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Hala Gorani Tonight
Trump Visits Survivors Of Las Vegas Massacre; Sheriff: Killer's Girlfriend Is A "Person Of Interest"; Trump Throws Paper Towels To Hurricane Victims; U.S. President Meets With Las Vegas First Responders; President Puigdemont Addresses Fellow Catalans; Catalonia Expected To Declare Independence Monday; FBI Interviews Shooter's Girlfriend Marilou Danley. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired October 04, 2017 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:57]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. We are following two big events
taking place this hour in Las Vegas. The American president, Donald Trump, will meet with first responders to Sunday's mass shooting. We'll hear from
him again soon. We just heard from him at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas.
Also, the Catalan president is about to speak. This is significant because this is after he announced that the region will declare independence from
Spain within days. We'll bring you more on that later this hour. We'll be monitoring that speech that's happening in the Catalan region.
More now though on Mr. Trump's visit to a city in shock after the devastating massacre there in Las Vegas. The president and the First Lady
had been visiting a trauma center where some of the victims of Sunday's massacre are being treated. They are bringing the prayers of the nation
with them.
The president has said as they try to console survivors. They are offering condolences to families who lost loved ones. Reminder of the shocking
number and this is why it is the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, 58 people all told were killed when a gunman opened fire during a
music festival and more than 500 others were injured some very severely.
We still don't know the motive, but we do know that the shooter meticulously planned the horrific attack. Investigators are releasing new
details today as well as new video from the scene. Take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: As everyone was running away, first responders and police were rushing in and this police body cam video shows the massacre unfolding in
front of first responders. They are hunkered down there taking cover, automatic gunfire all around.
Authorities now say the gunfire lasted up to 11 minutes, 58 people dead at that music festival. The shooter was firing from a high-rise hotel where
he had stockpiled weapons and even setup cameras inside and outside the room that allowed him to monitor anyone approaching.
The numbers are absolutely staggering. You couldn't imagine a single individual acquiring the number of weapons, 49 weapons in all at three
locations.
Let's get the very latest on the investigation, CNN's Martin Savidge is live in Las Vegas with more. What is the very latest on this investigation
on the shooter and also on his girlfriend, who we understand was in the Philippines, but is now in America?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. It all comes down to the girlfriend in many ways because what everyone wants to know at this point
is why. What was motivation that caused the gunman to do what he did.
We can talk about all the weapons. We can talk about where he fired from. We can talk endlessly about how much ammunition, but the real question is
why. And up to this point, there is nothing that law enforcement has found.
There is nothing that neighbors have said. There is nothing that anyone who knew the shooter has brought forward to say we should have been worried
about this guy, should have been tracking this guy. There should have been red flags. There were none.
He was not a criminal, didn't appear to have a troubled past, seemed to have money. So, the girlfriend, Marilou Danley, she flew back from the
Philippines last night. She's being interviewed by the FBI right now as we speak.
This I doubt is going to be a short interview. There are going to have a lot of questions, hundreds of questions, and they'll keep coming back to
her with more and more questions.
This is a very important interview because she is the person who perhaps has the greatest insight as to what was going on in the mind of a mass
murderer. The problem is, she may not really know.
I've talked to some law enforcement experts who say, whatever was troubling him, it may not be some grand cause. It may not be some major wrong that
he thought. I could have been just some simple kernel inside his brain that was enough motivation.
In other words, a kind of madness. We just don't know yet and that's why this interview with the girlfriend is so important. A lot of questions
there.
[15:05:09] GORANI: It's still just confounding, isn't it? A 64-year-old doing something like this and we do know that a hundred thousand dollars --
that the shooter wired a hundred thousand dollars to the Philippines. Now we know that his girlfriend is from the Philippines. We know he visited
there in 2013.
We are not sure when money was wired. What more do we know about -- because it's a large -- it's a large sum of money to send to the
Philippines.
SAVIDGE: It is a large sum of money, right, and there are questions to whom was this money sent, was acquired, you know, and that's what
investigators are going through. There are, of course, the U.S. investigators, who are talking to investigators in the Philippines.
And they're trying to determine exactly what bank account did that go to and when was that money sent. In other words, you know, clearly what
people are worried about is that was this some kind of getaway bond or was it a payback for something? We don't know.
But it certainly is unusual that a hundred thousand dollars would have been wired by the suspect to the Philippines because there is a connection with
his girlfriend. What that means is another one of those questions on that long list for the FBI at this point, but it certainly has a lot of eyebrows
raised.
GORANI: All right. We'll talk more about the investigation and we'll be speaking with Tom Fuentes, who was formerly with the FBI for more on what
could have motivated this mass shooting. Martin Savidge with the latest on the investigation in Las Vegas, thanks very much.
Many are watching to see how Mr. Trump handles what is a very emotional day. He is looking to comfort traumatized victims and pledge support as
they try to rebuild their lives.
Just yesterday, of course, Mr. Trump was promising to help Puerto Ricans rebuild their lives after devastating hurricane, but critics his trip fell
well short and at times was awkward and seemed more like a photo op.
Let's bring in CNN White House reporter, Stephen Collinson. He joins me live from Washington, D.C. First, let's talk a little bit about, before we
get to Puerto Rico, about Las Vegas because this is a -- it's not just -- it's a city traumatized. It's also a country in shock.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. I mean, this is a few days ago now, but it has been dominating not just the news, but
everyone's conversation in the United States. We saw the president a few moments ago come out and give a fairly sort of standard presidential
appearance often meeting some survivors of this massacre and the doctors and nurses treating them.
You know, this is a fairly easy thing for a president to do. It's -- there is no politics involved. It's a simple case of uniting the country and
offering support as you say and it looks like it went ahead fine.
But you know, Donald Trump is so unpredictable and has shown himself sometimes less capable and comfortable with the more ceremonial rituals and
the formalities of the presidency, the many other politicians. So, everything he does in this context is being very closely watched as you
say.
GORANI: He was asked about Rex Tillerson, NBC had that report that quoted a source as saying Rex Tillerson called Donald Trump a moron in July. The
secretary of state came out today said he is committed to the job and Donald Trump at the Medical Center, when asked that question said it was
fake news.
COLLINSON: That's right. And that is what the one -- perhaps the one false note that he struck there. Some people might've said that he would
have been better just to ignore that question in this context and move on.
But once he's attacked or once there is any issues raised about his own image and ego, Donald Trump seems to respond wherever he is and whatever
context is in. So, I don't think it's a surprise that he -- as he went back to that, as it's clearly something that's on his mind. But as you
said that was perhaps the one false note of this appearance.
GORANI: And Stephen, one of the most memorable images from my trip to Puerto Rico was when the president started hurling rolls of paper towels
into a crowd of hurricane victims so it's kind of what, you know, you might see with candy thrown at, you know, at a parade float or something.
So, Mr. Trump also handed a few flashlights while telling people you don't need these anymore. Even though most of the island is still without power.
How did that go down that trip? Because parts of it were -- I mean, felt a little bit awkward like this one.
COLLINSON: That's right. And that was a very odd image as you say. That trip yesterday was ostensibly about the president going down there to find
out more about the conditions, but if you are watching it back home in the United States and around the world, it looked more like it was a trip
designed to convince the president himself that everything was going well.
There's a parade of people, local politicians, members of the Armed Forces, who basically timeout and praise the president's leadership and his effort.
There are couple of very odd moments when at one point of president said he noted the death toll of around 16 people from the hurricanes and said,
well, it's not like a real catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that was certainly very odd.
[15:10:03] He appeared to sort of encourage local politicians to come out and praise him and then when he was flying back on Air Force One, he said
all he heard was praise for his efforts.
That seems to conflict directly with a lot of the news reports that we've been seeing on CNN and other outlets about how there is great deprivations
still on the island, no power, lack of water, medical services being severely disrupted.
So, that was I think a much more typical of Trumpian appearance. It seems you know very much to stroke his ego and his image rather than to find out
what really went on.
GORANI: Stephen Collinson, thanks very much for joining us.
Now from that to the Russia investigation, there are several going on in parallel including one on Capitol Hill, a top U.S. Senate investigator says
there is, quote, "more work to do" to determine whether Donald Trump aides colluded with Russian officials.
The Republican Richard Burr heads up the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is probing Russian meddling in last year's presidential election. I
understand we are about to see the president walk out any moment, is that the case? There he is speaking. Let's listen in.
(PRESIDENT TRUMP'S MEETING WITH FIRST RESPONDERS)
GORANI: All right. There you have it. This is recent footage of the president visiting police headquarters in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas
Metropolitan Police Department. We were hearing (inaudible), but I believe it confirmed it was Sheriff Joseph Lombardo.
He's the one who is updating journalist and in fact the world in the immediate aftermath of the massacre praising first responders, the sheriff
was introducing some of those that selflessly rushed in help to the president and the president congratulated the police officers.
Let's see, Dana Bash, can join me now from Washington. Dana, we were going to talk about the Russia investigation and we'll get to that in a moment.
But let's first talk about Donald Trump in Las Vegas. So, after the Puerto Rico visit, what's the objective for the president here?
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's quite different obviously. The situation couldn't be more different. The only thing I
think they have in common is the need for presidential leadership.
In the Puerto Rico, you are talking with Stephen about some of that the gaffes that he made, but overall his mission there was to get a firsthand
look at something that he as a leader in the federal government in the United States will have to continue for weeks, months, even years to help
in the recovery and rebuilding, more importantly, of Puerto Rico.
In Las Vegas, and you see at the president there, he is going at more of the traditional consoler-in-chief.
GORANI: And he was asked about gun control. He said it's not the time to talk about it, as well, which you heard a lot from Republican politicians
over the last several days.
[15:15:04] BASH: That's right. And look, I paused there because I wasn't sure if that was something that we were going to need to listen to the
president say, but what we just played of the president sitting and talking to the first responders, those who were on the ground, those who were even
the dispatchers trying to get help to the scene as quickly as possible.
That is for as nontraditional as they come, which Donald Trump is, that is among the most traditional things that you will see him do, which is to be
there, to listen, to congratulate, to thank.
And in a situation like Las Vegas that is the role of a president and that is something that he is doing again in a very uncharacteristically
traditional way so far.
GORANI: Right and now, the Russian investigation, the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman and co-chairman in a bipartisan way came out today
saying they're not ruling out collusion between Donald Trump aides and Russia. They are also saying beware take this very seriously that Russian
operatives will try to sew chaos in 2018.
BASH: Very dire, there's no question that was not really clear what these bipartisan chair and co-chair of the intelligence committee, which has been
doing this investigation for 10 months, Hala.
I mean, this has started at the beginning of 2017 and they are not done, but they came out really to show considering the fact that it is under a
cloak of secrecy, this investigation. What they have been doing to show a little lag on things that they have concluded.
One of them being that this whole notion of what they called the Comey memos that fired FBI Director James Comey, the things that he said that
that's no longer in their purview. That I thought was significant because the suggestion was it's a question not of congressional oversight, but it's
a criminal one.
And that the special counsel is now dealing with this and obviously that's a question of obstruction of justice, which could go as high as the
president. They're not touching that.
But on collusion, you're exactly right. They're not sure whether or not there was actual collusion between the Russian government or Russian
officials and anybody in the U.S., but the fact that they haven't ruled out given all of the investigation that during the interviews, the documents
that hundreds of thousands of those that they've gotten.
And the dire warning that this is something that the Russian government is not going to give up on. He said Russian intelligence in a way that there
trying to stir chaos, cultural chaos, political chaos within the borders of the United States is not unlike what you've seen and what we've seen in
Europe and it is something that is going to continue.
It was a very, very stark one in particularly for a president who continues to say that he doesn't necessarily believe that it actually happened.
GORANI: All right. Our chief political correspondent, Dana Bash, in Washington, thanks very much. By the way, we are expecting the president
of the United States to make another appearance. There is -- you can see there sort of a podium set up and journalists gathered waiting for the U.S.
president to make an appearance.
We just saw him at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department before that we saw him at the University Medical Center that received so many of the
trauma patients, who were injured in Sunday's massacre and we are expecting the president to make this appearance and he will be at this appearance we
understand praising civilian heroes as well as obviously the first responders of the Las Vegas mass shooting.
Initially, we thought it would be in more off-the-cuff remarks from the president, but this has turned into something a lot more structured. You
see it there with the podium and the flags that are set up. Anyway, we'll bring you that live when it happens.
Still to come tonight, what's next for Spain? The president of Catalonia makes a television address after saying he could declare independence for
his region, breakaway from Spain within days.
And the writing is on the wall or in Theresa May's case, it isn't. We'll have more on her calamitous party conference speech coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:21:44]
GORANI: Welcome back. As I mentioned, we are expecting the president, Donald Trump, to make another appearance at the police station. We'll
bring you that live.
Now the latest on a crisis that is threatening to break up Spain. The region of Catalan is expected to declare independence unilaterally on
Monday after petition to hold a debate in the local parliament was accepted.
The president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, has just addressed his fellow Catalans on television. Erin McLaughlin has listened to the speech
in Barcelona. So, Erin, is he -- did he say in this television address that he would unilaterally declare that Catalan is now independent?
Obviously, that will not be recognized by the government of Spain.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, in that televised address that concluded just minutes ago, he didn't talk about a timetable for a
potential declaration of independence. What he did talk about was directed at people really across Spain.
He addressed the demonstrations that happened throughout the region last night. People coming out by the hundreds of thousands yesterday to protest
the violence that they saw during the referendum on Sunday.
He praised those demonstrations. He called on people here to remain united and to reject violence. He also addressed Spaniards interestingly in
Spanish addressing those individuals across Spain, who have shown support, their support for the Catalan cause.
He also had a message for the king of Spain expressing his disappointment saying that -- this king had disappointed many people in this area also
saying that it was a lost opportunity to address all people in reference to what the king had to say yesterday.
The king issuing a rare televised statement in which he admonished the Catalan government for holding what he said was an illegal referendum,
upset many people in this region for not mentioning the violence that took place during the vote on Sunday and for not talking about the need for a
dialogue.
Something that members of the Catalan government have been calling for as well as the European Union.
GORANI: Now let me just -- let's project the next week, the president of Catalan comes out and says I unilaterally declare independence for the
region of Catalan, by the way, contributes 20 percent of Spanish GDP. But the central government says it's illegal and unconstitutional. What
happens then?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, you know, that's an open question and while the president of Catalan, Piugdemont, did not address a timetable in that
statement, he has been talking about a potential declaration of independence in previous media interviews saying that that could happen
within days.
We know that parliament is expected to convene here in the region on Monday. We expect another speech from him there, a chance for MPs here to
also ask him questions. Sometime after that, that's when the formal declaration is expected.
[15:25:08] If and when that happens, all eyes then will turn to Madrid in terms of how they will respond. There are speculations that they could
invoke emergency powers over the region, but really that's being seen as a last resort at this point.
Again, what we are hearing calls from E.U. as well as others on all signs of the government really calling -- calling to dialogue. Dialogue, which
is not taking place so far --Hala.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Erin McLaughlin.
Up next, police start to unravel the mystery behind the Las Vegas massacre, but the motive behind the shooter's meticulous plan is still not known.
And not going anywhere, Rex Tillerson refutes claims he was going to resign over tensions with Donald Trump. There were even reports that he's called
the president a moron over the summer. We'll be live at the State Department.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Returning now to our top story, the brutal massacre in Las Vegas and the investigation into the shooter's possible motive. His girlfriend
could provide some clues. The FBI is interviewing her. Her name is Marilou Danley.
She just returned from the Philippines and an attorney is expected to deliver a statement on her behalf later in the day. Nic Robertson reports
from Manila.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Philippine authorities have been very cautious about what they are telling journalists
here. The reason for that according to the spokesperson at the Immigration Bureau, is that they don't want to damage what is an active and ongoing
U.S. investigation.
But Marilou Danley's arrival back in the United States does appear to have triggered them being able to pass on some information. What the
spokesperson at the Immigration Bureau said was that Marilou Danley arrived here in Manila on the 25th of September.
But what was less clear when I talked to her was precisely the nature and conditions under which Marilou Danley left here.
MARIA ANTONETTE MANGROBANG, PHILIPPINE IMMIGRATION BUREAU SPOKESWOMAN: When she arrived on the 25th, she was processed like a regular passenger
and on the 3rd of October, just yesterday, she passed through immigration at around 4:56 p.m. and -- to board her flight to Los Angeles.
ROBERTSON: And she passed through immigration when she was leaving with FBI agents?
MANGROBANG: I cannot confirm that, sir. That is not something that is in their travel records, but what I can say is that all the information with
respect to the travel of Ms. Marilou Danley has been communicated with the Homeland Security as well as the FBI.
ROBERTSON: And as far as you know, she left on her own freewill?
ANTONETTE MANGROBANG, SPOKESPERSON, PHILIPPINE BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION: Well, we cannot say that if she was - we cannot confirm or deny that
because it is an information that we do not have, but what we can say is that she passed through the immigration process and was cleared by an
immigration officer to board her flight departing the country.
ROBERTSON: With the FBI?
MANGROBANG: We cannot confirm, sir, whether she was accompanied by the FBI or she was traveling alone.
ROBERTSON: The spokesperson also told me that wasn't Marilou Danley's only visit to the Philippines in September, that she arrived here on the 15th of
September from Tokyo, left seven days later on the 22nd September for Hong Kong, then three days later traveling back on the 25th of September from
Hong Kong.
So, this raises many, many more questions than it answers for authorities here. They remain very, very cautious about opening up to details of
Marilou's visit here - Marilou Danley's visit because they say they don't want to damage this ongoing, active US investigation.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Manila, the Philippines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST, THE WORLD RIGHT NOW: Thank you, Nic. Now, we're hearing from Marilou Danley's sisters about why she may have traveled to
the Philippines. They spoke exclusively to our affiliate, 7 Network Australia. They asked for their identities to be concealed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I know that she don't know anything as well, like us. She was sent away. She was sent away, so that she will be not there
to interfere of what he's planning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marilou was there. And this maybe as well didn't happen because she won't let that happen. She would definitely stop
something, whatever what he was planning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Those were the sisters of the girlfriend of the shooter in Las Vegas. Las Vegas where we're seeing the US president speak at a police
operations center. I don't know if we have that footage. There it is. The image has frozen, OK. We'll unfreeze that as soon as we can and bring
it to you.
So, you just heard from the sisters of Marilou Danley. If their theory holds up, it's another sign of how carefully this shooter planned this
attack in advance.
Las Vegas police found at least 23 weapons inside the hotel room alone. Several were altered to fire like automatic weapons. Yet somehow Paddock
managed to sneak them into the Mandalay Bay hotel without being detected.
Though it's been explained that you could do that in several times and in suitcases. He also had thousands of rounds of ammunition. And from his
vantage point on the 32nd floor, Paddock was virtually unassailable.
CNN senior law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes joins me from Washington. He worked for the FBI for nearly 30 years.
Tom, I guess, my first question is, this guy, 64 years old, no military experience, no background in law enforcement, do you think it's possible
that he bought and modified those semi-automatic rifles to become automatic rifles and set up that whole hotel room all on his own?
TOM FUENTES, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Hala, it certainly looks like he did and it wouldn't have taken that much other than how many
trips it took from the lobby upstairs to bring all of his luggage pieces containing the guns to his room.
But that and the modification of those guns, very easily done.
GORANI: So, the modification - sorry to jump in. This bump fire stock, which is legal to buy, that's easy if you just follow instructions on the
Internet or something?
FUENTES: Absolutely. It's easy to do. And a man like him, with plenty of money, could easily have found gunsmiths and other gun enthusiasts that
would've helped him with that modification if he needed it.
If I could backup one second to what Nic Robertson was reporting, the FBI had no authority to bring his girlfriend back to the United States. She
was not being deported. She could not be deported back to the US. She's not a citizen here and there was no extradition. She hasn't even been
charged with anything yet.
So, her trip back, being escorted by the FBI agents assigned in the Manila FBI office, was absolutely voluntary on her part to come back here.
The escort would've also been for her safety, fearing that somebody might want to do harm to her, thinking that she may have been involved in this.
so, this is absolutely voluntary on her part to come back to the US and, hopefully, she might be able to shed some light on what he was thinking,
besides just buying the weapons and modifying them.
GORANI: So, if you're the FBI agent in charge of talking with this lady, what would your first question be?
FUENTES: My first question would be who else was close to him, who else would he have been in contact with. If she didn't know about all of these
weapons or his intention to use them to murder people, did anybody else seem to be close to him that she knew of, a friend, a neighbor, a relative,
a work associate, anybody that he had been talking to, so that the FBI and the Las Vegas police could go and contact any other person.
[15:35:10] And by the way, the FBI is just providing the assistance because of its considerable international assets. The Las Vegas authorities are
still in charge of this investigation because there has been no indication of terrorism.
GORANI: By now, if there was suspicion of any kind of terrorism, whether it's white supremacist terrorism, another form of terrorism, would we have
seen the FBI take over at this stage?
FUENTES: Yes, absolutely. If there was an indication that it was a white supremacist group, KKK, Aryan Brotherhood, neo-Nazis, any of that type of
what would be classified by the FBI as domestic terrorism, a group originating or emanating from the United States as opposed to ISIS or
someone overseas.
So, if there was any indication, international or domestic, of terrorism, the FBI would absolutely take over.
GORANI: Now, I keep coming back to this because this is the thing I found the most confounding. This murderer was 64 years old. Really, really, his
intention, very obvious. You don't have to be an expert, was to massacre as many people as possible.
In your experience in the FBI, once someone is that age, wouldn't you expect that they've learned how to process whatever sick motivation pushes
them to commit these types of mass crimes?
FUENTES: Yes, it's unusual for somebody his age. But, remember, a couple of years ago, we had a shooting incident in the United States at the
Holocaust Museum where we had someone older than him kill a guard and exchange gunfire with another guard.
He was a member of a white supremacist group who kicked him out of the group because they thought he was too old. So, he was trying to prove to
them that he was fully capable of being a bad guy and that he shouldn't have been kicked out. And he was later apprehended. And I think he died
in prison shortly after.
GORANI: And when you see how this was all executed, the operation itself, there is - no part of you is surprised that a 64-year-old civilian was able
to organize himself so horribly efficiently? I mean, because it's not just - no, but it's not just the acquisition of the weapons, it's how he knew
that was the best vantage point. He had cameras inside, outside the room. I mean, just feels military, doesn't it?
FUENTES: Hala, I'm 65. And I don't think most of us at my age are too feeble to carry out what he did.
GORANI: No, no. Not feeble physically. I mean, he doesn't have the training is what I'm saying, obviously.
FUENTES: It wouldn't take much training. You could buy these weapons. They are very simple to put bullets in a magazine, put the magazine in the
gun, cock it, pull the trigger and off it goes.
In this situation, he would not have to have been a skilled marksman because the group in this concert were not that far away from him and
they're packed so tightly that he could just fire in that general direction and just spray bullets at that crowd, and that's how he could hit 50
people.
If this individual was a trained special forces member, he would've killed three times that many people. So, it's not that difficult to do what he
did. It took a lot of organization to, obviously, accumulate that many weapons, to put them in luggage, to bring them up to the room, and then set
up like he did with a vantage point down the Las Vegas Strip, which gave him a long view of the thousands of people that were down there attending
or nearby the concert venue.
GORANI: All right, Tom Fuentes. Thanks so much for joining us. We always appreciate your analysis and shedding some light there on some of the
questions people still have about this case.
FUENTES: Thank you, Hala.
GORANI: He has been in the job for around nine months, but the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said he has no plans to resign and
denied that Vice President Mike Pence had urged him to stay in the job.
It stems from a report by "NBC News" that reported that Tillerson had called the president a moron in July. Here is how, after that report came
out, he walked up to the podium at the State Department and addressed that accusation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REX TILLERSON, US SECRETARY OF STATE: There is some news - I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that. This is what I don't understand about
Washington. Again, I'm not from this place, but the places I come from, we don't deal with that kind of petty nonsense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: President Trump never one to miss a chance to bash the media immediately tweeted, "The @NBCNews story has just been totally refuted by
Sec. Tillerson and @VP Pence. It is #FakeNews. They should issue an apology to AMERICA!"
Meanwhile, "NBC" says it stands by its reporting. Let's get more with Elise Labott. She's at the State Department. So, Elise, the secretary of
state says he's committed to the president, that he stands by him. He didn't exactly deny that he called him a moron.
[15:40:09] ELISE LABOTT, CNN'S GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: He didn't deny it, Hala, but later his spokesman Heather Nauert, State Department
spokesman, came out to the podium at the briefing today, told reporters that he did, in fact, deny ever having used that language.
Other officials say he didn't want to kind of - as he said, get into that kind of petty talk and that disparaging talk upstairs, but sent his
spokesman out to say that he did not, in fact, call the president a moron.
Now, Secretary of State Tillerson, as you know, has been quite frustrated in the job. He's constantly undermined by President Trump. But aides tell
us that he has continued to plow ahead, working with, as he says, Secretary of Defense Mattis and others on the president's foreign policy.
He kind of went through some foreign policy successes. I will say that Heather Nauert said that after Secretary Tillerson made those remarks
today, Hala, that he did have a phone call with the president. He said that president was - that call was a good call.
And privately, aides are saying that things are blowing over. Obviously, the White House not happy with how this is playing out, telling our White
House team that president, obviously, not happy that this is boiling out into the public and there's been frustration between these two men.
But it seems as if this has kind of reached a plateau. This is a story that started in July and we have to see now if they're going to kind of
just be willing to move on. Clearly, a lot of tension there, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Elise Labott at the State Department. Just listening to instructions there, we're still expecting
any minute now the president to speak in Las Vegas.
He - you can see there, there's a podium that was set up, I understand, in a police command center area. He is surrounded there by about 150
officers, I understand, and journalists are gathered as well. We'll bring you that live when it happens.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: It's been a tough year for Theresa May. A shock election result coupled with a difficult Brexit process that's left her open to criticism
and upheaval in her own cabinet.
Well, her speech at the Conservative Party's conference was a chance to reshape that narrative. Its theme was Britain's Dream.
But as Max Foster reports, it turned into a nightmare.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With her job as prime minister under pressure and the government still reeling from the bruising
election campaign, Theresa May came prepared with a mea culpa.
THERESA MAY, PRIME MINISTER OF BRITAIN: I hold my hands up for that. I take responsibility. I led the campaign and I am sorry.
[15:45:01] FOSTER: And a heavy dose of self-deprecation.
MAY: I don't mind being called things like the ice maiden.
FOSTER: Her speech was meant to be a turning point, silencing her critics and resetting the government's agenda. But it was soon upstaged by an
intruder in a breach of security.
The man was able to reach the prime minister's lectern, handing her a P-45 unemployment notice.
Whilst he was being led out of the Conservative Party Conference, Prime Minister May tried to get on message.
MAY: I was about to talk about somebody I'd like to give a P-45 and that's Jeremy Corbyn.
FOSTER: But soon, it was her voice that gave way.
MAY: Our economy back on track. While we will - excuse me.
FOSTER: Led by the UK cabinet, the crowd rose to its feet to give her time to recover.
MAY: Thank you.
FOSTER: The chancellor handing the prime minister a throat lozenge.
MAY: I hope you notice that, ladies and gentlemen, the chancellor giving something away free.
FOSTER: Despite several rounds of talks in Brussels, there's a growing sense of at the slow pace of resolving differences between the two sides.
MAY: I believe it is profoundly in all our interests for the negotiations to succeed, but I know that some are worried whether we're prepared in the
event that they do not. It is our responsibility as a government to prepare for every eventuality. And let me reassure everyone in this hall,
that is exactly what we're doing.
FOSTER: And a reassurance too. She wants EU citizens already living in the UK to stay.
MAY: That we value the contribution you make to the life of our country. You are welcome here.
FOSTER: In politics, though, imagery can be everything. Nearly an hour into her speech, the sign behind her head began falling apart one letter at
a time.
For a prime minister with her back up against the wall, some might see it as a metaphor for her leadership.
Max Foster, CNN, Manchester.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, I don't think it could've - I mean, it could've gone much worse, but not much, much worse than that for the Prime Minister. Let's go
live to Downing Street. Bianca Nobilo is there with more.
So, you were there, I believe, when she gave the speech, Bianca.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I was. Myself and the rest of the CNN team, we were just outside of that hall. Sorry, go ahead.
GORANI: No, no. I wanted to ask you, what's the reaction from Tory members, her own team to a speech like that today? What were they saying?
NOBILO: Well, considering that everyone that was in attendance today, maybe barring that prankster and a few journalists, are her party faithful,
they're her supporters, everyone that's behind her, and I had a very mixed reaction to that speech.
There were definitely some that said the way that she managed to battle through it showed fortitude and it showed grit, that she kept calm and
carry on as the British motto goes.
But then, there were those who just thought, literally, everything is falling apart. Her vision for the country, building a country that works
for everyone, those words behind her just disintegrating.
They thought she just can't go on. It was agonizing to watch. It really was quite painful. And there were moments that journalists and politicians
thought she just wouldn't be able to continue.
This was a conference, Hala, that was meant to galvanize the party, it was meant to boost morale and reestablish her authority. None of those things
seemed to have happened.
If anything, the prime minister is coming out of this Conservative Party Conference somewhat diminished in terms of authority and that's
particularly dangerous going to this next stage of Brexit negotiations.
GORANI: Well - and so, can he survive? I mean, in the end, the conservatives made a deal with a Northern Ireland party. They have a
mandate. And is there anyone waiting in the wings to kind of take over and push her to the side?
NOBILO: One of the reasons the Prime Minister has managed to survive this long after calling that misjudged election is the fact that there just
isn't an obvious candidate to replace her in Britain.
Obviously, the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is the character that everybody keeps hearing about. He's the cabinet member who's supposedly
challenging the prime minister by pushing her redlines on Brexit and trying to preserve his own Brexit legacy.
But apart from him, there's favorite on the right of the party and the left of the party, but not one person tonight everybody behind the prime
minister just now.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much. Bianca Nobilo is at 10 Downing. So, Bianca mentioned Boris Johnson. Even before the calamitous speech,
Theresa May was not having the easiest of party conferences.
[15:50:05] A lot of it was thanks to Boris Johnson, her top diplomat, the foreign secretary, who was accused of undermining her authority, not for
the first time.
This time it was something that he said about Libya that has some lawmakers saying it was crass, it was appropriate and they are calling for his
resignation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: There's a group of UK business people, actually, some wonderful guys who want to invest in
Sirte on the coast, near where Gaddafi was captured and executed as some of you may have seen. And they literally have a brilliant vision to turn
Sirte, with the help of the municipality of Sirte, to turn it into the next Dubai. The only thing they've got to do is clear the dead bodies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. Sirte could become the next Dubai, all they have to do is clear the dead bodies away. That is the foreign secretary of the United
Kingdom. It's something he said that has raised many, many eyebrows.
As I mentioned, Mr. Trump, the US president, is expected to speak any moment now. There you see, this is happening at a police command center
and that's part of the building of, I believe, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
We're seeing law enforcement officials. I see the sheriff there, Joe Lombardo, who was speaking a little bit earlier at a gathering a few
minutes ago with the president and the first lady and those police officers who very bravely - you saw some of that body cam video - rushed in to
confront the shooter during the massacre over the weekend.
We'll be right back. Quick break. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Now, we are expecting the president to make an appearance any moment. Currently, it is the governor of Nevada Brian Sandoval who's
speaking at that police operations center. Let's listen in.
BRIAN SANDOVAL, GOVERNOR, NEVADA: - support and love. The future is going to come one day at a time. We all have a choice how we are going to live
each day.
We must be glad. We must be good. We must be brave. And we must have faith. And we will emerge as a stronger, kinder, better state and nation.
So, God bless the victims and their families. May they give them peace. God bless our great state. And God bless our nation, the greatest nation
on earth.
And with that, I'm very privileged and honored to introduce the first lady and the president of the United States. I personally want to thank them on
behalf of all the people of Nevada for taking the time to come out here and provide us their support and their comfort and everything else that they
are going to bring to us.
So, with that, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce the president of our great nation, Donald Trump. Thank you.
TRUMP: Thank you very much, governor. We really appreciate that.
And I will tell you, the people of Nevada and the extraordinary city have shown the world their incredible character, courage and resolve. Nevada
really is a very, very special place. I'm honored to be here today at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in the company of heroes.
TRUMP: Thank you to our police, our firefighters and to our first responders, and of course to Sheriff Lombardo. Incredible job you've done.
Mayor Goodman. Hello, Mayor Goodman.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
Senator Heller, thank you very much. Senator Cortez Masto. Majority leader. Where is Kevin, majority leader? Kevin McCarthy. Adam Laxalt, all of the
great congressman that we have with us today from both parties. We just are very honored that you could be with us.
And on behalf of the grateful nation, we thank each and everyone of you in law enforcement. In the depths of horror we will always find hope in the
men and women who risk their lives for ours.
The mass murder that took place on Sunday night fills America's heart with grief. America is truly a nation in mourning.
I visited the hospital earlier today where many victims are still recovering from their wounds. And we ask God to ease their suffering, and
to speed their healing. We pray for the recovery of the injured, and those injured officers, who so bravely threw themselves into danger when duty
called.
And we grieve the loss of the law enforcement personnel who were killed in this vicious attack. Many families tonight will go to bed in a world that
is suddenly empty. The people they so dearly love were torn away from them forever. Our souls are stricken with grief for every American who lost a
husband or a wife, a mother or a father, a son or a daughter. We know that your sorrow feels endless. We stand together to help you carry your pain.
You are not alone. We will never leave your side.
Here at the police department, we remember one of our own who died this week, Charles Hartfield. He was a very, very special person. Officer
Hartfield was a proud veteran, a devoted husband, a loving father. His death is a tragic loss for this police force, for this city, and for our
great nation. We struggle for the words to explain to our children how such evil can exist, how there can be such cruelty and such suffering. But we
cannot be defined by the evil that threatens us or the violence that incites such terror. We are defined by our love, our caring and courage. In
the darkest moments, what shines most brightly is the goodness that thrives in the hearts of our people. That goodness is our lighthouse, and our
solace is knowledge that the souls of those who passed are now at peace in Heaven.
Here on Earth, we are blessed to be surrounded by heroes. As one eyewitness recounted this week, while everyone else was crouching, police officers
were standing up as targets just trying to direct people and tell them where to go. The officers were standing up in the line of fire to help
those in danger and to find out where those horrible shots were coming from.
Words cannot describe the bravery that the whole world witnessed on Sunday night. Americans defied death and hatred with love and with courage.
When the word and the worst of humanity strikes, and strike it did, the best of humanity responds. Parents and spouses used their own bodies as
shields to protect their loved ones. Americans dashed into a hail of bullets to rescue total strangers.
Joining us today are many of the heroes who were here during that horrible moment, that horrible night, including Las Vegas
END
