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Hala Gorani Tonight
Roy Moore Speaks To Faith Leaders Amid Allegations; Britain Denies Debt Payment Linked To Free Woman; Old Vic: 20 Claims Of Inappropriate Behavior By Spacey; Woman Claims US Senator Groped And Kissed Her Without Consent; "On Japan": Driverless Cars Soon To Be A Reality; Twitter Revokes Verification From Some Users; World Record Auction: $450 Million For Leonardo Da Vince Painting. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired November 16, 2017 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:00:27]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. We are live from CNN London. Thanks for joining us.
Tonight, Mugabe finally appears, the Zimbabwean president is photographed with the country's military chief one day after an apparent coup.
Also, coming up this hour, Myanmar's military is accused of carrying out a vicious campaign of rape against Rohingya Muslim women, sometimes young
girls. We'll have an exclusive report. Clarissa Ward joins me live.
Also, new claims against Kevin Spacey as a theater in London says it has uncovered 20 new allegations against him.
And we begin this hour with stunning images, new images from Zimbabwe. The first photograph of President Robert Mugabe since the military took control
in that apparent coup. We see Mr. Mugabe who was placed under house arrest with the head of the military. We are also hearing directly from his
bitter rival, opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
David McKenzie is on the ground in Harare. Here's his report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The cautious drive reveals a new reality here.
(on camera): There are some serious fire power (inaudible) from the army and it's quite extraordinary because all of this is parked right outside
the headquarters of the presidential guard that's really a sign they are (inaudible) them in. There are some military over here at the checkpoint.
(voice-over): The presidential guard once said it would die for Mugabe, but now like the rest of the country, it takes its orders from the Army.
The question, how long will the soldiers remain on these streets? Opposition leaders like Morgan Tsvangirai asking will free elections ever
happen.
(on camera): Is this a coup that has happened in Zimbabwe?
MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ZIMBABWEAN OPPOSITION LEADER: The military said it's not a coup. It's not a military coup.
MCKENZIE: But the tanks are on the streets?
TSVANGIRAI: Yes, but what I can say is that it is unconstitutional. Whatever you want to describe it is unconstitutional because you can't
force the change of government by any means other than through developments.
MCKENZIE: In the capital, Zimbabwean are holding their breath.
(on camera): What do you think what's happening right now in the country?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
MCKENZIE: You don't know what's happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Robert Mugabe has been in power longer than most Zimbabweans have been alive. Any dissent was stamped out while Mugabe
presided over a near collapse of this economy.
TSVANGIRAI: As far as the people (inaudible) did see the (inaudible).
MCKENZIE: For so long they have seen desperation, so they dare not hope for too much.
(on camera): Do you think Robert Mugabe should leave?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Just something better. David McKenzie, CNN, Harare, Zimbabwe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, Farai Sevenzo joins me now live from Zimbabwe's capital. Farai, one of the things that struck me in David McKenzie's report is that
people -- there is no panic. Everybody seems pretty relaxed. Obviously, they don't know what's going to happen going forward, but nobody seems to
be overly concerned. Is that a fair description of what's going on in Harare and if so, why?
FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's absolutely a very fair description, Hala, because you know, the situation in Zimbabwe has been bubbling on for
decades now. This is a situation that Robert Mugabe has not been able to deliver the promises of independence and people see this as a preferable
alternative.
Let me put it this way, as I landed this morning from Nairobi, I was struck by the (inaudible) that you just referred to. There are no Zimbabwean
Republic police on the roads. It's just the soldiers, but even with the soldiers there, the headline in the state-run "Herald" newspaper was it's
business as usual.
But, of course, we know that it's not business as usual. The situation where the head of the state is on the virtual house arrest. The Army has
been meeting and today as you refer to those pictures.
And we don't quite know what the level of negotiation or talks are. Where do they go from here? Are they arranging an exit package?
[15:05:05] But you are right. In general, Harare is very calm, even though everyone is sort of holding their breath for this impasse to end.
GORANI: So, who is running Zimbabwe right now? Is it the military? Is it an individual? Is it a group of men? Who is running things?
SEVENZO: Well, Hala, you know, when we heard in the event over the last 48 hours, (inaudible), the general reading a statement about taking over and
taking control and arresting criminals and nooses in some garbage circle.
We can only say that it is the generality of the Army that's running it. It is not the police. It's not the Air Force. It is the Army under
Constantino Chiwenga's command, who are running it.
It's Mr. Chiwenga who is talking to Robert Mugabe. Now remember they are not saying this is a coup so constitutionally Robert Mugabe is still the
president. Now, if they are offering him a deal whereby they want to demand (inaudible) the vice president, (inaudible), and I'm speculating
here, to take charge.
Mr. Mugabe may say, well, I don't feel safe. He is the man who is (inaudible). So, we are in this sort of no man's land of speculation, but
certainly, the talks are going on and including, of course, Hala, diplomatic moves by (inaudible), the Southern African Development Community
and the African Union to try and diffuse the situations because nobody from Jacob Zuma to the president of Angola wants to see de facto coup.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Farai Sevenzo, live in Harare, Zimbabwe and we'll keep our eye, of course, on this story, and come back to
you, Farai, if there are new developments this hour.
Now to Myanmar, and the military in that country has carried out a vicious campaign of rape against Rohingya Muslim women and girls, according to a
new report by Human Rights Watch. The U.N. envoy says sexual violence is being commanded, orchestrated, and perpetrated by the Armed Forces of
Burma.
The military is denying all of these allegations, but CNN's Clarissa Ward has been in the Bangladeshi refugee camps speaking to some of the hundreds
of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled. She spoke to multiple women who described being raped. Here's Clarissa's latest report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rashida Begam (ph) rarely speaks these days, but she does tell her story.
She speaks quietly and mechanically as if trying to recount what happened without reliving it.
We were five women with our baby, she says, the military grab us, dragged us into the house, and shut the door and they raped us. She tells us they
stabbed her and tried to kill her. She survived by pretending to be dead.
It will be good if had died, she says, because if I die then I wouldn't have to remember all these things. Stories like Rashida's are all too
common in the Bangladesh camps that now host nearly 1 million Rohingya Muslims.
Every tent it seems has a story of agony, shame, and death inside it. When the military came to Aisha's village, her husband fled, leaving her alone
with five children. Two soldiers stood guard in front of my door, she says. Another came in and pointed his gun at me, he raped me.
(on camera): Did he say anything to you?
(voice-over): He punched me and ripped off my clothes. He said if you move, I will kill you. If you scream, I will kill you. And he covered my
mouth with his hand, she says. I feel so awful. He did it so roughly. He did it without mercy.
Human rights groups say that rape is one of the Myanmar military's most feared weapons. While it's difficult to estimate how many women have been
assaulted, hundreds of cases have been reported.
These Rohingya women are learning songs to offer support to the victims. Rape can happen to anyone, the lyrics go, within three days of rape, you
need to consult a doctor. The program developed by Doctors Without Borders is headed by Midwife Aerlyn Pleil.
She explains that beyond tactical concerns, many victims are struggling to reclaim their dignity.
AERLYN PLEIL, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDER: Peace for me that is kind of the most heartbreaking is that the women coming in are still wearing the same
skirts. It's just heartbreaking that three months later, you are still putting the same skirt that someone assaulted you in.
WARD: For Aisha, the call of shame still hangs heavy. When I remember what happened, tears come to my eyes. Why did they do this me, she asked?
Why did they rape me?
[15:10:08] She finds peace the rate in reading the Koran. For many here, faith and ritual provide some solace amid the squalor. Rashida's anger
still burns.
(on camera): What do you want to see happen to the man who raped you?
(voice-over): If we get the opportunity then we must take revenge, she says. We'll be pleased if the military who raped us and killed our parents
are hanged. But for now, survivor takes priority over justice. There are mouths to feed and a new generation to protect from the horrors of the
past.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: And Clarissa Ward joins me now live on set. You literally just got back today. One of the things we were talking about is that
(inaudible) Doctors Without Borders was telling you that many of the victims of rape are actually children, girls.
WARD: And it was so shocking to hear this. They said as many as 40 percent of the victims that they had identified, that they had spoken to
were minors, some of them girls as young as 10 years old.
And honestly, Hala, when you go through the content of that Human Rights Watch report, it's really hard to read in part. They talk also about gang
rape being used as a weapon, and when I asked these women, why do you think you were raped? What do you think the military was trying to achieve?
They didn't hesitate. They understood right away. They said this was a weapon, a deliberate attempt not to get us just to leave the country, but
to ensure that we never come back.
GORANI: And then you have situations where some of the women are obviously traumatized. Some of them might become pregnant as a result, which
continues the trauma -- and so you are also telling me this is a taboo subject within families.
So, that they don't necessarily talk about the trauma with their parents or their siblings, but they didn't want to share it with you.
WARD: Which was surprising because it is a conservative society, a religious society, and often in those situations, it's hard for people to
talk about. The women I spoke to said, listen, we are not talking about this internally or not sharing this with our sisters and our mothers.
But we are telling you for one very specific reason, we want the world to understand we want these crimes against humanity documented. We want
justice. We want people to take action based on these first-hand testimonies of these crimes, of the use of rape as a weapon of war.
GORANI: Yes, but what's interesting is that despite the fact that we have all this evidence that you and your reporting and others and their
reporting have uncovered proofs that this is going on. The Human Rights Watch is writing long reports about it. We are not seeing really
international mobilization.
WARD: We are not. And we've just seen Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stop short of using the ethnic cleansing word that, of course, the U.N. has
said this is a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.
We haven't yet seen the international community come together and in chorus denounce what's going on and force Myanmar or try to force Myanmar to
launch an independent investigation to get to the bottom of what's been going on and put a stop to it.
GORANI: Clarissa Ward, thanks very much for your great reporting over the last several weeks there on the terrible conditions and the terrible
experiences the Rohingya have gone through. Thanks a lot.
Still to come tonight, a possible breakthrough in Lebanon's political crisis. We have just learned that Saad Hariri will leave Saudi Arabia not
for Lebanon, though. He's headed for Paris. We'll tell you why and when just ahead.
And Grenfell Tower is still looming over West London, a daily reminder for many of a disaster that stole so many lives. Now the police say they
finally have a final (inaudible). We'll be right back.
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[15:15:58]
GORANI: The Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, says it could be the start of a solution to the country's political crisis. He's encourage that Saad
Hariri has agreed to leave Saudi Arabia and visits the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Saturday.
Mr. Hariri has been in Riyadh since announcing his shock resignation there as Lebanese prime minister earlier this month and he met today, in fact,
with the French foreign minister in Riyadh, Jean-Yves Le Drain. They both are in the Saudi capital.
Lebanon's president is refusing to accept Mr. Hariri's resignation until he returns to Beirut. He is accusing Saudi Arabia of holding him hostage.
Even though, Riyadh says he is free to go.
CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now from Beirut with the very latest. So, Ben, why Paris and not Lebanon after all Saad Hariri said in an interview, he
would return to Beirut, quote, "very soon."
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. In fact, Hala, it's all very confusing because last Sunday when he had that first
interview, his first real appearance in public speaking in eight days after his resignation on the 4th of November. He said he would be coming back to
Lebanon.
First, he said soon then he said in two or three days, of course, three days from Sunday is Wednesday. He's not back in Lebanon. He tweeted
yesterday that he would be back in maybe two days.
So, clearly, Lebanon isn't going to be his first stop after leaving Saudi Arabia. He also has, incidentally, in addition to Lebanese, Saudi, he has
French citizenship. He has long relations with the French. He spent several years there after his government collapsed in 2011.
This may be a face-saving exercise for him to allow him to exit Saudi Arabia, reemerge in public, so to speak, and we have heard that he may not
be coming back to Lebanon from Paris, that he may do little tour of the Arab world before coming back to the Lebanese capital.
But what people hear have learned since his resignation on the 4th of November is that regardless of what he says, there's no saying what he will
actually do because many people, of course, here are under the impression including President Aoun that he's not a free man.
He will be a free man perhaps when he goes to Paris and this statement from Elysee Palace was the first indication that he will be somewhere else than
Saudi Arabia coming from someone else than Saad Hariri.
So, certainly, once he leaves Saudi Arabia and goes to Paris that will be one step in the right direction as far as Lebanese are concerned, but
really, they want to see him back here at which point, we assume he will submit his resignation again to the president of the Republic. But as
we've seen in this ongoing history every twist and turn brings surprises.
GORANI: But doing nothing to -- I mean, by not going to Lebanon, by going to Paris potentially as you are reporting now going, rather than to Lebanon
other Arab countries. He is doing nothing to quiet the rumors that he is kind of being told to stay away from Beirut from Lebanon at this stage.
WEDEMAN: Well, let's jump into the realm of real speculation. We don't know what he's been told, but clearly, he's under a lot of pressure to say
the least to do certain things. I think things may change. Things may become more clear when he gets to Paris, but at the moment, the speculation
is rife here in Lebanon.
They don't really have much to go on in terms of our solid information. So, the speculation continues. We are waiting for some facts to arrive on
the ground.
GORANI: All right. We are desperate for those facts concerning Saad Hariri at this point. We are in the dark on many aspects of what happened.
Hopefully, we'll get more clarity.
[15:20:14] In the meantime, Ben Wedeman reporting what we know. Thanks so much for joining us.
Our Richard is in Riyadh tonight, Saudi Arabia. He joins me now to talk about the kingdom's ongoing effort to modernize amid all this regional
tension. I've got to ask you, Richard, is there talk at all of this Hariri situation.
I know that you're speaking to business leaders and this 2030 plan for Saudi, but it's really been dominating the news throughout the region. Is
there talk of all this tension?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": No, no --
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: I wonder why because there is a real concern that Saudi Arabia now is speaking more and more aggressively toward Hezbollah that this could
lead to more conflict and for business people, this is not great.
QUEST: There's two distinct areas that you're talking about here, Hala, one is, for example, Hariri, Hezbollah, the whole Yemen question, the
whole, if you like, role that the emboldened Saudi's are playing on the geopolitical stage worldwide.
And then on the other side, you've got the Saudi Arabia that they are happy to talk about that the crown prince's vision 2030, the reforms, allowing
women to drive, bringing women much more into the economy, prince's crackdown on corruption that has over 200 people still locked up, including
princes and leaders, political leaders.
So, you've got these two very distinct issues on one side, the Saudis just really don't want to deal with that or talk about it much at all. On the
other side, they point out again and again, Hala, that the young generation, remember, more than half the country is of the young
generation.
They are firmly supporting the crackdown on corruption and the economic reforms, and what I've seen here since I've been here and talking to people
is that the crown prince has at least for the time being, Hala, a huge groundswell of support for the very deep rooted economic reforms that he's
putting into this country. They are with him at the moment.
GORANI: Yes. Obviously, people in Saudi Arabia and this is something we've observed. Also, as you mentioned, rightly among young people are
firmly behind the drive to root out corruption and the rest of it.
But as well abroad, there is criticism directed at the crown prince that this is really a purge to get rid of the old guard, to push aside potential
rivals. That's not what you're hearing in Saudi?
QUEST: I asked the head of the Central Bank, the head of the monetary authority that, and look, there is a shrug of the shoulders. He denied
that there was any ulterior motive, what you might say, he would say that wouldn't do.
But I think what you are looking at is perhaps an attendant benefit. Yes, lock there people up, but I'll give you as an example, Hala, of how this
country is reforming in the speed. Just tonight, there are two reports.
The first from the "Financial Times" that many of those locked up are being told disgorge 70 percent of your ill-gotten gains and we'll let you go
free. Well, we can't stand that up, no one will admit or deny.
And the second in that unlikely geopolitical organ of record, the "Daily Mail," which suggests that the king, King Salman himself is about to
abdicate sometime next week. That's been flatly denied.
It shows you, though, here you have one of the largest -- the largest regional player that is flexing its muscles where there is huge amount of
uncertainty of what's really going on, but to your point about locking him up to consolidate power, I think here they would say that's an attendant
benefit on what's otherwise an economic plan.
GORANI: Thanks very much. Richard Quest is in Riyadh. We'll see you live from Riyadh on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" at the top of the hour.
From Saudi Arabia to Capitol Hill where a Republican effort to dramatically overhaul the tax system has cleared its first major hurdle. The House
passed the tax reform bill strictly along party lines, not one Democrat voted for it.
Shortly before the vote, President Donald Trump visited Republican lawmakers to rally last-minute support. Obviously, the Republican Party
has a majority on Capitol Hill so they are behind it, it will pass.
Tax reform is one of his key priorities and eager to get a big legislative win under his belt by the end of the year. The bill, though, could face a
much tougher challenge in the Senate and that's been the issue with some this legislation championed by Donald Trump.
[15:25:05] It could pass one hurdle but then not clear the second one. We will have more from Washington in a moment.
But I want to talk now about Grenfell Tower in this country and you will remember the trauma that this cause across London and the U.K. The image
behind me is the charred shell of Grenfell Tower standing empty still to this day after a blaze ripped through the building.
For five months, no one knew exactly how many people had lost their lives. This is, by the way, interior footage from the tower, but now police say
they have identified everyone who died, 70 people in all.
On top of that number one baby was stillborn after the blaze. Police are still searching the tower gathering evidence for a potential criminal
investigation. Erin McLaughlin has more -- Erin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Floor by floor, room by room, they search the Grenfell Tower block for months looking for human remains
described as a mammoth effort which pushed the bounds of science. Police now say with confidence 71 souls lost their lives that tragic night in
June, including, Hashin Rahman (ph), he was on the top floor of the tower block, Flat 204.
We spoke to his nephew about what the death toll means to him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) Dr. Wilcox and her team have done an amazing job, you know, to help us in this difficult moment and help get our
loved ones back. We now need to start the long journey to get justice for these people that died, for our loved ones that died, our friends and
families that died. We have to make sure they didn't die like this for nothing.
MCLAUGHLIN: What do you want the world to remember about your uncle?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My uncle was a hero, you know, in his final moments, there are videos that we are able to find through social media of him
entering (inaudible) flat and you could hear comforting young kids and we are holding on to this, you know, so tightly. He was a hero, you know. I
want the world to see and know that.
MCLAUGHLIN: Not far from the tower block is this church and a makeshift memorial. People still stop here to lay flowers, light candles, and leave
momentous symptomatic of an open and persistent wound.
A local reverend tells me he hopes that this news of a confirmed death toll will open up a new phase in the grieving process for this community. You
can see just over this way police cars.
Grenfell Tower is still an active crime scene and people here in this community continue to cry out for justice. Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come this evening, new allegations emerge against Kevin Spacey on this side of the Atlantic. We are live outside London's old Vic
Theater with all the details.
And a husband's desperate fight to get his wife out of an Iranian prison perspective from a journalist who knows what it's like to spend time behind
bars in Iran. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROY MOORE (R), ALABAMA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: a - be of an age proper. And then he said - then you have to have one of the things. What's that,
judge? He said, you have to have hemorrhoids. I said, judge, I don't understand that. I don't have hemorrhoids. He said what you have to have,
hemorrhoids? And I said why. He said, well, it gives you a concerned look.
I think the one thing that drives these people to come from places all across our country, from California and Texas and Ohio and Maryland and
Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Illinois, the one thing we have in common is a concern for our country and concern for our future.
I want to thank every one of them individually. It's been a great honor. It's been a great encouragement to hear them. They know what they're
talking about, I think. They know that this country faces rough times ahead if we don't go back to the one upon whom it is founded.
I thank all of you who have come to support me in this campaign. I sincerely appreciate your support and look forward to serving the United
States Senate.
One thing I would like to see happen in our country's unity. I said I wanted to see unity. I never dreamed that I would succeed even before I
got elected. But I have unified the Democrats and the Republicans in fighting against me because they don't want me there.
As you know, "The Washington Post" has brought scurrilous, false charges, not charges, allegations, which I have emphatically denied time and time
again. They are not only untrue, but they have no evidence to support them.
Two of the speakers up here said words that I caught. One said unsubstantiated and another said unproven. Another said they were fake.
All that is true.
And "The Washington Post" is certainly not evidence. What I want to do in this campaign is very simple, is get back to the issues which some are
avoiding addressing. I haven't one question from the press or the media about issues of this case since these allegations have occurred.
What is important is how we address the future of this country. By cutting taxes, by rebuilding our military, repealing Obamacare, and putting good
judges and justices on the federal and Supreme Court of the United States. We've got to stop judicial supremacy or losing our form of government.
Many of you have recognized that this an effort by Mitch McConnell and his cronies to steal this election from the people of Alabama and they will not
stand for it. They overcame $30 million and voted me in the primary. And now, they're trying a different tactic.
They even - one other day we got a call from one big magazine that you all recognize beside the name. I don't want to say it. But they got a call
and said - asked me to step down from the campaign. Well, I want to tell you who needs to step down. That's Mitch McConnell.
[15:35:10] There have been comments about me taking the stand. Yes, I have taken the stand in the past. I'll take a stand in the future and I'll quit
standing when they lay me in that box and put me in the ground.
I'm proud to stand with people that I see behind me and with people of Alabama to bring forth the truth to Washington DC, not just about what we
stand for or what the people of this country stand for, an acknowledgment of God, an acknowledgment of the Constitution, and an acknowledgement that
we need moral value back in our country. And without God, we can never succeed.
I want to thank you for coming here. I want to close by just saying, may God bless you, bless the State of Alabama and the United States of America.
Thank you.
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST, HALA GORANI TONIGHT: All right. First of all, apologies for that technical problem for just a bit. We were having
transmission issues. That is fixed.
In the meantime, you were just hearing from the Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore. Top leadership of the Republican Party has asked him to step
down. He said that he is not stepping down.
And why is he controversial? He said some outrageous things in the past, but, in recent weeks, it's allegations against him first reported in "The
Washington Post" that he tried to initiate sexual contact with a 14-year- old, with other teenagers.
In the meantime, two more women have come forward. Roy Moore there, defiant, saying he's not stepping down. He was speaking at an event called
the faith leaders press conference surrounded there by supporters.
Certainly, though, he's becoming a thorn in the side of establishment Republicans, who would rather not have him in the Senate if he indeed wins
the race.
All right. Let's get back to the story we were about to cover before we had some of these technical issues, but we're back and we're glad you are
with us.
The British Foreign Office is denying that plans to settle $0.5 billion debt with Iran are tied to a jailed woman. The Foreign Office says any
deal with Iran has nothing to do with attempts to free Nazanin Zaghari- Ratcliffe.
The UK is under intense pressure to get the British Iranian national out of prison, especially after a gaffe by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson made
her the situation even more precarious.
Diana Magnay has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Two-year-old Gabriela sees her mother just twice a week, her childhood punctuated by jail visits and
Skype calls to daddy as she's forgotten any English she ever knew.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is one of dozens of dual nationals held captive by the Iranian regime. Back in the UK, her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, has
fought for 19 months to bring his family home.
Only now has he had his first meeting with the foreign secretary, who two weeks ago mistakenly claimed that Nazanin had been training journalists in
Iran, fueling the suspicions of the country's revolutionary courts, who threatened to extend her jail time.
Ratcliffe spoke of the toll those comments have taken on his wife, who he said was on the verge of a breakdown.
RICHARD RATCLIFFE, HUSBAND OF NAZANIN ZAGHARI-RATCLIFFE: And that's, interestingly, the one point she wanted to make to the foreign office - to
the foreign secretary, what it's like to watch yourself being called a spy on television every night.
MAGNAY: It's forced Boris Johnson into an embarrassing climb down.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: I should have been clearer. It was my mistake.
MAGNAY: And he's promise to up the ante with Iran, with an official visit where he'll argue for Nazanin's release.
(on-camera): No fixed date for the foreign secretary's trip to Iran and no firm commitments that Boris Johnson was able to give to Richard Ratcliffe
that he could accompany him. So, much will depend on Iranian largesse, what the British government is prepared to offer behind-the-scenes and,
ultimately, who is in control of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's fate in Iran itself.
Sanam Vakil is herself a dual national. She says she won't risk going back to Iran in case something similar happens to her.
SANAM VAKIL, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, CHATHAM HOUSE: This, taking a dual national, speaks to larger fears that hardliners in the Iranian regime have
about foreign influence in Iran and what foreigners - the United States, the UK, other European countries and dual nationals - might be doing to
destabilize power of the hardline structures of the regime.
MAGNAY (voice-over): In the background, a deal struck more than 40 years ago to supply the Shah of Iran with tanks. Iran paid up to the tune of
hundreds of millions of dollars. But then came revolution and Britain didn't deliver.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is important that the UK honors its international legal obligations, so that Iran can honor its legal obligations.
[15:40:01] MAGNAY: The government calls this a completely separate issue. In a statement, the foreign office said funding to settle the debt was paid
to the High Court by the treasury and International Military Services in 2002. Iran's Ministry of Defense remains subject to EU sanctions.
And Nazanin and her family remain subject to an internal Iranian power struggle and a wider diplomatic dance over which however Ratcliffe tries,
he has pitifully small influence.
Diana Magnay, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: My next guest spent months in solitary confinement in an Iranian prison back in 2009. Iranian Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari wrote the
book, "Then They Came for Me: A Family Story of Love, Captivity and Survival". He joins me now via Skype from Wisconsin.
Maziar, do you think that Nazanin is being held as a bargaining chip?
MAZIAR BAHARI, IRANIAN CANADIAN JOURNALIST: Definitely. The Iranian government, and especially the Revolutionary Guards, who arrested Nazanin
and are now holding her now, they regard every Iranian dual national as an asset that they can sell for a price.
As we saw last year, the Iranian government only released four Iranian Americans when they received billions of dollars that was owed to the
Iranian government, of course, from before the revolution, but they released those four American Iranians - Iranian Americans only after they
received the money.
In this case, the Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian government were waiting for some sort of pay off in order to release Nazanin. I'm not sure
exactly if they're going to release her after this 450 million pounds or not.
But to them, these Iranian dual nationals are not human beings. They are assets that they can be sold.
GORANI: Now, Boris Johnson has been criticized - roundly, roundly criticized for that gaffe he made in a committee hearing where he said that
Nazanin was training journalists or was helping train journalists in Iran.
You say, though, and you tweeted this, I don't understand why the people who are criticizing Boris Johnson for his gaffe were so quiet about Nazanin
for such a long time. So, you think Boris Johnson is being unfairly criticized here?
BAHARI: No, I wrote that tweet the day after Boris Johnson made the gaffe. And I thought that he was going to apologize. And I think that the British
government has acted shamefully in this regard.
Well, it took Boris Johnson about 16, 18 months to meet Richard Ratcliffe, Nazanin's husband. During that time, I don't think that he really cared to
care about Nazanin. He did not, obviously, know what Nazanin was going through. He did not know anything about the plight of Nazanin.
And I think you just have to compare Nazanin's situation to my situation. When I was in prison, I knew that the Canadian government, my government,
was acting for me. And not only that, Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state of the United States at that time talked about me, and she knew
what I was going through.
And on CNN, on Fareed Zakaria's show, she talked about me. So, when my family came to visit me in prison and they told me about what was going on,
at least I had that peace of mind that the world cares about me.
With Nazanin, her government is not caring about her. What I said was that last week in my tweet was the fact that the Labour politicians are very
quick to criticize government, but they did not say anything about Nazanin either. They did not criticize the Iranian government for incarcerating
Nazanin, putting her through torture and using her as a bargaining chip.
GORANI: Just one brief last one, the fact that we're talking about it. I interviewed the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe about a week and a
half ago. Does this help or hurt her cause with Iranian hardliners?
BAHARI: It will definitely help her because the Iranian government wants to act with impunity. They don't want to be accountable for their actions.
And by talking about them, by making them accountable for their actions, you are definitely helping Nazanin. Maybe expediting her release, but also
helping her inside prison.
When my interrogator, when my torturer heard that Hillary Clinton was talking about me, when he was beating me, his punches was more careful. He
did not beat me as much after he knew that Hillary Clinton was talking about me.
It's really shameful the way the way that British government has acted in Nazanin's case.
GORANI: Maziar Bahari, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate your time this evening on the program.
[15:45:05] Now, to this story. It's one of London's most famous live theaters. And now, it's dealing with 20 allegations of inappropriate
behavior by its former artistic director. And that artistic director, at the time, was Kevin Spacey.
He held the title at the Old Vic between 2004 and 2015. The theater says most of the claims are from before 2009 and that they have not been
verified, but it did issue this statement.
"Spacey's stardom and status at the Old Vic may have prevented people from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help."
CNN's Hadas Gold is covering this story. She's live outside the Old Vic for us. What more do we know about these allegations?
HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, an investigation was conducted by an outside law firm that the Old Vic brought in after
allegations first surfaced about Kevin Spacey's alleged behavior.
And as you said, they did find 20 separate allegations, some of them as far back as 1995, some of them as more recent as 2013. And all of them - or
most of them happened while he was in a position of power as artistic director at the theater.
And they said that they realized that there was a culture at the theater where people felt like they couldn't speak up, that you had such a cult of
personality around Kevin Spacey. He was such a star. And him coming to this theater really helped revitalize it. They didn't feel as though that
there was a way that they could speak up. And now, they're hoping to change that.
GORANI: Hadas Gold, thanks very much for that update. From the London stage to Capitol Hill, new sexual harassment allegations were leveled
against a US senator today, one with a very familiar name and face abroad, Al Franken.
Leeann Tweeden is a radio host who says Franken groped and kissed her without her consent back in 2006. That's before Franken was a senator, but
during his highly successful career as a comic.
Franken released a statement of apology. It said, in part, I respect women, I don't respect men who don't. And the fact that my own actions
have given people a good reason to doubt that makes me feel ashamed.
Let's cross over to Capitol Hill. CNN's MJ Lee is live outside Senator Franken's office. And in this particular case, MJ, there is photographic
evidence of what this radio host said happened.
MJ LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And these details have been incredibly vivid. And as you mentioned, there is a photo that this woman
has shared. This is a photo that she says was taken when they were coming back from the Middle East during one of these times that they visited US
troops over there.
And she said that, while she was sleeping, this photo was taken. And you can see Senator Franken, who, as you said, was not a senator at the time,
groping her and sort of has a smile on his face as well.
He has responded pretty extensively to these allegations, saying that he is very apologetic, that he is disgusted with himself.
And here on Capitol Hill, the fallout is only just beginning. And one of the repercussions is that there is probably going to be, very likely going
to be, an ethics investigation into what happened.
Senator Franken himself said that he supports there being an investigation and that he will fully cooperate. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a number of other senators have now come out to say that holding an investigation into this
matter is the appropriate thing to do.
And I think, realistically, the mood right now on Capitol Hill is that a lot of members, staff are talking about and wondering sort of out loud, is
this going to be just the beginning, are there going to be other victims who come out and say they endured and experienced this kind of misconduct
from other members of Congress.
GORANI: All right. MJ Lee, thanks very much, live in Washington.
Check out our Facebook page for more of our show content, Facebook.com/HalaGoraniCNN and check me out on Twitter as well.
Still to come tonight, the social media giant tries to write a wrong, enforcing a list of new rules on its users, a coveted blue tick. We'll be
right back.
[15:50:49] GORANI: Self-driving cars are getting closer to becoming a reality. Scientists in Japan have been working on the technology for
years.
In this installment of "On Japan," we take a test drive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And just like that, we're off. This is Nissan's newest autonomous driving prototype, equipped with
ProPILOT technology, Nissan promises this Infiniti Q50 will be able to drive 20 km with no human intervention and end up exactly where we started
at the helm and hands-free.
Tatsuya Dejima (ph), he's been working on this kind of technology for 20 years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because each area, the traffic is increasing. So, the efficiency of the traffic must be attained by technology.
RIPLEY: Of course, self-driving technology isn't unique to Nissan. Cars are already available with features like self-parking or lane centering
assist.
But what Dejima wants to show off today is just how precise their position system has become. And to do that, we're heading straight on to a Tokyo
highway.
Using a regular GPS, this car would have around a five-meter accuracy range. But that probably wouldn't fare too well driving alongside one of
these. But this car, this car has a 300-millimeter range. That means it can fit right through these tight toll booths, merge more easily on to
highways and take tighter turns.
Basically, the car is taking in real time information, using its SONAR, cameras, radars, scanners, all to navigate our way back to the start.
A successful test, but Dejima knows there's still plenty of work to be done before this technology is officially part of our future.
Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. You know the blue tick on Twitter. Well, Twitter is changing the rules. It's pulling some of those blue ticks from some users.
Samuel Burke joins me now with the latest. So, what are the new rules?
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Just remember that this is very important because if you're trying to make sure you're
getting tweets from the real Donald Trump, not a fake Donald Trump, it's a little blue tick to make sure that you're seeing the authentic one.
GORANI: Highly coveted.
BURKE: Highly coveted. It is interesting because I think we're at a turning point, Hala, and you wouldn't think this little blue badge could do
it. But I think these social media companies that were so agnostic before - they'd say, well, these are the rules, if you meet the rules, then you
get the verification and that's that. They are realizing they can't act like this anymore.
So, I just want to put up a list on the screen of what they're saying will make you lose that blue badge because, of course, we had white nationalists
in the United States who were getting the blue badge.
Now, Twitter has demoted them and clarified with these rules, although it does leave some questions. Verification removed if your tweets incite
hate, harassment, violence or dangerous behavior. That will cause you to lose the badge, although one would have thought that would cause you to get
kicked off of Twitter.
GORANI: (INAUDIBLE) just still tweeting.
BURKE: You're still tweeting if you're tweeting violence, things that could incite dangerous behavior. It really makes you wonder.
But I do think it's important to note that I think these social networks realize they can't just sit back anymore and say, well, it's up to each
country in the wake of everything that's happened with Russia trying to meddle in US elections via social media.
They realize that this is a threat to people's confidence and possibly even their share price, which is probably the most important thing to them if
they can't clean up their act.
GORANI: But, so what gets you suspended. I actually - I kind of get it because the blue badge is seen almost as a badge of recognition that the
person's message is a message that they might consider - yes, to endorse that message.
But what gets you kicked off of Twitter because some of that vile hate speech remains. It stays. It's retweeted thousands of times.
BURKE: I think that this is really Twitter saying, if you read between the lines, actually we're going to start using judgment here. And so much of
what they've done has been let's turn it over to computers.
Well, a computer may not know if somebody is a white nationalist or not. But I think if you or I or pretty much anybody is looking at some of these
accounts and you saw their tweet, you would know they were a white nationalist and that they didn't deserve to have any type of verification
or endorsement from Twitter. Humans over computers.
GORANI: All right. We're going to need more humans. Yes. Thanks very much, Samuel Burke.
And by the way, after 19 minutes of intense bidding, Samuel, the hammer came down on an auction record, $450 million for this, a long-lost Leonardo
da Vinci artwork, the painting of Jesus, called the Salvator Mundi.
Its sale Wednesday defied all expectations, going for more than four times its expected selling price. But if you think that's a jump, 60 years ago,
the work was dismissed as a fake. It sold for $60, around $1,000 by today's standards
I don't know who has that amount of money, frankly. What job do you do to have half a billion dollars to throw around? That's what I want to know.
Thanks very much, everyone, to Samuel and the whole team. I'm Hala Gorani. "Quest Means Business" is up next.
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