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Biden Visits Turkey; 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Central Italy; Ukraine Celebrates 25 Years of Independence from Soviet Union; Trump's Pivot; Qatar Buys Stake in Empire State Building. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired August 24, 2016 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:14] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Hello, I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome to to Connect the World live from Battery Park City at the very tip of Manhattan

in New York.

We're covering breaking news from central Italy this hour. A powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake has killed at least 73 people. The quake was very

shallow, so the devastation is vast.

Several small Italian towns in the mountainous rural region are in ruins. The mayor of Amatrice is pleading for help. He says his town is no more.

Well, rescue workers are racing to find survivors in piles of rubble. And the death toll in this disaster will most likely rise.

Well, CNN's contributor Barbie Nadeau joins me now from Saletta in Italy, a town very close to the epicenter.

And Barbie, a terrifying night as the hours pass the scale of the destruction, it seems, ever more apparent. What's the latest?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well right now, (inaudible) operation. There are about 2,000 civil protection authorities up on top of a building

that (inaudible) reduced to rubble trying to find four people they believe might still be alive.

You know, we're more than 13 hours now after the initial earthquake just after 3:30 a.m. in the morning. But what you see all around here are just

people walking around still in their pajamas still wrapped in sheets from when they were shaken from their beds, those that did try.

Of course, you know the number -- the death toll continues -- has continued to rise through day as they are able to reach some of these outlying areas.

It's a very remote, beautiful picturesque part of Italy. People come here to get away from it all, and that's going to be something that's very

detrimental to them right now, because so many of these areas just can't be reached, Becky.

ANDERSON: So, how are emergency services coping at this point?

NADEAU: They are calling for help. We have been here for hours and hours. And only about in the last few minutes have we seen heavy equipment being

moved into the area. We are one mile from the very epicenter, the deepest part of this devastating earthquake. We are a little hamlet, if you

will, of about 20 residents, most of whom perished in this. We have been watching operation after operation here, people using their hands, garden

tools, Becky, using anything they can possibly find to try to save their neighbors still in their pajamas, some of them, you know.

And every time we hear a tremor, we hear more of these (inaudible) from these, you know, ancient 200, 300-year-old buildings, so many of the old

structures have been renovated. And you can (inaudible) would house tourists. This is a place where people come to enjoy Italy in all its

glory. And that is what attracts so many people to this country. It just proves to be fatal and more and more dangerous and fatal, so many

(inaudible) in these earthquakes. That's the problem they're dealing with right now, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah. I mean, you were explaining just the scope of what's going on.

This is still search-and-rescue. How confident are those emergency services who have reached the epicenter of this, the worst of the

devastation -- how confident are they that they will still be able to pull people out alive?

NADEAU: Well, they seem to think they still will be able to find people alive. If people are in an air pocket -- you know, this -- we are up in the

mountains. The weather is not too hot. It's not cold. You know, there are no elements we are dealing with. You know, they are convinced that

they are going to be finding people alive here in at the coming hours, and even through the night.

You know, we've seen that over and over again, the dogs, search-and-rescue dogs barking at the rubble. We've seen ambulances with their sirens

blaring, heading out of this area. Those are all good signs. And you know that they have found someone, some sign of life right now.

But sadly, of course, we have also seen many, many bodies pulled out of the rubble here, Becky.

ANDERSON: Barbie Nadeau is on the scene there.

While rescue workers as we have been discussing face immense challenges, the region where the quake hit is remote and it is mountainous. And

survivors pulled from the rubble have lost everything. Here's Erin McLaughlin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Buried beneath the rubble, a sign of life. Are you able to breathe, a rescue worker asks?

Only a bit, the response. A bit, OK. The important thing is to stay calm. Police officers are now on their way.

These are the lucky ones, young and old, the survivors of Wednesday's deadly earthquake. As they make their way to safety, the look of shock is

all too apparent. The quake struck this holiday region in the dead of night, many were sound asleep in their beds.

John Carlo says his house in the town of Amatrice collapsed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have never experienced anything like this. Small tremors, yes, but nothing this big. This is a catastrophe.

MCLAUGHLIN: The immediate hours after the quake, an Italian journalist was among the first to arrive and found a local priest desperate for help. I

don't see the rescue operation taking place, he says. We need more people to help. We need everything to deal with this emergency. As you can see,

there is not much happening here.

The topography of the region compounds the rescue efforts. Remote villages dot the mountainous landscape. They're difficult to access in the best of

conditions. This is where Italians and tourists go to escape the summer heat. Emma Tucker was one of them.

[11:05:55] EMMA TUCKER, EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: The house was shaking. It was very intense. An appalling noise, clinking, thundering, and sort of rumble.

It felt like some had put a bulldozer to the house and try to knock it down.

MCLAUGHLIN: In Amatrice, more help arrives. The wounded carried away on stretchers. Gold foil is held up out of respect for the dead. The village's

13 Century clock tower is one of the few structures still handing, hands frozen in time 3:36 a.m., the exact moment when the first quake struck, the

exact moment so many lives would never be the same.

Erin McLaughlin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: It's just past 5:00 p.m. in Italy now. More and more images and personal testimony are emerging from areas affected by this earthquake as

we've heard. The race is on to find survivors buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings, and to make sure that survivors in the worst affected

areas have the shelter they need as of course evening approaching.

Well, the tremor felt across central Italy and as far away as Rome. Emma Tucker is deputy director of The Times in London. She is on holiday in

Lamarque (ph), around 80 kilometers from the epicenter.

And, you featured in the report that we just had from Erin. Give us a sense, just explain what

happened in the dead of the night.

TUCKER: Well, we are a large group. We were all fast asleep. We had been on an exceptionally long walk the day before so really it was going to take

a lot to wake us up.

But when the quake happened I woke up instantly. And even though I am an absolute earthquake novice, we don't have things like that in the UK, I

knew immediately what it was because it was such a very terrifying (inaudible) rocking back and forwards, the house was rocking back and

forwards and there was that appalling clanking, rumble, this deafening noise that was going with it.

So, I was in no doubt that it was an earthquake. But I had absolute no idea what to do. I leapt out of bed. I yelled -- I said to my husband get

under the doorway, because I had some vague recollection that this was what you were supposed to do.

We had seven teenagers sleeping up above us. In fact, four of them were in this room that you can see I'm in now with the wall behind -- large chunks

of the plaster behind me was dropping on top of these teenagers. We shouted at them to come down. We then all -- there was no electricity.

The electricity had gone. We then stumbled out of the house into the garden where we all sat there wondering what on earth to do.

And after about half an hour, it was very cold, everyone was very tired, the quake had been and gone, we couldn't really -- we knew there was a lot

of glass shard under foot because we had troddened on it, but all decided to go back to bed.

It turned out to be the wrong thing to do because within minutes of us getting back into bed the

aftershocks, which although didn't last as long as the initial quake, it was more terrifying because by then we were awake, knew what was going on.

It, too, seemed to last forever. the same horrible clanking, grinding noise like sort of thunder.

And then, you know, the same sort of creaking and swaying of the building. So, this time we just left and stayed out until the sun came up. And when

it did, we saw...

ANDERSON: You are describing -- you are describing a terrifying experience.

Emma, you are describing a terrifying experience. I just want to have you stop for one moment, because speaking just hours ago Italy's prime minister

said the next few days will be crucial but that his country would get through this disaster.

I just want our viewers to hear exactly what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTEO RENZI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It is a time when we are in shock, but it is a moment for action. And with my heart in

my hands I'd like to say to Italians during difficult moments Italy knows how to react and what to do. During times when things are not working out,

Italy is together and showing its beautiful side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:10:13] ANDERSON: That was Matteo Renzi. Matteo Renzi saying that Italy knows what to do. Emma, what kind of support are people there

getting?

TUCKER: Well, as far as we -- for us, the support has been very local. A local builder who -- the people who own the house know him. He came

around. He was very pragmatic. You know, he -- this is an earthquake zone where we are. People forget that Italy is -- has been affected by bad

earthquakes. You know, it often is. He came around. He seemed -- he said this was one of the worst ones he's lived through. He's a 50-year-old man.

But he said, you know the houses are built to stand. It will be fine.

The farmer who is in the farm just above us, he came down. He had been out plowing his field at 3:30 in the morning, hadn't even noticed the

earthquake. He came around. Again, he was very sort of unusually, for Italians, calm, sort of stoical. He thought the whole thing was, you know,

par for the course. They have seen it before.

But one thing they did say was that, don't expect to get any insurance money. You can't get insurance for earthquake damage around here. So, I

think there was some talk that the government will set up a fund to help people affected. And I don't know whether Renzi mentioned that when he was

speaking earlier.

ANDERSON: All right. OK, Emma. We really appreciate your time. I know it's been a terrifying evening. Glad you are all safe, and we really

appreciate your time today on CNN. Thank you.

Well, still to come we have got a lot more on what was this devastating earthquake in central Italy. We are live from one of the hardest hit towns

for you.

Also this hour, Turkey says enough is enough. It has launched a ground operation in northern Syria to try to drive ISIS from the border region.

We are going to get you a live update on that just ahead. Stay with us. We are live out of New York for you today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Right, live from Battery Park City here in New York, you are watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson in the

city all week for you. Welcome back.

We go back to our breaking news at this point. The death toll rising after a powerful magnitude 6.2 earthquake in central Italy. Survivors being

helped from the rubble. They are the lucky ones. At least 73 people are now confirmed dead.

Search teams are in a race against time to find people trapped in collapsed buildings.

Take a look at this drone footage, it's just been released by the Italian fire department. Many of the worst hit towns and villages are in

mountainous areas with access roads damaged or unpassable.

Back to that news a little later this hour. We're going to move you on now, because Turkey's fight against ISIS in Syria has entered a dramatic

new phase. Tanks rolled into Northern Syria today backed by U.S.-led warplanes. Turkish special forces are fighting to secure the border

region, and key -- and drive ISIS from the key town of Jarablus (ph). The President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the offensive is targeting Kurdish

fighters as well.

Now, Syria calls the incursion a flagrant violation of its sovereignty.

The stakes couldn't be higher. The action on the ground couldn't be more complicated. Let's get the very latest now from Ben Wedeman. He is

following developments for you from Ankara. And Ben, we have just heard that those Syrian rebels who are part of this operation have reached

Jarablus (Ph).

What more can you tell us at this point?

Wat we know at this point, Becky, is not only have these fighters, Free Syrian Army fighters, armed and trained by Turkey reached Jarablus (ph),

they have also entered, and according to a commander we have spoken to, they are in the city and are in control.

In fact he sent us two very short phone video clips of his troops in the center of Jarablus (ph).

This is an operation that was launched at 4:00 a.m. local time of the it includes Turkish

tanks, Turkish F-16s have been in action striking targets in and around Jarablus (ph) as well.

So, very dramatic developments.

This is really Turkey not only crossing the border, but crossing the rubicon when it comes to the

war in Syria. For the first time Syrian troops directly engaged -- rather, Turkish troops directly engaged

in the fighting on the ground in Syria. In this instance at the moment they are focusing their fire on

ISIS, but as we heard from the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they are also going to focus in some form or another on Kurdish troops who

are to the west of the Euphrates.

Turkey months and months ago -- in fact, last year, made that their red line, that Kurdish forces

should not cross the Euphrates. They have. They took part in the liberation of Minbij just last week, and therefore we have entered an even

more complicated and potentially dangerous phase in this war.

ANDERSON: Yeah. And how does what is going on on the ground, Ben, play out so far as relations with the U.S.? Of course this is a U.S.-backed

operation at present. The U.S. always keen to point out that Turkey is a key ally. But we've got the vice president in town in Ankara at present,

Joe Biden, who was being encouraged effectively to provide a pretty stern message and warning to the Turkish president about what they perceive to be

his sort of enhanced authoritarianism at the moment, also a key talking point, of course, Gulen, the man that Turkey has accused of being behind

the recent coup, a man who is in exile in the U.S. what is going on?

What do we hear out of those talks between the prime minister and the vice president, Joe

Biden?

WEDEMAN: Well, we heard a press conference by the vice president with the Turkish prime minister. And I must say, barely a peep about any sort of

authoritarian tendencies by the Turkish government in the aftermath of the 15th of July coup. Rather, very

reassuring words about the importance of the relationship between the two countries.

This is some of what he said. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States of America

did not -- did not have any foreknowledge of what befell you on the 15th. Our legal experts are working right now with their Turkish counterparts on

the production of and evaluation of material and evidence that needs to be supplied to American court to meet the

requirements under our law and the extradition treaty to extradite Gulen.

We have no, no, no, no interest whatsoever in protecting anyone who has done harm to an ally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:20:02] WEDEMAN: Now, this is probably what Turkish officials wanted to hear from the vice president from the United States. But as Vice President

Biden himself pointed out, he should have probably come five or six days after the coup rather than well over a

month -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman is in Turkey for you. We've been looking at what is going on across the border in Syria. I want to get you now into Iraq.

Ben, thank you.

It's a story we have been telling you about the last few days. Iraqi forces are making gains in and around a strategic town about 60 kilometers

from the ISIS-held city of Mosul. Now, the Iraqi army says it will liberate the city by the end of the year. And for thousands of Iraqis near

the front lines that day cannot come soon enough.

Arwa Damon has been at a camp for displaced people by the violence. She joins me now live from Irbil -- Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky. A lot of the focus has been on the military operations taking place. But what is

happening to all of the civilians who have been displaced by the violence? Where are they going? Just take a look at what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The desert winds whip across the field. The heat is thick, suffocating, and the sand sticks to

everything. Children's matted hair is shades lighter than it should be, their faces caked in dirt nearly impossible to clean even if there was

water.

Inside this tent is a mother and her baby who we met a short while ago is one of the cases that's really struggling here. Baby Almat is 9 months old.

He has diarrhea, is dehydrated and listless. His mother tells us. The only drinking water they have from a well is making everyone sick.

It's been more than a month since they got here after walking for hours. This woman clutches a photo of her dead son killed by ISIS two years ago

for being in the Iraqi special forces.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (translation): He's dead and they took everything. They left me and Ronna. This is the martyr's daughter.

DAMON: People are thirsty, unbearable especially for the children in this heat. Food is lentils and beans twice a day. There have been promises that

international organizations were coming. The Iraqi government would be helping. But this attempt to preposition shelter and humanitarian aid is

providing no relief.

As the front lines move toward Mosul, people are making a run for their lives along different points. This group, three sisters-in-law and other

male relatives, saw the opportunity when the Kurdish Peshmerga pushed forward.

There are very, very few details that they are willing to disclose publicly because of the shear risk involved with their family members who are still

inside. But there is a potentially very joyous moment here because two of these women were pregnant when ISIS arrived when their husbands had to flee

and very shortly their littlest children are about to meet their fathers for the first time.

They don't want us to follow them to film that.

But making it does not mean an end to the hardships people continue to endure.

ELISABETH KOEK, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: We are not able to provide them with the kind of services they need because we simply don't have the land.

DAMON: There is the issue of funding. $284 million was allocated during a flash appeal last month but the money has not yet been released. Already

established camps have exceeded their maximum capacity. This Debaga camp in Iraqi Kurdistan has mushroomed to five times the size it was in May. Even

with the expansions under construction in Debaga, it is barely enough for the current backlog and the offensive has not yet begun in Mosul itself.

KOEK: We have a rough estimate. It can be anywhere between 1 million and up to 1.5 million people coming out of the corridor from Mosul. So we are

incredibly concerned and trying our best to deal with what might be the humanitarian catastrophe of the century.

DAMON: A catastrophe because we know this is coming. And preparing for the humanitarian disaster in the making should be as big a priority as

preparing for the battle itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: And Becky, speaking about the battle for Mosul, the commander of Nineveh operations that is spearheading the push towards the city tells us

they do expect to be able to fulfill the prime minister's pledge to have it liberated by the end of the

year, but as they do move forward, and yes, they are making gains, they are encountering various different ISIS tactics such as

road inlaid with bombs and being attacked by suicide car bombs.

But the problems see highlighted in that report is that you do need the humanitarian aspect in

all of this to be in play as well, because if the humanitarian aspect is not part of the push forward then you are going to end up with tens of

thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people who are going to be abandoned, people who have been through utterly horrific situations left

with no food, no water, no medicine and no shelter.

[11:25:44] ANDERSON: That's remarkable.

All right, Arwa, thank you very much indeed.

Arwa there all week with some remarkable reporting on what is going on.

Right, well perhaps the only thing more iconic in New York than the view behind me is this: the Empire State Building. And now Qatar's wealth fund

has just bought a stake in the company that owns it for a little over $600 million.

Our John Defterios has all the numbers for us. He's with us out of Dubai today.

John, what have you got? What do you make of all of this?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN MONEY: Well, it's very interesting, Becky. This fits right in to the strategy of the Gulf States, including Qatar, to own trophy

assets. But with this transaction, it gives them a lot more. Yes, the Empire State Building is a trophy asset. But

with this near 10 percent stake for $622 million, they get a broader portfolio because this real estate investment trust that owns the Empire

State Building has some 1 million square meters of property in Manhattan, north of Manhattan, and even stretching into Connecticut.

Now, why is this important, Becky? In October of 2015, Qatar announced that it would invest some $35 billion by 2020 into the U.S. real estate

market. Lo and behold, in less than a year they have covered more than a quarter of that.

And it's interesting, the CEO of the real estate investment trust said today they are very happy to be able to plan for the future with this

investment and that Qatar is a reliable partner. There is a widely perceived view that the Gulf States like to take their oil and gas

revenues, splash it into trophy properties and then run away in a few years. That's not been the strategy of Qatar.

And it's interesting, even with the gas price squeeze right now that they're facing, Becky, they are putting more assets into reliable

properties that pay off a yield.

ANDERSON: Just how important is it for Qatar and these other Gulf economies to diversify beyond energy at this point, John?

DEFTERIOS: I think it's vitally important, Becky. There is a couple of key points to make here. First and foremost, Qatar lead the charge by the

sovereign funds. They have been prolific real estate investors over the better part of a decade.

As you know in London they owned modern buildings like the Shard in the city of London. They bought Herrods, the department store, the former U.S.

embassy in Mayfair. They bought assets in Rome over the last couple of years. Three major hotels on Via Veneto and stretching to Milan after they

had the expo.

They love mature markets that are bankable at this stage. With record low interest rates, they

have to put their oil and gas revenues to pay a dividend.

But as you suggest here right now we are facing a new energy reality. So Qatar and the Abu Dhabi investment authority need to go to markets that are

safe right now with stable currencies like the U.S. dollar. But they can't rely on U.S. Treasuries, because the yield is just not there at this stage.

And I think it's also very interesting they are trying to readjust their budget so they are faced

with a squeeze locally. But I think this young emir, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al Thani is following in the footsteps of his father to be quite aggressive

in terms of overseas investments, but not put a stake in, look at it for two or three years and leave. They are sending the message like they have

in Europe and to the United States right now. They are in for the long haul even during the uncertain energy reality we face today, Becky.

ANDERSON: John is in the UAE, our regular home, of course. Thank you, John.

The Empire State Building a global landmark, but some would say this is this city's most iconic building right now. 1 World Trade Center, also

known as the Freedom Tower, built on the site that this city suffered an horrific attack on September 11. It reaches exactly 1,776 feet into the

sky. That number, 1776, is significant. It is the year the United States signed its declaration of independence.

I'm Becky Anderson. We'll be right back for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[11:33:41] ANDERSON: Well, returning to the breaking news that we are covering from

central Italy at this shour, a government agency says no residents will be allowed to sleep in the down of Amatrice tonight. We know from the town's

mayor that it was devastated by the 6.2 magnitude quake in the middle of the night.

More than a thousand people have been displaced in the disaster.

Well, Chad Myers joining me live now from CNN Center in Atlanta. It's just after half past 5:00

in the afternoon there now, Chad. And the devastation and destruction really becoming more and more apparent as the day went on.

Just talk us through what you have got for us at this point.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Essentially, Becky, 13 hours ago to 14 hours ago we had the first rumble. And it was just a quick shake in the

middle of the night at 3:36. Then all of a sudden it got very violent here for a while. And that's where you get the 6.2 magnitude earthquake. Then

was a small break and an aftershock, a larger 30 minute break, and then another aftershock here.

This is a seismogram. We used to call them seismographs when they were on paper, but now they're actually on the computer.

Get rid of that for you and I'll show you what we have for you.

This is what the rescue effort weather looks like: 20s for highs and teens for lows. Now, that teens could be cool for people that are still trapped

in buildings. In fact, without a coat that could be quite cold. But the afternoon temperatures for the rescuers are just about perfect.

We have already had a couple of aftershocks. We may even get another aftershock, around 5.0. We could get 10 aftershocks hundred 4.0 and 100

somewhere around 3.2 or higher. That's what happens when you get these aftershocks, that's what happens when you get earthquakes. The earth wants

to kind of settle back into its rhythm rather than that one big shake that we had.

6.2 here, remember back in 2009, L'Aquila (ph) -- 2009 I think was April, April 6. It was a 6.3, but about the same depth. And depth is key here.

Depth is the problem here. This was a very shallow quake, only four kilometers from where the earth shook to the surface of the Earth. So,

four kilometers. It shook up like this. And if you were at 70 kilometers down here, that shaking would have attenuated for 70 kilometers.

It would have been like you were 70 kilometers away from the earthquake.

Well, there was very little area there to go from the ground to the epicenter. That's why the land shook so violently. That's why we are

seeing so much damage with a 6.2.

Even when we looked at the pictures this morning we went that looks more like a 7.0, because the shaking was so violent because the epicenter was

very close to what we call the focus which was where the Earth actually moved, that was only about 2.6 to 3 miles under the ground, 4 kilometers to

be precise.

[11:36:35] ANDERSON: Chad with some analysis for you. Thank you.

ANDERSON: Well, to Ukraine now, where some are still feeling the weight of the iron curtain draped over the country even as it celebrates 25 years

since it gained independence from the Soviet Union. Ukrainians paraded through the streets of its capital earlier, showing off the country's

military might.

But it was only two years ago when troops like these were overwhelmed when pro-Russian forces moved into its eastern Crimea region and effectively

took it for themselves.

Now, tensions over that are once again flaring. CNN's Phil black has been with Ukrainian soldiers and joining us now from Kharkiv in the country's

east -- Phil.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, here in eastern Ukraine the battle lines were supposed to be essentially frozen about 18

months ago with a ceasefire. But it never really held, widely considered to be a failure. And now we are seeing some of the most intense violence

this region has seen since the signing of that ceasefire.

Battle lines are moving. Casualties among fighters and civilians, they are increasing. And while international observers count what they describe as

ceasefire violations. What you are really seeing on the ground is intense daily fighting, something very close to open warfare.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Through this gate is one front line of a war still ravaging a country and destroying lives. A

year and a half after all sides promised a ceasefire where would Ukrainian soldiers near (inaudible) in the country's east as they try to hold a

position against pro-Russian forces.

(on camera): Slamming into the walls of this shed. The people here say this is what it's like every single day. They're not just lobbing stuff at each

other. They're trying to move forward and take each other's territory.

(voice-over): Captain (inaudible) tells us we must now run. This short dash for cover draws fire. We shelter in the remains of another devastated

building. The source of the incoming fire is very close.

(on camera): So your enemy's out that way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

BLACK: About 100 meters away?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

BLACK (voice-over): The pause in the shooting allows us to move forward. We cross more open ground between old buildings. This industrial site is a

fiercely contested prize. The Ukrainian forces say they've lost ten men in the last month and there are casualties every day.

The captain wants to show us one of the positions they're being attacked from. A tall tower-like building so close we could stroll there in less

than a minute. At that moment, the fighting picks up. There is incoming fire from several directions.

(on camera): There is now fighting during the day every day. The soldiers here say. But more than that, it's in the evening, 4:00, like clockwork

this begins and it really kicks off. Why is this position, this territory so important?

(voice-over): He says the enemy has already moved beyond the line of control set in the peace deal. He says the pro-Russian forces move forward

from here, they could keep going and take any city in Ukraine.

From relative safety, we listen to the remains of war. Until it gets too close. Mortars land just outside. They're punched through this building

before.

(on camera): Chris, you good?

[11:41:02] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, let's go, let's go.

BLACK (voice-over): Bullets whistle around our team during the final run to safety. This is what a ceasefire looks like in Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK: And that was just one of the location, one hot spot, one contested piece of territory on a front line that stretches some 500 kilometers. And

all through the region you see fire being exchanged, small arms, heavy weapons as well. The Ukrainian government says that's specially happening

today as Ukraine marks its independence day, the 25th anniversary of its official separation from Moscow's control, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. All right. Thank you, Phil.

Well, over the last century hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have surely sailed past what is behind me here -- the Statue of Liberty -- answering

its famous call to the world, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled mass yearning to breathe free.

Well, millions of people from elsewhere flowed in as well seeking a better life in this

city, the city of New York and across the eastern United States.

But times have changed here and around the world where ships once carried as much hope as they did people overcrowded boats are now full of

desperation as passage for migrants and refugees is in many places no longer easy or welcome.

Well, even as we stand here in the historic and almost literal shadow of all that immigration, there are calls for tighter regulation for people

coming into the United States. Perhaps the loudest voice for that, Donald Trump.

Well, to discuss joining me now is Michael Daly a special correspond with The Daily Beast.

And Michael I think for many of our viewers around the world who know or aware of what I've just been describing, what they hear from Donald Trump

about deporting hundreds of thousands, potentially deporting hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers goes against everything that they thought

or believed in about America.

MICHAEL DALY, THE DAILY BEAST: Yeah, mean, you know, that is America. That's the Statue of Liberty. That's supposed to welcome people.

And there is Ellis Island. Among the people who arrived at Ellis Island were Donald Trump's mother from Scotland, and his grandfather who he says

in his book was Swedish but was really German. He actually arrived twice, because he came once, went back after he made some money

and they threw him out of Germany and he came back here, back through here again.

That's what started for everybody.

I mean, the new Ellis Island is really Kennedy Airport. You see the planes going in and that's people coming in, or people kind of arrive by foot over

borders. But the principles are the same.

And the other thing is that that message is not just welcoming people who arrive, that message goes out to people.

And you know, for instance, Tienanmen Square they built a replica of the Statue of Liberty, that call it Lady Liberty. And I think that, I mean, if

you want to talk about Ukraine today or any other place, I mean, those principles are supposed to be all -- you know, that's America.

ANDERSON: Listen, they have -- his camp have delayed what was being pitched as a very big speech on immigration. We don't know why at this

point, and we don't know when it's going to be. Do you know get the sense now that his new campaign -- and there are new assets in this campaign for

Donald Trump -- are beginning to look at toning down his rhetoric, are beginning to put some meat, some substance on his rhetoric? Where are we?

DALY: I think where we are is first of all he has up on his website that's kind of describes his position. But it seems that he never read it

himself. And in his townhall meeting yesterday, I think he took like five different positions in about half an hour.

I mean, every time there was a commercial break you came back he had a new position. And I don't think you are going to see meat on it. I think he

is casting a ballot. I think that he in some ways it was an accidental candidacy and he found something that worked and he amped it up and it

worked better. And all of a sudden it's not working so well.

[11:45:26] ANDERSON: Don't let's write him off. I mean the latest polls are certainly showing Hillary in the lead, but let's not write him off,

right.

DALY: No I'm not writing him off, But I'm saying, though, I think that he perceives that he is not doing as well as he was. And he's not someone

I think who is guided by a set of principles. I think he's guided by what he thinks is going to work.

I mean, essentially he is a showman. You know, when he went to jury duty, they say occupation, he wrote down real estate, he should have said

showman.

ANDERSON: And to that end, I know that when he was waiting for jury duty at some point I think you sat down next to him, didn't you?

(CROSSTALK)

DALY: I crossed over them right beside him...

ANDERSON: What did you learn that day?

DALY: He was sitting there. He had nothing to read. Nobody was paying attention to him. And he seemed to be to be someone who has absolutely no

inner resources.

ANDERSON: No inner resources.

DALY: It was like sitting next to a bag of cement. And then when people paid attention to

him, all of a sudden he perked up. And I think a lot of his stuff is reflection. It's a little like the doctor hits you with that little rubber

hammer on the knee and your knee jerks. I think if you hit him with certain places with a little rubber hammer of truth, he has certain

reactions.

ANDERSON: The approval ratings for Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate are low. Walk us through what our viewers internationally

looking from the outside in on these next two or three months in lead up to the November 8 election, walk us through what we should expect.

DALY: What we should expect. My expectation is that it was over for Donald Trump when he

went after the gold star family,the family of that Muslim soldier who was killed.

ANDERSON: Go on.

DALY: Keep going? I'm sorry, but there was something in my ear. I didn't know whether I was

supposed to keep going on not.

ANDERSON: No, no, keep going. Keep going. I'm fascinated.

DALY: The -- I thought that was the voice of Trump -- I think in my point of view, and all the smart people, people smarter than me say don't write

him off. I think he was finished when he dishonored that family. There are some things you just don't do. And this was an uncommonly brave

soldier who happened to be Muslim who died doing something Donald Trump would never contemplate doing. And he turned around and dishonored that

family.

So, I think -- personally as an American, I think it's over for him. I think what you will see --

there is also parts of Hillary Clinton that people have a hard time accepting. I mean, she -- she seems to almost believe in the power of

lies. Her reflex is to kind of obscure and walk away from whatever is going on. And they both -- it's very interesting, they both blame the

media.

ANDERSON: Well, with that, I want to leave it there, because you did get somebody talking in your ear. And so did I, but I think it was just a

helicopter going over which has made it -- it was difficult for us to hear each other.

But we very much thank you for joining us in what is our office today. It couldn't be better, could it really here in New York.

DALY: It is the best place in America right here.

ANDERSON: Thank you, sir. I'm going to finish this segment where we started it, on Ukraine.

And a programming note, Christiane Amanpour sat down exclusively with the Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. And you can watch that full

interview on Wednesday on Amanpour. That is 7:00 p.m. London and 10:00 p.m. Abu Dhabi time.

It is 48 minutes past 11:00 here in New York.

And breaking news for you from Kabul in Afghanistan. Eyewitnesses say they heard an explosion near the American University of Afghanistan. They are

also hearing gunfire in the area.

As soon as we get more details on this story we will of course bring them to you.

Live from Battery Park City, New York, this is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson for you. Coming up, we'll have more on the earthquake that

has devastated several towns in central Italy and left dozens of people dead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMIR DAFTARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rwanda's economy is on the rise. Agriculture is helping it grow. And the humble potato is a major

factor.

Yet despite being so abundant, a common potato product has been overlooked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The biggest challenge was that we have never made a chip.

DAFTARI: For Pascal Morasira (ph), taking potatoes and producing locally made chips was

no-brainer. So, together with his business partner (inaudible), they set up (inaudible) in 2014.

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: We are experiencing some changes in the eating habits in this country and (inaudible) eating a lot of snacks. But actually, the

raw materials we produce them here. We can also make the snacks. It's not a rocket science.

DAFTARI; It may not be rocket science, but producing potato chips on a large scale is not that simple either, especially in a country where it had

never been done before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had to believe that it's possible because if you don't believe, if you are scared or like you have doubts, you better not

start anything. You better keep your day job.

DAFTARI: As well as belief, they learned that their start-up required a lot of research and investment. They had to raise around $450,000 just to

get their factory going. Education was very important, too.

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: We had to teach farmers how to produce the right quality of potatoes we need. And (inaudible) on the right frequency.

DAFTARI: With the peeling, frying, sorting and packaging mastered, it was time to take Winter's (ph) to market.

At around 70 cents a bag, their price is competitive. But for a new brand, it's all about awareness.

Welcome to the Kegali retail expo. Event like this help Winter's (ph) stand out in the a very crowded snack food market.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First of all, you look at the number of (inaudible), you look at the big bag they gave it to you. So, at the end of the day the

customer is the king, is the one who pays our bills.

DAFTARI: that kind of commercial attention has made Winter's (ph) a success domestically. Their stock in major supermarkets across the

country.

But that's not quite enough for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We also want to expand in the region. So, be the dominant potato crisp producer in the region. So, eastern and central

Africa.

DAFTARI: Potato chip domination of AFrica. For this Start-up, it looks as though the writing is on the wall.

Amir Daftari, CNN, Kegali.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:56:01] ANDERSON: Well, live from the very tip of Manhattan, Battery Park City, New York, you are watching CNN. This is Connect the World with

me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.

I just want to get you bang up to date on the breaking news that we bring you from Kabul in

Afghanistan. Eyewitnesses say they heard an explosion near the American University of Afghanistan. They are also hearing gunfire in the area. We

are working very hard to get you more on this.

And as we get it, of course, we will bring that to you.

Well, our Parting Shots today, are images that nobody ever wanted to see. We leave you with one last look at the devastation left behind after the

powerful earthquake in Italy overnight.

This drone footage says it all -- entire buildings flattened trapping people this the debris. Rescuers are working as fast as they can to find

survivors, and residents joining in, some digging with their bare hands to search for their neighbors.

Another look here at the devastation. The once picturesque town of Amatrice now resemble as war zone. At least 73 people in Italy were killed

in this quake, although the death toll seems certain, I'm afraid, to rise as rescuers bring in special heavy equipment to search for the missing.

Do stay with CNN as we continue updating you on this tragedy.

I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. I leave you with some images of what is a stunning day in New York. hank you for watching.

END