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Donald Trump Makes Appeal to African-Americans; Turkish-Backed Fighters Take Jarablus from Kurdish Rebels; Italy Mourns Disaster Victims; Colin Kaepernick Protests During National Anthem. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired August 28, 2016 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:11] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: As the bombs rain down on Aleppo, Turkey enters the battlefield in Syria. Great powers are vying with a

patchwork of rebels and militia for the upper hand in what looks like an unwinnable war.

We get the view from the border for you in a moment.

Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Three rows of coffins, 35 in all, each with a bouquet of flowers, and a photo of the person lost in

Italy's devastating earthquake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Prayers to try to sue a grieving nation. We are live in the village that lost more than 200 people.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is horrible. It is horrible and it is only getting worst.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Donald Trump thrusts gun violence and race politics back into the limelight. I'm getting the Republican view right here in Georgia,

about the dangers some see in Trump's tough talk.

Hello and welcome out of CNN center in Atlanta today, just after 11:00 in the morning. Welcome to Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson.

Well, Turkey roaring into the fighting in Northern Syria. Right now, it is denying reports from activists that its air strikes have killed some 20

civilians, that is near Jarablus, a city now in the hands of the Free Syrian Army rebels. And some major push against ISIS from the Turkish

military.

The video you just saw was shot from across the border in Karkamis (ph) in Turkey, a short distance from there is Gaziantep where the Turkish

president is about to speak to what is a huge crowd gathered for him.

Just last week, a suicide bombing at a wedding party left dozens dead or wounded. Well, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh right there for us in Gaziantep.

Nick, the Turkish president expected to speak out at this rally in the next hour or so. What can we expect him to say?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he is supposed to have just been meeting the injured bride and groom, caught in the wedding,

which seems to be news publicly, at least, to spur this attack inside Syria.

Now, obviously many have long wondered why it was that Turkey did comparatively so little with the violence spiraling across the border in

northern Syria with ISIS and the Kurds, two clear enemies, rising increasing their foot hold there. Well, now they're clearly off the bench

and have stormed in, very effectively it seems so far.

You can you expect for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strident defense of that move. I'm sure you will hear some very vehement language against the Kurds

there many view with some, I think, denial from Turkish officials that the Kurds, the primary point of this particular offensive.

I'm sure you'll also hear him in the same breath talking about ISIS and the threat that they pose as jihadists here across Southern Turkey where many

say they've had years, frankly, to put sleeper cells and get a foothold. But this will very much be about howing him on strongest foot forward,

agressive inside of Syria, tackling the Kurds.

We know that Turkey wants them put on the eastern side of the Euphrates River. That puts the town of Manbij recently liberated from ISIS by those

Kurdish forces, backed by the Americans, that may well be next in the cites of the Syrian rebels who stormed in to Jarablus in with Turkish backing.

We're also potentially looking at another town al-Bab (ph) off to the west of Jarablus, the southwest, which is currently held by ISIS.

It is really a two-pronged offensive here, Becky. The real concern being that we all know Turkey has a great preoccupation over decades with the

Kurds. They may well not be burying the brunt of the violence here, as Turkey moves in and pushes through in this

offensive. We've heard today of this supposed air strike, which activist claims have killed 20 or so civilians, that's been fervently denied by the

Turkish military who say no, we simply targeted Kurdish militants, PKK and YPG, but they're clearing through, these Syrian rebels, clearing through

villages on the way towards Manbij, taking territory along the border as well. This offensive, wide in scope, is just getting underway, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, and as you say, clearly off the bench then, the Turks at this point.

What is Turkish strategy? And what are the implications?

WALSH: Well, in short, they say it is to remove the security threat to them on their southern border. Well, that is an enormous task given that a

lot of that is controlled by the Kurds who they consider to be terrorists.

And there is another chunk of the border where they just kicked ISIS out of.

If you listened to the prime minister yesterday, he gave a fairly good strategic nugget, if you were, talking about the Jarablus-Mara (ph) line.

Now that's probalby the first part of this, that is to control the area between Jarablus that they've seized and Mara (ph) which is to the south of

a key border crossing called Bab en-Salama (ph), that basically links up to Syrian rebel groups that are friendly towards Turkey that have been

separated by ISIS held territory. You do that, they have a chunk of the border they can get more support in. They can push south against ISIS and

the Kurds.

I think that's where it beings. It's been messy so far. Turkey lost soldiers overnight in a rocket attack on tanks -- one soldier, I should

say, two injured. This could potentially be a much longer intervention than you necessarily see in the initial statements from Turkish officials,

Becky.

[11:05:39] ANDERSON: Yah, nobody knows how long the Turkish military on the ground, of course, at this point. And the Syrians saying this is an

imposition on their sovereignty.

Nick, let's turn to Aleppo where there really seems to be no end to the war's cruelty. Activists say as many as 24 people, including a number of

kids, were killed when two barrel bombs were dropped onto a crowd of mourners on Saturday. Now, they were gathering to remember people who

were killed in another barrel bombing attack in the same neighborhood days earlier.

Nick, Aleppo, a little more than an hour's drive from you, and death is piling on to death there.

Is the outlook as grim as it seems?

WALSH: Well, it's always been this has being quotidian life in Aleppo for years now.

Yes, we've seen global attention peak slightly when there was the idea that 200,000, 300,000 people could be cut off by a regime siege, but an

offensive by rebels appears to have broken that to some degree to the south. And now the regime area also faces some pressure, too, from those

same rebel forces.

But these kinds of attacks that you're talking about, that killed 11 children, according to some activists, that's a staggering toll, frankly,

happens every single day almost.

Now, this occurred when a helicopter, which appears -- regime helicopters, they appear to hover over Aleppo looking for signs of life, or crowds of

people. They were attending a wake, as you said, from another barrel bombing just on the previous Thursday.

Now, the key tactic here, Becky, which beggars belief when you hear it, but it's something that just has been commonplace now for two years, at least,

when they first dropped the bomb, they waited for people to flood in and rescue and then committed what's called double tap where you drop another

device on the same place to maximize civilian casualties. This is just how the war has been for a

very long period of time. People have become immune to it, frankly, when they observe this, but the 11 dead children here is just something that has

become the currency of life in that city.

ANDERSON: One of our opinion writers on CNN.com wrote that Aleppo is a microcosm of the Syrian conflict. It is also a microcosm of the failures

of American policy in this war-torn country, that was Hassan Hassan (ph), an expert on the region.

Agree?

WALSH: It's very hard to point your finger exclusively at America. Had America intervened in 2012 with a no-fly zone, I'm sure there would have

been many fingers pointed at them for whatever subsequent comments -- issues there were from there.

Had they hit the Assad regime heavily in 2013, jihadists could have been in control of Damascus after that. It's very hard to 20/20 hindsight to look

back and say that should have been the time which you should have done this.

American intervention in this region is never welcomed. Now they don't have it. Many commentators here are saying, well, that's the reason we're

in such a mess.

We're seeing a generational series of societal issues here play out. What is happening in Aleppo

is ghastly, it's unstoppable and, yes, there is a vacuum of global leadership for making it stop happen.

But as you consistently have, outside nations just like Turkey now, like Iran, like Iraq, like all the different countries imaginable injecting

forces into here to continue the war. Just when you think one side might possibly get exhausted enough to come to the negotiating table.

You're going to see this war carrying on for years more.

ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh reporting for you from Gaziantep. The president has just arrived in Gaziantep. Huge crowds. He will be delivering a

message to those supporters in the next half hour or so. We'll get that live as and when that happens. Nick, thank you.

Right, the pope is offering prayers for a disaster so close to The Vatican that it shook the walls.

Well, he led a blessing today for victims of Wednesday's earthquake in central Italy. It killed nearly 300 people. And the country is now in the

painful process of burying the dead.

CNN's Atika Shubert reports on Saturday's state funeral.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHUBERT: The School gymnasium turned makeshift chapel fit for a state funeral. Three rows of coffins, 35 in all, each with a bouquet of flowers

and a photo of the person lost in Italy's devastating earthquake. Besides them family members, many of them survivors themselves, their broken limbs

in casts, their faces bruised and bandages, their eyes red and swollen from crying. Italy's prime minister and president attended, offering condolences

to those who lost loved ones, conveying their gratitude to the firefighters, police, and emergency medics that pulled survivors from the

rubble.

Bishop Giuseppe Del Colle (ph) led the service, mentioning victims by name, including Julia Naldi, the young girl who died shielding her four-year-old

sister Georgia as their summer home collapsed around them. Georgia survived with minor injuries, Julia did not. Maria lost friends and family in the

earthquake. She and her husband used their bare hands to dig neighbors out of the rubble. "Community is very important," she told us. "Small villages

like this, the relationship with the land, with those you love, with your family, very, very strong. It will be even stronger. We won't give up," she

says.

There will be more funerals. The death toll from the earthquake continues to climb into the hundreds as more bodies discovered in the rubble. This

funeral is only among the first, a national day of mourning for the country to come together and begin the process of healing and rebuilding.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Ascoli Piceno, Italy

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Atika Shubert reporting.

Well, as funerals continue, workers still searching under rubble. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen joins us now from Amatrice, the town hit hardest by this

disaster. Fred, what's the hope of finding more survivors at this point?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point in time, the chances really are dwindling and are almost close to zero, Becky.

I want to show you the area that I'm in right now. It's basically in the center of Amatrice. We managed to get access through here. And you can

just see how mangled a lot of the buildings are here right in the center of town, many of them just crumbled, really. I can't even say like a house of

cards, they just turned to dust.

And you can see the structures, like that old church over there, they're badly damaged and they are also in very serious danger of collapsing if

there is another major aftershock. And I can tell you about two hours ago, there was another a couple of hours ago that caused people here to go and

run outside. It really caused a lot of panic here on the streets in Amatrice. And of course it also caused the search and rescue operations to

be suspended, because the rescuers have to get out of that area because it's very dangerous for them to be there.

For the past, I would say two days, nobody has been recovered living out of the rubble here or

anywhere else. It has been only dead bodies discovered. And unfortunately, the forces that are at work here diffing through the rubble,

sifting through the rubble, they say that in most likelihood, they are only going to retrieve more bodies they believe that there are unfortunately

still buried people underneath the rubble here in the city.

At the same time, with the places that they know that there are no more bodies there, they have

started clearing those areas simply to make it a little bit safer for these search crews to work, because some of these buildings, if they are damaged,

if there is an aftershock, they have come down.

So, Becky, still very difficult here. the people who live here, and who have been affected of this absolutely traumatized right now. And a lot of

them tell us they're not sure whether or not they even want to continue living here in this area, Becky.

ANDERSON: All right, Fred Pleitgen is reporting for you. And later this Sunday, we're going to bring you the story of a wedding with a difference.

My colleague Atika Shubert was a guest at a very special ceremony in Italy. She'll have that story of a marriage and

life moving on only on CNN.

Donald trump is making his pitch to African-American voters in the U.S. often asking them what have you got to lose.

Well, the U.S. Republican presidential candidate spoke of the plight of poor minorities in

inner cities on Saturday in Iowa, a state with a very small African- American population.

Trump says he can fix high rates of poverty and crime, problems he blames on, quote, failed Democratic policies.

Well, his third controversy seizing onto the shooting death of an NBA star's cousin in Chicago to make his political point, tweeting, "Dwayne

Wade's cousin was just shot and killed, walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will

vote Trump."

And on Trump's shifting stance on immigration, he says the media missed the whole point. On Saturday, he spoke of deporting violent criminals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I promise you from the first day in office, the first thing I'm going to do, the first piece of paper that I'm going to sign is we're going

to get rid of these people, day one, before the wall, before anything. And our great law enforcement, they know who they are. They've been living

with them for years, and they don't want to put up with it any more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:15:10] ANDERSON: Well, one of Trump's top aides is facing scrutiny for alleged anti-Semitism.

The ex-wife of the new Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon claimed that in 2007, he didn't want his daughters attending a school because of the number

of Jews who attended it.

Dianne Gallagher has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, like you said it is important to note that those charges of anti-Semitism do come from his ex-wife during a

child custody case that happened back in 2007. She said in that statement that Bannon did not want his daughters to attend a particular girls' school

that they had been considering for them due to the number of Jewish students.

The document shows she stated, quote, "He doesn't like Jews and that he doesn't like that they raise their kids to be whiney brats, that he didn't

want the girls going to school with Jews." Now again, those are his ex- wife's words from that court declaration that involved a dispute over child support. CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign, but we haven't heard

back yet, but Bannon's spokeswoman did get back with us. She tells us at that time, Mr. Bannon never said anything like that and proudly sent the

girls to Archer for their middle school and high school education.

Look, of course all of this does come as the newly appointed campaign chair is already facing scrutiny about his background. We learned this week more

than 20 years ago Bannon did face multiple charges, including misdemeanor domestic violence stemming from an incident involving his ex-wife. Those

charges are dismissed because the ex- wife didn't show up to court, Fred. She later said that it's because his attorney threatened her, saying she

wouldn't be able to support their children if she came. That is a charge that his attorney has denied.

Of course, it is just another chapter in what has been a very controversial career for Steve Bannon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Right, later, Trump's immigration plan, is it really shifting? Well, his running mate says the candidate has been, quote, absolutely

consistent. We'll have more on the U.S. presidential race in about 15 minutes time for you.

First up, though, will Turkey's gamble on moving into the ground war in Syria and helping these rebels pay off? I'll ask a former U.S. military

attache to Syria up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: If not the sound of victory, well at least the sound of freedom there, as rebel fighters from the Damascus suburb of Daraya arrived in

other rebel-held areas with their families after a truce with the government. Dayara was the symbol of the rebellion, you'll remember, now

firmly back in the government's grasp. They will be staying in accommodations like this. It's basic, but far from the constant threat of

fighting that once surrounded them.

Live from CNN Center at just after 20 past 11:00 in the morning. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching Connect the world. Welcome back.

Well, Syria's battle fields are almost incomprehensibly complex right now. There are just so many players involved -- Russia, the United States,

countless militia, rebels, Hezbollah, ISIS, not to mention the Syrian government.

So, the big question, what does Turkey accomplish by getting involved in the country's web of

fighting. We've seen that involvement over the past week or so. We are waiting to hear from

President Erdogan who is on the Turkish/Syrian border today at a huge rally. We will expect to hear more about let's discuss this with CNN

military analyst Rick Francona, the former U.S. military attache to Syria joining us from Washington State today.

Colonel Francona, how do you explain what Turkish strategy is at this point?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think the Turks are taking the long view. Erdogan, who has just survived a coup attempt, which

has actually strengthened his domestic position, now feels emboldened and he is looking for what is going to happen after the Syrian problem is

resolved. And it will be resolved someday. It is going to take a while, but there will be a solution -- political solution in Syria. And he wants

to make sure that Turkish interests are protected. And Turkish interests in Erdogan's mind is to make sure that the Kurds do not come out of this as

an atonomous or an independent region.

So, he's putting as much pressure as he can on the Kurds right now. And if that involves helping the anti-Syrian -- anti-regime rebels, so be it. If

that involves fighting ISIS, so be it.

But his goal is a non-Kurdish threat from his southern border.

ANDERSON: How long can you see Turkish forces on Syria sovereign soil?

FRANCONA: You know, the Turks have done this before. They've done it in Syria, they've done it in Iraq. And the Turks have a pretty

straightforward strategy. They go in. They do what they want to do and they withdraw. And they withdraw to the border and they maintain that

border knowing that they can always go back.

I think they're getting bogged down now. This was supposed to be in and out. They tried it and now they've lost troops inside of Syria. And now

they're facing not only ISIS, as they claim they're doing, but they're also fighting the Kurds.

So they're in there fighting people who are allied with the United States, people who are anti-United States, and they're inserting themselves in the

middle. And I think Erdogan may not realize just the tactical situation he is in.

ANDERSON: All right. Well, he is clearly discussing that with Washington at present.

I want to bring in a quote from Hassan Hassan at this point. He is a fellow think tank on the Middle East. In an op-ed on CNN.com, recently referring

mostly to Washington, he writes, quote -- and this is specifically on Syria -- "policy inconsistencies, intermittent support for the rebels, confused

messaging and the abcense of strong international leadership have contributed to this protracted conflict and allowed space for regional and

international actors to rip the country apart." That is fair to say, isn't it?

FRANCONA: I wish I would have written that. I couldn't have put better words on that.

He is exaplaining exactly what is happening in Syria. And unfortunately, without that international leadership from many parties, we're seeing the

situation -- I saw the report, your discussion you had with Nick earlier about what's going on in Aleppo. We've never seen anything on the scale of

Aleppo. And as you said, there is no real early solution for this.

ANDERSON: I think it was recently described by one of my colleagues, our senior international correspondent, Clarissa Ward as an apocalyptic

catastrophe what's going on in Aleppo.

Rick, in what -- as being widely criticized as failed policy in Syria, Washington, it does seem it is sort of raising the game to a certain

extent. We are clearly seeing a ratcheting up of coalition efforts, specifically against ISIS, both in Iraq and in Syria. Has policy changed?

FRANCONA: I don't know if the policy has changed. I think that there is a realization of what we've been doing in Syria is not working. And I think

the United States has shifted all of its -- most of its effort right now to support the Iraqis in the retaking of Mosul. That

has to happen first.

You know, if you look at the sequencing of the events here, I think the plan now is instead of trying to fight two separate little operations, one

in Iraq, one in Syria, we're going to a lot of pour into helping the Iraqis to retake Mosul and once we retake Mosul, then push ISIS back into Syria.

And then concentrate the efforts on Syria.

I think what they're doing is -- the euphemism is kicking the can down the road, because no one has a real plan for Syria yet, but people can see an

outcome in Iraq.

[11:25:18] ANDERSON: Well, perhaps that is the reason why in the end, in Daraya, a district just outside of Damascus, the rebels have chucked it in.

The government say they've surrendered, the rebels there, those who were left in what was this sort of iconic sort of rebellion town, have now

decided that it is just not worth it, and are being rehoused.

How do you read the implications, for example, of that move? We can certainly see how the

Syrian government is going to play it?

FRANCONA: Well, you know, in Daraya -- you know, I used to live right in the next suburb there. And that's the wrong place to have a stand against

the Syrian government. There's no way they could have kept that. I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did.

But the mere fact that the Syrian government made a deal with them and the deal they got wasn't bad. They've had worst deals that they've taken in

the past. So, the rebels actually got a pretty good deal out of this. They were able to relocate with their weapons. I was really surprised the

Syrians went for that.

And the Syrians are feeling emboldened right now, the Syrian government. Assad has got all the support from the Iranians and the Russians. I'm

surprised he made that kind of deal.

So, he's not feeling real secure either. He's watching what's going on in the north, and even he doesn't know how this is going to turn out.

The people in the driver's seat right now, Becky, are the Iranians, the Russians and the Turks. And I think we need to make sure we get a seat at

that table as well.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Sir, it's always a pleasure having you on. Thank you for your time this Sunday.

You'll find a lot more of CNN's extensive coverage of the war in Syria on the website, including this piece, with the latest developments. And look

at how life returns to normal in a town after ISIS is kicked out.

There is a lot more on the CNN.com, so do use that exceptional site.

The latest world news headlines just ahead, plus Donald Trump's campaign denies a shift on immigration policy. Hear what his runningmate has to say

about that.

Plus, an American football player takes a political stand by sitting down. How he is reigniting the debate over the right to protest, no matter the

circumstances.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: I want to take you to the Turkish city of Gaziantep where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is speaking to a huge crowd gathered

following an attack last week. Let's listen in.

(TURKISH PRESIDENT RALLY IN GAZIANTEP)

[11:39:58] ANDERSON: An emboldened Turkish president offering his condolences to the people of Gaziantep for the death of so many people,

including 34 kids after a suicide attack carried out there, he says, by a 14-year-old at a local wedding last week.

The president spoke about the possibility that the country will reinstate capital punishment, an issue much discussed after the coup last month that

killed more than 200 people.

He said he hears the voice and the will of the people.

And of course, we've been discussing this hour about Turkish -- the Turks going into Syria and

getting involved (inaudible) in this fight against not just ISIS, but the Kurds in Syria as well.

We'll get more from the Turkish president from that well-supported rally. His followers there out in their hundreds to hear him speak on the border

there with Syria. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Let's take you back to the race for the White House now. Donald Trump's latest comments on immigration have seemed to indicate that he is

softening his stance on mass deportations of those living illegally in the U.S. On Saturday, Trump accused the media of missing the whole point, amid

reports of him flip-flopping or changing his stance on the topic.

Well, just two hours ago, Donald Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, sat down with CNN's Jake

Tapper for an exclusive interview on CNN's State of the Union. Republican vice-presidential candidate defended Trump, saying he has been absolutely

consistent on how a President Trump would treat undocumented migrants, or immigrants.

When pushed, Pence would not directly address whether Trump would, quote, implement a

deportation force, which the candidate called for during the primary season.

Do have a listen to this exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, (R) GOVERNOR OF INDIANA: Donald Trump will articulate a policy about how we deal with that population, but I promise you, he is going to

remain completely focused on American citizens and people here legally and how we get this...

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: I don't understand why the -- it is the fault of the media for

focusing on an issue that you're crediting Donald Trump for bringing to the fore. The idea is, Mr. Trump won the primaries in no small way because he

had a very forceful position, saying all 11 or 12 million undocumented immigrants will be forced to leave the country. Now

you right this minute are saying that that's not the policy. You're saying he is going to be unveiling it in the next few weeks. It is 72 days until

the election.

PENCE: The way you characterize his position is one thing. I think he's been completely...

TAPPER: We just ran the clip of it.

PENCE: Jake, he has been consistent in the principles that he's articulated. Nobody was talking about illegal immigration when Donald

Trump entered this campaign. He was attacked from day one for putting the whole issue of the violence that is derived from certain individuals that

come into this country illegally on the table. He has made it clear we're going to secure or borders, we're going to build a wall. We're going to

enforce the laws of this country, stand up and uphold the constitution of the United States of America.

But what you see going on right now, and I think at a certain level it is very refreshing, because

it is the Donald Trump that I see everyday, is you see a CEO at work. You see someone who is engaging the American people, listening to the American

people. He is hearing from all sides.

But I promise you, he is a decisive leader. He will stand on the principles that have underpinned his commitment to end illegal immigration

in this country, and that's what people will learn more about in the days ahead.

But let's be clear. Hillary Clinton supports open borders, amnesty and even wants to increase Syrian refugees to this country by 550 percent. You

couldn't have a more clear choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: all right. Well, for more on this presidential contest, I'm joined by Brian Robinson. He is the former assistant chief of staff for

communications to Georgia's Republican governor at Nathan Deal. Georgia being the state that Atlanta is in, and that is where CNN's home is, of

course, viewers.

Let's talk about this state, the state of Georgia. Traditionally Republican. The Democrats would have us believe in this presidential race,

that this is now what is known as a battleground state. And they're saying that because they say no Republican here is going to vote for Donald Trump.

Are they?

BRIAN ROBINSON, FRM. SPOKESMAN FOR GEORGIA GOVERNOR: Many Republicans will vote for Donald Trump here, particularly outside of metro Atlanta. The

metropolitan home of the state, half of the state's population is here in metro Atlanta. In the rural areas of the state, he's going to do very

well. He may even out perform Mitt Romney's numbers here.

But in metro Atlanta where Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz did much better in the primary. He is going to have some trouble, particularly with college

educated women and college educated men, because some are going to stay home, some are going to skip the line. And of course, here in Georgia,

we've got a contested U.S. Senate race and with Hillary Clinton being the next president, we need to make sure we keep the Republican U.S. senator in

the senate.

ANDERSON: What about with African-Americans in this state? You're telling me that in rural

Georgia, you reckon that Trump will reign supreme to a certain extent.

What about African-Americans? When I take a look at the polls, he is down below 10 percent and losing out considerably. We've seen what he has been

saying recently in addressing African-Americans saying, listen, your lives are not great. You know, it's only me who can improve it. It is sort of

the rhetoric we are seeing out there from Trump when he speaks to African- Americans, when he brings up the race card and plays the race card. Is this going to work for

him going forward?

ROBINSON: Georgia is a great microcosm for the country on this issue, because Atlanta is home to the wealthiest, the best educated, the most

entrepreneurial African-Americans in this country. So you have a different set here, a very elite class of African-Americans. And you're seeing him

poll in Georgia with African-Americans below even what traditional Republican get.

You know here, they get between 5 and 12 percent. Still very low, but double Governor Deal was able to break into double digits with African-

Americans two years ago by focusing on issues that appeal to them, by showing them he cared about their issues, and was -- and had policies that

benefited their community directly.

ANDERSON: How concerned are you that this campaign will do significant, even more damage than it has already done to the Republican standing with

American minority communities?

ROBINSON: You know, America is getting more diverse everyday. The White population numbers have dropped dramatically in the last 30 years. And

I'm really fearful that this campaign is going to hurt Republicans' ability to capture those new Americans, these new immigrant groups for the next

two generations.

You know, California used to be a battleground state. It has been solidly Democratic for years now, because of anti-Hispanic sentiment in one ballot

initiative. I think that can happen nationally and it could relegate Republicans to being a state and and local party in this

country is devastating.

And when -- and there have been good Republicans trying do the right thing. You know, in Georgia, where we have a large African-American population,

one-fourth of all the Republcian delegates in Cleveland who are black were from Georgia, because we're really trying to reach out. And this is going

to really hurt those efforts.

ANDERSON: Trump has been trying to convince black voters that he is the candidate for them. He has been talking about economic growth and

opportunity and about violence in a city, as I was alluding to.

On the campaign trail on Saturday, he spoke about a young mother who was shot and killed the day before. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[11:50:01] TRUMP: The cousin of NBA star Dwayne Wade, a great guy, Dwayne Wade, was the victim of a tragic shooting in Chicago. She was the mother

of four, and was killed while pushing her infant child in a stroller just walking down the street. Shot. It breaks all of our hearts to see it.

It's horrible. It's horrible. And it's only getting worse.

This shouldn't happen in our country. This shouldn't happen in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: In recent a Pew Research poll, Trump polling at 2 percent support among black voters and 26 percent among Hispanics. He talks about

America today. Is this a dystopic vision, is the America that Donald Trump is talking about one that you recognize?

ROBINSON: Well, I think it is what do when you are the party out of power. I think it's how you talk when it's the other party that has been in the

White House for eight years. So, I don't think it is that unusual.

I think there was a lot of dystopic vision of America in 2008, by Barack Obama talking about the George W. Bush years. So, I don't think he is way

out of the mainstream on this.

But when speaking to minority audiences, what we need to hear from him is how he's going to create jobs, how he is going to keep the community safe.

What we don't need to do is to say you've got terrible jobs, you're not educated, you're crime ridden. That's what came out this week. That sends

a terrible message.

We do have a positive Republican conservative message for minorities, many of whom are entrepreneurs, many of whom are very family focused, many of

whom share many of those values with the Republican Party. Let's talk to them about those values as if they're all Americans, not as if they're

subsets of Americans. That's what Democrats do.

ANERSON: With that, I'm going to leave it there. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

ROBINSON: Thank you very much. Good to see you.

ANDERSON: ...for having you on here in the state of Georgia.

Live from CNN Center in Atlanta, you're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 52 minutes past 11:00, just before midday. Coming

up, an American football player speaking against racial injustice, what he says about his decision not to stand for the U.S. national anthem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Right. A couple of weeks ago at the Rio Olympics, American gymnast Gabby Douglas was harassed on social media because she didn't put

her hand over her heart during the national anthem. And it wasn't a political statement. She said she was simply standing at attention, a

posture of respect commonly used by members of the military.

Well now in another controversy involving an American athlete and the anthem, and this time there is definitely a message. NFL quarterback Colin

Kaepernick sat in protest during the anthem before a pre-season game on Friday. He explained why he did it saying, quote, "I am not going to stand

up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football. And it will be

selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Well, for more on this controversy, I want to bring in World Sport's Don Riddell.

How big a deal is this?

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, everybody is talking about it, so it's a very big deal. I think when you look at what at the 49ers and the NFL

are going to do about it, they've already made their position pretty clear, which is basically we encourage players to stand during the national

anthem, but we can't make them do it.

I think it is going to be interesting to see if he keeps up with this kind of rhetoric about his position and how he feels about it, whether that will

take us into a different area, but they can't make people stand up and salute the flag.

And actually, it is not the first time he has done it during the preseason. The game -- the season doesn't start for a couple of weeks. He has

actually not done it during any of the preseason games, but this was the first time he had been in uniform and this was the first time people have

really noticed.

A lot of fellow players are talking about it. As you'd expect, social media has completely blown up. And opinions on both sides of the coin. So

I mean, let's show you one of them, the dolphin's Arian Foster has spoken about it, and he said the flag represents freedom, the freedom to choose to

stand or not, that's what makes this country beautiful.

Now, one of his former teammates, T.J. Yates, who is currently without a team, he said interesting, how he is disrespecting the same country that

allows him those rights to religious and political freedom. It blows my mind how many people hate the country they live in.

You know, we have seen athletes take a stand on issues like this before. Last summer, we had the icon breeze movement, and players like LeBron James

in the NBA wearing that t-shirt. And we are seeing athletes starting to find a voice really. Because when you think about how much these athletes

are paid.

And a lot of them are sponsored by big corporations. They don't like to speak out, because it can't harm their endorsements and their sort of

revenue potential. But it is interesting to see athletes like this saying, no, you know, I don't really care what the consequences are. I'm going to

have a say.

ANDERSON: Fantastic having you on Connect the World. We used to work together in London, now I'm Abu Dhabi and this one is here on a regular

basis. So, good to have you on. See you this week.

Well, for today's Parting Shots, then, we turn to the UAE where this show is normally based. Sunday is, of course, the start of the working week in

the Arab world, so imagine the reaction of Dubai's ruler, when he found only empty desks when visiting two government offices. Well, he didn't

look too impressed, judging by this video posted on social media.

The sheikh is known for making surprise inspections. We should mention today is the first day of school in the UAE, which might help explain the

absence of government workers.

Well, I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World last week for you out of New York. This week working out of Atlanta at just before midday.

Thank you for watching from the team here in the States and those working with us, of course, in the UAE and around the world, it is a very good day

to you this Sunday. And it looks like a very nice day out there in Atlanta, Georgia today.

END