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Activist Pro-Brexit Campaign Broke Spending Limits; Massive Anti-Gun Violence Rallies Sweep U.S.; Few Signs Of Opposition Ahead Of Presidential Vote; Antarctic Krill Help Fight Climate Change; The Object That's Following A Long Trail Of Gun Violence. Aired 11-12p
Aired March 25, 2018 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:00:00] ROBYN KRIEL, CNN ANCHOR: A cry from the heart from America's youth on gun control, but will it be heated? And the voices and the
viewpoints from those marches across the U.S. and beyond this hour. Also ahead, the main Brexit campaign is accused of cheating as a whistle-blower
alleges the group broke campaign rules. Plus --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Krill feeds on algae like kids at a McDonald's restaurant.
KRIEL: One little creature with a very big impact. CNN is in the Antarctic with a story of hope.
Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Robyn Kriel in Atlanta. Data, democracy, and claims of deception, we begin in Britain with the new
allegations about the campaign to get the country out of the European Union. A former volunteer has told Channel 4 News that the Vote Leave
Group broke the law by coordinating excess spending using a data firm with reported links to the controversial Cambridge Analytica. The whistle-
blower argues in turn that the entire Brexit vote wasn't legitimate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAHMIR SANNI, FORMER VOLUNTEER, VOTE LEAVE: I know that Vote Leave cheated, that people have been lied to and that the referendum wasn't
legitimate. Now we're going on a path, we're going on a path of Brexit based on the lies, based on cheating, based on what is essentially a scam.
And what does that mean for our democratic process? The decision I agree with, leaving the European Union I agree with but I don't agree with losing
what it means to be British in that process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KRIEL: Nick Paton Walsh in London with more. Nick, thank you. Many threads to the story, if allegations prove true, what are the
ramifications?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're not clear, Robyn. I mean, let's just unpack what we're dealing with here. The
suggestion that the entirety of the Brexit vote is somehow illegitimate is heavy one to certainly make and Mr. Sanni's allegations point in that
direction if they play out but don't suddenly undermine the choice of about half of Britain. The reason the contention here is because the margin for
victory for the Leave Campaign was so small. Now, what Mr. Sanni is saying that at one point during campaigning, officials working for the Leave
Campaign reached the spending limit defined by British law and what they did was take the remainder of that money and hand it to another company
involved in digital advertising called AggregateIQ which some people have suggested was in fact involved with Cambridge Analytica, recently disgraced
because its CEO was secretly filmed and subsequently suspended suggesting dirty tricks in electoral campaigns. Cambridge Analytica denied links to
AggregateIQ.
Rewind back, AggregateIQ were allegedly given this excess expense and then used it to try and influence British voters through a youth-focused
program. Now, is denied by the Leave Campaign who said they had no control over their spending, meaning that in fact it was not in violation of
campaign finance laws. There are legal opinions that suggest there is adequate evidence supported by Mr. Sanni to suggest that perhaps there is
something to investigate here. The bigger question, though, Robyn, really is that British campaign finance law doesn't particularly carefully address
this. It was written in 2000 before Facebook, before high-speed internet, before the idea of targeting people specifically with a widespread digital
campaign was ever conceived by anybody. So today what Britain is facing, a lot of explosive allegations met with extremely intense denials by those
who are accused by them. There's an added complication here in that.
An aide close to British Prime Minister Theresa May who worked in the Leave Campaign was in fact in a brief relationship with Shahmir Sanni during some
of these activities and they're not therefore caused to pull on people's motivations in all of this as well. It's phenomenally complicated but the
broad takeaway for the British public is a suggestion that money somehow got into parts of the lead campaign's digital advertising strategy that
perhaps should not have been there. It isn't clear what electoral commission officials say yet and there are many saying, frankly, this is
what all this scandal really highlights is not necessarily that anyone did anything wrong that there should be stricter guidelines and better, faster
moving watch dogs to step in and say, hang on a second, what's really going on here? And instead, what we have is back and forth between two very
highly energized parts of the British (INAUDIBLE) and Electorate to approve of or disapprove of leaving the European Union using these whistle blower
allegations as fuel for that fight.
[11:05:07] KRIEL: Thank you so much. Nick Paton Walsh live for us in London. The vote Leave Group denies breaking campaign finance rules. One
of its former members Stephen Parkinson, who is now Theresa May's political secretary has spoken out too but he's done so in an unusually personal way.
Michael Crick from California who has explained it to our Cyril Vanier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CRICK, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, CHANNEL 4 NEWS: He is in a very senior position in Downing Street working under Theresa May, one of her
longest-standing advisers. And he said he could only defend himself on this issue by pointing out that Shahmir Sanni who you saw just there and he
were in a gay relationship for about 18 months during and after the referendum campaign. Mr. Sanni says that it's terrible Mr. Parkinson is
outed him in this way, that his family didn't know about him being gay, that he's endangered some of his family in Pakistan where originates from.
So you got that argument going on. At the same time --
CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you feel Mr. Parkinson did that on purpose?
CRICK: Well, Mr. Parkinson said he can only defend himself by explaining this relationship, but it's certainly muddies the water here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KRIEL: Muddy water indeed. Let's get more on the significance of this conflicts and developing story. Adrian Pabst is an Associate Lecturer in
Politics at the University of Kent joins us now from London via Skype. Adrian, thank you. I want to start with these allegations and how they
feed into wider skepticism about how data companies may have played a role in the democratic process. Now, Facebook's founder took out full-page ads
in several British newspapers to apologize after Cambridge Analytica scandal. Mark Zuckerberg says that "this was a breach of trust and he says
I'm sorry we didn't do more at the time. We're now taking steps to ensure that this doesn't happen again." Adrian, what measures can be taken to
ensure that the public's private data is indeed protected?
ADRIAN PABST, ASSOCIATE LECTURER, POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT: Well, this is major question of trust because Facebook in particular and
social media, in general, are so big now and so prominent in politics and campaigns. And I think ultimately the only way that we can protect data
is, first of all, giving individuals much greater control about who has access to that data so that we don't sign away our privacy when we join
Facebook or other social media. And secondly, I think some other social media are just too big and ultimately I think we need much more
competition. And so I think we have to look again at anti-monopoly legislation and enforce it where perhaps some of those players have become
so dominant that they can basically get away with anything because they're not being challenged by others players in our market.
KRIEL: Let's talk about the idea of weaponizing information. I realize you might be skeptical of this but exploiting some of those fault line,
those cracks in our society is what some of these companies do very, very well. And sometimes it can lead to fake news and indeed even some
dangerous episodes as we've seen in some of the African countries. Where's the line here? Where is the ethics, and is there -- are there any ethics
to govern these sorts of activities?
PABST: Well, it's such a difficult question to answer because of course you know, one person's fake news is another one's -- another person's truth
because we're dealing with such divisive polarizing campaigns. I mean, the Remain Campaign in the U.K., the campaign to stay in the European Union was
full of so-called facts that many people would claim were not real facts. They were also fake news. They were also alternative facts. So this is
very, very contentious. But what it really means is that we need open debates so that any claims can be challenged. And at the moment, we have
echo chambers of what we like and what we don't like. We have a completely fragmented campaign where people really only hear the messages that they
already agree with. In other words, our campaigns now reinforced by social media polarizing an already very polarized politics. But what we really
need are platforms where people can debate openly and I think that's what's not happening at the moment in some of the social media.
KRIEL: Do you believe that Cambridge Analytica's psychographic tools built using misused Facebook data actually worked?
PABST: Well, there's relative evidence to suggest it works and frankly you know, these grasp really they just seem to the latest marketing technique
probably to get the campaign to spend a lot of money on something which hasn't really been you know, proven o tested in any significant way. So I
wouldn't (INAUDIBLE) emphasize the impact of such new techniques. I think the real question is who has accessed her data? Who's spending money on
it? And as I said, what are the platforms where we can openly have physical debate rather than just these echo chambers where we're just
hearing what we already agree with and we're not exposed to generally different views.
[11:10:17] KRIEL: All right, thank you so much Adrian Pabst, Associate Lecturer in Politics at the University of Kent, we do appreciate it. Well,
movement was born from a U.S. school shooting massacre has gone global as more than 800 cities in the U.S. and around the world took part in March
for Our Lives rallies. Demonstrators marched down the streets of Hong Kong and Malaysia show of international solidarity. People held signs reading
fear has no place in school and protect kids, not guns. Protesters in Paris gathered near the Eiffel Tower to show their support, and in London,
people laid on the ground in a moment of silence on other victims of last month's school massacre in Parkland Florida. In the United States they
gathered by the hundreds of thousands in cities from coast to coast. Their message was clear. Enough is enough with gun violence. Some of the most
powerful moments took place at a rally in the nation's capital. Ryan Nobles has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: On a day filled with loud cries --
AMERICAN CROWD: We want change. We want change.
NOBLE: Powerful songs and energizing speeches.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are not here for bread crumbs, we are here for real change.
NOBLES: It may have been the sound of silence that best captured the moment. Emma Gonzalez, a young woman who's become one of the most
recognized faces of the movement born out of the massacre that took place in the halls of her school stood stone-faced and silent.
EMMA GONZALEZ, STUDENT, STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL: Six minutes and about 20 seconds, in a little over six minutes 17 of our friends were taken
from us.
NOBLES: Gonzalez and a cadre for fellow Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students took their pain and turned it into action that culminated
in marches and rallies all over the world. From Boston --
AMERICAN CROWD: The gun violence has to go.
NOBLES: To Chicago --
AMERICAN CROWD: The violence that they experience every day.
NOBLES: Denver --
AMERICAN CROWD: End the violence.
NOBLES: To Los Angeles -- and back to Parkland, Florida where the shooting took place.
AMERICAN CROWD: Enough is enough.
NOBLES: While they may have only had each other when those shots rang out, they had the support of hundreds of thousands including celebrities.
PAUL MCCARTNEY, MUSICIAN: One of my best friends was killed in gun violence right around here, so it's important to me.
NOBLES: Pop stars, and even the granddaughter of a civil rights icon.
YOLANDA RENEE KING, GRANDDAUGHTER OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: I have a dream that enough is enough and that this could be a gun-free world,
period.
NOBLES: Their hope is to do much more than march. They want action, specifically stricter gun laws, something the federal government has been
reluctant to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand for us or be aware the voters are coming.
NOBLES: And the debate over guns remain divisive. Counter-rallies were held in cities like Boston and Salt Lake City, but these students are
hoping this movement is different, that common ground will be reached and they are warning their leaders they won't be giving up until they get the
change they are looking for.
NOBLES: For many of these students that march in these rallies across the country, this fall will be the first that they'll be able to participate in
an election, and many of them are running to the ballot boxes and many of the Parkland students have said that before this tragedy, they never even
thought about politics, now it's become one of their most important priorities. Ryan Nobles, CNN Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KRIEL: Lots more on those marches ahead. Plus, Egyptians head to the polls on Monday but there's something missing in this presidential
election. We're live in Cairo after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:00] KRIEL: Welcome back. Egyptian officials say the director of security in Alexandria has survived an assassination attempt. A bombing
targeted his convoy as he traveled through the city on Saturday. Two police officers were killed, several others were wounded. So far, there's
been no claim of responsibility. The Egyptian government has condemned the attack but vows it will not affect the presidential election. Voters will
cast ballots on Monday in a race without any real opposition. This is what central Cairo looks like, a city seemingly covered with campaign posters
for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. He's almost assured to win a second term. But what you don't see, signs of any challengers. CNN's Ian Lee
joins us live from Cairo to explain why that is. Ian?
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, we talked to observers and analysts, Robyn, and the one thing they've called this election is a sham.
But we do need to talk about how popular President Sisi still is for many Egyptians. And when you talk to these analysts and ask them about why
there's this lack of contenders, the do say that even if you would have all of them along with President Sisi, that President Sisi most likely would
win in a free and fair election. But the say the reason why you are getting these contenders is because they're afraid of what kind of negative
things could come up in the course of campaigning. What could be said that could snowball later once the campaigning is over. They're afraid of a
repeat of the unrest we saw in 2011. So in this campaign, though, we did meet the only contender going up against president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEE: Let's take a ride around the streets of Cairo. If you haven't noticed, Egypt is having a presidential election, a kaleidoscope of
campaign posters, wallpapers the city. But you might have noticed something missing, the opposition. It's not my fault, Egypt's President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in an interview. I swear to God I wish there would have been more candidates for people to choose who they want but they
were not ready yet. There is no shame in this. There were high profile contenders but Egyptian authorities arrested former Army General Sami Anan
on a number of charges. Ahmed Shafik, former 2012 presidential candidate withdrew mid reports of intimidation. Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali
withdrew after saying he was under pressure from authorities. Mohamed Anwar Sadat, the nephew of late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat also says he
felt pressure to withdraw.
MOHAMED ANWAR SADAT, FORMER EGYPTIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: An election run under the emergency law, protest law and the terrorism law whereby I
was a bit scared that all my campaign representative in this form of governess, they might be in a situation where they might get a difficult
time or being stopped, detained, abused.
[11:20:17] LEE: After searching, we finally found the subtle posters of Moussa Mostafa Moussa, a last minute and little-known challenger.
MOUSSA MOSTAFA MOUSSA, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, EGYPT: I saw the catastrophe coming. My perception (INAUDIBLE) democratic election was out
any kind of the condition (INAUDIBLE). President Sisi was going alone in this game and if he fall, we all fall.
LEE: Moussa is accused of being a stooge of the government, a tool to give the election the venire of legitimacy. He denies this and nsists his
platform makes him the better candidate.
MOUSSA: I want to tell the people I'm here for real. I'm here as a candidate willing, and wishing, and wanting to win and for people to
understand that I'm not bought as a puppet for anyone.
LEE: No one doubt Sisi will win. The real challenge is voter apathy. Is get out the vote campaign means to drive Egyptians to polls and give him
the broad mandate he needs for another four years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEE: Robyn, Egyptians start voting tomorrow. It's three days of voting. You know, when we talk about what a big turnout would be anywhere between
the late 40 percent to into the 60 percent, that would be a respectable turnout for this election. But there are -- there is another thing that
we're also tracking and this is going to take place over the next four years. Right now, the constitution of Egypt said that a president can only
be re-elected once. So in the next four years, when President Sisi wins, will he try to abolish term limits essentially setting himself up to be at
the next Pharaoh of Egypt. Robyn?
KRIEL: Ian, you mention that el-Sisi is still very popular and may well win a free and fair election. If that was the case, tell us why he is so
popular.
LEE: You know, when he ran initially for the presidency, there were two big campaign promises, stability and security and that's something that
Egypt has seen more of. Yes, there is an insurgency, that is something that Egypt is contending with, ISIS in the northern part of the Sinai is
still a very deadly situation there. But for many Egyptians, he did bring back the security and stability of everyday life and they do like this --
like him leading the country right now, and people really don't see someone else that could rise up and take it. Also, Egypt has had a long history of
strong leaders, and this is something that you see from the president when he gives addresses. And the security, the stability moving forward, this
is something that a lot of Egyptians would like to see the continuation of. Robyn?
KRIEL: Ian Lee in Cairo, thank you. Let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now. An Afghan official says a
suicide bomber killed at least one person and injured seven others during that Sunday's noon prayers. Security forces killed on of two attackers
trying to enter a mosque in Herat but the other managed to detonate in the courtyard. The American military says it killed two terrorist in a
precision air strike in Southwest in Libya on Saturday. U.S.-Africa Command says the strike was carried out in coordination with the Libyan
government and that there were no civilians killed. German police confirmed that they detained former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont
near te border with Denmark. He's wanted in Spain on charges of rebellion and misuse of funds for his ruling in Catalonia's illegal vote for
independence last October. Now to a story that is rocking the world of Cricket. The captain and vice-captain of the Australian team stepping down
for the remainder of the test match amid a cheating scandal. Don Name is here to walk us through the story. Don, I have to ask, does the punishment
fit the crime?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Well, I'm not sure the punishment is fully been meted out yet, but as you say, the captain Steve Smith and his
vice-captain no longer having that responsibility in this match. Steve Smith will not even play in the fourth test in Cape Town between Australia
and South Africa. But we are all just kind of coming to grips with this extraordinary moment and this absolutely remarkable confession from the key
players following the days playing Cape Town. What we're actually talking about here, and cricket fans will be very familiar with this, players
trying to gain advantage by tampering with the ball. Now, it is not unusual or illegal to try and shine the ball to make it swerve one way when
it's being bowled. But what you're absolutely not allowed to do is to basically try and damage the ball to make it swing in reverse direction,
and that is something that would give the fielding team a huge advantage. In this case, the most junior player on the team, the young rookie Batsmen
Cameron Bancroft was filmed quite clearly messing around with the ball. He was caught red-handed and this is how he explained in a way in the press
conference afterwards.
[11:25:40] CAMERON BANCROFT, AUSTRALIA BATSMAN: I saw an opportunity to potentially use some tape get some granules from the you know, from the
rough patches on the wicket and try to I guess change, yes, change the ball condition. It didn't work. Likewise, it did change the ball but I guess
once I was you know, sighted on the screen, you know, having done that, I panicked and that also in me shoving it down my trousers.
RIDDELL: So a full confession there from Cameron Bancroft but also from the leadership of the team. Afterward, Steve Smith was off the (INAUDIBLE)
and he said this basically was a conspiracy involving half the team and he knew all about it. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE SMITH, AUSTRALIA BATSMAN: The leadership group knew about it. We spoke we spoke about it at lunch, and I'm not proud of what's happened.
You know, it's not within the spirit of the game. My integrity, the team's integrity, the leadership group's integrity has come into question and
rightfully so. It's not on -- it's certainly not on and it won't happen again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: I mean, I can't stress just how extraordinary this kind of (INAUDIBLE), this confession from these players is. And the Australian
team really is the source national pride, and so much so for the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. He even speaks about it today expressing his
shock and disappointment. The Australian management has sent investigators down to Cape Town to find out exactly what has gone on here. We haven't
yet heard from the team's coach Darren Lehmann. We don't know what if any involvement he had in all of this. And I think you know, they fallout will
continue from this. As we say, Steve Smith will not be playing in the next match but let's see what happens beyond this. This has been a very, very
bad-tempered series. Australian Cricket players are renown for playing hard. They don't have too many friends in the game given the way they play
it, and I do think there's going to be too much sympathy for them out there now depending on what happens next.
KRIEL: It's been a contentious series. Thank you so much, Don Riddell. We do appreciate it. Still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD those behind the
March for Our Lives Movement say massive rallies are only the beginning. We dive deeper into the anti-gun control sentiment sweeping the United
States, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:31:50] KRIEL: Welcome back. You're watching CNN, and this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Robyn Kriel. More now on one of our top stories this
Sunday. The massive wave of rallies against gun violence.
That is one of the rallying cries from crowds energized by student survivors of school gun violence. It's a call to action to remove any
politician who doesn't support stricter gun control. Hundreds of thousands took part in the event and more than 800 cities across the U.S. and around
the world. The movement is spearheaded by survivors of last month school shooting in Parkland, Florida. One of them took the podium in Washington
to highlight the impact of young people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX WIND, JUNIOR STUDENT, STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL: People believe that the youth have no voice. When Joan of Arc, fought back English forces
she was 17 years old. When Mozart wrote his first symphony he was eight years old. To those people that tell us that teenagers can't do anything,
I say that we were the only people that could have made this movement possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KRIEL: Well, as you just heard, the White House issued a statement applauding the marches for their -- for exercising their right to protest.
That says, keeping children safe is the top priority for the U.S. president. But, we haven't heard anything from Donald Trump directly.
He's been uncharacteristically silent about the marches or will founding, or found arrange a pallet topics on Twitter.
Joining me now in studio are two youth organizers for the march from our -- from here in Georgia, Jennia Taylor and Royce Mann. You guys marched
yesterday and some incredible stuff coming from really around the world. I'd like to start with you Jennia. What did you think about yesterday's
march here in Georgia? What did you -- what did you feel?
JENNIA TAYLOR, YOUTH ORGANIZER, MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: It felt amazing, overwhelming to get such support from Georgians. We had people of Austin,
from even make in Georgia, but just really far from Utah. And we're just so excited to get started on our movement.
KRIEL: You're only 21 years old. Roes, you're 16 years old.
ROYCE MANN, YOUTH ORGANIZER, MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: Yes.
KRIEL: And you were actually a graduate of a school that sort, horrific shooting, Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
TAYLOR: Yes.
KRIEL: I wanted to just talk about what that day must have been like for you to know that, that was your school?
TAYLOR: Yes, it was heartbreaking. I actually found out from a family group text because my dad was on the way to school to pick up someone. And
I had a family member who was actually a freshman at the school. So, to not be able to find him for a little bit also was a little scary. And you
know, Stoneman Douglas is my home, I saw my teachers when I saw my parents that one point. So, for someone to come in and attack your home it really
hurts your heart.
KRIEL: Royce, you're 16 years old as I've said.
MANN: Yes.
KRIEL: I've seen some commentary recently that said, kids, are marching because adults have failed. Do you feel that adult have failed you guys?
MANN: I do, and I think, especially, our elected officials have failed us. When you look at the policies that we are advocating for, they have
tremendous public support. And the fact that our politicians haven't listened to the public, especially, the young people. And actually, done
something to prevent this gun violence, that's appalling. And so, that's why we, as young people, we, as citizens are taking that power into our own
hands and saying do something now or we'll vote you out.
[11:35:14] KRIEL: What would you like to hear from President Donald Trump? As I said earlier, he has been uncharacteristically quiet.
MANN: Yes, I would love to hear support from him. We want support from anywhere we can go. I mean, he has come out and support of a few things
that we come out support of such as a ban on bump stocks. But I want to see him actually, actually put that in a place. Actually, follow through
with these promises that he's been making and actually make more promises that will prevent this gun violence in the future.
KRIEL: And Jennia, what are your plans for the future?
TAYLOR: So, we have come together as students planning the when to march just to form the Georgia Student Alliance for social justice. Their last
day of session will be Thursday, so we plan to be there while they're -- for their last day of session to really talk to Representatives, and, you
know, speaking with organizers across the nation to ensure we can come together and know we want to do. We definitely want to get legislation
pass to make our community safer.
KRIEL: What do you think is one thing that people, from perhaps, who might be in the middle could latch onto that your organization is pushing?
Perhaps, they don't support outright gun control, but they don't necessarily ever want to see another school shooting?
TAYLOR: Yes. Well, for us as school organizers, we don't want to take away any second amendment, right? That's all we want the people to
understand which just wanted to be safer, we want a background checks, we want mental health checks. And so, it's something that is common sense is
not anything that's drastic. We've had students planning from both sides come together. So, just knowing that we already have bipartisan support is
something to push people along.
KRIEL: I know that you're also taking a holistic approach to all of this.
MANN: Yes.
KRIEL: In fact, you're a slam poet. Could you drop some lines about how this is all it needs to be? As Jennia said, mental health approach, it
needs to be -- from a variety of different angles.
MANN: Yes, it needs to be multifaceted for sure. We have to make sure that there's better access to good mental health care in all communities,
especially, which isn't based on income levels. For sure, you also have to ensure and support programs within communities that just make a community
more welcoming environment. And programs within schools to make sure that all students at a particular school feel welcome and non-feel isolated.
And that along with this common sense gun legislation, I think, we'll make a huge dent in this issue of gun violence that is truly an epidemic in this
country.
KRIEL: You're obviously both activist, and you've been activist before that terrible shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. But what -- do you
think upcoming a shifted amongst young people?
TAYLOR: I think that we've been calling this the tipping point in our generation to really get up and doing something. We are the largest
demographic for voting. We might not necessarily turn out large demographic but we're doing something to make that change that we are large
demographic and we're voting in large demographic.
KRIEL: What about you? You're not going to be illegible to vote in the next election.
MANN: Yes. But I will be in 2020. And when you look the politicians in this country, they care about getting reelected. And so, even now, we have
power over them. Even if you're not old enough to vote yet.
If you go to your elected officials, and say, "Hey, in three years, I'll be voting for you. And I'll either vote for you or against you based on
whether you support legislation to protect me and my peers.
TAYLOR: Yes, and you never know, I'm 21 years old, we're college students also organizing this. We're old enough to run and take over their places.
So, if they don't have anyone running against them, we will step in.
KRIEL: All right, we really do appreciate it. Thank you so much time.
TAYLOR: Thank you. KRIEL: Jennia Taylor and Royce, we do very much appreciate it.
MANN: Thank you.
TAYLOR: Thank you.
KRIEL: Live from Atlanta, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, we travel to Antarctica to find out how a tiny sea creature helps fight climate
change in an unusual way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:41:36] KRIEL: You're watching CNN and this is CONNECT THE WORLD, with me, Robyn Kriel. Welcome back. In the icy waters of the South Pole, a
tiny little creature is playing a big role in Antarctica's fragile ecosystem. Krill are the center of conservation efforts for targeting
fishing in the area. Scientist believe that the Antarctic ecosystem helps fight climate change just by doing what comes naturally. Our Arwa Damon
has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are whales just about everywhere, feeding on krill. Krill are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans
that are about the size of your pinkie, and they form these massive swarms that can stretch for tens of kilometers.
Krill are one of the main reasons why these Antarctic waters were in a part of the proposed conservation zone, and its balance is essential to our very
existence. These waters and wildlife are a carbon sink, moving carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean. And that though it
is still being studied, is the Antarctic's potential to act as a buffer to climate change.
I didn't know much about krill before we came here. Certainly, not that they were a keystone species holding the Antarctic food web together or
that they themselves move carbon ultimately to the ocean floor for where it can be sequestered for millennia. The journey of carbon starts with algae
which photosynthesizes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
THILO MAACK, MARINE BIOLOGIST, CAMPAIGNER OF GREENPEACE: Krill feeds on algae like kids in a McDonald's restaurant. It's a sloppy feeding the
remains of the algae, just sinks to the -- to the -- to the deeper water, and same is true for the krill poo.
DAMON: Yes, it' a conversation about poo. Carbon-rich krill poo that ends up at the bottom of these dense cold waters. And krill swarms can move
down to depths of 2,000 meters. And it's not just the krill that play that role, so to do the whales that feed on the carbon-rich krill, masses of it.
But these are also the main krill fishing grounds. It is a regulated industry but it's one that Greenpeace and others want to see restricted to
outside of the main wildlife feeding grounds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The krill-catching vessels are catching krill 24 hours a day for the whole of the Antarctic summer.
MAACK: Long Teng, Long Teng, Arctic Sunrise, Arctic Sunrise, over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Sir, this is Long Teng.
DAMON: Back on Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise, marine biologist and Greenpeace campaigner, Thilo, is radioing the fishing vessel for details of their
catch.
MAACK: Can you tell something about the volume of the catch that you delivered to (INAUDIBLE), the volume of the catch, the weight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this subarea, we have catched 3,600 tons.
DAMON: That may sound like a massive amount, and it is. Krill do have the largest biomass of any species on earth, but its numbers have decreased,
though it's unclear whether it's from climate change or other factors.
And Greenpeace is pushing for action before we reach a crisis point, especially in a region as vital to our survival as this one. Greenpeace's
mission is also aimed at documenting the fast and wild beauty of this enthralling ecosystem to show just what's at stake of being lost.
It feels really intense.
[11:45:07] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see my hair, but this like a -- and like a cut -- and like a --
DAMON: This is the view as dawn breaks. I never even imagined anything like this.
I don't have words, I'm honestly lost. It's just -- it's literally taken my breath away.
It's such an extreme beauty, my brain doesn't even know how to process it.
SOTO: It's beautiful, huh?
DAMON: Andreas Soto, a mechanic on the Arctic Sunrise, first came to the Antarctic eight years ago and has returned numerous times as a tour guide.
Do you love this place?
ANDREAS SOTO, MECHANIC, ARCTIC SUNRISE: I really do. I'm missing -- when I'm at home, I see the picture, I'm really missing this place. As you can
see, it's beautiful, really calm and really amazing place. I think it should be protected.
DAMON: Man has been unable to dominate this unforgiving region, but that does not mean that it's immune to human destruction. Arwa Damon, CNN, the
Antarctic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KRIEL: Breathtaking. Still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD. First survivors of school violence, the memories can feel like nightmares. How one object
has become a talisman of the pain they face, and the symbol of hope for the future?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:20] KRIEL: In tonight, for "PARTING SHOTS", players in ornaments that has traveled around the U.S. for nearly two decades now. It's a
dreamcatcher, a traditional native-American object meant to ward off evil and bad dreams. It's been pass from school to school, all across the
nation. But only among those with the dubious distinction of enduring a uniquely American tragedy. CNN's Scott McLean tracks the pot of this
dreamcatcher and with it the story of school shootings in the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: there is a person with a gun.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 19 years ago, 12 students and a teacher were killed inside of Columbine High School. Gun down by two of
their peers in a place they were supposed to be safe. Tom Mauser, lost his 15 year old son, Daniel that day.
TOM MAUSER, FATHER OF A COLUMBINE SHOOTING VICTIM: I don't know how -- frankly, I don't know how I got feel those, those first few days and even a
weeks.
MCLEAN: Since then, police protocols have changed, so have State gun laws. Thanks in part of Mauser's work to close the loopholes his son had
ironically pointed out just weeks earlier.
MAUSER: And then, he was killed with a gun that was purchased through one of those loopholes.
MCLEAN: In Colorado, background checks are now nearly universal and there's a limit on magazine size. But still, no one has found a cure to
America's school shooting plague.
MAUSER: We have to deal with this terrible illness that we have, and guns are a part of that. Even if you fixed all of the gun loopholes, you might
not solve the school shooting problem. No, we have to do a number of things to deal with the gun violence problem. And we're going to have to
compromise, we're going to have to sit down and talk this out and not scream at each other the way we are right now.
MCLEAN: Mauser's work continues to this day. Still wearing his son's sneakers.
MAUSER: I'd like to think that by -- you know, stepping in -- into his shoes that I'm doing what he would want me to do.
MCLEAN: Columbine never asked for its newfound notoriety, nor did it seek out this dreamcatcher, a gift from students in Michigan meant to ward off
bad dreams after a collective nightmare.
In March 2005, Columbine passed it on to Red Lake High School in Minnesota. After a student killed seven people there using stolen police issued
weapons.
MISSY DODDS: I saw (INAUDIBLE) that day.
MCLEAN: Missy Dodds was teaching when her former student shot through a floor length window to get inside her class.
DODDS: He just started shooting and went down the lawn. And when he got to me there was nothing left in his gun.
MCLEAN: But in a culture where hunting is common, the shooting didn't spark much over discussion about guns.
Was it about mental health? Was it about school safety?
DODDS: It was shot down and forget it ever happened.
MCLEAN: But Doods couldn't forget. She tried and failed to convinced lawmakers in a State capitol to use shatterproof glass in schools, which
she thinks would have saved lives.
DODDS: I went with the (INAUDIBLE) from another school to strike first, she didn't happen. And I was literally blander off.
MCLEAN: It seemed the country was content to move on without doing much at all. Until seven years later when Red Lake passed the dreamcatcher to
Sandy Hook Elementary, in Newtown, Connecticut.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope you don't travel anymore.
MCLEAN: A lone gunman had used an AR-15 to kill 26. 20 of them, young children. Michelle Gay's seven year old daughter, Joey, was among them.
MICHELLE GAY, PARENT, SANDY HOOK SHOOTING VICTIM: My oldest daughter -- I just couldn't accept it. It just couldn't be. You know she was sure that
-- it that wasn't look to understand.
MCLEAN: For months afterwards, a group of Sandy Hook parents unsuccessfully push for sweeping gun control legislation. Gay, now pushes
schools to be safer but doesn't push gun control.
GAY: If we going and we start mentioning hot-button issue or -- you know, or political arguments, we suddenly divide the room in half.
MCLEAN: When the president says that arming teachers is something that we should look at, you don't dismiss him?
GAY: I don't -- I -- and we should look at everything. We should -- we should put everything on the table. We can't ever count on any one thing.
MCLEAN: There's no one single magic wand that would solve school shootings.
GAY: I believe, if there was, we would have found it and wave it by now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN: And after the Sandy Hook shooting, that dreamcatcher went to Marysville, Washington, and then, onto Townville, South Carolina. Last
week, it was presented to student said, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. But the students there are kept it for just
17 seconds in honor of the 17 victims, and then, they gave it back. Instead opting to retire the dreamcatcher with the hope that no other
school has relived their experience. Scott McLean, CNN, Denver.
[11:55:10] KRIEL: Moment this hour, we've seen examples of children and teenagers showing us that their voice matters that they can make a
difference. That's something were going to be hearing a lot more about tomorrow.
Children like these Syrian refugees in Lebanon for example will be speaking to the team who founded a school for them, giving them a future, a voice,
and most importantly, hope. He's just one of our inspiring panelist when Becky Anderson is back with a very special show live from the Dead Sea in
Jordan. Tomorrow at the Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit. Make sure to tune in. I'm Robyn Kriel, that was CONNECT THE WORLD, from the
team here in Atlanta, in London, and in Abu Dhabi, thank u for watching.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
