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Hala Gorani Tonight
Violence Against Jews Remains Serious Problem in Germany; Israel Unveils Plans For "Trump Height" In The Golan; Military General Vows Justice In Sudan Crackdown; Fashion Designer, Artist Gloria Vanderbilt Dies At 95; Los Angeles Intl. Named World's Worst Airport By Fodor's; Mohamed Morsi Has Died; Iran Calls for Economic Help from JCPOA Signatories; Joshua Wong Released From Prison as Hong Kong Protests Strengthen. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired June 17, 2019 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:20] ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR, HALA GORANI TONIGHT: Good evening to you, live from CNN London. I'm Isa Soares, sitting in tonight for Hala
Gorani.
And on tonight's show, Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, has died in, quote (ph), according to state TV. We'll have
all the details for you, just ahead.
Then, Iran sends a message to Europe, "Save the nuclear deal or else." We are live for you this hour in Tehran.
And, remaining defiant, protestors in Hong Kong already succeeded in getting a controversial bill shelved, but they're not done yet. Why
they're still on the streets.
But we begin first with breaking news out of Egypt, where former President Mohamed Morsi has died. State media reports the 67-year-old suffered a
heart attack during a court hearing. He was facing charges in an espionage case.
Now, Morsi was the country's first ever democratically elected president. And his tenure was both short as well as controversial. He'd been in and
out of court and housed in prisons (ph) since 2013 ouster.
Hala Gorani has more now on his life as well as his legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mohamed Morsi burst onto Egypt's stage after winning the presidential election, the country's first
civilian and Islamist president.
The Muslim Brotherhood thrust Morsi into the presidential role after the Election Commission disqualified their first choice, Khairat el-Shater,
dubbing Morsi, "the spare tire."
Morsi was born in August 1951, in Egypt's northern Sharqia Governorate. He graduated with a Ph.D. in material engineering from the University of
Southern California in the United States.
His first foray into politics came as a parliamentarian in 2000. In January 2011, the country entered a new age. Millions of Egyptians
demanded President Hosni Mubarak step down. The then-banned Brotherhood, reluctant at first, eventually joined the protests.
Security forces arrested Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders on January 28th. He escaped in a nationwide jailbreak two days later. The
following turbulent two years witnessed a new constitution and parliament dominated by the Brotherhood. Morsi became Egypt's first democratically
elected president in June 2012.
But the new president inherited the country's many problems: rolling blackouts and gas shortages plagued his presidency, his blunders making him
fodder for critics, late-night comedian Bassem Youssef constantly lampooned the president.
Despite several international gaffes, he'd be widely praised for negotiating a ceasefire to Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza in 2012. But it
marked the beginning of the end of his presidency. He issued a constitutional declaration giving him pharaonic-like powers.
Protestors rebelled, and many were killed outside the presidential palace. It tested his already-tense relationship with the judiciary and military.
Morsi would replace long-serving defense minister Hussein Tantawi with General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi. The struggling economy and perceived Islamist
threat to Egypt's identity gave birth to the Tamarod, or rebel campaign.
On June 30th, 2013, on his first anniversary as president, millions of Egyptians gathered to denounce their leader. The writing was in the sky.
Egypt's future president, el-Sisi, the chief of the Armed Forces, ousted Morsi on July 3rd, following a controversial but popular coup by the
military.
It ushered one of the deadliest summers in Egypt's history. Security forces would clear camps of protesting Morsi supporters, killing hundreds
of people. The next time we'd see then-ex President Morsi would be in a cage.
Despite definitely dismissing the court's legitimacy, a judge still sentenced him to death for his 2011 prison escape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Let's get this more on this breaking news story. Arwa Damon is following the story for us from Istanbul, Turkey. She joins me now with
the latest.
Arwa, we knew that he was in poor health. But we do know at this stage how exactly he died?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No. We're trying to piece that together, Isa. What we do know is that he collapsed while he
was in court. And we actually just heard from one of the lawyers for the Muslim Brotherhood, who told CNN that Morsi spoke for about seven minutes
before court adjourned.
[14:05:14] And then about a minute later, according to this lawyer, he heard commotion, people shouting, other defendants screaming, "Dr. Morsi
has fallen." What we know from state TV is that it appears that he died either en route to the hospital or in hospital at around 10 to 5:00 local
time.
But as you mentioned, there, there's going to be a lot of questions about his health and about how detrimental his detention was to his health. And
this is something that has been highlighted numerous times by Human Rights Watch, which was in fact in the process of releasing a report about his
detention.
And then last year, there was a panel that was commissioned by Morsi's family -- members on it were British parliamentarians -- that last year was
warning about how his detention, his lack of access to proper medical treatment -- remember, he had diabetes, he had issues with his liver, he
had liver disease.
But according to this British report, they were calling his detentions, the conditions under which he was detained, saying that they would constitute
"cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," that they could meet the threshold for torture in accordance with Egypt (ph) and international law.
And had warned, a year ago, that inadequate medical care could lead to Morsi's premature death.
Now, according to state media, a source has told state media -- a source within the prosecutor's office -- that Morsi was receiving adequate medical
care. And I think we can expect, right now, to be hearing a lot in Egyptian media about how he was being humanely treated, about how he was
receiving adequate medical care.
But on the flip side of that, you have a lot of disturbing reporting coming out from individuals, organizations like Human Rights Watch who have been
really digging into the conditions under which he was being held.
Because, as we know only too well, Egypt's track record, when it comes to humane treatment of its prisoners, is severely lacking.
SOARES: Yes. And actually, if we can bring up -- Leroy (ph), my producer, I'm going to ask you to bring up that report from Human Rights Watch, the
front page of that report, where he talks about the isolation -- there you go -- isolation, years of confinement, violating his rights.
They had (ph) no (ph) access to family or to lawyers. Let me ask you this, finally, Arwa. How will this be received in Egypt? Does he still have
support in Egypt?
DAMON: He does, amongst his followers, amongst the members of his party, even though it no longer exists. Amongst those who do remain loyal to him,
and those who do remain loyal to the Muslim Brotherhood.
But there have also been widespread efforts by the government of President Sisi, to really clamp down on any sort of voice of dissent, or any sort of
voice of opposition.
And then one also can extrapolate, just from Egypt to the broader Middle East. Qatar, for example, has tweeted and talked about how this is a
devastating loss.
Her in Turkey, Turkish President Erdogan and his party -- Erdogan's party, the AKP -- has historically had very close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood,
has basically called Sisi a tyrant. And directly blamed him for Morsi's death, and called Morsi a martyr.
SOARES: Yes. We shall keep an eye, of course, on all the developments and the political implication, of course, for el-Sisi there on the ground in
Egypt. Arwa Damon for us in this (inaudible). Thank you very much, Arwa.
Now, to a new countdown by Iran that has the Western world on edge. Tehran is threatening to violate an international nuclear agreement in 10 days if
European powers don't take action.
Now, it says it's ramping up enrichment on low-grade uranium and will exceed the limit it's allowed to stockpile if other signatories to the
agreement don't help Iran sidestep crippling U.S. sanctions. Economic relief is a cornerstone of the deal, meant to keep Iran from building
nuclear weapons.
The United States unilaterally withdrew last year, if you remember. But the E.U. says Iran is still honoring its commitments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FEDERICA MOGHERINI, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: At the moment, as of today, Iran has been compliant. And we strongly hope, encourage, expect that Iran
continues to comply with its commitments on the JCPOA, in full.
And I would not enter into a blame game at all.
So our focus is not to enter into a blame game or giving responsibility for a collapse of a deal that might come. Our focus is to keep the agreement
in place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[14:10:01] SOARES: Mogherini, there, saying that Iran remains compliant.
Well, other diplomats are more blunt. German and British officials are warning Iran to stick to its obligations, rejecting its ultimatum outright.
We'll go live to Tehran in just a few minutes, in fact. But first, Frederik Pleitgen fills in some key details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate after the attacks on two
tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Iran also announcing it's scaling back its commitments under the nuclear agreement, drastically accelerating
production of low-grade enriched uranium.
BEHROUZ KAMALVANDI, SPOKESMAN, ATOMIC ENERGY ORGANIZATION OF IRAN: I have said that we are counting down. In 10 days' time, we will overpass, of
course, the limitation of keeping to the under (ph) (inaudible) arms stockpiles (ph) of LEU, enriched uranium, inside the country. And of
course, there would be other measures later on if the Europeans will not do their part.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Iran wants European countries to make good on their commitments under the deal, to provide Iran with economic relief in the
face of tough U.S. sanctions.
Iran's oil exports have been all but cut off by the Trump administration's policy of maximum pressure. And the U.S., reiterating its claims that Iran
was behind the tanker attack last week near the Strait of Hormuz.
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: It's unmistakable, what happened here. These were attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran on commercial shipping,
on the freedom of navigation with a clear intent to deny transit through the strait.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Iran, verbally firing back. A senior official now saying Tehran believes the U.S. may have committed the attacks.
On the streets of Tehran, a mix of concern and defiance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): "There is a fear among the people that there might be war," this man says. "But our people would like to
have stability and peace."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): "America is nothing," this woman says. "Whenever we talk, they don't answer us properly. There's no point
in talking to them."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): "Of course there are some fears," this woman says. "But we hope that the United States will moderate
its hard line. And I hope our government will be more flexible so they can come to terms with each other and achieve peace."
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But so far, neither side seems willing to back down. Both the U.S. and Iran, saying they don't want war, but demanding
the other side make the first move towards de-escalation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And Fred Pleitgen joins us now, live from Tehran with more.
Fred, let's add some context here for our viewers, right (ph) around the world. What would you say is Iran's intent here?
PLEITGEN: With the ramping-up of the nuclear production, I would say that Iran's intent is twofold, Isa. On the one hand, I would say that they're
sending a clear message to the United States, that despite the fact that Iran's economy is in a lot of trouble, despite the fact that obviously the
sanctions are biting, that the Iranians still have cards to play and that the Iranians still are very strong.
You've seen that in many ways, over the past couple of days. On the one hand, now, with the Iranians saying they're going to ramp up their nuclear
program and tone down their activities as part of the nuclear agreement.
But also, a couple of days ago, when the prime minister of Japan was here and the supreme leader of Iran, quite frankly, said he's not going to talk
to Donald Trump even though Donald Trump asked for it. So that's one message, that the Iranians are sending.
But I think the more important message right now is to the European countries that, of course, are also signatories to the nuclear agreement,
where the Iranians are essentially saying they don't want to hear any more talk. They want to see action. They're saying the Europeans so far have
not abided by their commitments.
The Iranians are saying, look, they gave up so much of their nuclear program and put so many curbs on it, and they haven't gotten anything in
return yet. In fact, the sanctions against them are worse and there doesn't seem to be very much that the Europeans are capable, at least at
this point in time, of doing about it. They keep talking about a mechanism, try and get around U.S. sanctions. But so far, that simply
isn't happening.
And the Iranians, of course, also know that on this issue, there is a rift between the Trump administration and its European allies, where the
Europeans really want this nuclear agreement to stay in place -- and we know, of course, the Trump administration has already given up on it.
So the Iranians, on the one hand, displaying strength. But on the other hand, are also clearly issuing an ultimatum to the Europeans, saying they
want to see some of the sanctions relief otherwise this agreement is more than on the ropes -- Isa.
SOARES: Yes. And we heard from Mogherini today. She (ph) wouldn't budge, would she, on any sort of red lines. But on both those points, Fred, you
clearly pointed out, number one, message to the U.S. may be calling their bluff. But also, number two, you said, this being a threat to the E.U.,
isn't this highly risky for Iran at this stage, to be doing this?
PLEITGEN: It -- on a certain level, it is. But on the other hand, there's really not that much at this point that the Iranians have to lose any more.
The sanctions pressure from the United States is very strong. Their economy right now is obviously hurting a great deal. Their currency is
definitely not doing very well at all.
[14:15:05] So right now, if there isn't any benefit from this nuclear agreement, it certainly is losing a lot of steam, also, among the general
population.
Obviously, if the nuclear agreement goes away, then the chance of a conflict getting out of control between Iran and the United States does
seem to grow a great deal.
And it's interesting because just a couple of minutes ago, our own Christiane Amanpour talked to the Iranian ambassador to the U.K. and he
said, right now, he believes that the U.S. and Iran are headed for a confrontation. If the nuclear agreement is not there, then the chance of
such a confrontation certainly does seem to grow.
But on the whole, at least economically right now, for the Iranians, I'm not sure they believe that they have very much to lose at this point.
Because right now, they can barely export any of their oil and they certainly don't see any international companies investing, here in this
country.
So it is very difficult, right now, for the Rouhani administration to make a case that this nuclear agreement is necessarily worth keeping around
unless the Europeans really do something to try and -- to try and help save it.
SOARES: Yes. And we know -- and we've heard from Europeans before on this, and they want to keep -- they want to try and salvage a nuclear deal.
But what is clear at the moment is that it's very much on the ropes. Fred Pleitgen there for us in Tehran. Thanks very much, Fred.
Now, you've no doubt seen the incredible pictures from Hong Kong over the weekend, the city's streets packed like never before to protest an
extradition bill that critics fear could chip away at their freedoms.
Activists are vowing to not let up until the bill is scrapped and the city's chief executive steps down. Joining in the mix is a pro-democracy
icon, just released from prison. Our Anna Coren has the latest.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As you can see, Hong Kong's protestors are not going anywhere. A day after they staged the largest
demonstration this city has ever seen. It coincides with the release of Joshua Wong, a human rights activist and also the face of the pro-democracy
movement, who has spent the past month behind bars.
With a steely confidence that has grown over the years, Joshua Wong calmly stepped in front of the cameras before a crowd of protestors, gathered at
Hong Kong's Legislative Council building, erupted with a thunderous applause.
This wasn't just another protest organizer, but the face of the pro- democracy movement who had just been released from prison. Hour before, the 22-year-old walked out of Lai Chi Kok prison, where he had served 33
days for his involvement in the Occupy movement of 2014, which brought the heart of the city to a standstill for more than two months.
This was Wong's third time in prison.
COREN: How did you feel when you were in prison, watching those protests?
JOSHUA WONG, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: Why I can't join this fight.
COREN: You wanted to be in it?
WONG: I want to be there.
COREN (voice-over): But while he's been behind bars, his city has staged the biggest demonstrations it has seen in Hong Kong over a controversial
extradition bill that would allow extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China.
Organizers say almost two million protestors, dressed in black, turned out for Sunday's march.
COREN: Are you feeling so proud of your fellow Hong Kongers?
WONG: I am proud of being a (ph) Hong Kong, really.
COREN (voice-over): But the violent clashes between protestors and police, where more than 80 people were injured, including 22 officers last week,
wasn't something this human rights activist thought would ever happen in his beloved Hong Kong.
WONG: I was shocked and never imagined Hong Kong police would hold a gun, shoot into (ph) his people. Here is Hong Kong, not Beijing.
COREN: The protest movement of the past few weeks has not had a leader. It has been led by the people. But the return of Joshua Wong has given
these people so much more hope that their fight for freedom will continue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's free, I congregate (ph) for Hong Kong people. So maybe he can gather more people out or aware of this offense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before he released from jail, we do not have any significant leaders to lead us. And still we got two million people to
stand up here and go on -- go to the street and fight for our democracy and defend and preserve what we want.
COREN (voice-over): While the city's chief executive, Carrie Lam, announced over the weekend, she was shelving the extradition bill,
protestors are demanding a complete withdrawal of it, and for her to resign.
Wong believes protestors are feeling emboldened and will ride this momentum until their demands are met.
WONG: In the critical moment, they will come to join our fight. President Xi in Beijing might (ph) not (ph) be really afraid of people because
massive mobilization will never happen in mainland China. But it could happen in Hong Kong.
COREN: Joshua Wong and other protest organizers say there will be more demonstrations in the coming weeks, in the lead-up to July 1. That is the
anniversary of the Hong Kong handover from Britain to mainland China, when this city became a special administrative region -- back to you.
[14:20:09] SOARES: Anna Coren there for us.
Well it appears to be a David and Goliath battle for the soul of Hong Kong. Andrew Stevens joins me now, live from Hong Kong.
And, Andrew, what we saw throughout today, today, is protestors really refusing to back down, as Anna said. They're clearly emboldened. They
maintain the momentum, yet Carrie Lam isn't going anywhere. So how long can they sustain this?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a great question, Isa. It's interesting. But it's another standoff, if you like. Carrie Lam thought
she could diffuse the situation on Saturday by saying that we will shelve the bill. That did not go well for Carrie Lam.
The next day, two million people turned out, according to organizers, to say, "It's not enough. We want that bill killed off completely." And now,
"We want Carrie Lam to resign." So she's getting more and more pressure on her, not (ph) only (ph) to (ph) shelve this completely, but to leave the
political scene.
So will she further step down? It's a difficult question. She has the support of Beijing at the moment, they've made it clear that they supported
her decision to shelve the bill and they still -- she still enjoys their support.
But you talk to the students, you talk to the younger people here, Isa, and they say that they really do plan to stay until they get this resolution,
which is her resignation, and the bill scrapped.
It's interesting, tonight's the first night. And I've been covering this for the (ph) -- since Monday a week ago -- we haven't had any sort of
protestors really down around the Hong Kong Parliament. So they are pulling back in their -- in the late hours.
It's coming back in the daytime hours, though, to press their claims, there are -- there's talk of another big protest on Sunday. Whether they can
contain the sort of momentum that they think they need.
Remember, this momentum is not just being driven by young Hong Kongers. It's been driven by a broad cross-section here. And that was very, very
powerful. it was a very powerful message to the government, that it's not -- it's everybody here. It's a broad swath of society who are really
pushing against this whole extradition treaty.
Now, whether they can keep that momentum going, that's a big question. July 1, as Anna said, is always a big marching day in Hong Kong, where you
do get, quite often, hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets.
So yes, there will be that again. But whether it's enough to push Carrie Lam, it remains to be seen. The biggest -- her biggest fear is to see the
sort of violence that we've already seen on the streets of Hong Kong, return. That does change the equation. That is partly why she apologized,
and why she shelved the bill.
Whether that -- more violence could lead to more action remains to be seen. But you talk to the younger Hong Kongers here, many of they say they're
prepared to become -- to take that next step, and perhaps to be part of more violent confrontations.
SOARES: Andrew Stevens, there for us. A message really, a strong message not just to the government, like you said, but clearly to Beijing and to Xi
Jinping. Andrew Stevens, there, in Hong Kong.
Thanks, Andrew. Good to see you.
And still to come tonight, I'll talk to "New York Times" reporter whose article sent President Trump on a Twitter tirade. We'll have that story,
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:25:33] SOARES: I don't (ph) know (ph) if you read it, but "The New York Times" published an intriguing cyber-security story over the weekend.
But the facts of the story itself have been eclipsed by the angry reaction from President Donald Trump.
The story said the U.S. had stepped up cyber-attacks on Russia, especially on Russia's power grid. But what President Trump called the article, "a
virtual act of treason," on Twitter, as you're seeing there on your screen --
TEXT: Donald J. Trump: Do you believe that the Failing New York Times just did a story stating that the United States is substantially increasing
Cyber Attacks on Russia. This is a virtual act of Treason by a once great paper so desperate for a story, any story, even if bad for our country....
SOARES: -- and in another tweet, Mr. Trump repeated a claim he has made in the past, that the news media are the enemy of the people, something we
have had, for what "The New York Times'" national security correspondent who wrote the story -- he's David Sanger -- he is also CNN political and
national security analyst, and he joins me now, live.
Thank you very much, David, for coming on this show. I first want to get your reaction to those tweets from President Trump, who said the story was
not true. And in fact, accused you and accused "The New York Times" -- as we're showing our viewers in the screen -- of a virtual act of treason.
Were you at all surprised by those comments from him?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Oh, not particularly. I mean, treason is a pretty serious thing to go accuse
anyone of, particularly a news organization that's doing what news organizations are supposed to do, which is go explain what the U.S.
government is up to.
On the other hand, he was saying that the story was inaccurate. Not entirely sure how it could both be treasonous and inaccurate, but anyway.
The core important issue here is this. That the United States has for years, of course, been under persistent cyber-intrusion by Russia in its
electric power grid. And the Department of Homeland Security and others have publicly warned about that.
And this is to signal to American readers that -- and readers around the world -- that the United States is now engaged in a new phase of
deterrence, one in which it is putting similar malware into the Russian grid as a way of saying, "If you want to mess with us, we can do the same."
It's not at all clear that this form of deterrence will work.
SOARES: And we'll talk about their deterrence in just a moment, and the timing of this for our viewers. But I want to go back to the article.
Because what we learned from your article -- I've got it here -- just, I'm going to have (ph) to read out a part of it, says, "Pentagon and
intelligence officials described broad hesitation to go into detail with Mr. Trump about operations against Russia for concern over his
reaction...."
And possibly, that he might countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials, as he did in 2017 when he mentioned sensitive operations in
Syria to the Russian foreign minister.
We also saw from "The New York Times," who had the following to say -- this is what they said, if we can bring that up -- from "The New York Times."
All right, here we go. "Accusing the press of treason is dangerous."
We described the article to the government before publication. As our story notes, President Trump's own national security officials said there
were no concerns. So explain this to me, David. Why do you think his aides kept him in the dark?
SANGER: Well, there are two possible explanations. The first is that the president issued new authorities last August in a presidential decision
memorandum that allows Cyber Command to conduct more operations without going back to the White House. Pretty similar to the kind of traditional
military operations that are performed by Central Command or Southern Command or any of the other major commands.
Congress also gave a new authority to U.S. Cyber Command to operate in foreign networks, to both prepare the battlefield and to deter a tax on the
United States. So it's possible that the officials thought, "We don't need to go back and talk to the White House. We have all the authority we
need."
But the second thing I kept hearing was this concern about what the president might say or what he might do to countermand the operation.
Because as we know, Russia sets him off. We've already heard from Kirstjen Nielsen's aides about the issue when she tried to go raise Russian -- the
steps to be taken against Russian further interference in the election system for 2020.
And she was told, "It's fine to go ahead with the operation, just don't discuss it with the president. It sets him off."
[14:30:00] ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So perhaps not a question of trust. We just don't know at this point.
But let me ask you this, do you think this can be interpreted at all as an official response, a counter attack by the U.S., following Russia's
interference in the U.S. elections, David?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think it's a little bit of the elections, but I think it's really more about what the
Russians have done right in the power grid.
SOARES: Right. And how deep does this go?
SANGER: Well, we think it goes pretty deep. And for seven or eight years, the United States has been inside Russia's grid doing surveillance. And
that happened a lot during the Obama administration.
But the change in the past year, since the U.S. Cyber Command changed its philosophy to one of defend forward or persistent presence in foreign
networks, is one of putting much more aggressive malware in foreign networks, not just Russia's, so that you are there to act if you need to.
And so that the adversary recognizes that you're as willing to take out their networks as they're willing to take out ours. Now, we don't know if
the U.S. would follow through on that. There are lots of reasons to believe that perhaps they would not. But it is an interesting change of
strategy.
SOARES: David Sanger there for us. Always great to have you on the show. Thank you. Good to see you.
SANGER: Great --
SOARES: We'll have much more after a very short break. Please stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Now the suspect in the fatal shooting of a senior politician in Germany has links to the far-right. Walter Luebcke was a member of Angela
Merkel's party known for his pro-migrant use. His body was found in his home earlier this month. Prosecutors say the suspect had an extremist
background. They're trying to determine if he acted alone.
Well, that could be one example of the hate and prejudice rattling Europe. Last year, a major investigation by CNN into anti-Semitism found half of
Germans believed Jews were at risk of being attacked for their beliefs.
Clarissa ward went back to Germany to see if anything's changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the streets of Berlin, Germans gather to support the country's Jewish
community.
Most of marchers are not Jewish but some wear the kippah, a sign of protest against the country's growing anti-Semitism problem.
In 2018, the number of anti-Semitic attacks in Germany increased by 20 percent. Last month, the country's anti-Semitism czar, Felix Klein, made
headlines when he said it is not safe for Jewish people to wear the kippah in certain areas.
[14:35:00] FELIX KLEIN, ANTI-SEMITISM COMMISSIONER IN GERMANY: I wanted to have it sort of as a wakeup call that we should act as a society before
it's too late.
WARD (on camera): Was it a shock to you to see a 20 percent increase in anti-Semitic attacks last year?
KLEIN: What shocked me more was that there wasn't a public debate about it immediately. There wasn't an outcry. How can that be?
WARD (voice-over): Last year, CNN launched a major investigation into anti-Semitism in Europe. We found that 50 percent of Germans agreed that
Jews are at risk of racist violence.
Then this restaurant owner Yorai Feinberg told us he gets harassed all the time.
YORAI FEINBERG, JEWISH RESTAURANT OWNER: From murder to I will break your knees, I will break your arms, I'll break your teeth. They're very creative
in everything, you know, all the options that they want to break.
WARD: Seven months later, he says the German government needs to do more.
FEINBERG: I feel that the process that the German -- the Germans did since the Second World War, they made a big progress, they fight against what was
here before. And now, all the good work is going backwards.
WARD (on-camera): These bollards are built to protect the synagogue from a potential terrorist attack. And this is now the reality of life for the
Jewish community mere in Germany, every single synagogue, every Jewish school has to be protected by police 24 hours a day.
WARD (voice-over): Anti-Semitism here has many sources -- the far-right, the far-left, and elements of the Muslim community.
Klein says it must be tackled from an early age.
KLEIN: Jew is once again an insult in German schools and this is absolutely unacceptable. And once again, the teachers and the -- and also
parents, families have to be confronted with it and it has to be made clear that we do not accept any form of anti-Semitism.
WARD: No small task. But Germany hopes that by having the conversation now, it can prevent a crisis in the future.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced a new settlement in the Golan Heights and he says the name is "Trump Heights."
Let's get to our Oren Liebermann who joins us live in Jerusalem. And Oren, this is quite an honor. But it hasn't been built yet, has it? And in
fact, tell me, is it even legal?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, nothing has been built yet, except the sign that says "Ramat Trump," in Hebrew. "Trump Heights"
in English. And that is what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took Israel's security cabinet and other ministers and politicians up there to
celebrate the announcement that he was making or announcing a new settlement named after Donald Trump.
This comes after Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights in March, two weeks before the last Israeli elections in what was seen as a
political gift to Netanyahu right before the elections.
Netanyahu promised to repay that gift and this is the beginning of that promise, saying he will name a settlement there after Trump. Again, that
settlement to be called "Trump Heights."
The question of legality, of course, as with everything here, is a little more complicated. Under international law and to the international
community, this is a settlement in occupied territory. Territory seized by Israel from Syria in 1967, so all Jewish settlements in the Golan Heights
are illegal. And despite Israel annexing that in 1981, that won't change the position.
The question of Israeli law is a little more complicated. Opposition lawmakers have ripped into the announcement saying this is nothing but a
publicity stunt, that a transitional government, which is what Israel has right now, it doesn't have the authority to create a new settlement.
One opposition lawmaker who, in fact, is in favor of international recognition of the Golan Heights, says this announcement has no budget, no
official location, and no binding decision to actually form a settlement, meaning, it's just there for the sake of Netanyahu and for the sake of
Trump, Isa.
SOARES: OK. So it's just a public relation's exercise, but it's not the only infrastructure that bears President Trump's name, is it?
LIEBERMANN: No, not even close. This is part of what I would call the Trump naming frenzy in Israel that's been going on in ever since Trump
recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the embassy from Tel Aviv, where it used to be, to Jerusalem.
The first big infrastructure project was when the foreign minister at that time said he would build a high-speed rail station in the old city of
Jerusalem and name it after President Donald Trump. That followed with a lot of other smaller projects from streets to roads, to highways, to parks,
all of that in what I would call again this Trump-naming frenzy. And, Isa, it appears, at least, it's continuing for now.
SOARES: Oren Liebermann there for us. Thanks very much, Oren. Very good to see you.
Now to a transatlantic spat between the first Muslim mayor of London and the president of the United States. President Donald Trump is blaming
Mayor Sadiq Khan for violence over the weekend that left three people dead in the space of just 24 hours.
[14:40:02] Mr. Trump called Khan a disaster and a national disgrace, after retweeting a post by right-wing commentator, Katie Hopkins where she
referred to British capitol as Khan's Londonistan.
Now, I want to take you to Sudan. The general who helped topple Omar al- Bashir, promises to hang whoever is responsible for killing more than 100 pro-democracy protests during a recent demonstration. Despite that,
witnesses say it was the general's troops who carried it out. Ben Wedeman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sudan's de facto ruler, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemeti, acts
an awful lot like the ousted leader Omar al-Bashir.
The transitional military council is the ultimate power in Sudan now, though Hemeti is stressing the transitional.
"Sudan is now safe and stable and we will keep going in the same direction," he told a crowd in Khartoum." As the military council, we're
not holding on to power. We don't want power."
His actions, however, betray his words. The general commands the Rapid Support Forces, who on June 3rd, violently broke up a long-running pro-
democracy sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital.
On that day, his troops killed more than 100 protesters with live ammunition. And according to multiple accounts, raped and abused dozens of
women. Since then, Sudan has been under a virtual internet blackout.
The Sudanese public prosecutor is investigating the events of June 3rd and the men in uniform promised they'll come clean.
"If the investigation finds that any members of the army or the Rapid Support Forces or the police are guilty," says General Yasir Ata, "we in
the military council will be responsible."
Their record is spotty at best. Hemeti's Rapid Support Forces were once known as the Janjaweed, a regime-supported militia accused by the
International Criminal Court and the United States of carrying out genocide against the people of Darfur more than a decade ago. Today, they patrol
the streets of Khartoum.
The Sudanese uprising, which began last December and led to the ouster of Bashir, has arrived at a crossroads. Weary of dictatorship, the pro-
democracy movement's leaders are demanding a rapid transition to civilian rule. But men who have ruled by the sword for decades rarely give up power
without a fight.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: We'll be back after a very short break. Do stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:58] SOARES: Now we have some sad news to report here at CNN. Gloria Vanderbilt has died at the age of 95. She was an iconic fashion
designer, an artist, writer, heiress to the Vanderbilt railroad Fortune.
She was also the mother of our colleague, CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper. Of course our deepest condolences go out to him as well as his family.
Anderson, in his own words, has more now on Gloria Vanderbilt's incredible life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Gloria Vanderbilt, my mom, lived her entire life in the public eye.
Born in 1924, her father, Reginald Vanderbilt, was heir to the Vanderbilt Railroad Fortune, but gambled away most of his inheritance and died when my
mom was just a baby.
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, her mother, wasn't ready to be a mom or a widow.
My mom grew up in France, not knowing anything about the Vanderbilt family or the money that she would inherit when she turned 21. She had no idea
the trouble that money would create.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And here's the first movie of little Gloria herself. Frightened by the curious crowd, she flees into her aunt's car. Money
isn't everything.
COOPER: When she was 10, her father's sister, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, sued to have my mom taken away from her own mother. It was a custody
battle, the likes of which the world had never seen. It was called the trial of the century, and it took place during the height of the
depression, making headlines every day for months.
The court awarded custody of my mom to her Aunt Gertrude, whom she barely knew. The judge also fired the one person my mom truly loved and needed,
her nanny, whom she called dodo.
GLORIA VANDERBILT, MOTHER OF ANDERSON COOPER: She was my mother, my father. She was everything. She was my lifeline. She was all I had.
COOPER: As a teenager, she tried to avoid the spotlight, but reporters and cameramen would follow her everywhere. She was determined to make
something of her life, determined to make a name for herself, and find the love and family that she so desperately craved.
At 17, against her aunt's wishes, she got married. She knew it was a mistake from the get-go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wedding bells at Santa Barbara's ancient Spanish mission. He is Pasquale DiCicco, Hollywood actors' agent, and he's 32.
COOPER (on camera): He was described as a Hollywood agent. Was he an agent?
GLORIA VANDERBILT, AMERICAN ARTIST: Well, maybe at one point he was. He had been married to Thelma Todd, who was quite a well-known actress, and
she was -- died under mysterious circumstances. And there were sort of rumors around that maybe he had killed her, you know.
COOPER (on camera): Wait a minute.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Wait a minute. So you got married to a guy who there were rumors that he had killed his former wife?
VANDERBILT: Yes, yes.
COOPER: Did that not seem to give you pause?
VANDERBILT: Well, I thought all he needs is me, you know, to --
COOPER: Oh, God.
(LAUGHTER)
VANDERBILT: Sweetheart, I was only 17.
COOPER: OK. I know.
VANDERBILT: You know.
COOPER (voice-over): At 21, she married again and had two sons with the legendary conductor, Leopold Stokowski.
COOPER (on camera): This is what he looked like when you first met him?
VANDERBILT: Well, it's a terrible photograph of him, but he was 63 when I first met him and married him.
COOPER: And was this something like as soon as you saw him, you thought --
VANDERBILT: Instant.
COOPER: Really?
VANDERBILT: I knew him for a week and married three weeks later.
COOPER: Really?
VANDERBILT: Yes.
COOPER: I didn't know that.
VANDERBILT: Yes.
COOPER: And he was 63?
VANDERBILT: Yes.
COOPER: Wow. Did any of your friends think it was weird?
VANDERBILT: I don't know. I mean --
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: They didn't say anything to you?
VANDERBILT: It didn't matter to me.
COOPER (voice-over): The marriage lasted more than a decade. Then she met and married director Sidney Lumet and then my father writer, Wyatt Cooper.
Over the course of her life, my mom was photographed by all the great photographers, and she worked as a painter, a writer, an actress, and
designer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gloria, you're terrific.
COOPER (voice-over): If you were around in the early 1980s, it was pretty hard to miss the jeans she helped create. But that was her public face,
the one she learned to hide behind as a child.
Her private self, her real self, that was more fascinating and more lovely than anything she showed the public. I always thought of her as a visitor
from another world, a traveler stranded here who'd come from a distant star that burned out long ago.
I always felt it was my job to try to protect her. She was the strongest person I've ever met, but she wasn't tough. She never developed a thick
skin to protect herself from hurt. She wanted to feel it all. She wanted to feel life's pleasures; its pains as well. She trusted too freely, too
completely, and suffered tremendous losses. But she always pressed on. Always worked hard. Always believed the best was yet to come.
COOPER (on camera): You think the next great love is right around the corner?
VANDERBILT: Absolutely. Absolutely.
COOPER: Is there anyone I should know about right now?
VANDERBILT: No.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: I think Ben Brantley said he's never met somebody over the age of 16 who loves being in love as much as you.
[14:50:04] VANDERBILT: That's true. I think we should always be in love.
COOPER (voice-over): And she was always in love. In love with men, or with friends, or books and art. In love with her children and her grandchildren
and then her great-grandchildren. Love is what she believed in more than anything.
Earlier this month, we had to take her to the hospital. And that's where she learned she had very advanced cancer in her stomach and that it had
spread. When the doctor told her she had cancer, she was silent for a while. And then she said, well, it's like that old song, show me the way
to get out of this world because that's where everything is.
Later, she made a joke and we started giggling. I never knew that we had the exact same giggle. I recorded it and it makes me giggle every time I
watch it.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Joseph Conrad wrote that we live as we die, alone. He was wrong in my mom's case. Gloria Vanderbilt died as she lived, on her own terms.
I know she hoped for a little more time, a few days or weeks at least. There were paintings she wanted to make, more books she wanted to read,
more dreams to dream. But she was ready. She was ready to go.
VANDERBILT: Once upon a time --
COOPER: She spent time a lot of time alone in her head during her life. But when the end came, she was not alone. She was surrounded by beauty and
by family and by friends.
The last few weeks, every time I kissed her goodbye, I'd say, I love you, mom. She would look at me and say, I love you, too. You know that. And
she was right. I did know that. I knew it from the moment I was born, and I'll know it for the rest of my life. And in the end, what greater gift
can a mother give to her son?
Gloria Vanderbilt was 95 years old when she died. What an extraordinary life. What an extraordinary mom. And what an incredible woman.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Now, over the last week, we've been looking at how pioneers are taking an active role in protecting our environment and making a difference
in city life. Today, we go to the bustling city of Singapore where one man is on a quest to make this urban jungle greener and more ecofriendly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Singapore, a city state just half the size of London, and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Once just a
small seaport, this city built on trade is constantly evolving. And here in Singapore construction is changing, thanks to this man. He's building a
greener future into the very fabric of the city.
ALAN LEE, FOUNDER, ELMICH: I'm Alan Lee, the founder and the executive chairman of Elmich.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over 30 years ago, Alan quit the corporate ladder to start his own business, Elmich.
LEE: Check another one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At its factory, recycled plastics taken off Singapore's streets and landfills is delivered in the form of pellets. The
recycled material is made into building products.
[14:55:08] LEE: The use of recycled materials helps reduce the disposal of waste material and exploitation new resources.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Last year, the company used 4,000 tons of recycled plastic. Saving around 23,000 cubic meters of landfill space.
LEE: Well, you see here is our drainage cell. It's our most popular product.
The use of plastic drainage cells, instead of gravel or green roofs making the roofs lighter, giving it more flexibility, more efficient buildings.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since 2008, all new developments in Singapore have had to plant greenery within their design, resulting in the city witnessing
a boost in the number of green roofs and walls.
LEE: Singapore is promoting urbanization through technology and green building design. Not as an afterthought, but as a key building block of
tomorrow's buildings.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Alan's company is leading the way with projects including one of the world's largest green walls. And Southeast Asia's
largest green roof at Universal Studios, Sentosa.
Just like the city in which he lives, Alan is always looking to the future. Well, I like to see a lot more ecofriendly buildings around. Not just
through the use of recycled materials, but also through renewable energy. Additional greenery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Innovating new products to stay ahead of the curve and serve sustainability in Singapore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Now, if you were flying to or from a place, Singapore could be the city where you want to be. It is home to the best international airport
after winning the accolade from Fodor's travel guide. Travelers in Los Angeles could be less happy. LAX has landed the worst spot. It might have
more celebrity passengers and better weather than most of its competitors, but they didn't impressed Fodor's.
The editor said the 87 million passengers that pass through each year have to deal with the approaching here the purgatory nightmare of traffic as
they try to get to its nine terminals they doubt in what it calls a stupid design.
But an improvement is in the works. LAX is going through a $14 billion renovation. So hopefully passengers will depart from what Fodor's calls
the maddening complex of suffering in the next few years. What a review.
And that does it for us. Thanks very much for watching tonight. Do stay right here with CNN, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with my colleague Paula Newton
is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
