Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Trump Defiant Over Syria Decision, Impeachment Inquiry; Criticism Mount Over Trump's Syria Withdrawal Decision; Trump Disavows Kurds, Saying They Didn't Help U.S. in WWII; Erdogan Says 109 Terrorist Killed in Operation in Syria; Turkish Forces Advance in Operation into Syria; Source; Trump Warns McConnell About Disloyal Republicans; Two Giuliani Associates Arrested for Campaign Finance Violations; House Democrats Preparing Wave of Subpoenas; Fox Poll, Majority of Americans Support Trump Impeachment; Two People Killed Near a Synagogue in Germany, Suspect Arrested; Rugby World Cup Games Scrapped Because of Super Typhoon. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired October 10, 2019 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:00:00]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you, coming to you from our Middle East

broadcasting hub here in Abu Dhabi.

And we start our show trying to get into the mind of one man, the most powerful on earth. The American President. Donald Trump, as he flies

through his first term in the oval office, he seems to be trusting his gut and going his own way more and more often to the dismay of those around

him. And we are seeing that in two big ways right now.

Take the White House pretty much declaring war on the impeachment inquiry. That is despite new polls going against the President. And we've been

learning the now infamous call sent those closest to him, national security aides into a scrambling panic to clear up. President Trump himself,

dubbing that conversation with the Ukrainian President, quote, perfect.

Or the other big call just days ago leading to a massive military offensive here in the Middle East, effectively greenlighting that Turkish air and

ground operation. Both Pentagon and State Department officials had advised Donald Trump against pulling troops from northern Syria. But Trump going

off script and doing it. And that has irked many American allies in this part of the world, in Europe and elsewhere. And unusually, many within

Trump's own party also going against him on this. His response, recalibrate? No, it's to double down. In the face of criticism that he

was throwing Kurdish allies in northern Syria to the mercy of Turkish forces, the President brought up an unusual reference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now the Kurds are fighting for their land, just so you understand. They're fighting for their land.

And as somebody wrote in a very, very powerful article today, they didn't help us in the Second World War. They didn't help us with Normandy as an

example. They mentioned names of different battles. But they're there to help us with their land. And that's a different thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well perhaps there seemingly to imply that the Kurds only do what's good for the Kurds. That's the wider context to everything that

seems to be happening right now. But right now let's get you up to speed on what is happening in northern Syria.

Turkey's President says 109 of what he calls terrorists have been killed in his country's military offensive. Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that the

operation launched just 24 hours ago is meant to clear terrorists from the border area with southern Turkey. And, he says, to return Syrian refugees.

Well, as Turkish planes pound Kurdish positions from the air and with artillery, CNN reporters are seeing desperate civilians, women, children

and men flee the area on foot at times. The U.N. warning hundreds of thousands are in harm's way.

Let's see who controls what, shall we? Take a look at this map. The area highlighted in pink is under control by the Syrian President Bashar al-

Assad. The dark red controlled by Kurdish forces. Turkey to the north wants to clear the area in green to create a buffer zone along its southern

border. In that area, are holding camps filled with captured ISIS fighters.

Now that Turkish operation is being condemned around the world. The U.N. Security Council is set to meet privately this morning to discuss the

offensive. CNN has reporters on both sides of the Turkish/Syrian border. Our Clarissa Ward is in northern Syria. Nick Paton Walsh is on the Turkish

side of the frontier. And we have Barbara Starr standing by for us at the Pentagon. Let's start, if we can, with you, Clarissa. What are you seeing

and hearing where you are?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): So, Becky, we're just driving away from the town of Tal Abyad, which is right

on the Turkish border and has basically been getting hit by Turkish artillery throughout most of the day.

[10:05:00]

I should say that most of the mortars and artillery shells that we saw landing appeared to be dotted around the city. They didn't appear to be

targeting the city center itself. But the place was, for the most part, unsurprisingly, basically a ghost town. Shops were shuttered. People have

left their homes.

There was a small gathering of roughly 100 Kurdish people who were actually protesting and were planning to go and march right up to the border in a

show of defiance. But they were told by Kurdish fighters to leave the town immediately because it was unsafe. And as they were leaving the town and,

of course, as we were leaving too, you could see thick, black smoke coming from essentially piles of tires that Kurdish forces were burning to try to

create some kind of a smoke screen as artillery continued to come in from the Turkish side. The problem, though, that these civilians who are

fleeing have, Becky, is that, to put it simply, there is nowhere safe to go.

And just yesterday, we saw something similar in the town of Ras al-Ayn, which (INAUDIBLE) heavy strikes. We managed to talk to a group of women

who were fleeing. Take a listen to what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARD: Look at the sky with thick black smoke. There have been strikes for the last couple of hours. So they're saying there were many different

explosions. She said there were many explosions coming from shelling artillery. They're trying to get out. And they don't know where they're

going or where they might be able to sleep tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WARD: And this is the problem that is ongoing, Becky. There's still no sense of just the scale and scope of this Turkish military operation. The

shelling and strikes have crossed a huge swath of this border. For now to most Kurdish civilians living in these areas, it simply appears that

nowhere is safe -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Nick, we know what Turkey's strategy is. They've announced it and they've been announcing this strategy for months now. It is, they say,

to clear the border of what they call terrorists and, indeed, to affect a safe return for some 3.5 million Syrian refugees. But to Clarissa's point,

do we understand at this point what the scale and scope of this operation is likely to be?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not from the signals we've had on the ground here from Turkish forces because their access then

is often restricted. We've had the possible limit of ambition set by President Erdogan. We had a map showing possibly an 18-mile, 30-kilometer

deep corridor into most of Kurdish-controlled Syria that he possibly wanted to take.

But we also heard from a U.S. official who is pretty familiar with this topic and says that their most likely assessment at this point is that

actually the initial goal will be Tal Abyad from here all the way down to the Syrian town Ras al-Ayn where Clarissa was reporting from yesterday.

Potentially five miles worth of deep corridor there, or maybe more. And then maybe later, what was referred to as the whole stretch. So possibly

that entire border corridor. That suggests an operation of pretty substantial scope.

But not everything is going according to Turkey's plan. As you've been saying, the criticism frankly has been remarkably consistent across the

board. From Republicans suggesting sanctions on a bipartisan level to European allies who just seven years ago were very close to Turkey, to

Israel, the condemnation is extraordinary of this operation. But it has not dented President Erdogan's ambition here or certainly his statement.

And he simply said that if the EU doesn't stop calling this an invasion, then they can have the 3.6 million civilian refugees that he says he's

clearing this area to be able to resettle back into Syria. Stark rhetoric here certainly.

Here though in Akcakale, just inside Turkey, we have today had the first injuries certainly, two mortars landing near the government offices and

riot police station. It's unclear exactly what has occurred in terms of casualties. The police officers, six or seven injured. We've had a

statement from Turkish officials now saying two dead. One of which an infant. But that's in two instants both here and in Ceylanpinar further

down the border across from Ras al-Ayn.

In fact, and just before we came on air, a shell passed over our heads and landed in the field over there.

[10:10:00]

So clearly, the Syrian Kurds, it seems, beginning to respond in kind with their own IDF or artillery fire back in towards Turkey. That could be

severely problematic as time goes on for the Turkish populations here. But it is still the question of the speed and scope of the Turkish operation

that we don't have a clear answer to. They have said they've achieved the objectives they wanted to overnight. They begin a ground invasion. We

seeing that ourselves. A dozen or so Turkish armored personnel carriers moving toward the border from here earlier on today. Before the series of

blasts behind us that are now some of which are causing the plumes of smoke on the skyline behind me. That's Tal Abyad from which U.S. troops withdrew

just after the Trump-Erdogan phone call on Sunday. But this is clearly big and it's clearly under way now -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Nick, and you referencing the smoke behind you. And if you mind, if you point, we met can just sort of stand away from the camera so

we can see a little bit more of that. And if you can just explain, your geography as it were. So you've just explained what it is and why the town

behind you where those plumes of smoke is significant. Can you give us a little bit more on that.

WALSH: Yes, essentially this is a populated area that's split in two by the Syrian Turkish border. And what you're seeing the smoke emanating from

-- according my colleagues Clarissa and Sam on the other side -- may partially be tire fires set by Syrian Kurds to obscure the targeting of

Turkish military artillery.

But at the same time, too, we've seen a number of explosions, land artillery blasts land in there causing significant damage on the roads and

part of the infrastructure. Not that much of it, it's fair to say, seeming to land in the center of the populated area. It's obscured by the skyline

of buildings you see directly in front of you here. But this is the first time we've seen the sky covered in black smoke like this at this stage.

And certainly off to the left-hand side you can see further smoke which may well be in fact from the mortars that impacted earlier on today on the

Turkish side.

The Turkish side very pro-government. Quite nationalistic to some degree. Used to seeing ISIS across the fence for a period of time but now seeing

the Syrian Kurds who kicked them out and now seeing their own army moving in to kick out the Syrian Kurds. It's unclear how many people are left in

Tal Abyad.

This is originally a Sunni/Arab Syrian town which the Syrian Kurds took over when they kicked ISIS out. That was always a slight dissonance in the

potential future of this border area. Quite what was going to happen with that. And the Syrian Kurds claim that as part of their sort of longer-term

homeland to some degree.

But clearly, we are seeing a Turkish military operation under way here. Which according to that U.S. official I spoke to, is substantial in its

scope. It's a two-hour drive between the two towns which it seems they are keen to seize the area in between and this is the westernmost point of

that. But it stretches all along the border down towards Ras al-Ayn where we've heard of further casualties and Clarissa witnessed the strikes

before.

But it is a stark day, certainly where I think many may have thought yesterday would have been a symbolic move by the Turkish government to show

that they had this operation under way. It's quite clearly today moving on at full speed -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes. Barbara, let me bring you in here. The Kurdish-led SDF says that a prison holding ISIS detainees was hit in one of those Turkish

air strikes over the past, what, 24 hours or so. Here's a tweet they have put out making that claim. And they accuse Turkey of undermining

successful efforts in the fight against ISIS.

What are your sources in Washington telling you about how big a real threat they believe ISIS could be if, indeed, they were given this opportunity to

regroup? I mean, a resurgence surely would be seen as a U.S. national security threat despite the fact the U.S. President seems to think that

this would be a European threat should the group get together again rather than that threat to America.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I think it's fair to say the concern that many U.S. military commanders and officials have is

that as this fighting goes on, if SDF fighters begin to leave their security guard posts at these prisons and move north to fight the Turks,

that this does open the door to thousands of ISIS fighters potentially being set free, able to move around at will and potentially able to

regroup.

The President seems to think that all of this may be solved. He still wants to see them go back to Europe, even though Europe shows no indication

of wanting to take these people for custody and potential prosecution. Here's a bit of what the President had to say most recently.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Some of those people we've already taken. We've taken them out. They should go back, by the way.

[10:15:00]

They should go back to Europe. Many of them came from Europe, but they should go back to Germany, to France, to -- I spoke with Boris Johnson a

couple -- to U.K. Some to U.K. actually, but they came from various parts of Europe. They didn't come from our country. And we did them a big favor

and said to France, we said to Germany, we said to various countries in Europe, we'd like you to take your people back. Well we don't want them.

We don't want them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Well, they don't want them. Where we are today in Washington, it continues that many Republican legislators, allies of the President coming

out simply not supporting his actions here -- Becky.

ANDERSON: The question is, what are they going to do about it? And of course, Congress is in recess at the moment. So perhaps we'll find out

more next week. But you're certainly right to point out there seems to be at least bipartisan criticism of this decision in Washington. Thank you.

Well there is a popular Kurdish saying that goes, Kurds have no friends but the mountains. Mr. Trump's troop withdrawal isn't the first time Kurdish

forces have suffered pain and betrayal. So as much of the world condemns Turkey's offensive, I'll be speaking to an SDF spokesman in northern Syria.

That interview coming to your screens next hour. This is, of course, a two-hour show.

Some breaking news for you now out of Washington. Two foreign-born men who gave money to Donald Trump's fundraising committee have been arrested on

campaign finance charges. Now these two are connected to efforts to dig up dirt in the Ukraine on Joe Biden and are associates of Trump's private

lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. They were detained on the way to the airport outside Washington, D.C., and are expected to appear in court later today.

We understand the men have been under investigation for a while. So it's unclear if this arrest is connected to the impeachment inquiry. We'll get

you the very latest from Washington just as soon as we can.

Meantime, we are also getting a glimpse into the mind of President Trump as Democrats prepare a wave of subpoenas in their impeachment inquiry.

According to a source, the President is calling Mitch McConnell, the most powerful man in the Senate, of course, demanding loyalty from Republicans

and threatening to amplify attacks on those who criticize him.

As Democrats weigh their next move, we have also learned more than half of American voters want President Trump impeached and removed from office.

And get this, that is according to a new Fox News poll. And it's the fourth in two days that showed public opinion to be shifting. Now the

entire impeachment inquiry relates back to that now infamous July phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky. Now Mr.

Zelensky weighing in on what was discussed.

CNN's Sam Kiley is in Kiev, Ukraine with more on that. First though to Suzanne Malveaux in Washington. What's the very latest where you are?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, you did mention those arrests that are taking place. Giuliani associates and those two

individuals at least have come to the attention of the impeachment inquiry committees. And they have been interested in their testimony. So we'll

see how all of that plays out, of course.

And today what we are seeing from the President is really lashing out, if you will, against the House inquiry, the impeachment process. Saying that,

in fact, the -- his favorite network, Fox News, coming out with that poll, 51 percent of registered voters are actually in favor of impeaching and

removing him from office. The President lashing out on Twitter this morning saying that whoever that pollster is, they suck. That's in his

words.

In the meantime, the Democratic members of the House, they continue in full force to try to figure out what their next moves are to force these folks

to testify and cooperate with the impeachment inquiry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): With President Trump's stonewall up, House Democrats are furiously working to break it down. Threatening to issue a

wave of subpoenas for individuals who may know about Trump's dealings with Ukraine in response to the White House's refusal to cooperate with their

impeachment inquiry.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Their request has no basis in law. And so their ability to restrict people who are no longer within the umbrella of

the Trump administration is limited. In fact, it's nonexistent.

[10:20:00]

MALVEAUX: Among them, associates of Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch who is

scheduled for an interview tomorrow. Democrats are concerned she may be blocked by the Trump administration from talking to Congressional

investigators. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying his department's taking guidance from the White House moving forward.

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I have made clear, I think the White House has made very clear, we will ensure that we do everything we're

required to do by the law and the constitution every time.

MALVEAUX: While the three House committees negotiate terms to hear from the original whistleblower, President Trump is ramping up his attacks

against them.

TRUMP: What the whistleblower said bore no relationship to what the call was.

MALVEAUX: CNN has learned that President Trump is reaching out to Republican allies, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who he

is calling up to three times a day. The President's message, GOP unity. In light of some party members like Senator Mitt Romney speaking out

against him recently. McConnell's spokesperson says the report is false. CNN stands by our reporting. Many of Trump's allies are still keeping in

line.

REP. DEVIN NUNES (R-CA): A rocket docket impeachment.

REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-MN): That's what they're trying to go for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This whole thing stinks. We're seeing the entire House Democratic conference eagerly ripping the country in half right now.

MALVEAUX: President Trump is opening the door to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. But there's a catch.

TRUMP: We would if they give us our rights. It depends, if they vote and say you can't have lawyers, you can't ask questions, you can't have anybody

present, all of these crazy things, it really is an unfair situation.

MALVEAUX: Democrats arguing the process is all part of their oversight duties over the executive branch.

REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D-LA): Enough is enough. Congress is going to have to exercise its constitutional responsibility to protect the constitution,

and that leads to impeachment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And Becky, while there is a debate that is taking place among Democrats, whether or not they should bring that impeachment inquiry vote

before the full House when they come back from recess. There is also a campaign by Republicans via Twitter, if you read the leadership tweets,

they are talking about the Democrats accusing them of being obsessed with impeaching the President and ignoring doing the American people's business,

if you will, getting their jobs done.

This as a new name that's come up for next week, this is Fiona Hill. She was a former adviser to the President regarding Russia who abruptly stepped

aside and left after that phone call. The infamous phone call the President made. The committee is very interested in what she has to say on

Monday -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Suzanne. Like it or not, then, Sam, the Ukrainians front and center in all of this. What's the latest from there?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, today Volodymyr Zelensky, the relatively new President of the country, had a

marathon session. Holding court, if you like, taking an awful lot of questions. I was able to put one to him. Because I think it's rather

important issue as to whether or not -- given that Donald Trump has now publicly demanded effectively that the Ukrainians do an investigation into

alleged interference in the 2016 elections coming from Ukraine and into the Biden family -- whether or not any kind of probable cause had been shown to

the Ukrainians. This is the exchange I had with the, Ukrainian President.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KILEY: And have you heard any details, have the U.S. -- has Mr. Trump --

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: No. They didn't give me -- they gave me nothing. Gave me nothing. Any details of -- and any, I didn't get

any details about involve to your elections, previous elections. So I didn't get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILEY: Now, Becky, Burisma there is the gas company here, Ukraine's biggest private gas company, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, was on the

board of that company for a while. And that, the American side certainly from Donald Trump's perspective, has been demanding an investigation into.

But the Ukrainians hitting back saying, show us the evidence. And so far, they've received nothing from the Americans.

ANDERSON: Yes, Sam Kiley is in Kiev for you. Suzanne is in Washington.

The forecast this hour, well, let's put it this way, it's stormy in Trump land. The poll we mentioned a little earlier this hour, becoming the

fourth one in just two days showing support and growing support for impeachment. For more, there's something about Harry. Let's bring in

CNN's Harry Enten with the forecast. It's up to you, weatherman. No, this is fascinating. What we're going to take our viewers through now is a Fox

opinion poll. Let's talk about the big number. We're looking at impeachment and removal.

[10:25:00]

Just how many of those polls want to see Donald Trump impeached and removed?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER AND ANALYST: Yes, I think that it's rather interesting, right. Look, there were essentially three polls

that asked this question coming out of the last 48 hours. The Fox News poll, interesting enough, was the one that showed the most support for

impeaching or removing Trump. There was an NBC news/Wall Street Journal poll, Quinnipiac University poll that showed a somewhat less, both in the

40s. But those are still large numbers, right.

I mean, Richard Nixon at this point during his impeachment process these numbers across the board are higher than they were for Richard Nixon say

back 45 years ago. So these are all very large numbers in terms of support for impeaching or removing the President.

One other thing that I will note though, is that the Fox News poll is a really good poll. It has been quite accurate in the past. So the idea

that the President of the United States is going out and ripping that pollster, I just don't get it. I understand he doesn't like the numbers,

but the numbers are the numbers.

ANDERSON: Yes, unfortunately. But if you don't like the numbers, just ignore them and come up with something else is what he would say. How long

has this movement, as it were, for impeachment and removal, how long has that been evolving?

ENTEN: Yes, that, I think, is really interesting. And this is the thing that's so important. You know, if you go back before the impeachment

inquiry began, what you saw was that across on an average of polls you saw a minority of people that were supporting it back in August only 41

percent.

Now you take a look at an average of all the polls, 46 percent, impeach and remove. But of course, we're not even in that part of the process, right.

We're only about the impeachment inquiry. And what we see there in an average of polls is now 52 percent of Americans nationwide say that they

support that inquiry and that is up 11 points from august when only 41 percent did.

So I think, you know, there's this whole notion, oh, we're going to impeach the President. That's going to be bad news for Democrats and it's going to

be good news for Trump. And the American people are going to rally around this idea that the impeachment is just a witch hunt. That's not happening.

Not happening at all.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Sir, always a pleasure having you on.

We'll take a very short break. Thank you, Harry. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ANDERSON: And some breaking news for you out of Washington. Two foreign- born men who gave money to Donald Trump's fundraising committee have been arrested on campaign finances charges. Now the two are connected to

efforts to dig up dirt in Ukraine on Joe Biden and are associates of Donald Trump's private lawyer Mr. Rudy Giuliani. CNN's senior U.S. justice

correspondent Evan Perez joining us. You've been talking to your sources. Who are these men, and what is their relationship to Rudy Giuliani?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, they are in the middle of all this Ukraine scandal.

[10:30:00]

In part because they are apparently are the sources of some of this information. They've been providing some of this information to Rudy

Giuliani from Ukrainian sources. And according to this new indictment that was unsealed here in the United States, they are also now accused of

violating U.S. campaign finance laws. And those laws prohibit the use of foreign money, foreign influence on U.S. elections. And that's what they

are accused of doing. They are facing charges of conspiracy, of making false statements to the Federal Election Commission and keeping false

records.

And, according to the indictment, what they were doing was essentially hiding money from overseas from Ukrainian sources presumably, to donate to

U.S. candidates in the United States. And so that's what the offense that they're charged with. By the way, their names are Igor Fruman and Lev

Parnas.

These are people that Giuliani has been very open about associating with. He said that they're his clients. He said that these are people who have

been very helpful to him in digging up some of what he says is this corruption. This are alleged corrupt acts that involve Joe Biden and his

son Hunter Biden in Ukraine. Now we should note that those allegations have not been proven. They are not supported by anything. And in fact,

Ukrainian officials more recently have said that there's no evidence that they did anything wrong.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Well I know that you'll be back with us as soon as you get more. Clearly this news comes as we are deep into week three of

this impeachment inquiry. How connected, or whether these arrests are connected at all is an open question at this point. Thank you, sir.

We're going to take a very quick break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Recapping our top story this hour -- Turkey's offensive into northern Syria is day two of the operation. And convoys full of Turkish

troops and their Syrian rebel allies are making their way towards towns south of the border. This is the scene along the border right now. Plumes

of smoke rising above Syrian towns. Ankara already hailing this operation targeting Kurdish forces a success with Turkish President saying that 109

terrorists have been killed.

Well, to Europe now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a sight you don't expect to see in Germany in 2018. Hundreds of right-wing extremists, many neo-Nazis marching through

the nation's capital. Close the border, they shout. Resistance, resistance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:35:00]

ANDERSON: Well, as concerns over anti-Semitism in Europe rise, police in Germany have arrested a 27-year-old man suspected of an anti-Semitic attack

on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar of course. The government killed two people near a synagogue and a kebab shop

in the East German city of Halle. He apparently streamed the attack online with a camera mounted on a helmet and was heard using anti-Semitic slurs.

Well Melissa Bell on the ground in the town close to where the attacks took place. And as I understand it, police have confirmed to CNN they believe

this suspect had an extreme far-right and anti-Semitic motive, Melissa, correct?

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Becky. And German authorities were very quick to say that was the case. We've just been

hearing from the German prosecutor in charge who says that this was clearly a massacre. That the gunman intends to carry out here at the synagogue.

And how they're were four kilos of explosives in his car. The prosecution also drawing a parallel between what the gunman did here yesterday in Halle

with what the gunman in Christchurch back in March had done at the time of that massacre that cost the lives of 51 people with that live streaming of

the attack even as he went.

Of course, in the end, the gunman hadn't counted on the door to this place of worship being locked.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Flowers and candles left in tribute this Thursday morning just outside the door that saved so many lives on Wednesday. It was just beyond

it inside the synagogue that more than 50 people had gathered to mark Yom Kippur. It was the security system installed here on that door several

years ago that prevented Stephan Balliet from carrying out his plan and getting inside the synagogue. The security system, however, could not save

the woman he shot just outside.

(voice-over): These pictures caught by eyewitnesses show the attack as it unfolded on the streets of Halle on Wednesday. CNN is not showing the

video captured by the assailant himself and live streamed on the video streaming site Twitch. It clearly shows the gunman's frustration with his

malfunctioning weapons.

The condemnation of German leaders was swift. The German President, Frank- Walter Steinmeier, visiting the synagogue on Thursday.

FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, GERMAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is not enough to just condemn such a cowardly attack. It is clear that the state

is responsible for its Jewish community in Germany. And it is equally clear that the entire society must take a stance in this. Show solidarity

with the Jewish citizens in our country. As the citizens of Halle did last night and will continue to be doing. And we must show our solidarity not

only on days and events like this.

BELL: A vigil was also held outside the synagogue this Thursday with some of those who had been inside returning to the scene. They described ten

terrifying minutes before the police arrived.

JEREMY BOROWITZ, WORSHIPER: The truth is in the moment you don't really have time to feel. You just react. And I think that's what we did. We

reacted. And it's only today that I think we're really able to really start feeling.

BELL (voice-over): This is the kebab shop just a few hundred yards from the synagogue where Stephan Balliet rampage ended and where he killed his

second victim. What the live streaming of his attack shows is that once his clear anti-Semitic motivation and his frustration at his inability to

do as much harm as he'd hoped.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Becky, that is part of the shock that is being felt here today. And we watched a steady stream of families, young children, people coming by to

put down flowers and clearly mark their condemnation of the attack that went on here yesterday. But what is clear this morning is just how much

worse this attack could have been had that security system not been installed on the synagogue's door and had the gunman's weapons functioned

more reliably than they did -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Oh, dear. Amazing. All right. Melissa, thank you for that.

Well Japan is in the crosshairs of the longest lasting super typhoon seen this year. Coming up, that is having an impact on a major sporting event.

Which one and how? We'll explain after this.

[10:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Just a short time ago, Iranian women entered a football stadium for the first time in 40 years. The Iranian national team's match against

Cambodia. This move breaks with Iran's longstanding ban on women from doing so after FIFA's President called that ban unacceptable. There are a

couple of caveats. Only 4,600 tickets were reserved for female fans, and women are segregated from the men and watched over by female police.

You'll remember last month, an Iranian woman died after setting herself on fire because she was facing a possible jail sentence for just attempting to

sneak into a stadium.

Super typhoon Hagibis is expected to make a landfall in Japan on Saturday. It's expected to move in with winds of 177 kilometers per hour. And its

eye could pass directly over Tokyo and that is a one-two punch for Japan which was hit by another typhoon last month. Also having an impact on the

world of sport. Two Saturday games at the Rugby World Cup, which is being played in Japan, of course, have been cancelled. "WORLD SPORT" Andy

Scholes in the House. And these cancellations as I understand it are unprecedented in terms of this tournament -- Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, WORLD SPORT: Yes, Becky. You know, the Rugby World Cup has never had to deal with a super typhoon before. And this is really extra

unfortunate timing for Japan. They were going to be the center of the sporting world this weekend. On top of the Rugby World Cup, they got the

Tokyo Grand Prix, an MMA event. All of these big sporting events in jeopardy because of this storm, Becky. We're going to break down what's

already been canceled and the impact coming up here on "WORLD SPORT."

ANDERSON: Yes, that's right. And that is after this short break, folks. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

[10:58:41]

SCHOLES: Yes, that's Mei Yamaguchi there with Alex Thomas. And you know, Becky, we tried to get Alex there to spar with Mei, but he wasn't going for

it. I think he was a little scared. Rightfully so. But we tried.

ANDERSON: He's a tough guy, but I'm not sure he's that tough. Andy, it was a pleasure. Thanks.

SCHOLES: All right.

ANDERSON: Up next, folks, Turkey's President threatens to let millions of Syrian refugees go into Europe if European leaders keep criticizing what he

is doing in northern Syria. We are on the ground there for you, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]

END