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Controversy Over Trump's Arlington National Cemetery Visit; Dueling Rallies In Venezuela Mark 1 Month Since Disputed Election; Elephants, Hippos To Be Killed For Meat In Drought-Hit Namibia. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 28, 2024 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, U.S. ARMY (RET): And it's particularly distasteful for those of us who have lost friends and these conflicts to see this kind of manipulation on Arlington National Cemetery. That's hallowed ground for us. And he should know better.

But for president -- former President Trump, anything that can help him, that's what he wants. That's the only service he's ever been in service to, his own benefit here. So it's deeply offensive.

And it doesn't really matter whether there was a physical altercation or not. He was told not to do it. So we don't want to get distracted by whether there was some tape that shows there was a push or somebody put their hand on him.

He was wrong to do this. He should apologize to the national veteran's community and to the families.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: I wonder how you make sense of kind of two different things, which is, yes, we know that, in private, he's referred to people who have died in war as suckers and losers and that's really just the beginning of a long list of things. He didn't want to be pictured with veterans who were wounded.

But then you have families of these 13, largely, who feel seen by former President Trump. And they do not feel seen by the Biden administration.

That's very clear when you talk to a lot of them. We had Paula Knauss Selph self on yesterday. She's the mother of Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Christian Knauss, who died at Abbey Gate.

And then on the other hand, you have this sacred space, right, where so many servicemembers are buried beyond these 13 and there are rules so that their memory is not a political tool.

How do you make sense of these competing interests?

CLARK: So, obviously, there's no problem if these family members want to endorse President Trump. That's perfectly within their right. After all, we had a Gold Star father endorse President Biden, and criticize President Trump. And he came on again at the Democratic National Convention, this man,

Khizr Khan. So fine, civilians are allowed to endorse anybody they want. But not to use that portion of Arlington National Cemetery for partisan political purposes.

They didn't have the right to use it for partisan political purposes and neither does Donald Trump.

KEILAR: And Trump attacked Mr. Khan as well as his wife, who appeared at the convention years ago.

So how should the campaign have comported itself?

CLARK: It could of -- it could have done the same thing with a tweet, but not in Arlington National Cemetery. If he wants to attack President Biden, if you want to attack the Afghan withdrawal.

Remember, he's the one who set it up. He's the one who ordered the negotiation. He's the one who ordered the release of $5,000 Taliban. He's the one who said to our military, we can't accompany the Afghans on combat missions so that we didn't get the correct information.

So he has significant responsibility for the outcome of this. He's not blameless on this. But if he wants to use it in politics, that's his right. But not at Arlington National Cemetery.

KEILAR: Yes. Certainly there's a lot of blame and many critics of Biden's as well when it comes to the withdrawal.

But I do -- I do wonder sort of just broadly, if you can speak to this, this really comes down to the politicization of the military, specifically in this case, we're talking about those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

What do you wish people would understand about why that matters so much?

CLARK: This country has been formed and sustained by the sacrifices of men and women in uniform. And it -- for years, there was conscription, there was a draft, and every American had an obligation to serve.

Since the 1970s, that's not the case. These men and women who've died since are people who volunteered. Every American should feel, in my view, an obligation to serve the country. Most don't.

But they certainly -- those sacrifices certainly shouldn't be politicized and by either side. You know, there has been a long effort after the Vietnam War or by the Republican Party to take over and gets support from the military. And the Democrats are the ones trying to cut the military budget.

But Donald Trump hasn't been particularly kind to the military. And if you talk to any of the senior officers, who served anywhere near Donald Trump, they don't want him in office again.

And if you talk to the people on the National Security Council staff, they'll tell you, not only is he sort of bumbling and incoherent at times, but he's just a security risk.

Look at the secret documents he took. You know, those of us who served in the military, we all had our security clearances, we all did everything to protect the country.

And part of that was protecting the secret intelligence. And Donald Trump stole it and now we've got a court case on it.

[14:35:00]

So I think, if you look at the big picture, you have to see what's happened here. And the military shouldn't be in the political limelight. We're going to serve whoever the elected president is. And we're going to obey all legal orders in support of the Constitution.

It's about protecting and defending the Constitution. But he's the commander-in-chief, whoever he or she is. So we're going to keep the military, especially those in uniform, out of the political business.

KEILAR: General Wesley Clark, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

CLARK: Thank you, Brianna.

KEILAR: Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Some news just into CNN. The FAA now says it's grounding one of the most important rockets in the space industry, SpaceX's Falcon Nine. Most importantly, the rocket that was supposed to be used in the company's ambitious Polaris Dawn mission, which is now in limbo.

Kristin Fisher joins us now live.

Kristin, why is this getting grounded?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: So, last night, SpaceX had three big launches planned for its workhorse, the Falcon Nine rocket, one crewed mission for the Polaris Dawn crew, and then to uncrewed to get Starlink satellites up to space.

The crewed Polaris Dawn mission scrubbed due to weather. Then they moved on to this uncrewed Starlink launch.

And they successfully got all those satellites up to space. But the booster that propels those satellites up to space, SpaceX does something that nobody else does with this booster and it lands the booster on something called a drone ship after it gets its payloads into orbit.

And so last night, it suffered a very rare explosion on a drone ship. And this is a booster that is flown to space and back over 20 times.

So it happened out in the middle of the ocean. Nobody hurt. Nothing was severely damaged other than this drone ship and the booster. But the FAA says they are now investigating this as a mishap investigation.

SANCHEZ: What does this mean for the folks that are stuck -- or maybe not stuck isn't the right word. They don't want us to say they're stuck.

They were delayed on the international space station for months. It was supposed to be an eight-day trip. How does this impact them if SpaceX was supposed to get them down at some point in February?

FISHER: Yes. This was the backup plan. Their -- their ride home. It's really too soon to say. And you know, likely the FAA will clear this rather quickly within days or weeks. And then, SpaceX can resume it's launches.

But it could have an impact. It could also significantly impact the launch of the Polaris Dawn crew, which is, right now, waiting to launch in quarantine.

But, you know, Boris, I think this really points out why NASA has been so vocal about wanting two American-made spacecrafts functioning and working to get its astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

As you can see, just one little thing can ground the spacecraft. And so you always want a backup. That's why they want Starliner to work. But, of course, we know what happened there. It's not flying these astronauts home anytime soon.

SANCHEZ: Those darned helium leaks, right?

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Kristin Fisher, thank you so much.

FISHER: You bet.

SANCHEZ: Next, fleeing their home. CNN speaking to Venezuelan activists who fled the country in the dead of night after last month's contested election. Their stories in just moments.

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[14:42:35]

SANCHEZ: Today marks exactly one month since the disputed elections that sparked unrest in Venezuela. Authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro declared himself the winner of that vote, a claim that raised suspicions from the opposition and internationally as well.

Thousands of Venezuelans have since taken to the street in protest. And political violence has claimed the lives of at least 24 civilians and one soldier.

Vice President Kamala Harris is now calling on Venezuela's armed forces to protect the country citizens. She writes, quote, "I strongly urge the security forces in Venezuela to demonstrate restraint, respect of human rights and freedom of expression of all Venezuelans and protect the Venezuelan people from political threats and attacks. Violation of these rights only deepen the crisis and hinder efforts towards a peaceful and Democratic trends position."

Let's get the latest from CNN's Stefano Pozzebon, who's in the region for us.

Stefano, in the wake of this election, hundreds of activists and electoral witnesses are now fleeing the country. What more are you learning?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Boris, in the last few weeks, I was able to speak with several of the members of the opposition campaign, several freedom activists.

And these are people, Boris, you genuinely believe that a democratic change could happen in Venezuela this year.

They believe in the campaign run by Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader, and they believed, with the numbers that they have released, that says that Maria Gonzalez, the opposition candidate, won with over 67 percent of the vote.

However, because of the repression from the forces of authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro, many of them have left the country.

I think that there are more than 1,700 political prisoners at this moment this morning in Venezuelan jails, according coming to a local NGO, Foro Penal (ph).

And as I was saying, I was able to speak with several of them, about 10 of these activists, who have all left the country through different means. Some of them did so legally, others did so clandestinely.

They traveled to the neighboring country here in Colombia, where I am, but also in Ecuador and the United States. And most of them asked me not to reveal their names.

[14:45:02]

Take a listen to what one of them told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED VENEZUELAN DISSIDENT (through translation): After they put out an arrest order for me and I left, the police took my wife and my daughter to make me surrender. We are safe now, but my family remains in Venezuela and I'm worried for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: That climate of fear is perhaps the immediate legacy of that controversial election. As I was saying, more than 1,700 political prisoners, right now.

One of them probably being added to the list. As we speak, we're hearing that an opposition leader has been detained in Caracas as we speak -- Boris?

And so more and more repression and fear in Venezuela.

SANCHEZ: Stefano Pozzebon, thank you so much for that important update.

Still to come on NEWS CENTRAL, Namibia's controversial plan to kill hundreds of wild animals, including elephants, zebras and hippos, in order to feed those struggling from this historic drought the country is facing.

Plus, the FBI has released never-before-seen-pictures from the assassination attempt against former President Trump, including the explosive devices that we're found in the trunk of the gunman's car. We'll be right back.

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[14:50:30]

KEILAR: Right now, it is a heartbreaking situation in southern Africa. The country of Namibia is facing its worst drought in a century. And it's now planning to kill over 700 wild animals -- we're talking about elephants, zebras and hippos -- just to feed people who are hungry.

SANCHEZ: This drought has pushed nearly half of Namibia's population to the brink of starvation, with both food and water becoming increasingly scarce.

CNN correspondent, Larry Madowo, joins us now, live, with more.

Larry, this is obviously a dire situation.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Boris, Brianna. Desperate measures. Namibia having to kill wildlife to feed people who are starving. And yet, the country is seeing it as a necessary evil.

In fact, the Ministry of Environment, they're calling it sustainability intervention. Why? Because these animals will die anyway, because of this drought, the worst in 100 years.

And the practical parts of this, first, they will come from areas that the government says have sustainable game numbers. And they will be killed by professional hunters and distributed to people in need all across the country. So that is the background for that.

What kind of animal that we're talking about? It's a fascinating number of different species. We're talking about here 83 elephants, 60 buffaloes, 30 hippos, 300 zebras, 100 blue wildebeest, 15 impalas, and 100 elands.

So these are some of the animals that are earmarked for that. Already about 150 animals have been killed, providing more than 125,000 pounds of game meat to those that are in need across the country.

And yet, most of the southern part of Africa facing the worst drought in a century. Because of the linear weather phenomenon, rain has dried out there. And this has been exacerbated by the climate crisis.

And the other part of this is because the water is dried up, the grazing lands are in limited supply. There's been some deadly human wildlife conflict. So especially the elephants have been going into people's homes and the people fight back.

And so this is part of the reason why 83 elephants are a part of this. That's a big number. Elephants are protected in many parts of the world. But southern Africa has a population of about 200,000 elephants. So this will not make a big dent in that.

But still, truly desperate measures to see a country having to kill wildlife to just feed the people who are at risk of starvation, almost half the population -- Boris, Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes, it really tells us how bad things are.

Larry, thank you for that. We do appreciate it.

And joining us now is wildlife biologist and host of "Wildlife Nation," Jeff Corwin.

Jeff, talk to us a little bit about that. You heard Larry's report there. Professional hunters, the idea is to do this in a sustainable way. Do you have concerns as you look at this?

JEFF CORWIN, WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST & HOST, "WILDLIFE NATION": Good afternoon, Brianna and Boris.

So, first of all, let me share that my heart breaks for the people of Namibia. This is one of my most favorite countries. Some of my greatest story I've told over the course of 30 years have happened in Namibia.

Incredible wildlife, the most extraordinary landscape on the planet. It's a country that's known as being largely arid.

A big part of it is the Namib desert, one of the most celebrated deserts in the world. And a desert that meets the coastline that is infamous for being tough to survive, hence its name is the Skeleton Coast. So it's tragic that they are in this situation.

With that said, I struggled to better understand how going into a national park and taking animals that are protected species, some of which are threatened, like the -- like the African elephant, and having them being the most sustainable resource to help as an emergency to prevent this population from starving to death or dying of thirst.

Namibia is unique. Unlike the countries that surround it, Namibia has a very small population compared to South Africa, for example, a couple of million versus tens of millions of people.

The other interesting thing about Africa, and specifically Namibia, is because it's always been on the edge with regard to rain and resources, many of those animals are transients.

So we look at elephant conservation, we shouldn't look at it individually as in Namibia, but how it reflects interconnection to other countries that surround it.

[14:55:01]

For example, an elephant could spend it's morning in Namibia. And by the afternoon, it crosses the Showbay River (ph) and it is in Botswana.

SANCHEZ: To that point, Jeff, I'm wondering how you think the ecosystem and these herds might respond to this culling. Is it as resilient as the Namibian government seems to think it is?

CORWIN: Well, we know that the African elephant population has been under great threat because of the black-market wildlife trade, Boris, which is a $50 billion a year illegal industry. And they're poached for, sometimes for bushmeat, but largely for their ivory.

A lot of these other animals now find themselves in peril because of drought. People are now going to protect these spaces, not just in Namibia, but in Kenya and Tanzania.

They're now going to national parks and preserves to graze their cattle for these nomadic communities that move from one place to the other to follow the range.

But I don't know how -- how resilient these populations are already to survive in Namibia because it's a desert. They're on the edge of survival as it is. Namibia has far smaller populations of wildlife compared to other countries.

So they find themselves in this desperate place. But it's quite shocking to see that they feel that they're at this recourse where they have to kill their own symbols of their natural heritage.

KEILAR: Yes, it really is shocking that they're at this point.

Jeff Corwin, thank you. We appreciate your time.

And still ahead, the FBI releases never-before-seen pictures from the assassination attempt against former President Trump, sharing why investigators believe Trump was targeted.

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