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Hala Gorani Tonight
United Nations General Assembly Begins Today; Disagreement Over Seriousness of Trump Conversation with Ukrainian President; Interview with Alexandria Villasenor; Trump Calls For Joe Biden & Son To Be Investigated; Passengers Stranded After Thomas Cook Goes Bust; Solar Kiosk Offers Internet Access, Power To Charge; Professor Shines Light On Impact Of Plastic Waste; "Fleabag," "Chernobyl" Are Big Winners At Emmy's. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired September 23, 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]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London on this Monday, I'm Hala Gorani.
Tonight, the big gathering of world leaders known as the United Nations General Assembly kicks off today in New York, and Donald Trump is already
grabbing some of the headlines.
The U.S. president has now acknowledged that he spoke to the Ukrainian leader about a political opponent, and the calls for impeachment are
growing on Capitol Hill.
Also this hour, it's been called a new golden age of television, and it is being celebrated at the Emmys in L.A. Also, if you're a "Fleabag" fan,
you'll be delighted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge's clean sweep.
World leaders are descending on the United Nations today. One the official agenda? Tackling urgent issues like the climate crisis, Iran and global
corruption. But controversies surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump are once again overshadowing proceedings. They were the first thing reporters
asked about when the U.S. president walked into the U.N.
Over the weekend, Mr. Trump admitted that he talked with Ukraine's new president about political rival Joe Biden, one of the biggest challengers
for president in 2020. That admission has not quieted the controversy. Reporters peppered him with questions about this, as he arrived at the U.N.
on Monday.
Rather than facing the climate crisis, rather than dealing with Iran, Mr. Trump had to take time, brushing off any concerns of wrongdoing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROSSTALK)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- had a perfect phone call with the president of Ukraine. The one who's got the problem is Biden.
Because you look at what Biden did? Biden did what they would like to have me do, except for one problem. I didn't do it. What Biden did is a
disgrace. What his son did is a disgrace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: We're going to fact-check that very carefully, by the way. Mr. Trump is expected to meet with Ukraine's president later this week, during
the U.N. summit.
Nic Robertson is at the United Nations and joins me now, live. So we heard what the president had to say about Biden. Always an attempt here -- and
it's happened in the past -- to shift the narrative to his accusers, to point the finger of blame at his accusers.
And it's interesting that this is happening at the UNGA, where American domestic politics are taking center stage -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: And typically, you know, the president travels over (ph) abroad (ph), there is some domestic
issue that trails him there. But here he is at home, here he is, wanting to focus today, not on climate change, as everyone else here wants to focus
on, he wanted to draw the attention to religious persecution.
The -- at the opening event there, attended by the secretary general of the United Nations, but also by the vice president, by the secretary of state
and various speakers: one from Yemen, one originally from Yemen, a Uighur from China and others there, speaking to the issue of religious persecution
in their countries.
And that really was where the president was wanting to put his focus today, ignoring climate change. But, no, it's absolutely dragged back to domestic
politics, to the question that he has somehow inappropriately tried to leverage his position to get the Russian president to investigate former
Vice President Biden and his son's involvement in Ukraine.
And the president, there, saying, as we've seen him do before, just deflect by saying, well, it's not me, it's them and they're the ones who are at
fault here.
GORANI: Right. And the question of Iran as well. I mean, this is going to be the big topics of discussion. I know Emmanuel Macron, nobody can
blame Emmanuel Macron for not trying really hard to get these two sides together. He's met with Donald Trump, he'll meet with President Rouhani,
he'll then circle back to Donald Trump. He's really trying to do his best to get the two leaders to talk.
But it seems, it's all but -- that this is not going to happen, at least in this forum, the United Nations General Assembly -- Nic.
ROBERTSON: And the United States' allies in the gulf, specifically Saudi Arabia, that was attacked just over a week ago, specifically because it
believes Iran was behind the attack.
Because specifically, it was trying to bring particularly European countries -- Germany, France, Britain -- into the investigation and behind
its position that Iran was not only of -- was not only responsible, but was potentially, as Boris Johnson, the British prime minister said, to a high
degree of probability, the launch place for this attack.
It seems very unlikely, in that context, that President Trump is going to step outside of his current position and talk to President Rouhani. And if
he did, from a Saudi perspective, that would be a mistake because it would show a weakening of President Trump's position.
[14:05:09]
And they believe -- and the United Arab Emirates believes as well -- if President Trump is weak with Iran, taking a meeting with Rouhani this week
for example, then that would only encourage further actions like this one because it would be deemed as a success if Iran was indeed responsible.
They say they're not responsible for that attack. The Saudis are building a case of evidence against them on that.
So -- and I think, from Rouhani's perspective -- listen to what he said on the plane today, coming over -- that he gave a rationale for his reason for
coming to the UNGA, is essentially because they don't want us to be here and they don't want us to speak, that we're going so we can speak about our
issues, about these sanctions that just aren't working.
So I think from both perspectives, they're a distance apart on it. But we know President Trump plays by his own rules, and he has wanted -- and he
did leave the door open at the G7, with Emmanuel Macron bringing in the foreign minister, Javad Zarif, leaving the door open, there was a pathway
here to a meeting with Rouhani.
GORANI: Thanks. Nic Robertson at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Speaking, by the way, of the -- of Ukraine and the conversation that the United States president had with the new president of Ukraine, on Capitol
Hill, House Democrats say the whistleblower complain involving Ukraine could be the tipping point on whether to begin impeachment proceedings
against President Trump. They say if there's proof that he sought foreign election interference for his own political gain, Congress would have no
choice but to act.
As we noted earlier, President Trump is trying to turn the tables, saying Joe Biden is the one who should be investigated, although there's no
evidence of any wrongdoing by him or, indeed, his son.
As CNN's Joe Johns reports, Mr. Trump has gone from denying the story to deflecting the story to trying to justify his actions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump admits he did discuss former Vice President Joe Biden and his son
Hunter in a phone call with Ukraine's new president over the summer.
TRUMP: -- conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place. Was largely the fact that
we don't want our people, like Vice President Biden and his son, creating (ph) (INAUDIBLE) the corruption already in the Ukraine.
JOHNS (voice-over): The Democratic frontrunner, responding on the campaign trail:
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The House should investigate that. This appears to be an overwhelming abuse of power. To get on the phone
with a foreign leader who is looking for help from the United States, and ask about me and imply things -- if that's what happened.
JOHNS (voice-over): The president's closest advisors, demanding investigations into Biden despite no evidence of wrongdoing by the Biden
family.
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: I do think if Vice President Biden behaved inappropriately, if he was protecting his son and intervened with
the Ukrainian leadership in a way that was corrupt, I do think we need to get to the bottom of that.
JOHNS (voice-over): President Trump, telling reporters, Sunday, he hopes officials will release details of the call. But some advisors, urging the
opposite.
STEVEN MNUCHIN, SECRETARY OF TREASURY: I think that would be a terrible precedent. Conversations between world leaders are meant to be
confidential.
JOHNS (voice-over): A source, telling CNN the call with the Ukrainian president was part of the initial whistleblower complaint, which raised
concerns about multiple actions. The White House, still refusing to turn that complaint over to Congress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sending a letter to all members of Congress, calling the stonewalling "a serious possible breach of constitutional
duties by the President," adding that, if it continues, "they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole
new stage of investigation."
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I don't know whether the whistleblower complaint is on this allegation. But if it is, and even if it isn't, why doesn't the
president just say, release the whistleblower complaint? Clearly, he's afraid for the public to see either one of those things.
JOHNS (voice-over): CNN has learned that Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff were in close coordination all weekend,
formulating a strategy on how to proceed, as some Democrats blame Congress for not starting the impeachment process sooner.
SCHIFF: You know I have been very reluctant to go down the path of impeachment. But if the president is essentially withholding military aid
at the same time that he is trying to browbeat a foreign leader into doing something illicit, that is, providing dirt on his opponent during a
presidential campaign, then that may be the only remedy --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Joe Johns reporting. Sources tell CNN the White House is considering releasing a transcript of Mr. Trump's call with the Ukrainian
president, but some senior officials, including the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, are against the idea. Why, is the question. What's in that
phone call that some in the administration don't want us to hear?
White House Correspondent, Boris Sanchez joins me, and Congressional Reporter, Lauren Fox as well. Why would Mike Pompeo be opposed to the
release of that transcript, Boris?
[14:10:04]
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, from what we've heard, sources inside the White House, what they've told CNN is that
effectively, they are afraid that this could set a precedent and lead to the release of other private conversations between President Trump and
world leaders.
Keep in mind, previously, the White House has argued against releasing these transcripts to Congress and to the American people because they argue
that there are national security secrets, there are all sorts of considerations that are shared in these phone calls that, if made public,
could harm the United States, could harm the image of the country.
But there are -- there have been occasions in which there is a tremendous amount of interest in getting access to these transcripts, conversations
that the president has had with Vladimir Putin, for example.
Conversely from what we've heard from sources, there are those who have argued that President Trump has already said so much about this phone call
with his Ukrainian counterpart, that putting this transcript out there would likely do no more harm and could expedite this story getting out of
the news cycle and moving on to other things.
Their belief is that getting into a dog-out fight with Congress could drag out this story, and potentially make it worse for the president. So there
is this internal deliberation going on in the White House right now.
Sources have told us that the White House Counsel's Office is also involved in this. We are told --
GORANI: Yes.
SANCHEZ: -- by one source that this could be released soon, but they gave no specifics as to a timetable, and we're told that they're considering
what format to release this in, what vehicle to use, and potentially what portions to redact -- Hala.
GORANI: But what does Donald Trump want? What does -- does he want this transcript released? Because if he says -- he called this conversation
"perfect," he used that term.
SANCHEZ: Correct, yes. Well, he --
GORANI: So I mean, if he thinks this conversation is perfect, and he wants to put this to bed, and he says he's done nothing wrong, release the
transcript, right?
SANCHEZ: Right. Well, he told reporters on the South Lawn yesterday, before he departed for an event in Texas, that he wanted this transcript
released. So it's fascinating that the president says he wants this put out there against the advice of some of his closest advisors and aides.
They publicly -- people like the secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, the Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, even his own press secretary, Stephanie
Graham, have all said that this could go -- this could lead to a path that the White House does not want to go in, again setting a dangerous precedent
and potentially opening up the White House to further criticism over what President Trump has said on the phone with world leaders.
GORANI: He's basically admitted that he spoke to Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, about Joe Biden and, Lauren Fox, the calls for impeachment are
growing louder now among Democrats. Nancy Pelosi, though, the Democratic leader in the House, still resisting. Why is that, at this stage? What's
her rationale?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, Speaker Pelosi, of course, has a very diverse caucus. She has both members who were elected as
progressives, and she has members who were elected in places that the president won in 2016. So she is trying to balance the needs of her caucus
electorally with what the base wants her to do.
We did see that unprecedented letter over the weekend, where she basically said they need to get an answer on this whistleblower complaint by the end
of the week, or she may take more dramatic steps. So that, of course, a very serious warning for the Trump administration.
But I will tell you that behind the scenes, Democrats are concerned that they could be reaching a tipping point on the question of impeachment. At
this point, though, until Speaker Pelosi publicly comes out in support of impeachment, the brakes are going to be on her Democratic caucus to act --
Hala.
GORANI: Right. And so, Lauren, where will this breaking point be for Pelosi? At what point -- because we're approaching 2020 in a hurry -- at
what point will it be, does she believe that it's in -- that it's the correct calculus to go ahead with impeachment proceedings?
FOX: Well, in some ways, you know, the longer you wait, the harder this gets. Because you start moving into the election year, like you said, and
there becomes a question of whether or not it's politically advantageous to even go down that road. And so I think, you know, the moment is coming
pretty quickly, as to whether or not they're going to act.
If they don't act soon, they may not be able to act at all and I think that's what a lot of progressives in the caucus are arguing. Look, our
time is running out, the end of the year is approaching rapidly. If we don't act now, there's not going to be time at all. And so I think that
that's, obviously, what Speaker Pelosi is calculating at this point.
But already, a majority of her caucus supports moving forward with impeachment, whether or not she takes that to the next step, still an open
question -- Hala.
GORANI: Lauren Fox and Boris Sanchez, thanks so much to both of you. I really appreciate it.
The U.N. secretary-general had stark words about the state of the planet as he opened the Climate Action Summit today. Antonio Guterres told world
leaders that nature was angry and striking back with fury around the globe. He denounced the fossil fuel industry for fueling climate change.
Now, the now-very famous teenage Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg also blasted the leaders for squandering the future. Listen.
[14:15:04]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here,
saying that you're doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight?
You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you
choose to fail us, I say, we will never forgive you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Greta Thunberg and 15 other children have filed a complaint at the United Nations, alleging that five of the world's leading economies have
not done enough. The summit comes just days after millions of people protested around the world, calling for climate justice. I'll be speaking,
by the way, to one of the original climate protestors, also a teenager, later in the program.
Meanwhile, a new U.N. report says the window to act is shrinking. The past five years are on track to be the hottest consecutive years since records
began. Let's bring in Bill Weir, CNN's chief climate correspondent.
Let's first talk about Donald Trump and his presence at the U.N. climate event today. Obviously, having withdrawn from the Paris is agreement is
something that climate activists have been very critical of. What is he saying today?
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was interesting, Hala. He was not even expected to attend today's opening summit, but
stopped by, kind of a drive-by appearance, to listen to a few words of Prime Minister Modi of India, Chancellor Merkel of Germany, less than 15
minutes, President Trump was in the room.
More focus today on a meeting in relation to religious freedom around the world with Vice President Pence, a topic much more in tune with the
Christian side, the conservative side of their base.
But, of course, President Trump has long been a climate skeptic, saying it might be a plot from the Chinese, to gain economic advantage. He said --
did (ph) before going into the U.N. today, had a few comments about, he's a big believer in clean air and water, but the countries should do it
themselves, seeing to confuse local pollution with global climate change, that obviously know so borders.
He has rolled back just about every environmental protection of the last few generations since taking office. The Environmental Protection Agency
is now full of former fossil fuel lobbyists and executives who, one by one, are dismantling protections for wetlands, endangered species and of (ph)
course, rolling back standards for methane emissions, standards on light bulbs and fuel efficiency for automobiles and trucks.
So as Prime Minister Modi said today in his message (ph) -- as the president was talking there, that action speaks so much louder than words.
But in this case, of the United States in 2019, there is no action and really no words.
GORANI: All right. Bill Weir, thanks very much.
More on this story right after the break. We'll speak to one of these activists, taking the world stage today, calling for action against climate
change. We'll find out exactly what they're demanding.
Plus, the world's oldest tour operator is going bust? You may have used Thomas Cook? We'll see where that leaves hundreds of thousands of
travelers. You may be one of those stranded, watching us in an airport or a hotel room. If so, just, you know, you're having a bad day, we'll bring
you the very latest on what's going on with that story. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:55]
GORANI: When Ukraine's new president picked up the phone to speak with Donald Trump on July 35th, he probably never could have imagined the
controversy that would erupt just a few months later. Volodymyr Zelensky is having to walk a very fine line as he faces questions about what the
U.S. president exactly asked of him, and why.
Matthew Chance has been digging into this story from Kiev.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is why Ukraine is so horrified at being dragged into America's political
drama: the flow of millions of dollars of U.S. military aid needed to fight Russian-backed rebels in its war-torn east. Crucial assistance that
was briefly suspended earlier this year, and that Ukraine fears could be cut off any time Washington is displeased.
It's against this backdrop of dependency that Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, only sworn in this May, is reported to have been
pressured by President Trump. According to a source, an intelligence whistleblower complained that Trump urged Zelensky in a July phone call, to
investigate Joe Biden's son, Hunter, who worked for a Ukrainian gas company when his father was U.S. vice president, something U.S. and Ukrainian
officials have now acknowledged.
VADYM PRYSTAIKO, FOREIGN MINISTER OF UKRAINE (through translator): There was talk. Conversations are different. Leaders have the right to discuss
any problems that exist. This conversation was long, friendly, and it touched on a lot of questions, including those requiring serious answers.
TRUMP: We had a great conversation. The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption, all of the corruption taking
place. Was largely the fact that we don't was our people, like Vice President Biden and his son, creating (ph) the (ph) corruption --
CHANCE (voice-over): Ukrainian officials say there's no evidence of wrongdoing by Joe or Hunter Biden. But the July 25th telephone call has
raised concerns that President Trump withheld military aid to coerce a foreign leader to dig up dirt on his political rival, driving calls for an
investigation into possible abuse of power.
CHANCE: The Ukrainian leadership, which has only been in office for a few months, is watching all this unfold with alarm. President Zelensky and his
closest aides are refusing even to speak to us, as they try to keep their heads down ahead of a planned meeting with President Trump, later this week
in New York.
CHANCE: They know this is a scandal that could damage a crucial Ukrainian relationship with the current American president. And, depending on the
outcome of the 2020 U.S. election, possibly with the next president, too. Matthew Chance, CNN, Kiev.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: A quick word on the Brexit uncertainty with the clock ticking on Boris Johnson's deadline to get a deal done. CNN's Bianca Nobilo spoke to
Mr. Johnson's rival, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, about his message to the British people about Brexit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY: Bring people together, recognize we have to have a close trading relationship with Europe under
all circumstances rather than I -- which is what I suspect Boris Johnson wants, which is to do a sweetheart deal with the United States, and put
that alongside Remain.
Those are a way -- is a way of bringing people together, and that is why I've proposed what I have to my party. I want to recognize that there are
people in Britain who voted Leave than Remain. But nevertheless, all suffer the same problems of economic austerity and falling living standards
because of the policies of this government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. Lots of pressure on Jeremy Corbyn. Be clear about your stand on a referendum.
And you can see this entire conversation on "The Brief." This is a brand- new program that makes its debut today at 10:00 p.m. London time, hosted by Bianca. And that's at 5:00 a.m. in Hong Kong.
[14:25:12]
The alarming consequences of our warming planet takes center stage as world leaders assemble at the United Nations for their annual meeting. The
gathering kicked off with a climate action summit today, young activists urging governments to take action, saying they do not want to inherit a
dying planet.
As the summit got under way, a 16-year-old Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, made a blunt and emotional speech, calling out world leaders for
their inaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THUNBERG: I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school, on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope.
How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, let's meet another teenage activist. She was, in fact, on that panel with Greta Thunberg, they are friends. Alexandria Villasenor
says she spent every Friday since December, sitting outside the U.N. headquarters to warn about climate change. She's the lead American
organizer for Fridays for Future, and a cofounder of the U.S. Youth Climate Strike.
Alexandria, thanks for being with us. Talk to us about your day today. Are you more hopeful, having spoken to some of the world leaders today,
than you were before? Why or why not?
ALEXANDRIA VILLASENOR, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: Yes. So today is the first day of the United Nations Climate Action Summit. And so I am more so hoping
the world leaders will take climate action, but I have little faith in them, just because of their history with the summits.
GORANI: OK. So you had a little bit more hope. Talk to me about what you would want to hear today, or during this week of meetings, where world
leaders are meeting about big issues like climate change. What would you as a 14-year-old like to hear them say?
VILLASENOR: What I would like to hear world leaders say and do is that they start to discuss policies and laws that they can implement in their
country to keep up below 1.5 degrees of warming.
GORANI: OK. What would that look like, do you think? I mean, because countries can individually do things, but you've been studying this
question for a long time. You know it takes a world effort, right? And the United States has pulled out of the Paris climate accords. So how do
you start achieving that?
VILLASENOR: What is very important is that we quickly get off of fossil fuels, and have a just transition to renewable energy. And so that is what
students strikers, on September 20th, globally, had demanded from the United Nations Climate Action Summit, that they take bold climate action
like reducing fossil fuel emissions.
GORANI: What do you think -- let me ask you, what is your biggest fear? If I had to ask you -- you're very young now. Imagine -- project yourself,
if you can, to the age of 30, which sounds ancient to you, I know, but it's still very young. What is your biggest fear at that age if there's not
enough action?
VILLASENOR: One of my biggest fears is that in the future, school won't matter anymore because we'll be too busy trying to survive because of the
next wildfire, hurricane, flood. In the future, what will become normal is survival. And so trying to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis
right now is so important.
GORANI: Who is your biggest inspiration?
VILLASENOR: I think my biggest inspiration is this group of young people, all around the world, who are continuously advocating for our future, every
single Friday. And they are continuing making their voices heard, which is so inspiring.
GORANI: What do your parents tell you about this climate strike you've been engaged in? Some grown-ups, they're -- for instance, there was the
education minister in this country, in the United Kingdom, when the climate strike was happening last week, he said, kids should be in school, they
shouldn't be bunking off, this is irresponsible. How do you respond to grown-ups who tell you you're just -- maybe you have your heart in the
right place, but you're not doing it the right way?
VILLASENOR: Really, it is too late for grown-ups to tell us that we should not be striking and that our heart is not in the right place. Because we
are already striking. We are -- this movement is almost a year old now. And so we have made so much change in just that time. OPEC called the
youth movement the number one threat to the oil industry. So it is too late for adults to disapprove of the activism we are doing.
GORANI: And I want to ask you, you're friends with Greta Thunberg? Because she's become, basically, the face, the young face of the fight
against climate change. What is your relationship like with her? How do you -- what do you guys talk about when you're -- because I saw you smiling
and greeting each other onstage. What are you conversations like with her?
[14:30:07]
VILLASENOR: Greta is such an inspirations to teens all around the world. When she started striking every Friday, back in August, What she did is she
had empowered students and gave them permission to go out and strike, too, and make their voices heard. And that's kind of how the movement had
exploded. So Greta is just so supportive of the strikers all around the world and that's so amazing to see in this movement.
GORANI: Alexandria Villasenor, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate hearing from you today. Thank you.
VILLASENOR: Thank you.
GORANI: She's live in New York and took part in this event today and with on stage with Greta Thunberg.
More to come. Including -- I was telling you about that story of travelers. A lot of them stranded. You'll be interested, if you are
traveling around the world. The world's oldest tour operator is closing. We'll see where that leads hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers. Coming
up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Back now to the whistleblower complaint that's fueling increasing calls from Democrats for Donald Trump's impeachment. The U.S. president
now is acknowledging that he spoke to Ukraine's leader about Joe Biden back in July, but he's insisting he did nothing wrong. He called his phone call
perfect.
Multiple reports say the president repeatedly pressured Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden's son. In other words, he reportedly used the power
of his office to seek foreign help in getting dirt on a political rival.
Well, Mr. Trump, without providing any evidence, says the Bidens are the ones who should be investigated, instead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Somebody ought to look into Joe Biden's statement, because it was disgraceful where he talked about
billions of dollars that he's not giving to a certain country unless a certain prosecutor is taken off the case. So somebody ought to look into
that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, let's bring in CNN Reporter, Daniel Dale, one of the top fact checkers at our network to take a closer look at Mr. Trump's
allegation.
First off, who is the prosecutor that the president is referring to that Joe Biden pressured to have removed? Because it wouldn't make sense, if
you look back, if Joe Biden was trying to get any kind of investigation silenced to try to get this guy off of any case.
DANIEL DALE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. So this prosecutor was a man by the name of Viktor Shokin. He was the prosecutor general of Ukraine.
And as you alluded to, he was widely criticized for being ineffective. Ukrainian, anti-corruption activist, the International Monetary Fund, the
United States government, and other governments believed that he was actively impeding investigations into corruption not conducting them.
[14:35:00]
And so in 2016, then Vice President Biden threatened, pressure the Ukrainians and said, if you do not remove Viktor Shokin, we will withhold a
billion dollars of loan guarantees that were otherwise willing to provide.
Now, Vice President Biden has been happy to tell the story. He says it's evidence of his own anti-corruption efforts. Listen to what he said at a
U.S. event in 2018.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm desperately concerned about the backsliding on the part of key in terms of corruption. They may -- I mean,
I'll give you one concrete example. I went over, I guess, 12 or 13th time to Kiev and I was supposed to announce that there's another billion dollar
loan guarantee. And I had gotten a commitment from Poroshenko and from Yatsenyuk that they would take action against the state prosecutor. And
they didn't.
So they said -- they're walking out to the press conference, no, and said, I'm not going to -- we're not going to give you the billion dollars. They
said, you have no authority. You're not the president. The president -- I said, call him. I said, I'm telling you, you're not getting the billion
dollars.
I said, you're not getting the billion. I'll be leaving here and I think it was about six hours. I look and I said, we're leaving in six hours. If
the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money. Well, son of a bitch. He got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the
time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DALE: So the reason that the Trump campaign, the president himself say that there was something improper about what Biden described as an anti-
corruption effort is that, at this very same time, Biden's son, Hunter Biden, sat on the board of directors of Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas
company whose owner was supposedly under investigation from Shokin.
Now, it's fair to ask questions about whether it was appropriate for Hunter Biden to be on that board, but there are some important holes in the Trump
story. One is that Hunter Biden himself was not under investigation. There's no evidence for that. One is that Biden did not specifically
request Shokin to be taken off the case. Simply to be fired as others were calling for.
And third, as we talked about, there's no evidence that Shokin was investigating much of anything. So it's very much unclear how Biden's son
might have benefitted from a highly ineffective prosecutor being replaced, as he was calling for, by a more effective prosecutor.
So some fair questions but a lot of holes in this theory from the president.
GORANI: All right. Unfortunately, we have to leave it here. Daniel Dale, hopefully, we'll talk again. More about this story every day brings new
development. Thanks so much for joining us.
DALE: Thank you.
GORANI: Hundreds of thousands of travelers around the world are wondering how we're going to get back home after the iconic British tour operator,
Thomas Cook, went bust yesterday. The consequence its customers got stranded in the middle of their trips.
Melissa Bell is at Gatwick Airport with more. How many people are out there wondering how to get home?
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Well, initially when this giant British tour operator collapsed overnight, Hala, there were 600,000
tourists believed to be stranded abroad as a result.
Now, what we see here at Gatwick today is that there's British tourists, those whose journeys had originated in the U.K. and, therefore, qualified
for what the British government has put in place, that repatriation effort --
GORANI: Does she have a copy?
BELL: -- the biggest repatriation effort in peace time in British history. They have been coming back in a remarkably efficient fashion. Many of them
said they simply couldn't believe that their flights have left practically at the same time as their original flights were meant to.
But that is just for the 150,000 so British tourists. For many of the others, the question of how they're going to get home. And perhaps, more
importantly, Hala, who's going to pay remains tonight an open one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (voice-over): This was the last Thomas Cook plane ever to fly. It landed at Manchester Airport from Orlando just hours after the world's
oldest tour company had gone into liquidation.
PETER FRANKHAUSER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THOMAS COOK: I want to apologize to my 21,000 colleagues who I know will be heartbroken. You all
fought so hard to make Thomas Cook a success.
BELL: With all of its flights grounded overnight, 600,000 tourists found themselves stranded abroad as British authorities prepared to get U.K.
citizens home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a huge operation, 150,000 people currently abroad. We've charted over 40 aircraft and those aircraft are already in
position. And in the next few hours, we'll start bringing -- we'll start bringing passengers home.
BELL: Others who have been scheduled to start their holiday arrived in British airports where they heard the news that their trips and even their
honeymoons had been cancelled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We're absolutely gutted. We've looked forward to this for a long time. Had the wedding in July. So it's been another
problem months waiting for this. And, yes, absolutely, just totally gutted.
BELL: The company had been in talks with its biggest shareholder, the Chinese firm, Fuson, over a 900 million pound bailout package.
[14:40:05]
But the request with the British government for an extra 250 million pound contingency fund was turned down, leaving the British opposition and unions
to lay the blame squarely at the British government's feet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, we have members who have woken up to the story that their company has collapsed, and they haven't got a job. This is
absolutely shocking and then actually economic vandalism that this couldn't be allowed to happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me, what did you tell staff this morning?
BELL: But the government says that providing the money would just put off the company's collapse rather than preventing it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the government obviously would do anything we could to support, but the reality is, I think, times have changed and this is a
business that was still, perhaps, operating on a model that was good for, you know, the last century or the 1980s or something. But not for really
the internet age where people are booking their own holidays so much.
BELL: Online competition and political uncertainty and some of the company's key destinations have been blamed by Thomas Cook, but also
Brexit, for pushing people to delay making their holiday plans.
For years, the company's advertising called on people looking to get away. Not to book it but to Thomas Cook it.
Today, hundreds of thousands of customers are being told they'll have to rebook it themselves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL: Of course, Hala, over the course of the last few hours and ever since that announcement came that those talks had fallen through, and that
essentially the company was going to immediate liquidation, the emergency has been those stranded tourists.
But tonight, even as -- many of their faith become clear, at least as far as the British tourist's scope, there are many other questions about what
this collapse will mean more broadly in a business sense for the many partners of Thomas Cook and perhaps more importantly and more broadly, for
the tourism industry itself. Hala?
GORANI: Thanks very much, Melissa Bell.
Still to come tonight, the story of one man working to revolutionize the way people access the internet in Rwanda. We'll have that.
Also, as I was mentioning if you liked "Fleabag" you're probably happy today, given how many Emmy's they've won. We'll have the latest, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Now to Rwanda and a story about having the means but lacking the ways. A majority of people there have cell phones but not always the way
to charge them or connect to the internet.
One entrepreneur is proposing a solution, literally, from above. Here is Robyn Curnow with "Innovate Africa."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Using the sun's power to charge electronics is nothing new. But what if it could
also create business opportunities and offer connectivity in the most off the grid locations?
In Rwanda, Henri Nyakarundi is banking on this free form of energy to revolutionize the country's digital space.
HENRI NYAKARUNDI, FOUNDER, ARED GROUP: The initial idea was to develop a hub that could charge phones. If you look across Africa and you see a lot
of agents that work for telecos -- the biggest problem with agents is they are locked into one company. He or she is not allowed to sell more people
service to maximize state revenue. Well, that's the problem, right?
[14:45:17]
So we said why not turn into those kiosks into a hub where you don't just come to charge your phone, you don't just come to buy services. But you can
also be connected and this whole kiosk, basically, combined all the technology into work.
CURNOW: Of Rwanda's 12.3 million, nearly 77 percent have cellphones, but only 30 percent have access to charge them and get online. That's where
the rolling tech hub or Shiriki comes in to meet the demand.
NYAKARUNDI: So this is the Shiriki hub. We have 100 watts solar panels that is retractable, you can close it and fold it. And as you can see, it's
very simple, it's light. And then you charge all your phone on the inside and then you have the Wi-Fi system also here that can connect up to 100
people.
CURNOW: ARED currently charges 30.00 francs or 3.00 U.S. cents per 10 minutes of data and 50.00 francs to fully charge a phone.
NYAKARUNDI: Eighty percent of our sales are 20 minutes. Well, the number one access right now is WhatsApp online and number one -- content -- the
consumer's entertainment content.
CURNOW: This mobile one-stop shop also has a large social impact for employees, ARED operates micro franchisers with small upfront costs and no
costs to women and disabled people.
FLORIDE UWIMANA, ARED ENTERPRENEUR (through translator): The reason why I chose this businesses is because I found it to be profitable. I sell
internet, electricity, and airtime to mobile phone companies. There are people who want to read news on what's happening around the world. With my
Wi-Fi services, all of that is possible.
NYAKARUNDI: If you compare our agent to other agent, they triple their revenue.
They sell multiple services, and because it's franchise model, we do the maintenance for them. We support you and you take care of the customer.
And the last impact we had is the users, now, they don't have to walk miles, now they can get all that aspect of the services from one location.
CURNOW: The sun is the limit for Nyakarundi, as his company continues to expand their reach in Rwanda and beyond.
NYAKARUNDI: I think we're the first generation of entrepreneurs, I would say, that really trying to build something from the ground instead of
trying to import solutions from outside. And I'm hoping the next generation will even do more than what we've done, because we have just
scratched the surface.
CURNOW: Robyn Curnow, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: All this week in our eco solutions series, CNN is profiling the citizens and corporations in Japan who are taking on the issue of waste.
Today, Kristie Lu Stout introduces us to a professor in Osaka who recently conducted a survey of plastic waste in the ocean. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Plastic, plastic everywhere. According to a 2016 report by the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation and the World Economic Forum, the total weight of marine plastic waste is projected to exceed that of fish by 2050.
And Japan trails only the United States as one of the world's top producers of plastic waste per person. A look at the trawler's mud covered catch of
the day, dredges up a nationwide obsession with packaging.
[14:50:04]
In 2018, local professor and public economics and researcher, Sadao Harada led a survey that cast a damning light on the issue of plastic waste in
Osaka and its effect on local fishermen.
SADAO HARADA, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, OSAKA UNIVERSITY OF COMMERCE (through translator): We counted the plastic waste caught in the dragnet of a
fishing boat during its operation, and extrapolated that there are around three million plastic shopping bags under the sea in Osaka Bay.
Here is a snack bag and a DVD, a plastic bottle. These will never dissolve because plastic remains as plastic, if it is not processed.
LU STOUT: While Harada says it may be near impossible to rid bodies of water like Osaka Bay of existing trash, he thinks part of the solution
going forward is to stop Japan's further use of disposable plastics and cut off the seemingly untenable flow of marine liter.
HARADA (through translator): The main problem is we are using tremendous amounts of plastic. Also, many people are indifferent to this issue. I
suppose that's what has caused the reality now.
LU STOUT: According to Harada, the average Japanese citizen uses at least 300 plastic shopping bags each year, totaling more than 30 billion bags
annually to help counter act this. The professor have successfully pushed for Japan's first plastic bag ban in his hometown of Kamioka, some 60
kilometers north of Osaka.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Television honored the best of the best at the Emmy's yesterday night. HBO had a great night as "Game of Thrones" took best drama and
"Chernobyl" won best limited series. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" won a pair of awards including best supporting actress for Alex Borstein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX BORSTEIN, AMERICAN ACTRESS: To my mother, where are you? Can you come? To my grandmother, Nudgy, they are immigrants, they are holocaust
survivors. My grandmother turned to a guard. She was in line to be shot into a pit and she said, what happens if I step out of line? And he said,
I don't have the heart to shoot you but somebody will and she stepped out of line. And, for that, I am here. And for that, my children are here.
So step out of line, ladies. Step out of line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: The biggest winner was the Amazon comedy "Fleabag," which is written and produced by, and stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge. If you want to
know what a huge night at the Emmy's sounds like, have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK CANNON, AMERICAN ACTOR: The Emmy goes to -- Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the Emmy goes to --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Fleabag."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Fleabag has been praised for the way the show breaks the fourth wall with Waller-Bridge have been speaking to audience. If you're not
familiar with it. Here's the snippet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- feeling when I call you, if I send you a text at 2:00 on a Tuesday night asking if he can find me. And you open the door
(INAUDIBLE) coming over. Oh, hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Let's bring in CNN Senior Entertainment Writer, Lisa Respers France to talk a bit more about Waller-Bridge's amazing night and "Fleabag" in general,
which I -- after I finished watching season two and I'm super happy there won't be a season three, because you leave perfect alone, once you achieve
it. Don't try to add to it. Don't try to beat a dead horse when it comes to television. This is what I kind of loved about it at the very end. We
knew it was done.
And I'm so happy it's been recognized in the United States. How do you explain its success there?
LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER: Well, it's such a funny show. And it's so interesting because you have this woman, it's --,
you know, she's sex obsessed but she's also dealing with tragedy. And she has a way of making the uncomfortable hysterical.
And it's just a really well done show. And she's a complete overachiever. Some people may not know that she was the show runner and writer for the
first season of "Killing eve." The BBC America show which also is a huge hit. She is working on the next "James Bond" movie. She's writing that.
So I mean, she's just -- Phoebe is amazing, and I'm so glad that she's gotten this opportunity to shine in the spotlight like she has.
GORANI: Me too. Because the second season, and I saw the first one and thought it was awesome. But I thought the second season is the season that
elevated the show to another level with so much nuance and emotion and heartbreak. And it really resonated, I think, with a lot of women out
there struggling, you know, to find the relationships and the connections that they crave for all their lives. Especially after tragedy and trauma.
So I thought that was fantastic.
[14:55:09]
But you have a lot of shows that were honored yesterday that won't be coming back. So that leaves a good, you know, a lot of space for other
creative initiatives to find a space in the audience next year.
FRANCE: Absolutely. And one of the huge things about Phoebe and "Fleabag's" win is that it was a last season for "Veep." So it was
actually -- a lot of thought last night was supposed to be "Veep" and Julia Louis-Dreyfus' night because it was the final opportunity for them to be
honored and Julia Louis-Dreyfus had the chance to break the record.
But, you know, that didn't happen, because "Fleabag" was the bell of the ball. But with shows like "Game of Thrones" and now being off the air, it
really does allow for more shows to come in to kind of fill that gap.
You know, what are we going to be obsessed with next T.V. season? What are the Emmy's going to be talking about in terms of that show that everybody
can't stop talking about or shows.
So personally, I'm excited. I feel like it's the golden age of television right now. And when you have shows like "Fleabag," or "Veep," or "Game of
Thrones," it really pushes the envelope for networks to have to bring the best, because the audience has that expectation now because of what we've
already seen.
GORANI: And what we've talked about, Lisa, you and I in the past is that this is really a new golden age for television, where the quality sometimes
surpasses, you know, movies. Big Hollywood productions that perhaps are slightly more canned where the writing isn't as sophisticated, as niche,
you know, and as indie kind of in terms of its quality and its personality.
So this is going to also, hopefully, encourage people to try out new things on television.
FRANCE: Absolutely. Another big thing is that television is more diverse. We had Billy Porter won last night, and he became the first openly gay
black man to win a dramatic acting award. And shows like FX's "Pose" which he won for that role, in that T.V. series. I mean, it's got us talking
about LGBTQ, you know, rights and situations and their lives in a completely different way than we have in the past.
And so I feel like we have a perfect opportunity with diversity, with more women's issues, you know, more great, you know, female-led shows like
"Fleabag" for television to be everything that this world actually is, which is we have totally different types of people and really different
story lines and all that, which I feel like the movie have been a little bit slower to catch up with that.
GORANI: I worry that if you reached the pinnacle, then there's so much pressure on you to try to match or even surpass what you've done, I almost
feel bad for Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Not quite.
FRANCE: Not quite.
GORANI: Almost feel bad that she's now -- she's now got to kind of try to at least match what she's done. Thanks very much, Lisa Respers France as
always.
FRANCE: Thank you.
GORANI: "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
