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Hala Gorani Tonight
Trump: Generals Will Have 30 Days To Devise ISIS Plan; Doctors: More Than 200 Injured In Alleged Chlorine Attack; Doctors Group: Use Of Chemical Weapons Is "New Normal"; Italian Foreign Minister On Syria Talks; Mixed Messages Over New Kerry, Lavrov Talks; Apple Unveils New iPhone 7; Hillary Clinton's "Likeability" Problem; CNN National Poll Shows Race Is Dead Heat; Mexico's Finance Minister Resigns; Italian PM On Charlie Hebdo Cartoon Controversy; WHO Recommends Men And Women Follow New Guidelines; Russia Banned From Competing At Paralympics. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 07, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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[15:00:13] HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. We are live at CNN London. This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
He is calling it peace through military strength. That is what Donald Trump said would be the focus of this foreign and military policy if he's
elected American president. He's proposing a huge increase in defense spending saying the best way to avoid conflict is to showcase America's
military dominance.
The Republican candidate laid out his national security plans today. He's also calling for an end to defense budget cuts, an increase in the number
of troops, more fighter aircraft, ships, and submarines, and a state-of- the-art missile defense system. Trump also talked about ISIS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Immediately after taking office, I will ask my generals to send to me a plan within 30 days to defeat and
destroy ISIS. This will require military warfare but also cyber warfare, financial warfare, and ideological warfare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: OK. You may remember Trump said earlier this year that he had a plan to fight ISIS already, but didn't want to reveal it and tip off the
terrorists.
He's also said that he knows more about ISIS than the generals, the very people he's seeking help from now or would seek help from if he's elected
president saying that he will give them 30 days to come up with the plan.
Let's bring in CNN military analyst, Retired Lt. General Mark Hertling with more on the analysis on what Donald Trump has announced.
Let's talk a little bit about this plan to increase the number of ships for the navy, missile defense system, more cyber security and active army
personnel number of 500 and 40,000. What do you make overall of this idea that the American military needs to be strengthened and more money needs to
be spent on it?
LT. GENERAL MARK HERTLING (RETIRED), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Hala, these are all figures that have been advertised by the American Heritage
Institute for the past several years. There are certainly things that I think the more conservative military supporters are saying we need.
Over the last several years, all elements of the military, Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force, have all gone through a series of cuts because of
congressional mandated sequestration as Mr. Trump pointed out.
The numbers that he's citing are all part of a plan to get back to the size of the force that was actually in existence in about 2000, 2005, before it
was increased slightly before the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and then decreased recently because of sequestration.
It is a good figure. Some people would agree with those numbers. I personally think our military should be strengthened and more budget
allocations to provide support for a nation that has been -- for a military of a nation that's been at war for 16 years.
But I'm not sure we're taking into account the true troop-to-task analysis of the threats that are being faced in the future. That's what all the
service chiefs have been attempting to do over the last several years.
GORANI: Yes, because the U.S. is not at war actively in the way that it was in 2005 in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also, I just want to tell our
viewers essentially that the U.S.'s military budget is by far the biggest in the world, certainly as big as the next five or six military budgets
combined.
The second largest military budget is China. After that you have the U.K., France, Saudi Arabia, et cetera. So considering the threat that the U.S.
faces today is a bigger military in your opinion what the country needs.
HERTLING: Well, I think we need to increase slightly the size of the military for the different kinds of threats we need, but part of that
budget also, Hala, is associated with modernization and really a training budget that has to continue on, but a big portion of the budget is
attributed to personnel costs.
We are one of the few totally professional militaries in the world and along with that goes a significant amount of money to support not only the
allowances for our soldiers but the support of their families as well.
That's a big portion of the military budget. When you start increasing the size of the force before you even consider modernization and training
dollars, for every 10,000 soldiers you increased, there's a very large bill that comes along with it because it is a lifetime force.
GORANI: All right, well, we've been waiting for details from Donald Trump on his military strategy. We got a glimpse of that today. Thanks very
much, Lt. General Mark Hertling, for joining us live.
Now to some news just coming into CNN, a Russian jet has intercepted an American Navy aircraft in the skies over the Black Sea, according to the
Pentagon.
Let's crossover to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, for more details. I understand the Russians are saying that this American Navy jet
flew very close to Russian airspace, is that correct?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hala, it looks like it was a very close interaction indeed. Pentagon officials saying that an SU-27
Russian jet earlier today flew within ten feet of a U.S. Navy P8 patrol aircraft over the Black Sea.
The U.S. military saying it was in international airspace over the Black Sea when this happened. Ten feet, awfully close. No video, no pictures
available yet from the Pentagon of the actual event.
But there have been several of these in the recent months. It's caused the U.S. military a good deal of concern. They've spoken to the Russians about
it.
You know, it's similar to what we've seen with Iran in the Persian Gulf, their boats coming close to U.S. Navy ships. In these tight spaces in the
air, sea, there's a lot of concern that one of these incidents could get out of hand and there could be a real tragedy, a real military incident.
So a lot of concern at the Pentagon today about this latest incident with the Russians over the Black Sea -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, well, we knew a Russian jet ran into some trouble when it flew into Turkish airspace just a few months ago. So well, this one
certainly didn't end in tragedy. There was some sort of tension there between the two. Thanks very much, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for
bringing us up to date on this breaking news.
Now onto some harrowing new footage from Aleppo, Syria. There are certainly no shortage of it. It shows the aftermath of what doctors said
was a chlorine gas attack by regime warplanes. Dozens of children are now among those gasping for air literally in an Aleppo hospital.
And thousands of kilometers away right here in London, diplomats are talking, trying to find a way back to peace talks, but there's no end in
sight, certainly not for Aleppo.
We want to share that new video with you, but we want to warn you, it is graphic and it is disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI (voice-over): The relentless bombardment of Aleppo has taken an even more savage twist. On Tuesday according to local medics more than 100
people were victims of a chemical gas attack. Everything smells of chlorine these people shout as they try to wash the toxic chemical from a
small boy.
Rights groups blame the Assad regime saying government forces dropped barrel bombs containing chlorine on a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo.
At least 37 of the victims were children according to the Aleppo Free Doctors' Committee.
Many left coughing and gasping for air. As the full brutality of the war pounds Aleppo's streets, diplomats met in London trying once again to
hammer out a plan to end the conflict.
Syria's main opposition group set out its roadmap for political transition, proposing a six-month ceasefire to begin immediately. After that they want
President Assad to step aside in favor of a unity government.
RIYAD HIJAB, SYRIAN HIGH NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE (through translator): We cannot allow Assad and his fleet and those who have killed and tortured
people over the last five years to stay on.
GORANI: It is this that remains the biggest sticking point to progress because Assad and his allies in Moscow are refusing to back down. After
the talks, host, Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary, sounded hopeful.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Listening to everybody today, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that we -- common sense and
flexibility and energy, this vision and this plan that the Dr. Hijab and his colleagues have put forward, this can be put into effect.
GORANI: But neither Russia nor the Assad regime, of course, were present today in London so a breakthrough might have been impossible anyway and
this may all be a simply be a photo-op.
[15:10:05]Although President Obama has said in the past that chemical warfare in Syria would be a, quote, "redline," the international community
still looks far from any concrete action that could end the suffering. Meanwhile children drowning in their hospital beds is becoming the new
normal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right, now as we wait to hear details on whether or not the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, will meet John Kerry, the U.S.
secretary of state in Geneva. There's been word of that and then some conflicting information.
We are going to go to our senior international correspondent, Arwa Damon, who joins me now live from Istanbul specifically with more about this
chlorine gas attack, certainly not the first time that the regime is accused of using chemical weapons against its own people -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it's really not, Hala. And why did the activists and medical workers on the ground suspect
initially and continue to insist that it was chlorine? Because in that specific neighborhood in Aleppo, they have come under similar attacks in
the past.
This is the sad reality of Syria. They've grown accustomed to the smells and the symptoms and it is because of that they were able to deduce that
this was according to them at least a chlorine attack.
Here's another key issue in all of this. When you have victims of this kind of attack, they're not going into a fully functional medical facility
that can properly treat their symptoms.
They are by and large being treated in underground clinics because the above ground hospitals especially in Eastern rebel-held Aleppo have been
bombed deliberately according to activists on the grounds and various medical organizations by the Russians and the Syrians.
This has forced to go into underground bankers. They don't have electricity. They are reliant on generators which run on diesel, which is
in very short supply because Eastern Aleppo is once again under siege by government forces.
And the other thing is that perhaps people don't really recognize at this stage is that when you survive one attack when you're in Syria, you don't
actually get to breathe that sigh of relief and having survived because the next day brings only more violence.
Yes, 24 hours after that attack took place yesterday, the same neighborhood in Aleppo was bombarded by air strikes that left at least ten people dead
and another 40 wounded -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, absolutely relentless. Thanks very much. Arwa Damon is in Istanbul with the very latest on what's happening in the ground in
Syria.
So with everything that we see unfolding on our television screens and on our computers every day, you would think it is a matter of absolute urgency
to come to some of agreement for a ceasefire.
And the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov of Russia, we were told would meet in Geneva in the next 24 hours.
However, there is some confusion.
The U.S. State Department has reportedly said they don't have a meeting to announce at this time because that apparently contradicts a message given
to the diplomats at the Toxin, London earlier today, that they were told that John Kerry would be traveling to Geneva to meet with Lavrov.
I spoke with the Italian foreign minister, Paolo Gentiloni. He attended today's talks in London. I began by asking him what progress was being
made.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAOLO GENTILONI, ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, I think two progress. From one side, we have from the Syrian opposition presented a very
interesting plan for the transition and it is not so evident because they reached an agreement among very different forces to have a transition plan.
The second good news and it's only an opportunity because we have to see how it will go and develop the day after tomorrow is that in his video link
with us from Washington, John Kerry told us that he's leaving to meet Lavrov tomorrow and he's having the target to close the agreement for a
ceasefire in the next two or three days.
GORANI: Let me ask you first about this opposition plan. Six months of negotiations, Assad agrees to leave after six months then a transitional
body for 18 months and then elections. Bashar al-Assad isn't going anywhere in six months. Is that not overly optimistic?
GENTILONI: I think it is a principled position that I understand and they appreciate, but I'm also sure that if and when Bashar al-Assad finally
accept the idea to negotiate with this committee of the Syrian opposition. The committee of the Syrian opposition should go to the negotiation without
free condition.
[15:15:08]GORANI: But the cards are being held mainly by Bashar al-Assad. He's being helped by Russia. He's being helped by Iran. He's got
Hezbollah fighters helping him. He's got all pretty much the main cities and part of rebel-held Aleppo completely encircled. Why would he sit down
with anybody?
GENTILONI: The real difficulty is that in the recent weeks exploiting in some way the fact that there were negotiations going on, the regime
continued to siege -- to bomb different cities and to try to strengthen its position, but this is something that we cannot accept.
I think that the United States are determined to make very clear to Russia that we are not accepted anymore this kind of situation. We negotiate and
Assad continues to bomb and besiege the Syrian city. This is not acceptable.
GORANI: But saying to Russia this is not acceptable has been going on for a very long time. Russia has helped the regime bomb these civilian areas
now for several weeks if not months and they don't really seem to care what western countries like France or Italy or the United States say. So what
can Kerry and Lavrov achieve in any new talks? Why do you have optimism there?
GENTILONI: Well, optimism is too much. I think we have to work and fight for the solution. Why we can have a possible solution. Well, just think
what we achieved on February 28th. We decided on February 28th a ceasefire cessation of hostilities. That's how we call it.
And for a couple of months this created in Syria really a new situation. A new situation where they were going outside of their homes I wouldn't say
normally but a little more normally than the last four or five years. So we have demonstrated just four months ago, five months ago that to reach an
agreement is possible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Paolo Gentiloni is Italy's foreign minister. Our global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, joins us live from the State Department. John
Kerry told minister via video link he's meeting Lavrov. Now we are hearing from the State Department that they can't announce a meeting. What's going
on?
ELISE LABOTT, GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, I think that Secretary Kerry is trying to really find out how far the two sides are and
trying to haggle over these issues to make a meeting worthwhile.
I don't think he was quite there yet, although he certainly wants to go meet with Lavrov and try to nail down this agreement. So the State
Department isn't ready to announce something officially.
The Russians came out and said that Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov will be meeting and we're a little bit in a holding pattern right
now. I mean, I do think that there's a desire to try and bridge the remaining gaps.
And my understanding is that they center around these mingling of Al Nusra and the opposition, how do you determine who's a terrorist and who's not a
terrorist, and certainly the areas in and around Aleppo, those roads leading in and out.
The U.S. would like a nationwide ceasefire. I think they would like to start with a small 48-hour ceasefire in Aleppo to try and get some calm and
so then you can more of a nationwide ceasefire starting to get those political talks going again.
All of this backdrop, of course, once they get the ceasefire then the U.S. and Russia are trying to hammer out this agreement on a military
partnership.
That seems very far off right now and you hear from President Obama and other U.S. officials this week that they're losing patience, they're very
frustrated, and there may be time to abandon efforts to work cooperatively with Russia.
They're not there yet, but they're certainly growing to the end of their rope -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. It sure sounds like it. Thanks very much, Elise Labott at the State Department.
A lot more to come this evening, considering the missteps this summer by Donald Trump. Why is Hillary Clinton still losing ground in the polls?
We'll explore that.
And the wait is over, the iPhone 7 is here. What's different? Will you want it? Will you want it bad? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Britain's immigration minister seems to be taking a page from Donald Trump's playbook. Robert Goodwill says construction will begin soon
on what he calls a big new wall near the migrant camp known as the jungle in Calais.
The 4-meter high wall will run for 1 kilometer along both sides of the main road to the port. It's part of a deal between France and Britain to stop
migrants from crossing the English Channel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GOODWILL, U.K. IMMIGRATION MINISTER: The security we're putting in at the ports is being stepped up with equipment. They're going to start
building this big new wall very soon as part of the 17 million package we're doing. There are still people getting through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a fence, not a wall.
GOODWILL: We built a fence. Now we're doing a wall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. As to who's going to pay for it, it will be U.K.- funded. These are pictures of the jungle. Thousands of displaced people live in terrible conditions in this camp. It's known to be a key transit
point for migrants who many of whom don't want be in France at all. They're hoping to enter the U.K. illegally.
In France, a frightening discovery near an iconic Paris landmark has led to the arrest of two people. On Sunday, a local resident notified police of
an illegally parked vehicle with all of its lights on near Notre Dame Cathedral.
Upon investigation, police found the car contained seven gas cylinders, one empty and six full. No detonators, though, or firing devices were found.
A 34-year-old man and 29-year-old woman were arrested. Both are apparently known by French intelligence services.
The American president, Barack Obama's Asian visit has been overshadowed by recent controversial comments from the Filipino president, Rodrigo Duterte.
The remarks are causing the White House even to cancel a meeting between the two. All eyes would be set at the two leaders at the Asean Gala
Dinner.
Now they were both there, both Duterte and President Obama. According to a White House official, the two men held a brief discussion before the event
took place and even exchanged pleasantry. However, President Obama and President Duterte did not sit at dinner together. They had a few people
between them.
For the many, many Apple fans around the world the wait is over, the iPhone 7 is here. CEO Tim Cook made the big reveal at a media event which started
off with a celebrity sing-along.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: That was him doing car pool karaoke with James Corden. The new phone will be water resistant and available for pre-order on September
16th. Apple hopes the new phone will boost sales which have fallen for two quarters in a row.
CNN Money business and technology correspondent, Samuel Burke, is in San Francisco where the event took place. Talk to me about iPhone 7. Why
should we want it? What is so great about it? How has it improved on iPhone 6?
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Listen. I don't think it's some landmark difference those days as Steve Jobs walking out on the
stage and presenting something that we all had to have. I don't think those days exist anymore.
[15:25:07]But it is an upgrade from the last one. The water-resistant will be important. That makes it catch up to Samsung. There's a dual lens
camera and some Android phones already have that. So that will be an update for the 7 Plus only.
These phones are going to cost about $649 and 769 bucks. The big change here, Hala, was the fact that for the first time these phones will no
longer have an audio port so we've been using those since the days of the Walkman and before that.
That's really a gigantic change. You have a couple of options. They have new head phones that plug into the charging port here. They sell an
adapter. Actually they include an adapter. So if you want to use your old pair of headphones and connect to the new phone, you can do that or
wireless ear buds that will add up to $159.
GORANI: The wireless ear buds don't come with the phone this time because you always got a free pair or at least a pair headphones or ear buds with
your iPhone purchase before. That's not the case anymore.
BURKE: You get a free pair that connect with the wire to this charging port, but if you want get the wireless ones which have a microphone built-
in, that will make you -- whenever I do hits with you, I think, would Hala upgrade. I remember the iPhone was out for years and you were still using
a Blackberry. So I don't think anything could make you upgrade.
GORANI: Actually, you know what -- what would make me upgrade is if there's something essential added to the new model. Quite frankly, I don't
need a new phone every year or even three years. In this particular case, two lenses -- maybe a water-resistant thing actually is attractive. If
you're in the tub or whatever and you want to read, that's practical.
BURKE: I think water resistant is good for the consumer in the sense that if you drop it in something, you don't have to go and buy a new one. I've
used the Samsung phones. I've been swimming underwater with them. It takes great videos. So these are water resistant not waterproof. So I
think in that way it is good.
But to your point, Hala, you don't have to update as often the sturdier that these phones get and that's maybe why the iPhone has seen that first
ever decline in sales.
I've been checking the stock price, Apple stock only up about a half a percent so investors saw something that they like, but only just -- I think
that if you're waiting for a new phone, this might be time. But if you're thinking you might be left behind, you don't have to worry about that.
GORANI: It's actually flat now, Apple shares prices up only 2 cents. It's even gone back down. This is interesting. What you're saying is a lot of
what we're seeing in this iPhone 7 exists in other models from other makers. They put together the dual lenses, waterproof feature, that kind
of thing.
BURKE: Listen, I think the dual lens camera, again, if you're a big Apple fan, this might be something that will make you upgrade. These cameras are
really great. I've tried Huawei. There are brands that have these.
So I think the important point to see there is that Apple isn't leading necessarily in this. They are just bringing features. There are some
Chinese smartphone makers have already had on their phones. Now they are bringing them here.
I'm a big photography enthusiast. I don't want to have to carry a camera, so I'll get it, but it's not going make me race to the door and get it. I
think those days are gone.
Also the Apple Watch, they did an update there. That's going to be water resistant as well. I think the good news if you don't want to spend
anything, IOS 10 is going to come up so we can all update to that.
And the importance point about car pull karaoke, that wasn't just for fun. Apple has purchased the right to syndicate car pull karaoke without James
Corden on their beats service. So everything they do, you know, has that - -
GORANI: Without James Corden? What's the point? That's the whole point of James Corden?
BURKE: I've been scratching my head about that because he really makes that segment. It's like doing the news without Hala Gorani. They have the
syndication rights. They are going to try and keep on pushing it on Beats music. Does that mean I get to stay on your show?
GORANI: Yes. You do certainly. Great comparison. Good flattery work will work wonders with us. Thanks very much. Samuel Burke there in San
Francisco.
Let us know online if you're interested in this phone or if it's not enough to make you upgrade. Quite pricey as well, 600, 700 bucks there.
Still to come, Hillary Clinton's trust troubles, we'll get some insight into her likability problem. Of course, we know Donald Trump has that too.
How is she going to get passed hers? We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back. A look at our top stories. Donald Trump is proposing an increase in American defense
spending saying the best way for America to keep the peace is to showcase its military strength. The Republican presidential candidate unveiled his
national security strategy today. He wants to build up the military with more troops, fighter aircraft, ships, and submarines.
Thousands of miles away from raging civil war inside Syria. Talks were held on the country's future today right here in London. The meetings were
hosted by the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson. He unveiled an opposition plan for a ceasefire, transitional government, and elections.
The British immigration minister says construction will begin soon on a four-meter-high wall near the migrant camp known as the jungle in Calais.
Thousands of displaced people live in terrible conditions there. It is known to be a key transit point for migrants hoping to enter the U.K.
illegally.
Let's return to the U.S. presidential race both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are focusing on key swing states where the election could either
way.
Arizona has become one of those battlegrounds. Look how this new poll by Arizona State University and the "Arizona Republic," how it unfolds there.
It shows Clinton with a razor thin lead over Trump, well within the margin of error, with two other candidates lagging behind there at 7 percent and 2
percent.
You may notice the numbers don't come close to adding up to 100 percent. This is what's interesting about the poll. A staggering 23 percent of
registered voters in Arizona say they are still undecided.
This campaign has been going on for months. Some say it feels like years so how can so many people still be undecided? It may have to do with the
candidates' likability problem. We want specifically about Hillary Clinton and troubles that she just cannot seemed to brush away.
We are joined by "Washington Post" reporter, Aaron Blake and CNN political commentator, Maria Cardona, who is a Clinton supporter. Aaron, I'm going
to start with you. First of all, a "Washington Post"/ABC News poll found that 56 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Hillary Clinton.
What are the main reasons for that?
AARON BLAKE, REPORTER, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, the big one that we've seen in polling throughout this race is her issues with being honest and
trustworthy. People have very little reservations when it comes to her readiness for the job, being qualified, having the right experience to be
president.
But it comes down to a character issue with her whether they trust her to be straight with them, whether they think she's been honest about the
things that she's done over the years. That seems to be the one sticking point that people have. If you look at her image numbers over the last
several months, you'll see they will go down as people decide that she's less honest and trustworthy overtime.
GORANI: And it's based on what, Aaron, the e-mail issue, the server issue, the Clinton Foundation? What specifically are people saying?
BLAKE: I think it's all of the above. We haven't been able to isolate exactly what the cause is, but I think all of those feed kind of an
existing narrative and a growing narrative about secrecy, lack of transparency.
[15:35:13]You know, however much you think that those, you know, are actual problems for her, they certainly have fed a perception of Hillary Clinton
and that perception has led to increasingly bad image numbers.
GORANI: Now let me ask you, Maria. Of course, the campaign is aware of this. Hillary Clinton is aware of this. They're trying to do all they can
to get those numbers to go to a different direction, but their strategy isn't working, though. Why not?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I wouldn't say it's not working. She is still leading in an average of all the polls and more
importantly she's leading in most of the important battleground states.
So what I would say is that her numbers on trust and honesty have actually been already baked in to the electorate and into the decisions that people
are making, have made, and are going to make about this election.
And, yes, people do have an issue with somehow she has handled the e-mails which is why the more that she focuses on her policy, taking responsibility
for it, understanding that it was not the right thing to do, the more that it helps her.
I think the more that she speaks to the press, that she talks to reporters, the more that she is seen as being open and having those kinds of
conversations, the one she's having with voters, she needs to continue to have those with the media. But I do want to --
GORANI: Maria, I was going to ask you about, you know, these gaggles on her campaign plane. She was criticized for not holding a press conference
for 270 plus days or something like that. In two days we get two press gaggles on her campaign plane.
This has to be part of a realization from her campaign that she needs to be more accessible and talk to reporters more in that kind of context.
CARDONA: Well, it's actually more of a realization of the plan that was already there. Labor Day was always the day that -- she was going to come
out when people understand that it's game on. This is sort of the last sprint until the election.
And they knew that this was going to be when she started to have the conversations with the national media. I want to focus on one thing, Hala.
That is the false equivalency here.
This is something that Hillary Clinton and the Clinton campaign are going to continue to underscore. You know, people talk about Hillary's issues
with trust and honesty.
They're going try to turn it around and I think they have successfully done so when they do this to focus on Donald Trump's issues not just with trust
and honesty but with a lack of transparency.
Let's talk about everything that Hillary Clinton has put out there, e- mails, medical records, her 40 years of tax returns versus Donald Trump and the fact that we don't know hardly anything about him.
GORANI: Aaron, in that same exact poll that revealed that 56 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of Hillary Clinton, 63 percent of
Americans say they have unfavorable view of Donald Trump.
BLAKE: Yes, and this is something that has been that case for a long time. His numbers have always been worse than hers, a few exceptions in there and
they continue to be. They continue to be the worst of any major party presidential candidate that we've seen in modern history.
The thing is, though, that if it weren't for Donald Trump, the candidate with the worst numbers of any nominee in modern history would be Hillary
Clinton. So she's winning this race largely in spite of herself right now.
She has not very good numbers. They're getting worse. Actually if you look at the polls, Donald Trump's numbers are worse. If you look among
registered voters, their numbers were basically indistinguishable about 4 in 10 like them, about 6 in 10 didn't like them.
So that's a big problem for Hillary Clinton given that these are the people who are actually going to be voting on Election Day.
GORANI: You know, Maria, I was going to say internationally and our viewers are international, I often get this question. With the summer that
Donald Trump had, all the missteps, the issues with the Kahn family, you know, the judge that he accused of not being able to do his job because of
his ethnicity, et cetera, et cetera.
How is it possible that Hillary Clinton is still there neck and neck nationally with Donald Trump? I get that question a lot. What's your
answer?
CARDONA: Sure. That's a great question. I would say is that people need to understand that regardless of how awful a candidate and how awful I
believe Donald Trump will be as president and let's remember that in all of these polls the majority of Americans believed that he does not have the
experience or temperament to be president.
And I believe at the end of the day, that's where their guts will go when they make this decision on the election. But regardless of all that, Hala,
we still live in a very divided country, a very polarized country.
[15:40:03]People will I think ultimately go to Republican or Democrat conservative or progressive, you know, depending on where they are, but I
also think, that again, depending on how Hillary Clinton prosecutes the next two months and I think she will do this very proactively.
It is a binary choice between somebody who has spent four decades of her life focused on public service and making people's lives better versus
somebody who has only spent four decades of their life enriching themselves and doing it many times on the backs of working Americans.
GORANI: All right. Thank you very much, Maria Cardona for joining us. A Clinton supporter, as you may have guessed, and Aaron Blake of the
"Washington Post." Thanks to both of you.
CARDONA: Thanks, Hala.
GORANI: On the Republican side, Donald Trump is declaring a truce with the media, at least for now. The campaign says it will approve request for
press credentials for "The Washington Post," "Buzzfeed," "Politico," and other news organizations.
The Republican had blacklisted them earlier in the campaign you might remember because he claimed those media outlets have not covered him
fairly.
But Trump probably will not like the extra media scrutiny over his donation to a certain political campaign. The Republican candidate has repeatedly
accused his rival and the Clinton Foundation of engaging in so-called pay to play schemes. But now the tables maybe turning on him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've recently learn that the Trump Foundation has been fined for illegal activity when it made a
political contribution to the attorney general of Florida at the time she was being asked by her constituents to investigate Trump University because
of the effects that these people that she's responsible for had experienced.
And, of course, as we know, there was a phone conversation between them. They contradicts each other. The American people deserve to know what was
said because clearly the attorney general did not proceed with the investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right, well, the Florida attorney general says Clinton's version of events is not true at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM BONDI, FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Let me tell you. I will not be collateral damage in a presidential campaign, nor will I be a woman bullied
by Hillary Clinton. This is about her trying to deflect everything she did as secretary of state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Bill Clinton referenced the issue during a campaign event in Orlando saying Trump attacks his foundation because she, quote, "Knew they
were about to report that he uses his foundation to give money to your attorney general which is not legal." There you have it in full swing, the
battle.
Now to major shakeup in the Mexican government. Luis Videgaray, the country's finance minister and a close ally of President Enrique Pena Nieto
has resigned. Does it have anything to do with Donald Trump's visit to Mexico?
Let's get more with our senior Latin-American Affairs editor, Rafael Romo. He's at CNN Center. So Rafael, let's talk about why this may be related to
Trump's visit to Mexico City?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Yes, that's the very question, Hala. Was the finance minister, the fall guy to last week's
Trump visit fiasco? There was no official explanation given.
Today, President Enrique Pena Nieto said simply that he had accepted his finance minister's resignation. Now Luis Videgaray has been the
president's right hand man since Pena Nieto was the Mexico state governor.
Videgaray was also the president's chief architect of his presidential campaign and the brain behind the president's economic and education
reforms.
A Mexican government official and a source close to the Mexican government both told CNN previously that the idea to extend invitations for Donald
Trump and Hillary Clinton to meet with Pena Nieto came from the Finance Ministry.
And so Pena Nieto didn't even mention anything about the controversy today. He only said that he was deeply grateful to Videgaray who he considers a
personal friend.
And Donald Trump is almost, Hala, universally despised Mexico as a result of comments he has made on the campaign trail calling Mexican immigrants
criminals and rapists and promising to build a wall at the border.
The Mexican president, though, is not much more popular in Mexico either. A recent poll, Hala, listen to this, by a Mexican city newspaper put's the
president's popularity at just 23 percent. So not very popular at all.
GORANI: All right. Rafael Romo, thanks very much.
Now yesterday we told you about a controversy over a new cartoon published by the French satirical magazine, "Charlie Hebdo." It pokes fun at the
victims of Italy's recent earthquake. Italians have expressed outrage because it depicts victims as various pasta dishes, if you could believe
it.
Well, I asked Italy's foreign minister if he wanted an apology from "Charlie Hebdo."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAOLO GENTILONI, ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I think it was so awful that apologies wouldn't change anything, but in any case, this is what they have
done and obviously we are not talking of censorship of any kind. It's not our culture and our way of thinking, but we don't ask for apologies. We
only say that these are really awful things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. Don't forget you can get our news interviews and analysis on our Facebook page, facebook.com/halagoranicnn.
This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Coming up, the new guidelines that health experts say you and your partner need to follow if you've been in countries
with Zika.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: The World Health Organization is issuing new sexual guidance guidelines regarding the Zika virus. According to those guidelines, when
visiting an area where Zika is circulating you and your sexual partner should abstain from sex or use safe sex measures for at least six months.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is our chief medical correspondent and he joins me now live from CNN in Atlanta with more on this new guidance. So tell us more.
This makes -- the WHO has made these guidelines more broad it appears.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They've lengthened out the amount of time that they there may be cause for concern. Look,
here's the way to think about it, Hala. For most people who are exposed to the Zika virus, they're not going have any symptoms. They're going to have
mild or no symptoms, whatsoever, 80 percent of people.
So the concern is, look, you've traveled to one of these areas. You may have the Zika virus in your system. How long do you wait before it's safe
to potentially have a pregnancy? That's the real issue here because we know that the impact is potentially on causing a birth defect known as
microcephaly.
These are changing numbers as you're pointing out. What they are saying now is six months we think that there's enough concern that the virus could
still be in your system for that period of time. So wait at least six months before trying to actually have a pregnancy. So safe sex for that
period of time.
GORANI: And same for men and women?
GUPTA: Same for men and women. What I would tell you is that it's really -- the broader time period more applies to men. Men tend to be able to
keep the virus in their system longer. We've seen that with other viruses at well. We saw that Ebola, for example. We are seeing that with Zika.
There seemed -- again, even something that has no symptoms whatsoever, seeing evidence of the virus in people's bodies for a long time, several
months. That's where the six-month number comes from.
GORANI: Have they tested over six months to be pretty sure that within that time period the virus usually dissolves or disappears?
GUPTA: Well, that's a good question. The sort of longest time period that they've identified this now is right around the 180-day mark.
[15:50:02]So again, so six months sort of -- now someone say, look, they've seen it up 180 days, maybe it should nine months, maybe it should be even
more conservative. But I think the vast majority of the people will clear this virus within a much shorter time period, but because they see it
around that 180-day mark, that's what's driving the six-month time period.
GORANI: All right, I guess better not risk it. What about vaccine, any progress there?
GUPTA: Well, you know, this is one of those things where you have a lot of labs, both private and public and even private, public ones, these
partnerships that are working on this. It's a real issue, I'll tell you, Hala, with the funding.
I mean, the funding has repeatedly been lobbied for and petitioned for and then not come through. You need money to basically fund these vaccine
trials.
What we're hearing from the NIH now is no new money coming in to pay for this research then come January, you know, a few months from now, they're
basically going to have to halt the vaccine trials.
So everyone is hoping that doesn't happen, but you know, these vaccines make a huge difference. Hala, you may not remember this, but you and I
talked a lot about swine flu, H1N1 several years ago. It was a huge concern at the time.
And you know what, we don't even talk about it anymore. It doesn't come up at all. It's part of the flu vaccine. We don't even think about it. We
don't talk about it because we can all be vaccinated against it.
That's what they're trying to do with Zika as well. It costs $1.5 billion to create that vaccine for H1N1 and you can predict those same sorts of
numbers here. To create a vaccine, that money isn't there right now.
GORANI: It's funny that you should say that because I actually thought the same exact thing when you were answering my question. I thought I wonder
when the time will come that Zika will sound like something that happened, you know, dozens of years ago. That's really in the past once that problem
has passed. So I'm sure that at one point we'll be talking about something new and Zika will be in a rear view mirror.
GUPTA: Yes. Success is when we are not talking about it anymore, right? It doesn't even come to our conversation.
GORANI: All right, thanks, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. I appreciate it.
Coming up, the Paralympic games are about to get under way, but you won't see any Russian athletes there. The reaction from Moscow not a happy one
as you might expect. Coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: An English florist got the shock of his life recently when his image was published in an ISIS magazine. Steven Leiland's (ph) photo was
randomly pulled off the internet and used in an article calls on jihadis to attack civilians.
The caption suggest that, quote, "Even a merry crusader citizen selling flowers is a legitimate target." The photo ran in the latest issue of the
extremist magazine, "Rumiyah" magazine. Leiland said he's concerned but not afraid. Very bizarre.
Ticket sales were sluggish, budget cuts were made, and facilities were closed. It hasn't been the best run up to the Paralympic games, but in a
few hours, organizers hoped that all will be forgotten as the opening ceremony takes place in Rio de Janeiro.
More than 4,000 athletes from 160 countries will parade around the famous Maracana Stadium. One country noticeably absent from that ceremony will be
Russia. They were banned en masse from competing after allegation of state sponsored doping. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the latest from Moscow.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, of course, a lot of Russians and specifically, of course, the Paralympic
athletes were very disappointed when the international Paralympic Committee came forward with its decision to blanket ban the entire Russian Paralympic
team.
[15:55:11]Now there were some athletes that filed appeals against that but none of those appeals were successful. So you have over 80 Russian
athletes that were not going to be able to participate in the Paralympic games.
That's why the Russian government went forward and said they're going to put on alternative Paralympic games. Those are set to take place outside
of Moscow, in fact, the opening ceremony already happened on Wednesday and also outside of Moscow at a mall complex there.
The actually games are going to only be -- going on for two days on September 8th and September 9th. Now some of the events are going to be
actual competitions like for instance, in track and field and archery.
But in other sports because there's only Russian athletes that are going to be there, it's going to be more demonstrations than actual real
competition. Nevertheless there is going to be a ceremony. There's going to be medals.
And also the Russian sports minister is going to be on hand as well. All of this because so many people here in Russia and in Russian politics and
in Russian sports believe that it was deeply unfair to put a blanket ban on the entire team.
Again, some 80 athletes or more than 80 athletes actually affected by this. Vladimir Putin called that decision by the International Paralympic
Committee inhumane.
The Russian themselves saying they'd hoped for something similar to what the International Olympic Committee did banning certain athletes but
letting others compete. That obviously didn't happen in this case.
Now, the athletes themselves or at least some of them appeared in a high end video that was put out by the Russian government. Their message that
they put across was that they would overcome this disappointment of nothing being able to participate in the games but the games themselves would be
poor without the competition of those Russian athletes -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thanks very much in Moscow with the very latest reaction. Predictably unhappy that the entire Paralympic
Russian team has been banned from the Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro.
If you want to know more about the iPhone 7 and other business news headlines stick around. After a break, it will be "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS."
You'd be able to hear more about the new features that were announced by Apple.
I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Maggie Lake is up next from New York. Stay tuned.
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