Return to Transcripts main page
Hala Gorani Tonight
Dozens of Children Killed When Saudi Airstrike Hits School Bus; Kremlin Slams U.S. Sanctions Valves Retaliation; Israel Renew Strikes Against Hamas; Holy Fire Arson Suspect in California Charged with Felony; Modern-Day Slavery in The United Kingdom; Democrats Are Running Veterans Against the Republicans; NYC To Cap Uber, Lyft, Via Growth For One Year; Toxic Algae Invading Florida's Southwest Coast; Denmark Is Latest Nation To Ban Public face Coverings; Lebanese Parliament May Legalize Growing Pot. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired August 09, 2018 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:00] CLARISSA WARD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London, I'm Clarissa Ward in for Hala Gorani. Tonight, the horror of the
war in Yemen brought into full focus, an airstrike kills at least 50 people, most of them children.
Also, tonight tense times between Russia and the United States. The Kremlin reacts strongly to the latest sanctions imposed by Washington,
calling them categorically unacceptable.
And it is the debate that is dividing Europe. Should women be banned from wearing the burqa? We hear from both sides of this passionate argument.
It is a brutal reality of war, innocent civilians will die, but when children are killed the horror is unbearable. As people in Yemen know all
too well. A warning to our viewers now, some of the images that you're about to see are distressing. This is the spot where a Saudi-led coalition
air strike hit a school bus killing at least 50 people, most of them are children. You can see the mangled remains of the bus in the middle of a
busy marketplace.
Now this video was supplied to us by Houthi media and hasn't been independently verified by CNN. It shows a boy being treated in the
hospital. The other videos the other videos that we received are simply too graphic to show you.
Now I want to bring in Nima Elbagir. You have been looking at this footage all day long. Give us a sense of what you've seen and what exactly
happened today?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The videos are appalling. One of them shows the dismembered remains of children just
piled up on top of each other in the back of a pick-up truck. Another in the immediate aftermath of the strike shows children struggling to crawl to
safety, struggling to stand up. Behind them are the bodies of their friends.
You can see even in the scenes in the hospital, the confusion and most of them are too shocked to even cry. In fact, it's quite startling when one
boy almost snaps out of it and starts screaming. The adults around him don't know what to say. What do you say to a child in that situation?
We've been hearing today from Saudis, they're calling this a legitimate strike, they say their intelligence led them to believe there were assets
on the ground, terrorists, they are very unclear about the fact that eyewitnesses have told CNN that this was a direct strike in the middle of a
very popular marketplace in the middle of the day. There was no confusion about this being collateral, but they continue to insist this was a dynamic
targeting.
WARD: What does that mean?
ELBAGIR: I don't know. This isn't a phrase we have heard before from our contacts with any military. They insist that in this situation it was a
dynamic targeting, and that is how this happened.
WARD: Obviously, the war in Yemen has been going on for some time. This is not the first time, though, that we have heard of the Saudi-led
coalition hitting civilian targets, is it?
ELBAGIR: You've seen the aftermath. It's not just about the civilian casualties. We've seen what happens when you switch off the tap on a
country. They block the port, control the air space. There is one remaining outlet to the world in spite of humanitarian agencies begging
them to relieve some of the pain of their offensive there, they continue to strike. The horrible thing is when we speak to people on the ground they
have no hope that this is going to make any difference, even the horrors of today. They don't think will change anything.
WARD: Has it made a difference? We haven't heard anything in terms of condemnation coming from various international governments. Has the UN
said anything?
ELBAGIR: Especially when you even compare it to someone like Syria where many think not enough is said there has been nothing said. It's even worse
than that. Just in June, when a humanitarian agency after putting a lot of pressure on the U.S. security council attempted to just get a statement
calling for a cease fire, it was blocked by both the U.S. and the UK. Both of whom provide the armaments that are used by the Saudi-led coalition to
perpetrate their strikes.
WARD: Meanwhile, no justice for the children of Yemen. Thank you so much for joining us.
Categorically unacceptable, what the Kremlin calls the U.S. government's decision to impose new sanctions on Russia. It is vowing to respond with
retaliatory measures of its own.
[15:05:00] The Trump administration announced the sanctions yesterday, blaming Moscow for the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergey Skripal and
his daughter in Britain this year. Russia has denied involvement. Let's get more reaction from the Kremlin. Our Frederik Pleitgen is live in
Moscow. What's been the response?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there have been various responses, all pretty strong. At the same time there
does seem to be a bit of confusion in Moscow as to what exactly America's policy towards Russia is. On the one hand the Russians believe President
Trump has one line that other parts of the U.S. government have another. It was interesting to see the wide array of responses we saw today. You
spoke about some from the Kremlin spokesman from Dmitry Peskov saying this was unacceptable and the new sanctions were illegal.
Other Russian lawmakers, I wrote down some of the things they said, they called America a police state, one did, others called this a theater of the
absurd. Then you have the spokesman for the foreign ministry saying yes, Russia was thinking about retaliatory measures. It's unclear how Russia
could hurt America economically without hurting itself even more. The Russians certainly talking tough. I want to listen in to some of what she
said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA ZAKHAROVA, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN, (through translator): Russia will be working on retaliatory measures in response to
yet another unfriendly act by Washington. Against this backdrop the assurances of the U.S. administration to nevertheless increase efforts to
improve relations with Russia look quite peculiar. This is blatant hypocrisy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: As you can imagine, these new sanctions very much the talk of this country really in the country's media as well. We've been keeping an
eye on that. A lot are discussing as to what these measures are going to mean. What sort of sanctions are there going to be. We're talking about
the first round putting sanctions on some electronic goods that might be exported to Russia. One of the other things possibly in the future around
three months down the line, an airline like Aeroflot could fall under sanctions and not fly to the United States. Dmitry Peskov was asked about
that and believes the U.S. is unpredictable and that is something that could, indeed, happen. On a little more moderate light, he also in the end
did say that President Putin, we haven't heard from directly today, does still think that better relations between the United States and Russia are
possible and that that is something that Russians say they are still working towards.
WARD: How is the average Russian likely to be impacted, though? We saw the ruble take a tumble today. The Russians are no stranger to economic
suffering, but surely this could really make life even harder and potentially affect Putin's already pretty low domestic approval ratings
relatively speaking?
PLEITGEN: Well, maybe relatively to before. He did have a big election victory last year and his approval ratings are high. Look at some of the
things that have been weighing, if you will, on the Russian government, a lot has been blamed on others rather than Vladimir Putin. The Prime
Minister Dmitry Medvedev being a target of a lot of the anger of the electorate here. You're right, Russians have been suffering over the past
couple of weeks, months, years, since the sanctions have been even tighter and certainly they believe that that could get worse.
Look at some of the things that have been happening here, economically over the past couple days where as you said the ruble has taken an absolute nose
dive that's something that has direct and very bad effect on a lot of people who are already struggling to get by. The long-term economic
situation here in this country. What's the long term going to mean for investment, for the availability of consumer goods for a society that
obviously wants to move forward and develop.
There is certainly -- I wouldn't necessarily say a great deal of fear, but a great deal of concern among many Russians that this could have not just
sanctions alone but the ever-expanding array of sanctions from the EU as well could have a bad effect on the Russian economy that could hurt this
economy for years to come. It is something weighing on the mood of many, many people and does concern not just economists but regular folks as well.
WARD: All right. Fred Pleitgen in Moscow, thank you.
Now to a new flare-up in a sharp escalation of violence between Israel and militants in Gaza. Israel unleashed a new series of air strikes in Gaza
city after a rocket fired from Gaza landed near the biggest city in southern Israel that ended a lull in fighting that started Wednesday night.
Israel says Hamas took a powerful blow in a with wave of earlier air strikes calling it retaliation for more than 180 rockets and mortars fired
at Israel.
[15:10:00] The Palestinian Health Ministry says a pregnant woman and her baby were among three Palestinians who were killed. Let's get an update
now from the Israel/Gaza border. We are joined by Arin Lieberman. What's the latest? Says a pregnant woman and her baby were among three
Palestinians who were killed. Let's get an update now from the Israel/Gaza border. We are joined by Oren Lieberman. What's the latest?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're just north of the Israel/Gaza border in a city that has heard some of the sirens, the red alerts from
rockets fired from Gaza throughout the course of the last 36 hours. This all started on Tuesday afternoon when Israel and Israeli tanks struck a
Hamas military outpost killing two members. Hamas and Islamic Jihad vowed to respond and we saw that Wednesday on a barrage of rockets and mortars
coming over, almost 180, some Israelis injured as some landed in populated areas. The response a ferocious response as you pointed out mostly
targeted at Hamas military targets according to the military but three Palestinians including a mother and her 18-month-old daughter killed in the
strikes.
The exchange a moment ago, where Israel struck a building in response to a rocket that landed in the southern Israeli city, that has been the last
major exchange we've seen. That happening a couple hours now. We could be in another lull as the international community tries to step in to bring
about an imminent cease fire after one of the escalations we've seen in the last couple months.
WARD: Previous flare-ups we've seen an effort by the international community and UN to try to deescalate or prevent things from escalating
even further. What sort of movements are you hearing that the international community or various different governments might be -- steps
they might be taking to prevent this from escalating again?
LIEBERMANN: It's very much at this point two organizations here, the united nations and specifically their special coordinator for the middle
east peace process, working with the Egyptians. Israel won't talk to Hamas. There has to be a mediator. It's the UN and Egypt stepping in here
to act as that mediator, trying to find some sort of common ground between Israel and Hamas to get both sides to agree to a cease fire. The efforts
have been ongoing since last night, since right after this started. Both the UN and Egypt getting in there as quickly as possible to urge both sides
to step back. So far, we haven't seen a definitive statement that efforts have been successful in bringing about a cease fire but those efforts
remain ongoing to get Israel and Hamas to take a step back.
WARD: All right. Thank you.
Still to come thousands of evacuation orders and new information about what may have started it all. We're live in California as the Holy fire poses
new threats. He's famous for his faux paux as his foreign policy. Could Boris Johnson be about to face an investigation over his recent comments?
Stay with us.
[15:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WARD: In southern California, 20,000 people have all received the same urgent message, get out of your homes as soon as you can. 15 major fires
are burning across the state, and we've now learned this one, the holy fire, may have been started deliberately. Authorities have now charged
this man with arson and other counts. The charges could carry a life sentence. Nick Watt is in Lake Elsinore, southeast of Los Angeles, one of
the communities under the threat. Nick, what is the latest?
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Clarissa, I'm right on the edge of Lake Elsinore, a town of 60,000 people. If you can see what's happening
behind me the red on the hillside is flame retardant being dropped from the air to stop the flames reaching the northern part of this town, reaching
the subdivision. But the flame retardant, they're worried it's not holding. You can see about 20 firefighters going up there just to make
sure that that line holds. As you mentioned, this fire they think was started deliberately. A man is under arrest, facing perhaps life
imprisonment if found guilty. He is expected to appear in court tomorrow. Clarissa?
WARD: And Nick, I mean, we see these terrible wildfires every year in California, but why are these ones different or are they different?
WATT: Well, it is getting worse. The statistics do not lie. Right now, between 13 and 14,000 firefighters fighting more than a dozen wildfires in
California alone. Across the U.S. more than 100 large wildfires, 650,000 hectares burned, and the governor of California jerry brown is saying
explicitly this is linked to climate change and says listen, California, wasn't designed for 40 million people to live here. This is really the
problem, where human/habitation meet the wild and the more people that move to California, the more hazards are built, the more we will see this.
Right now, we have the biggest fire in California's history burning right now up in the north of the state. That's burnt an area about the size of
Los Angeles, and we also have one of the most destructive fires the state has ever seen, the Carr fire, which has burned over 1,000 homes and we just
heard claimed its eighth life. Another firefighter who was fighting that fire died. We have been told. That's three firefighters and four
civilians killed in that fire. Right here at this fire, no fatalities so far. They're trying to contain it at under 10,000 acres. This is the job
that they're facing. This is what they're having to do in near 40-degree temperatures. Clarissa?
WARD: Oh, my gosh. Nick Watt, thank you so much.
Four days after the horrendous earthquake in Indonesia a major aftershock has terrified residents on the island of Lombok. Take a look at these
alarming images recorded just as the aftershock hit. You can imagine the sheer terror. More than 250 people were killed in Sunday's disaster. Aide
workers say some are so traumatized they're afraid to be indoors anymore.
To the problem of modern day slavery right here in the UK. The government is reporting a record number of suspects were charged in slavery cases over
the past year. These cases involved men, women and children who are exploited for sex, for drug running or for cheap labor. They can be
British born or trafficked from abroad. One anti-trafficking group is working to raise awareness in the schools.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where the kids get involved. Different scenarios that leads to trafficking and how people are tracked into it.
I have their passport. What does that mean? Yes.
[15:20:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They can't leave the country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They can't leave the country or they can't leave me.
And then from there we do our five things of slavery.
These are the signs to keep you safe. Also, the people around you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: CNN is committed to shining a light on modern day slavery with our freedom projects. Erin McLaughlin has been delving into this report and
joins me now. A lot more people being charged, but not necessarily convicted. Tell us what you learned about this report.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Some progress has been made in the fight against modern day slavery and human trafficking, but
it's clear from this report much more work needs to be done. As you mentioned there, the number of people charged has increased compared to
last year by some 27 percent. However, the number convicted has actually flatlined with 185 convictions this year, compared to 181 convictions last
year. More are being charged, but the number in terms of convictions not keeping up pace.
WARD: Why is that?
MCLAUGHLIN: There are a number of reasons for that cited in this report. The complexity of the cases coming before the courts, the cases are
becoming much more complex. For example, the report cites the statistic it takes on average of three years to pro cute just one of these cases. That
is double the time it took in 2015. These cases involve many countries, many perpetrators or suspects as well as witnesses, victims, multiple
languages as well. I was speaking to some representatives of NGOs here in the U.K. that work to address this problem and they, you know, they
sympathize and understand this is a difficult task.
One representative telling me he was aware, for example, in one court case WhatsApp messages introduced as evidence that included eight languages. A
complex problem the authorities are dealing with but at the same time more law enforcement resources needs to be dedicated to this problem. That's
what we're hearing from these NGOs. There have been government cutbacks in this area when British government is vowing to take the global lead on this
issue.
WARD: Did you get a sense, because obviously it touches on different kinds of trafficking, did you get a sense of what the biggest problem is in terms
of which form of trafficking here in the UK?
MCLAUGHLIN: You know, it's interesting, according to this report they're still seeing a number of cases of sexual exploitation, women being
trafficked into the United Kingdom for that reason, but they're also seeing an uptick in the number of men, vulnerable men, trafficked into the United
Kingdom and forced to work. One case in particular that was cited was a Slovakian family trafficked a number of individuals from the Czech Republic
as well as Slovakia, young men, many had mental illness, forced to work in appalling conditions. There was a conviction in that case this year.
Seven defendants convicted, sentenced to 40 years in prison. Again, that's great from the perspective of the fight against human trafficking, but what
NGOs are saying we need more convictions like that happen.
WARD: Basically, what you're looking at presumably you would need to invest so much more money and so much more manpower into this. Are we
expecting the government to respond in some way to the report or recommendations to be made to how to improve the conviction rate?
MCLAUGHLIN: It is such a complicated problem and what was clear from this report is that they're working on it and taking Theresa May's mandate,
asking for the prosecution service here in the United Kingdom to take the lead on this and push for these convictions. Again, incredibly complex
problem that they're dealing with. One thing, another thing that NGOs say that could be done, that needs to be done, and hopefully we'll see more
movement in this area from the government going forward in the future is support for the victims. In many cases a victim of human trafficking will
be left alone, sometimes even deported according to these NGOs and it's difficult to convict when the victim is not even if the country to testify.
WARD: OK. Erin McLaughlin, thank you for joining us.
Few American companies will be watching Donald Trump's escalating trade wars more closely than Boeing. The aviation giant is America's largest
exporter and is worried about the impact of tariffs on its business. Well, our very own Richard Quest has managed to score a spot inside Boeing's
massive Dreamliner factory on the U.S. west coast where he will be speaking exclusively with the company's CEO next hour. Richard, what can we expect
to hear?
[15:25:00] RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: Well, we can expect, of course, besides fiesta and an orgy of planes and looking at
pictures of planes, which is always worth doing, is some questioning of Dennis Muilenburg to find out where Boeing stands on the issue of trade,
tariffs, the risk for the company in relation to China as the U.S. gets harder and difficult with China, the European Union, European subsidies,
Brexit, all these issues swirl around Boeing.
Of course, just even today, Clarissa, the Spaceforce announced by the U.S. government, that, of course, is going to be part of what Boeing will be
interested in. Boeing makes huge money out of defense and space. Put it all together, Clarissa, and he will give us a good insight into how one of
America's biggest and most important companies and a true global giant is doing business.
One thought, Clarissa, think about the amount of travel that you do and think about the amount of travel that you've done on these sort of planes,
Dreamliners, 747s, 777s and now we're going to find out how they are made.
WARD: Oh, wow. We will certainly be tuning in for that and looking forward to it. Thank you for joining us.
Still to come tonight, why the city of New York is hitting the brakes on Uber and other ride hailing services.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WARD: 2018 is shaping to be a banner year for women running for office in the United States. Many of those candidates are military veterans. The
Democratic party is turning to this vocal energized group of women. We meet two candidates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYUNG LAH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Afghanistan 2009, third tour of duty Air National Guard pilot, Major M.J. Hegar was shot hanging on to the
outside of a rescue helicopter, standing on the skids all while returning fire to the Taliban.
M.J. HEGAR, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CANDIDATE: I kind of got peppered with different pieces of shrapnel.
LAH: You used the tattoo to cover the scars.
HEGAR: All these places that you see cherry blossoms I have shrapnel.
LAH: In the downed helicopter door she keeps at home it's an opportunity.
HEGAR: It's hard not to do more with your life and have a purpose.
LAH: This veteran, married mother of two --
[15:30:00] HEGAR: I'm an American.
LAH: Purple heart recipient, finding that purpose now.
HEGAR: I'm fighting for this country.
LAH: In her run for Congress.
HEGAR: People like us, just regular people, are sick of both sides.
LAH: Like combat fighting a difficult terrain, she's a Democrat running against long-term Republican incumbent in a district Trump won by 13
points.
HEGAR: Look at this crowd.
LAH: Her veteran status fracking open doors once thought shut for Democrats.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm one of the Republican women. What makes you different than our current congressman?
HEGAR: I'm connected to this district and understand the values, I represent the values of this district because I am this district.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for your service to our country.
HEGAR: Appreciate that. Thank you.
LAH: The Republican who is sitting there is it a person by person house by house fight here?
HEGAR: It is. We can use our district as a good example of how to heal the country.
Good to see you.
It's not about compromising, it's about not letting people divide us. I strapped myself to the skids and returned fire on the Taliban.
LAH: Her military service pushing her campaign video viral, notably her frustration at her Congressman Carter for refusing to meet with her when
she sued the Pentagon to open all combat jobs for women.
HEGAR: Door after door was slammed in my face.
LAH: A suit Hegar won.
HEGAR: We'll show him tough and then the door.
[15:30:00]
The majority of Ft. Hood is in my district.
LAH: How are you going to close that gap? In this district Trump won by a lot.
HEGAR: The Republican leadership has gone off the freaking rails and the things that the Republican Party stands for now are not representative of
the values of the people in this district so they voted Republican.
LAH: Recruitment of veterans like Hegar was a concerted midterm strategy by Democrats.
The majority of veterans in Congress are Republicans like Arizona U.S. Senate candidate, Martha McSally. The military's first female combat
fighter pilot.
MARTHA MCSALLY, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: It seems like it might be the calling of my life to break another barrier and I'm ready for that
mission and I'm honored for this opportunity.
LAH: But 2018 is seeing a surge of female Democratic veterans like Mikie Sherrill.
MIKIE SHERRILL, DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: We have a lot of newly engaged people in this race and we have got to get them to the polls.
LAH: She's running in New Jersey's 11th congressional district, a newly- opened seat held by Republicans for generations.
SHERRILL: I went to the naval academy and then I was a helicopter pilot and in my final tour, I was a Russian policy officer.
Thanks so much for coming out today.
LAH: Mother of four and former federal prosecutor, Sherrill stands a strong chance at flipping this red district blue.
Does that open the door?
SHERRILL: I think it does. I think when you're talking to people and you're saying that you're going to represent a new type of leadership in
Congress. When you have a proven history of serving this country, if you're a veteran and you've always put this country first, I think that
gives people the sense that you'll continue to do so.
LAH: Sherrill is running in an open seat. Hegar is running against Republican representative, John Carter. His campaign says that he meets
with any and all voters and his campaign adds this, the reason why he's won so many elections, he's a fighter and takes nothing for granted.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN HOST: That was our Kyung Lah.
A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, says he is considering a request to testify in person before U.S. senators investigating Russia's
election interference. But the attorney says Assange's protection must be guaranteed first. She says the senators offered to meet him at a mutually
agreeable time and place. Assange, of course, has been hold up for years at the Ecuadorian embassy in London after being granted political asylum.
During the U.S. presidential campaign, WikiLeaks published thousands of Democratic Party e-mails that U.S. intel chief say were stolen by Russian
hackers.
Now to New York, yellow taxicabs have traditionally swarmed the streets but these days instead of flagging down a cab, it's just as likely that you'll
summon an Uber or Lyft. Now New York is hitting the brakes on those ride- sharing vehicles. It isn't going to issue any new licenses for a year. It's the first major U.S. city to cap their growth.
Here's an idea of just how many cars we're talking about. About 1,700 new ride-sharing vehicles hit the clogged streets of New York every single
month.
CNN's Samuel Burke has been on the streets of New York. He joins us now from our studio there.
Samuel, what's this going to look like on the streets? How is this going to play out?
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what's interesting here, Clarissa, is that this gets to the heart of
the question is, do these ride-sharing apps in the cars create less traffic or more traffic? Because as you know, the argument that the companies are
always making is, this will help bring less cars on the road because people won't be using their own cars. In fact, they won't even have to own any
cars anymore.
The problem is, we're kind of in that phase where things are changing still. People still own cars and then people like me are only taking the
ride-sharing app. But this has the companies very upset, as you can imagine. They want as many riders as possible. Companies like Lyft are
saying this is going to hurt minority communities that might live outside of Manhattan where it's always been harder to get a cab.
And then you have companies like Via. This is a ride-sharing app in the truest sense or actually sharing rides with other people, both here in New
York and in London where you are.
I just caught up with the CEO of Via and that company says they are deeply upset with this decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL RAMOT, CEO, VIA: What we have tried to do is work with the city council to allow us to add vehicles just like this that see the high
numbers, so with the high capacity vehicles that would be used exclusively for pooling. We think that if the purpose of these spills is to reduce
congestion, and being able to essentially add to the fleet of for-hire vehicles, high capacity vehicles that can only be used for shared rides in
an efficient way, would work very well with this goal.
And unfortunately, we have not been able to convince the council to include these measures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURKE: So it seems like this New York law is hitting all of the companies equally, even though some are focused more on getting people to share some
more on private rides. One thing that's interesting here, I think the reason that this passive attached to it, is a minimum for these drivers
that they have to earn $17.22 an hour. That may sound like a lot of money to a lot of people, but Clarissa, you spend a lot of time here in New York.
You know that everything is expensive from a hot dog to a cab.
[15:35:08] WARD: This is very true, Samuel. But I'm just wondering, what are other figures, you know, from the U.S. to Europe? What are they going
to glean from New York City's move here?
BURKE: They're all watching very closely because we know that all of these cities, at some point, have gone at Uber or their competitors, especially
in Europe where there's so much regulation, much more we see against Uber and their competitors than here in the United States.
I think at the end of the day, they're going to have their closest eyes on what Uber does because Uber is trying to look at a way to get around this.
This is about the number of driver's licenses, not about the number of cars -- sorry, I got that wrong, the other way around. This is about the number
of cars not the number of driver's licenses.
So Uber is going to try and entice drivers to share their cars. Once you're done with the shift, they may pay you to get another diver to come
and use it. So they'll be looking at how the city enacts this law and how Uber and company try to drive around it, let's say.
WARD: Yes. Always coming up with creative ways to circumvent new rules.
All right. Samuel Burke, thank you so much.
One of the world's best known furniture brands is taking on the world's biggest markets. After years of waiting, Swedish furniture giant Ikea has
opened its first store in Hyderabad, India. Shoppers can browse around 37,000 square meters packed with merchandise, including things Indians look
for like pressure cookers, pans for making flatbread and even mattresses made of coconut fiber. And don't forget the restaurant that sits 1,000 and
has Indian fare as well as of course, as those famous Swedish meatballs.
Ikea expects as many as seven million visitors a year. The company is also planning to open stores in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Deli.
A horrible sight and smell is keeping people away from some beaches normally full of tourists in Florida.
Just hours ago, three more dead dolphins were discovered. The latest corpses of fish and marine animals to wash ashore killed by a toxic red
tide that no one seems to know how to stop.
CNN's Bill Weir has more on the algae invasion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Normally, a voyage like this is filled with relaxed anticipation. But these days a trip off of Florida's gulf coast
brings only boat fulls of dread.
Toxic algae is blooming like mad here and you can see and smell the result everywhere, onshore and off. A dolphin sighting that would normally
inspire wonder, now only makes you worry.
Oh, there he is, it's right here. Look at this. Wow. You can really feel it in your nostrils, in your sinuses, and the back of your throat. It's
like a mild pepper spray when this algae gets up in the air and so if we can feel that discomfort, you got to wonder what it's like to be a dolphin
in a red tide like this. Oh, there he is. Their blowhole is just inches beneath the surface.
Ninety miles up the coast they just found two dolphins that could not survive this epic red tide.
And a visit to the marine biologist at Florida Gulf Coast University, is like a sad visit to the morgue. These are just two of the more than 400
sea turtles found in this area alone.
BOB WASNO, FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY: This one was able to breed. And this one here is still a juvenile.
WEIR: Makes your heart hurt, doesn't it?
WASNO: You go through stages. Hurts and then you're angry.
WEIR: This is the villain right here, this is the red tide.
WASNO: And this one down here on the bottom.
WEIR: Yes.
The algae that causes red tide occurs naturally in saltwater, but human activity on land can make the situation much, much worse.
WASNO: Well, they love nitrogen and phosphorous.
WEIR: Which are fertilizers, yes.
WASNO: Yes.
WEIR: That's burning sugar or is that --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's processing sugar.
WEIR: The process of sugar.
Generations of sugar cane farming has altered the chemistry of Lake Okeechobee and the health of the everglades.
In wet season, Florida dumps a massive amount of water into the most delicate ecosystems. Well, in dry season, that water is diverted to farms
and cities. Great for the economy, horrible for the environment.
DR. WILLIAM MITSCH, FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY: You have a natural phenomenon called red tide, as Mike said, but you have the nitrogen then
coming in and giving it a booster shot.
WEIR: And now these scientists from Florida Gulf Coast University are testing water up to 20 miles offshore, looking for the definitive proof
that America's sugar habit is also making red tide's worse.
You're looking for the smoking gun.
MITSCH: I'm looking for smoking gun.
DR. MIKE PARSONS, FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY: I think we also have to realize that, you know, collectively, we got to this point. It took 70
years, 80 years to get to where we are now, and it's going to take a while to work our way out of it.
[15:40:06] WEIR: Back on a beach that should be full of tourists, I find the lake cleanup crews, many of them unpaid volunteers.
You live in Tennessee?
ERIC CANADA, CLEANUP VOLUNTEER: Absolutely.
WEIR: Did you come out here just to do this?
CANADA: Absolutely.
WEIR: You're kidding. Really?
CANADA: I do. I do. Yes.
WEIR: Have you seen red tides this bad before?
THOMAS FORD, CROWDER GULF DISASTER MANAGEMENT: I have not.
WEIR: And who's to blame, do you think?
FORD: I think we all are to blame, to be honest. I think we all play a role in this one way or the other. I think it goes all the way up the
chain and all the way down.
WEIR: Yes.
FORD: I just think we just need to come together and figure it out and, you know, let the scientists do what they can do and let's try to get to
the bottom of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Still to come tonight, Europe is plunged into a new debate about the way some Muslim women dress and Boris Johnson's controversial comments have
brought it to the U.K. We speak to one man who thinks Boris didn't go far enough. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WARD: He once wrote a poem insulting the Turkish president and compared the European Union to Hitler. But Britain's former foreign secretary,
Boris Johnson, may have gone one gaffe too far after recent comments about an item of clothing. He's apparently facing an internal investigation
after saying Muslim women who wear face veils look like bank robbers and letterboxes.
CNN understands that complaints have been made within the conservative party, which will now meet to see if Johnson has broken its code of
conduct.
The whole reason we're even talking about this is because Denmark has become the latest European country to ban public face coverings. It joins
these nations.
We must remind you that despite what Boris Johnson said, the reason he was commenting at all, is because he disagrees with a ban. That was an opinion
reflected by hundreds of protesters in Denmark last weekend. Lawmakers, too, raised their concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RASMUS NORDQVIST, SPOKESPERSON, THE ALTERNATIVE PARTY: The consequences when we do legislation like we have done now and together with the many
other laws passed the last few years is that we actually are limiting our freedoms, our liberal freedom rights in a society to dress like we want to,
write like we want and so forth.
So I think it's really dangerous step to take that the majority in the parliament has done with this law because what is next? What is coming
next? What is after this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: To discuss all of this, let's speak to British imam, Taj Hargey, who thinks Boris Johnson didn't go far enough with his comments.
And I wanted to read you, he wrote a letter to the Times today in which you say, "The burqa and niqab are hideous, tribal, ninja-like garments that are
pre-Islamic, non-Quranic and therefore un-Muslim."
Firstly, is that a view that is shared by most traditional Muslims? And secondly, does that mean one should ban? Why does that mean one should
ban?
[15:45:08] TAJ HARGEY, BRITISH IMAM: Firstly, it's not shared by Muslims, but because they follow what the clergy says. The clergy has reinvented
this patriarch of device to control women and they don't, quote, the Quran because the word burqa and niqab is not even in the Quran. They rely on
suspect, secondary sources to maintain that women should cover their faces and their hair.
Now, if a man wants to control a woman where does he begin? It begins by telling her what to wear. I don't like that color. I don't like that
style. The hair should be covered. I think your face should be covered. And that's all part of the controlling purposes.
So when these women then decide, well for me to cover my face, cover my hair, I can go to God quickly, a straight ticket to paradise. They have
internalized what men have actually put into their heads.
WARD: But if you put a ban on it, is it not just again men telling women what to wear?
HARGEY: No, because we don't tell -- they can wear whatever they like from the neck down and from the head up. This bit belongs to the public. We're
only talking about the face. Nothing else. OK. So you can wear anything you please, but you cannot enter the public domain by concealing your
identity.
Now, for example, myself as a man, can I walk down Oxford Street in London with a face mask? No, within five minutes, I'll be taken by the police.
But you, and other women, have a right to conceal your identity in public.
So what type of equality is this? We have a one local woman and they can master the identity and the public anonymity and nothing for a man. Now,
the declaration of human rights doesn't say anything about you have a right to conceal your identity.
When some women in Belgium complain that they were -- their rights were violated, they took the matter to the European court of human rights and
they lost the case. Because it is not part of human rights that you should have the right to conceal your identity.
WARD: Well, let me put it to you a different way. Because I think this is really less of a religious issue at the end of the day than it is a
question of liberal values and either you respect and tolerate people's freedom to dress however they deem appropriate or you don't. I mean,
surely that's the issue here.
HARGEY: No.
WARD: That's why Boris Johnson stopped short of calling for a ban on the burqa. He says, I don't like it.
HARGEY: No, because he wants to have it both ways. He wants to say, listen, this is a letterbox and this is a bank robber, but OK, they could
have it. He doesn't know which way to go. I'm saying -- that's why I'm saying it doesn't go far enough. If he's going to describe it in such
unflattering terms then he's going to go to the whole hog and say listen, fine. Let's ban it.
Now, banning doesn't mean that they have no right to wear what they please. I'm only talking about the face. For example, I know that's you because of
your face. I can call you and be someone else turning around. So the face is the one we're talking about.
Now, where does it say any human rights legislation that you have a right to conceal your face in public? We're talking about public anonymity. So,
how come women in Britain have the right for public anonymity and no man has? So I'm also fighting this on the basis of equality. I mean, men are
discriminated against. Not that I want to cover my face, but I don't have the right to do so.
You have the right to go out there, well and good. And you also have the right to conceal your identity. So that's wrong.
WARD: Unfortunately, we are running out of time, but I would just say that some people will also argue that banning the burqa or the niqab only
creates more allure around it. It only makes it something that people want to wear more.
HARGEY: There's no evidence where France has banned it for six, seven years, Belgium --
WARD: And they've had huge problems as a result.
HARGEY: No. It's not a huge problem.
WARD: And they have marginalized Muslim societies.
HARGEY: Muslims have marginalized themselves. Because for them to say this is Islamic, that this is part of the Quran, that is a lie. That's the
biggest lie they've hoisted on western liberal democracies.
If they could say, listen, I want to wear this because it's my personal choice is nothing with religion. I won't oppose it. But they always say
this is my personal choice, comma, part of my religion.
Now the second bit I have issues with because it's not part of the religion. Why are they lying to us, to the public at large? Now, for
example, if I put a bone through my nose and say it's my culture, many people will snicker and giggle.
WARD: Yes. But they won't tell you, you can't wear it.
HARGEY: The moment I say it's my religion, no one talks about it any longer. So that's the issue here. They are shrewdly, cunningly have
decided, we don't talk about culture because this is a cultural practice, it's a tribal tradition.
WARD: But the vast majority of Muslims, at the end of the day, while many of them may not like the niqab. They may not chose to wear it, they would
defend most of them, a woman's freedom to choose to wear the niqab.
HARGEY: NO, because they think it's part of Islam. That's why. They're not defending women's rights, because if they defended women's rights, they
will give women equality.
WARD: But when you perform the Hajj in Mecca, you can't even wear the niqab. You have to show your face --
[15:50:03] HARGEY: Right. So if you ban it on wearing it in the holiest place of Mecca, why do you need it on the streets of London or New York or
anywhere else?
WARD: Well, I think a lot of people still would say that banning it only creates situation where people --
HARGEY: There is no evidence for that. There is no evidence whatsoever for that.
WARD: Well, I think if you traveled to Denmark and Belgium and France --
HARGEY: I've been to all the places where they have banned it in Austria. There's no evidence that has exacerbated tension.
WARD: What's been the response to your comments?
HARGEY: Very good. In fact, lots of Muslims have written me, lot of non- Muslims have actually been very supportive of this. And listen, this is a social divider in our society. And by all of us being integrated together
instead of separating us, is better. The burqa is signifying them and us. When you have them and us society, we are less cohesive and we are
certainly not more peaceful.
WARD: Well, Taj Hargey, you certainly raise some interesting ideas and we thank you for coming on to share them with us.
HARGEY: Thank you.
WARD: Thank you so much.
Argentina's senate has voted against a measure to legalize abortion. The 38-31 decision was met with angry protests from abortion rights advocates.
The measure would have allowed abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Current law only allows the procedure in cases of rape or when the mother's
health is at risk.
Coming up, high expectations in Lebanon. Why the country is considering legalizing medical marijuana.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WARD: To Lebanon now where a change in climate has devastated traditional agriculture. Some farmers have moved on to a drought resistant crop,
marijuana. As our Ben Wedeman reports, the government may soon make pot cultivation legal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The carpet of cannabis sprawls across Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. A forbidden crop, but perhaps not much longer.
The government is considering legalizing marijuana cultivation for medicinal purposes. Music to the ears of this farmer, who asked that we
not reveal his identity.
If only the government knew its value, he says. It's like another petroleum.
He shows us around the fields singing the praises of a plant farmers have grown in this red soil for generations.
This is not a drug, I tell you, 1,000, 1,500 times, he says, cocaine, heroin, those are drugs. This is the herb of happiness. My friend says
when he smokes a joint, his wife becomes a princess. The world shines. Life is beautiful.
Other crops like tobacco and potatoes are increasingly difficult to grow as the climate here becomes drier. Under these difficult conditions, weed
works.
Lebanon has been struggling through a prolonged financial crisis. And export of the country's famed cannabis, better known here as hashish, could
lift the struggling economy.
Fact is, hashish is the most logical crop to grow in this area. It requires very little in the way of inputs like water and fertilizer. And
they don't use any pesticides. And as the farmers will tell you, the profits are fairly high.
[15:55:08] While some conservative elements oppose any form of legalization, Lebanese officials are suddenly proud of their pot.
RAED KHOURY, LEBANESE ECONOMY AND TRADE MINISTER: Many, many specialists, they have studied the quality of this cannabis and they say that it's one
of the best in the world.
WEDEMAN: Economy and trade minister, Raed Khoury is blunt about the benefits for a country deeply in debt.
KHOURY: It can provide around $400 million to $800 million of revenues to the country.
WEDEMAN: As a solution to financial woes, Lebanese grass may be greener, yet activists, Gino Raidy, is concerned that the country's many
recreational users won't benefit from the buzz.
GINO RAIDY, ACTIVIST: So the word is now is that if they legalize it for export, for medicinal purposes, it will remain the same status in the
criminal justice in Lebanon. Which means the things the government might be making a lot of money off of is still illegal for locals and they still
get in trouble for it.
WEDEMAN: But for many others, these buds smell like money.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: And from getting high to hitting the high notes, sports lovers in Ireland had plenty of reasons to sing over the past few days after the
women's hockey team made it to the World Cup finals. They didn't win, but for many, just getting that far felt like Christmas had come early.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: More than you could ever know, make my wish come true, baby all --
WARD: That's right. All I want for Christmas is you. And yes, we are fully aware that it is August and that parts of Europe have been in the
grips of a major heat wave, but when it comes to World Cups and Mariah Carey, ordinary rules simply don't apply, especially when the legendary
diva gives her seal of approval tweeting that is amazing. Along with several appropriate emojis.
Fun fact, it took Mariah Carey just 15 minutes to write "All I Want For Christmas Is You." It was clearly time well spent. The song charts every
holiday season is one of the best-selling singles of all-time. As one Twitter user put it, "Mariah Carey can sip champagne, do her nails and lie
down in her chaise lounge all day every day and still get millions every December from a song she recorded 22 -- 23 years ago. A legend."
Well that's it for us tonight. Thank you so much for watching. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.
END
