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Hala Gorani Tonight
House Impeachment Inquiry Begins Releasing Transcripts; Joe Biden Leads Polls In Swing States; Iraq's Previous Prime Minister Calls For Current To Step Down; Ukraine's Fight Against Russian-Backed Separatists; U.K. Intel Officials Shocked By White House Request; Saudi Arabia Plans Aramco IPO; Voters In Pennsylvania Speak Out On Impeachment. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired November 04, 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 impeachment inquiry's new phase: Closed-door testimony is now out for public consumption. What we are learning from newly released
transcripts in Washington.
Then, new polls show the American president, Trump's, support staying strong in crucial battleground states. Find out which Democratic candidate
looks to be his best competition.
And later, the McDonald's CEO is out of a job that, by all accounts, he excelled at, fired for a consensual workplace relationship. We'll explore
that as well, coming up.
But we start with this. Up until now, the investigation into U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine has been taking place behind closed
doors. Today, that changed. The public phase of the impeachment inquiry has begun.
Just a short time ago, the House of Representatives released transcripts of closed-door testimony by two key witnesses. Marie Yovanovitch was U.S.
ambassador to Ukraine until Mr. Trump removed her from that post in May.
Also, the testimony of Michael McKinley was also released. He was a senior aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who resigned before his testimony
last month.
In other developments related to the probe, four White House employees were supposed to testify today, but all of them refused to do so.
The Democrat leading this investigation says that won't stop his committee from moving forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO VLIP)
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): We are not going to delay our work. That would merely allow these witnesses and the White House to succeed with their
goal, which is to delay, deny, obstruct.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: That was Adam Schiff. I'm joined now by CNN's Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill. What is the big headline that has emerged from these
released transcripts, Lauren?
LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITICS CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, first of all, Hala, it's significant that we are seeing these transcripts for the very first
time. If you remember, there's been weeks and weeks of closed-door depositions.
So we're learning a little bit of new information. First, from Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. We learned that in
that closed-door testimony, she told lawmakers that she was hoping that the State Department or someone high-up at the State Department would issue a
statement of support for her. This is when she was catching a lot of the fire in some of the rumors and innuendo happening, surrounding her role and
whether or not she was actually loyal to President Trump.
But what she was told by State Department officials is that they could not issue a statement because there was a concern that the president could
potentially even just tweet something that would undermine the official statement they put out.
Marie Yovanovitch said in her testimony, quote, "What I was told is there was concern that the rug would be pulled out from underneath the State
Department if they put out something publicly."
She also said she had concerns about the role Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, had abroad in Ukraine, that it was undermining
the U.S.' official position in trying to develop a relationship in that country.
We also learned from Michael McKinley that he resigned -- if you remember, he resigned just shortly before he testified behind closed doors with
lawmakers -- saying part of the reason he resigned was that he felt as though the State Department was using career State Department officials in
an effort to try to dig up political dirt on the president's political opponents. That was something that was very troubling to McKinley -- Hala.
GORANI: Yes.
And four key witnesses, today refusing to testify? Can they be -- who are they, first of all, and can they be compelled to do so?
FOX: Well, lawmakers are basically arguing that this is just part of the strategy for the White House stonewalling, and that this will not deter
them. You heard from Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, that this is essentially just going to be used as an effort from
Democrats to try to argue that this is obstruction of Congress. And if you remember during the Nixon impeachment, this was one of the articles of
impeachment.
So Democrats, saying this isn't going to slow them down. We also expect more no-shows later this week from the Office of Management and Budget
officials. So a lot of folks who may not be appearing. But this all sets the stage for what we expect could be public hearings as soon as
potentially next week -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Lauren Fox, thanks very much, live on Capitol Hill with a very important development there in this impeachment inquiry slowly
becoming public after being held behind closed doors for several weeks.
Meantime, one year from today, Americans should know if Donald Trump or someone else will lead their country for the next four years, as Democrats
battle it out for the nomination.
[14:05:09]
But we have a brand-new CNN poll of polls, and it shows former Vice President Joe Biden is still leading the pack. You see him there with 28
percent; Elizabeth Warren at 23 percent and Bernie Sanders in third position at 17 percent. The poll of polls averages out for national
surveys conducted in mid- to late-October.
So how would the top Democrats fare against Donald Trump, specifically in battleground states? It depends where you look. Many polls show they have
a sizable nationwide lead. Harry Enten of CNN Politics shows us that in some battleground states, it's very much a different story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER: So take a look at these northern battleground states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. What do we see?
We see Biden leading within the margin of error across the board by one in Michigan, one in Pennsylvania, two in Wisconsin. Warren, doing the worst
of all the Democrats. Down by four in Michigan, down by two in Pennsylvania, down by two in Wisconsin. And Sanders, somewhere in between.
Here, take a look here, the Southern battleground states. These are Arizona, Florida, North Carolina. What do we see there? We see Biden up
in Arizona by two, up in Florida, a very important swing state, up by two. North Carolina, all the Democrats are trailing Trump by anywhere from two
to four.
But, again, Warren doing the worst out of any of the Democrats. Tied in Arizona, down by four in Florida. Look at that difference. Biden up by
two, but Warren down by four in Florida. And in North Carolina, again, all trailing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. That was Harry Enten there with the breakdown. Of course, we're a long way away from the election. But let's break this down
at this stage. CNN's Jessica Dean is in our Washington bureau.
Will this lead Democrats, do you think, Jessica, to make the argument that Joe Biden is the safe bet right now, even though there's a lot of momentum
behind someone like Elizabeth Warren?
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hala, I think that is certainly what the Biden campaign hopes. That's been kind of their message -- or it
has been their message all along, is that Joe Biden has this electability factor, that if he can get out of the primary, that he is uniquely
positioned to build this coalition that will allow him to win those battleground states.
Because, remember, when you look at these national polls, it's one thing to look at the national poll. But when it comes down to this general
election, you're going to have to win the electoral college and you do that by going state by state and getting all those different numbers, then --
you know, to get you where you need to go.
Elizabeth Warren certainly has a lot of momentum in the Democratic primary. But in the last week, you know, she's had to answer a lot of questions
about how to pay for Medicare for All.
And the Democratic Party really is now questioning itself, looking around going, is that where we want to go? Or do we want to go with Joe Biden,
Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar's more moderate plan of moving ahead with the Affordable Care Act, strengthening it, keeping it in place? Or do we kind
of want to blow it all up, start over again and move toward Medicare for All? That's really the question for these Democratic primary voters --
Hala.
GORANI: Yes. And -- but the thing is, Elizabeth Warren in particular, in polls, her trajectory has been up and up and up. And it's interesting to
see that it's still Joe Biden that beats Donald Trump in these polls in these key battleground states that you need to win the electoral college in
November of next year. What's the reason for that that analysts are saying?
DEAN: Yes. I mean, I think that's certainly -- that's what you're getting when you look at all that. It is very clear from the numbers that we're
looking at today, Joe Biden obviously is a known quantity. People know who he is.
But, remember, in order to win these battleground states, there are more conservative voters perhaps in the mix in a state like Pennsylvania, that
are -- that may have voted for Obama than Trump, and might be able to swing one way or the other. Someone like Joe Biden, the argument goes, that you
know, if you're a little less progressive in the sense that you're not blowing everything up and starting over, that you're taking Affordable Care
Act.
Remember, there are union workers that have worked a really long time to make sure that they get that health care, they want to make sure that their
health care stays the same. It's a different type of voter than necessarily a primary voter that might be more leftward, that might be more
drawn to Elizabeth Warren. So time will tell, kind of as we progress along.
And one more thing to remember. You know, people in Iowa, New Hampshire, some of these early states, they certainly are going to drive the
conversation, no question about that. They have an eye on national polls, though, as well. Because when you break down the numbers, they want
someone who's going to beat Donald Trump. And if Elizabeth Warren can make that case, then perhaps those numbers will start to go up for her. Joe
Biden certainly has honed in on that and that is his central argument.
GORANI: All right. Jessica Dean, thanks very much. And Jessica mentioned those early states, the caucuses, the primaries. All eyes are on Iowa.
Voters there are deciding whether to go with Joe Biden or with one of the more progressive candidates like Elizabeth Warren, or none of the above.
[14:10:06]
CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen joins me now with her thoughts. Hilary, when you see these polls that show that
it's Joe Biden that is beating Donald Trump in these hypothetical match-ups in battleground states, do you believe that Democrats need to accept that
it's the safe mainstream candidate that needs to be put forth for them to have the best chance to beat Donald Trump?
HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't think we could really argue that any Democrat is safe against Donald Trump in those states.
Because, look, all of them fall within the margin of error. And, you know, Hillary Clinton was up by more than those three points. She was up by six
or seven points in Pennsylvania and in Michigan, and ended up losing.
So I think that Democrats generally are up against a tough fight. It's always hard to beat an incumbent president --
GORANI: Yes.
ROSEN: -- and I think that that conversation over that electability, what's the best way to beat Donald Trump, will be a central selling point
for both Elizabeth Warren for Joe Biden, and for people surging like Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar over the next couple of months --
GORANI: But it's not --
ROSEN: -- as you get in these primary states.
GORANI: It's not just any incumbent, it's Donald Trump. I mean, Donald Trump, who's been under water for a long time in some of these key states,
who has an impeachment investigation now going on into his presidency regarding Ukraine. He has the economy on his side. But other than that,
aren't Democrats -- or shouldn't Democrats be well-positioned to take him on?
ROSEN: You know, there is still not a majority of the country or in those key battleground states. Let's focus on Michigan, Pennsylvania and
Wisconsin. There is not a majority --
GORANI: Yes.
ROSEN: -- of voters in those states who say that they will vote to re- elect Donald Trump. Because -- and what I think we don't know yet, and it's premature, impeachment is still playing out -- but you know, viewers
internationally can divide this, I think, into two categories. Elizabeth Warren and her allies are essentially saying, it doesn't matter if Donald
Trump's our president, we still need to shake up the system.
GORANI: Right.
ROSEN: Joe Biden and his allies -- you know, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and others -- are saying, vote for me and I will calm this place down. And
right now, I think the jury is out as to which is a more compelling message over the course of the next six months.
GORANI: And what does -- I mean, if you were -- and you're a Democratic strategist, and you've advised politicians. Who has the best shot here?
Because in the end, for Democrats, it is about beating Donald Trump. Many of Elizabeth Warren's ideas, they can be appealing to even a large number,
perhaps, of Democratic voters. Some of them might not be as executable as she presents. But it needs still to be the best candidate to beat Trump.
Who do you think is the one best positioned for that?
ROSEN: You know, I'm not sure. But I can tell you what we'll be judging them by. If Elizabeth Warren can get enthusiasm and turnout in Iowa and
New Hampshire, that gives her a big leg up. But then she has to go to South Carolina with a significant African-American vote. So if Joe Biden,
you know, ends up stopping her there and has a significant African-American turnout -- which is such an important part of the rest of the country and
in Michigan and Pennsylvania and other key states -- then that's going to be a contest, going down the path.
So I think enthusiasm, we have to turn out significant voters in those key states. That's what happened to Hillary Clinton. She was ahead in those
states, but the voters --
GORANI: Yes.
ROSEN: -- just didn't turn out. And so she lost. And I think that voter enthusiasm for this primary is going to be a key metric, as we get past
these four early primary states.
GORANI: Hilary Rosen, thanks so much, as always, for joining us. Appreciate it.
ROSEN: Thanks (ph) (INAUDIBLE).
GORANI: Still to come, violence is intensifying in Iraq as thousands of anti-government protestors clash with police again. And now, the former
prime minister has a message for the current government.
And toxic smog is creating some dangerous conditions in India's capital. Look at these images. It is like smoking a couple packs a day, some people
are saying, just being, just breathing in New Delhi. We'll have that story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:16:42]
GORANI: Violence is erupting in the streets of Iraq in the largest anti- government demonstrations seen in decades. Take a look.
And it is getting violence in some cases, and extremely tense. Security forces fired tear gas at the crows in Baghdad today as they were trying to
reach the prime minister's office. And at least three protestors were killed in clashes that took place later.
Now, hours earlier, activists say three protestors were killed and dozens were injured when security forces opened fire once again -- live ammunition
used ton demonstrators during an attack on the Iranian consulate in Karbala. Protestors are furious over corruption, unemployment and lack of
basic services.
So far, the death toll is staggering, really. More than 270 protestors have been killed, and thousands others injured since the start of the
demonstrations. CNN's Sam Kiley joins me now from Abu Dhabi with more.
What is the latest on the government's reaction to all of this? Because demonstrators are not backing down.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're not backing down, Hala. And there's been very little from the government, apart from
repeated calls for calm. You recall, just a few days ago, the prime minister was asked to step down, agreed that he would step down but then
didn't step down because there was a fear of a power vacuum.
Now, Haider Al-Abadi, the previous prime minister who was recently speaking to Becky Anderson on CNN, insisted that he should go and that the
parliament should be capable of rapidly replacing him and avoiding this vacuum.
But underpinning this -- I think you'd know better than most, Hala -- is an interesting new dynamic, particularly with this attack presumably by
predominantly Shia protestors at Karbala, the -- very much the heart symbolically and religiously of a great deal of Shia focus, where indeed
the Iranians have a consulate. That was nearly burned down yesterday. And as you said, three people were killed by security forces defending that
embassy, another three at least killed today trying to get across the bridge towards the prime minister's office.
A lot of people demonstrating out: men, women, children, a lot of young men of course. They're all protesting -- much as they are, as we've seen
in Lebanon and elsewhere -- against corruption, mismanagement. This country has vast oil reserves. None of the revenue has seemed to be
trickling down to the population.
And then, in the background, there is also the question, Hala, of what do the Shia militia, who were so energetic in the fight against the so-called
Islamic state, do next? They all have some kind of political connection, spiritual connection, sometimes direct almost legal connection, in some
regards, to the powers that be in Iran.
But, clearly, there is a great deal of frustration with the level of Iranian influence then. One of the interesting things about Becky's
interview, Hala, was that Mr. Al-Abadi would not be drawn on who was behind these demonstrations.
The supreme leader in Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, has blamed the United States and other external forces. And that has been a leitmotif among the
political classes in that country, real failure to address head-on the issues that, perhaps, really are driving this, and preferring, as ever
perhaps, to blame outside sources for fomenting it -- Hala.
[14:20:24]
GORANI: Well, wouldn't be the first time in the Arab world that leaders blame outside forces for their own mismanagement of the economy and for the
corruption that's plaguing the country.
But what is, then, the solution here? Because unemployment is so high, desperation is at such levels that people will continue to go out until
there is change. And it doesn't appear as though their leaders are willing to listen at this stage.
KILEY: Well, a couple of years ago, there was -- not on anything like this sort of scale, but -- there were similar demonstrations, there have been
similar demonstrations in the past. So this is not something that the political classes in Iraq could say they didn't see coming.
Now, there have been efforts -- Mr. Al-Abadi pointed this out -- they've had a year of peace, more or less. There has not been any substantial war
of the sort that was seen fighting ISIS in Mosul a few years back.
But what there hasn't been is a response from the -- from the center (ph) as to how to create employment, how to get the oil revenues properly
targeted. Of course, the country is massively overburdened with debt. But there doesn't seem to have been a technocratic response. That is partly to
do with the schisms that remain socially in the country.
But one of the interesting things about these demonstrations is that they are right across all the different faiths and various groups within Iraq,
all the way from --
GORANI: Yes.
KILEY: -- Basrah in the south, where it's been very intense indeed with the port there, access to the port being closed, all the way up into the
Sunni areas in the north. So there is a united effort here on the ground, perhaps not yet one at all in the center, at least not from the government
-- Hala.
GORANI: Thank you, Sam Kiley, live in Abu Dhabi.
I was telling you before the break about how difficult it is to actually breathe in India's capital. The city is struggling to take a breath.
There is a thick blanket of smog that is hanging over New Delhi. Flights were diverted, schools were closed, a public health emergency has been
declared, even.
As Ivan Watson reports, air quality is more than three times the hazardous level.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The air in the Indian capital is toxic. The air pollution, so bad that authorities
have declared a public health emergency: cancelling school, diverting flights and urging residents to say indoors. The city's chief minister,
taking to social media to sound the alarm.
ARVIND KEJRIWAL, CHIEF MINISTER OF DELHI (through translator): We do not want to blame anyone. This is an issue of our health, an issue of
breathing in air, the health of our children, our families, the people of Delhi. That's what's at stake here.
WATSON (voice-over): Bad smog is an annual problem in New Delhi. But this year, the pollution has hit record levels.
WATSON: Thermal satellite imagery from NASA reveals one contributing factor to the smog: thousands of suspected fires, burning upwind from the
Indian capital in the neighboring state of Punjab.
WATSON (voice-over): Farmers in India typically burn their fields this time of year, after the harvest. Weather patterns then trap that smoke up
against the Himalayas, around northern cities like New Delhi. But experts say the capital city also creates much of its own pollution.
SANTOSH HARISH, FELLOW, CENTRE FOR POLICY RESEARCH: There are four types of sources. You've got industries and power plants; you have transport
emissions, particularly trucks but also private vehicles; you have waste burning of various kinds; and you have road dust and construction dust.
All of them are major contributors of air pollution in Delhi. And those are the sources that we need to be targeting better within the city.
WATSON (voice-over): The government imposed an odd-even policy aimed at reducing cars on the road. It's also issued millions of masks to children.
But doctors say they've seen a surge of patients suffering respiratory problems.
GOPI CHAND KHINANI, PUSHPAWATI SINGHANIA HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Those who are perfectly healthy, leading a normal life, they've suddenly
started complaining of respiratory issues: cough, sore throat, sleep deprivation, sometimes even fever.
WATSON (voice-over): On Sunday, demonstrators protested against the pollution.
JAIVIPRA, PROTESTOR: We're concerned about our futures and about our health. But we are also fighting this on behalf of children and the
elderly, who are -- who bear the biggest brunt of the problem (ph).
[14:25:00]
WATSON (voice-over): New Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and forecasters say there are no signs the air will improve any time
soon. Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: The CEO and president of McDonald's is out, fired after having what the company called a consensual relationship with an employee.
The fast food giant said Steve Easterbrook's relationship violated company policy and demonstrated poor judgment. He's been replaced by Chris
Kempczinski, who was most recently president of McDonald's USA. He's been on board since 2015.
Let's bring in Davia Temin, a media and reputation strategist. She consults for major companies worldwide, and she joins me from Long Island,
New York. Thanks for being with us.
So were you surprised by this? If the relationship was consensual. He was divorced, so it's not like he was having an affair and cheating on anybody.
They got rid of a CEO who, by all accounts, was performing very, very well. Did that surprise you?
DAVIA TEMIN, CEO, TEMIN AND COMPANY: Marginally, but not really as much as it would have done about a year ago or two years ago. In this new era that
is tinged by #MeToo, I think a lot of the rules that have been on the books for a long time about relations between bosses and subordinates, where
there's an unequal power distribution, people are looking at that in a new way and they're acting on it. Boards are acting on it now, more than ever
before.
GORANI: And even if -- and I -- just because this aspect obviously should matter, even if it is a consensual relationship and both are single and,
you know, there's no -- apart from the fact that he's the CEO and she's obviously a direct report -- or maybe not direct, but at least his junior -
- that shouldn't matter?
TEMIN: Well, I think it does matter of course. I think it's far more egregious if it's something else, if people are married or whatever. We
don't know who the woman is, whether she's married or not.
GORANI: Right, right, right.
TEMIN: However, I think that the idea that you have a boss and a subordinate means that there's some kind of a power distribution that's
unequal regardless. So a lot of places have these rules on the books, they've just never acted on them. And now --
GORANI: Right.
TEMIN: -- they are. And now they are. Colleges and universities, the same, between faculty and students.
GORANI: Right, right.
TEMIN: Didn't used to be on the books, it is now. And they're acting on it.
GORANI: And McDonald's had issued a new code of conduct, by the way, just a few months ago, that set out clearer rules for workplace relationships.
And that must have played into it as well.
TEMIN: Well, or probably was a result of it. Because they -- it said that the board acted, they did a thorough investigation, that takes time.
GORANI: Right.
TEMIN: So this has probably been in the works for a while. They have done it publicly very well. They're interested in reputational risk and
mitigating reputational risk, so they don't go into the details. What they come to us the public with, is the answer. He's out, someone else is in,
it's a smooth transition.
He's got a very nice statement. It looks clean and neat. And frankly, I think that it's done very well, given how many of these things aren't.
GORANI: So we really are in a new era now. I mean, this is an illustration of it, with a company that was led by a CEO who was performing
well, the share price doubled in the time he was CEO. And we know that in corporate America, and in fact in the corporate world, full stop, if you
manage to pull something like that, usually your board wants to keep you. But now, we're in a new era it seems.
TEMIN: Well, this idea of reputational risk, that by putting your good name of your organization in some jeopardy, you actually lose not just
shareholder value, but stakeholder value and maybe customer value. This is a new thing.
There are some companies that are taking it extraordinarily seriously, and there are others -- I will tell you -- that don't care at all and that hide
things under the rug. So we are in a moment of great transition for how these things are viewed.
And most, by the way, is colored by, you know, the #MeToo behaviors, which really, you know, nobody could support.
GORANI: Really quickly. For him, for Easterbrook, he's only 52 years old. I mean, what happens to him? Is this someone who can then move on to
another challenge or --
TEMIN: Yes, he can. Yes he can.
GORANI: Yes?
[14:29:46]
TEMIN: We do this index of people who have been accused of things. And the men often move on. Besides which, he has handled it very well. He was
single, he's got two years that he has to not be in the restaurant industry but he could go to private equity, he could go to a number of things. He's
clearly very talented. And he also clearly sort of has learned a lesson here.
That's what he's saying publicly in America.
And I think around the world, we allow somebody to be a comeback kid, at least once.
GORANI: Davia Temin, hanks very much.
Still to come tonight, we'll speak to soldiers on the frontline in Ukraine fighting a long-running battle with Russian-backed separatists after a --
after some crucial military aid was suspended.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Let's return now to our top story in the impeachment's inquiry into the U.S. president. At the heart of that investigation, did Donald
Trump withhold military aid to pressure Ukraine into launching an investigation into a political rival? That aide is vital to Ukraine's
ongoing battle against Russian-backed separatists.
CNN's Clarissa Ward saw that for herself when she traveled to the front lines for this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the front line of Ukraine's war with Russia, conditions are basic and the enemy
is near.
This position? Just 600 yards from Russian-backed separatists. Soldiers stand guard in dirt trenches, reminiscent of the First World War.
Commander Pavel Sergeevich tells us one of his men was shot dead by a sniper, 10 days ago. He says Ukraine needs all the help they can get.
WARD (on-camera): So he's saying that when he heard the news that President Trump had frozen the military aid, he was unhappy because he says
America is our most important, our strongest ally.
That aid was released in September, but the temporary freeze left a chill.
The nearest village, Shyrokyne, used to be a popular seaside resort. Now, there are no people left, just devastation. Even the church was hit. In
war, nothing is sacred.
After five long years, the world's attention has basically moved on from Ukraine. But the war here is not over yet, and Ukraine is still very much
dependent on the support of the U.S.
WARD (voice-over): Ukrainian Marine Alexander (ph) shows us what is left of the local school. It was destroyed by Russian artillery at the start of
the war.
It will be 10 years before people can come back, he says. All this territory needs to be de-mined. But that process can't even begin until
the fighting stops.
[14:35:02]
WARD (on-camera): Our guide has asked us now to put on our helmets because, apparently, the separatists have actually been using drones to
drop ordinance on some of the soldiers here.
WARD (voice-over): Alexander says it's time to move on, concerned we may have been spotted.
We push further north to the mining town of Toretsk. Once under the control of Russian-backed separatists, it was taken back by the Ukrainian
army in a bitter battle in July 2014.
TERESA FILLMON, AMERICAN CHARITY WORKER: You can now see the flames shooting out of the top of the building.
WARD: Teresa Fillmon watched it all from her home. The Florida native runs a Christian charity called His Kids Too, and has lived here for many
years.
FILLMON: I mean, we were shelled for days on end. And, you know, I would go to sleep at night, literally just lay there and just say, God protect
me.
WARD: During the worst of the fighting, she would bring home-cooked meals to Ukrainian troops on the frontlines.
FILMON: So when you start knowing those people and putting a face -- putting a name and a face together, I mean, I have friends that were
killed. It's not -- I'm not going to minimize this.
WARD (on-camera): Were you aware of the fact that the White House had temporarily frozen military aid to Ukraine? And what was your reaction?
FILMON: Probably frustration. Because as far as I'm concerned, we're in a David and Goliath situation, that we are outmanned and outgunned.
WARD (voice-over): That hasn't slowed Fillmon down. Her days are a blur of activity, distributing food to the needy and displaced. Across this
country, more than a million people have been forced from their homes.
Like pensioner Yelena Salaeva (ph). She was hit by shrapnel while picking tomatoes in her garden. She fled, and has been living in this care home
ever since.
What can I do? I can never go back, she says. It's five years since we left. Like so many here, Yelena no longer cares who wins this war.
WARD (on-camera): So you just want peace, you just want an end to the war?
WARD (voice-over): Ukraine's president is trying to make that happen, but peace is best negotiated from a position of strength. And having the U.S.
as an ally is key.
In the west of the country, far from the frontlines, Ukrainian forces carry out military exercises under the watchful eye of their American trainer.
CAPT. MATTHEW CHAPMAN, U.S. ARMY: Like they'll be engaging targets and shooting.
WARD: Captain Matthew Chapman has been working with this unit for two months.
WARD (on-camera): Can I ask what your reaction was when you heard that military aid had been frozen to Ukraine?
CHAPMAN: Personally, I don't pay attention to U.S. domestic foreign policy or politics while I'm here. We are solely focused on the mission at hand.
WARD: And it didn't create an awkward atmosphere, at all, with your Ukrainian fellow soldiers?
CHAPMAN: It has not even come up in conversation with our O.C.s.
WARD (voice-over): His Ukrainian counterpart agrees.
LT. NAZAR SHPAK, UKRAINE ARMY: You know, I don't like to speak about politics. My mission and my main role is to protect my land, my country.
That's all I want and it's all I know for myself.
WARD: Do you believe that America is an ally Ukraine can rely upon?
SHPAK: Completely yes, completely yes.
WARD (voice-over): Privately, some Ukrainian soldiers admit to feeling uneasy. They fear that the White House's fickle behavior may strengthen
Russia's position.
But all agree that, with or without America's help, they have no choice but to continue this fight.
Clarissa ward, CNN, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: British officials in this country are sharing concerns after the American attorney general pushed for intelligence, not on an adversary, but
on the U.S.'s own intelligence services.
Nic Robertson has that story from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Boris, it's only my opinion --
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: No, I'm looking (INAUDIBLE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Behind the smiles, there's tension, and the special relationship. President Trump
wants Boris Johnson to investigate his political opponents, to figure out if Mueller and others tried to smear him the day after his controversial
call with the Ukrainian president in July, and just two days after Johnson became Prime Minister, Trump called him.
Now parliament wants details.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did the prime minister, as today's Times reports, receive a request from President Trump for help in trying to discredit the
Mueller report?
DOMINIC RAAB, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The prime minister is not going to comment on the discussions with President Trump that are held in
private. But I can -- I can give him the assurance that, of course, neither the prime minister or as then was the foreign secretary, nor any
member of this government, would collude in the way that he's described.
[14:40:08]
ROBERTSON (on camera): Both the White House and Downing Street published brief notes on that conversation. Neither made any mention of the
investigation that Trump is demanding.
ROBERTSON (voice over): Days after the Trump/Johnson call, Attorney General William Barr was in London for a meeting on intelligence
cooperation and moving Trump's investigation forward.
Veteran U.K. diplomatic journalist, Kim Sengupta, says his British sources were shocked at the requests coming from Washington.
KIM SENGUPTA, BRITISH JOURNALIST, THE INDEPENDENT: The way that it began to emerge in their eyes was that this was the U.S. government asking for
information, not about the Russians, not about the Chinese, not even about the French. You know, it's about their own intelligence services.
ROBERTSON: Barr has also been to Australia and Italy, in what is now a criminal investigation into the origins of the Trump/Russia investigation,
and intelligence it used from overseas. The Italians had nothing to offer Barr.
On his agenda, likely, the role of this Maltese academic, Joseph Mifsud, who vanished two years ago. Mifsud told acquaintances that the Russians had
dirt on Hillary Clinton. One of those acquaintances, George Papadopoulos, relayed Mifsud's claim to an Australian diplomat, Alexander Downer, in
London.
And then there's the dossier written by a former U.K. intelligence officer, Christopher Steele.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Steele worked at this London address. He compiled a dossier during the 2016 elections suggesting Trump was vulnerable to
Kremlin blackmail. It was his dossier that helped initiate the Mueller inquiry.
ROBERTSON (voice over): Sengupta's sources understand the London focus, but worry about the implications.
SENGUPTA: The apprehension, the impression I got, was apprehension is that they may get drawn into all -- they are getting drawn into internal
American politics.
ROBERTSON: President Trump's obsession with discrediting Mueller could cost America the trust of its allies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Still to come tonight, the world's most profitable company makes a big announcement. Why investors around the world are paying such close
attention to a Saudi Arabian IPO. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, if one person emerged over the last 2.5 years, three years of Brexit debate, as a worldwide celebrity, it is the speaker of the House
of Commons, John Bercow. There were memes made with him, montages of him yelling order, order.
[14:45:03]
Well, that is going to be in the past now for this country, because the House of Commons is electing a new speaker. After 10 years, Bercow is out.
They're currently holding a fourth ballot, as they try to decide on a replacement for Bercow.
Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is the expected frontrunner. An announcement is expected at the top of the hour. Several, several rounds. It took
hours today to get to this point and there are still some way to go.
And these are live images of a relatively empty chamber in the House of Commons. But as I mentioned there, in an hour or two, we should have a
result for you.
You will soon have a chance to own stock in the world's most profitable company. Saudi Arabia is getting ready to sell shares in its huge state-
owned oil company, Aramco, and trading could begin next month.
John Defterios is standing by with a closer look. It's hard to imagine that it was only not too long ago that there was that attack on Aramco
facilities, and now we're at the IPO stage. What's the latest? What does this value of the company add this initial public offering?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, Hala, it's right for to you bring up that point. It was September 14th, we had the
attack on the Aramco facility. So less than two months later, they're laying out IPO plans. The valuation is not clear at this point.
You remember Mohammad bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, wanted evaluation of $2 trillion. They were going to float five percent of the
company in New York, or London, or a big Asian market.
We do know now, probably closer to one to two percent, still not defined, nor a date. But the market will be Riyadh. And I think, Hala, I think
this is an effort to have home field advantage, if you will, listing in Riyadh because they have greater support at home from business leaders,
they'll be encouraged if you will to buy, retail investors because it's a sense of national pride.
And even the CEO of a Saudi Aramco at a press conference yesterday, in the eastern province said, we welcomed the comparisons, because if you think
about it, of the top five international oil companies and their proven reserves, what they have underground, Aramco has it in one oil company and
they cranked out $111 billion of profits last year, two times the size of Apple. It just won't be at the level the crown prince was talking about
back in 2016 when he had our initial conversations about this.
GORANI: And Saudi Arabia kind of needs to raise this money. Doesn't it?
DEFTERIOS: Well, you know, Hala, it's flat money right now when it comes to growth. So they were supposed to grow two percent this year. It's flat
lining around 0.2 percent, according to International Monetary Fund. They have raised money going forward from the bond offering from Saudi Aramco.
Saudi Aramco bought its chemical producers inside the country for $70 billion.
But I think this is more a sense of Mohammad bin Salman, Hala, needing to get the vision 2030 plan back on track. If you think of the last couple of
years here, have you the arrest of the 400 business leaders at the Ritz Carlton followed by the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. It's kept a dark cloud
over the country and the IPO was getting set back, set back, set back.
And now they wanted to get it back on track and hopefully turn the page from what they've had to face over the last couple of years, rebuild
investor confidence, which I think is important. And try to get growth back into the company because of the things I talked about, foreign
district investment has been drying up for the last couple of years.
GORANI: Yes. Why would investors -- I mean, what's the appeal of investing in an oil company? If you look forward, a decade away from
today, let's say, it's not the energy source of the future, necessarily. Where is the appeal for an investor to place money in a company like Saudi
Aramco at this stage? What's the rational?
DEFTERIOS: What a fantastic question. There's two ways to look at it here. Saudi Aramco is best of breed when it comes to an oil company
because of its fat margins and its low cost of production, $2 to $4 a barrel, depending if they produce it on shore or off shore. That is
fantastic.
To your point though, if you look back at the last 10 years and the market capitalization of energy companies within the S&P 500, that valuation has
dropped in half because people don't want to own oil and gas companies in their portfolio because of the energy transition and worries about climate
change, Hala.
So something that the crown prince is pushing Saudi Aramco out onto the market perhaps at the most challenging time, but he's trying to beat that
transition when it'll be even more challenging in the future.
GORANI: All right. John Defterios, live in Vienna.
More to come, including what voters in rural America think about this impeachment inquiry, we cover every day. We'll visit a key swing state
that helped Donald Trump win in 2016. Will he win it again in 2020?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:40]
GORANI: I want to check in on those California wildfires we've been telling you about for the past week. This is an aerial view of what it's
like to fight a wildfire at night. Unbelievable. Apocalyptic scenes.
The Ventura County fire department tweeted out this video of a helicopter battling the Maria fire. It covers almost 4,000 hectares and it's 70
percent contained. In other words, 30 percent, not contained, and that's a problem.
Meantime, the U.S. president, Donald Trump, has made this political, he is slamming the California governor for the state's rash of wildfires, blaming
Gavin Newsom's, "terrible forest management." He even threatened to withhold federal wildfire funding. Newsom tweeted back, "You don't believe
in climate change, you are excuse from this conversation."
We've been talking a lot this hour about the 2020 U.S. presidential election and the swing states that will likely determine who wins the White
House, it is the American political system. It is becoming increasingly clear that how voters feel about impeachment could be one of the main
deciding factors.
CNN's Miguel Marquez talks to voters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What one thinks of impeachment --
ANDREW GMITER, DEMOCRAT: I think he deserves to be impeached, absolutely.
MARQUEZ: -- often tracks with what one thinks of Donald Trump.
MARQUEZ (on camera): What do you think of impeachment?
JAMES DILLIE, TRUMP VOTER: It's bull.
MARQUEZ (voice over): James Dillie, a coal miner, and his step-son, Roc Dabney, are huge supporters of the president, proudly displaying Trump
flags like this one. They see impeachment as Democrats trying to reverse the outcome of 2016.
DILLIE: I think they're just headhunting. They're mad they lost and just trying to get him out.
ROC DABNEY, TRUMP VOTER: I think it's something that the Democrats are doing right now. They're just like grabbing for straws, really.
MARQUEZ: Washington County, south of Pittsburgh, has trended Republican for years. In 2016, Donald Trump beat Clinton here by more than 25 points.
MARQUEZ (on camera): Aren't you excited for the first female president?
JACQUELYN KRACHALA, TRUMP REPUBLICAN: No.
WILLIAM KRACHALA, ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICAN: I am.
MARQUEZ (voice over): CNN was here on Election Day in 2016. The Krachalas, then married 37 years and diametrically opposed on candidates.
Today?
MARQUEZ (on camera): You voted for Donald Trump, you voted for Hillary Clinton. Has anything changed?
J. KRACHALA: No.
MARQUEZ (voice over): Now, both of them 90, they still lovingly bicker.
W. KRACHALA: I think he's a crook.
J. KRACHALA: None of that.
W. KRACHALA: And I think he's going to get us into a war.
J. KRACHALA: Well, you're not dead and we had wars before that.
W. KRACHALA: We're not done yet.
MARQUEZ: Jacquelyn couldn't be clearer on impeachment.
J. KRACHALA: Well, that's ridiculous.
MARQUEZ: Bill, a lifelong Republican, is as opposed, as ever, to Donald Trump, but impeachment?
W. KRACHALA: I don't know whether impeachment would solve anything or not. It would just create a lot of upheaval. But I'm hoping to hell that he
gets elected out of office.
CODY SPENCE, TRUMP VOTER: My health insurance is -- alone --
MARQUEZ: Cody Spence, a registered Democrat in 2016, was struggling to pay for health care. Today, his financial situation has improved. He credits
Donald Trump.
SPENCE: I don't think, at this point, that there is a reason to impeach him. And you get some hard evidence that the people of the country can
see, that's a different story.
MARQUEZ: Some moderates question the wisdom of an impeachment fight now.
[14:55:01]
SUSAN LUISI, MODERATE DEMOCRAT: Well, we've already gone pretty far into this presidency. So, do we really want to spend the last time of it
impeaching someone who may or may not be elected again?
MARQUEZ: More progressive Democrats say full steam ahead on impeachment, regardless of the outcome.
GMITER: It probably still favors the Democrats.
MARQUEZ (on camera): And then if he goes on to win the election?
GMITER: That's going to be -- that's going to be a rough another four years.
MARQUEZ (on-camera): Democratic officials here in Washington County say that not only does dislike of Donald Trump help them, but impeachment does
as well. They have an off-year election coming up in just a few days and they say impeachment and the dislike of Trump is already driving voters and
raising enthusiasm among Democrats here. And they expect that trend to continue through 2020.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Interesting.
Now, people in Japan often struggle with the grim and sometimes even fatal culture of overworked. Now, a new study by Microsoft offers one promising
solution, and one that many people watching, I am willing to bet would be a fan of.
The company shut down its offices in Japan every Friday for the month of August. And it gave all employees an extra day off of work. So basically,
a four-day workweek.
And guess what happened? Microsoft says productivity jumped by almost 40 percent, 40 as in 4-0 percent. And more than 90 percent of employees said
the change made a big difference.
The new business hours also reduced the company's impact on other resources like electricity. Microsoft says it plans to ask employees to come up with
other measures to improve the work-life balance.
If I work a four-day workweek, I promise a show that's 40 percent longer on those four days that I'm working. Just kidding.
Thanks for watching tonight. You will get another show on the other side of this break. My colleague Richard Quest is here in London. He is
leading with the dismissal of the CEO of McDonald's.
"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
