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Istanbul To Hold Revote for Mayor on June 23; Turkish Opposition Says, We Will Take Back What Is Stolen from Us; Pompeo Scripts Berlin Trip, Heads To Unknown Destination; Lavrov Warns Against Military Interventions; U.N. Report, One Million Species on Verge of Extinction; China to Send Top Negotiator to U.S. Amid New Threats; Interview with Unal Cevikoz, CHP Deputy Chairman, Istanbul Election Revote; Showdown Escalates Between White House and Congress; Top House Democrats Reluctant to Pursue Impeachment; World Eagerly Awaits Announcement of Baby Sussex Name. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 07, 2019 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): It became clear that certain people with dirty hands had become involved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Dirty hands in Istanbul's democratic process. That's what Turkey's President claims, at least. But the opposition says
it's Erdogan who has now wrestled the win out of the rightful grasp.
Also this hour --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Seeing the bright side of catastrophic climate change, the U.S. makes no bones about its arctic endeavors.
And going Gaga at the gala. How the mega star interpreted and reinterpreted camp at the Met.
It is 7:00 in the evening here in Abu Dhabi, 6:00 p.m. in Istanbul. Hello and welcome. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson live
from our Middle East programming hub.
Turkey's President says it's a win for democracy but virtually everyone else calls it obvious dictatorship. Voters in Istanbul will head back to
the polls for a redo of last month's mayoral race. Turkey's top election board granted a revote requested by the ruling party which lost by the
narrowest of margins.
Now this will give the AK party another chance to win and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traditional base of power. That loss humiliating to Mr.
Erdogan. The opposition is condemning the decision to redo the vote but vowing to fight on.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is in Istanbul where voters are preparing for round two. And as one commentator put it, for nearly 70 years it was one man one
vote in Turkey, from now on it seems it's vote until the governing party wins. A fair assessment?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, Becky, a lot of people would say that is a fair assessment here, especially those who are
objecting to that decision. I mean, the opposition here and the supporters of the opposition were really devastated by that decision by the Supreme
Electoral Board. If you look back at March 31st that was seen as a great victory for the opposition here. It was a real boost for their morale.
Basically reaffirming that still they were able to change things in Turkey through the ballot box. That basically that President Erdogan and his AKP
party were not invincible.
But it did appear, Becky, from day one, from when the results started coming out that the AKP and President Erdogan and others were not really
going to accept these results. Initially they asked for a recount. That recount did happen. It confirmed the results -- as you mentioned -- by a
very narrow margin. Ekrem Imamoglu, of the opposition CHP party did receive his mandate. He was confirmed as mayor of Istanbul. He took
office winning with about 13,000 votes, Becky, out of millions. But again, you know, there are a lot of questions about that decision by the Supreme
Electoral Board.
ANDERSON: And this is very personal for President Erdogan. He cut his teeth in politics as mayor of that city. The idea of a second election is
a big topic, of course, on the streets of Istanbul. You'll be well aware of that, Jomana. Let's have a listen to what one voter is saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There are no rights and no laws but we will go to the polling stations again and vote. Everything will be
good and this time we will win with more votes. We win by actually getting the votes of others as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: No rights and no laws effectively is what that voter is saying. Is what she's saying reflective of the majority on the street, Jomana? Are
people -- are they resigned that this will just be more of the same?
KARADSHEH: No. I think, Becky,[11:05:00] if you look at the situation here, once that announcement was made, so many people on the opposition
side were angered and you felt so much -- there was so much disbelief, people took onto Twitter. Then within a few hours, it was incredible, we
saw in some districts of Istanbul this peaceful protest taking place.
[11:05:00] People were banging on pots and pans. It was this sound that echoed across these different areas in Istanbul. Where basically, people
were saying they're not going to accept this and it seems to have given the opposition this new boost. That they are going to fight for the next vote.
And we saw that with their candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, the outgoing Istanbul mayor saying he's preparing for a fight through democratic means. You're
seeing this line that he came up with saying that everything is going to be fine or everything is going to be all right. This really is trending on
Twitter here with his supporters and the opposition and everyone is really preparing for June the 23rd. Depending on how that goes it's really
looking like it's going to be another historic vote in this country. A lot hinges on that -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Jomana is in Istanbul for you. Jomana, thank you.
Two "Reuters" journalists are finally breathing the fresh air of freedom after more than 500 days in Myanmar jail. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were
beaming as they walked out of prison clutching their small bags of belongings. They'd been charged under Myanmar's colonial era official
secrets act for reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims. CNN's Ivan Watson reports on their story and on their release.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Families reunited. Award-winning journalist, Wa Lone, embraces his only child born
during his year and a half ordeal behind bars. The two journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo emerged unexpectedly from a Yangon prison on Tuesday.
Set free by a presidential pardon that also released more than 6,500 other prisoners. The reporters' long walk to freedom coming after more than 500
days in jail.
WA LONE, FREED REUTERS JOURNALIST: I would like to say thank you very much for everything. I'm really happy. I'm really excited to see my family and
my colleagues. I can't wait to go to my newsroom.
WATSON: Human rights groups and fellow journalists lobbied for months for this release. The move applauded by the head of the Reuters news agency.
STEPHEN ADLER, REUTERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Since their arrest, 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the
world. We welcome their return.
WATSON: Authorities in Myanmar first arrested the two reporters in December 2017 after they met with the police source who handed them
documents. Both were sentenced to seven years in prison for possession of state secrets. "Reuters" claims it was a setup.
STEVEN BUTLER, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: The so-called state secrets were planted on them at a dinner that they had with police. Not
just to shut down their reporting but to scare other journalists.
WATSON: Months of their arrest "Reuters" published the result of their bombshell investigation. It contained testimony linking Myanmar's security
forces to the execution of these ten Rohingya Muslim men and their burial in a mass grave. As well as the torching of Rohingya homes.
BUTLER: Well, they helped prove that there were, in fact, massacres of innocent Rohingya in the Rakhine state.
WATSON: Seven soldiers were convicted for the killings. But the Myanmar government denies United Nations accusations that the mass exodus of more
than 700,000 Rohingya's across the border to Bangladesh amounts to genocide. The brave work of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo blew holes in those
denials. Making them heroes for journalists and human rights activists around the world. Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The U.S. Secretary of State is on the move -- nothing too surprising there. That's what the job calls for. But there is something
kind of unusual happening today. Mike Pompeo was supposed to be in Berlin right now but he abruptly cancelled that trip and went somewhere else. We
don't know where. Journalists went with him but they have been told they may not be able to talk about it until the trip is done.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Rovaniemi in Finland. Which is where Pompeo was before he began his mystery trip. And from where we learned that he's
bagged a meeting with Angela Merkel, which surely breaks protocol. Assume he had a very good reason to just can a meeting with one of the world's
most important leaders. What's going on? Why the intrigue?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's a very good question, Becky. And certainly at this point in time we don't know.
[11:10:00] The State Department has said that it's a pressing issue, the reason why he had to cancel that meeting not just the Angela Merkel but
also the German Foreign Minister as well. There was supposed to be a trip to Berlin. There actually supposed to be a press conference with the
German Foreign Minister.
The chancellery in Berlin informed that Angela Merkel knows about the fact. Obviously, that the Americans had canceled or Secretary of State Pompeo had
cancelled on her. The German Foreign Minister also said that he understands. Neither of them gave any reason or said the U.S. gave them
any sort of reason, why Mike Pompeo had cancelled the visit or where he may be going.
It is something that caught people by surprise. You know, we were at the Arctic Council Summit in Rovaniemi earlier today. Where yesterday Mike
Pompeo, obviously, met with Sergei Lavrov. And that seemed to have been a very fruitful meeting. Earlier today they actually announced that Mike
Pompeo was going to go back to Russia next week for another meeting with Lavrov in Sochi on the 14th of May.
And then all of a sudden, the U.S. delegation -- which we saw about to leave for the airport -- announced that he was not going to Berlin and in
fact going somewhere else. And at this point in time, we don't know where that is -- Becky.
ANDERSON: We don't know where that he is. We will find out though eventually. Fred, let's talk about the U.S. and Russia then. Mike
Pompeo's counterpart Mr. Lavrov was at this meeting in Finland. I want to play some of what he had to say to reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEI LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We are categorically against any military actions wherever they would be. I've
from my context with the Americans colleagues and others, with European colleagues, Latin American colleagues, did not see any supporters of a
reckless military solution. And I hope that this understanding all the participants have will be turned into practical policy. That there will
not be a military intervention because that will be catastrophic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ominous talk there about conflicts and military force. Lavrov is a seasoned diplomat. What was he talking about?
PLEITGEN: You're absolutely right. He certainly is a seasoned diplomat. In that specific situation, that was actually a question that I asked him.
And I asked him what leverage Russia would have if in fact the Americans decide or the U.S. decides to use military force in Venezuela. That is
when he said what we heard just there.
Obviously, the U.S. and Russia very much not on the same page as far as the crisis in Venezuela is concerned. The Russians have been saying that they
believe that the U.S. is meddling in the affairs of a sovereign country. Whereas the U.S., quite frankly, says that Russia has to get out of
Venezuela.
And one of the interesting things, Becky, that we saw yesterday -- and I think it's something that we need to point out. And it seems as though
after there's been a phone call between President Trump and Vladimir Putin last Friday, the atmosphere between these two diplomats has changed
dramatically. They were going at each other just last week on the phone. And then yesterday, both of them seemed to be much more on the same page.
Now course, there are still a lot of issues where the U.S. and Russia are at loggerheads. Venezuela is one of them. Iran, of course, is the other
very big one. And something that we talked about on your show many times. Where the Iranians are saying, look, the U.S. should go back to the nuclear
agreement for instance. They believe the U.S. should put less pressure on Iran. They're against the Iran sanctions. Whereas the U.S., of course,
still has that policy of maximum pressure on the Iranians -- Becky.
ANDERSON: So Fred, Donald Trump's national security guy, John Bolton, yesterday announcing the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Persian
Gulf. A clear message many experts if not all experts will say a clear message to Iran. You were on that carrier just a couple of weeks ago.
Let's have a look at some of that footage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): An exclusive look as the U.S. military sends a message of deterrence to Russia. Moving two aircraft carriers to the
Mediterranean and in a rare move bringing America's Ambassador to Moscow, Jon Huntsman, on board, a clear signal to Russia.
JON HUNTSMAN, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: When you have 200,000 tons of diplomacy that is cruising in the Mediterranean, this is what I call
diplomacy. This is forward deployed diplomacy. Nothing else needs to be said.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well that's now that it's headed into Iran's back yard, I want to get your reaction to what Iran's foreign minister said a few hours ago.
You have spent many, many weeks reporting from Tehran. This is what Zarif said on Twitter.
The #B_ Team is at it again. From announcements of naval movements -- that actually occurred last month -- to dire warnings about so-called
Iranian threats. If the U.S. and clients don't feel safe, it's because there despised by the people of the region. Blaming Iran won't reverse
that.
Your sense of what's going on here?
PLEITGEN: Well, I think that as far as Javad Zarif is concerned, Becky -- first of all, I think it's an incredible interesting deployment by the U.S.
[11:15:00] And also an incredibly interesting reply there by Javad Zarif. I think there's a lot of things at play here.
On the one hand, of course, you do have a power play by the Americans. They say that they got some credible evidence suggesting there might be
some escalation on the part of the Iranians. And to be frank, you're absolutely right, I have been in Iran over the past couple of months and
there have been people from the Revolutionary Guard who told me they do have a missile program that they could target American bases and assets in
the Strait of Hormuz naval assets if there was an escalation with the Americans.
On the other hand, you have politicians like Javad Zarif who seems to be playing on divisions within the Trump administration. Javad Zarif comes
out -- and this is why he keeps using the word of the B-team. He saying on the one hand, there's President Trump. Who he believes does not want an
escalation with Iran. Does not want war with Iran. But then he believes that there are others that do. And those are the people that he calls the
B-team. Which is the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. Which is John Bolton, the national security advisor and which is Mohammad bin
Salman, of Course, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
So you see the Iranians trying to play on what they perceive to be some of the divisions in the Trump administration. And at the same time, of
course, try to discredit the fact that the U.S. is sending that carrier out there to the region. Which of course the Iranians will perceive as a large
provocation. And which is really also operating or will operate very, very close to the Iranian waters.
I was actually on that same carrier also seven years ago. The last time it was in the Persian Gulf. And you can see the Iranian coastline for a lot
of the time that is out there in the Persian Gulf, see Iranian ships, see Iranian planes as well. So it's a very, very interesting, obviously very
important deployment as well -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating times. We will continue to monitor what is coming out of the U.S., U.S. lawmakers and what the narrative and rhetoric
is out of Tehran. Important. Thank you, sir.
While much of Mr. Pompeo's time in Finland spoke to geopolitical threats in that region, he also made some eyebrow raising comments about the Arctic's
melting icecaps.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade. This could potentially slash the time it takes to
travel between Asia and the West by as much as 20 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yep. Pompeo's comments coming on the same day a report warned a million animals and plants are threatened by human activity and climate
change. We are going to have a lot more on the alarming findings from that report, coming up.
And from Baywatch to Belmarsh might seem unlikely but Pamela Anderson is the first person to visit WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in prison in a
social capacity. Find out what the actress had to say after this.
[11:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: The arctic is at the forefront of opportunity and abundance. It houses 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil, 30 percent of its
undiscovered gas and an abundance of uranium, rare earth minerals, gold, diamonds and millions of square miles of untapped resources.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yep, the U.S. Secretary of State there singing the praises of the Arctic as the world's next big business frontier. In his speech, Mike
Pompeo cheering shrinking levels of sea ice for opening up new passageways calling them the 21st century Suez Canal.
But for scientists these images of rapidly melting glaciers are deeply, deeply alarming. Experts say melting ice is accelerating global warming
causing hugely disturbing effects for our planet, yours and mine.
Pompeo's comments about mining the arctic came on the same day a new report warned that a million species are on the verge of extension. Polar bears,
giraffes, these all could vanish. The reason they say, us, you and me, humans plundering the earth at unprecedented rates. Well CNN's Bill Weir
has more on what it all means for us and our planet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not just the howling lemurs of Madagascar that could disappear forever. Not just the
cute Kiwis in New Zealand. It could be all the wild tigers in India and all the lions in Africa. The bees and butterflies that pollinate billions
of dollars' worth of crops every year. And the fish stocks that feed billions of people every day.
(on camera): According to a sweeping new study, there are now 1 million species on the brink of extinction. Many of them doomed to blink out in
coming decades. Everything from plants and corals to creatures great and small. And while it was asteroids strikes or super volcanos that caused
the dinosaurs to go extinct, today the biggest threat against nature is human nature.
EDUARDO BRONDIZIO, ENVIRONMENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY EXPERT: What my colleagues have shown is that we have reconfigured dramatically the fabric of life of
the planet.
WEIR (voice-over): To feed the appetites of over 7 billion humans, the study finds that three quarters of land on earth has been plowed or paved,
dammed or mined.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is all mining pits that are filled in.
WEIR: Plastic waste and pesticide runoff has created over 400 ocean dead zones. While heat trapping pollution fills the sky at record levels making
the earth's climate more unpredictable by the year.
ROBERT WATSON, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PLATFORM ON BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICE: This is many the like gross domestic product as an economic
measure. But this is not a measure of the wealth of the world.
WEIR: So the authors are calling for a seismic shift in how humans consume and how economies work starting now.
WATSON: I also ask what is the urgency. The urgency I wear cuff links. These cuff links of watches show me and remind me we have no time to waste.
The time for action is now.
ANNE LARIGAUDERIE, INTERGOVERNMENTAL PLATFORM ON BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICE: What we would like at the end of this report is to really give
the world a real message of hope. We don't want to let people feel discouraged that there is nothing that can be done, that we've lost the
battle. Because we have not lost the battle and if given the chance nature will reconquer its rights and will prevail.
WEIR: But that would mean putting nature over profit motive for the first time in centuries. Deciding that the Amazon is worth more than Amazon.com.
And that life as we know it can only exist on a planet in balance. Bill Weir, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: This all begs the question what can we do. Well CNN has put together a nifty quiz for you on the best ways to fight climate change.
Let's try one of these.
[11:25:00] When it comes to food, what do you think can make the biggest impact? Cooking on a clean stove? Composting your waste? Eating a plant-
based diet or throwing away less food?
See how you did on CNN.com. Will make sure to get this on our Facebook page too. Facebook.com/CNNConnect.
From factors that are damaging our world to one that apparently makes it go around, money. Global stock markets are once again in the red over trade
war fears between the world's to top economies. On Monday, Chinese stocks had their biggest fall in more than three years. Things aren't as bad
today. As you can see, there was some recovery in Hong Kong, for example. There's cautious optimism after China said it's still sending its top trade
negotiator to Washington this week.
Now as we've been reporting in recent days, the President Donald Trump has renewed his threat to raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods.
Richard Quest is in New York. Enough of this great China rip off, that is the President's position. And quite frankly, Richard, that is a position
that likely suits a lot of other countries around the world. Right?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS, EDITOR-AT-LARGE: It most certainly does and not only the President. If you look at what Chuck Schumer, the leader of
the Democrats in the Senate, he has also said do not let China get away with it.
I think there is now a feeling, Becky, that rightly or wrongly these negotiations are going ahead and are tough and that this is the moment to
do a deal with China that deals once and for all with the wider trade impediments.
Firstly, the requirement of joint ventures as opposed to individual ventures. Joint ventures where you are required to transfer the technology
to your Chinese counterpart. Secondly, simply the theft of intellectual property. So there is a feeling that if you're going to grasp the nettle,
however painful it's going to be, now might be the time. And that's what you're seeing in the market today.
ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating. All right, keep your eyes on those stock indices for us. Richard Quest is at the New York Stock Exchange for you.
Thank you, sir.
Depending on who you are, the name Pamela Anderson might stir up a number of different things. Some of you know her as lifeguard CJ Parker in
"Baywatch." A legendary "Playboy" cover girl or as a passionate animal rights advocate. Some of you also might think she's my sister. She's not.
But to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, currently behind bars at London's high-security Belmarsh prison, she's something else, a friend. The actress
was the first person to visit Assange in a social capacity along with the WikiLeaks editor in chief. This was her reaction after meeting with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAMELA ANDERSON, ACTRESS: Obviously, it's been very difficult to see Julian here and to make our way through the prison to get to him was quite
shocking and difficult. He does not deserve to be in a supermax prison. He has never committed a violent act. He's an innocent person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well Assange was sentence, as you will be well aware, for nearly a year in prison for skipping bail and is battling a U.S. extradition
request. He was arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London last month after what was a seven-year stay.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 28 minutes past 7:00 in the UAE. That is where we broadcast this show from.
Still ahead, defied at every turn. U.S. congressional Democrats may have finally had enough. We'll see what they are planning amid a showdown with
the White House over access to the full Mueller report and more.
Three dazzling looks, three megastars and only three little lessons to describe them. OMG. We've got celebrities dressing up like this. That's
coming up.
[11:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You are watching CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 7:32 here in Abu Dhabi, 6:32 In Istanbul.
And let me get you to our top story. Which is that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is praising the decision to hold a new election for
mayor of Istanbul. He says it will strengthen democracy in Turkey. Well his AK party lost the vote in March by a razor thin margin and demanded a
do-over. Well Mr. Erdogan who once served as the city's mayor claims election laws were broken.
Well the opposition says the new vote isn't democracy in action. Rather, they say, it's a dictatorship. Unal Cevikoz is with the Republican
People's Party -- which is also known as CHP. Let's just remind everyone just how close this race was, sir. The victory extremely narrow with CHP
at 48.79 percent just ahead of AKP's 48.51. And the government says there was fraud. Your reaction.
UNAL CEVIKOZ, CHP DEPUTY CHAIRMAN: Well this is definitely something which cannot be accepted because there's no fraud. And the cancellation of the
elections in Istanbul is based on the election law and the Supreme Election Council suggests that the law concerning the incidents and circumstances
affecting the outcome and integrity of elections has been violated.
But this is so absurd because the ballot box committees apparently -- that is what they say -- were not formed in order and in compliance with the law
which was designed to prepare the elections.
Now in the elections there were envelopes and, in the envelopes, there were three different ball ballot tickets.
[11:35:00] These tickets were for the election of the district mayors, the election of the city council members and also the election of the
metropolitan mayor for Istanbul. All of the votes were put in the same envelope. But in this envelope only the votes which are concerning the
metropolitan mayor are cancelled and they say these have been fraud and these have been and the result has been not correct. All the other votes
--
ANDERSON: You're telling me that you do not -- sorry, let me just stop you there. You're telling me that you do not believe that this was a
fraudulent election. I get that. Well, the Turkish President standing by his claim that the redo is about election fraud. Hang on, sir. I just
want our viewers to listen to what Mr. Erdogan says. He says this is not a power grab. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERDOGAN (through translator) It became clear that certain people with dirty hands had become involved starting before the elections and they brought
the matter to this point step by step. We sincerely believe that there was organized corruption, poll illegality and irregularity in the Istanbul
mayoral elections.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Unal, this was a decision by the judiciary purged after the attempted coup a couple of years ago and which Mr. Erdogan's critics say is
stacked with his cronies. There is a new election in June. Are you confident that you can win this time, a round two?
CEVIKOZ: Definitely. We are certain that Ekrem Imamoglu, the candidate of the Republican People's Party is going to win again. He has won it once
and he is going to win it again. The reason that I am so confident is Ekrem Imamoglu is not only the candidate of the Republican People's Party
anymore. He's the candidate of 16 million people living in Istanbul and he has been embraced after the elections.
He has been the mayor. He has received the certificate of elections on the 17th of April. And for the last three weeks he has been performing
excellently as the mayor and he has been very much welcome and he has been embraced. So now that the elections are confiscated by all these
allegations, we believe that he's going to win again.
ANDERSON: Do you believe that this is personal for the President? After all, he cut his teeth in politics in the city of Istanbul as mayor himself.
And how concerned are you about Turkey's future at this point? The Turkish lira, for example, falling once again today on the back of this news?
CEVIKOZ: Certainly the Turkish economy is not in good state of affairs and this is of course going to affect the economy more. I'm not certain about
the rate against the dollar today but it was over 6 Turkish liras one dollar and it was rising. But this is all simply because the economy is in
a very fragile situation. And that such a situation, only after five weeks after the elections were over, to repeat the elections in Istanbul is of
course useless. And is to ridiculous to hold it again. But this is simply a confiscation of a legitimate election. And that's the reason why, we
believe, the people of Istanbul are going to give the mandate back to Ekrem Imamoglu once the elections are renewed.
ANDERSON: Unal, is this personal for President Erdogan? It being the city of Istanbul?
CEVIKOZ: Certainly it is personal, because Istanbul is the biggest city in Turkey and the metropolitan mayor of Istanbul is a very important person.
As you have mentioned, Erdogan has been that about 25 years ago and he passed through those channels. And he has himself said that if you lose
Istanbul, then you lose Turkey. And that's the reason why these elections on 31 March were so important. And once the elections were over, Erdogan
realized that AKP lost the metropolitan mayor. That's the reason now why they are trying to get it back. But I don't think that they are going to
succeed.
ANDERSON: With that we're going to leave it there, sir. We appreciate your time.
It is 20 to 7:00 in the evening in Istanbul, 20 to 8:00 here in the UAE.
When U.S. President Trump said we are fighting all subpoenas, he wasn't kidding. His administration is blocking Congressional Democrats' demands
to see his tax returns, the full Mueller report and more.
[11:40:00] Setting up an unprecedented showdown between two equal branches of government as Lauren Fox now reports. House Democrats could soon take
punitive action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER (voice-over): The Trump administration raising a new roadblock in House Democrats' efforts to
investigate the President. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin refusing to hand over President Trump's personal and business tax returns to the House
Ways and Means Committee. In a letter to Chairman Richard Neal, Mnuchin writing, he decided treasury can't give the documents. Saying he
determined that the committee's request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose. Neal saying the committee will consult with counsel and determine
the promote response.
The tax return battle could make its way to the Supreme Court as the Trump administration's contempt for Congress becomes more apparent.
House Judiciary chair, Jerry Nadler, considering contempt of Congress for Attorney General William Barr. Scheduling a vote for tomorrow after Barr
declined to provide the full unredacted Mueller report by Monday. Justice Department officials will try to diffuse the situation in a meeting with
committee staff today. But Nadler says the plans to consider holding Attorney General Barr accountable for his failure to comply with our
subpoena still stand, Democrats saying Barr's refuse to release the report gives them no choice.
REP. TED LIEU (D-CA): We have to fight fire with fire and have all our options are on the table. One of them is contempt. I hope we don't have
to use it this Wednesday. But we will if we must.
FOX: While the Attorney General skipped a hearing last week, the House Judiciary Committee is pressing forward with another request to host
Special Counsel Robert Mueller at a hearing next week, tentatively May 15th. Mueller is still a Justice Department employee which means officials
could block him from testifying. President Trump tweeting Sunday, Bob Mueller should not testify. After weeks of saying it was up to Attorney
General William Barr who told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about Bob Mueller? Should he be allowed to testify?
WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I've already said publicly I have no objection to him.
FOX: A Trump administration official telling CNN the President's tweet was misinterpreted. Saying the President was expressing his opinion that the
investigation is over and it's time to move on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well Lauren Fox reporting for you. Regular guest and friend of the show, Stephen Collinson, says Democrats might as well declare the
entire Trump administration in contempt of Congress. Saying it's repeatedly shown nothing but disdain for a fundamental principle of U.S.
democracy. Problem is, Stephen, with Teflon Trump nothing sticks whether the Democrats choose to take punitive action or not.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, Becky. And I think the prospect of all this going into the courts is something that most
administrations might consider a bit of a headache. The Trump administration wouldn't mind that at all, because it could take months,
even years for some of these complicated constitutional questions. For example, the issue of Trump's tax returns to be litigated. And that would
allow Trump to sort of ride this up to and potentially beyond the 2020 election.
So while Congress does have a constitutional oversight role, the behavior of the Trump administration is showing just how difficult it is to push
that through. In the last few moments we've actually learned that the former White House counsel Don McGahn has been told by the White House not
to hand over a bunch of documents related to the Russia investigation and former national security advisor Michael Flynn to the House Judiciary
Committee. We could see him facing contempt charges from the House and it's all escalating. But right now the Trump administration seems to be in
the box seat.
ANDERSON: Yes. Well look, Stephen, so far Democratic leaders aren't willing to gamble on trying to impeach President Trump. They don't have
the votes in the Republican-led Senate. Listen to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Impeachment is the easy way out for some of these people because they know it will end at the
Senate's edge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Stephen, she's also concerned, by the way, that Donald Trump won't give up power in 2020 if he loses. Does Pelosi have a point on this
impeachment, that impeachment would be pointless?
COLLINSON: Well, I think it would be pointless in the fact that the President isn't going to get turfed out of office because there's not a
two-thirds majority in the Republican-led Senate to convict him even if he was impeached in the House.
Pelosi is in a very difficult position. She is trying to guard against an impeachment process backfiring against Democrats being seen as overreaching
because polls show that most Americans aren't ready for that ultimately divisive step in their politics.
[11:45:04] Yet at the same time if you have a president that is flouting the normal constitutional order, is railroading over everything the
Democrats try to do in the House to keep him accountable and to fulfill their role of oversight and investigation. Do you at some point have to
take that step just because it's your constitutional prerogative and it's the only thing you can do to hold the President to account? Pelosi has not
ruled out the idea of impeachment but it seems like it's very unlikely to happen.
One perhaps thing she might think about is if the Democrats go through to the 2020 election and they lose that election and Trump gets a second term,
there's going to be a great deal of second guessing about the fact that Democrats didn't force Republican Senators to take a really tough vote to
spare the President the prospect of being kicked out of office. And if the boot was on the other foot, would Republicans make the same kind of
calculation that Pelosi is simply because they're known for playing ultimate hardball?
ANDERSON: Yes, I know, you make a very, very good point. Tough times for the Democrats at this point. I don't know about the Republicans, but
Donald Trump just rolls on.
Coming up -- thank you Stephen -- what is in a name? Well, a lot it seems when you are a Royal baby born to a British dad and an American mum.
Another break with tradition for Harry and Meghan? That's a question and that is up next.
[11:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Before the break we asked, what is in a name? Well for Britain's new Royal baby, a lot of guessing and a lot of speculation. The
Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcome their first child Monday, a healthy baby boy. But they have yet to announce the little one's name. Could it be
Arthur, Charles or Philip? What about Spencer in honor of Prince Harry's mother, Diana? Well the world awaiting the answer. Some rather anxiously.
Max Foster is live for you from Windsor. Do you have the answer at this point?
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't have the answer. I don't think they've decided yet. And that was the implication yesterday when Prince
Harry came out after the birth. Paying tribute to his wife and what she went through. Today's really been about the wider family actually. We've
had reactions from Prince Charles. Who's been out in Germany saying he can't wait to meet the new baby when he returns. Also this from the Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: I'm looking forward to seeing them in the next few days. We're absolutely thrilled. I'm very please pleased to
welcome my own brother to the sleep deprivation society that is parenting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: And the Duchess looking at her children and them all meeting up. So it's an exciting moment for that side of the family.
[11:50:00] They've now got first cousins to sort of bring into the family fold. In terms of names, we don't know. But you've named all of the names
that people are betting on currently but they're speculating obviously.
ANDERSON: Yes, and just a sort of politest point slightly. The idea that mum's American, dad's British, he might be a little Royal fella but they've
been breaking with tradition, haven't they? So I know we've brought up the leading names as it were. Do you think there will be a break with
tradition? Could he be called the Atlantic Ocean, for example?
FOSTER: Well, well why wouldn't she reflect her American background in the name of the baby who will be brought up here in Windsor with all this
tradition. And it's so English. You couldn't be in a more English place as you know. So I think there might be an American name in there. Also
wait and see what they do in terms of titles. The Queen will decide what sort of titles she could give. But will they take a title at all? Things
like that.
Tomorrow there's a small photo shoot in the palace behind the castle behind and then we'll get to see the baby for the first time. We're also going to
see Meghan for the first time since she had the baby. Whenever she's in these situations, she does often speak to the camera. So it's going to be
interesting what she has to say about the whole process at well.
ANDERSON: Good stuff. Thank you, Max. Max is in Windsor, all eyes there for the first images of this little fella and mum.
What will those lucky enough to be meeting the new bouncing boy pick out to wear? Well they could take a cue from a shindig in New York last night, or
not. Some extravagant getups. Up next.
[11:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: To be fair, he actually plays a lot better than I do and I took lessons. You are listening to positively fantastic musical stylings of Mr.
Buddy Mercury. Mixing Beethoven and Queen. His catalog apparently dozens of hits on YouTube and Facebook. All the money that Buddy makes goes to
help getting animals rescued. Good boy, Buddy.
Well now, golden feathers, bursting flowers, miles of silk organza.
[11:55:00] All in a night's work at the Met Charity Gala with its theme -- camp. She sings, she dances, she acts, triple threat, Lady Gaga, shedding
gown after gown, after gown, all the way to her skivvies.
Actor Billy Porter, not one to be out shown, oozing in enough decadent gold to make King Midas jealous. So over the top, he needed servants to carry
him in. And we guess she likes it like that. Fashion maven and rapping sensation, Cardi B blowing everyone out of the water. Her dress taking 35
people, 2,000 hours to put together.
Right, time for our Parting Shots. Guys, would you look at this. Who left their coffee cups on my desk, during my show? What's that? Oh, well --
there you have it, apparently, they're all mine. Just -- there we go. Give me a break. I'm in good company. Because at a table laid out a
medieval festival in a far-away fairytale land. A bit of a fairy failed. Can you see it? There it is hiding amid the banquet, a very non-Westeros-
looking coffee cup. Perhaps someone ordered a flat white walker. Here's one fan's very calm and reasonable reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They left a coffee cup in this scene. Oh -- oh, my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: If I lived in Westeros, I would find a way to get my coffee lattes. I'm Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for
watching wherever you are in the world. From the team working with me here in Abu Dhabi and those working with us around the world, it is a very good
evening. CNN, of course, continues after this short break.
[12:00:00]
END
