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Hala Gorani Tonight
Olympic Ceremony Just Hours Away; Protesters Taking To The Streets In Rio; Trump Walks Back Iran Video Comments; Clinton Pulls Ahead Of Trump In Latest Polls; South Africans Voting For Change In Large Numbers; Aid Worker Charged With Diverting Millions To Hamas; The Stark Contrast Of Rio's Medical Facilities; The Stark Contrast Of Rio's Medical Facilities; Most Russian Athletes Allowed To Go To Rio; Football Legend Pele Pulls Out Of Olympic Ceremony; Trump Suffers Week Filled With Gaffes; Tired Of Trump, Some Republicans Look To Clinton; "Girl From Ipanema" Becomes Olympic Symbol. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired August 05, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL GUEST ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Clarissa Ward standing in for Hala Gorani, live from CNN London. This is THE WORLD RIGHT
NOW.
Thousands of athletes, millions of fans, billions tuning in, and now just four hours to go until the opening ceremony of this summer's Olympic games.
You're looking at live pictures from Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
The whole city is buzzing with excitement right now for what its hosts are promising will be an unforgettable night. Our teams on the ground are
soaking up the atmosphere in Rio for us.
Shasta Darlington is with some very excited fans. Nick Paton Walsh is right there on Copacabana Beach. Shasta, I want to begin with you. We're
hearing now that the living legend Pelle will not be the one to light the torch. Tell us what the reaction is there and do you know who the
replacement might be?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Clarissa. I think there's a lot of disappointment globally. While it was never confirmed
that he was supposed to carry the torch, there had been high expectations. He's perhaps the most famous Brazilian in the world.
Certainly known as the king of soccer or football and yet he confirmed today that his health just won't allow it. He's had repeated hip problems.
Now it's anybody's guess. There are names popping around, there's a well- known Brazilian tennis player. There's the gold medal winning sailor, Torgen Grail.
But at this point, it really is anybody's guess. I mean, other details about the opening ceremony have leaked out. We do know that top model
(inaudible) and she will in fact be acting out the part of "the girl from up Ipanema."
That young girl who back in the 1960s inspired the song with her walk on the beach. This downtown site was revitalized in preparation for the
Olympics. This whole place has blown up. It used to be a highway overpass turned into a cultural center.
You can see people are packing in behind me, four hours before the ceremony starts so that they can catch it all on the big screen set up here.
Meantime, plenty of music to keep them busy -- Clarissa.
WARD: All right, Shasta. Nick, you're actually walking along with some protesters. Give us a sense what are they protesting about firstly and
what impact is this having on the festivities?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Clarissa, forgive the delay. You're joining where this substantial march heading
about now a mile away from Maracana Stadium where the opening ceremony will occur.
We see flags here deriding the Olympic festival itself. There's a lot of anger in this crowd, mostly young, seeing how the millions spent on the
Olympic Games themselves should have been pumped into Brazil's ailing society.
This group here, predominantly young, there is a contingent within them, dressed in black, wearing masks. The police are paying more attention to
them, but very loud and moving now towards the opening ceremony itself.
It's still about four hours away from that, but we've seen all day the sort of festive atmosphere you might have expected to be brimming across the
streets of Rio. It has been scarred at times by the large a number of protesters.
On Copacabana Beach we saw some of the official vehicles, Brazilian government vehicles being heckled, stopped as they tried to drive along the
beach itself. A lot of anger there too and now this protest itself.
These are the younger part of the crowd, dressed in black, moving their way along as well. We're talking about 2,000 or 3,000.
[15:05:08]They're supposed to be being joined by other protests in the city, which will then snake its way through the streets and get pretty
close to the opening stadium ceremony itself in Maracana.
But at this point, they are intent on the world seeing the other side of these games, which is the political chaos, the impeachment of currently
suspended president, Dilma Rousseff. She won't be at the opening ceremony.
Also the sense I think the disenfranchisement they feel is happening, the corruption that most of these young people feel has imbued everything
they've known in Brazil. A lot of anger as they slowly move their way towards the opening ceremony -- Clarissa.
WARD: Shasta, it's obviously a different atmosphere where you are. What do you get in terms of the sense in Rio? Is there widespread excitement
about these games? Is there a lot of support for them?
DARLINGTON: Clarissa, you know, it's a real mixed bag. We are seeing the two faces of Brazil being played out on the streets right now. Nick is
covering one of them and I'm covering the other.
The latest poll showed in fact that two-thirds of Brazilians think the Olympics will do more harm than good. Only 16 percent were actually
enthusiastic about the games. But to be fair, most of those 16 percent are right here in Rio.
It's boosting the economy, hotels, restaurants, even people renting out rooms in their homes, are seeing a boost. So you are seeing, again, both
sides.
Right here at the live site, you are seeing people who are curious, who maybe can't make it all the way to the beaches or to the Olympic Park.
What they have is this square built by the city so that people from all over can come and enjoy the games.
And the people we've been talking to are excited. They want to see the opening ceremony on the big screen. They're curious who is going to be
carrying the torch, what it's all going to be about. They'll be here to watch it and they'll be back in coming days to see those ceremonies.
But it is really a country that is divided. We're in the second year of recession. The political chaos that Nick mentioned, all of these are very
real.
What we saw in the World Cup, however, if that can be a lesson, the minute the ball starts rolling, the minute the bow and arrow are drawn, people
are glued to the sport. Brazilians love sports. So there's still hope that that enthusiasm will take off -- Clarissa.
WARD: OK, Shasta Darlington, Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very much.
Now to U.S. politics, wherein a rare admission, Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has acknowledged he misspoke. Well, sort of.
Initially Trump said he had seen video showing a U.S. plane dropping off a $400 million payment in Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They have a perfect tape done by, obviously, a government camera and the tape is of the people taking the
money off the plane, right? That means that in order to embarrass us further, Iran send us the tapes, right?
It's a military tape. It's a tape that was a perfect angle, nice and steady. The tape was made, right? You saw that with the airplane coming
in, nice plane. And the airplane coming in, and the money coming off, I guess, right? That was given to us, has to be, by the Iranians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Well, this morning he walked back those comments on Twitter saying, "The plane I saw on television was the hostage plane in Geneva,
Switzerland, not the plane carrying $400 million in cash going to Iran."
Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, meanwhile was not focusing on Trump's mistakes. In a rare press conference, the former secretary of state
broached the issue of her trustworthiness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How would you lead a nation where a majority of Americans mistrust you?
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know it doesn't make me feel good when people say those things and I recognize that I have work to
do. But when I started running for the Senate in New York, a lot of the same things were said.
I ran a really hard campaign against Barack Obama as I think everybody remembers. It got a little contentious from time to time, and to my
surprise, he turns around and asks me to be secretary of state because he trusted me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: The latest polls are not good news for Trump's campaign. Only weeks ago Trump was ahead of competitor Hillary Clinton, but here you can see
Clinton has pulled in front in the battleground state of New Hampshire, leading by a massive 15 points. While in the historically tight state of
Florida, Clinton leads by 6 percent.
[15:10:11]Let's break all this down with CNN's senior political reporter, Stephen Collinson. He joins us from Washington. Steven, what a difference
a week makes. What are you hearing inside the Trump campaign? What is the reaction to these disappointing poll numbers?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR ENTERPRISE REPORTER: Well, it's interesting, Clarissa, you brought up that walk back of Donald Trump on
this video issue. That has been almost I think a symbol of a very bad week that Donald Trump's had.
Ever since the end of the Democratic National Convention last week, the focus has been his capacity to serve as commander-in-chief, his various
missteps.
You know, this issue about the video was another sort of missed opportunity for Donald Trump. He had a case to make about the coincidence between the
freeing of these U.S. prisoners in Iran in January and the transfer of this $400 million in cash.
But he completely deflected all attention away from it by talking about this false story of a tape that he had apparently seen, which he clearly
have said today that he didn't see.
So that was an epitome of all the problems that Donald Trump has been having. Hillary Clinton has had a bounce from her convention in the CNN
national poll, it was 7 percent. You're seeing the impact of that in battleground states as well.
The Trump campaign looks like it's trying to almost reset, start again after a terrible week, but he's taken on some real damage this week.
WARD: So where does he go from here? Where does the campaign go from here? How do they fix the damage?
COLLINSON: That's a good question. You know, most campaigns can fire a campaign manager, change the message. The problem with Donald Trump's
campaign right now is, it's Donald Trump.
What worked for him in the primary campaign, what sort of attracted a core of loyal supporters, mostly white working class supporters in rust belt
states where globalization has had a big impact, is not working for him in the general election.
The whole point of a general election is you have to expand your political base. Right now, Donald Trump is not doing that. Those battleground
states are important because Donald Trump needs to win Florida. He needs to win Ohio
And he has to take one traditionally Democratic state, possibly Pennsylvania or Michigan. Polls show he's doing badly there over the last
few weeks.
So you know, we've come to a point where we could look back at the last few weeks and say this was the moment the campaign changed. Having said that,
we've not got to the beginning of September yet, the traditionally sort of starting post for campaigns.
Hillary Clinton, as you were saying, has issues with trust. We've got two, you know, historically unpopular candidates running from each party. It's
not sort of impossible that Donald Trump can come back.
But he's going to have to make some major changes to his attitude, try and bash out a consistent message against Hillary Clinton, if he's going to
have any chance -- Clarissa.
WARD: It's interesting, we do hear every time Hillary Clinton is questioned by the press this issue of trustworthiness seems to come to the
fore. Will she ever be able to move passed this?
COLLINSON: You know, if you talk to a lot of people, Democrats privately despair about this issue of the private e-mail server she used as secretary
of state, because that exacerbated questions about her honesty and about her character really going back 20 years to when she was first lady.
Many Democrats don't believe she'll ever be able to get passed it. But having gone through the whole set of investigations with the FBI, the fact
she wasn't indicted, notwithstanding the fact that she was criticized very sharply by the FBI Chief James Comey.
They believe at least the major political damage from this is out of the way as far as this campaign is concerned. But if she does go on to the
president, the first time there's an ethical question, it will bring up all those questions about her character again. So it's something I think she's
going to have to carry for the rest of her political career.
WARD: OK, Stephen Collinson, thank you very much for your expertise.
Still to come, protesters disrupt morning rush hour in cities across Britain to highlight how racism disrupts the lives of black people here
every day.
And an aid worker for a U.S.-based charity is charged with diverting millions of dollars in donations to a group accused of terrorism. All of
that and much more when THE WORLD RIGHT NOW continues.
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[15:16:48]
WARD: You can add South Africa to the list of countries in political turmoil. Its dominant political party since the end of apartheid is
falling out of favor with a growing number of frustrated voters. Keep in mind this is the party that Nelson Mandela helped build into a national
powerhouse.
David McKenzie is in Johannesburg where the African National Congress is facing historic losses in local elections across the country. Now, David,
the ANC has basically been the only act in town for more than two decades now. How much of a surprise is this result?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Clarissa, it really is a surprise because many people thought that the ANC would use its legacy here
in South Africa and really depend on that legacy from its anti-apartheid movement into the last 20 years of democracy here in South Africa.
But they've lost a lot of ground in the metro areas, in the major cities like Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, even the capital, Pretoria. And the
official opposition has even managed to take control in the coalition of sorts in the coastal city, which is also known as Nelson Mandela Bay.
The irony is lost on no one that they are taking a city with that name. A lot of people are angry with the levels of perceived corruption within the
ruling ANC, and at the president, Jacob Zuma, who has been slammed by a series of corruption scandals and was really a liability, many people
thought, in this election -- Clarissa.
WARD: David, what does this mean going forward for South African politics, what other changes can we expect?
MCKENZIE: It's a sea change in South African politics. How long this lasts and what sort of effect it will have is not clear at this stage.
Potentially, the first order of business in the coming year or so would be the question, whether the party stands by President Zuma in the run-up to
national elections in a couple of years, or whether they'll jettison him in some ways.
What it does show is that sort of niche opposition parties that sort of base their support on race in the past are now broadening their support
amongst all raises in South Africa, and really getting out onto the street.
There is a mix of people talking about legacy and change. But many people are also saying that South Africa, having yet another peaceful elections,
they've almost become commonplace here in South Africa since 1994, is the real winner here. But very big changes in terms of a loss of support from
the ruling ANC.
WARD: OK, David McKenzie, thank you.
An aid director with a U.S.-based charity has been charged with diverting millions of dollars in donations to the accused terrorist group, Hamas.
CNN's Oren Liebermann reports from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[15:20:01]OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This investigation focuses around Mohammad El Halabi, 38-year-old Gazan and the director of the Gaza
branch of World Vision, a U.S.-based Christian humanitarian organization.
El Halabi is charged with siphoning millions of dollars away from World Vision and directing or funneling that money to Hamas, according to an
indictment filed in Israeli District Court. Hamas is the militant group that runs Gaza.
El Halabi was arrested on June 15th at the Erez border crossing between Gaza and Israel. Shin Bet, which conducted the investigation and which is
Israel's security agency says El Halabi used position as the Gaza director to funnel money from donations and take money away from humanitarian
projects and give that to Hamas's military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Shin Bet says he sent about $7.2 million a year that way using a number of different methods including, according to the Shin bet, inflating the cost
of humanitarian projects and sending the difference to Hamas, and taking building supplies meant for humanitarian projects and sending it to Hamas
for the construction of attack tunnels into Israel.
El Halabi's lawyer, Mohammed Mahmoud, told CNN that El Halabi has no links to Hamas. He says that the fact that Israel held El Halabi for 50 days
without charging him is a sign that Israel's evidence against El Halabi is weak and he says the evidence will fall apart in court.
World Vision also released a statement denying the charges and calling on Israel to conduct a fair trial. That statement reads in part, "World
Vision programs in Gaza have been subject to regular internal and independent audits, evaluations, and a broad range of internal controls
aimed at insuring that assets reach their intended beneficiaries and are used in compliance with applicable laws and donor requirements."
Following the Israeli investigation, one country, Australia, announced that they would be suspending the funding they give to World Vision projects in
the Palestinian territories pending the conclusion of the investigation. Oren Lieberman, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Here in the U.K., small groups of Black Lives Matter protesters effectively shut down several key roads this morning in London, Birmingham,
and Nottingham. Police arrested at least ten people who had temporarily blocked an access road to Heathrow Airport.
Lying beneath the banner reading "this is a crisis," the protesters had locked their arms together in concrete casts to make it harder for the
police to move them.
Today's civil disobedience coincided with riots and looting that broke out five years ago after police shot and killed an unarmed black man named Mark
Duggett (ph). Police were later cleared in the incident.
The Black Lives Matter's U.K. movement also held a rally in Central London. Our Phil Black spoke with one of the protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACHEL WILLIAMS, STUDENT ACTIVIST: I think it resonates too in the United Kingdom because we've seen injustice here for so long, since 1990 there
have been over 1,500 people that died following police contact. Some of the young people in this park today wouldn't have seen justice for any
single one of those black people in their entire lives. So when that comes for the desire and need for justice and the pain we feel here, it's very
similar.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just very quickly, the actions that have been taking place earlier in the U.K. today, protests in Heathrow,
Birmingham, Nottingham, they've involved blocking streets, clearly designed to get a bit of attention and raise the profile of the issue. Why do you
think those sorts of methods are the way to do it?
WILLIAMS: I think they're important because not only do they raise awareness, they give people a small amount of that feeling of what it is to
be helpless in a situation beyond your control, to have your power taken away from you.
It's more than just delaying a flight for a few hours. It's really trying to make the message hit home that this is what it feels like when we come
in contact with police. We have no power. That power has been taken away from us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Now to a close call at an airport in Italy. A DHL cargo plane skidded off the runway and crossed into a busy road. The plane was landing
after a flight from Paris. It was raining at the time. There were no injuries and both the airport and the road are up and running.
From political fighting to health scares, there have been a lot of distractions ahead of this year's Olympics. But we'll focus on what the
games are really about, the athletics.
But later we'll take a look at the city's hospitals. Are they ready? When THE WORLD RIGHT NOW continues, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a firsthand look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To better understand what is happening here, we went along with Rio's first emergency
response battalion to see them in action.
(on camera): Another problem, it's been 20 minutes now, roughly, since we left, and we're lost. We're not exactly sure where the patient is that
needs our assistance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:27:08]
WARD: Hello and welcome back to THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Here is a check of our top stories. Let the games begin -- almost. The opening ceremony for
the Summer Olympics in Rio is now just hours away. But not everyone is happy. Earlier protesters at the world famous Copacabana Beach forced the
Olympic torch route to be diverted.
Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has made a rare backtrack. Trump said he had seen video showing a U.S. plane dropping off a $400
million payment in Iran. But he said on Twitter this morning, "The plane I saw on television was the hostage plane in Geneva, Switzerland."
At least ten protesters with Black Lives Matter U.K. were arrested today after briefly blocking an access road to Heathrow Airport. Protests also
took place in Birmingham and Nottingham. Many of the protesters were locked together.
At least 13 people are dead and 50 wounded after an attack in Northeast India. Police say three gunmen opened fire Friday morning at a market.
One was killed. Two remain at large. Authorities are blaming a Christian separatist group that they classify as a terror organization.
After years of getting ready, the countdown to the start of the Olympics is in its final hours, but the road hasn't just been long. Frankly at times
it's been pretty uncertain. From protests over politics to money troubles to a health care with the Zika virus.
Even the games themselves haven't been spared rocked by the Russian doping scandal. We now know that most of Russia's athletes will in fact be
allowed to compete.
Rio wants to give the visiting athletes the best impression of the city. Everything in the Olympic Village is new and sparkling. Close by, the
local hospitals are struggling.
Our Sanjay Gupta follows along the paramedics in Rio and witnesses the abysmal lack of resources in Rio's hospitals.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): The images increasingly disturbing. Overcrowding in Rio's hospitals. Wait times here measured not in minutes or hours but
days, and this horrifying situation. A patient passed away, lying in a body bag and also waiting.
To better understand what is happening here, we went along with Rio's first emergency response battalion to see them in action.
(on camera): Another problem, it's been 20 minutes now, roughly, since we left, and we're lost. We're not exactly sure where the patient is that
needs our assistance.
(voice-over): We finally arrive. A man has collapsed.
(on camera): What they're going to try and do is administer as much care as they can in the ambulance and not take him to a hospital if they don't
have to.
(voice-over): But turns out he needs a hospital. The next goal, find a bed for him, any bed, and that is typically not very easy here.
DR. NELSON NAHON, VICE PRESIDENT, CREMER (through translation): In the state of Rio de Janeiro, we lack 150 intensive care beds every day.
GUPTA: Dr. Nelson Nahon is the vice president at the Cremer, the Regional Council of Medicine.
NAHON (through translation): It is an absurd situation.
GUPTA: And according to Dr. Nahon, in order to make room for hundreds of thousands of Olympic tourists, things may have just become worse for local
residents. All elective operations at nearby public hospitals have been postponed for the duration of the Olympics.
For the residents of the Olympic Village, however, a different story. This polyclinic will be the first stop for any Olympic athlete, coach or family
member, able to handle 60 patients with C.T. and MRI scanners, even dental care.
For many athletes, even from the poorest countries, this is even an opportunity for typically hard to access health care. And if necessary,
they will likely arrive here, America's Medical City.
Dr. Antonio Marttos is in charge of emergency services and disaster response for Rio 2016. He is giving us a rare look inside the facility.
DR. ANTONIO MARTTOS, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI HEALTH SYSTEM: For people inside the venues, if they need, will be ready to take care.
GUPTA: For nearly three years, they've been planning for these three weeks. Here in the city's command center, director of emergency services,
Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Sinas, tells me the biggest concern is not Zika, not illness from the water, but a mass casualty incident from a terrorist
attack.
And that will bring into view for all to see a tale of two hospitals, one a world away from the other. On this day, our unknown patient is finally
wheeled into the emergency room of that other world. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: OK, well, let's stay in Rio now, but hear some more about what everyone is really excited about. CNN World Sport's Don Riddell is live
there for us. Don, tell us about the preparations for these opening ceremonies.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Well, it's just a few hours away now, Clarissa, and we can't wait, especially since a lot of the buildup to this
Olympics has been mired in scandal and controversy. We've spent the last couple of days talking about the Russian doping scandal, which has been far
from satisfactory.
But the sports fans amongst us and the true Olympics fans amongst us are really looking forward to seeing some real competition. This is what it's
all about. We're live on Copacabana Beach. As you can see behind me, we have the Olympic rings, which I can tell you is going to be a major
attraction over the next couple of weeks.
You can see everybody standing here and posing for photographs, very, very busy. Who wouldn't want to be in Brazil at any time, who wouldn't want to
be on the beach at any time? Even in the Brazilian winter as it is right now.
A lot of the Olympic events will be taking place over here, if Paul can pan this way. This is where some of the events will be ending, the main road
on the promenade where we'll have the triathlon and the road race.
If Paul can look this way, you can see all the way around as the beach curves, the big mountain is on the right, where the beach volleyball will
be happening, and Brazilians are potentially gold medalists in both men's and women's event.
It will all be happening. The actual opening ceremony will be happening at the iconic Maracana Stadium on the other side of town, just a few hours
away.
We understand it's by lavish Olympic standards, going to be perhaps a bit more Spartan than the opening ceremony of the London games and Beijing
eight years ago. But I think it still will be an incredible event.
The Brazilian model, Gisele, will be taking part. The actress, Judy Dench, will be reading a poem. It's always a great show. We're looking forward
to it.
WARD: Absolutely. A lot of people are talking about the fact that we've learned that soccer legend, Pele, will no longer be involved. He's not
able to light the torch. Do we have any sense of who might fill his shoes?
RIDDELL: That's the story. I mean, I think if any of us were going to be talking about this in the buildup to the games and said let's draw up a
short list of who is going to be lighting the flame, it would definitely have been a short list of just one name.
It's hard to imagine anybody else lighting the flame. Pele of course a globally famous sportsman. He was the footballer who put Brazil on the map
by winning the world cup when he was just 17 years old.
At that time Brazil had a very low profile on the world stage especially as a sports nation. He ended up winning three World Cups, five in all. He is
an absolute god here.
[15:35:09]But earlier today, he put out a release saying that due to his health he wasn't going to be able to light the flame. That would be a
great shame if that's the case. I personally will believe it when I see it. I can't imagine anybody else doing it.
But maybe this is just the way that Pele and the authorities and the organizers are going to keep us guessing. The official line is, he won't
be doing it and if he's not going to be doing it, I don't know who is.
WARD: And I wanted to ask you, Don, you're there, you're surrounded by the bands. Which events are people the most excited about?
RIDDELL: Well, that's a good question. There's so many events at the Olympics. There's ten and a half thousand athletes here in 28 different
sports. I think if you were to ask the Brazilians, they would probably say one of them is right here, beach volleyball happening just about a mile
along the coast.
It's a beach place, Rio, it's a perfect sport, made for them in the Olympics, and they're expected to do well. I would also say the football,
Brazil so successful, having won five World Cups.
But the one football title they have never won is the Olympics. If they can end that, now is the time especially given the way their World Cup
ended two years ago when they were hosting it and they were absolutely humiliated in the semifinal by Germany.
I think the footballers owe the Brazilian fans something and this would be a good time to go on to win it. They have got one of the most best players
on their side. People here would love to see them do it.
WARD: Well, we will certainly be watching, thank you so much, Don Riddell.
This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Coming up, is this Donald Trump's worst week ever? From infuriating senior Republicans to kicking a baby out of one of
his rallies, Trump has a lot on his plate, and some voters are finding it hard to swallow. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WARD: Now after a tumultuous week in U.S. politics, Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, appears to be on the ropes for perhaps
the first time since he announced his presidential run.
After getting into a spat with gold star families, his week is getting even worse, from falsely saying he saw video showing Iran receiving $400 million
from the U.S., to facing criticism from senior Republicans for his refusal to endorse two top GOP candidates.
And he's even being attacked for telling a woman to leave his rally because her baby was crying, after he told her she could stay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The biggest in the world, the Chinese bank -- don't worry about that baby. I love babies. I hear that
baby crying, I like it. I like it. What a baby. What a beautiful baby. Don't worry. Don't worry.
[15:40:08]They have ripped us to shreds, absolutely to shreds. Actually I was only kidding. You can get the baby out of here. That's all right.
Don't worry. I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I'm speaking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Well, for more on all of this let's bring in Josh Rogin, a columnist for "The Washington Post" and a CNN political analyst. Josh, what a
difference a week makes. You know, we've seen some major movement in the polling numbers here. How badly has this hurt Donald Trump and what
specifically has hit him the hardest, do you think?
JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. What you pointed out is right, Donald Trump has had terrible weeks before, but this is the first time
we've really seen the polls move. That's partly because this week comes on the heels of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
We started with him totally mangling his explanation of what's going on in Ukraine, then his battle with the gold star family, then invented a video
from Iran that didn't exist, rebuked two leaders of his party.
Also there's several reports that I can confirm about major unrest inside his campaign, people just don't think they can get to him and convince him
to stop doing these crazy things.
Finally, today we saw a couple of signs Trump has gotten the message, he plans to endorse Paul Ryan, reluctantly, and he actually admitted that he
never saw a video of piles of Iranian cash being unloaded.
So what's the long term effect? This is the crucial time between the conventions and the debates. A lot of money is being spent, a lot of state
campaigns are getting under way.
And as both sides sort of position themselves and decide what their strategies will be, all of the numbers for Trump are moving in the wrong
direction.
WARD: Stay with us, Josh, I want to bring up another scandal of course that we've heard a lot of talk about. Melania Trump has proudly brought up
in the past how she followed the rules to enter the country legally throughout the campaign. Let's remind everyone of that. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: I came here on visa. I flew to Slovenia every few months to stamp it. Came back, applied for green card,
and after a few years, for citizenship. I obeyed the law. I did it the right way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Well, there is now conflicting information about when she actually came to the U.S., if she had the right visa. Josh, what do you know about
this controversy and how important is it?
ROGIN: Right. The questions were raised earlier this week when photos, modelling photos, were published of her that date back to 1995, which is a
year earlier than we had previously understood that she had come to the U.S.
The question is whether she had permission to work while on that original visa. It seems that there's at least the likelihood that she was on a visa
that didn't allow her to work and she worked anyway.
If true, you could make an argument that every single visa application she made afterwards including her green card and citizenship application were
fraudulent and therefore if someone really wanted to, they could go back and try to unravel it.
That's not going to happen, no one's going to take the time to revoke Melania Trump's citizenship. At the same time, it does point to sort of
another hypocrisy coming from the Trump camp at a time when they're talking about strict enforcement of immigration rules almost every day.
WARD: Exactly, it's the hypocrisy as you said that doesn't seem to be playing well with some voters. I just wanted to take a look at some of the
latest national polls, Hillary Clinton has a lead of nine points at this stage in the race. What does Trump now have to do to catch up?
ROGIN: National polls are one thing. Polls in Michigan, polls in Virginia, two very important swing states, are totally going in Clinton's
direction. She's actually up in one poll in Georgia, which is bizarre to think about.
We always expected there would be a bump for Trump after his convention, a bump for Hillary after her convention, and then it would settle out. But
it's not settling out, it's going the wrong way.
The first thing he has to do is no more crises, no more gaffes, and no more insulting families of dead soldiers or babies. That's job number one.
After that he has to put the focus back on Hillary Clinton, who has her own problems this week including a controversial interview she did last Sunday
on Fox News about her e-mail.
Whether or not he can do those things, nobody knows. He knows he has to do them, he said he has to do them. Whether or not he can muster up the
discipline to actually do them, we'll have to wait and see.
WARD: We've heard obviously a lot of rumblings from the Republican Party. What sense do you have of what their reaction has been? There's been a lot
of speculation. Is it possible they would somehow withdraw their support for their own candidate? What is the realistic way of understanding the
Republican Party's feelings about Trump at this stage?
ROGIN: I mean, the vast majority of them who I've talked to this week are mortified and panicked, there is no doubt about that. They're outraged and
they're also really depressed because it's becoming increasingly likely that at least they believe that Trump is going to lose and they're
wondering what effect that's going to have on all the down ticket races.
They're not going to all withdraw their support for Trump. It's not really politically feasible, especially if you're running for Senate and as a
Republican you can't abandon and sort of ignore all the Trump supporters, and there are tons of them, right?
So you can quietly move all the money and support and infrastructure on the ground away from the presidential race and towards the Senate and house
races. That's what their real retribution is going to be, and then paper off the differences and hopefully in a couple of weeks pretend like nothing
is wrong.
WARD: Josh, I want to ask you a final question on Secretary Clinton in this press conference today, the issue again being grave of
untrustworthiness, can she ever leave all this behind? Can she get past it?
ROGIN: Well, she could, but she doesn't seem to be doing the things that it would take. In the interview on Fox News last Sunday, she said the FBI
director had said she was truthful about her e-mails, and that didn't really pass the laugh test.
She clarified, she said she was, quote/unquote, "short-circuiting" and had conflated two different issues. Everybody knows about the e-mails, either
you think it's a big deal or you don't think it's a big deal.
The problem now is she can't just own it. She always has to make these sort of half-excuses. It just enforces the narrative that she can't be
honest and open and up front with the people about what she did and what she didn't do.
That's how she gets passed it, she stops making excuses and just says I'm sorry and leaves it at that without adding that extra qualifier. But she
doesn't seem really willing to do that.
And again, these are flaws in the Hillary Clinton candidacy that we haven't really focused on because there are such greater flaws in the Trump
candidacy this week.
WARD: Indeed. Josh Rogin, thank you for helping us go through it all.
ROGIN: Any time.
WARD: Donald Trump often rails against the media and specific journalists who he claims are biased and treat him unfairly. Remember the feud with
Megyn Kelly? His running mate, Mike Pence, faced some tough questions of his own yesterday from an 11-year-old supporter of Trump. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW SCHRICKER, 11-YEAR-OLD TRUMP SUPPORTER: I've been watching the news lately, and I've been noticing that you've been kind of softening up
on Mr. Trump's policies and words. Is this going to be your role in the administration?
MIKE PENCE, U.S. REPUBLICAN VICE PRIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sometimes things don't always come out like you mean, right? And Donald Trump and I are
absolutely determined to work together. We have different styles. You might have noticed that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Later, Matthew Schricker explained to CNN why he asked Governor Pence that question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHRICKER: I wasn't trying to hostile and trying to accuse of him anything. I'm full on with the Trump campaign. I think that I just wanted
to see if he was -- if he was just -- if Mr. Trump was approving of it. And I think that it's been -- I think that's what he's doing and I think he
balances the ticket out a little bit. And I think that's very good for the Trump campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot has been made in this campaign of the language that is used, the name calling that's been used, especially in the
primaries. As a 11-year-old watching it, what's your reaction?
SCHRICKER: I really think that listening to a few bad words coming out of Donald Trump is a lot better than people getting blown up by terrorists,
people getting burned alive, heads being chopped off, and people getting drowned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Well, Trump's pain seems to be Hillary Clinton's gain. CNN's Gary Tuchman went to meet one longtime Republican who is now turning out to
support Trump's Democratic rival.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nancy and Juan Jimenez have been married for 35 years. For each and every one of those years, he's
been a registered Democrat and she a Republican. But here she is in Las Vegas at a Hillary Clinton rally.
(on camera): Initially in this campaign who is your favorite for president?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump.
TUCHMAN: Donald Trump.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump.
TUCHMAN: Why did you like Trump originally?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like him because he is different. I thought he would bring a difference to America.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): But for Nancy Jimenez, who has long considered herself a Reagan Republican, that was then, and this is now.
(on camera): So do you still support Donald Trump?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
TUCHMAN: What changed?
NANCY JIMENEZ, REPUBLICAN VOTING FOR HILLARY CLINTON: When I saw the debate and I saw how he acts and how he comes across, he is not who we want
to represent America.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): It's not easy to find Republicans at a Hillary Clinton rally. But as more GOP politicians come out against Trump, so do
some Republican voters.
[15:50:10]Voters like Nancy Jimenez. Midway through this rally, she liked what she was hearing.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to be the president of all Americans, Democrats, Republicans, independents, young, old, everybody
in between.
TUCHMAN: Jimenez was disappointed she couldn't get close enough afterwards to get a picture with Hillary Clinton. She says that was her only
disappointment.
JIMENEZ: She was so poised and so competent, and she knows what she wants. And she is not willing -- I mean, she's willing to go out there and fight
for the American people.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Poaching Republicans is a major goal for Hillary Clinton, just like poaching Democrats is a major goal for Donald Trump.
But in this place, score one for Clinton. Nancy Jimenez appears to be one of the poached.
Do you have a lot of Republican friends and family?
JIMENEZ: Absolutely.
TUCHMAN: If they ask you, listen, you have to stay loyal to your party, reconsider Hillary Clinton, go back to Donald Trump, you say?
JIMENEZ: No way. Can't go back to Trump and my whole family is Republican. My dad, everybody is Republican.
TUCHMAN: Three debates left, three months to go.
JIMENEZ: No, I won't go back.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): A political convert for Hillary Clinton. Gary Tuchman, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Coming up, we meet the famous girl from Ipanema. That's next on THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WARD: The start to the Olympics now just hours away will be a celebration of Brazilian music and dance and perhaps no Brazilian song is more iconic
than "The Girl From Ipanema." That girl is now a woman. And CNN's Shasta Darlington went for a walk on the beach with her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The girl from Ipanema, now the grandmother from Ipanema. She was the inspiration for the iconic
Brazilian hit.
(on camera): When you hear that song, what does it make you feel?
HELO PINHEIRO, INSPIRATION FOR THE "GIRL FROM IPANEMA": I feel so happy because I remember my past. I remember when I was young because now I am a
grandmother, no more the girl.
DARLINGTON (voice-over): Back in the '60s, she caught the eye of Bossa Nova songwriter, Tom Jobim and poet, Vinicius de Moraes, as she walked by
on the way to the beach.
(on camera): The reason you're the inspiration for the song, can you show us how "the girl from Ipanema" used to walk on the beach every day?
PINHEIRO: The samba, the swing that all Brazilian people have.
DARLINGTON (voice-over): On Friday, she'll carry the Olympic torch through her childhood neighborhood.
PINHEIRO: The people are so unhappy, so sad, and now it's a big party. I think we are more anxious, more happy, more --
DARLINGTON: And at night, Gisele Bundchen will play her in the opening ceremony.
PINHEIRO: I think she's beautiful, she's young, and for me so nice.
DARLINGTON: The awe-inspiring walk popularized in English by Frank Sinatra. Shasta Darlington, CNN, Rio de Janeiro.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Another heartwarming story now that started with a little dog running across China's Gobi Desert. If all goes as planned, there will be
a happy ending in Scotland. Robyn Curnow has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dion Leonard has run some of the most extreme races around the world, but the (inaudible) marathoner
said he's never seen anything like this. Earlier this summer, Leonard was competing in a grueling week-long run across China's Gobi Desert when a
friendly little dog started to follow him.
DION LEONARD, EXTREME MARATHONER: She was looking up in my eyes and just kept staring at me, looking up at me. I'm looking down at her thinking,
this little dog is not going to stay with me all day, surely. But that's exactly what she did.
CURNOW: The stray, which he named Gobi, stuck with him for days, over mountains, through scorching heat, 125 kilometers, all the way to the
finish and a second place medal.
LEONARD: It was an amazing experience, running to the finish line with her. My wife says to me, it's the only time I've ever seen you smile
during a race.
CURNOW: After the race, Leonard knew he couldn't leave his furry friend behind. He started "bring Gobi home," a crowd-funding effort to raise
enough money to bring the dog back with him to Scotland. It quickly became an international sensation.
LEONARD: It's awesome to see the support from all around the world and the notes and the e-mails and the messages that we're getting has just been
incredible.
CURNOW: Leonard has raised thousands of dollars from backers all around the world and he's now waiting to officially adopt Gobi. Before that can
happen, the dog must spend up to four months in quarantine. Leonard is hoping they'll be reunited in time for the holidays.
LEONARD: Wouldn't that be an amazing Christmas present to actually have?
CURNOW: There could be more racing ahead for Gobi.
LEONARD: She's going to definitely be out there wanting to compete. She'll run every day if you allow her. She's got a big heart.
CURNOW: Leonard says he's already looking forward to getting back on the trail with his new best friend. Robyn Curnow, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Thank you for watching. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
