Return to Transcripts main page
Hala Gorani Tonight
Russia And Syria Deny Attacking Aid Convoy; Syria Ceasefire In Tatters After Attack On Convoy; Investigating U.S. Bombing Suspect Rahami; British PM May Addresses U.N. General Assembly; Trump Jr. Compares Refugees To Candy In Tweet; Angelina Jolie Files For Divorce From Brad Pitt; U.S. Officials: Russia Bombed Syria Aid Convoy; Obama Opens Summit On Refugee Crisis; Outrage Over Police Shooting In Tulsa, Oklahoma.. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired September 20, 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)
[15:00:22] HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. We are live from CNN London. Thanks for being with us this hour. This is THE
WORLD RIGHT NOW.
Syrians cannot seem to catch a break on top of the country's ceasefire falling apart, now they're getting less help. Relief groups are suspending
their deliveries after a number of trucks and a warehouse full of food and medicine were hit last night near the city of Aleppo.
The Red Cross say around 20 people lost their lives including those humanitarian workers who takes so many risks. Rescue workers known as the
"White Helmets," who work in rebel-held areas made this video. They claim a regime helicopter dropped four barrel bombs on the storage area. Both
Russia and Syria are denying any part in the attack.
You can get a better sense of some of the damage after sunrise. Here it is. Many are calling the scenes a war crime. Let's bring in CNN's Fred
Pleitgen, who is in Damascus for us this evening inside Syria. What more do we know about what looks like a deliberate hit on an aid convoy in
Aleppo?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Hala, well, all of this happened obviously late last night around 8:15 local time
there. In that area towards the west of Aleppo. We know the convoy had about 31 vehicles that 18 of those vehicles were destroyed.
And of course, the big question now is who did it? You have the Syrian opposition that's come out very clearly as saying that they hold Russia
responsible before these airstrikes.
No matter whether it was a Russian aircraft or a Syrian aircraft, that is what they say. Now you're already mentioned that both the Russians and the
Syrians have come out and said it wasn't them.
The Syrians putting out a statement earlier today on the Sanaa News Agency, the official news agency saying there was nothing to report. So that it
could have a Syrian aircraft and The Russians also coming out and saying that it wasn't them.
That in fact they had been shadowing this convoy with a drone earlier, and then stopped shadowing it, but they did not have any planes in the area
when that convoy was hit. Still is very much unclear who exactly is behind this.
The U.S. says that it's holding Russia accountable for it because they, of course, are the main backers of the Syrian regime, but the U.S. is also
saying that they are still trying to collect all of the facts to see what exactly happened there.
Nevertheless, there has been major international condemnation because there are two things that are going on right now with the bombing of that convoy.
On the one hand, people who really need aide very badly aren't getting it. And of course, more and more, you've mentioned this as well, the ceasefire
is in absolute tatters after all this happened -- Hala.
GORANI: This sure is a precision targeting of their vehicles and their warehouse. What more do we know about those humanitarian workers. You
know, these are people who take unbelievable risks, pay with their lives to try to get supplies to those who need it.
PLEITGEN: You know, it's something we really have to point out is especially those Syrian-Arab Red Crescent are people who take immense
risks. They are really respected almost by all sides here in this conflict except maybe ISIS.
And you know, we've reported several times on the fact that the workers, the volunteers, and the Syrian-Arab Red Crescent are some of the only ones
who are able to cross the lines between the various factions, between government and opposition controlled areas to try and deliver aid.
Many of them as you have said have paid for that with their lives. Now you have a situation where at least for the next three days, the Syrian-Arab
Red Crescent and the United Nations are not going to be delivering any aid because the risks are so much. Let's look at how this convoy attack
unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): An aid convoy near Aleppo completely destroyed. Eighteen trucks and a warehouse struck in a direct attack. Some 20 people
killed and a seven-day ceasefire negotiated by the U.S. and Russia almost literally burned to the ground. In this social media video, a rescue
worker shows the fiery aftermath.
[15:05:07]Among the dead, Omar Barrack, a local head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and a father of two according to activist who circulated these
images online.
As the sun rose, the full scale of the damage became clearer. Boxes full of life saving food and medicine intended to provide relief for nearly
78,000 people burned to ash.
(on camera): The new violence all but spells the end of the current ceasefire here in Syria, a ceasefire that was supposed to provide respite
for people in heavily destroyed areas and also aid to the many places under siege.
(voice-over): Now, the United Nations has suspended all aid operations in the country and activists say bombs are raining down on rebel-held Aleppo
once more.
JENS LAERKE, SPOKESMAN, UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS OFFICE: This very, very dark day for humanitarians in Syria and across the world. I
think there has been a moment of shock and frankly disgust.
PLEITGEN: As Moscow and Washington traded allegations, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties to stop the fighting.
BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: It is a sickening, savage, and apparently deliberate attack on a U.N.-Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy
is the latest example. The humanitarians delivering lifesaving aid were heroes. Those that bombed them were cowards.
PLEITGEN: More diplomatic squabbling, but still little action to douse the flames once again fanning Syria's civil war.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: And of course, the big questions remains, Hala, what exactly is currently the status of that ceasefire. We know that the Syrian government
believes that it ended at around 7:00 p.m. local time here in Syria last night.
However, the U.S. still says it believes that possibly the ceasefire could be salvaged. It's not willing say that the ceasefire is dead just yet,
however certainly there are more negotiations necessary to try and revive it.
Right now if you look at the situation in places like Aleppo, it's certainly isn't looking very good -- Hala.
GORANI: It sure isn't. We'll be speaking to the United Nations a little bit later this hour as well as a representative of the Syrian opposition.
So we'll get answers from them as well. Fred Pleitgen is live in Damascus this evening.
Now to the terror investigation in the United States. Authorities there want to speak with the wife of suspected bomber, Ahmad Khan Rahami.
American law enforcement officials say she left the United States before the weekend bombings in New Jersey and New York.
Pakistani government officials have been asked about her whereabouts, but a spokesperson claims Pakistan does not comment on media reports and that
since Rahami is Afghan, quote, "Ask his country."
Meanwhile, Rahami remains in critical but stable condition meaning he should survive. He is scheduled for his first court appearance next
Wednesday. Jessica Schneider picks up the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, the suspect behind a series of bombings in New York and
New Jersey.
JAIME REYES, FRIEND OF RAHAMI FAMILY: I saw him like two weeks ago, how are you, how is your daughter and everything. He looked a little stressed
but nothing of a concern.
SCHNEIDER: Born in Afghanistan, Rahami travelled back and forth to that country and neighboring Pakistan multiple times.
REYES: His father wanted him to go back there and get to know his roots.
SCHNEIDER: Most recently he took a year-long visit to Pakistan from April 2013 to March 2014. While there, a Facebook photo shows the suspected
bomber and his brother, Mohammed, relaxing in traditional clothing. In 2011, Rahami spent several weeks in Quetta, Pakistan, a Taliban stronghold.
It was there he married a Pakistani woman. The U.S. approving her entry into the country in 2012.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a very friendly guy. Hiding in plain sight. You never would have known.
SCHNEIDER: Rahami underwent secondary screenings upon returning to the U.S. because of the area he visited, but was never flagged according to a
law enforcement official. The bombing suspect had a run in with the law before.
Rahami was arrested in 2014 on weapons and aggravated assault charges though a grand jury declined to indict him. His family came to the country
seeking asylum decades ago. Now they own a fried chicken restaurant in Elizabeth, New Jersey and they live above it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This place has been in operation for many years. We had issues with this location regarding code enforcement issues.
SCHNEIDER: The Rahami family claimed to be the victims of discrimination and harassment in this 2011 lawsuit against the city of Elisabeth and its
police department. This suit alleging that a neighbor told them "Muslims don't belong here." And that they were threatened and harassed by police
officers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a lot of congregation going on, a lot of people hanging out. The city council is getting complaints from the
neighborhood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[15:10:08]GORANI: Well, CNN's senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, is live in Kabul, Afghanistan. He has more details on Rahami and
his travels to South Asia. What more have you learned in Afghanistan, Ivan?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the Taliban has denied any links whatsoever to Ahmad Rahami or to the
bombings that took place in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey.
It is worth noting because the Taliban, of course, has been fighting the U.S. military here in Afghanistan for some 15 years. And some of the areas
that U.S. officials say that Ahmed Rahami travelled to in past years.
In 2011 when he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2013 and 2014 when he spent nearly a year in this part of the world are areas where the
Taliban is believed to be active.
So the Taliban disavowing any links to him. Of course, U.S. investigators are trying to find out, did this man who was born in Afghanistan, who lived
for years in New Jersey, is it possible that he had links to any other jihadi militant groups.
And there are certainly aside from the Taliban, there are other groups, Hala, operating in this part of the world. Al-Qaeda has been active in
this part of the world, ISIS as well. Those are questions being asked right now.
We've reached out to the Afghan government and the Pakistani government, asking whether they have any further information about this suspect.
The Afghan government not commenting as of now. The Pakistani government actually saying this man was born in Afghanistan, he is Afghanistan's
problem. Don't ask us about him -- Hala.
GORANI: Now but what was he doing in Afghanistan all of this time? Does he still have some extended family there? Was he working because those are
long periods of time for each trip?
WATSON: Well, on one of these trips, according to U.S. officials, he was finding a wife. He met and married a Pakistani woman in 2011. When he was
screened and subjected to secondary screening upon return to the U.S., after both of these trips, he explained according to U.S. officials that
he'd been visiting relatives.
Attending an uncle's wedding, for example, and one of those cases, and we also know that he reached out to his member of Congress in New Jersey
asking for assistance in trying to get a U.S. visa for his wife on the subsequent visit.
So he was certainly explaining to U.S. Officials that he was meeting with relatives, but yes, the latter visit he spent nearly a year here, and it
was some months later back when he was back in New Jersey that he had run- ins with the law after U.S. official documents say that he got into a dispute with his own family members and U.S. law enforcement who's actually
brought in to help deal with that -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, Ivan Watson live in Kabul, thanks very much, with more on the suspect in these bombing.
A lot more to come this evening, Donald Trump's son stirs up controversy again. He's comparing refugees to candy. The fallout from that tweet is
next.
One of the world's most high profile and glamorous couple is divorcing. We'll have details on the Brangelina split. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, we want to take you live to New York now where the British Prime Minister Theresa May is addressing the U.N. General Assembly. It's
the first day of the annual gathering of world leaders. Theresa is the new British prime minister after Brexit and after David Cameron stepped down.
Let's listen in for a moment.
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: -- true to the universal values that we share together. We will continue to honor our commitment to spend
(inaudible) percent of our gross national income on development, building on the achievements we have already made to reduce poverty, deal with
instability, and increase prosperity the world over.
We will drive forward the implementation of the sustainable development goals. We will continue to champion the rights of women and girls, making
sure that all girls gets the education they deserve, and tackling horrific abuses like female gentile manipulation and the use of sexual violence in
conflict.
We will continue to be a steadfast permanent member of the Security Council. Meeting our NATO commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense
and making a leading contribution to U.N. peace keeping efforts.
Where we have doubled our commitment including new deployments to Somalia and South Sudan. We will continue to stand up for the rules-based
international system and for international law and I join other leaders in condemning the outrageous bombing of the aid convoy in Syria yesterday.
We will continue to play our part in the international effort against climate change. In a demonstration to our commitment to the agreement
reached in Paris, the U.K. will start its domestic procedures to enable ratification of the Paris agreement and complete these before the end of
the year, and we will continue to strengthen our existing partnerships.
From this United Nations to the Commonwealth and NATO seeking to resolve conflict in countries across the world from Columbia and Cyprus to Somalia
and Yemen. But we must never forget that we stand here at this United Nations as servants of the men and women that we represent back at home.
And as we do so we much recognize that for too many of these men and women, the increasing pace of globalization has left them feeling left behind.
The challenge for those of us in this room is to ensure that our governments and our global institutions such as this United Nations remain
responsive to the people we serve.
That we are capable of adapting our institutions to the demands of the 21st Century and insuring that they do not irrelevant so when it comes to the
big security and human rights challenges of our time, we need this, our United Nations, to forge a bold, new, multilateralism.
Because as we've seen even in the past week, no country is untouched by the threat of global terrorism. And when extremists anywhere in the world can
transmit their poisonous ideologies directly into the bedrooms of people vulnerable to radicalization.
We need not just to work together to prevent conflict and instability in nation states, but to act globally, to disrupt the networks terrorist
groups used to finance their operations and recruits to their ranks.
When we see the mass displacement of people as a scale unprecedented in recent history, we must ensure we are implementing the policies for the
challenges that we face today.
And when criminal gangs do not respect our national borders, trafficking our fellow citizens into lives of slavery and servitude, we cannot let
those borders act as a barrier for bringing such criminals to justice.
[15:20:10]In each of these areas, it is the convening power of our United Nations that give us a unique opportunity to respond, but we can only do so
if we modernize and adapt to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
As a United Nations, we have shown how we can work together to reduce the threat from international terrorism by preventing conflict and instability
from developing. For example, through our permanent membership of the Security Council, Britain has played a leading role in the fight against
al-Shabaab in Somalia. Since 2010 --
GORANI: Theresa May, the U.K. prime minister who first became the prime minister of Britain after David Cameron stepped down following that defeat
in the Brexit referendum there, discussing the challenges of climate change as well as the threat of global terrorism.
Now speaking of the UNGA, cooperate and integrate or divide and fight, the U.S. president described those two possibilities for the world's future in
his address to the UNGA. Barack Obama warned against the evils of aggressive naturalism and through a rhetorical jab at Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Today a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself. So the answer cannot be a
simple rejection of global integration. Instead, we must work together to make sure the benefits of such integration are broadly shared and the
disruptions, economic, political and cultural, that are caused by integration are squarely addressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, President Obama is holding a special refugee summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. We expect him to speak later this
hour and we will monitor that as well for you.
Now as the president hosts the summit on refugees, the Trump campaign is framing the issue in very controversial terms. Donald Trump Jr. tweeted
this using the campaign's official logo.
He says, "If I had a bowl of Skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful? That is our Syrian refugee problem."
Social media erupted. The company that makes Skittles had this to say, "Skittles are candy, refugees are people, we don't feel it is an
appropriate analogy."
The Trump campaign apparently disagrees. Let get the perspective of a Trump supporter. CNN political commentator, Scottie Nell Hughes joins me
from Nashville, Tennessee. What do you make of this analogy comparing refugees to poisoned candy?
SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's a very creative and interesting visual that he chose, and it's a maim that actually was
circulating around for a few months now and it's interesting that Donald Jr. just picked it up.
But it actually speaks very eloquently to what exactly we're dealing with here in the United States. Yes, the majority of Muslims are wonderful.
They are great. We very much embrace them here in the United States.
But according to a Pew Research poll, of the 3.3 million Muslims living here in the United States as it is, 1 percent, and I'm being very, very
conservative on that. Some people said up to 25 percent, 1 percent of American-Muslims believed that suicide bombings are violent is justified.
That is 33,000.
With the headlines we've seen this weekend, we need to do something to address this, and many of these Muslims that have (inaudible) are refugees
from past issues like what we saw in Somalia.
GORANI: I'm sure as a human being with sympathy for people going through tough times because nobody is a refugee because they feel like becoming one
is a horrible life comparing them to poisoned candy. That's just one notch above comparing them to animals or something like that, you think that's
appropriate?
HUGHES: When you look at that, once again we are seeing the son of a refugee, a Somalian, what happened in Minnesota this weekend was stabbing
that went against American families. The Boston bombers were children of refugees.
We have to start asking, what is going on in these homes. You're right, we are very compassionate to things that are going on and the United States
takes on more refugees than most others right now and we are paying a large part of them.
GORANI: That is not factually correct. The United States took in 10,000 Syrian refugees. A country like Germany took in a million (inaudible) in
Syria who've taken in millions as well.
HUGHES: Obama is taking in 110,000 refugees by 2017. Hillary wants 620,000 refugees within her first year of office as well.
GORANI: Nothing compared to countries like Sweden or Germany.
HUGHES: We are across another ocean. You see the issues that they're having with them. Not to talk about that it's going to cost us $400
billion in a lifetime of wealth there. Our hearts go out to them and I think many of us would agree, let's send money over there and let's take
care of the problem over there. The problem is we are bringing them over here. We don't have proper vetting process in place.
GORANI: It is a two-year vetting process, Scottie and you know --
HUGHES: But they are already here in the United States. We already have - -
GORANI: But those who have committed attacks in the United States, many of them were born in the U.S., and then others are children are immigrants --
HUGHES: That is what I'm talking about.
GORANI: How would keeping refugees out solve that problem?
HUGHES: Well, that's our issue that we are bringing them over here and they're refusing to assimilate and appreciate the freedoms in America.
That are being taught in their households for some reason about how wonderful our country is.
And yet, here they are wanting to hurt Americans and do things like we have seen in the past weekend, and we don't have a good process for them.
How about we put American families first and you're right, these children were born here, but we have to question, what is going on in their homes
that allow them have this sort of a disregard for American life and the freedom that we have here.
GORANI: You're saying they're brought over here when so many of them are born in the United States. By the way, these attacks are not every day or
even every week. They are isolated cases in the United States. This is an America under attack every day of the week in the way you're presenting it.
HUGHES: Well, actually, we are -- you know, terrorism is people waking up in the morning feeling terror in their heart. If you woke up Monday
morning, look at the headlines that were in all the news networks, you felt tear in our hearts.
Americans hug their children a little bit tighter. When we went to work, we looked around our surroundings and we were reminded of what was going on
here in the country and we're not finding that people committing the crimes are the ones that are actually here in this country originally.
So like I said, we need to have a better vetting process and also a follow up process to make sure that what is going on in these homes that are
causing these children to be radicalized and allowing us to be encouraged.
GORANI: All right, with the view from a Trump supporter, Scottie Nell Hughes in Nashville. Thanks very much for joining us, Scottie, we
appreciate it.
We want to bring you the first part of a week-long series here on CNN about those voters who support Donald Trump. We hear a lot from their
surrogates. What about the people that say Trump is their man.
We begin in a county? -- what state is it? West Virginia, coal country, it's also one of the poorest counties in the country. Here is a little
sampling of why some voters say they support Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we have a natural disaster in the country, everybody shows up. We're a natural disaster without the storm, affects,
or the flood. We're the same thing. At the end of the day, Donald Trump is a billionaire, his life won't be affected by the election. Hillary
Clinton will not be affected. It's just regular common working class people. When we wake up the day after an election, our roads, sewer,
water, and they want us to keep paying more and we keep getting less.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I say Trump is a businessman, I think he will help our county, but I think that he will help our country as a whole
because he knows what he is doing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You bomb a country, you tear it all to hell, and if we had one tenth for our infrastructure, and they said we're going to clean
your water ways or this and that, it's time to take care of home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: The residents of Welch County in West Virginia. Check it out on cnn.com. Later on CNN, you're going to hear the story of Evangelicals who
feel their Christian values are under attack on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Catch that as well a little bit later this evening.
It is interesting to hear from the voters themselves, by the way. It is so interesting, as well, when we went to the U.S. just a few month ago
covering those conventions, hear from real people, you understand the phenomenon better.
Now to something different, the minute it was announced this glamorous couple was divorcing, it's all anyone talked about. I'm talking about one
of the biggest Hollywood brands known as Brangelina. They are apparently uncoupling.
Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from husband, Brat Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences. Jolie is seeking physical custody of their six
kids and asking the court to grant Pitt visitation.
The couple has been a tabloid fixture since they starred in the movie, "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" in 2004. Let's bring in our senior media correspondent,
Brian Selter, is in New York.
I don't know if it was -- I mean, you know, I pride myself saying I'm a serious journalist, we cover world affairs, and then this broke, and
everyone just was screaming in the newsroom, what do you mean, Brangelina is breaking out?
[15:30:00] BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Hala, what's more important than love? This is about love, one of the world's most famous
couples breaking up, uncoupling as you said. It resonates because as an American and people around the world, we're obsessed with celebrities and
about their love lives.
And we see a break up like this, it is a punch in the gutter, a punch in the heart. Source close to the couple tells me that it's like -- even
though this is a couple that's well known around the world, this is just like any other divorce.
But the reality is this is going to play out for weeks and for months in the tabloids. Already Angelina side is coming out and saying she will do
whatever it takes to take care of her children and do what's best for her children. Putting that four shadows some sort of custody battle in the
weeks to come.
GORANI: All right, we'll catch up with you later. Brian Stelter, thanks very much for an update there on that tabloid bombshell.
Coming up, the world news headlines and a sickening attack on an aid convoy in Syria. We'll talk with the representative of the Syrian opposition
about exactly what happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back. A look at our top stories, two American officials tell CNN that the U.S. has reached the early conclusion that Russian
warplanes in fact bombed an aid convoy and a warehouse belonging to the Syrian Red Crescent. The Red Cross says around 20 civilians were killed.
Russia and Syria have denied that they carried it out.
A U.S. official says the wife of terror suspect, Ahmad Rahami, is cooperating with authorities. Law enforcement says she left the U.S. a few
days before the weekend bombings in New Jersey and New York. She is currently in the UAE and is apparently coming back to the U.S. this week.
The American president has delivered his final address for the U.N. General Assembly. Barack Obama railed against aggressive nationalism saying that
any country surrounded by walls would only imprison itself. We expect to hear again from Mr. Obama later this hour at a summit on the refugee
crisis.
It looks like Brangelina is splitting back into just Brad and Angelina. Actress, Angelina Jolie, has filed for divorce from actor, Brad Pitt.
She's citing irreconcilable differences and asking for physical custody of their six children.
Back to our top story now, a deadly attack on a convoy that was trying to deliver supplies to those in dire need in Aleppo. Two American officials
tell CNN they believed Russian warplanes bombed the convoy.
[15:35:03]The Red Cross says around 20 people were killed. A group of Syrian emergency services volunteers have accused the Syrian regime. They
are saying they saw barrel bombs dropped on that convoy in the warehouse.
The military and Russia are all denying responsibility. Several world leaders have condemned the attack and the broader situation in Syria and
the U.N. including the French president, Francois Hollande.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): The Syrian tragedy will be seen by history as a disgrace for the international
community if we do not end it quickly. Aleppo is today a martyred city, which will -- and it will remain in the memory of history as martyred city.
Thousands of children have died in bombings. Whole populations are starving. Humanitarian convoys are being attacked. Chemical weapons are
being used. I have one thing to say here, that is enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Joining us now on the phone is Kevin Kennedy, the U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria. He's at the United Nations. Mr.
Kennedy, who did this? Who attacked this convoy? It was deliberate and targeted.
KEVIN KENNEDY, U.N. REGIONAL HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR SYRIA (via telephone): I would say that all of the parties were aware of our convoy.
We're very transparent about when and where we're going. So that information was out there and this attack, which was a terrible thing, is
the latest in a long series of attacks on humanitarian workers in this crisis.
GORANI: So you won't point fingers at the regime or at Russia warplanes? The United States is telling us they believe it was probably Russia.
KENNEDY: We heard those reports and from the White Helmets that they believe it was airplanes, Russian or Syrian, we don't know, but we were not
there on the scene to say one way or the other. When you're on the ground, you really can't tell (inaudible) dropping bombs. If it was an airplane
bomb or sometimes artillery. So we can't say definitively who exactly did it, but we can say it is another in a long series of attacks.
GORANI: Why would rebel fighters attack an aid convoy? I mean, it just doesn't -- it's targeted, it looks like something that was very precise,
and you know artillery is not that precise or shelling is not precise and why would rebels attack a U.N. aid convoy into rebel-held Syria?
KENNEDY: That is a very good question, why would rebels attack targets in their own area. I need too to find the answer.
GORANI: All right, so also, one of the other things that people have been critical of is they're saying right, this U.N. aid convoy is bombed.
Instead of suspending the bombing, the U.N. suspends the aid, why are the people who are the victims being punished here doubly?
KENNEDY: That's not the case. They go from a double zone area to an opposition area. We have put them on hold while we reassess the situation.
I anticipate they will resume shortly.
GORANI: Can I ask you any communication with the Syrian government about this from the U.N.? Are you getting any indication as to when you can
start delivering some of this aid again?
KENNEDY: We have contact with the government of Syria on this incident. They promise an investigation. We do believe we should wait for the
investigation. We do notify the government when we're going, where we're going. So we have to work with them to gain access to more difficult areas
and we will continue to do that.
GORANI: All right, well, we wish you good luck. Thank you very much, Kevin Kennedy, for joining us. He is in New York right now and he is the
U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria. We hope certainly for Syrian refugees that this situation resolves itself at least a little bit.
We're joined now by Bassma Kodmani. She's a member of the Syrian opposition's High Negotiation Committee and she joins us from our New York
bureau. Thanks for being with us.
First, let me ask you this, the U.S. is refusing to say that the ceasefire is dead. There is still a possibility of reviving it. Do you think this
ceasefire is dead in Syria?
BASSMA KODMANI, SYRIAN OPPOSITION'S HIGH NEGOTIATION COMMITTEE: There is no ceasefire in Syria. It was declared last week, but it was never
enforced or implemented and no compliance at all from day one actually. The regime cynically agreed to the cessation of hostilities, but was the
first to violate it.
So throughout that week we have seen intensive airstrikes across the country from north to, and we have seen no aid delivered.
[15:40:05]The U.N. explicitly asking the regime to allow the aid as agreed between the U.S. and Russia. So we're in front of a new situation where we
see a so-called agreement with no enforcement mechanisms, no consequences for non-compliance, and we are back to the same question. Do we have a
trust worthy partner in Russia here to work on something that is credible?
GORANI: Can you answer that question? You're asking do we have a trustworthy partner in Russia, the answer to that question is what?
KODMANI: Well, look, Mr. Putin is a powerful leader, isn't he? That is at least the image he likes to project. Is he capable of reigning in Assad?
Is he capable of imposing on Assad because he has the capacity to do so, the military capacity, and certainly the influence needed?
Can he pressure Assad? Does he want to pressure Assad? These are the questions we have today in mind and any agreement between U.S. and Russia
or between a larger group of countries should be based on some framework or some terms for cooperation, otherwise where is the cooperation. If there
is no good faith anywhere and no trust in either side.
GORANI: It sounds to me like the answer to your own question, Bassma, saying can we trust or work with the Russians? It seems to me like the
answer to your question is no then. Have you lost hope?
KODMANI: We don't lose hope. We will continue to say there is no solution to the Syrian issue, but a political one that is transitions Assad out,
that is how we can keep the country together.
But today, the first thing we need is the lifting of sieges, the end of displacement of population, which is happening in a very systematic way in
many areas of Syria.
We need aid to go into those besieged areas. We don't need to repeat that. All we need to see is an agreement internationally that tells us clearly
what the consequences of violation will be.
That has been the problem, the weakness from day one and we want it to be precisely defined and articulated. We have not seen that at any time in
the past.
GORANI: And can I ask you, you're in New York. You're presumably speaking with U.S. officials, and I mean, as a representative of this body or a
member of this body, the agency, do you -- are you disappointed with the United States?
KODMANI: We are expecting the United States to use some of its clout. It has not done so. The protection of civilians has been an issue over the
last five and a half years more than any place in the world we have today and Syria is this big challenge to the international community and the
United States.
The protection of civilians is our first request in order to go back to political process and that we have not seen the means used by the United
States to make that happen. We are hoping this can still happen with this administration.
We are hearing more encouraging signals from Candidate Clinton to the next administration if it is elected. We're hoping that the protection of
civilians will be as suggested a number one priority for addressing the Syrian issue.
GORANI: Bassma Kodmani of Syria's Opposition Agency, thanks for joining us from New York.
And we want to take you again to New York at the U.N. now, the American President Barack Obama is making opening remarks at a summit on the refugee
crisis.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: -- we are here because right now in crowded camps and cities around the world, there are
families. From Darfur, Chad, Palestinians, Lebanon, Afghans in Pakistan, Columbians in Ecuador have endured years, in some cases decades as
refugees.
Surviving on rations and aid and who dream of someday, somehow, having a home of their own. We are here because right now there are young girls,
like Ezra, like my daughters, what are just as precious and gifted like the 16-year-old refugee from Myanmar that I met in Malaysia, who suffered
unspeakable abuse at the hands of traffickers.
[15:45:14]Modern day slavery. Girls that pray at night someone might rescue them from their torment. There are boys fighting in South Sudan,
violence in Central America, wars in North Africa and the Middle East at the mercy of criminals who pack them into trucks and die on treacherous
seas like little Alan Corde from Syria who was lifeless face down on a beach in his red shirt and blue pants.
And we are here because right now there are mothers separated from their children, like a woman in a camp in Greece who held on to her family
photographs, heard her children cry on the phone and who said my breathe is my children, every day I am dying 10, 20 and 30 times.
We're here because there are fathers who want to build a new life and provide for their families like (inaudible) from Syria who lost his wife
and daughter in the war. We welcomed to America and says "I still think I have a chance to make a difference in the world."
Secretary General, heads of state, heads of government, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, as you saw in the video we are facing a
crisis of epic proportions. More than 65 million people have been driven from their homes were member than any time since the Second World War.
Among them are more than 21 million refugees who fled their countries. Everything and everyone they have ever known fleeing with a suitcase or the
clothes on their back.
I'm here today. I called this summit because this crisis is one of the most urgent tests of our time. Our capacity for collective edge. It tests
first and foremost our ability to end conflicts because so many of the world's refugees come from just three countries ravages by war, Syria,
Afghanistan, and Somalia.
I said today to the General Assembly that the mentality that allows for violence with impunity is something that we cannot excuse. And
collectively, we continue to make excuses. It is not the subject of this summit, but we all know that what is happening in Syria, for example, is
unacceptable.
And we're not as unified as we should be in pushing to make it stop. It is a test of our international system. All nations out to share in our
collective responsibilities. The vast majority of refugees are hosted by ten countries who are bearing a heavy burden, among them Turkey, Pakistan,
Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia.
Countries that often have fewer resources than many of those who are doing little or nothing. It is a crisis of our shared security. Refugees are
often fleeing war and terrorism, they are victims --
GORANI: President Obama at the leaders' summit on refugees that he called in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Let's bring in CNN global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott. She is live at the U.N. this hour. So Elise, let's talk a little about what -- what
are some of the hopes attached to this summit? What is being discussed in terms of tangible solutions here?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, if you look at some of the goals that the president set out for this summit, which was to
increase funding by a third, to double the amount of resettlement. You know, certainly there have been additional measures to meet this growing
crisis, but if you talk to human rights activists and to refugee specifically, they say while they appreciate the efforts, but the scale of
the crisis needs even more than what's being done.
[15:50:09]And that the U.S. while they appreciate the U.S. efforts certainly the U.S. is one of the largest donors in terms of humanitarian
aids in some of these countries, that the U.S. needs to do more and doing what it is calling on countries to do.
The U.S. certainly has given a lot more money to countries like Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey that President Obama was talking about that are really
facing the brunt of this crisis, particularly in Syria and trying to help Europe in terms of the migrant crisis.
But the U.S., while it is giving a lot of money, it's not showing the amount of leadership in terms of helping these countries build capacity to
really meet the scale of this problem, which President Obama just said was of effort proportions.
GORANI: Yes, and of course, at the root of all of this problem are these conflicts, these festering wounds, I mean, namely in Syria. What are the
major differences between what Hillary Clinton proposes doing about it versus say Donald Trump?
LABOTT: Hillary Clinton is talking a lot about dealing with the root causes of some of these conflicts and so obviously a lot of these are
political crisis, but they are also crisis of poverty, lack of economic opportunity, and a lot of the stuff that Secretary Clinton during her term
as secretary of state was dealing with some of these issues such as food security and such.
So she would say if you attack some of the root causes maybe there would be some less of the conflict. Donald Trump is dealing with this as more of a
refugee crisis in terms of keep them over there, we don't want them here in the United States.
GORANI: Elise Labott, thanks very much in New York. There is fresh outrage in the U.S. after another unarmed black man was shot and killed by
a white police officer. The incident happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Video from a police dashboard camera in a helicopter showed 40-year-old Terrance Pretcher with his hands in the air moments before he was killed
Friday. Pretcher was surrounded by officers responding to 911 calls about an abandoned vehicle blocking traffic.
An attorney for the female officer who shot Pretcher said she believed he was retrieving a weapon from his car. Tulsa police chief later said
Pretcher didn't have a weapon on him nor was there a weapon inside his SUV.
The U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating the case. Let's get more details from CNN correspondent, Ana Cabrera who is in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
So the video we're not showing the moment where the gentleman was killed. You can see it all over the internet, though, and it really appears like
had his arms up in the air and he was shot right then and there. What is the reaction of people on the ground?
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, the family of 40-year-old Terrence Pretcher, the man in the video is devastated. They are calling
for criminal charges to be filed against the officer who was involved, who opened fire and killed Pretcher.
They say the video shows no reason or justification for her to do that. There are two ongoing investigations. There is a local investigation into
those actions by the officer were justified, and there is also a Department of Justice federal civil rights investigation into whether or not his civil
rights were infringed upon.
The DOJ said they opened their investigation after seeing the video that rest of us have witnessed. One thing about the video that's important to
point out, though, is you really don't see the exact moment when the officer opens fire.
You see a lot of what happens leading up to the moment that she opened fire, and you see Pretcher falls to the ground, but the officers are
obscuring the video, they're between the dash camera and Pretcher when those shots are fired in the police dash camera video.
From the helicopter viewpoint, the police helicopter is in the process of circling around. So you see in that video in particular, a lot of what's
happening as Pretcher walks up to his SUV, his hands are in the air, when he gets to his SUV.
You do see it appears at least that one of his hands drops lower, but it's hard to see where exactly it goes, and the police helicopter is circling
around when the shots themselves are fired.
And so the vehicle is blocking Pretcher's position and the officer's position. You just see his body fall in the next part of the video and
that is what is important to know here. Here is what Officer Shelby's attorney described happened in those crucial final moments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Why did she fire the shots?
SCOTT WOOD, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING OFFICER BETTY SHELBY: As he walked over to the driver's side of that SUV, she was yelling at him to stop for
probably at least 10 to 15 seconds. He gets to the window of the SUV and has his hands in the air, looks down the side of the car, and his left hand
goes into the window.
[15:55:09]Officer Turnbough also saw it. Both of them reacted simultaneously. Turnbough firing his taser, Betty Shelby firing one round
from her service weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Now Officer Shelby is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. We're still awaiting toxicology results as
well as the coroner's report of the autopsy. Now the police chief in this case has called for people to be patient. Let justice to take its course
and he said justice will prevail -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, but quickly, though, I mean, we know one officer used a taser, and then Officer Shelby shot a live round. I guess what people have
been asking, I've seen that question asked a lot, if you can neutralize someone who think is a threat with a taser, why do have to shoot to kill
them? I think that is the question that I've been hearing most often.
CABRERA: There are more questions than answers right now in the investigation and the police are not answering any additional questions
about what happened saying they released the video, letting it speak for itself, trying to be transparent in their ongoing investigation.
But at this point, they are saying please let the evidence play out. We have put in some additional phone calls to the attorney of the officer
hoping to get more answers as to why she didn't use the taser and instead took lethal action -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, thanks very much, Ana Cabrera in Tulsa. By the way, some well-known American football players are expressing their anger on
Twitter about this whole thing.
Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles tweeted "The first step to fixing a problem is admitting that there is one. Don't ignore injustice"
and the using #terrencepretcher.
Denver Bronco's offensive player, Donald Stephenson, asked, "How sick do you have to be to shoot a man while his hands are up." They are reflecting
some of the outrage online.
Go to facebook.com/halagoranicnn, we will have more of the content, interviews, and coverage of what is going on in Syria that terrible attack
on an aid convoy and the death of 20 aid workers including the head of the ICRC for Aleppo.
This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next. I'll see you tomorrow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
