for challenging both sides and for fact checking Trump and Clinton on number of occasions. Trump in particular came under scrutiny.
You know, there's a reporter for the "Toronto Star" that's been doing fact checking of Trump every day. He found 37 false claims by Trump during the
debate versus four false claims by Clinton during the debate, a really wide disparity between the two candidates when it came to the number of
misstatements on stage.
By the way, Trump also interrupted Clinton 37 times. Clinton held back and was careful not to interrupt as often. Her staff, her focus groups, her
internal work has found that if she would interrupt Trump, it would look bad, people would be alienated, people would criticize her for it. So she
try to let Trump speak or as Trump frequently stepped all over her. And I know a lot of viewers are turned off by that kind of behavior.
JONES: And lots of people now is saying, this kind of scorched-earth policy, all that Donald Trump which is 19 days to go, suggest that he's
looking past November 8th now. And possibly even unto various other media projects of his own, Trump T.V.
STELTER: Certainly Clinton campaign aides were talking up this possibility in the spin room last night suggesting that that's what Trump is trying to
do trying to fire up his base then he can monetize that audience out of the election. But this is not just a theory among Democrats. There are a
number of reports from news allies like Vanity Fair. The Trump aides have talked about this idea. The Financial Times reported this week that Trump
son-in-law had an informal conversation with an investment banker about possibly launching a network.
Now, nothing is happening right now. Nothing is imminent. I talked with the Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon about this earlier in the week. He
said, Trump believes he really truly is going to win. So the focus right now is entirely on Election Day. But when I asked Bannon, what about these
rumors, what about the speculation about Trump T.V.?
He didn't deny it at all. In fact, his only answer was, Mr. Trump is an entrepreneur. I don't know I think that leaves the door wide open for a
media enterprise after Election Day.
[11:55:01] JONES: Yes. That sound like it. Words like nasty women, horrifying, disturbing, I mean this sort of rhetoric. Is this kind
unprecedented as far as U.S. presidential debates are concerned?
STELTER: It is. And it's easy to become numb to all this because we've been hearing for months now. You know, at the first debate, of the second
debate, now the third debate. And frankly, every day on the campaign trail on Twitter. But the coarsening of this campaign, the coarsening of
politics is new and is different and is just downright depressing in the United States to see Donald Trump for the under the debate calling Clinton
a nasty woman, you know, it lit up Twitter, it lit up Facebook. Right now, it's one of the most searched word of the day on the Merriam-Webster
dictionary Web site.
But all kidding aside, we are talking about a real lowering of the bar in terms of the rhetoric around presidential campaigns. And I think a lot of
folks watching the debate last night. Our hope in that bar can be raised back up in 2020.
JONES: Yes. We'll hope for that. And of course Brian Stelter, live for us in Washington. Appreciate your analysis --
STELTER: Thank you.
JONES: -- for the media angles at least on this last debate. Thank you.
STELTER: Thanks.
JONES: And it's often said, that you won't find answers at the bottom of a bottle. But you may just at the bottom of the cup. Many of you wonder
what's brewing in their future, might try to read their tea leaves. But that wouldn't have helped this tea seller in Pakistan. Guess what was in
store for him. This Instagram photo captured Arshad Khan in the capital of Pakistan that's Islamabad. And he has now quickly become an online
sensation, even reportedly scoring himself a modeling gig. Many focused -- you can him now on the 18-year-old piercing blue eyes.
And a lot of people over in Pakistan's arch rival that's India also agreed. One Twitter user remarking, the countries are divided on terrorism, they're
divided on crickets but are brought together by Khan.
And other Twitter user says that his looks could perhaps even a virtual wall. But some just couldn't let the rivalry go saying, that Pakistan's
tea man easily betters India's coffee guy. And that was your parting shots for this today's program.
I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones. Thank you so much for your company. That was Connect the World. See you soon.
END
