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Raw Rift; Follow The Leader; Young Ambition; Forces Gathering Intelligence On Terrorist Leader; Disputed Election To Go Ahead Thursday. Aired 11a-12n ET
Aired October 25, 2017 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) :
[11:0025]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the next generations asks us why didn't you do something? Why didn't you speak up? What are we going to say?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LYNDA KINKADE, CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN: Republicans try to call time on Trump saying he is back for America's standing in the world. The U.S.
President pushes back. All this as it's revealed that the Clinton campaign harshly a funded a dossier full of damming claims about Trump and Russia.
We are live in Washington this hour. Also the risk in D.C., China's leadership stands united with the leader Xi Jinping more powerful than
ever. And aiming high, Saudi Arabia said it wants to return to what it calls moderate Islam. We'll look ambition and the reality.
Hello and welcome to "Connect the World." I am Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta filling in for Becky Anderson. We have got an extremely exciting hour and
day ahead for you right here on CNN with reporting from all around the world like no one else. We are on the ground in Niger looking into a
deadly ambush on America's soldiers by ISIS linked fighters. Another threat where North Korea capital tracking atomic ambitions. And in Saudi
Arabia as the country changes course, we will have that, just ahead.
First, the open hostility on Capitol Hill like we've never seen before. The U.S. president facing shop attacks from members of his own party in
responding and unique way. Republican Senator Bob Corker and Jeff Flake lashed out on Donald Trump Tuesday, claiming he is debating the nation made
a lawmaker and seeking reelection next year and sounding the alarm about the commander in chief before leaving Washington. Mr. Trump twitted hours
ago. The reason Flake and Corker dropped out of the senate race is very simple. They had zero chance of being elected. Now act so hurt and
wounded. Senator Flake talked about that on CNN's new day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN JEFF FLAKE, (R) ARIZONA: Like I tell you it's very difficult to be reelected in the Republican Party right now in Arizona in particular. It's
if you're with the president. I can't be with the President at all times. I'm sorry. When the President is wrong, you ought to call him out and
sometimes he is wrong. And that is what I tried to point out in the speech yesterday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you an outlawry Senator in the Republican Party? What about the second half of what the President just tweeted. The meeting
with Republican Senators yesterday outside of Flake and Corker was a lovefest with standing ovations and great ideas for the USA. Is that how
you see it?
FLAKE: I'm not going to describe a private meeting. A lot of my colleagues are sure that the concerns that I raised on the floor yesterday.
I believe that more of them will speak out in the future. I hope that we have reached a tipping point of some type where we don't continue to
normalize by being silent the kind of behavior that we have seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well for more on how this Republican feuds is playing out in Washington, here is our Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
FLAKE: It's time for our complicity and our accommodation of the unacceptable to end.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Outgoing Senator Jeff Flake fiercely denouncing President Trump's policy and behavior as dangerous to democracy
and calling on his fellow Republicans to do the same.
FLAKE: When the next generation asks us, why didn't you do something? Why didn't you speak up? What are we going to say? `
JOHNS: Flake railing against the politics of the era of Trump, the undermining of Democratic ideals, the personal insults and what he called
the flagrant disregard for truth and decency.
FLAKE: Reckless, outrageous a undignified behavior has become excused as telling the it like it is when it's actually just reckless outrageous and
undignified. We were not made greats a indulging in our worst impulse, glorifying in the things that divide us and calling fake things true and
true things fake.
[11:05:00] JOHNS: Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell praising Flake, but punting when asked by reporters how the Party would respond.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At what point do you have an obligation as a leader of this Party to weigh in on these very serious criticisms of the
President?
FLAKE: I have an obligation to do is to try to achieve the greatest cohesion I can among 52 Republican who is try to achieve for the American
people the agenda that we set out to achieve.
JOHNS: Flake sweeping indictment coming hours after Republican Senator Bob Corker also blasted Mr. Trump.
SEN BOB CORKER, (R) TENNESSEE: The President has great difficulty with truth. I don't know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard at
the basis our country in the way that he does, but he does.
JOHNS: The retiring senate foreign relation committee chairman expressing concern that the United States position in the world is suffering under
President Trump.
CORKER: World leaders are very aware that much of what he says is untrue. He purposely is breaking down relationships we have around the world that
have been useful to our nation.
JOHNS: The feud reaching out boiling point with the President responding to Corker's attacks in a series of tweets again calling him little. The
White House brushing off the criticism as petty and welcoming the decision of the Senators to retire.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think they were not likely to be re-elected and I think it shows the support is behind
this president than those two individuals.
JOHNS: A source familiar with the president's thinking said he is in high spirits after Flake's announcement. An ally of Mr. Trump's former chief
strategist also celebrating saying Steve Bannon added another scalp to his collection as another establishment domino falls.
(END VIDEO)
KINKADE: That was our Joe Johns reporting, Republican say the civil war within the party. New details are emerging on the infamous dossier
accusing Mr. Trump of connections to Russia. A source telling CNN that Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign and the Democratic National
Committee helped fund research for that dossier. The Washington Post was the first to report this story. It contained allegations allegation
possible coordination between Mr. Trump's campaign and the kremlin which Trump team has consistently denied. CNN White House Dan Merica joins us
now from Washington, Dan let's first start with the Republican Party, just explain how unusual is it to see two mainstream Senators attacking the
President, their very own leader and calling him dangerous, not only for the country and the world.
DAN MERICA, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's very unusual. It's not that they are commenting on the president, they are going against policies
that he proposed, they are going against who he is as a leader. They are calling him dangerous. They are questioning whether he has the ability to
lead the Republican Party, lead the United States and that is what so significant. The White House is saying these are two lawmakers who would
have been able to be re-elected in their individual states, Tennessee and Arizona. There is some truth that. Jeff Flake would have had difficult
run not only in the Republican primary Arizona, but also if he would have made it on to the general election. What isn't really jibing here is that
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Flake's language wasn't befitting the United States senate. The floor of United States senate.
There's a lot that the President had said that many would argue is not befitting the oval office. The United States senate has been the venue for
a number of very prominent fights. Man before the civil war was almost caned to death for what he was saying. If that is what the White House hang
their hat on that Jeff Flake used language that wasn't befitting, I think you'll see that language change today.
KINKADE: And then lets us have a look at this Russian scandal. The report that, Clinton's campaign paid to look at Trump's ties to Russia. Her
former press secretary was speaking to Don Lemon a short time ago. Let us take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN FALLON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It would have been malpractice in my view for the campaign to not turn over every rock and learn everything
it could about Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: And now he is defending the move. Perhaps not surprising, right?
MERICA: It's not surprising that Brian Fallon would defend this move. He told CNN he didn't know about the agreement between Clinton connected
lawyer who also represented the Democratic national committee and Fusion GPS, the firm that hired Christopher Steele to dig into these allegations.
He was not aware. He told CNN that was kept to a very small group inside the campaign a spokesperson for Hillary actually just told us. We don't
know whether it rose to that level. It's not surprising that he is defending this. Many in the Clinton campaign are saying this is just
normal opposition research. As we have seen this morning, President Trump and Sara Sanders both comment on this. This going to be something that the
White House, this is kind of dismissed as ongoing Russia probe, something that they had been doing for months now.
[11:10:13] KINKADE: All right. A lot to hear there in Washington. Thanks so much for your time.
MERICA: Thank you.
KINKADE: Now to another controversy brewing in Washington. U.S. Military analysts tells CNN the soldiers killed in an ambush in Niger. We are
gathering intelligent on a terrorist leader. Four Americans and five Nigerians were killed on the attack. While on patrol the troops stop at a
village. An official says it's likely a villager tipped of local ISIS fighters. For the latest let's go to David McKenzie in Niger. David, this
wasn't a capture or kill operation. By all accounts it was a routine intelligence gathering operation. What are you learning about what went so
horribly wrong?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we can say is nothing is entirely routine in this region flying into Niger as I've done before. You can see
what a vast territory that the U.S. For are dealing with. Much o4hat territory border is insecure and has had attacked multiple of them. A
number of questions are still ambush and that is for U.S. and Niger soldiers that were killed. One of them is what was the intelligence
suggested that suggested according to U.S. officials that there was a threat level despite being multiple attacks in this region this year.
Another question that had been raised of course, also that the head of the Africa command gave them towards congress. Asking soldiers working in his
theater has say they contract out search and rescue, it came to that. That raises both issue of whether the forces here are under staff and supported
and the question why several congressmen have questioned whether they knew about the Nigerian operation in the first place. Here in Niger the
government has said very little about this ambush, it is a very sensitive topic of course, there are key parts and leading this operation since in
that area that encompasses, frankly the continental United States. That is some of the challenges that the U.S. forces and the counter parts are up
against as questions still remain about this ambush.
KINKADE: Certainly many more questions in Niger. Thank you very much.
Niger is one of the challenges President Trump is dealing with right now. His domestic agenda is a mine field as well. Especially with members of
his own party turning against him. The situation could not be more different in China. Where the president is not going anywhere, at least
not any time soon. He is unveiled the communist Party's new leadership team. There's no one who is an obvious successor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT POWERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In this past week in China has really been all about Xi Jinping formalizing the amount of political power that he has
been able to gather up over his five years in office. Now that he has it, the question is, how he will use this new found power. The most powerful
man in China strode on stage Wednesday led by their unquestioned leader. President Xi Jinping. The public reveal, of his top leadership team rapped
up a week that he has driven home only one message. This is Xi Jinping China.
Xi kicked off the 90th party congress last week. They marathon 3 and half hour speech. That had former leader (inaudible), 91 years-old checking his
watch. XI argued that the stronger the communist Party, the stronger China will be. In that speech, he said in politics military and academia from
east to west and north to south, the party leaves everything in the country. His call for absolute government control is reminiscing of
communist China's founder chairman (inaudible). This week Xi now joins him in party scripture. Delegates voted to Xi Jinping thought as it called
into the party constitution. He saw his ideology, institutionalized in this way. He had predicted he is rocking into the history book when he
took over in 2012. Party wrapped with corruption throughout all his belief in the party did not waver.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are true believers trying to save the party and in a process save China, but it is all about the party.
[11:15:00] POWERS: The last five years have Xi an anti-corruption campaign to solve an obvious problem. But also critics say to bring down or force
out potential rivals which leads us to this. The new standing committee. The top decision making body in the country filled with people loyal to Xi.
The seven new members of the standing committee have a lot in common. For starter they are all men in their 60s. The long time Party insiders and
there's no doubt this other six are in lock step with his agenda making him the most powerful Chinese leader since that guy right there. What's a
leader to do after amassing all this political capital? Xi Jinping will likely use it to continue his big initiatives over the last five years.
Expect China to engage more in the international community. China could become the center of the world while expanding its military. Also expect
the continued silencing of any political dissent, jailing of political human rights activists and the censorship of both state media and social
media. In short, Xi is now powerful enough to steer this country in the way he sees best.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are all going be sitting on the edge of our chairs here watching where he goes with all of this.
POWERS: We may be watching what Xi does for a long time. With no obvious accessory in the standing committee, Xi could be setting himself up to
remain the most powerful man in China for a longtime to come. Keep in mind the U.S. President Donald Trump is said to make his first state visit to
China as president in just a few weeks from now. He will be meeting with Xi Jinping. There will be high stakes diplomacy that goes on in those
meetings. Xi Jinping will be walking in feeling good about his domestic stability, while Donald Trump will certainly have the distraction while the
uncertainty that is going on right now in United States. Lynda?
(END VIDEO)
KINKADE: Thanks Matt Powers for that report. We have some developing news just in. An official telling CNN the foreign minister's warning about the
possibility of a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean should be taken literally. That is what CNN Will Ripley told in an interview he just had
with a high ranking diplomat. CNN is on the ground in Pyongyang and we will bring you the live reports in the isolated states in the coming hours.
Kenya now where despite bitter disputes officials say election will go ahead on Thursday as scheduled. A lawyer for the opposition Party is
criticizing the Supreme Court for failing to rule on a delay claiming a postponed election would ensure the polls were free and credible.
Correspondent Farai Sevenzo is in (inaudible) and joins us now. The Supreme Court was meant to decide whether this vote could go ahead. Was an
ability that the electoral commission could hold a credible poll, why didn't they make a decision?
FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, it has been a dramatic day to this morning chief justice went air to basically say he didn't have enough
judges on the bench to rule on this urgent petition about delaying these elections or holding them another day, because the IEBC is deemed unready.
Judges were missing. Some of them couldn't fly back to the courts. Then we must remember that last night one of the feme chief driver was shot
which led to possibly a shock or whatever her, not attending. The man in hospital right now. He is recovering from the bullet wounds. This has led
people to think there's some kind of force at play to force this election to go ahead. People are calling it mafia tactics. Government has its own
reasons for wanting to go ahead. Kenya has been (inaudible) for the last few weeks. They need this election, to legitimize Kenya's rule that it has
been very difficult with nearly half of the electoral missing. Do not participate in any way in time elections, convince your friends, neighbors
and everyone else not to participate, instead we advise Kenyans to value democracy and justice to hold vigils and prayers away from the polling
stations. That is where we are at the moment. We are having an election but he said they will not take part. That is where we are.
KINKADE: No doubt. More protests expected there. Good to have you there on the ground. We will talk to you soon.
Still to come, Saudi Arabia's steep ambitions. We look at what the crown prince is planning. We will have that story, in a live report, next.
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[11:22:03] KINKADE: The king of Saudi Arabia looking forward to its future by taking inspiration from its past. Speaking on Riyadh on Tuesday the
country's crown prince said he wants to return to a more moderate Islam. Well, we know mine don't change overnight. It will rile ultraconservatives
in the kingdom but with 70 percent of the country under 30, it will likely be well received by Saudi's young population and will get another approval
from the outside world as the kingdom is relying on as it seeks to revitalize its economy. Let us go to John Defterios, he is on the ground
in Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia. John skeptics say this is all a marketing play, but what is the motivation? Is it social or is it
economic?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well I would say its well beyond a marketing play on this stage. Both economic and social. Here we
look at what has happened in the last 48 hours today they announced that the near doubling of their sovereign funds public investment funds to $400
billion of the targeted tickets at $2 trillion, $2 trillion by 2030. This is the economic engine for development at the same time they want to have
social engineering, opening up the economy to modernize Saudi Arabia is a bit more nuanced. That was nearly (inaudible) there. He wants to
eradicate a radical Islam. This is seen as a green light to modernize the economy modernize the Saudi people for the 21st century is something seen
as a green light for investment for the future, let us take listen to Tom Barrack, he is a well-known private equity real estate investor base in
California and a close ally of Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BARRACK, CEO COLONY CAPITAL: I think what you see here in the last few days is a real commitment. We are going to clean the environment on the
west, we will be transparent, we will be secure, we will be stable and understandable and we are going to create those eco system for the west for
the next 30 years.
DEFTERIOS: He said he wants to rule out radical Islam? Eradicate this. What is the connection pf foreign direct investment in the conservative
society for businessmen like you? Does it give you comfort he will be aggressive on that front while opening up at the same time?
BARRACK: Yes, it's a necessity in evaluating risk, the geopolitical risk is one type. His civil disorder is something that any CEO or anybody
managing risk does not want to wonder into. I think this idea that was really proffered between the crown prince and the President, let us think
back nine months ago, we had an Islamic ban. Today we are sitting inside a palace with 3,000 of the most famous CEOs in the world hosted in Riyadh and
Islamic environment in which everything is finding peace and a kind of tolerance, it can only be done with a bold action which this crown prince
has demonstrated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:25:26] DEFTERIOS: Once again Tom Barrack of Colony Capital. Another big picture look here, this is the largest economy. They need to get it
right. Some suggested including the top adviser to the crown prince. This is the last ticket out for Saudi Arabia, because of the fallen oil prices.
This young 32 year-old crown prince wants to re-engineer Saudi Arabia many fronts, but he has to deliver indeed on the promise to 2030.
KINKADE: A huge ambition. John Defterios for us in Riyadh, great to have you down on the ground for us. We're going to stay on this story. Let's
go over to Simon Henderson, he is the director of gold and energy policy program at the Washington Institute Near East Policy in the Arab State of
the Persian Gulf. Good to have you with us.
SIMON HENDERSON, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Thank you.
KINKADE: The notion of changing ideology that had been in place for decades is a huge move. The question is can it be achieve and if so, how
long would it take before we see real change?
HENDERSON: Yes, what the crown prince said yesterday in extraordinary and not totally surprising but how he does it is going to be incredibly
difficulty. He has essentially said that the Islam of Saudi Arabia who is traditionally being moderate. I don't think so. That is not the
impression that historians have had. How he is going to switch it back to being moderate will be a challenge. It's also going to likely get the
opposition of the clerical establishment, the Islamic Establishment in Saudi Arabia, although had been politically crucial in the past less
important today, but they are still necessary to buy in to his project.
KINKADE: Saudi Arabia was the first country that U.S. President Donald Trump went to on his first foreign trip. It seems Saudi Arabia may be
trying to carry favor with the U.S. Is this a foreign policy wins the President Trump?
HENDERSON: They were thoroughly fed up with President Obama. By contrast, President Trump appears to be entirely supportive of Saudi Arabia and the
UEA and several other Gulf States as well as Israel.
KINKADE: Just briefly, this a country that has clogged blogged and jailed bloggers for speaking their mind. Can we expect that to change?
HENDERSON: The crown prince has difficult balance to achieve. He needs to be able to sell his transformational policies, economic, political,
diplomatic, social, but in order to sell them, he is got to get public buy in from the people of Saudi Arabia. At the moment, he' restricting social
media and if you step out of line, you're told to shut up or arrested. It's not going to be conducive to change if there is also an atmosphere of
fear in the kingdom.
KINKADE: Very interesting. You made some great point there Simon Henderson, good to have you with us. I wish we had more time. We will
speak to you again soon. Thank you. We are going to take a quick break. The latest headlines are next, you're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00] LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: This is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade and these are the top stories we are following this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: U.S. President Donald Trump is dismissing scathing attacks by members of his own party. Republican Senators Bob Corker and Jeff Flakes
said that he is degrading the country. Neither are seeking reelection next year. Mr. Trump said it's because they have zero chance of winning.
Besides protest, Kenya will hold its presidential election on Thursday and August election was invalidated because of irregularities. Critics say
this new vote won't be fair either. But Kenya's Supreme Court failed to hear the challenge because several judges failed to turn up to make a
ruling.
In China, the seven men that said the Communist Party's leadership team are all male and they're all loyal to President Xi Jinping. But all successors
has been named and less predict Mr. Xi will dominate Chinese politics for decades to come.
The Kurdish regional government says it's going to freeze the results for the September referendum. It wasn't overwhelming vote for Kurdish
independence, it was a calling for an immediate seize fire in the Kurdish region and for talks with the Iraqi government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Nima Elbagir joins us now for Istanbul and Nima, the aim of this of course is prevent violence and to begin dialogue but is this a back step
for the Kurds or is this the only way forward?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that is absolutely the question of the hour. The sense have been when we are there during the
referendum that President Barzani was taking the only course that was acceptable for growing number both his advisors.
And the population with the Kurd -- within the Kurdish region itself, 93 percent of people with and over 70 percent turnout voted to take parts for
Kurdistan to push forward towards independence state at the time.
President Barzani had said that this was just the beginning to allow them to begin talks with (Inaudible), with the central government.
Of course they very quickly found themselves friendless and it moved from friendless to surrounded when popular militias, the Iranian-backed
militias, the Iraqi forces move towards many of those contested areas in which the referendum had taken place like Kirkuk. Those areas are now back
on the central government control.
So not only has that bid, that gamble for state had seemingly but they have also lost much of almost lucrative territory. Kirkuk isn't just at the
heart of this struggle between Kurdish and the central Iraqi government. It's also at the hands of Iraq's oil industry.
So, it really feels like President Barzani gambled not only as he speaking to kind of reassert equilibrium, he's also seeking to get back on his feet.
Lynda.
KINKADE: And, Nima, what does this mean for the Iraqi prime minister? No doubt this is seen as a win, has there been any comment from Baghdad?
ELBAGIR: We are waiting to hear any comment specifically from Baghdad on the offer to freeze and referendum -- referendum results but Barzani has
put forward.
[11:35:00] But we have been hearing today here on Ankara during his meeting with the Turkish leader. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi reasserting much
of those talking points that we've heard throughout that Iraq's territorial integrity as he calls it, is absolutely unassailable.
It is not something that they are in anyway willing to equivocate over. He seems to have the winning hand right now, Lynda. So he can afford to hold
on to that. But he also is someone who has been surrounded by a lot of political maneuvering.
There had been a sense that Nouri al-Maliki, the former iraqi prime minister was making political hay out of, a lot of this back-and-forth
between the Kurdish region and central government, that is now really been put to rest.
And we must remember that this isn't just about the broader emissive issues here, this is also about politics, plain and simple. Haider al-Abadi is
facing an election right now, Lynda. And he is looking stronger than ever.
KINKADE: Yes, huge win to him. Nima Elbagir, great to have you with us, thanks so much. Well, circle back to our extraordinary top story this hour
-- a never before seen bus stop at the very top of American politics. Right now, loud attacks -- really loud from inside American's president's
own party and they are against him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Two Republican senators, Bob Corker and Jeff Flake, each political giant in their own by calling Donald Trump, quote, dangerous and
utterly untruthful.
But President Trump just hours ago, boasting that apart from Corker and Flake, their colleagues are treating him to a quote, love fest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, let's go to Washington. CNN's very own Stephen Collinson is there. Stephen, certainly some fascinating developments, Jeff Flake
particularly had those stinging insults and that speech certainly hit accord with many. Let's just take a quick listen to one of his key
remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: We were not made great as a country by indulging in or even exalting our worst impulses turning against ourselves,
glorified him the things that divide us and calling fake things true and true things fake.
And we did not become a beacon of freedom in the darkest corners of the world by flouting our institutions and failing to understand just how hard
one and vulnerable they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Now, Stephen, he said more Republicans will come and speak against the president. How divided does the Republican Party right now and
can we expect others to come forward?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think the Republican Party is in the middle of a civil war which was started by the political revolution
that was triggered by Donald Trump as this anti-establishment outsider candidate in the 2016 election.
Any other president, if there were members -- senior members, respective members of their own party is coming out and accusing him of debasing the
country would be in deep trouble and would -- I think he will be starting to talk about the end of that presidency.
What's so paradoxical about Donald Trump is in many ways, this represents a victory for him. It is a sign I think, a last cry of the old guard, people
like Corker and Flake, and Senator John McCain, an assignment he is reinventing the Republican Party in his own image.
Although many Republicans say the kind of things that Flake and Corker said in private. No one is yet willing to come out and say them in public
simply because Donald Trump has the support of 80 percent of Republican voters. He's change the complexion, the ideological makeup of the party
and these senators are descending from him are on their way out.
KINKADE: He is certainly are in the way out and the president as that his family are the land and the president as usual had been on Twitter today,
trying to put out an image that the rest of the party is certainly behind him that it's a love fest, that they all happy.
We have got one of those tweets. And he said, the reason Flake and Corker dropped out of the Senate race is simple. They had zero chance of being
elected, now act so hurt and wounded. Does he have a point? Do they simply bitter President Trump because they don't have a chance of
reelection?
COLLINSON: I don't think they are necessarily bitter. Corker would have a tight race in Tennessee. Jeff Flake clearly was in deep trouble simply
because he deposit from the Republican base in criticizing Trump in the book this earlier year. And he probably wouldn't have been reelected.
I'm not sure that there's -- these senators are bitter. They see what Donald Trump represents as starting against the values and the history of
everything the United States is supposed to stand for in the world.
So I think that suddenly was motivating and they have basically decided to pay for that opposition with their careers. It's an act of conscience.
[11:40:00] But there are many other Republicans that are sticking with Donald Trump. Just hours after Cocker and Flake spoke yesterday, a lot of
Republican senators came out and said, well, we're sticking with the president because we want to enact tax reform.
That is such a huge issue in Washington right now. Establishment senators need it because they need to shoe something to their voters in the midterm
elections. The president needs it because he doesn't have a real legislative achievement.
So I think despite the new antagonism between those blocks of the party, for now at least, they're going to try and stick together and get something
done.
KINKADE: But the question is, how can they get it done with the civil war as you describe within the Republican Party, how difficult is it going to
be -- to push through that agenda, to push through that legislation.
COLLINSON: Well the Republicans only have a four seat advantage in the Senate over Democrats. So it doesn't make a lot of strategic sense for
Donald Trump to be going picking fights with Republicans who may then be tempted to vote against him.
But on issues like tax, this is an ideological issue. I think it is quite possible to someone like Corker and Flake would actually vote to pass tax
reform, despite their antipathy towards the president personally and for his leadership style.
And what is politics represents tax reform as a core conservative aspiration. But when it comes to other things, I think we will have to
wait and see if we get to the midterm elections. For example, tax reform has failed.
Donald Trump's approval rating is 30 percent perhaps. I think you might get to see people in the Republican Party, then separate themselves from
the president. But I don't think were at that point where the dam breaks quite yet.
KINKADE: Stephen Collinson, always great to get your analysis, thank you so much for joining us today. Well, you are Watching Connect the World.
Still to come tonight, the crisis in Venezuela is putting salt on the wounds of the ailing children. We'll have the report from the region,
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You are watching CNN and this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back. Well, these children faces, we have grown to come
familiar with and they are suffering in Yemen, making headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: But thousands or miles away, another tragedy is unfolding in Venezuela where medical help is beyond scare and children are suffering.
Most (Inaudible) lives with no real help in sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Paula Newton has more. We must warn you, some of these images might be distressing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The searing reality of Venezuela's upheaval reveals itself right here, in a tender moment between mother and
son. Both know it's his only comfort. There is precious little else here to help him.
[11:45:00] Davis Perez is a very sick 14-year-old boy. Yes, he's 14. He lost 22 pounds in two months in hospital. Painful ulcers in his mouth,
meaning he can only take in liquids, spots that hurt like severe burns cover his body.
He can't sleep. He can't even touch his skin, his mother tells me. It hurts so much, he's like a burn victim. It's very bad, she says. There's
no medicine. Davis is in renal failure and needs dialysis to survive -- dialysis that in this hospital is not compromised by old filters and
contaminated water.
He is now suffering from a bacterial infection that his mother Sandra says has spread. There is no replacement catheter or even a surgical theater to
do the procedure. This is Davis as a healthy teenager now barely recognizable and clearly in pain.
I have to find strength where I don't have it, Sandra tells me. It hurts to see him like this. I never thought he would go through this. I tried
to give him strength to go forward with me. She tells me, I want everyone to see what's happening with us here.
We visited this pediatric hospital in downtown Caracas a year ago. Hospital staff was improvising, lacking everything from antibiotics to
surgical gloves. Even the ceilings in intensive care were crumbling. A symptom of plunging oil prices which took Venezuela's economy with it,
making things like food and medicine a luxury.
The government denies the crisis and said it is exaggerated by the media. And this year when we returned, conditions had only gotten worse. The
director of this pediatric kidney unit tells CNN infected children including Davis were isolated and that is infection was under control.
However, she said they lack basic supplies and Venezuela's ministry of health has not responded to the hospital's request for those supplies. The
ministry did not respond to CNN's requests for comment.
The director says eight children have died so far this year and Davis is one of them. A few weeks after we left his bedside, he died of Hypovolemic
shock. His blood levels were too low.
His mother says he was in pain to the last and she blames the government. Sandra says she's sad, angry, and has an enormous emptiness in her heart
and her soul. Paula Newton, CNN, Caracas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, our Paula Newton is live in (Inaudible) visit to Caracas. Paula, such a heartbreaking story. Those images -- it going to leave me
anytime soon, just tell us about what you saw.
NEWTON: Yes, and that's the difficult part, Lynda, and I really have to be clear here. It is not that Davis wasn't ill already, but when he got to
the hospital, not only did he not get the care that he needed -- care that I have to emphasize that in Venezuela, three or four years that he would
have gotten without question.
The problem is they could not even make him comfortable and the fact that we in the last few years, returning to Venezuela have had doctors and
directors of hospital being so much more blunt with about the fact that, they just can't get basic medicines.
They can't get surgical gloves, Lynda, can you imagine, and how that trickles down to these families who continue to suffer day in, day out
watching this little boy, Lynda, who at the end had absolutely zero comfort. We talked to his and we could do nothing. Not even really to
alleviate the burden of his pain.
KINKADE: It's absolutely horrific and Paula, we have of course, discussed the crippling believable, sounded calm down. The crippling recession there
in Venezuela before. Just to remind our viewers of the reason behind the startling medical shortage.
NEWTON: Well, certainly medical sort of had to do with the complete economic collapse in Venezuela and a lot of that has to do with
astronomical inflation. We are talking about inflation going into the thousands.
Again though, if we decide about the practical effects, I have seen for myself shortages of food that are severe. We are talking about families
that would have been pretty much comfortably in middle class, meaning they would have had kids going to school.
It would have medical health, three meals a day, now cannot get things like bread or pasta, some of them living off one meal, scrounging off of what
they can find in the countryside and the law.
This has to do with the government programs that were started by Hugo Chavez. Many people had applauded Hugo Chavez, obviously before he died
and then his successor, who took over Nicolas Maduro has continue with those policies.
You know, Lynda, there is huge political debate about what was the cause of this economic collapse and the Maduro regime again blames what he calls a
lot of propaganda for this, having said that, the stark reality on the ground is that people continue to struggle just to find their next meal.
And let us be clear -- I can't say this enough, Lynda. This is a country that has some of the largest proven reserves of oil in the world. It
should be striving and one of the bright spots in South America right now.
[11:50:00] And instead, its people are really suffering. And I hate to say it, there is just no end in sight at this point in time. The Maduro regime
is doubling down, saying that they are not to blame, and in fact many times claiming, the United States as you can believe it, for what is going on in
that country.
KINKADE: Absolutely heartbreaking. Paula Newton, thank you so much for your reporting there. We appreciate it. But still to come, lining the
streets, millions of people are expected in Bangkok as Thailand's best goodbye to its beloved late king.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You are watching CNN and this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade and welcome back. The odd tantrum, a few insults, a lot of name
calling, that's the White House now a days.
Donald Trump is used to picking fights and as he would say, winning. As reported this hour, he is going after some senators, his own side and is
all going down on president's favorite playground, Twitter. Jeanne Moos, gives us a tour of -- wait for it, hashtag, a look to daycare staff.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump has bragged about using tweets to defeat his enemies.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm able to go bing, bing, bing and I take care of it.
MOOS: Well, now the president is getting binged back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a shame the White House has become an adult daycare center.
MOOS: With a hashtag created by Republican Senator Bob Corker...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hashtag, alert the daycare staff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hashtag, alert the daycare staff.
MOOS: Hashtag of the year, crowed Trump critics. Best hashtag ever. It unleashed a barrage of baby-centric imagery from the president escaping
from daycare, to a cartoon outfitting him in dog cones to keep him from tweeting.
Pacifiers were plentiful, including a binkie adorn, with a presidential seal. Though, Trump supporters told Senator Corker to stick a cork in it,
with pacifier pictures of their own. Children also came up in a question the senator was asked about the president.
MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think he's a role model to children in the United States?
SEN. BOB CORKER (R), TENNESSEE: No.
MOOS: But maybe somebody should have alerted the daycare staff last year, when Senator Corker was introducing then candidate Trump.
CORKER: The reason you love him so much is because he loves you.
MOOS: And Trump called Corker...
TRUMP: Great guy. Great guy. Great person.
MOOS: Their hug was a bit stiff, and their handshake was a classic Trump grab and yank. Sort of like this Twitter feud. The daily show enabled
fans to experience Trump's Bob Corker tweet storm the way it's meant to be read in a child's scrawl. They call it make Trump tweets eight again,
while, Seth Meyers imagined him tweeting on a typewriter.
SETH MEYERS, COMEDIAN: I hate losers. Sad.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, in today's Parting Shots, a send-off fifth late king.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: And not just any king, Thailand is beginning a final farewell to its late monarch -- the rule of the country a staggering seven decades.
Crowds of people fled in the streets to get a place for the funeral parade.
[11:55:00] The lavish funeral will take place for five days with hundreds of thousands of people expected on the street Thursday. So the 50 meter,
go the funeral parlor is carried through the streets. Well, late king died a year ago, at age 88.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: News that we have been covering throughout our hour like (Inaudible) of a more liberal stand on Islam to other stories that matters
here from across the world, art, culture and entertainment, you can find it all on our Facebook page, that is Facebook.com/CNNconnect.
You can also get in touch with me on Twitter and you can tweet me at LyndaKinkade. I am Lynda Kinkade and that was Connect the World, from all
the team here in Atlanta and in Abu Dhabi and London, thanks so much for joining us. The news continues here on CNN. Special reports from Niger
and North Korea are still ahead this Wednesday. Quest Express is next.
END
