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Connect the World
Anger in Delhi After Rapist Released; A Look At Democratic Presidential Debate; British Royal Navy Working With Nigeria To Help Police Gulf of Guinea; American Soldier Honored For Role in Protecting Holocaust Victims; Pep Guardiola to Step Down at Bayern Munich After Season. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired December 20, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:10] JONATHAN MANN, HOST: Anger unabated. Three years ago, a brutal and deadly gang rape shocked India and the world. Today one of the
rapists has apparently been released. We will have a report from New Delhi to hear why the release of the youngest attacker is so controversial.
And an apology and some sharp words. We look at what emerged from the last Democratic presidential debate of the year.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't all be Jewish. Someone said we are all Jews here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: A tribute to wartime heroism. A report from Jerusalem coming up.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN center, this is Connect the World.
MANN: Thanks for joining us. We begin in India where one of the six men who gang raped a 23-year-old woman in New Delhi in 2012 has apparently
been freed from custody despite widespread opposition.
The youngest attacker, pictured here, was 17 at the time and has served three years behind bars, the maximum sentence under India's juvenile
laws.
Many want him to stay in custody, including the government and campaigners. But New Delhi's high court says it doesn't have the power to
overturn the law. A government spokesman tells CNN he has been moved to an undisclosed location where he will be observed, but technically he is no
longer in custody.
CNN's Ravi Agrawal is following the story and joins us now on the line from New Delhi.
What's become of him?
RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the latest that we know is that they say he no longer technically under government
custody, he has been released from the correctional facility that he had held in for the last three years and he has now been handed over to a
charity, or an NGO, and he is expected to remain there for the time being because of fears over his safety.
Now, I should add the status of this convict, of this juvenile, is that his identity is also going to be changed and there will be no real
record of this crime on public domain. So he would feasibly be free to start a new life anytime he is
actually released or allowed to leave the charity he is at.
It is unclear whether he can leave there of his own volition. And that's a bit of information that the government has not been making clear
to us.
MANN: Now, India is a big, busy country with a lot of news, a lot to talk about, but this case is astonishing. How much attention is it getting
there?
AGRAWAL: It's getting a fair bit of attention, maybe not as much as it did back in 2012 when this particular gruesome heinous crime was first
committed. Back then there were mass protests for days and days and days which led to changes in the law, it led to a lot of soul searching,
national conversations about rape and the safety of women in India.
This time there are a number of other stories that are competing for attention: corruption scams, political scandals, so this story at least on
Indian TV is playing fairly high, but it is not as big a story as it was three years ago.
And there is some puzzlement here as to why it isn't a bigger story. People we've been speaking to, commentators on TV, are all saying one
thing, the law has been followed but justice doesn't feel like it's been delivered.
MANN: Well, absolutely. You're telling us that in fact this young man is going to get a chance to start life over under a new name with care
being provided by some presumably philanthropic or charitable organization. It just seems so jarring.
AGRAWAL: It does. And the problem here, John, is that the law is the law. The law actually has been followed here, which is why there's a great
sense of helplessness and frustration. It's not like there has been a literal miscarriage of the law, but when sort of the rape victim's parents
tell us there has been a miscarriage of justice what they mean is that this just doesn't feel right.
It doesn't feel like this is what should have happened. And how can you have someone who committed a crime like that let go after just three
years?
The other thing that is frustrating a lot of people here is that this person, and we don't know his name and even if we did know his name we
wouldn't be allowed to report it, this person was just a few months shy of his 18th birthday three years ago when he committed these crimes. So even
though the juvenile laws in India are kicking in for this case, he's getting -- he's sort of falling into that category just by the skin of his
teeth.
MANN: Our New Delhi bureau chef, Ravi Agrawal. Thanks so much for this.
It was exactly three years ago this month that thousands took to the streets demanding justice after that brutal attack. And as Mallika Kapur
has been finding out the latest decision has left many feeling a sense that justice as we've been saying has not been served.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:05:12] MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's back, the
savage gang rape and murder of a young New Delhi woman in 2012 is all over the news again. One of the rapists, then 17, a minor, is now free.
But Renat Singh (ph) can't bear to watch. But he can't tear himself away. The victim, dubbed Nirbhaya, The Fearless One, was his daughter.
Singh tells me he feels like he's losing, crime is winning.
Convicted of rape and murder, the minor was sentenced to three years in a reform facility, that's the maximum term possibility for a juvenile in
India.
Now that the three years are up, the law says he must be released. Nirbhaya's mother, visibly distraught, says it's a severe miscarriage of
justice.
"Now you decide," she asks me. It's almost like she's asking society. "Should Nirbhaya get justice or should the culprit walk free?"
Many here believe the limited time the juvenile spent in a reform home was hugely disproportionate to the heinous nature of the crime he
committed.
"What kind of incident will it take? What kind of murder will it take? What kind of rape will it take," asks ash is Asha Singh, "for India
to open its eyes?"
All this time later, Asha Singh still can't forget the words of her dying daughter.
"She wanted them burned alive.
I asked, she said this?
"Yes," she says. "She told a visiting magistrate that the culprits should be
burned alive."
Three years ago, India rallied behind Nirbhaya in solidarity. I remember covering the protests from right here and it was so crowded I
could barely move.
Today there are just a handful of protesters over here and it seems like the only two people who are still pressing on with her fight are her
parents.
Mallika Kapur, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: In U.S. politics, the Democratic candidates met in the key state of New Hampshire Saturday for their final debate of the year.
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley taking to the stage in Manchester covering everything
from the economy to terrorism.
Sanders apologized early to both Hillary Clinton and voters for the data theft on the Clinton campaign acknowledged as the work of Sanders' own
staffers.
Clinton accepted his apology and suggested they move on and they did.
The topics getting much of the attention last night: national security and
Republican front runner Donald Trump.
Our Athena Jones is in Manchester.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Democratic presidential candidates in their final debate this year -- arguing over who
has the best plan to take on the terrorists, lead the nation and defeat Republicans this fall.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I) VERMONT: On our worse day, I think we have a lot more to offer the American people than the right wing extremists.
JONES: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Standards face-to-face for the first time since a dispute over a breach of private voter files exploded in
public.
SANDERS: As soon as we learned that they looked at that information, we fired that person.
DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS: Does Secretary Clinton deserve an apology tonight?
SANDERS: Yes. I apologize.
JONES: The debate comes as the focus of the 2016 race increasingly shifts towards national security and terrorism.
HILLARY CLINTON, FRM. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We need to be united against the threats that we face. We need to have everybody in our country
focused on watching what happens and reporting it if it's suspicious, reporting what you hear.
JONES: Sanders, standing firm on his view, that the U.S. should not send troops overseas to fight ISIS.
SANDERS: To tell Saudi Arabia that instead of going to war in Yemen, they, one of the wealthiest on earth, are going to have to go to war
against ISIS, to tell Qatar that instead of spending $200 billion on the World Cup, maybe they should say attention to ISIS, which is at their
doorstep.
JONES: And Martin O'Malley taking on his fellow Democrats on terrorists and gun control.
MARTIN O'MALLEY, FRM. GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND: ISIL training videos are telling lone wolves the easiest way to buy a combat assault weapon in
America is at a gun show and it's because of the flip-flopping, political approach of Washington that both of my two colleagues on this stage have
represented there.
[11:10:03] JONES: But all three candidates zeroing in on a presidential hopeful who wasn't on stage -- Donald Trump.
CLINTON: I worry greatly that the rhetoric coming from the Republicans, particularly Donald Trump.
O'MALLEY: Fascist please of billionaires with big mouths.
SANDERS: Somebody like Trump comes along and says I know the answers. The answer is that all of the Mexicans, they are criminals and rapists.
JONES: And when it comes to America's involvement in conflict overseas, including defeating
ISIS, an interesting divider emerged on stage last night with Sanders arguing that Clinton is more of a proponent of regime change while he says
the U.S. doesn't have to be the policemen of the world.
This is very similar to the divide we've seen on the GOP side on this issue among candidates like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.
Trump has even used much of the same language as Sanders saying in interviews the U.S. doesn't have to police the world.
Athena Jones, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Still to come on Connect the World, a tough test for the prime minister of Spain. Why his party still likely to face challenges, even if
it gets the most votes in the election under way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MANN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann.
A high profile Lebanese militant has reportedly been killed in Syria's capital. The television station linked to the militant group Hezbollah
said Samir Kantar was killed in an airstrike near Damascus. In fact, that report being mimicked by his brother on social media.
Kantar served in prison for killing three Israelis back in 1979, including a four-year-old
girl. CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem with more.
And Oren, I gather there are reports of a rocket attack on northern Israel. Is it too soon to speak of this as maybe retribution?
[11:15:05] OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's very possible. We're actually getting word now from the IDF that it
was three rockets that struck northern Israel. And the place that appears to be targeted could play very much into this. That's because the alerts
came from Nahariya, which is the town or city in northern Israel that Samir Kantar carried out his attack in 1979.
So, this could very much be a response from Hezbollah, that that town, Nahariya, is close to the Lebanese border, so this could very well be the
beginning of a response. The IDF says they're searching the area for the three rockets that came in. So far it appears that these rockets hit an
open area but we're certainly waiting for more word on that.
As for Samir Kantar, he was in Israeli prison for 30 years. He was released in a prisoner swap back in 2008 for the bodies of two Israelis
soldiers killed in the 2006 Lebanon war. Israel still considered him dangerous, very much so. We spoke with a former national security advisory
who said he was a Lebanese Druze working in Syria to open up another front there against Israel.
So, Israel still considered him very much a terrorist and a target -- Jonathan.
MANN: Still, it would be astonishing to think of an air strike in a populated area like the capital of Damascus or the region nearby to kill
one man. Would the Israelis risk that?
LIEBERMANN: Well, I think that ties into what Israel says he was doing. Again, that former national security advisory says Samir Kantar was
recreating Druze in the Golan area to open up that front with the backing, perhaps, of Iran against Israel.
So, Israel considers that a prime location, a very important location. If you remember back in January there was actually another back and forth
there where a reported Israel air strike killed six Hezbollah militants operating in Syria. Now, the response took ten days, about a week and a
half there, but the response certainly came. Hezbollah opened fire with anti-tank missiles on two Israel jeeps killing two soldiers.
After that, there was almost not a truce but a cease-fire mediated through the UN where both sides says they don't want to continue
escalation. We will see over the next few days if that same scenario plays out.
MANN: For now are the Israelis confirming that they actually did this?
LIEBERMANN: Well, Israel has a standard policy that they never confirm nor deny reports of an
Israel air strike in Damascus. Right now all the reports that this was an Israel air strike are from Syrian and Lebanese media.
Now, we have learned in Lebanon that Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah is planning a speech for tomorrow night, very much expecting that
this will play a very large factor in that speech, what happened earlier today.
MANN: Now, the story is so extraordinary in part because Israel gave him up in a prisoner swap. Is there any precedent for Israel releasing a
man only to go out of their way to kill him later?
LIEBERMANN: That's an excellent question. I would have to look back at history. And I don't know the answer off top the top of my head.
But Israel, even if they released him it wasn't something Israel did happily, but for them it was worth it to get back the bodies of the two
Israel soldiers there. And even after his release they still considered him a target who was not remorseful for the horrific murder that he was
convicted of back in '79.
MANN: Oren Liebermann, live in Jerusalem. Thanks very much.
Live from CNN center, this is Connect the World. Coming up...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't all be Jewish, someone said we're all Jews here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: The story of an American soldier, a Christian, recognized for staring down a Nazi
commander to save his Jewish comrades.
And first it was Mourinho, now Guardiola the latest big name football manager moving on. Find out why after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:22:00] MANN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann. Pep Guardiola says he will be stepping down
as manager of German football greats Bayern Munich at the end of the season. The Spaniard who took charge of the team in 2013 has been linked
with major British clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. He will be replaced at Bayern by Carlo Ancelloti.
For more, CNN's Patrick Snell is with me.
A lot of movement these days in football's management ranks.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESONPONENT: Oh, it's been a big weekend, John, for the European football's elite managers. And Pep
Guadiola, the latest big name to be declaring his hand.
Now, let me tell you, he is one of the most sought after head coaches or managers, if you prefer, in world football today. He had great
experience and success with Barcelona.
He is leaving Bayern Munich, it is now confirmed, at the end of the current season. Now, he has won back to back Bundisliga crowns,. They
kind of expect that anyway at Bayern Munich.
But let's show you exactly what he's achieved in his career so far. The big one for him is he will be desperate to leave on a high. He will be
desperate to win the Champions League. He hasn't won that yet with Bayern Munich. I do kind of feel he was brought on board to
win just that. They do almost expect, as I say, to win the Bundisliga.
But look at his coaching resume from his time at Barcelona where he was before. He's won the Champions League twice there. He won five
domestic league titles there. It's just a license to print silverware, if you like, for Pep Guardiola. You can see the clamor. And he is already
being linked with a whole host of big clubs.
Now, what about the man who is replacing him with Carlo Ancelloti. Really smart piece of business, this, by FC Bayern, to bring in a man of
his caliber, the highly experienced 56-year-old Italian.
Now, he kind of hoodwinked the British media in particular, I think, indicating strongly he was
looking to return perhaps for a stint in the English Premier League, but as I say, Bayern have got a class
act here. And we will show you his glittering resume as well. He is even more impressive, if you like, in terms of winning the Champion's League.
He has won three of them, two at Milan. And of course he was at Real Madrid when he brought them their historic tenth, or the decima, if you
like.
So, Carlo Ancelloti, smart bit of business. He is going to FC Bayern. It's what I like about Bayern is they do -- I won't say knew that
Guardiola, it was inevitable he was leaving. They do their business quietly. They do it quickly. And they have landed a top coach, because
Ancelloti was being linked with a host of big names as well including some English teams who
would do with his services right now.
MANN: Well, let me ask you about that. How does the Chelsea situation play into this?
SNELL: It ties in intriguely, because on Saturday Guud Hiddink was announced as Chelsea
manager, but let's just remind our viewers, as an interim appointment, as a caretaker role. He has been there. He's done that before.
Now, Guardiola already being linked with the Chelsea job at the end of the season, but the two Manchester clubs, as well in the English Premier
League, United and City, also potentially come into play as well. Guardiola already being linked with those two although their current
incumbents, Manuel Pellegrini and City and Louis van Gaal, may have something to say. United have had a miserable run recently, losing their
last three. Huge question on Louis van Gaal. I'm expecting more changes. Don't ask me where precisely, because football is a very, very hard
business to predict right now.
[11:25:12] MANN: All the chess pieces are moving right now.
SNELL: They are. Slowly but surely into play, but Bayern Munich fans will be very happy with the man who is be succeeding Guardiola, Carlo
Ancelloti.
MANN: Patrick Snell, thanks very much.
You can stay up to date with the latest on the world of football on our website, including a piece on why Manchester United's Louis van Gaal
may be the next man to be out of a job. That's all at CNN.com.
The latest world news headlines just ahead, plus the only thing that's certain about Spain's election is, well, it's uncertainty. We will have
more in a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:30:24] MANN: The big issue for Spanish voters, the years of economic uncertainty and austerity. But if recent numbers are anything to
go by, that might be paying off.
In the last quarter, Spain's economy grew at its fastest annual rate since the 2008 financial crisis. Isa Soares has more on what may be
Europe's star pupil.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Eurozone debt crisis has had its fair share of irreverent pupils: Italy, Portugal, Ireland and
Greece among them. But no nation has surprised leaders and economists more than well behaved Spain.
However, the country hasn't always been a model student. Poor discipline left it with low marks from creditors for overbuilding,
overspending and overindulging. Frustrated Spaniards were quick to blame the government.
The country's leaders turned to Europe, asking for a helping hand in the form of 37 billion
euros for its ailing banks.
Well, that hard work did pay off because Spain shot to the top of the EU's economics class by
implementing structural reforms as well as tough austerity and then cutting unemployment. These are all measures that are still delivering and now
Spain is one of the fastest growing economies in the Eurozone with growth of 0.8, that's well worth a pass mark.
ANTONIO GARCIA PASCUAL, CHIEF ECONOMIST FOR EUROPE, BARCLAYS: Overall the net impact of all the measures by the Rajoy's government has
been a clear net positive.
SOARES: Despite the impressive growth, ordinary Spaniards feel they yet to benefit. One citizen vented his frustration, punching Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy in the face on the campaign trail.
There's reason to be worried. Unemployment is hovering around 21.1 percent, that's the second highest in the EU after Greece. So turning a
recovery into votes may be a struggle for Rajoy who is promising jobs and prosperity if reelected.
MARIANO RAJOY, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): In the next four
years, if the Spanish people give us their trust, this party will provide four big objectives, the first and most important, the most crucial, to
create jobs.
SOARES: But he faces a threat from new parties like anti-austerity Podemos and center-right Fudadanos (ph), both of who are looking to
capitalize on Spaniards' economic delusionment.
ALBERT RIVERA, LEADER, CUSADANOS PARTY (through translator): I'm convinced that millions of Spaniards have been waiting for this moment,
millions of Spaniards suffering corruption cases, job cuts, promises that haven't been met.
SOARES: While the EU may have given Spain top marks, it will be up to Spanish citizens
to decide whether the country has passed the test of economic reform at the ballot box.
Isa Soares, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Just a day after a peace plan for Syria emerged from the UN security council Russia's
president says his country would step up its military campaign there if it considers it necessary.
Many have questioned the motives of Russia's strikes on the country, wondering if the priority is defeating ISIS or protecting President Bashar
al-Assad.
CNN's Matthew Chance put that question directly to Russia's military when he was given access to a Russian base inside Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know the Kremlin keeps saying that there can't be any military solution to the
conflict in Syria, it has to be a political one, but at the same time Russia has poured its powerful military into the country, bolstering its
Syrian governmental ally and making sure that in any future peace deal Russian interests in Syria will be paramount.
I spent the last week with Russian forces in Syria. I saw firsthand how Moscow is aggressively intervening in that civil war.
(voice-over): This is how the Kremlin supports its Syrian allies and battles its enemies. We gained rare access to the Syrian base at Latakia,
now the military hub of Russia's air war.
(on camera): This really does feel like the center of a massive Russian military operation. The air is filled with the smell of jet fuel,
and the ground shudders with the roar of those warplanes returning from their bombing missions.
(voice-over): Russia's defense ministry says more than 200 targets have been struck in just 24 hours. 320 militants killed, it says, from ISIS
and other rebel groups fighting the Syrian government and its president, Bashar al Assad.
(on camera): So I'm joined by General Igor Konoshenkov. He's the chief military spokesman for the Russian government, the Russian defense
ministry.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
Thank you for the trip. He's escorting us here on the Latakia military base.
Let me ask you that question. That question about who you are targeting. Is it is or are you supporting Assad?
[11:35:27] GEN. IGOR KONOSHENKOV, SPOKESMAN, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: (through translation): I can answer that question with our actions. Every
day we show you how Russian aviation is fighting international terrorism, destroying their infrastructure in Syria.
CHANCE (voice-over): On our tour of the base, we were shown how Russia carefully arms its bombers, with high-tech precision weaponry. We also saw
unguided, or dumb bombs, being loaded. Human rights groups accuse Russia of killing civilians from the air. A charge the Kremlin strenuously denies.
(on camera): Well, there's another plane coming in now just touching down. It's an SU-24 that's going to be very noisy. But it's just carried
out an air strike somewhere in Syria against rebel targets, either ISIS or some other opposition group.
(voice-over): Russia says it's stopping ISIS in its tracks, striking their assets and shrinking the territory they and other rebel groups
control. And after more than 4,000 sorties over Syria, this Kremlin air war shows no sign of winding down.
CHANCE: In fact, it is, in fact, if anything stepping up its presence in Syria that give Russia the
ability to control the skies over Syria and again to help ensure that its vision for the country as a pro-Russian state is realized.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: CNN's Matthew Chance there reporting from Moscow after returning from a rare visit to Syria.
Now to Africa. The Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Nigeria are known as dangerous waters, known for everything from illegal boarding and robbery
to kidnappings. More than half of the world's maritime abductions happen off Nigeria. That country's navy has enlisted
the help of the Britain's royal navy to help change that. CNN's Christian Purefoy has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sometimes the glove doesn't quite fit and you need a little help. UK's royal navy has stopped in the
port of Lagos to help train Nigeria's navy to put out fires, and there are plenty of fires to put out off the coast of Nigeria.
CAPTAIN JAMES THOMPSON, ROYAL NAVY: The Gulf of Guinea is a major growing concern around the world as a hot spot for maritime crime. Illegal
fishing is a huge problem, unreported fishing, and they do struggle to police that, but also you smuggling the contrabands, piracy, it all goes on
-- counter-narcotics -- and it sort of falls under a collective umbrella of maritime crime.
PUREFOY: The coast of west Africa has one of the highest rates of piracy in the world. In 2014, there were 116 pirate attacks in the Gulf of
Guinea according to Control Risks, a global risks consulting company.
The group says 60 percent of the world's maritime kidnappings happened off Nigeria alone.
Pirates in West Africa generally use small twin engine boats like this to go up beside the larger ships and board them. They are men often just
steal mobile phones and money, but sometimes they kidnap and assault the crew and hijack the ship.
Nigeria's navy has boosted its patrolling capabilities in recent years but overfishing and pirate attacks on trade routes cost the region billions
of dollars.
Both the Royal Navy and Nigerians hope that joint training exercises like these will help build a partnership capable of plugging the gaps in
the region's maritime security.
LIEUTENANT AYO ADESOLIAN, NIGERIAN NAVY: Ah, the training has been wonderful so far. It has given us an opportunity to see how (inaudible)
and damage control are carried out on a real navy ship and then we can crossbreed ideas and see how we do it on our ships and see what we can
learn from them and what they can learn from us.
PUREFOY: Putting out the fires before they get out of control.
Christian Purefoy, CNN, Lagos, Nigeria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Live from CNN center this is Connect the World. Coming up, an American soldier
honored posthumously for saving his Jewish comrades from the Holocaust.
Plus some of Bollywood's biggest stars sit down with CNN to talk about their new movie
and their on set secrets.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:43:02] MANN: You're watching CNN, this is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann. Welcome back.
To the story of an American soldier recognized for his heroism during World War II, even after all these years. The Israel Holocaust Memorial
Center Yad Vashem, now counts Master Sergeant Ronnie Edmonds as one of its righteous among the nations for standing up to the Nazis in a prisoner of
war camp to protect the Jews in that camp, even though he himself was not a Jew.
Oren Liebermann has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GUNFIRE)
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The story of Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds doesn't start in victory.
(GUNFIRE)
LIEBERMANN: An American soldier taken prisoner in World War II only days after arriving in Europe in the Battle of the Bulge. Edmonds was taken
to Stalag 9B, a Nazi prisoner of war camp in central Germany, arriving Christmas day. Starving, Edmonds and his friends drew up plans for a
restaurant, eating off an imaginary menu.
After 30 days, he was moved to another POW camp where he was tested in a confrontation Nazi doctrine. The German commander ordered Edmonds to
separate out his Jewish soldiers. Edmonds, a Christian, refused. The next morning, his 1,200 American soldiers stood together. Seven years later, one
of his Jewish soldiers, Lester Tanner, recounts the defiance against the German commander.
LESTER TANNER, WORLD WAR II VETERANS: He says to Edmonds, can't all be Jewish. Someone said, we're all Jews here. And this German major, angry,
takes out his Lugar, points it at Edmond's head, and said, you will order the Jewish-American soldiers to step forward or I will shoot you right
now.
LIEBERMANN: Edmonds stood his ground and the camp commander stormed off. He had saved his men.
Within months, the war was over and Edmonds was home. He never shared the story before he passed away in 1985, not even with his son.
[11:45:08] CHRIS EDMONDS, SON OF RODDIE EDMONDS: I would ask him from time to time as I got older as a teenager, a college-aged kid, "Dad, tell
me about your army experience, "Son, there are some things I would rather not talk about."
LIEBERMANN: Chris Edmonds discovered the story in a 2008 "New York Times" article about Lester Tanner selling former resident Richard Nixon an
apartment in the '70s.
EDMONDS: You look at your dad as a hero, but I never knew he had a cape hanging in his closet, and he did.
LIEBERMANN: Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds is the first American soldier honored as righteous among the nations, non Jews who saved Jews
during the Holocaust.
Edmonds awarded the recognition he never sought. His war, which started in defeat and ended in victory for his men.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, two of America's best
loved female comedians return to Saturday Night Live to cover the presidential race like no one else can.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MANN: You're watching CNN, this is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann. Welcome back.
The latest Star Wars film now has the biggest opening weekend in movie history, worth an estimated $238 million in the U.S. But as much of the
world takes in the release, the force is not awakening in India just yet. Instead Bollywood's own hotly anticipated
blockbuster opened this weekend.
CNN sat down with some of the biggest names, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:50:03] KAJOL, ACTRESS: They first they find it very irritating that I am talking all the time. I am talking all the time, constantly.
SHAH RUKH KHAN, ACTOR: No, she is very quiet. Strong (inaudible) type. This is right? I would have said the same thing that she loses
focus and screams a lot and talks a lot and like in the middle of the scene. And I'm like -- and see, it's OK with me, because I've known her
for 25 years. We've worked together like this. On the most serious scenes she was laughing.
But I can -- I know this is how Kajol is.
KAJOL: I do.
KHAN: She loses grip of everything. She's like, I'm just going to do it. I mean, she's very free flowing, so to say. So I have to keep holding
her sometimes in the scenes. I have to -- nobody knows this in the over the shoulder shots, like she's left the camera and gone away. And I'm like
pushing her from one side, or you know, prodding -- and both of us are crying. And both of us are crying in the scene and I'm pushing her like
this and like this.
And because she -- I don't want her shot to be lost.
KAJOL: The cigarettes. Oh, my gosh I just said that. Cut, cut, cut, cut, ctu.
KHAN: The cigarette sweets.
(LAUGHTER)
KHAN: She said secrets. Secrets. I can't live without secrets. Not cigarettes.
She can't do without her food. It has to be there. She likes to keep eating. And it needs to be there right next to her more than the makeup
person or the dress person. She's always eating. She wants to have food. It should be -- it's very important to her. She needs to be well fed.
KAJOL: It's important for everybody else as well that I don't turn into a raving lunatic if I don't get my food.
KHAN: Yeah, that too. If she doesn't eat, then she cannot act even in headbutt them. And also we need to make sure that she has food always
available.
As a matter of fact, in the props we keep food, so she can keep eating.
(LAUGHTER)
KAJOL: Diva demands? Yes. He is a big diva.
Can I say?
KHAN: Yeah, if you're lying about (inaudible). Cigarettes.
KAJOL: No, I think the big diva demand is that you know wherever we are going, whatever we're doing, he has to be the last one on the aircraft.
That is his big diva demand. Whatever happens, I have to be the last one on the aircraft, whatever happens.
KHAN: It's not a demand.
KAJOL: He is literally biting the nails and the pilot is about the take off, but I will be the last person onto the aircraft.
KHAN: It's not a demand.
KAJOL: It is a diva demand. It's a diva demand.
KHAN: OK. All right.
KAJOL: The only thing missing is the black lipstick, come on.
KHAN: You guys, I swear I'm going to buy my own plane.
(LAUGHTER)
KAJOL: I win. I win. I win.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Our thanks to Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Their movie is Diwali.
Before we go, a quick look at lighter side of U.S. politics. NBC's Saturday Night Live is again skewering the race for the U.S. presidency.
And here is last night's take on CNN's Republican debate this week, spotlighting the rivalry between one-time favorite Jeb Bush and unexpected
frontrunner Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we work together, we can stop Donald Trump. If you combine my numbers with yours, yours and yours, we'd almost win.
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: Hey, Jebra, shut your piehole.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, you know what, you're a jerk. You're never going to be president, Donald.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, no kidding. None of us are, genius.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: SNL veterans Tina Fey and Amy Poehler return to host the program, meaning that not only were there two Hillary Clinton impersonators
among the cast, there was also an appearance from everyone's favorite hockey mom, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we focus, because I'm running for president again and I'm getting advice from the smartest woman I know.
AMY POEHLER, COMEDIAN: Me.
TINA FEY, COMEDIAN: Well, geez, I should be the one giving you advice, because in 2008 I got a heck of a lot closer to the White House
than this gal did.
So, here is my advice, you've got to do what you believe in your spirit, but also America, but not teachers and their fat liberal books, but
also and even why worry about fast food wages with their status quo, which is another Latin word, status quo.
Meanwhile, Americans are being taken for a ride, and also the man can only ride you when your back is bent. So...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: Which candidate are you rooting for real or otherwise? As always, the team at Connect the World wants to hear from you. Send us your
thoughts and ideas on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/CNNConnect. You can also watch our reports there plus some exclusive Facebook content.
Get in touch, too, tweet me @JonathanMannCNN.
I am Jonathan Mann, you've been watching Connect the World. Thanks for being with us.
END
