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Defiance And Despair In Parts Of Arab World; Arab States Weigh U.S. Jerusalem Decision; Emirati Team Faces Off Against Real Madrid; Trump's Favorite Drink: 12 Diet Cokes A Day; Extraordinary Election; Climate Challenge; Arab Anger. Aired at 10:00-11p ET
Aired December 12, 2017 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:00:00] ROY MOORE, (R) ALABAMA: If you don't believe in my character, don't vote for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN: A question of character or Republican calculation that this is a seat they cannot afford to lose.
We're in the American Deep South for a race that is unlike anything the U.S. has seen in years. Why the vote in Alabama is not only interesting,
but also important. This hour also from America first to America alone. World leaders meet in Paris at a climate change summit without Washington.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People say that they are exhausted, they say that they still will continue to fight. It just gets that much harder every
day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: As parts of the Middle East simmer over the U.S. move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the Lebanese foreign minister
tells me why the decision will only cause more conflict.
Hello and welcome. This "Connect the World" I'm Becky Anderson live in Abu Dhabi where it's 7:00 in the evening. Normally Democrats would not stand a
chance running for the U.S. senate in Alabama, a heavily Republican say in the bible belt of the Deep South. But this is no normal election. The
polls are now open on what is highly controversial race that has captured the world's attention. Voters are choosing whether to send an accused
child molester to Washington. Republican Roy Moore who denies the allegations is running against Democrat Doug Jones. Well, Jones cast his
vote just a short time ago in a Baptist church in the City of mountain group.
President Donald Trump has become campaigner in chief for Roy Moore, he fired off his tweet this morning calling Doug Jones pro-abortion, weak on
crime, military and illegal immigration, bad for gun owners and veterans and against the wall. Well, Moore is also getting help from a big name in
the alt-right movement. But Doug Jones bringing out some star power of his own. Let's kick this off with CNN's Alexander Marquardt who takes us to
Alabama to see how the campaigning wrap up.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones making their final pitches to voters ahead of
one of the most unpredictable elections in Alabama's history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG JONES, (D) ALABAMA SENATE CANDIDATE: It is time that we put your decency, our state before our political party.
MOORE: I'm going to tell you, if you don't believe in my character, don't vote for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: Moore bringing in a number of out-of-state conservatives including the president's former chief strategist Steve Bannon. Who wild
up the crowd by attacking the Republicans who had been critical of the accused child molester and even appearing to make a shot at the president's
daughter who told the A.P. last month, there's a special place in hell for people who prey on children?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE BANNON, CHIEF STRATEGIST TO THE WHITE HOUSE: There's a special place in hell for Republicans who should know better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: Bannon also naming names, calling out the state's most prominent Republican, Senator Richard Shelby, who told CNN on Sunday he did
not vote for Moore.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD SHELBY, (R) ALABAMA: The state of Alabama deserves better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: And former Secretary of State and native Alabamian Condoleezza Rice, who released a statement Monday urging voters to quote, rejects
bigotry, sexism and intolerance but did not mention either candidate. Kayla Moore insisting her husband is not a bigot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAYLA MOORE, WIFE OF ROY MOORE: Fake news would tell you that we don't care for Jews. One of our attorneys is a Jew.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: While Doug Jones, who has been working to shore up much needed support from African-American voters, teamed up on election-eve with
basketball hall of famer Charles Barkley who had this message for his home state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES BARKLEY, FORMER NBA PLAYER: At some point we got to draw a line in a sense, we just - we are not a bunch of damn idiots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: Jones also getting a boost from former President Barack Obama and former Vice President a Joe Biden who both reported robocalls for his
campaign in the final hours after President Trump did the same for Moore.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Go vote for Roy Moore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: Moore who denies the allegations against him, letting the President do much of his talking for him in the past few days alongside
very few select interviews shunning the national media and instead of appearing in a political action committee ad. Interviewed by a 12 year-old
girl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:05:11] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what do you think of the characteristics of a really, really good senator?
MOORE: Following the constitution. Just sharing the principles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: Moore defending his mere total absence from the campaign trail in the final week of this heated race saying he was visiting west point,
his alma mater, with his wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Here I am surrounded by this gaggle of media while Roy Moore was not even in the state of Alabama over this weekend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO)
ANDERSON: Well, Roy Moore has, of course, repeatedly denied all of the allegations of molestation and sexual assault. That was Alexander
Marquardt reporting from Alabama for you. We'll be speaking to him later in the show. Right now I want to get you to Washington. Let's get more
from CNN White House reporter Stephen Collinson. Stephen allegation of sexual molestation, bigotry, racism, cries of fake news, it sounds like
another day at the White House. This campaign feels like it's been going on forever and it feels like it got more interesting, more chaotic as time
has gone by. Just break it all down for us, if you will.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: I think you're right, Becky. It's a great emblem, actually, as you say for life in Washington
and American politics over the last few years. This race is completely upside down. In many ways, Republicans if they win, they are in a worst,
situation than if they lose and Democrats will probably lose could lose this race and they are getting in a winning political situation. First of
all, if the Republicans lose this seat, their senate majority is down to one vote. Now, with tax reform and the repeal of Obamacare we have seen
how, you know, close it is in the senate and how one vote can make such a difference. They are in a very perilous political position as they try to
act the Trump agenda. Yet if Roy Moore wins, coming to a senate where all of the Republican Senators have repudiated him, because of these credible
allegations of sexual assault against him. He brings a civil war in the Republican Party.
You saw that with Trump and Bannon on one side and the establishment Republicans on the other right into the senate. If Democrats win the seat,
it's a huge upset. There's not been an Alabama senate from the Democratic Party for 20 years. As we get closer, not just to evening thing up in the
senate right now, it helps their chances in the midterm elections in November to try and win the senate. And there are huge stakes for Donald
Trump. He is goes all in on this race. He is basically argued that whatever Roy Moore is alleged to have done, it would be worse for
Republicans not to have him there, because they would get a liberal Senator who would vote against his agenda. So the President's prestige is on the
line here as well. It's going to be a huge night.
ANDERSON: Yes. Stephen, I want to go over some of what you have just described, because this is why what we are watching unfold is so important
outside of what is this state of Alabama. So let's just go over it again. This is where the senate stands at the moment. There are currently 52
Republicans in the senate making up the majority. If Roy Moore wins, as you rightly pointed out, that number stay the same. If he loses, it's down
to 51. Democrats hold 46 seats right now. If Doug Jones wins, that number goes up to 47. And there are two independents, both normally sides with
the Democrats. It could not be more important for a President struggling to get a win so far as his campaign pledges and promises are concerned and
through congress at the moment. And that is why he is chuck his support behind Roy Moore, jumping on what are called robo calls, which are
telephone-recorded messages, urging people to back this candidate. Correct?
COLLINSON: That is right. And what Trump has basically done is say to his supporters and there are very many of them in Alabama. He won the state in
the primary by 20 percent. He, you know, eviscerated the Democrats, Hillary Clinton there in the general election. He is saying if you want me
to succeed, if you want the wall, if you want tough immigration policies, you have to vote for Roy Moore. Even though you may have reservations
about his personality and his character, you have to vote for him, because that is what is going to help me get my priorities enacted, because the
senate is finally balanced. So that is why this is causing such consternation in Washington. The Republicans are going to have a new
senate colleague, if Roy Moore wins, and immediately launch ethics investigations against him.
[10:10:09] So you can see how complicated this is going to be. The leadership is basically investigating Moore while Trump will be saying that
Moore has to vote with him to get tax reform and infrastructure and other things done. So if Moore wins, it's going to be an incredible situation in
the senate.
ANDERSON: Alabama has voted Republican in every Presidential contest as I understand it starting in 1980 and the state has only had Republican
Senators since 1997. That is 20 years. How monumental is a vote for Doug Jones, his opponent, right now?
COLLINSON: It would be monumental, because as you say, this is about as solid Republican territory over last sort of two or three decades. In any
other situation, the Democrats would have absolutely no chance of winning in Alabama. They are relying basically, on a low turnout of conservative
voters who have ethical doubts about Moore and a huge turnout of African- American voters in cities in Alabama. That is why there's one reason why you saw Barack Obama recording a robocall for Doug Jones.
So it's a very, very unusual election and were it not for the fact that Moore is so controversial it would not be happening. A real test of the
president's pulling power. Can he get Moore over the line despite a great deal of unhappiness, I think, among some Republican voters about the
allegations against Moore and some of his other political positions, which are fairly extreme. I think you would call him an evangelical
fundamentalist. Anyone looking at this race from the outside of United States would find him quite extreme.
ANDERSON: And that, folks, is why this election is so important. You can learn more, thank you Stephen, by this political election, Alabama race
epitomizes the turbulence of the Trump era. Go to CNN.com/politics for more information. We'll have more from CNN's correspondents on the ground.
We'll get the view from both Roy Moore's headquarters and Doug Jones' polling station. That is ahead here at this hour.
There is one place where Donald Trump's manager of America first is literally translated into America alone or America absent. And that is
Paris. More specifically, the climate accord signed there. The United States is the only nation to have pulled out of the agreement. Well,
today, French President Emmanuel Macron welcome the world leaders in Paris for the one planet summit it was two years ago that representatives from
every country was in the French capital promising to take action on climate change. The most notable absentee of today's senate is the United States
President. Let's bring in Melissa Bell she is at the summit in Paris and she joins us now live. Melissa?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, it isn't that Donald Trump is notable by his absence, he wasn't even invited. In fact this entire summit
Becky was decided in a wake of that decision back on June 1st when Donald Trump told the world that the United States was getting out, what's
interesting, though, is to see how large the American delegation is. Not the official one which is fairly low level from the embassy here in Paris,
but business leaders. Former Secretary of State John Kerry, for instance, Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, have all come here to say,
look, officially the administration may be out in the words of Michael Bloomberg, that does not mean that the United States is out. Washington
can do nothing against us because he believes the coalition of those who have gathered together, they say, we are still in and will try to meet
these ambitious commitments laid out in Paris exactly two years ago, Becky, and we're talking here about American cities and American governors and
we're talking about American companies. And John Kerry, the former Secretary of State, told us a while ago precisely how important all of
those other sorts of players were.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, let me be clear about the America withdraw. The majority of the United States and the majority of our cities
will live up to Paris. They are going to do everything they can in their power to reduce emissions and to do our part to live up to the Paris
agreement. So President Trump personally had decided he wants to get out, but the majority of the American people want to stay in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:15:06] BELL: He also made the point, by the way, Becky, that the actual official withdrawal of United States from the Paris accord can only
happen in November of 2020 the agreement is binding until then and the mechanism for withdrawal simply takes a long time and he pointed out that
he hoped that might be after an election that would make the American withdrawal unnecessary or even impossible.
And I think on that question of what's likely to come out today, Becky that is another important thing here and Emmanuel Macron has gathered these 50
heads of state and government and they are meeting now in the room just next to me and those high-level talks about what they need to do to get the
finance together, because that is the problem, Becky, it's the money. To make those targets, to meet those targets, it's going to have to be found
to fund a greener economy. And Emmanuel Macron given all of the physical capital he has invested is going to very keen that at the end of today,
specific actions, some specific measures have been announced to prove that this can still be done, Becky.
ANDERSON: Melissa Bell is in Paris for you. Melissa, thank you.
California's governor lashed out at President Trump for pulling out of the Paris climate accord as the state is still feel the need of the destructive
power of California's wildfire. Some experts say climate change is to blame and the governor agrees. Jerry Brown says there's the truth of the
case is that there is too much carbon being emitted. The planet is warming and all hell is breaking loose. He tells the President now is not the time
to undo whatever country in the world is committed to. Scientists say rising temperatures made drought condition worst and extend the wildfire
season into the winter months. The Thomas fire as we learn is now the fifth largest fire in modern Californian history.
You are in "Connect the World" and I'm Becky Anderson, a busy news hour for you. More on our top story coming up. U.S. President Donald Trump weighs
in to what is the special election race in Alabama urging voters to back Roy Moore. Why it is so significant is what we're doing at this hour.
We're live for you in Alabama. Up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:05] ANDERSON: You are watching CNN, this is "Connect the World," and I'm Becky Anderson. If you're just now joining us, you are more than
welcome. The Alabama senate race is now in the hands of voters. Polls in the U.S. State opened just hours a couple of hours ago in a race between
Roy Moore, the Republican accused of sexual abuse, and Doug Jones, a Democrat fighting of a battle in a deeply Republican state. Now, this
controversial race has produced harsh rhetoric and strong emotions. On Monday, a father shared a story of his gay daughter who has committed
suicide just 23 year old. He held her picture while condemning Moore for his past comments on homosexuality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't take back what happened to my daughter. With
stuff like saying my daughter is pervert, sure, I'm bothered her. Judge Moore didn't just say my daughter or call my daughter by name. He said all
gay people are perverts, abominations. That is not true. We don't need a person like that representing us in Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: As we've mentioned before, Roy Moore faces several accusations of sexual misconduct with teenagers. He denies them all. But at a
campaign rally on Monday, on Monday night, in fact, a friend of Moore's shared a strange story as a way to vouch for the Republican's good
character. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He took us to this place which turned out to be a brothel. It was clear to us what kind of place it was and Roy turned to me
in less time than it took for someone to come up to us, and there were certainly pretty girls and they were girls, they were young, some were
probably very young. I don't know. I don't remember that. I wasn't there long enough. Roy said to me, we shouldn't be here. I'm leaving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Becky while an extraordinary election from all angles. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live from Roy Moore's headquarters in Montgomery,
Alabama. Alex Marquardt is in Mountain Brook Alabama where Doug Jones has already cast his vote, let us begin with you Alex. It's been a long, tough
race. How is the Jones campaign feeling at this point?
MARQUARDT: A long, grueling and oftentimes bitter and ugly race. Becky, I would say Jones campaign is feeling pretty good this morning and speaking
with the candidate and his top advisers. I would say that they are cautiously optimistic and confident. Of course, that is what you expect a
campaign to say on Election Day. Of course, they are in a better position now than they thought they would be when they first got into this race.
Over the past few days, to give you an indication of the confidence they are feeling, Doug Jones said when I first got into this race I thought the
odds of my winning was the odd of seeing snow in Alabama in December.
Well, in the past few days, we have seen snow in Alabama in December. This was always going to be a very competitive race, but in all honesty, this
was Roy Moore's race to lose. He was seen as the front-runner when it all stated. When those allegations came to light, the perception had shifted
that Doug Jones would have a much better chance and become a much tighter race. Now, Doug Jones needs to get every single vote that he can get. Not
just Democrats who might be invigorated by the fact that this is the first time in about a quarter century that they'll have a good chance of sending
the Democrat to the senate.
But Doug Jones also needs to peel off Republicans from Roy Moore, particularly women who would be offended by the allegations and he needs
African-Americans to turn out in large numbers. That is absolutely crucial. There are huge voting bloc. What we're watching today is the
turnout. That is absolutely key. Turnout expected to be around 20, 25 percent at is actually up from their initial expectations, because there is
so much interest in this race. That is the name of the game today, Becky, the turnout.
ANDERSON: All right, Alex. Thank you for that. Let's get you the mood, then, at Moore H.Q. Kaitlan, what's the atmosphere?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are certainly feeling confident as well. Roy Moore has essentially disappeared from the
campaign trail over the last week. He did not hold a public event since last Tuesday until last night when he held one last rally in order to rally
up some support among the voters who he believes are going to go for him at the polls today, which is quite striking in a race as close as this. And
it is also stunning in and of itself that we're even discussing the possibility of a Democratic win in a deeply, deeply conservative state like
Alabama. But in light of these allegations made against Roy Moore, that is where we've come, because people who have likely never voted for a Democrat
in their lives are now having to choose between doing so with that or voting for someone who has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple
women, including one woman who is as young as 14 when Roy Moore was in his 30s. We're certainly at a crossroads here in Alabama. Whatever decision
is made tonight will be history making and we're waiting for the voters to deliver a verdict on whether or not they can go with Roy Moore's history in
this race.
[10:25:38] ANDERSON: CNN's going to give you -- well, as we would, coverage on the Alabama senate race like nobody else throughout the day.
Thank you both. Next hour, Roy Moore will be casting his own ballot. And get this, he plans to head to the polls on horseback with his wife. Those
polls close in Alabama at 8:00 p.m. That is 5:00 a.m. here in Abu Dhabi and we'll have special coverage here on CNN.
25 past 7:00 in the evening here in the UAE. Still ahead at this hour, it was a single pen stroke that is causing reverberations thousands of miles
away. Donald Trump's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Coming up, we hear from a key and local player in this
region, Lebanon's foreign minister. What he has to say after this.
[10:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Wherever you are watching in the world, a very warm welcome. This is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. And you are
watching CNN.
Of course regular viewers of this show will know we keep our eyes on a number of very important stories in this region specifically and as we were
discussing this time yesterday, Donald Trump has come under fire for his handling of policy here.
In fact, some have even questioned if Vladimir Putin is being seen as a bigger influence than his American counterpart in this region of the Middle
East but the Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin is not trying to fill a power vacuum with his visit to this region.
And a spokesman says the trips today are simply part of Russia's consistent policy in the Middle East with no ulterior motive. Well Mr. Putin visited
Syria, Turkey and Egypt where he discussed ways of ending Syria's civil war and criticized America's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel.
The Jerusalem decision has led to a fifth day of protests in parts of the Middle East but these scenes from Bethlehem are relatability subdued
compared to what we've seen over the past few days.
Thousands of protesters were on the streets of Beirut by this time on Monday. That was the biggest rally that we've seen so far in Lebanon and
while the anger and frustration have been evident in part for the Arab world, there is another emotion defining the response to the Jerusalem
decision -- a sense of despair. Arwa Damon has more from Ramallah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The billowing smoke from the burning tires creates a dramatic backdrop as the cars try to weave their way through.
Youth gather rocks from the ground. Their faces covered, both in a vain attempt to diminish the effect of the tear gas, but also, so that they are
not identified by Israeli forces later.
Parents do try to half-heartedly convince their children to stay away from the clashes. But like any rebellious generations, they are not listening,
especially not now. Not now that they feel that Jerusalem has slipped from their hands.
"My parents say don't go, and if the Arab and the fake Arab leaders aren't taking action, it's not going to be liberated with rocks or young men and
women," this 19-year-old tells us, "but I do what's in my head."
With the number of Palestinians who have taken to the streets remains relatively speaking low. This sort of a back and forth. It's pretty much
the norm here.
In fact, a little muted at least by what the expectations were. People say that they are exhausted. They say that they still will continue to fight.
It just gets that much harder every day.
Yet that is hardly a reflection of what is happening within the populations hearts, the anger of it all. And as Mustafa Barghouti says observers
should not rush to any conclusions.
MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI, MEMBER, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF PLO: I know, it's 50 years of occupation, 70 years of displacement, lots of disappointments, one
after the other, of course, it has effect on the people's psychology. But I know our people.
DAMON: Back in 1987, it was the same Barhouti explains that population suffocated by its collective disappointments and that resulted in what he
described as the most fantastic uprising in Palestinian history -- the First Intifada that led to the Oslo Accord in 1993.
The banner carried in this small demonstration reads, Jerusalem is the red line and the gateway to peace the war. The Onus is not just on the
Palestinian street, but on its leadership and Arab and Muslim nations who many say could and should do so much more.
BARGHOUTI: I would not say that it is the end of the story, I think what we see today is the beginning of a new chapter, a whole new chapter in our
election to Israel and the United State.
DAMON: A new chapter that may see America replaced as a mediator, a new chapter with all its unpredictability and unknowns that people can only
hope will be for the first time authored by the Palestinians themselves. Arwa Damon, CNN, Ramallah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well Israel's neighbor, Lebanon has emerged as one of the strongest voices against this U.S. decision, even speaking about taking
action against Washington.
But a recent Arab League meeting its top diplomats said and I quote, pre- emptive measures must be taken beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions.
Well, yesterday I spoke to the man behind those words, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and I began by asking just where his country stands
in all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[10:35:00] GEBRAN BASSIL, LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: We want peace. If we cannot get it by negotiations, then the people have the right to protest in
the streets. We are not calling for war, definitely.
We are not calling for harm. Lebanon never harmed any other country. We are only asking to get our rights in Jerusalem for all of the people in
this nation, for the world that represents something that is sacred. We cannot take it out of its history and put it in the hands of an upper triad
regime like we have in Israel.
ANDERSON: I want to push you into Arab leadership here. Speaking of Arab leadership, where is Saudi Arabia in all of this?
We have seen as statement but nothing is strong, perhaps some would as your statements or that of Jordan or, indeed, that of the wider Muslim world of
Ankara from President Erdogan or Turkey, for example.
And yet on the street, we are hearing certainly in Ammon, anti-Saudi chants in some parts. What do you understand to be Saudi's position with regard,
the details of any peace plan?
BASSIL: Let me tell you something, Becky. In this region, we have regimes being accused of being terrorists like Iran. And of being backing
terrorism, Becky, we have this like Saudi Arabia.
And now we have the state like Israel being accused of state terrorism. We don't need all of this. What we need -- and we can have it, and this is
the kind of Arab leadership that we need.
Something that can accept the diversity and can really promote peace or else we would have more frustration among the population and more tendency
towards violence.
The solution would be to accept a Palestinian state that has a right to exist and to accept the state of Israel that has the right to exist in
security.
ANDERSON: Foreign Policy's David Kenner, frames it like this. They, the Palestinians, believed that a status as an outsider meant that he, Trump,
wasn't beholden to the conventional wisdom of what one Palestinian official termed Washington peace process industry and enthusiastic about his desire
to focus on a comprehensive, conflict-ending deal within a short period of time.
Hopes that it seems were dashed last week. Do we -- do you, does the -- do the Arab leaders around this region have any sense about what this soon-to-
be released or promised deal from Jared Kushner and the Trump administration is, in any form?
BASSIL: I can say three things. One, that the American policies adopted in the region are not being successful and not reaching peace. On the
contrary they are giving us negative results.
Second, that the Arab leadership is not up to the level that can make peace either with an honored agreement or by a real confrontation that can lead
us to peace.
And, third, I think that now with the current situation, this will not end with a happy result. I believe that this will fade again and that will
cause more conflicts, and will not lead us to a real sentiment.
ANDERSON: Hassan Nasrallah has said that the group will focus on Jerusalem as a priority after victories elsewhere, your thoughts and response?
BASSIL: Isolationism is not the solution in the region. Openness and diversity is the solution and this is not what Jerusalem means to us, so
that is why it's a priority. If Jerusalem falls but sense, then the whole region will fall into violence and the disorder.
Whereas, if we recall it -- if we cannot recognize or accept that Jerusalem is a place for everybody, for not one god, for everybody to live together,
if we cannot simply accept this simple fact and reality, how can we build peace?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.
[10:40:00] Police in Bangladesh say they've been speaking to the wife of the man suspected of detonating a homemade pipe bomb in New York City --
this surveillance video capture the moments of the blast.
Authorities have charged Akayed Ullah with supporting terrorism. Well a spokesman says Russian President Vladimir Putin supports Russian athletes
competing in the winter Olympics on the neutral flag.
In an announcement, far as the Russian Olympic committee's decision to give eligible athletes it's full backing. The International Olympic Committee
banned Russia from the 2018 games over wide spread doping.
North Korean leader says the country should develop more diverse weapons to quote, completely over power the enemies. According to Reuters' report, it
says Kim Jong-un was seeking a rare ammunition conference in Pyongyang on Monday.
And if you are wondering how such a cash strapped an isolated nation could afford weapons, well the answer might lie in the virtual currency of the
moment, bit coin. Into a website, a one-hand regime could be raking in a fortune from the crimson currency.
Live from Abu Dhabi, you are watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up, we explore the changing face of fossil here in the
UAE, as one local team prepares for the game of lifetime.
And of course, (Inaudible) just a storm in a coke can where everyone is raising a glass to Donald Trump's drinking habits but they are certainly
raising their eyebrows.
[10:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson for you. Welcome back. You are watching Connect the World out of the UAE. This is our Middle East programming hub
here in Abu Dhabi.
The (Inaudible) global club football for the world's top team going head to head for the FIFA club world cup which this year takes place right here in
Abu Dhabi.
And right now UAE champions, Al Jazira FC are preparing for what can only be described as the game of a lifetime. Around this time tomorrow, they'll
face off against Spanish giants Riau Madrid.
Their manager Henk ten Cate says, it's a big thing for us. That is something special for all of us, understatement, for all of our
achievements, we put the country, the UAE on the map.
And couple of days ago, I caught up with Al Jazira FC goalie Ali Khaseif to see how Abu Dhabi was gearing up for this footballing frenzy. It
completely kicks in my self. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Come on, Ali. The countdown is on. The young country with even younger football history getting ready to hold some of the world's top
club.
ALI KHASEIF, GOALIE, AL JAZIRA FC: Come on, Becky. Come on, Becky. You can do it.
[10:50:00] Horse feet, horse feet, come on.
ANDERSON: The UAE's best male goal keeper excited at the prospect of facing off with some of the games greatest at this year's FIFA Club World
Cup. We can beat Riau Madrid with this, which means, we are now (Inaudible), how worried are you.
KHASEIF (through a translator): Any team wishes to play against Riau Madrid, against stars of this caliber. Initially, we are just thinking
about the first match.
ANDERSON: That enthusiasm doesn't necessarily translate into ticket sales here in the gulf. Something the organizers are trying to tackle. This
mobile road trip consisting of 12 fuel games and six social experiences has traveled to 75 locations.
KHASEIF (through a translator): Becky, you are ready for the challenger.
ANDERSON: (Speaking Foreign Language)
KHASEIF (through a translator): Yes.
ANDERSON: The goal, to come on most (Inaudible) around football and challenging fans. We're going to make it difficult. You keep it. Let's
do this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All those men and women work together, it's better.
ANDERSON: Wise words from the first woman to receive a professional coaching license in the Arab world. Just how far has women's football come
in UAE?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually woman's football started in UAE on 2009, now we have 2300 players and that's why I'm working endless now to this
opportunity to other generation.
ANDERSON: But strategy seems to be paying off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it looks like we're 2-2. We're tied up guys.
ANDERSON: (Inaudible) -- this is your competition. I'm out of here. As the beautiful game continues to reach new fans across the gulf empowering
more and more women along the way. But I will say that I think, the winner here is women's football, how about that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was a lot running around from an old lady like me. After all, it was a nice cold water to cool down for me. That isn't always as
easy as it sounds. Do you all remember how for the American president, it was more like H2o (ph).
A few weeks back, not hot and fast for the seats. So maybe it's no surprise he turns to these and said, the reports for New York Times, he
cracks open one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 of them a day.
That is more than a gallon of this tough. CNN's Jeanne Moos explores what that does to one's body and certainly to the body of the most powerful man
in the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Whether he sucks it up through a straw or drinks it straight out of the bottle, the presidential diet is afloat in
Diet Coke.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twelve Diet Cokes, right?
MOOS: Twelve cans per day, according to The New York Times. It even followed him to Japan, where an attendant wearing white gloves waited with
a tray bearing the beverage.
Some rallied in defense of drinking 1 dozen Diet Cokes a day. But we asked the nutritionist author of Read It Before You Eat It, what 12 Diet Cokes
daily could do to a body.
BONNIE TAUB-DIX, AUTHOR, READ IT BEFORE YOU EAT IT: It fills you with bubbles, you get a lot of bloat, the enamel on your teeth. There's also
caffeine. What else is it replacing? There's a good chance he is not drinking enough water.
MOOS: But think of all the exercise the president gets pushing the button on his desk, so a butler brings him a Coke. The soda was at the center of
a mini controversy back in the spring.
Trump can't even bother to use a coaster at the Resolute Desk for his hourly Coca-Cola injection. Hey, coasters are for wimps. Not he-man like
the one the women ogled in that old commercial.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
MOOS: You can't say the president isn't self-aware. He once tweeted, I have never seen a thin person drinking Diet Coke. After few more pokes at
Coke, he tweeted, I'll still keep drinking that garbage. But 12 a day?
TAUB-DIX: Maybe he should dilute every one of his diet sodas down with some sparkling water to try to wean himself off of that habit.
MOOS: Or he could try this. President Trump has a little habit of rearranging things in front of him. Maybe he should just keep moving his
Coke farther and farther until it's out of reach.
[10:55:00] Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Well, from Diet Coke fanatics, to ice princess is franticly in the Arabian Desert. You can follow the stories the team was working on throughout the
day, I'm sure they will be posting that in the Al Jazira a lot by going to our Facebook page. Facebook.com/cnnconnect. That is
Facebook.com/cnnconnect.
The team worked really hard on that. Before we go, a reminder of our top story. An election -- an extraordinary election in the United States,
voters in the state of Alabama are going to the polls, choosing a new senator.
It's between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones. Nobody in Alabama (Inaudible) Republican at Moore's candidacy has thrown the race
open.
He is a controversial figure who has been accused of sexual misconduct. Jones hoped to capitalize on this and become Alabama's first Democratic
senator since the 1990s.
We are following the vote as it unfold, including the next hour when Moore goes to vote and hold us back, and get online to get more on this unique
race including CNN editor at large, Chris Cillizza's report on the 11 strangest moment at Moore's final campaign rally, can't miss out at
CNN.com.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. From the team working with me here in the UAE and those working with us around the world, it is a
very good evening. Thank you for watching. CNN of course continues after this short break.
END
