Return to Transcripts main page

CNN NEWSROOM

Tiger Woods Wins PGA Tour Event for the First Time in Five Years; U.S.-China Trade War Escalates; Palestinian Launches Bid to be Jerusalem's Mayor; Kavanaugh Accuser To Testify In Open Hearing On Thursday; Trump And Abe Meet Ahead Of Assembly; Tough Talk Expected From Trump On Iran; Iran Blames U.S. & Saudi Arabia For Parade Attack; Many Homes Still Without Roofs After Hurricane Maria; Trump And Abe Meet Ahead Of U.N. General Assembly. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired September 24, 2018 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:00] CYRIL VANIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The woman accusing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct says she will testify publicly this week.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: That as leaders from all over the world meet in New York at the U.N. General Assembly and President Trump prepares to discuss North Korea.

VANIER: And you can add another chapter to the legend of Tiger Woods. The golfer wins his first PGA Tour Championship in five winless years.

ALLEN: Right here Atlanta, G.A., get that? Hello everyone. Thank you for joining us. These stories are ahead this hour, I'm Natalie Allen.

VANIER: I'm Cyril Vanier. CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

The accuser and the accused, both will be telling their stories publicly this week. The battle to confirm U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh comes to head as Kavanaugh denies a new allegation against him. In four days, we'll hear directly from the woman who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual and physical assaults. Research psychologist Christine Blasey Ford says she's committed to a public hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

ALLEN: She, of course, alleges that Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and tried to remove her clothes during a house party, also putting his hand over her mouth when they were both teenagers. He denied that and he will also be given time Thursday to defend himself after she testifies. And now Kavanaugh and the White House are denying yet a new allegation made by a second woman who accuses Kavanaugh as well of inappropriate sexual behavior. For more on these developments, here's CNN's Jessica Schneider.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENTS: The date is set for Christine Blasey Ford's testimony. It will be on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and it will be an open hearing. Now Blasey Ford will testify first in front of the committee after which Judge Brett Kavanaugh will testify. Blasey Ford will also have security since she's been receiving death threats sense her identity became public and there is still uncertainty as to who will be doing the questioning. It's possible Republicans could bring in an outside attorney who is a female, but Blasey Ford's attorneys say they want the Senators doing the questioning since they've been dismissive of her allegations.

Now, meanwhile, the Chairman Chuck Grassley issued a statement Sunday saying that the committee itself had been investigating, and of the four other people Blasey Ford says were at the party including Judge Kavanaugh, according to the Committee, all have denied any knowledge or recollection of Blasey Ford's version of events. And of course, Judge Kavanaugh has also issued several forceful denials.

And meanwhile, the White House and Judge Kavanaugh are now also denying another allegation against Kavanaugh of inappropriate behavior this time from a woman who says she attended Yale with the Supreme Court nominee. The New Yorker reported on Sunday that 53-year-old Deborah Ramirez remembers Kavanaugh exposing himself to her at a dormitory party during the 1983-1984 school year. However, two other people Ramirez says were present at the party issued a statement to the New Yorker saying they never heard of such an incident and CNN has now corroborated her story.

Kavanaugh has released a statement saying this. This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen. The people who knew me then know that this did not happen and have said so. This is a smear plain and simple. I look forward to testifying on Thursday about the truth and defending my good name and the reputation for character and integrity I have spent a lifetime building against these last-minute allegations.

White House spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said this 35-year-old uncorroborated claim is the latest in a coordinated smear campaign by the Democrats designed to tear down a good man. This claim is denied by all who were said to be present and is wholly inconsistent with what many women and men who knew Judge Kavanaugh at the time in college say. The White House stands firmly behind Judge Kavanaugh.

Ramirez was initially hesitant to speak publicly because she said her memory contained gaps because she had been drinking at the time. After she reassessed her memory over the course of about six stays with her attorney, she did go on record with The New Yorker. Jessica Schneider, CNN Washington.

ALLEN: Let's talk more about this with Democratic Strategist Caroline Heldman and Alexandra DeSanctis who's there in the red who's the Staff Writer at National Review, a Conservative magazine. First of all, ladies, thank you so much for joining us because we're talking about sexual abuse here and this is a topic that really has the United States polarized at this moment considering what's going on in Capitol Hill with the confirmation hearings for Judge Kavanaugh. I want to ask you both. Do you think we can have a discussion about this without it being mired in politics? I'll start with you there, Caroline. [01:05:12] CAROLINE HELDMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think that the way in which we talk about sexual violence assumes that women are telling the truth. And so in that regard, I think it's always very political. And certainly, during the Kavanaugh hearing, I don't know. I mean, you can take the partisan politics out of it, but the politics of not believing women I think is a dominant thing in a country that suffers from rape culture where we don't take these crimes seriously.

So I would love to see Dr. Ford get an actual investigation from the FBI but at this point in time it looks like the confirmation is being run by partisan politics and it will be a hearing on Thursday that is being run by people who are simply not professionals at running trials, doing investigations or anything of the sort. So unfortunately you know I think that partisan politics is overriding our ability to get to the truth about this case.

ALLEN: Alexandra, where are you in this, and again I want to ask you and this conversation we're having. Can we go above politics to talk about the issue of sexual abuse and whether it's taken seriously?

ALEXANDRA DESANCTIS, STAFF WRITER, NATIONAL REVIEW: You know, I think we really should be able to do that. I don't see any reason why we can't. I think we have seen it's very difficult at the moment because the conversation that we're having about sexual violence is tied up in a political process which is a Supreme Court nomination and Confirmation battle. So clearly it's caught up in Senate politics for sure but I don't think that there's anything political about trying to get to the truth of what has or hasn't happened and whether that has to do with believing women or not. I think it's important to look at everybody's testimony, to have people that testify under oath and try to get to the truth as best as you can.

ALLEN: We saw in 1991, Anita Hill came forward with allegations against then the nominee Clarence Thomas. He was of course confirmed at the Supreme Court and we saw how that played out. And now here we are again. I want to ask you both do you think we're going to see an environment that's reflective of the #MeToo Movement, that's reflective of giving people who allege sexual abuse more power on Capitol Hill this week. I'll start with you again on that, Caroline.

HELDMAN: Well, I think that the Senate really is in a position where they have to listen to the #MeToo Movement, what happened to Anita Hill and it was run by Democrats in 1991. She was railroaded. They didn't allow Angela Wright who was another witness who had alleging similar things to testify. And then in 1999, Moira Smith came forward after Clarence Thomas was on the court and said that he had groped her. So it appears that we have a very least so far a very similar situation but I would hope that the Senate would actually take Dr. Ford's allegations seriously especially given the fact that she has taken a lie-detector test and has great credibility otherwise.

So I would hope that they don't use you know, what was called at the time the (INAUDIBLE) approach where they try to paint her as a little bit slutty and a little bit naughty. And these were actual words that were used by people who were doing the attacking of Anita Hill or preparing those attacks. So I would hope that they would not do that. That they would actually treat her with dignity and respect than any allegations as someone who's come forward and alleging this deserves.

ALLEN: Alexandra, your take on that. Do you think we got to a place where sexual assault is a big deal or it's not a big deal as far as Capitol Hill goes?

DESANCTIS: I think you can absolutely see in the way this has all happened since it's out, the first allegation came out. The #MeToo movement has had a huge effect. The fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee was willing to postpone the hearing several times, they offered Dr. Ford several chances to come and testify under oath and is pursuing you know, by several means trying to get testimony from the other people she alleges were witnesses to what happened or what she says happened. And so I think you know a year ago maybe that wouldn't have happened. We've seen issues like this been handled differently on Capitol Hill.

And so I think you know, I don't think it necessarily this time they just went to believe the whole thing that she said or should but I do think that they clearly want to get to the truth and it would be if this is something Brett Kavanaugh actually did do that would be a serious problem and I think that's clearly you know, we're moving forward on that.

ALLEN: Right. We also saw U.S. President Trump say you know, why didn't she come forward? Why didn't she make charges years ago? We're talking about an alleged assault 30 years ago. And then as a result, of course, we, saw Twitter light up, #Why I Didn't Report because it is extremely, extremely challenging. And yes we have the #MeToo Movement but still, it's a very, very difficult situation for so many people. The question is will we see this country move forward with this issue or backwards this week? I'll go back to you on that Caroline.

[01:10:01] HELDMAN: Well, I think there are many reasons, right, why survivors don't come forward, but Donald Trump actually demonstrated one of the primary reasons which is that you are -- you're not believed, right, and you're blamed, and you're shamed. And as a 15- year-old girl, I mean come on, it's not difficult to see why she may not have come forward. But it doesn't matter what age survivors are or whether their men or women or gender non-conforming individuals especially those who have extra layers of silencing. You know, I work with survivors all the time and the story is always the same, I was afraid. I was afraid I wasn't going to be believed. So I would hope that you know, at the very least the Twitter activism around this has empowered people so that we now believe survivors more. And we should because 92 to 98 percent of the time they are telling the truth according to the FBI.

ALLEN: We have much to watch this week to see how this unfolds. We appreciate your honest discussion with us. Caroline Heldman, Alexandra DeSanctis, thank you both so much.

VANIER: President Trump got a head start on international issues Sunday in a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister. Their dinner ahead of the U.N. General Assembly comes days after Shinzo Abe a won a third term as Prime Minister.

ALLEN: In the marks on Japanese television, Mr. Abe said they discussed North Korea and had constructive talks on trade. Mr. Trump has threatened a 25 percent tariff on Japanese vehicle imports as a means to reduce a trade deficit. The two men are set to meet again Wednesday.

VANIER: First, President Trump will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in later on Monday.

ALLEN: As Nic Robertson reports for us, Mr. Trump will be pressing for more details about the commitments made during the recent Korean summit.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The President Moon Jae-in has effectively become the go-between now between President Trump and Kim Jong-un in North Korea. What President Trump is going to want to hear about any additional details the President Moon can add to this commitment that North Korea appears to have made to continue denuclearization process at one of its sites and also to scrap and get rid of a missile test facility.

Now, this missile test facility the North Koreans said that they will allow international monitors from relevant countries. The details here that aren't clear publicly at least which of those countries and when would this dismantling begin, and would this have an effect on other of the missile test facilities that North Korea has? What president Moon is also likely to tell President Trump is that what Kim Jong-un wants is a declaration from the United States that the Korean War is over?

Now, is President Trump ready to give that? That's not clear but this is going to be the crux of that meeting. And another person another leader that President Trump is going to be talking to have a summit with later in the week, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he also is going to want to find out what President Trump has learned about Kim Jong-un's latest proposals. Of course, the big issue everyone is going to be watching is what President Trump says about Iran.

Of course, remembering Russia he used very tough and strong language directed at North Korea calling Kim Jong-un Rocket Man. This year President Trump is going to be trying to isolate Iran pointing out its meddling in the region, its sponsoring of terrorism. These are going to be issues he is going to discuss. And of course, that recent attack and Iran that Iran's leader President Rouhani has blamed the United States and Saudi Arabia for saying that there will essentially be revenge for that attack in Iran that killed more than two dozen Iranian soldiers and civilians at a military parade.

That kind of language is going to play into President Trump's hand that Iran is a malign influence in the Middle East at the moment. This is how we can expect President Trump to sort of use this speech that would be giving at the UNGA. Nic Robertson CNN New York.

ALLEN: We want to look closely at the terror attack in Iran state media reporting that gunman killed at least 29 people at a military parade Saturday. Iranian officials blame foreign powers.

VANIER: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says mercenaries backed by the U.S. are responsible but the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. denies the accusation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: We're not looking to do regime change anywhere. The President has been very strong on Iran. He's been very strong that we can't turn away from them, that they are a bad actor, and you'll continue to see him strong in terms of every action we take from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Iranian officials also blame U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia for the attack. Saudi Arabia and Iran are already locked in proxy conflicts. CNN Sam Kiley has more on these regional tensions from Abu Dhabi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[01:14:54] SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's no great surprise that Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president would start to point a finger for this terrorist attack on this military parade which included among the dead both military personnel and civilians reportedly even a child.

Because in this context, we have two things going on essentially, Saudi Arabia and the United States, especially, have announced a policy of, at least, wanting to affect the regime. Although, the United States' Nikki Haley, the U.N. Ambassador from the United States has said that they don't want to effect regime change.

But they certainly want to affect change in the behavior to Iran. And also, Saudi Arabia announced earlier in this year that it would be participating more in the internal politics of Iran. So, it is almost inevitable that the Iranians would try to point the finger both externally and internally to this terrorist attack.

Nonetheless, this all comes at a time when Donald Trump wants to put Iran front and central of the debates at the U.N. General Assembly this week in New York. He is scheduled on Wednesday to chair the U.N. Security Council. And he'll be demanding even greater pressure to be brought on Tehran at a time when a lot of Western allies are still supporting the nuclear deal that the United States backed out of.

The United States said that they didn't trust Iran not to abandon its nuclear weapons program and agreed with Israel that in all probability, the Iranians were developing it. But this is not the view, for example, of the French and the British who at the General Assembly will be pushing for a much more softly, softly approach to Iran.

So, at this time, this terrorist attack really throws into sharp relief not only the geopolitical issues but also the local issues. Of course, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are prosecuting war against Houthi rebels alongside Yemenis inside the Yemen. The Houthis backed by Iran and their proxy Hezbollah.

So, there are multi-layered aspects to this. A very unpleasant terrorist attack inside Iran itself. Sam Kiley, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

VANIER: A year on since Hurricane Maria, and thousands of people in Puerto Rico still don't have roofs over their heads. We'll tell you how one charity is helping to change that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VINCE CELLINI, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, I'm Vince Cellini with your CNN "WORLD SPORT" headlines. We begin with a Tour Championship in Atlanta where this end of the season event gained more significance with a full-on Tiger Woods effect to come back complete. And look at the scene at 18 at Eastlake.

Tiger, all but clinched the Tour Championship crowds harkening back to an earlier time in golf. Tom Watson or Jack Nicklaus perhaps at an old Open Championship. Wood shot a final round one over 71, a two- shot victory to take the event his third career and by far his most important.

Over to the NFL, the New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, made history playing against division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons. Brees, one of the all-time great passers now number one in league history and career completions. Passing Hall of Famer, Brett Favre. 6,301on the record breaker to Michael Thomas.

Brees, 39-49. Three touchdown passes. The Saints win over the Falcons in overtime 43-37. And over in Serie A, the recently promoted frozen no name at home to Juventus. Juve, looking to remain 100 percent at their start of the season too.

First goal would come in the 81st minute by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, then, in stoppage, Federico Bernardeshi would seal the 2-0 win. Juventus lead Napoli by three points. Those your sports headlines. I'm Vince Cellini.

[01:21:18] ALLEN: Welcome back. A year without reliable power, without running water, without proper roofs, one year after Hurricane Maria ravaged their homes, many Puerto Ricans still are struggling.

VANIER: Recovery is very slow. Rafael Romo toured the island by both land and sea. He says there is still much to be done. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Before you can grasp the true extent of the devastation, you have to see it from above. We're flying over Puerto Rico a year after Hurricane Maria devastated the Caribbean Island.

What would you say, Daniel, is the main challenge? I see you trying to rebuild all of those homes, people who are left homeless after the hurricane.

DANIEL STEPHENS, FIELD OFFICE DIRECTOR, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: And we're still going to places every, every week and we're finding new homes of people there living under foil plastic tarp. And you know, one year after the hurricane, there is still thousands, thousands of homes and that's their only -- their only coverage they had, it's a -- it's a blue tarp over their roof.

ROMO: We're flying with the team from Samaritan's Purse, an American charity helping people rebuild their homes.

STEPHENS: A lot of the areas on the island are extremely remote, extremely difficult to access. High up in the mountain --

ROMO: Blue tarps weren't meant to be a temporary solution for homeowners whose roofs have it blow by the hurricane. Really a 30-day face, but they are still visible around the island and they are a symbol of the devastation and a reminder that there's a much to be done.

On the ground, this is what recovery sounds like. O'Brien Rio's, a heart patient could not be more grateful that his house is getting a new roof. He says it's like being able to live again.

After waiting for more than a year, whose heart will finally be replaced with the real roof? In some of the most remote areas where power was unreliable, even before the hurricane, Samaritan's Purse is providing solar panels to residents.

ZACH SPRAU, MANAGER, SOLAR ENERGY PROGRAM, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: So, we designed the system to be able to run a mini-fridge 24 hours than with some other small appliances like lighting and device charging and a fan.

ROMO: Today, they're installing the panels that other Gonzalez's home, a diabetic who needs refrigerated insulin around the clock. Back in Arecibo, excited Rodriguez shows us her house.

She said this still the living room.

It's been a difficult year for Rodriguez, her daughter, and granddaughter. The hurricane completely blew off the roof forcing them to live elsewhere.

"Everything got wet." The fridge got damage and then, take a look at this. This is a clock on the wall that stops at 7:05. That was the moment when it got wet because the hurricane had blown off the roof. A sign is among the few things that were not damaged at their home. Having a place to go it says, its home.

This charity alone, Samaritan's Purse has helped 251 homeowners repair their homes. The need continues to be great and they say that they expect to help an additional 140 homeowners before the end of the year. Rafael Romo, CNN, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ALLEN: CNN, of course, continuing to follow the recovery effort day by day. Now, you can see what that looks like if you head to our web site for an interactive feature showing you some of Puerto Rico's neighborhoods devastated by Maria and how they evolved or how they haven't since the hurricane.

[01:25:13] VANIER: It's been years since we've been able to say this, Tiger Woods wins. The golf legend speaks to CNN about his big comeback, ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALLEN: Hello, again. Thank you for staying with us. I'm Natalie Allen. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

VANIER: I'm Cyril Vanier. Let's look at your headlines. U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the White House are denying a new allegation made by a second woman who accuses Kavanaugh of inappropriate sexual behavior.

This comes after his first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, says she's committed to testifying publicly in a Senate hearing on Thursday. Kavanaugh denies all these allegations. He will be given time to defend himself after Ford testifies also on Thursday.

ALLEN: Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, met with U.S. President Trump, Sunday, ahead of the U.N. General Assembly this week in New York. In remarks on Japanese T.V., Mr. Abe said the two men discussed North Korea and had constructive talks on trade.

Trump has threatened its 25 percent tariff on Japanese vehicle to reduce the trade deficit.

VANIER: Iran is vowing deadly and unforgettable revenge after a terror attack at a military parade on Saturday. Authorities say gunmen killed, at least, 29 people in the country's southwest. They have blamed multiple factions including the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Now, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley denies the U.S. played a role.

[01:29:56] CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: The opposition candidate in the Maldives says he won the country's presidential election Sunday. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih says he led by a wide margin after 92 percent of the votes were counted. Solih ran against President Abdulla Yameen who has been accused of harsh crackdowns on dissidents.

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Major sports story to share with you. It has been years in the making but finally Tiger came roaring back. All-time golfing great Tiger Woods wins a PGA tour event for the first time in more than five years. He got the big win at the tour championship here in Atlanta Monday.

VANIER: He finished 11 under par for the weekend and, here we go, he wasn't the only one celebrating. The crowd just loved it. Woods spoke about the victory with CNN's Patrick Snell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I'm a victorious Tiger Woods for the first time since 2013. You've overcome so much, Tiger. You're a 14- time major winner. You've won all over the world. You battled career and threatening injuries. What does it mean to have overcome so much -- all you've been through and win again?

TIGER WOODS, PRO-GOLFER: Well, it's been unbelievable to get to this level again. I didn't know if that would ever happen again and one ball here we are. We're through the -- an unknown.

And that was -- that was the hardest part, it was an unknown. I didn't know if I would -- would be able to this again or at what level or to what degree. Here we are with -- 80 wins. It's a pretty cool number.

SNELL: There are many who will describe this as the greatest sporting come back of all time. You yourself earlier this year at Augusta, you described yourself as a walking miracle. What do you call yourself now?

WOODS: Wow. I -- I'm just blessed. I'm lucky. I am lucky because it worked out for me. You know, my back was in a pretty bad spot there. And to be able to have a back that is not like what it used to be and still be able to somehow have figured this out. To figure out a golf swing and a game built on, you know, a fixed point in my back, it has been -- interesting. It hadn't been easy.

But I've been -- been very lucky to have had a great team around me and they worked so hard to give me a chance. And also the support I've had from them means all the world to me.

SNELL: The range of emotions you went through on that last hole, talk us through that. And I want to say that you appeared to be fighting back tears at one point. What was that whole experience like?

WOODS: Well, I was because the tournament was over. Once I -- once I -- at par 17 and then I hit the tee shot on 18 -- the tournament wasn't over yet. So trying to hit the ball short right, anything right up the flag is good.

And once I put the ball in the bunker, I had to use a bunker shot. And from there it was -- you still lose at a golf tournament. You still play this thing out of bounds. I was right over the back of the green.

So I'm a little chunky and hit a little fat and rolled up there. I gave Joey a little high-five and then -- the tournament was over and, you know, that's when I started realizing that I had this -- my 80th win. And that was pretty special.

Just to be able to say that and that number and -- you know, all I've gone through to get to this point. That's pretty special. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: And to discuss this we're joined by sports extraordinaire, Vince Cellini of CNN World Sport.

Tell us about the event itself, first, because I didn't see it. Was it close?

VINCE CELLINI, CNN WORLD SPORT: It was close. It was a two-shot victory. And Tiger Woods made it interesting at the end with three bogeys on his back nine. But he was able to close the deal.

And even for a great winner like Tiger, his 80th PGA tour victory, because it has been about five years since he's won maybe a little nerve's kicking in there late but he was able to get it home.

And this is a very high-profile event. It's the end of the season event where Tiger not only won this, he almost walked away with the FedEx cup bonus of $10 million which went to Justin Rose, by the way.

ALLEN: Yes, 80th PGA victory.

VANIER: Second all time.

ALLEN: That is amazing. And Vince -- help us appreciate what he has come back from to do this.

CELLINI: Well, Natalie -- it's interesting. You know, imagine if I took your personal life and shattered it in a million pieces. And then I asked you to play a sport that involves maybe the most concentration you have to have or any athletic endeavor.

And that's what Tiger has gone through as the most high-profile athlete in the world perhaps and then to be the subject of all of the scandal, the public scrutiny. And on top of that, back surgery to fuse his back.

VANIER: Yes, that's incredible.

CELLINI: So you think about it --

VANIER: Twelve months ago, he didn't think he could ever play again.

CELLINI: About a year ago -- that's exactly right. A year ago, he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to play at a high level again. He did not know.

I mean this started with just him putting a little bit and trying to chip before thinking about ever playing to this level. So it really is a remarkable comeback.

VANIER: Show us the -- show us the crowds because that, too, was remarkable.

CELLINI: It was. And at the end of his round at East Lake, Tiger is walking up to 18th green. ALLEN: Look at that.

CELLINI: And I think this is the indelible image. I mean he's laughing along with Rory McIlroy, his playing competitor.

[01:35:04] VANIER: Oh, wow.

CELLINI: Take a look at that. You know, to me --

ALLEN: Look at that.

CELLINI: -- that's reminiscent of the old Open championships where maybe Tom Watson took that walk or Seve Ballesteros took that walk years ago.

And it is interesting, I think the message in all of that is that Tiger when he came back from the injury and the scandal, (INAUDIBLE) he came back a more humble player.

ALLEN: Yes.

CELLINI: He's been more fan-friendly. More fan-friendly -- we see him signing autographs. And I think that's the fans reciprocating to Tiger and this version of Tiger that we see today.

ALLEN: We love a comeback story, right?

VANIER: Absolutely.

ALLEN: And you know what, even -- watching him play over the years, he just hasn't smiled and right there we saw him walking and smiling. He deserves to smile (ph), doesn't he?

CELLINI: Yes. Part of his persona has always been as a competitor -- just that steely look and that intimidating look among other players.

But you could see there were moments when he was fighting back tears coming up 18th. He said as much that he thought he was going to cry because this was such a big moment. And when you don't know -- when you really don't know as an athlete and especially somebody who's experienced so much success like Tiger Woods has -- you know, it's remarkable what it does to you emotionally. I think that's what we saw.

But he was able to get his win -- a win that many wondered would ever happen.

VANIER: Where do you think this ranks in terms of an athlete/sportsman comeback? You know, I'm more of a basketball guy, as you know. I'm thinking Michael Jordan, win three titles, leave the NBA, come back, win another three -- greatest of all time.

CELLINI: Well, that's an amazing come back. I think in golf it still ranks second to Ben Hogan who -- Ben and Valerie Hogan were struck by a bus in the 1950s and then he returned after some devastating injuries to go on to win major championships. When we think about this with Tiger Woods, it is not only the physical aspect of this but also the emotional aspect of everything that took place as far as public scandal and -- and the embarrassment and coupled with all of that. Especially, you know Hogan didn't have to deal with Twitter and -- and Instagram and social media and cable network.

(CROSSTALK)

VANIER: Exactly.

CELLINI: So this was -- this is really remarkable. And I think it does a lot for the sport globally and in terms of moving forward as well.

VANIER: Yes. Most recognizable face in golf and it's not even close.

ALLEN: Right.

CELLINI: You think about it too, Natalie, we were talking about this. You've got this new wave of young stars in golf. And they were all winning championships while Tiger was in the midst of this comeback.

Now you have the new wave and you have Tiger Woods --

ALLEN: Right.

CELLINI: -- who may be performing like Tiger Woods again. And all of this, by the way, is the appetizer to the Ryder Cup which starts Friday near Paris at Le Golf National.

ALLEN: Bam --

VANIER: How about that? The appetizer.

Vince Cellini will be covering the entre (ph) to the Ryder Cup. Vince -- such a pleasure to have you with us.

ALLEN: Thank you very much.

CELLINI: Yes. Thank you very much.

VANIER: We used to have near misses. We thought this was going to happen.

CELLINI: Always.

ALLEN: Always. Love it.

VANIER: Thank you. Vince Cellini -- thanks.

ALLEN: Thanks -- Vince.

VANIER: Love it. Love the Vince.

The U.S.-China trade war continues to escalate and hits business and consumers in both countries that are caught in the crossfire. We'll have that story up next.

[01:38:10] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VANIER: U.S. and China are raising the stakes of global trade and millions of consumers could soon be feeling the pinch of that. The U.S. officially slammed China with new tariffs on Monday. They cover $200 billion worth of Chinese exports -- things like electronics, furniture. For now it's a 10 percent tax but that's going to jump to 25 percent by the end of the year.

3ALLEN: And China is not taking it lightly. Just after the U.S. imposed their tariffs, Beijing retaliated with tax on $60 billion dollars of U.S. goods to the tune of 5 percent to 10 percent.

Let's dig deeper into this back and forth. Steven Jiang is in Beijing for us. Hello to you -- Steven.

Certainly China indicating as it has before it will fight back with the U.S. in this escalation.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN PRODUCER: That's right -- Natalie.

They, as promised have launched their counter tariffs just a minute after the U.S. tariffs went into effect. But the Chinese government interestingly also issued a lengthy policy paper just now on a national holiday to really reiterate its position on this trade war and defend itself.

They basically portray themselves as a victim of the U.S. trade protectionism and trade bullying and saying this trade relationship has been the foundation of this bilateral relationship but the U.S. really ruined it by launching this trade war and imposing tariffs on these billions of dollars of Chinese imports.

Now, as you noted the Chinese -- the counter-tariffs are no longer dollar for dollar because the U.S. imports a lot more from China than the other way around. That's one of Mr. Trump's original complaints against this trade imbalance.

But for its part, many analysts think China still has some tricks in its sleeves. They could do a number of things down the road including charging higher tariffs on U.S. imports, imposing some sort of import quota from the U.S., restricting its citizen from traveling to the U.S. for study and tourism as well as providing tax relief for Chinese companies affected by U.S. tariffs.

Now they could also make life very difficult for American companies doing business in China. And many big names including Apple, Boeing and Starbucks (ph) are increasingly relying on this market for their profits as you know -- Natalie.

ALLEN: Right. So we'll be hearing from those companies probably to see what the fallout is from this.

Well, we know that both President Xi and President Trump have had a cozy relationship. But now, we have this. And China has called off planned trade talks with the U.S. indicating this will get worse. What could be next here?

JIANG: That's right. You know, interestingly Mr. Trump continues to call Mr. Xi his good friend in a number of tweets. But Mr. Xi probably sees things very differently.

But what happened here Natalie, according to many sources and analysts we've been talking to is there probably is a level of underestimation on both sides of the other side's resolve in fighting this trade war.

Now, from the Chinese perspective I think a lot of Chinese officials initially viewed Mr. Trump as a transactional businessman who would be satisfied with some concessions from Beijing, for example buying more American products to back down from his threat on a trade war. But obviously didn't happen.

Now Mr. Xi apparently increasingly views these tariffs as more than just a trade and economic measure but also a strategic move on the U.S. to contain the rise of China. That's why it is almost impossible for him to back down because his whole reign his policy at heart is about a rising China on the global stage -- national rejuvenation in his words -- in Mr. Xi's words realizing the Chinese dream.

[01:45:06] So that's really one reason, many people say, he is simply not going to make the kind of structural change on the economy as demanded by Mr. Trump and the White House -- Natalie.

ALLEN: All right. We'll continue to follow it, of course. Steven Jiang for us in Beijing -- thank you.

VANIER: Consumers and businesses in China are bracing for the impact of all of this. Right now the effects may not be visible to the average person.

ALLEN: But the trade war is escalating and it is sure to become more obvious.

CNN's Matt Rivers spoke with people in Beijing to get their take.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): If you want to talk to lots of people quickly in Beijing, take a scooter. Seriously, the traffic here is horrible.

(on camera): So it might not look great but it does work.

(voice over): Our mission today -- to find out how the average person in Beijing feels about the U.S.-China trade war.

We start in one of Beijing's many outdoor workout areas and we spot 77-year-old Si Shuzhen going strong on the leg press. She says China is strong, too.

SI SHUZHEN, CHINESE CITIZEN (through translator): We are powerful now and we aren't weak like in the past. Chinese people aren't easily bullied. The U.S. can't handicap China's development. RIVERS: Chinese state media says that a lot, too. On August 10th

"The People's Daily Newspaper" wrote quote, "the U.S. Is unwilling to see China develop and prosper and then surpass it. No hardship has ever stopped China from standing up, growing rich and becoming strong."

The anti-American drum beat in state media is loud and consistent though Si doesn't entirely agree.

SI: We can't generalize them. People in the U.S. aren't all bad. There are nice American people. It is just their leaders are bad.

RIVERS: Post-workout, it's over to a cafe on the other side of town where the coffee is strong but support for the trade war is weak.

(on camera): What do you think of the trade war?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is wrong. It's only about a (INAUDIBLE)

RIVERS (voice over): Movie director Li Guanguo (ph) says China's policies could hurt ordinary people by hurting the economy overall. In Beijing's narrow winding alley ways the trade war can feel pretty far away. But think about it differently. Do tariffs make those playing cards more expensive? Does the delivery guy's petrol bill go up? Are veggies harder to source or export? Maybe, maybe not -- it's too early to tell.

But it is a lot to think about; enough to make you hungry.

(on camera): Could I have one American pulled pork sandwich.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure.

RIVERS: Lunch break. This sandwich is more expensive now because American pork is on China's tariff list. I'm still going to eat it though because it is good. But still --

(voice over): It's still lunch time when we're back on the bike and over to the Central Business District, the natural habitat of white collar workers. Trade war panic -- right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't feel I'm affected so far.

RIVERS: Actually it's a common sentiment around here; most haven't felt the crunch yet. Several people we spoke to said that.

LI ZWANGYI, FINANCE INDUSTRY WORKER (through translator): I think our country hasn't been affected that much so far. China doesn't really rely on the U.S. like it did in the 2000s.

RIVERS: But China's economy is already slowing down and the stock market aren't doing great either. The trade war certainly won't help with that. And for that reason some around here are worried about the long-term.

WENDY SU (ph), CHINESE CITIZAN: It definitely has an active impact on Chinese economy.

RIVERS: So in the end if your question is how do Chinese people feel about the trade war there's no one way to answer that question. How people feel depends on what job they have, their political views; talking short or long-term impact and a million other reasons.

But what is clear is that people are increasingly aware that a trade war is on and that the trade tensions could last a long time.

Matt Rivers, CNN -- Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Enjoyed that -- Matt.

VANIER: Great story.

ALLEN: Until people can see it and feel it they don't quite react, do they? So we'll wait and see.

Coming up here, a candidate seeks to become mayor of a divided city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AZIZ ABU SARAH, PALESTINIAN CANDIDATE FOR JERUSALEM MAYOR: I think people are afraid that by doing this, we are accepting the occupation in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: A Palestinian who needs to convince Israelis and Arabs he can be mayor of Jerusalem. That's coming up here in the NEWSROOM.

[01:49:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis. This is your weather watch.

Some areas across North America trying to transition to more autumn- type weather pattern with some cooler temperatures -- that's further to the north, even some of the higher elevations in the northern Rockies expecting some snow fall.

But a languishing weather system, quasi-stationary weather system across the Deep South will be the trigger mechanism for some rainfall. It could be heavy at times. Already about eight million people under flash flood watches across the Tennessee and Ohio River Valleys, extending all the way from Columbus and into Louisville, Kentucky and towards Nashville. Even towards Atlanta some of the rainfall at times could be heavy as well.

That's riding all along that quasi-stationary frontal system. There you could see some of the forecast rainfall totals over the next 48 hours could be between 100 and 150 millimeters on ground that is already pretty saturated. And Denver 26, Winnipeg at 9 degrees, Vancouver sunshine 16, Atlanta some thunderstorms and 28, Miami will soar to 32. Now the warm temperatures across the southeast, that remains in place.

And look at those temperatures across the northern tier. They're going to be markedly cooler in the forecast.

ALLEN: The United States has declared Jerusalem as Israel's capital but Palestinians are not giving up on the city.

VANIER: That's right. One Palestinian man is launching a bid to be the city's mayor even though he's not an Israeli citizen.

CNN's Ian Lee has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This video by a Jewish group is supposed to scare Jerusalem's Jewish residents into voting, depicting a fictitious Palestinian mayoral candidate in cahoots with terrorists.

SARAH: It is because we are Arabs, because we are Palestinians.

LEE: Aziz Abu Sarah hopes to be a real Palestinian mayoral candidate. His concerns are better roads, trash collection, housing and schools for Jerusalem's Palestinian residents.

(on camera): So tell me the big differences between East and West Jerusalem.

SARAH: I think this street is a great example. This is an important street here in East Jerusalem. And look at it. It's is not paved. It's not taken care of. You see garbage everywhere because normally it takes weeks for the municipality to empty the garbage.

You would never find the streets like this in West Jerusalem. People would not allow it. They'll complain to the municipality and the municipality will come and take care of it.

LEE (voice over): Before the Six-Day War in 1967, Jerusalem was split in two. Israel controlled the West and Jordan the East including the old city. Israel captured the East during the war. Now viewed as occupied territory by the international community, Israel claims it as part of a unified capital.

The city council insists it not only provides but is actually expanding services to East Jerusalem including transport, housing and education.

But the divisions remain stark. Jerusalem's Palestinian residents living overwhelmingly in the East rarely vote despite being nearly 40 percent of the population and paying tens of millions of dollars in taxes. Last election, voter turnout was in the single digits.

SARAH: We're being taxed with no representation. And what we are trying to say to our people is like enough is enough.

[01:55:04] LEE: Alongside supporter (INAUDIBLE), Abu Sarah explains the difficulties getting Palestinians to listen.

(on camera): How is that going?

SARAH: I think people are afraid that by doing this think we are accepting the occupation in Jerusalem. We are legalizing it. We are making it ok.

LEE (voice over): Before he can run and the challenge the other Jewish candidates for mayor, Abu Sarah needs an Israeli court to help him. Like most of the city's Palestinian residents he's not an Israeli citizen and current rules say that makes him ineligible.

SARAH: We are breaking a taboo. This is 51 years of times that Palestinians have not participated in those elections. And so it's hard to change whenever you try to break something like that.

LEE: And that's perhaps the biggest challenge, giving Jerusalem's Palestinians change they could believe in.

Ian Lee, CNN -- Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: We have more great reporting today -- this one from Ian Lee.

All right. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier.

ALLEN: And I'm Natalie. Nice sitting with you. There's more news ahead with our colleague Rosemary Church.

You're watching CNN.

VANIER: Have a great day.

ALLEN: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:10] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Later this week, we will hear from the woman who accuses a Supreme Court nominee --