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CNN 10
Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford Testify at a Hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee; Zhouzhuang, China, A 900 year Old Water Town is considered the Venice of the East; Seal Slaps Kayaker With Octopus
Aired September 27, 2018 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi. I`m Carl Azuz. Welcoming you to CNN 10. This show begins with coverage of first day`s hearings on Capitol Hill.
They involve a college professor`s accusations against a U.S. Supreme Court nominee and the nominee`s response. While this show does not go into
graphic detail, it does include portions of the opening statements from the two main people involved. Those people are Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford, a
professor at Palo Alto University in California and Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a U.S. Appeals Court Judge who`s President Donald Trump`s nominee to the
Supreme Court.
In late July, Dr. Ford gave a letter to Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein. In it the professor accused the judge of having sexually assaulted her
while they were high school students in 1982. Senator Feinstein shared the letter with the FBI in mid-September. At that time, the Senate Judiciary
Committee was preparing to vote on it`s recommendation to the full Senate on whether to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the High Court. The Judiciary
Committee put it`s vote on hold and invited both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh to discuss these accusations on Capitol Hill. They appeared
yesterday. Dr. Ford was the first to testify.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD, PROFESSOR AT PALO ALTO UNIVERSITY: My name is Christine Blasey Ford. I am a professor of psychology at Palo Alto
University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified. I am
here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school. I understand and
appreciate the importance of your hearing for me directly about what happened to me and the impact it has had on my life and my family.
I don`t have all the answers and I don`t remember as much as I would like to. But the details about that night that bring me here today are the ones
that I will never forget. They have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult. Brett`s assault on me direct
drastically altered my life for a very long time. I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone these details. But over the years, I went through
periods where I thought about the attack.
I had confided in some close friends that I had had an experience with sexual assault, but until July 2018, I had never named Mr. Kavanaugh as my
attacker outside of therapy. This changed in early July 2018. I saw press reports stating that Brett Kavanaugh was on the short list of a list of
very well qualified Supreme Court nominees. I thought it was my civic duty to relay the information I had about Mr. Kavanaugh`s conduct so that those
considering his nomination would know about this assault.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: After a recess Thursday afternoon, Judge Kavanaugh testified before the committee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE BRETT KAVANAUGH, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Less than two weeks ago Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing of wrongdoing at an event more than
36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, categorically and unequivocally. The day after the allegation
appeared, I told this committee that I wanted a hearing as soon as possible to clear my name. Unfortunately, it took the committee 10 days to get to
this hearing and those 10 long days as was predictable and as I predicted my family and my name have been totally and permanently destroyed by
vicious and false additional accusations.
I know that any kind of investigation Senate, FBI, Montgomery County Police, whatever will clear me. This first allegation was held in secret
for weeks by a Democratic member of this committee and by staff. It would be needed only if you couldn`t take me out on the merits. When it was
needed, this allegation was unleashed and publicly deployed over Dr. Ford`s wishes. I`m here today to tell the truth. I`ve never sexually assaulted
anyone not in high school, not in college, not ever. I`m not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person, in some
place, at some time. But I have never done this to her, or to anyone. That`s not who I am. It is not who I was. I am innocent of this charge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: Following the two testimonies yesterday, it was once again in the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee to determine whether to
recommend confirming Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. That committee vote was scheduled for Friday.
10 Second Trivia. Which of these cities has the fewest number of bridges? Amsterdam, Netherlands; Hamburg, Germany; New York, New York; or Venice,
Italy. Even though it`s an island city of canals with around 400 bridges, Venice has the fewest number of them on this list.
It`s still one of the most famous and picturesque cities on the planet. A historic, aquatic jewel that researchers say probably dates back to the
late 500`s A.D. That makes Venice a lot younger than China`s city of canals. A place some call the Venice of the East. Unlike the Italian city
which is located on the coast of Adriatic Sea, the Chinese city of Zhouzhuang is located hundreds of miles inland but that doesn`t detract
from it`s watery beauty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 2,000 years ago, the city of Zhouzhuang was built on a natural moat. Sandwiched between mountains intending to keep
intruders out but today tourists flow through the streets of the famous "Venice of the Orient". Built in 205 B.C. during the Chin Dynasty, the Woo
Yung River divides the city into two parts east and west. Numerous small canals, rivers and bridges dot the landscape of this ancient city. The
city also thrived from trade.
The silk road of the South went through this city because it was the only access point by ship from South China to the Central Plains. Merchant
ships were docked here from Vietnam, Thailand and India eager to move through the port to the capital. Today, you`ll find remnants of old and
new married perfectly in this ancient city. As day turns to night, the stunning views turn into a neon wonderland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: Seal slaps kayaker with octopus. Friday`s are awesome. This is what happens when - - well actually this never really happens but it
occurred this once off the coast of New Zealand. Kayakers say they were watching the seal hunt the octopus when it caught it`s prey. And then
appeared to slap the kayaker with it when the seal was actually trying to chew the octopus` leg. The octopus then suctioned onto the kayak and it
eventually got away.
So maybe it kept it`s eight legs but surely lost one of it`s nine lives. It came out of the depths of danger to the crest of hope. If this seal`s
telling his buddies, I let him go. He might be "sealyin". And if the octopus needs proof this happened, he can just watch our "cephalapodcast"
ya`ll. I`m Carl Azuz. Hope you have a great weekend ahead.
END
