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HALA GORANI TONIGHT
Boris Johnson Calls For General Election; Protests Growing Around The World; Bodies Found In U.K. Truck May Be Chinese Nationals; Protests Rattle Nations From Asia To South America; Syrian Democratic Forces Say Turkey Still Launching Attacks; Ranging Wildfires Force Evacuations In California; Oil Spill Destroying Beaches, Marine Life In Brazil. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired October 24, 2019 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:13]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome.
Tonight, Brexit deadlock. The British prime minister, now calling for a December general election. But there's a catch.
Also, global outrage from the Middle East to Latin America, protestors around the world demanding that governments look after them.
And new details in the murder investigation involving dozens of people found dead in the back of a truck outside London.
Well, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will give Parliament more time to agree to a Brexit deal, but only if a general election is held
on December 12th.
This is the prime minister's third request for an early election. And in order to make it happen, he needs to secure two-thirds parliamentary
majority, which includes the opposition.
Mr. Johnson spoke about the Brexit deadline a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: The reason for having that deadline is because otherwise, I don't think the people of this
country are going to believe that Parliament is really going to do it by that deadline. I mean, they spent three and a half years failing to do it,
so let's get it done and let's come out of the E.U.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Boris Johnson there. Well (ph), the leader of the House of Commons, his motion for a general election will be introduced on Monday.
Our senior international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us now from London. And, Nic, good to have you with us. So Boris Johnson, needing
two-thirds, a majority, to push through this election, which would make it the shortest parliamentary session in British history. What's the chance
we'll see an election before Christmas?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You know, I think the chance is still on the table, but it might not be of the prime minister's
making. You know, there could be -- all the opposition parties could get together and have a vote of no confidence in him, which would mean there
would be an opportunity to form their own government, which is something they've talked about before. They couldn't get the agreement on it, but
maybe the position has changed. Excuse me.
It doesn't appear to me at this stage -- and, you know, I think M.P.s are clearly going to go away and think about this -- that Boris Johnson is
going to find that he can get two-thirds support for this. It seems that most of the Labour M.P.s that we've been listening to in Parliament and
outside Parliament, speaking subsequent to the prime minister saying this, you know, are not going to go for it.
And one of the reasons the Labour Party's not going to go for it or is unlikely to go for it is because they won't do as well in the elections as
the prime minister. The prime minister knows that. He sent a letter to the leader of the opposition saying, look, if I win, then the deal's going
to go through.
But if you win, of course, you can organize another extension with the European Union, you can get a whole new deal, you can put it to a second
referendum with the people of the country. You know, essentially, you know, go for the election. If you win, you can have what you want. It's a
challenge, if you will.
But I think Boris Johnson -- and certainly when you look at the polls at the moment, Boris Johnson can feel more confident about election than the
leader of the opposition. But it's not clear at this time that Boris Johnson would actually come back with a majority and actually do what he
says he'd be able to do.
KINKADE: So, Nic, I was looking at the calendar, one week to go until the Brexit deadline of October 31st, certainly not going to happen. We know
the E.U. leaders are weighing this flexible extension. What are they likely to come back with tomorrow?
ROBERTSON: You know, what was really interesting today was the fact that the French ambassador was seen going into Downing Street. Of course, Boris
Johnson said he was never going to negotiate on this extension, he sent the letter that he had to extend, was a three-month extension.
But one of the things that he put in his letter to Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition, was, you know, if the European Union gives us an
extension until maybe the 15th or the 30th of November, he said to Jeremy Corbyn, then I assume you'll work with me to try to ratify the deal, get
the Brexit deal through Parliament.
But he said -- but if the extension is to the 31st of January -- next year, that's the whole three-month extension -- then we must go for the election.
So I think when the prime minister comes out on national TV and says, this is it, you know, I want the opposition to support a general election, I
think this is telegraphing that the prime minister seems to believe that the European Union is going to give that full-length extension.
But, again, they're -- you know, we have to say here -- and I know this is terribly complicated, and it's complicated and complex to cover, but --
there's a lot of moving parts here. And really, we follow them day by day.
But this is, in essence, it's the prime minister saying to the leader of the opposition, put up or shut up. You said that you would go for a
general election if the European Union said or removed the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, now is the time to do it. This is a challenge. It's pure
politics, but it's -- you know, and it -- we're watching it play out, hour by hour.
KINKADE: Yes. It certainly is complicated, and certainly legislation that is going to affect generations to come. Thanks for clarifying it all for
us. We will stay on this story and talk to you again very soon. Thanks so much, Nic. And Nic Robertson there in London.
Well, from Beirut to San Diego, thousands, hundreds of thousands of people are venting their anger at their governments. Protests across the world
may have been sparked by different issues, but their message is loud and clear: Enough is enough.
Lebanon saw the largest demonstrations in a decade, a 20-cents-a-day tax on WhatsApp calls -- those calls made via the internet -- lit the fuse there,
but it morphed into a cry for the downfall of the government.
IN Chile, police fired water cannons and tear gas and a curfew was extended. A proposed hike in fares for subway tickets sparked those
protests.
But first, I want to look at the situation in Lebanon, where the president addressed the nation earlier today. Michel Aoun told protestors that their
rallies would not be wasted. He promised to fight state corruption, which he said had eaten the country to the bone. Mr. Aoun says he'll listen to
the protestors' demands, but had this word of caution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHEL AOUN, PRESIDENT OF LEBANON (through translator): I heard many calls for regime change. The regime doesn't change by protesting on the ground.
Sure, our regime needs developing because it has spent years in paralysis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Lebanon's protests have largely been peaceful.
Let's get the latest from our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman. He joins us now from Beirut. Ben, good to see you there. So
these protests essentially were sparked by this tax on WhatsApp phone calls, this daily tax. But that was just the spark.
This anger we're seeing is so widespread, and we're seeing it right around the world. And it seems to be largely to do with this growing problem of
inequality.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Lynda. But really, I think in this case, inequality is just a symptom of something
much deeper, and that is really the economic system that exists here, which is crony capitalism, where a small group of people with access to power
game the system, become obscenely rich, leave the vast majority behind.
And what we're seeing, not just here in Lebanon but in many places across the Arab world and around the world, is that many people are saying they're
simply not going to put up with it any more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Revolution, they chant. It's now a week since protests broke out across Lebanon. A general strike began Monday. Banks,
schools and universities are closed, and hundreds of thousands take to the streets day after day.
Lebanon is just the latest country in the Arab world where the people have said, enough to economic stagnation and corruption.
So far this year, mass protests have brought down authoritarian regimes in Algeria and Sudan, and others have been shaken by unrest.
In Iraq, security forces killed almost 150 people protesting high unemployment, corruption and the lack of the most basic public services in
an oil-rich country where the powerful have siphoned off billions.
For the first time in years, Egypt has seen anti-regime protests where the poor are getting poorer and the generals who run the country get richer and
richer.
Each country is different but they have a lot in common, says activist Rami (ph) El-Masry (ph).
RAMI (PH) EL-MASRY (PH): The frustration of all these peoples is the same, it's frustration unemployment, frustration against poverty, frustration
against governmental corruption and governmental impotence. So the frustration across it is the same. We could argue it's a frustration
against neoliberalism, it's a frustration against this kind of capitalism on steroids.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): From Beirut, it's a pattern.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: We are enduring very similar circumstances in terms of the dictatorships we live under, whether it is the economic situations we
have to live by, whether unemployment, all the different patterns that we have in the regions.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Nearly nine years ago, the so-called Arab Spring toppled dictators in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and sparked the bloody war in
Syria. And with the possible exception of Tunisia, it was an experiment that went terribly wrong.
[14:10:13]
But this time, what's different is the focus, not on politics but rather economics. The main driver now seems to be anger over falling standards of
living coupled with the widely held belief that the ruling class, elected or otherwise, has been on a prolonged looting spree.
WEDEMAN: The veil is slipping, governments and regimes that exploited divisions, that stoked fears, that enriched themselves and impoverished
their populations, appear to be losing their grip.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): What happens in Lebanon may not stay in Lebanon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: And now, these protests are in their eighth day. They show no sign of letting up. But at the same time, we're seeing the government
really isn't giving much ground either, so the situation, we can fairly reliably predict, is going to continue and perhaps escalate -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes. We -- they are the fears, really. Ben Wedeman for us in Beirut. Good to have you with us, thanks so much.
Well, Chile is bracing for another day of violent demonstrations as protestors demand the resignation of President Sebastian Pinera. At least
18 people have now been killed in a week of protests as anger over the cost of living and income inequality boils over.
The president tried to calm things, Thursday morning, announcing the cancellation of energy price hikes. But protest organizations say --
organizers say it isn't nearly enough.
Well, right next door in Bolivia, tensions also boiling over there. Angry protestors, taking to the streets, accusing authorities of fraud. They
claim Sunday's vote was rigged and say President Evo Morales is trying to steal the election. Preliminary results initially indicated a tight race.
Just hours ago, the president declared victory but said he is open to holding a runoff if necessary.
Well, let's bring in CNN's Gustavo Valdes in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Gustavo, so this unrest there in Bolivia started, of course, over concerns about
fraud in the election. Rather than calming the situation, though, the president there, essentially declaring that a coup is under way.
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. Hi, Lynda. That's exactly what the president said this morning, even though we haven't heard the
final results of these elections. Right now, we're in front of the statue of Christ the Redeemer here in Santa Cruz. This is the place where
traditionally, people gathered to protest or to express any kind of gathering regarding politics or celebrating a soccer match for instance.
This time, you can see, it's empty. And that is because civic groups and opposition parties have called for a national strike. People are not
leaving their homes, their businesses are not working. It's been a peaceful 36 hours -- mostly peaceful in this area and many parts of the
country where people are staying home, showing their disagreement with the announcement of the early results.
What happened? On Sunday night, shortly after the election was over and the first numbers came out, President Morales had about seven points'
difference, advantage over the second place on the race. That meant at that point, that a second round would be forced on the president, who
hasn't been on a second round in three terms that he's been serving.
At that point, there was a sudden stop to the count of votes and hours later, they came back and the president was within a tenth of a decimal
point of being within the 10 percent margin he needs to avoid a second round, and that's when people got angry in many parts of the country, and
that's when they called for a general strike in many provinces in this country.
And some of them have been clashes between pro-Evo Morales supporters and people who think this is a fraud.
In fact, right now, earlier today, President Morales went to one of the strongholds in Cochabamba, about six-hour drive from where we are, and he
showed that he has people behind him that are going to fight for him to serve this fourth term if the result stands.
The people we've talked to here in Santa Cruz, which is the largest city in the country, the most important financially, they feel cheated twice. Why?
Because in 2016, President Morales called a referendum that would allow him to get re-elected indefinitely. He lost that referendum. But then, the
supreme court said that he was indeed allowed to run for president as many times as he wishes.
[14:15:08]
And now, after having been elected by about 60 percent of the vote in the past two elections. He barely got over 40 percent at this time, and he
needs that 10 percent margin between the second place so he can avoid the second round. The question is, what is going to happen when the official
results are announced? Will the protests we're seeing peaceful right now, will escalate, or will the people that support President Morales would get
upset if he doesn't get that 10 percent he needs.
KINKADE: All right. We'll see how this all plays out, certainly a lot of fear on the streets there, Gustavo. Good to have you there for us. Thank
you.
Well, still to come tonight, police in the U.K. believe the 39 bodies found in a trust were all Chinese nationals. We'll tell you what else
authorities are learning in their international investigation, coming up next.
And then dozens of U.S. Republican lawmakers disrupt closed-door impeachment proceedings on Capitol Hill in a stunt apparently sanctioned by
President Donald Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well, China is demanding a comprehensive investigation after police in the U.K. said they believe the 39 bodies found in a truck were
Chinese nationals: eight women and 31 men.
Police in Essex don't know yet how the people died, but they are extending the custody of the 25-year-old driver who was arrested on the suspicion of
murder.
Nina dos Santos joins me now from Brussels, Belgium. And, Nina, obviously this is a major multinational investigation, spanning several countries.
Give us a sense of what you're learning from the Belgium side of things.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Lynda. Well, obviously, as you pointed out, yes, this is an investigation that's taking
place on both sides of the Channel. Obviously, on the U.K. side, in Essex where those bodies were discovered.
But also here in Belgium, where the main port of Zeebrugge appears to have been the point at which this container containing those people -- all
bodies at that time, we don't know whether or not they were alive at the time, that'll be the focus of the investigation for authorities here -- it
departed from this Belgian port on the 22nd of October at around about 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon.
Those facts were confirmed to me by the federal prosecutor of Belgium, Eric Van Der Sypt, when I spoke to him earlier on today. And he said that the
Belgian authorities have, as I was saying before, formally launched a people trafficking investigation into this incident.
It's not the first time that ports here in Belgium have been targeted, largely because they offload their containers in places like Purfleet in
the southeast of England, and some of the smaller ports that it's now thought by authorities, people trafficking rings may be targeting because
they're largely ports for freight and may not face the same stringent checks as at the big ports, like for instance Dover and the Calais route
between the U.K. and France.
[14:20:12]
Now, for the moment, authorities are keeping an open mind. They're stressing that they want to find out anybody who may be implicated in this.
But the other thing they want to find out is whether or not these people, as I said, were alive and boarded this container in Zeebrugge in Belgium,
maybe somewhere else within the country, or maybe somewhere else within the European Union.
There are other big ports nearby here as well: Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which is just next door, which obviously has a huge amount of
freight and transit with these containers, so you can bet that there's going to be many different countries within the E.U. that will be taking
part in this investigation as it proceeds at this early stage -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes. Certainly a complicated investigation, involving all those countries. Nina dos Santos for us from Brussels, thank you very much.
Well, as I mentioned, the bodies on that truck were believed to be all from China. David Culver is in Beijing with China's response -- David.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, officials here in China say they're still working to confirm details on this new revelation by police
in the U.K. that the 39 victims found dead in a container are believed to be Chinese nationals.
Chinese embassy officials in the U.K. are headed to the scene, and they say that they receive this news with heavy hearts. In the meantime, Chinese
embassy officials in Belgium, where that container was shipped from, are demanding in a statement that Belgian police fully investigate this case.
This investigation brings up painful memories of a similar incident in 2000: 58 Chinese nationals, found dead in a cargo container in Dover, also
in the U.K. Now, seven people were later convicted for their deaths.
For China, this most recent case is not only a tragedy, but it's also raising questions as to why people might leave. The country just
celebrated 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic. And along with it, the prosperity that has come to many Chinese people. The Chinese
government, often touting that some 850 million people have come out of poverty.
That still leaves millions more who might flee for economic reasons. Or ethnic minorities, who have faced increased oppression in recent years.
It's not clear if the victims in this recent case were among those groups, but that is certainly a question that will be asked.
And it's a topic that's trending on Chinese social media, some posting in disbelief that, in today's China, people would leave for economic reasons.
Others, circulating conspiracy theories. Many, demanding answers from the U.K.
It seems Chinese officials here do not want this to circulate too widely. As we've been reporting on this topic, they've been censoring our coverage,
suggesting they're concerned as to how this might be received by Chinese residents -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Thanks to David Culver there.
Well, witnesses testifying in the U.S. impeachment inquiry behind closed doors have revealed some damaging revelations about President Donald Trump.
Soon, we could hear directly from those witnesses in their own words. Democrats are planning to hold public hearings as early as next month, as
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): House Democrats, signaling the impeachment inquiry against President Trump may be
moving from behind closed doors into public hearings as soon as mid- November.
"The Washington Post" reports that Democrats hope to have open sessions before Thanksgiving, featuring testimony from top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine
Bill Taylor, former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and former national security advisor John Bolton.
It comes after two dozen GOP lawmakers stormed Wednesday's closed-door deposition with Pentagon official Laura Cooper --
REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): We're going to try to go in there, and we're going to try to figure out what's going on.
REP. MO BROOKS (R-AL): By golly, if they're going to do it, do it in public. Don't hide it from the American people.
REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): What is Adam Schiff trying to hide?
MALVEAUX (voice-over): -- stalling her testimony for nearly five hours.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): In these desperate times for the president and his defenders in Congress, they took desperate distractionary measures.
But it didn't work. We're not going to let it deter us. We move forward.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): House rules only permit members of the committees involved from being in the secure area where Cooper was being deposed. CNN
has learned that President Trump had advance knowledge of the Republican plan to try to halt the impeachment inquiry deposition.
REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): It was more than a publicity stunt. I mean, in this country, we have the rule of law, not a rule by mob.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Three top Republicans, sending a letter to House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, demanding a public testimony from the
whistleblower, writing, "You had earlier committed that the employee would provide 'unfiltered' testimony 'very soon' only to reverse course."
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): Adam Schiff knows who the whistleblower is and who those more than half a dozen U.S. officials who gave him the information
that formed the basis of his complaint. Why don't we know?
We're so frustrated, they reached a boiling point.
MALVEAUX (voice-over): All this comes as we're learning new details about the political pressure on Ukraine. A source tells CNN that two weeks
before taking office, Ukraine's new president and his team discussed the pressure they were already feeling from the Trump administration and
President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, to publicly launch investigations that would benefit Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[14:25:21]
KINKADE: Well, Mr. Trump wants Republicans to fight harder to defend him from the impeachment inquiry. He's blasting those few who publicly oppose
him as, quote, "human scum."
Let's bring in congressional reporter Lauren Fox, who joins us live on Capitol Hill. Lauren, certainly that political stunt we saw, highly
unusual, where those Republican lawmakers virtually stopped the testimony for some five hours. What has been the fallout from that?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, Lynda, I think a lot of Democrats were highly concerned about a few factors that Republicans
brought into that SCIF. One of them, the fact that they brought their electronic devices into that room. That is a highly secured facility.
It's intended to be a place where lawmakers can see classified information.
Of course, this testimony itself is not classified, but it was a potential security breach. And that was according to one person familiar with what
the parliamentarian (ph) had decided about that breach. So I will tell you that that was one of the concerns from top Democrats.
Now, over in the Senate, some of the Republican senators who, you know, operate in a little bit of a different way with a slightly different
decorum, they criticized some of the Republican stunts over there in the House of Representatives, basically arguing that's not what they would have
done.
You know, there's a lot of concern from Republicans across the board -- in the House, in the Senate -- that this process has been unfair, that this is
happening behind closed doors. And ultimately, every lawmaker, even those who are not in that SCIF, hearing these classified testimonies, that they
are going to have to make a decision about exactly what to do when it comes to impeaching the president, therefore they need to have access to this
information. But some, arguing that maybe that was a step too far.
KINKADE: Yes. Certainly, a dramatic scene. So at the moment, a brief pause in the impeachment inquiry. Testimony's set to resume Saturday?
FOX: That's right. And we know that on Saturday, it's a very rare weekend work, but I think we should probably get used to it, given the fact that
once -- and if -- this moves over to the Senate for a trial, they would operate six days a week, Lynda.
Obviously that is a lot of work ahead for lawmakers, but we expect a State Department official coming Saturday, Philip Reeker. It's unclear exactly
what he'll be able to fill in in terms of this timetable, but obviously something we're going to be watching very closely come this weekend --
Lynda.
KINKADE: Absolutely. You and the team will also be very busy. Lauren Fox, good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, still to come tonight, a look around the globe as the rift between governments and their people grow wider and anger begins to boil over.
[14:27:56]
And Turkey's president vows to crush any Kurdish militants remaining in a Syrian safe zone. We're going to take you live to Turkey for the latest on
the changing alliances in that region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:28]
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Hala Gorani tonight. Well, across the globe, from the Middle East to South America to Asia,
anger is boiling over from people who think their voices are not being heard. Whether it's claims of inequality, corruption, or economic
concerns, people are taking to the streets by the hundreds of thousands telling their leaders enough is enough.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(CROWD SCREAMING)
KINKADE (voice-over): It starts with a spark, a specific grievance that unites a group of citizens hoping to change the status quo.
That spark ignites an anger that has been growing beneath the surface and soon the streets are on fire.
In recent weeks we've seen that play out around the world. In Lebanon, it was the proposal for a daily 20 cent tax on calls made via WhatsApp over
the internet. The government scrapped the idea, but it was the last straw for many dealing with daily power outages, water shortages and decaying
infrastructure.
Last weekend in Chile, violent protests in the capital led the country's president to declare a state of emergency. The protests is frustration, a
planned hike in the price of metro tickets.
This ignited a deeper anger over inequality. President Sebastian Pinera announced plans for reforms but that did little to stop the deadly unrest.
(CROWD CHANTING)
Sometimes, the pent up grievances are more political than economic. Barcelona, Spain, saw more than half a million pro-independence protestors
last week. They're frustrated over the jailing of nine Catalan politicians for their role in the Catalonia independence movement two years ago.
This week, tensions rose in Bolivia. Angered crowds accused election authorities of fraud following the country's presidential election.
Some of the biggest protests of 2019 have been in Hong Kong. Now in their 21st week. Frustrated citizens have come out over unfair treatment by the
Chinese government, the trigger, a proposed extradition bill allowing suspects to stand trial in Mainland China, where if charged, you have a 99
percent chance of being convicted.
The bill was withdrawn, but the demonstrations continue. They believe China is taking away Hong Kong's autonomy and civil liberties.
It's also happening in Venezuela, Haiti, Iraq, Ethiopia, each demonstration has different amounts and goals. But they share an anger at those in
power. Many are fueled by social media and messaging apps.
It's unclear what change they will bring, but right now, protests are bringing cities to a standstill and in some cases, blood on the streets.
Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Let's talk more about this wave of protests across the globe. I'm joined by CNN's Rafael Romo.
Good to have you with us, Rafael. I want to focus obviously mostly on Latin America with you because we're seeing protests right across that
region from one of the wealthiest countries and most stable countries like Chile to the poorest in the region Haiti.
Why are we seeing this discontent across such a huge wide -- such a huge area?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Well, it's the perfect storm. On the one hand, you have high levels of inequality, and
most of these countries, you have governments who have not done enough to address those needs.
And at the same time, they have the International Monetary Fund trying to lend money to these people but telling them these governments for telling
them you have to approve and put into effect austere measures which is what we've seen in places like Ecuador and Chile.
Let's remember In Chile, it all began because there was a modest increase in fares for the metro and that brought out students -- high school
students into the streets and then it was college students and then it was unions, and it ended up being a free for all and that's the problem now.
And even though the government has decided to take a step back and eliminate those hikes, it seems like people are now taking this opportunity
to vent all kinds of grievances that they have against the government.
[14:35:05]
Chile is especially interesting because it is one of the countries that has the highest level of inequality in the region, even though as you were
saying before --
KINKADE: It's one of the wealthiest --
ROMO: It's one of the bright stars in Latin America, stable economy, stable currency, democratically like -- democratic country like no other in
the region. So a lot of people are acting surprised about this.
KINKADE: Most of these countries, certainly, had a broom at the start of this decade, doing really well for the most part. And now, this stagnation
and this demand, I guess, we're seeing this greater gap and this growing gap in inequality between the rich, the middle class and obviously the
poor.
ROMO: Yes, that's right. It's a very good point, Lynda, and it has to do with what the economists call the pie, the pie in Chile is quite large.
It's not bad at all. The problem is that most of the pie are being eaten up by the corporations, the big business, and people feel more increasingly
that they're not getting enough from the pie and that's the reason why you see them in the streets.
And so there's a demand to change the situation to be able to have people have access to better health care, better education which is not happening
right now, and that's why they saw, you know, they're so angry.
KINKADE: And problem we're seeing right around the world is global public debt at an all-time high and, of course, high levels of debt put strain on
countries, it make countries vulnerable, triggering leaders to essentially reign in spending which is what we are seeing across a lot of Latin
America, with the sort of policies that they're pushing out.
What are the solutions here? What are Latin American leaders offering?
ROMO: See and that's what the protestors are telling us. They say I didn't go to the IMF to get this multibillion dollar loan that I am now
supposed to pay. So they're angry at their governments because in the first place, there was mismanagement, there was corruption, and so they had
to run back to the IMF to get the money to pay for it and now they have to implement that this austere measures that are affecting everybody. And so
people, rightly so, feel that it is not fair that this is a crisis that they didn't create and they feel like they don't have to pay for it.
Now, Bolivia, for example, it's a totally different animal in that we're talking about democracy here. President Evo Morales, if he succeeds this
time, he's going to be in power for a fourth consecutive term. He was originally elected in 2005. It would take his mandate until 2025 which is
about two decades.
KINKADE: Which is incredible because Bolivia is a two-term -- it was a two-term presidency --
ROMO: That's right.
KINKADE: Similar to the U.S., right?
ROMO: That's right, that's right. And in 2016, he managed to call for referendum. He lost it, but the Supreme Court ruled in his favor
essentially, they were in his pocket and now he's declared himself the winner even though the electoral authority says it's too early to say so.
KINKADE: So on what circumstances can you see him being pushed out?
ROMO: It is very difficult because he essentially controls all of the powers at the state, Supreme Court, the legislature, everything. And so to
be able to succeed, the opposition would have to really go out into the streets the way they've done it. I don't know if they can do it in a
sustained way for the long term, and that's really what remains to be seen here.
KINKADE: All right. Rafael Romo, certainly a lot to stay across. Happening across, it's such an incredible -- huge part of the world in
Latin America. But good to have you with us. Thank you so much.
ROMO: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, his legacy sort of divides the country. He ruled as an autocrat for nearly four decades. Spain today exhumed the remains of
former dictator general, Francisco Franco.
The coffin was taken from the grand mausoleum where he was buried back in 1975 to a state cemetery north of Madrid where his wife is buried.
Franco's family and his far right supporters oppose the move and tried to block it in the courts. But acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says it's
a step towards national reconciliation.
Franco ruled Spain from the late 1930s until his death. Thousands of executions were carried out by his regime.
Turkey's president says his country will fight, what he calls, any remaining terrorists that have not withdrawn from a safe zone in northeast
Syria. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is referring to the U.S./Turkish agreement that outlined of withdrawal of Kurdish fighters from the area by
Tuesday night.
But the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are already accusing Turkey of launching an offensive targeting several villages. That, of course, is
despite that truce that was hammered out by Turkey and Russia, the new power player in that region.
[14:40:02]
Well, let's go to straight to Sam Kiley who is on the ground in Southeast Turkey for more on all of this.
Sam, just 24 hours ago, we're hearing from the U.S. president, Donald Trump, saying -- calling this ceasefire essentially permanent. And from
what we're hearing today, already violations, according to the Syrian Kurds.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, and I think that there are two ceasefires that have kind of overlapped it. You have
the American ceasefire, American-negotiated ceasefire which was -- came with sanctions imposed by the United States on the elements within the
Turkish government.
Those sanctions have been lifted after the Turks slowed their offensive. But almost simultaneously with the end of that ceasefire, there was this
second ceasefire, rather more important one, thrashed out at Sochi with the participation of Vladimir Putin and with the agreement of Bashar al-Assad
in Damascus.
That meant that Damascus and the Russians would have patrols along the Turkish border with Syria, inside Syrian territory, of course, and the most
important thing would have there would be a withdrawal of the SDF, the Syrian Democratic Forces dominated by the Kurds that have worked so closely
with the United States, United Kingdom, France and others in the fight against the so-called Islamic State. They would have to withdraw outside
of a 32-kilometer band of territory inside Syria, along the border with Turkey.
Now, that deadline or the end of that ceasefire comes on Saturday and that is going to be the crucial point.
Now, we have heard a degree of enthusiasm or at least gratitude, perhaps, certainly in the words of Donald Trump being attributed to the leadership
of the SDF for having slowed the pace of the Turkish offensive.
There have been these relatively small clashes in small villages in the areas, the territory behind me, across in the Syrian border areas, not too
significant. Neither side is really suggesting that they're going to escalate, both blaming the other for the clashes.
What they are agreeing on is that they occurred, Lynda. But really the focus is going to be on whether or not the SDF will agree to withdraw
outside of that band of territory and who steps into the vacuum. Because the infantry being used by the Turks in this in prosecuting this offensive
are Syrians themselves, a lot of them come from very radical Islamist backgrounds and others are just are outright criminals, at least have
criminal backgrounds, Lynda.
KINKADE: Sam, we've got a new poll out by CNN which shows that the majority of people polled on cnn.com believe that the U.S. has a
responsibility to stay in Syria. Fifty-one percent saying yes.
The question is, Sam, is the U.S. wanted there?
KILEY: Well, it was. It's gone. Almost all U.S. forces that were alongside the SDF in these critical areas have already withdrawn. So
there's no question at all of them going back. I don't think anybody is seriously suggesting that they should return and somehow get under the feet
of the Turkish troops.
Indeed, that was the whole argument that Donald Trump made for withdrawing the U.S. troops in the first place. There have been possibilities, there's
some planning, potential planning going into moving troops, possibly even some extra tanks into the oil area or in the southeast of the country where
the oil fields, Syrian oilfields are to prevent ISIS and the Assad regime from capturing those areas.
But whether or not, the American people think that the U.S. should have -- should not have withdrawn is kind of an academic question now. But it does
really signal really quite strikingly how, perhaps, Donald Trump may have misjudged this. He's been playing to his base, playing to his pledge that
he would withdraw U.S. troops from these complicated wars, and now it would appear, at least according to this latest poll that it's not necessarily
overwhelming popular even among his, perhaps, his base audience, Lynda.
KINKADE: Absolutely. All right. Sam Kiley, good to have you with us on this story. Thanks so much.
Well, still to come tonight, a devastating oil spill is contaminating some of Brazil's most beautiful beaches, but no one knows where the sludge is
coming from or how to stop it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:46]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Wildfires have forced hundreds of people from their home in northern California. About 1,700 residents are under a
mandatory evacuation order as a fire, north of San Francisco, burns out of control.
Twenty-five million people across this state are being warned that high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds are making an already
dangerous situation even worse.
Well, adding to that disruption, California's largest utility started another round of intentional power cuts to prevent it's equipment from
sparking wildfires. Wildfires lead to major problems with air quality, but lacks enforcement of environment regulations also threatens the air we
breathe.
A new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data shows air quality in the U.S. is getting worse and it could lead to 10,000 premature deaths.
Our Meteorologist Tom Sater is here to break everything down for us. Tom, I want to start first on the fires. The main fire we're talking about is
called the Kincade fire.
TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right.
KINKADE: I don't normally hear Kincade is out of control. But it is happening in the heart of wine country in California.
SATER: Yes. Last night, the blaze began and the winds were erratic. So they had to halt all air attack from above with water retardant Hurricane
force winds.
Now, we've got several issues right now. There are a couple of fires. The one down in Southern California is not that bad, but they're going to have
the stronger winds later today and tomorrow. So this is going to be a trouble spot.
Wine country, Northern California, we see this happen every year, and unfortunately, it looks like our fire season continues to get longer every
year and every decade, therefore, part of the problem with our air quality.
Notice the red flag warnings. They've been extended now in the Southern Nevada, we've got flight delays because of the winds in Las Vegas. Central
Arizona is looking at a fire threat.
But right now, it's this one last night that was burning so fast with these hurricane-force winds, it was scorching a football field every three
seconds. So a good 10,000 acres really have been scorched right now. And if you notice the winds, they are kicking up.
Now, what's happening here is they're coming down the slopes of the mountains. So they're picking up wind in those valley areas, but the winds
are also causing the air to compress. And when the air compresses, it heats up.
Temperatures are already much warmer than they should be this time of year. So that's a factor. Humidity levels are in the single digits. It's tender
dry.
Now, the winds are expected to lighten up, and that's good news. But they're going to pick up down in Southern California. These are the Santa
Ana winds howling around the high pressure over the desert. So it's bringing in dry air to begin with. And with that compression of the air
mass, things just really start to dry up even more and we're looking at possibility of hurricane-force winds.
So this is going to be a problem spot in and around the mountains of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Joaquin valley area as well. So these winds
are going to start to be erratic. So it'll be interesting to see if they're going to be able to attack this from above. They need to.
Every decade, we've seen an increase in the U.S. and the fire season, as far as large fires are concerned, and the season as mentioned, is getting
longer.
If you even look at the amount of acres that have been burned over the decades, we're seeing an increase with that as well. That's not so much
population, it's just that we've had the drought issues, we've got the dryer conditions and we've got climate change, which takes us to the report
that came out yesterday. The authors from the national Bureau of Economic Research, saying, yes, we had a pretty good roll. And almost for a decade,
we've seen a decrease in the air quality that fine particulates at 24 percent.
[14:50:03]
But just in the last two years, Lynda, we've seen an increase of 5.5 percent. The report goes on to say, sure, some of it is economic booming,
the activity with that, increased wildfires in those fine particulates and the air mass, but really, a lot of this, we believe, really, has a lot to
do with the restrictions, administration cutting back EPA of restrictions kind of cutting back on the regulations to help more businesses. That's
not the direction we want to go.
So after a 24 percent increase doing quite well, a 5.5 decrease is not in the right direction. And, of course, with that, nearly 10,000 fatalities
prematurely in the U.S. just last year.
KINKADE: Yes, certainly not good news. Tom Sater, good to have you with us. Thank you.
SATER: Sure.
KINKADE: Well, for weeks, a mysterious oil spill has been polluting Brazil's northeastern beaches. And despite repeated cleanup efforts,
nearly 2,000 kilometers of coastline have been contaminated.
Brazil's President says it's possibly a criminal act.
Well, let's bring in CNN Shasta Darlington in Sau Paolo to explain what is going on.
So, obviously, people coming together to clean up these beaches, from this oil spill which is reportedly the largest in Brazil's history. But we
still don't seem to know where the oil is coming from.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Lynda, and that's obviously one of the main points of frustration. The other has
been the political inaction.
I mean, as you mentioned, the first globs of oil started washing up on the beaches in northeastern Brazil literally, weeks ago and yet, it took the
government a full month to implement any kind of a national coordinated attack plan.
And to this date, the president, Jair Bolsonaro, has not even been to the northeast of Brazil to visit what many environmentalists and experts are
calling the worst environmental disaster in that region ever.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON (voice-over): The thick, black sludge is a struggle to remove, sticky and biscuits. A sudden arrival of oil sits stubbornly on beaches
like these, polluting nearly 2,000 kilometers of Brazil's shores.
Since September, hundreds of tons of oil have been washing up on the country's northeast coast, contaminating once picturesque beaches and
threatening marine life. The exact origin of this spill or how to stop it, remain a mystery.
FRANCISCO KELMO, INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGY, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF BAHIA (through translator): This is big damage. The longer the oil stays at the beaches,
the more severe the pollution will be and more difficult to recover the environment.
DARLINGTON: Brazilian officials say tests show with certainty, the oil is Venezuelan, but the environmental agency president was careful to clarify.
That does not mean Venezuela is necessarily to blame. Venezuela had previously denied any responsibility in the spill.
Brazil's environmental minister suggest the spill may or may not have been an accident, possibly by a foreign ship near Brazil's coast. Brazil's
president was more explicit.
Jair Bolsonaro calls it a potentially criminal act possibly designed, he says, to sabotage a multibillion dollar oil auction in November when
bidders will compete for production rights in offshore areas of Brazil.
As the government investigates the cause, mostly civilian volunteers are the ones scrambling to clean the sullied shores.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): this tragedy is without precedent. It's unbelievable, the lack of help from the state in all areas, from the
municipal, to the state to the federal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My mother, sister, and grandmother come here to help. We've been asking others to help on social media too.
We need the help of the people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's great to see all these people who are mobilizing in front of a delay in action on a larger scale
by the government.
DARLINGTON: The disaster comes just months after another environmental crisis, when fires raging in the Amazon sparked furry over the president's
response and scrutiny of his relaxed environmental policies.
Now, anger may be rising again, as images surface of locals struggling to clean up, marine life covered in oil, and kilometers of sand covered in
sludge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON: And because, neither the government nor experts have determined the source of these spills, they haven't been able to stop them.
And what people are finding is one day they'll go to the beaches, they'll work together, they're finally get them cleaned up. But then the next day,
they'll be covered in oil again. It's unending, Lynda.
Kinkade: Yes, devastating. Shasta Darlington, thanks for covering this story for us.
Well, much more to come including how this group's unusual retirement hobby has led to scientific success.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:55:30]
KINKADE: Well, retirement can often mean finding a new hobby, but one group of women are using their latest to help researchers uncover something
incredible.
They're nicknamed, the fantastic grandmothers. These seven ladies have helped scientists uncover a large population of venomous sea snakes in New
Caledonia in South Pacific.
The snorkeling grannies are all aged in their 60s and 70s, and they've been photographing these underwater snakes since 2017. Quite incredibly. These
snakes have actually never bitten anyone. Some fit grandmothers there.
Well, thanks so much for watching tonight. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Stay with CNN, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
