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Hillary Clinton Named Presumptive Nominee by AP; At Least 11 Killed in Car Bomb Attack on Police Bus in Istanbul; On Board the USS Harry Truman; Rio Olympic Committee To Address Concerns Over Zika; Saudi Arabia Releases New Details on 2030 Economic Plan. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 07, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:13] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Turkey comes under attack again: a car bomb goes off in Istanbul killing and maiming. Why can't the government
seem to get a handle on terrorism there? A live report is just ahead on the show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Plus, the crew of the USS Harry Trump has dropped more than 1.5 million pounds of ammunition on
ISIS.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I'm going to get you on board a massive U.S. warship. See if that kind of firepower is making a difference on the ground in the battle
against ISIS.
And did Saudi Arabia force the United Nations to change a report blaming that Saudi-led coalition for more than half of child deaths and injuries in
Yemen's conflict. We'll investigate.
I'm Becky Anderson and you're watching Connect the World.
We are likely to get you to Rio de Janeiro where the Rio Olympic committee is about to meet
addressing concerns over the Zika virus. Its spread has been rampant and there have been calls to
postpone the Summer Olympics games. But Brazil's new sports minister says he is convinced the games will go ahead as planned started on August 5.
Well, we want to get you to that news conference as and when it happens. Shasta Darlington following the story for you, though in Rio and joining us
now.
What can we expect at this point?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're going to start the press conference any minute now. The head -- the director of
communication will be there, so will their chief medical expert for the Rio Olympic Committee.
And this of course comes after a later, an open letter, was published by 150 experts, scientists, doctors really saying that these Olympics need to
be postponed or moved.
The World Health Organization has said that it wouldn't be necessary, that the Zika virus, while it does pose a threat to pregnant women because it's
been linked to serious birth defects, it should not be considered a hazard to athletes and visitors who aren't in that situation.
And they also said the idea that this could spread the epidemic worldwide is really exaggerated, because, frankly, it already exists in 60 different
countries, Becky.
In fact, right here in Rio, the Olympics will be held in August, which are the winter months. And they say the mosquitos that spread the virus just
won't be out in big numbers.
We've already seeing that falling off. It's been cold and rainy ever since we -- sort of towards the end of May and June. So, they argue that it just
won't be a big threat.
To give you some numbers to back that up, so far this year, there have been over 26,000 cases of Zika in the city of Rio alone. But while they peaked
in February with over 7,000 cases, last month, there were only 700. So the numbers do seem to back them up.
But they've got a lot of convincing to do. Athletes are pulling out. We've seen golfers, basketball players, cyclists say they just aren't
willing to take the risks. And if they don't get ahold of this and get their message out there, Becky, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw more
athletes pulling out.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Shasta DArlington is in Rio. And as and when we get the Olympic committee's news conference, expected any time soon, addressing
concerns over the Zika virus, we will get that to you.
Moving on for the time being. And Turkey's president is vowing to fight terrorists until the end
after yet another deadly attack in Istanbul. A car bombing targeted a police bus near the heart of the city's historic district earlier today.
Seven police officers and four civilians were killed. State media says authorities are now questioning four suspects, but haven't identified them.
This is the fourth major attack in Istanbul this year, but there have been many others across the
country, some carried out by Kurdish rebels, others claimed by ISIS.
The war in Syria, fueling much of the violence, creating a power vacuum that militants exploit.
Ian Lee has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A car bomb targeting a police bus in the heart of Istanbul (inaudible) during the morning rush hour.
This amateur video shows the damage in a nearby hotel and the wreckage of the police bus targeted.
Ridvan Alp (ph) was in the area when the explosion happened.
[11:00:01] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We heard the sound of an explosion. They exploded the bomb when the police bus was passing by.
It was a car laden with bombs. The car was waiting right there. They detonated it while the police bus was driving passed. Ambulances arrived
at the scene immediately.
LEE: The blast hit an area near the main tourist district, a major university, and the mayor's office.
VASIP SAHIM, GOVERNOR, ISTANBUL PROVINCE (through translator): At 8:40 a.m. local time in the Veznedular District (ph), a car bomb attack was made
against vehicles carrying our rapid response police. May god have mercy upon their souls.
LEE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was unforgivable and was clear his fight against terrorism will continue.
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): Let me tell you this very clearly that the terrorist organization distinguishing
between the police and civilians or between the soldiers and civilians does not make any difference for us. After all, they are all humans. What they
have done is against humans. And what is the duty of our police, army and village guards? To protect the safety of the whole nation and security of
our people and their lives and property. These steps, the terror actions are being taken against these people. So there is nothing forgivable about
what they have done.
LEE: Another blow for a country that has suffered multiple terror attacks this year.
Ian Lee, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Right. To some other stories on the radar today. And Iraqi officials say at least
five people have been killed in a car bombing in Karbala. They say the blast went off in a busy commercial part of the Shia holy city. It comes
as Shia Muslims in Iraq mark the first day of Ramadan.
Well, in Jordan, a suspect is being detained in an attack that killed three intelligence officers. Jordanian media reported a lone gunman opened fire
inside a security office at the Bakka Palestinian refugee camp near Amman. Two workers were also killed in that attack yesterday.
Well, in Hong Kong, several pro-democracy activists have been acquitted of charges of police
obstruction. The case dates back to 2014 when Joshua Wong and others burned a copy of a political directive issued by Beijing. He is still
waiting for a verdict on separate charges of an unlawful assembly.
Well, the assault on ISIS is intensifying. The United States pumping up its air offensive after moving the USS Harry Truman from the Persian Gulf
to the Mediterranean.
Now, the aircraft carrier is being being used to launch bombing runs targeting ISIS in both Syria and in Iraq. It has now launched more bombs
targeting ISIS than any other warship in America's fleet.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is on the Greek island of Crete. He was recently on board the U.S. warship.
And I know that you spent time with those responsible for carrying out these -- what did you learn, Fred?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERANTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, it is a staggering temple at which the cruise work who have to prepare all these
bombs. Because one of the things we have to keep in mind is that you don't just get the bombs and then stick them on an airplane. They have to be
assembled. These are very sophisticated munitions, a lot of them laser guided, GPS guided, so you have to put the guidance things on them and the
tail fins as well.
And the numbers for the USS Harry Truman really are staggering. They've flown some 1,8000 sorties. They've dropped 1,500 pieces of munitions on
ISIS targets over the past six and a half months. So certainly the tempo that we saw there was very, very high and it went on during the day and the
night. Here's what we saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Even in the night, the U.S.S. Harry Truman's operations never stop. A relentless around-the-clock bombing campaign
against ISIS now in a critical stage.
Many missions means lots of bombs need to be ready all the time. Aviation ordnance man Ronald Kennedy from Baltimore, Maryland, shows me some of the
most common munitions, like this 500-pound guided bomb.
RONALD KENNEDY, AVIATION ORDNANCE: This is a UB-38 right here. Most common. We drop these on the regular. We also hold some air-to-air missiles but
air-to-ground right now and bombs are the favorite.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Ordnance men and women constantly haul bombs and missiles into elevators headed to the carrier's flight deck, where they're
mounted to the jets.
KENNEDY: First we get the call then we have to build the bomb and stuff like that. And first with a bomb body then we have to actually assemble the
tailpiece, then we actually, you know, configure the nose piece of the bomb, put it all together, assemble it.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): This carrier has targeted ISIS more than any other ship in America's fleet, first from the Persian Gulf and now closer to
Syria in the Mediterranean.
The crew of the U.S.S. Harry Truman has dropped more than 1.5 million pounds of ammunition on ISIS targets over the past couple of months. And
now that the ship is here in the Mediterranean, the bombing runs are continuing at a high pace.
That's helped push ISIS back both in Iraq and in Syria where allied forces seem close to liberating several of the group's strongholds.
But the fast pace of operations also means working overtime for maintenance and logistics crews, repairing aircraft and moving them in and out of the
hangar bay.
Now in the seventh month of the Truman's deployment, commanders say they try to make clear to all those on board that they're making a difference as
ISIS continues to lose ground.
[11:10:45] CAPTAIN RYAN B. SCHOLL, COMMANDING OFFICER, USS HARRY TRUMAN: We try to explain so that each sailor knows, as they get their different job,
they know that, OK, I think the initial numbers were 25 percent and now we're up to ISIS losing 45 percent of the ground that they had in Iraq. So
those numbers are tangible to them.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Truman's crew will remain here for several more weeks, continuing their intense aerial campaign against ISIS, no matter
what time of day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: So, Becky, as you can see there, it's a very complex operation to keep a bombing operation like that going, also one that works very
efficiently aboard the Harry Truman. The soldiers, of course, have been doing these things for the past six and a half months.
And also an operation that at this point in time doesn't appear to be letting up, especially now that we are in this very decisive phase. When
you look at the situation in Fallujah where ISIS seems on the brink of losing that stronghold and then also in northern Syria as
well, the Manbiej (ph) area, and then finally the coalition hopes at some point the big move towards Raqqa and Mosul as well, Becky.
ANDERSON: fascinating.
All right, thank you, Fred. Fred is in Crete for you after spending time on the U.S. warship there.
Well, France tightening security to make sure that the country is safe from terror for the Euro 2016 football championships.
Now, they've been conducting security drills ahead of what is Friday's opening game and will hold another in a few hours' time.
Britain's foreign office has released new guidance saying during Euro 2016, stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs
and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks. You should be vigilant at all time.
Well, let's get to the French capital and speak to our Jim Bittermann. And I know they've been testing security. To all intent's and purposes, they
won't be able to stop everything, one assumes, but what are they trying to do to secure these venues, these transportation hubs, everything associated
with people getting in and around France for these football championships, which of course start on Friday?
BITTERMANN: Well, in fact, Becky, they've done a number of different things here that really you mention that's going to take place tonight down
in Lyons, as one of about 70 drills that they've had. these are mock exercises. They are very realistic. The one tonight, for example, is going to be around the stadium in Lyons. There are -- I think
are -- rather, I'm sorry, in the fan zone in Lyons and they're going to have a mock Kamakazi blow himself up -- of course, not really -- and then a
gunmen come out of the crowd and start shooting at the spectators. This is all an exercise.
But they're going to try to see how the police respond, how the first responders respond, how
the SWAT teams respond. And they've done this now about 70 times in all the different stadiums around France. And they're hoping to be ready for
everything.
But one of the things that keeps happening here is we keep hearing about stepped up security as the games get closer. Just yesterday, we heard that
there are going to be 3,000 more police added to the roster here in Paris, around the stadium and the fan zones. There's going to be another ring of
security added to the stadiums and fan zones here in Paris. And clearly, officials are getting more and more nervous as the date approaches, and
especially when you get these warnings from, for example, the United Kingdom and also from the United States warning people that they should be
wary or perhaps not even come to these crowded areas -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Jim, briefly, are there any spots that the French believe are perhaps weaker than others at this point?
BITTERMANN: I'm sorry, I didn't quite get that. The French believe -- what did you say?
ANDERSON: Is there any venue or infrastructure that is clearly a bigger target and a weaker spot so far as security is concerned?
BITTERMANN: Oh, I think the French are considering everything a weak spot at this stage. I mean, they have -- the exercises have covered everything
from the fan zones to train stations, to airports. They've done just about every kind of exercise you can imagine, because they feel like they
should be ready for everything.
These fan zones, of course, are big areas that anybody can go into. And they're probably the biggest worry I would suppose.
The stadiums, you have got to have a ticket to get in. So people would be stopped before they got too far -- before they got into a stadium. But the
fan zones have free access once you get past three layers of security.
So, I think that would be probably the area that they would be most concerned about, Becky.
[11:15:23] ANDERSON: Jim is in Paris for you. As ever, Jim, appreciate it, thank you.
Still to come tonight, Hillary Clinton is making history in her bid to be the U.S. president while Donald Trump faces growing criticism over some
recent controversial remarks. We're going to have the latest in what is this U.S. presidential race up next for you.
And another hacking murder in Bangladesh. What authorities are saying about the latest horror attack. Taking a very short break. Back after
this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson out of the UAE at 18 minutes past 7:00. Welcome back.
Hillary Clinton has a big reason to celebrate. She is now the first woman to ever be the presumptive presidential nominee for a major U.S. party.
After Clinton won Puerto Rico on Sunday, CNN checked and found enough super delegates to support her to put her over the top. Super delegates, of
course, are party big wigs who can vote for whoever they want. But six more states hold contests today.
So, Clinton has put the celebration on hold, she says.
Our Chris Frates reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: According to the news, we are on the brink of a historic, historic,
unprecedented moment.
FRATES (voice-over): Overnight Hillary Clinton clinched enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
CLINTON: We're going to fight hard for every single vote, especially right here in California.
FRATES (voice-over): But she is not claiming that historic milestone just yet. Instead, focusing on getting her supporters to the polls in the final
six states holding contests today.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VT., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of people here tonight. Thank you.
FRATES (voice-over): Clinton's rival, Bernie Sanders, is insisting that the primary contests aren't over yet, his campaign releasing a statement
arguing that super delegates can change their minds before the July convention. Saying, quote, "It is wrong to count the votes of super
delegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer."
The senator not acknowledging Clinton's triumph at a rally in San Francisco but softening his rhetoric when asked about the possibility of endorsing
her.
SANDERS: Let's assess where we are after tomorrow before we make statements based on speculation.
FRATES (voice-over): Clinton is hoping to bring Democrats together quickly after this long and bruising primary season.
CLINTON: I'm going to do everything I can to unify the Democratic Party, an I certainly am going to be reaching out to Senator Sanders and hope he will
join me in that because we have got to be unified going into the convention and coming out of the convention.
[11:20:12] FRATES (voice-over): Clinton is poised to get a major boost from President Obama, who sources say could endorse her as early as tomorrow and
is itching to take on Donald Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Interesting.
All right. Well, that was our Chris Frates reporting. Clinton may be eager to go after Donald Trump, but she has to get in line at this point,
or in the queue.
He's facing criticism from some members of his own party over comments he made about a judge's Mexican heritage. A short time ago, House Speaker
Paul Ryan called Trump's remarks racist.
Trump's has so far refused to back down.
Well, now Trump's party doesn't just to have worry about losing voters, but advertising as well. CNN Money senior media correspondent Brian Stelter
will bring us more on that from New York.
First, though, let's get you to the senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta who's also in New York outside Trump tower.
Jim, Donald Trump doesn't seem to think there's any reason for damage control. In fact, he seems to veritably be reveling in this controversy.
His opponents are smelling blood. How are his fellow Republicans coping with all of this?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Becky, it's a political cliche in this country, but Donald Trump is doubling down and concerns are
building inside the Republican Party. And you just mentioned the case in point, the latest case in point
is the speaker of the house of representatives here in the U.S., Paul Ryan, he just held a press conference in Washington where he was trying to unveil
new policy proposals aimed at pulling people out of poverty in the United States.
But the very first question he was asked was about Donald Trump's comments about this federal judge in California that is handling some of the
lawsuits pending against Trump University, that is the business school that Donald Trump launched to teach people how to make money in real estate.
Donald Trump has said in recent days that he does not trust this judge because of his Mexican-American heritage. The judge, by the way, was born
in Indiana, he was not...
ANDERSON: I seem to have lost Jim there. We still got Brian? How are we doing guys?
All right. Let get back to Jim.
Can you -- great -- thank you.
Listen, if it were anybody else, we'd say that this was all unraveling like a wooly jumper, wouldn't we? But we're talking about Donald Trump here.
News site BuzzFeed has said you can take your money, Trump, we're not interested in your advertising buck. They effectively said we don't want
your money.
What's the likelihood that more media organizations are going to follow suit, Brian?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN MONEY MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jim was talking about Paul Ryan saying that one of Trump's comments was the definition, the
textbook definition of racism, that is an extraordinary moment for the Republican Party, which seems to be unraveling in some ways.
Then on the media front, you've got one of the world's biggest websites saying it will not accept
advertising for Trump's presidential campaign. I mean, I can't remember the last time we've heard something like this, either.
So, in a campaign season full of surprises, this is yet another surprise. And BuzzFeed's rationale here is that Trump's campaign is like cigarette
smoking, that's what the CEO, the publisher, Jonah he said he's terminating an advertising deal that BuzzFeed had reached a couple months ago with the
Republican National Committee.
Now, the RNC says we weren't ever planning on actually putting ads on BuzzFeed's site anyone. We only reserved the space just in case we needed
it. That explanation may or may not hold water.
But, I'd recommend this Washington Post story that just came out talking to lots of other websites, whether it's the conservative Daily Caller, or the
liberal, The Nation, many others in between, that say, yes, we would accept Trump ads. It's hard to imagine not accepting them.
So for now, BuzzFeed is standing alone on this.
ANDERSON: Yeah, interesting.
All right.
Jim, we were talking about Paul Ryan clearly offended by what Donald Trump said. This is one of his colleagues effectively in the party. I've just
seen a tweet and it says, "I rescind" -- sorry, this tweet says, "why doesn't Paul Ryan say I rescind my endorsement of Donald Trump if that's
how he feels?"
That's a good point, isn't it? And let's be frank, Trump does have a lot of supporters out there still, right?
ACOSTA: That's right. But that is the question of the hour. Senator Lindsay Graham, who was one of Donald Trump's rivals in that vicious
primary battle that we just got through. The last primary is today, of course, in California and New Jersey. You know, Lindsay Graham is now
saying that Republicans should be rescinding their endorsements, unendorsing Donald Trump.
But consider what Paul Ryan said earlier this morning. I was trying to tee up this sound bite earlier. Luckily we have a pro and Brian Stelter was
able to finish -- almost finish the job for me there.
But listen to what House Speaker Paul Ryan said earlier this morning about Donald Trump calling his remarks the definition of racism. Here's what he
had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN, (R) WISCONSIN: I disavow these comments. I regret those comments that he made. I don't think -- claiming a person can't do their
job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment. I think that should be absolutely disavowed. It's
absolutely unacceptable. But do I believe that Hillary Clinton is the answer? No, I do not. do you believe that Hillary Clinton is going to be
the answer to solving these problems? I do not.
I believe we have more common ground on the policy issues of the day and we have more likelihood of getting our policies enacted with him than we do
with her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And Becky, that is the box that Republicans are in right now. You heard Paul Ryan saying what Donald Trump has said about Judge Curiel here
in the U.S. is the textbook definition of racism. At the same time, he is still sticking with the presumptive Republican nominee, because he says
Hillary Clinton is the worse alternative here.
That is essentially where a lot of Republicans are right now, even though you've had the other top Republicans slamming Donald Trump for these
comments on Judge Curiel.
At this point, there aren't any takers for Lindsay Graham who is saying that Republicans should be unendorsing Donald Trump right now. They are
just not taking up Lindsey Graham on his offer.
And we are just in unchartered waters right now, Becky. I mean, you are a very astute observer of our political system. You've been watching this
for years. Have we ever seen a political party, you know, roundly criticize their own nominee for remarks that he's made and then at the same
time stand by him. That just goes to show you how unprecedented this election cycle is, Becky.
ANDERSON: Chaps, we appreciate it. Thank you, as ever. Fantastic analysis from both of
you, and thanks for the support says Jim, Brian. Thank you.
Be sure to stay with all of us for the action from what is his final Super Tuesday of the election season. We'll be bringing you the very latest
result speeches and in-depth analysis. This is amazing stuff to watch isn't it? That is all part of our all day coverage right here on CNN.
Surprises galore.
Live from Abu Dhabi, you're watching Connect the World. Coming up, growing outrage over a lenient sentence for a convicted rapist. Hear the powerful
statement the victim delivered in court.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:31:09] ANDERSON: And a Hindu priest has been hacked to death in southwestern Bangladesh. You're looking at video of police at the scene of
the crime.
Well, our New Delhi bureau chief Ravi Agrawal has been following this story for us and he joins us now live.
What do we know at this point, Ravi?
RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky.
Well, the person who was killed was a Hindu priest. His name was Anand Gopal Ganguly, he was 70 years old. There's no real motive for why people
would want to kill someone like him. He was a peaceful guy. He was not known for insulting Islam, which is one of the reasons why other people in
Bangladesh have been killed recently in a spate of similar attacks police say they don't know why these assailants tried to hack him to death. And
they also don't know if there's a larger motive at play here.
But the larger climate of fear, Becky, that we're seeing in Bangladesh right now is really quite worrying because this now takes the toll of these
kinds of death to about 30 in the last 18 months or so. And last year, we saw many of these deaths being very high profile killings of writers and
journalists, people who were well known in Bangladesh. But it seems like in the last five or six weeks, we've seen a bit of a shift where some of
the people being killed are lower profile, they tend to be more rural.
But it's safe to say at this stage, Bangladesh has not really been able to respond in a way that is silencing its critics. There have been no major
arrests so far. There was a shotout in Takka (ph) today where two Islamist militants were killed. But really the word we're hearing is that a lot
more needs to be done and certainly the rate of these deaths needs to be slowed rather than accelerated.
ANDERSON: Yeah, all right, Ravi. You are in the Indian capital of course. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Washington meeting with President
Obama. Why?
AWRAWAL: Well, this is his fourth visit to the United states in just two years in power. It is the seventh time he's meeting U.S. President Barack
Obama. And really this is being seen as a win-win meeting for both sides. For Obama, it's clearly a way for him to burnish his foreign policy legacy.
India is seen as a success story for the Obama White House. Relations between the two countries have increased, defense ties have gotten far
better, some $14 billion in defense deals annually at this stage, which is a big win for the United States. And for Modi, well, he can't get enough
of the United States. He loves going there. He loves speaks to senators there and CEOs, trying to attract more business.
If there's one thing, though that he really wants to come away with, it is to get the United States to endorse and push for India's membership of the
nuclear supplies group, that is a group that allow India to trade in nuclear materials, which would allow it to power itself with nuclear
energy. India, of course, is trying to move away from dirty coal power plants and it wants to go nuclear and solar.
So, that's what we're looking at right now. And hopefully some sort of deal will emerge in the next day or two between Modi and Obama.
ANDERSON: Ravi is in the Indian capital. Thank you, sir.
Well, her words were stark and powerful conveying the pain and emotional shock of sexual assault in a brutally honest way. The victim's letter to
her attacker has gone viral in the United States fueling outrage over the way her case was handled in court.
Now, the California judge expressed concern about the attacker's future when handing down his
sentence saying that prison time would, quote, have a severe impact on the former college athletic star.
More now from CNN's Isha Sesay.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A terrible crime compounded by its aftermath: outrage over a sentence some feel is too lenient. The case
highlighting questions of liability, punishment and American society's attitude towards sexual assault.
On Thursday, former Stanford student Brock Turner was sentenced to six months imprisonment after being convicted on three felony assault charges.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of six years.
The woman was unconscious at the time she was assaulted on the university campus. The incident occurred after a party during which both had consumed
excessive amounts of alcohol.
Turner will also be placed on the sex offender's register for life. His victim spoke out in a statement read at sentencing. Earlier, CNN's
Ashleigh Banfield read part of the statement on the Legal View.
[11:35:54] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN HOST: "One day, I was at work, scrolling through the news on my phone and I came across an article. In it, I read
and learned for the first time about how I was found unconscious, with my hair disheveled, long necklace wrapped around my neck, bra pulled out of my
dress, dress pulled off over my shoulders and pulled up above my waist, that I was butt naked all the way down to my boots, legs spread apart and
had been penetrated by a foreign object by someone I did not recognize.
"I learned what happened to me the same time everyone else in the world learned what happened to me."
SESAY (voice-over): Brock Turner's father has further fueled anger surrounding the case, penning a letter to the judge, in which he states,
"His life will never be the one he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve.
"That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20-plus years of life."
Social media reaction has been vitriolic, with many questioning why Turner's father would depict his son as a victim of the incident and the
prosecution has also condemned the apparent leniency of the sentence.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen said, "The sentence does not factor in the true seriousness of the sexual assault or the victim's ongoing trauma.
Campus rape is no different than off-campus rape. Rape is rape."
While Brock Turner denies he committed rape, his victim only became aware of the assault when she woke up in the hospital and was asked to sign
papers marked "rape victim" before being allowed to shower. Stanford University has expressed regret over what happened. But in a statement,
claimed it had done everything in its power to ensure justice in the case.
"This was a horrible incident and we understand the anger and deep emotion it has generated. There is still much work to be done, not just here, but
everywhere to create a culture that does not tolerate sexual violence in any form and a judicial system that deals appropriately with sexual assault
cases."
Isha Sesay, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Sara Sidner joins me now from Los Angeles.
And Sara the overwhelming response across social media, as Isha was reporting there, outrage. Campus rape sadly not a new story in the United
States, much work to be done, says Stanford.
Is it being done?
ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is a question that a lot of people are working on.
If this would have happened let's say five years ago, a lot of people would have talked about, oh, she was drunk and that would come up all the time.
It also came up in court, something that she talked about in her 12 page letter.
What were you wearing? Why were you so drunk? Those are questions that oftentimes the victim is sort of put on the stand in these cases and
treated like the perpetrator.
And so I think the culture of that is changing. And you're seeing that with social media, especially because we've heard so much about on campus,
more people are coming forward, more people are feeling empowered that they can report this and do report this. And a lot of times, you know, people
talked about rape in terms of stranger danger where in fact most of the time it has to do with someone close to you, a family friend or someone
you're in school with.
And so there's -- I think there's a difference in how people are starting to see rape and how it happens and also treating the victim differently.
And this letter, I think, Becky, was the thing that really put it front and center on stage. People seeing the words of
someone who's gone through so much. But it was also the letter from the father that sent people into a complete outrage, to see that
20 minutes of action, and those words really upset people, to see it used in those terms kind of just brushed off and I think that's where you're
seeing such a reaction.
And people are trying to recall the judge now. There's a petition online. You can do that here in
California because judges are actually elected.
[11:40:07] ANDERSON: So, what would the victim's recourse be at that point were that to happen?
SIDNER: That's the thing. I mean, the prosecution has not said that the judge did anything illegal. Judges has discretion in these cases, while
the prosecution asked for six years, the judge decided that six months was the right sentence in this case, because he had no prior history.
But there really isn't a whole lot of recourse, except for she could sue him civilly, talking about pain and emotional distress. So, there are
possibilities to take it to a different court.
But as far as the criminal activity goes, that's pretty much done. You cannot be doubly jeopardized in a case.
ANDERSON: Sara is in California for you. Thank you.
Well, live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. Coming up, should the Saudi-led coalition be blacklisted over the deaths of children in
Yemen? The UN revisited the question and we'll tell you what it decided.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, you're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. What time is it? 43 minutes past 7:00 here in the UAE.
Now, change is afoot in the conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Realizing the necessity of
diversification. After decades of reliance on the old black gold, officials in Jeddah unveiled the first concrete targets in what is its
ambitious effort to steer their economy away from oil.
The Saudi cabinet has approved measures to create more private sector jobs and triple the
government's non-oil revenues. Yep, triple them.
Well, the plunge in the price of crude has hit the state's bottom line hard. Saudi had a nearly $100 billion budget deficit last year.
CNN Money's emerging markets editor John Defterios all over this. He joins me now.
When this vision 2030 was announced, we all were reporting on the fact that it was long on vision and short on detail. We now have further detail.
So is the deputy crown prince's vision realistic at this point?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN MONEY EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, it's going to be tough to deliver on all the promises. But I think it's quite interesting
what we're seeing today and overnight in Jeddah where they had the cabinet meeting. There's a conscious effort to keep the momentum up.
So, you had the 2030 announcement that you talked about. That was followed up at the OPEC meeting with Khalid al Falih putting an olive branch out to
Iran. And then you have the passage from the cabinet. And then they're going to go to the bond market to try to raise $15 billion.
So, the strategy is step by step by step, keep up the momentum. Because the history, as you know in Saudi Arabia, is not delivering on big
projects.
Now, the targets are very big. They created 50,000 jobs last year in the private sector. For them to create 450,000 jobs by 2020. So, it is tall
order. They want to cut government spending by 40 percent and then to have the government jobs represent 40 percent of the budget, not 45 percent
today.
There was discussion that there are salaries going to be cut. They're not going to do that, but they want to bring in other revenues going forward.
So, that's the budget scenario, as it is today, but they want to tap the capital markets in a very large way and revenue's going to go up with
taxes, Becky. There's going to be airport taxes coming into play, petrol prices already doubled, and then the headline today was revealing syntaxes,
if you will, on tobacco and sugary products.
ANDERSON: Income taxes, John.
DEFTERIOS: No, income taxes. In fact, the chief of the cabinet suggested this is not a starter, repeated it after they passed the measure last
night.
But they will go to the bond market in July. Here's the sum of it. $15 billion they want to raise
between July and September, but Becky, they're not alone, because we Qatar come at the end of May with a $9 billion offering. That surprised the
entire market. And the UAE preceded everybody else with a $5 billion offering in April.
We've seen nearly $30 billion tapped from the Middle East and North Africa. With oil revenues down., they're going to global bond market to kind of
balance their budgets, because the oil revenues aren't there.
ANDERSON: So key up that excess cash out there.
John, part of these reform's aim, of course, to get more women working, more female participation in the workforce. As we know, women in Saudi
can't drive, of course. Many rely on private drivers to get around.
And we've been talking about how that would work if you wanted to get more women sort of into the workplace, why not just let them drive and let them
drive to work.
Well, we know that Saudi is spending an estimated $3.7 billion on them every year into Uber. The kingdom just invested $3.5 billion in a ride
hailing app, seems like a solution. But women are expressing outrage online about this, pointing out that the government now has an economic
incentive to keep them out of the driver's seat and in an Uber vehicle.
Are Saudis strict social rules, John, do you think obstructing its economic goals?
DEFTERIOS: Well, I tell you, this is the heart of a new Saudi Arabia. I saw the comments online from the women who are suggesting why are they
investing on a service we're going to be forced to use in the future? And I spoke to Khaled al-Falih, the minister of industry, petroleum and
minerals He was saying this is sign of the times of us getting in touch with Silicon Valley. So, see more openness coming.
So you can see the debate from both sides.
Yes, we want to make it easier for women to go into the workforce, but tthe argument is a valid one. Only 16 percent of the workforce are made up of
women today. And, Becky, that's doubled over the last five years. But 60 percent of the women or the entire student body in university today is
representative of women. So we have to have more women in the workforce.
It's a $780 billion economy, the largest in the Middle East by a wide margin. Could you imagine if you unleashed the power of women going
forward?
Now, other sources I spoke to -- from the business community as well, said things have changed. You haven't seen it on the ground just yet, but
they've kind of reigned in the religious police in mid-April. And they're saying it's having a profound change. And Uber is part of that process to
open up, although the women on the ground say it's not happening fast enough for them.
ANDRESON: And let's be fair. I mean, I was at the press conference when the vision was launched by the deputy crown prince. And he was asked a
number of times about whether women would be allowed to drive going forward. And he didn't rule it out, he just didn't say it was going to
happen any time soon.
DEFTERIOS: It's very funny, because this debate has been going on with King Abdullah in the past. He was a reformer, and he said I won't rule it
out as well. Step by step. I think the women on the ground are saying, can we move faster, is the big question because they want to participate at
a more rapid pace in the economy.
ANDERSON: It's probably the least ambitious target, actually, I think from 22 percent to 30 percent female participation rates if I remember the
vision correctly.
I thought of all their targets, that was probably the least ambitious and probably the easiest to fulfill, actually. But if they have to go in a
Uber car, that would be quite sad.
All right, thank you.
Blacklisted, or not? The United Nations has removed the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen from its list of child rights violators. The
Kingdom protested a report, which said that the coalition was responsible for more than half of the children killed and wounded in Yemen
last year.
My colleague John Jensen has the story for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JON JENSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are some of the latest casualties of the civil war in Yemen -- dozens injured and killed after shelling in the
central city of Tai'iz last week. More than 6,000 people have died since the conflict first began in March 2015, according to the United Nations.
Many of the victims were children.
And last week, a UN children in armed conflict report said the Saudi-led coalition backing
Yemen's government is responsible for a majority of those deaths, including attacks on schools and hospitals.
[11:50:02] STEPHANE DUJANIC, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL SPOKESMAN: The report, I think, speaks to its -- for itself.
JENSEN: On Monday, Saudi Arabia criticized the so-called list of shame as inaccurate and incomplete.
ABDULLAH BIN YAHYA ALMOUALIMI, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SAUDI ARABIA TO THE UN: We are asking that this report be corrected so that it does not
reflect the accusations that had been made against the coalition and Saudi Arabia in particular.
JENSEN: Behind the scenes diplomacy may have worked.
Later in the day, a reversal, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accepted a Saudi proposal to review the report. Human Rights Groups called it a
shocking flip-flop from political pressure.
In the halls of the UN, the war of words may be over for now, but on the ground in Yemen, the conflict rages on.
Jon Jensen, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, I want to do more on this for you. I'm joined now by Rob Williams. He's the CEO of War Child, which is an organization that
supports children affected by war.
And this UN report on children in armed conflict states that the Saudi-led coalition is responsible for 60 percent of children killed and injured in
Yemen last year. How can the UN list the coalition on their blacklist and then remove them so quickly?
ROB WILLIAMS, CEO, WAR CHILD: It's very hard to understand, isn't it? And you have to think about who is being accused of crimes here. Saudi Arabia
is a very powerful country. It has friends who are members of the Security Council, permanent members of the security council.
If you look at the other countries and rebel groups who are blacklisted in this report, as in most reports, because this report happens annually, they
are the usual suspects. They are groups in Afghanistan, they are groups in Somali, they are groups in South Sudan.
This time, a very powerful country has been accused of gross violations on what looks to me like very good evidence. But the coalition, which
includes the United Kingdom and the United States obviously has a lot of influence in New York and I think when this
decision was taken to step back from the report, what's really going on is that the UN is failing to defend the rights of children who are being
killed by coalition bombing in Yemen and actually succumbing to enormous political pressure in New York.
The UN is supposed to stand up for the most vulnerable people involved in conflict, which is
children. But it appears to me that this is not happening. There are much more important players around in New York. And the UN has blinked on this
occasion in a way which is not helpful.
ANDERSON: That's fascinating. You say the UN has blinked on this occasion. There is clear political diplomatic wrangling going on behind
the scenes, then, is what you are saying.
How and why would the UN blink, though, specifically?
WILLIAMS: Well, let's look at the coalition which was listed in the report. It includes the U.S., which is a very powerful player at the
United Nations. It includes the United Kingdom.
Now, it's worth remembering that since 2010, the United Kingdom has sold over 7 billion pounds worth of arms to the Saudi Arabian government. Those
arms are now being used tobomb hospitals and schools in Yemen, according to the evidence presented in the report.
If those people got together in a room with Ban Ki-moon and applied the kind of pressure that we know they can apply, then it's up to the secretary
general whether he sticks by his staff and the evidence in the report or not.
ANDRESON: So you are suggesting that the UN is making concessions to keep important donors to its aid agencies happy?
WILLIAMS: I think that's entirely possible. So what we have now is the UN saying there will be a review of the evidence. What the coalition stands
accused of is the killing of 60 percent of all child deaths in Yemen.
So, that amounts to over 400 children. Those reports are verified and authenticated. But even if some of them are wrong, even if two or three of
them are wrong, the overwhelming evidence is that the coalition is killing children in Yemen.
And when you come to aid agencies like War Child whose job is to try and protect civilians in conflicts like the Yemen conflict, we look to the UN
for support. We are simply not receiving that kind of support that we need, the humanitarian principles which need to be
respected need to defended even when they need to be defended against major players at the United Nations.
ANDERSON: With that, we're going to leave it there. Thank you for joining us.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. Coming up, oreserving a sacred time of year
against the backdrop of a brutal civil war. We're going to show you how Muslims are marking Ramadan in Aleppo. Short break. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:56:33] ANDERSON: Right, here in Abu Dhabi and across the Muslim world, the faithful
are marking the most sacred month of the year. It's Ramadan, and it is time for fasting, for reflection and for prayer even in the most difficult
of circumstances.
Our Parting Shots tonight, I wanted to get you some exclusive images from Aleppo in northern Syria. They were taken on the first day of Ramadan and
show how people there are buying what food they can to break their fast after sunset.
Thousands of civilians are trapped in Aleppo as fighting rages between rebels and government forces.
And even with these hardships, residents are determined to stick with tradition as best they can and celebrate what is a sacred time with family
and friends.
Well, the Connect the World team are based all around the world always looking at many more
stories than we could ever possibly fit into the show. So, do check out the other things that we are watching, that we're following, that we are
interested in, we're publishing, and that is on Facebook. That's Facebook.com/CNNconnect. And we obviously would love to hear from you.
This is your show.
You can also get in touch with me directly of course on Twitter. Tweet me @BeckyCNN.
That was Connect the World from the team here working with me on daily basis and with those -- from those working around the world with us, it is
a very good evening. Thank you for watching.
END
