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Interview with Mohammad Javid Zarif, Iranian Foreign Minister, All- Out War if Saudis or U.S. Strike Iran; Pompeo Says Attack on Saudi Oil an Act of War; Iranian Foreign Minister Accuses U.S. of Delaying Visas of U.N. Delegates; Gantz Declares Victory in Israeli Elections Despite Deadlock; Netanyahu Suggest He May Be Willing to Share Power; Last Day of U.K. Supreme Court Hearing on Parliament Suspension; Whistleblower Complaint Prompted by Trump Communication with Foreign Leader; U.S. Democrats Demand Info about Whistleblowers Claim; Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Apologizes for Dark Face Photo; China Dips and Deport Reserves to Stabilize Prices; Swedish Teen Activists Speaks in Front of Congress. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 19, 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)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What would be the consequence of an American or Saudi military strike on Iran now?
MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: An all-out war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST: Tehran's warning to the world. CNN has an exclusive interview with the Iran's foreign minister.
Then, will there be a breakthrough in Israel's deadlocked elections or will be back to the polls?
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRETA THUNBERG, TEEN CLIMATE ACTIVIST: I want you to unite behind the science. And then I want you to take real action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: A young climate activist's powerful plea to U.S. lawmakers.
Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Robyn Curnow here in Atlanta.
Now in a CNN exclusive interview Iran has issued a warning in the wake of last weekend's strikes on the Saudi oil supply. Iranian foreign minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif tells are Nick Payton Walsh there will be an all-out war if the U.S. or Saudi Arabia dare to launch an attack against his
country. Zarif's comments come as the U.S. Secretary of State meets with leaders across the region. Mike Pompeo has accused Iran of being behind
the Saudi oil attack calling it an act of war. So let's bring in CNN's Nick Paton Walsh live from Iran -- Nick.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, bellicose rhetoric, but underneath it was a tone I think of a foreign minister hoping
to avoid conflict. But also at the same time, in a separate part of the interview you'll hear later saying that he thought negotiations of the U.S.
were pretty much unlikely. Saying that he'd only be willing to contemplate that as would his seniors here in the event that the U.S. rejoined the
nuclear deal and remove the sanctions that it reimposed that were supposed to be alleviated as part of that nuclear deal. Here's what we heard
earlier on today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: What would be the consequence of an American or Saudi military strike on Iran now?
MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: An all-out war.
WALSH: You make a very serious statement there, sir.
ZARIF: Well, I make a very serious statement about defending our country. I'm making a very serious statement that we don't want war. We don't want
to engage in a military confrontation. We believe that a military confrontation based on deception is awful. It will have a lot of
casualties. But we won't blink to defend our territory.
WALSH: Put yourself in Saudi Arabia's shoes. If there was an attack on Iranian sovereign territory with cruise missiles launched from Saudi
Arabia, what would Iran's response be?
ZARIF: Well, they're making that up. Why do they want to make that up? That it was from Iranian territory? The Yemenis have announced
responsibility for that. They have provided information about that. They have answered all the Saudi disinformation campaign about the fact that
they launched this attack against Saudi Arabia in self-defense.
Now, they want to pin the blame on Iran in order to achieve something. And that is why I'm saying this is agitation for war. Because it's based on
lies. It's based on deception. But you lie and deceive when it serves your interests. It doesn't even serve their interest.
WALSH: There is weakness though to Iran's denial about involvement in all this and that is really the Houthi/Yemeni rebels who you say -- and who say
themselves -- were behind this. This is a rag tag group of rebels who have been under siege for years. They struggled to get medicines. They
struggle to get food. That indeed is part of your case why the war must stop.
How is the world expected to believe that they were able to magic up drones and cruise missiles of this technology that flew across hundreds of miles
of Saudi Arabia, through tens of billions of dollars of air defenses, without any external assistance and took out 19 targets? That's a big ask
people to believe.
ZARIF: Well, you see, if you want to make your calculations based on this, Saudi Arabia should have been able to win this war against this group of
besieged people exactly when they thought they would, four weeks after they started the war. But it's 4 1/2 years. They have not been able to bring
the Yemenis to their knees.
WALSH: But that is a different to resisting an invading army on the ground. It's different to getting technology out of nowhere it seems and
managing to evade state-of-the-art, tens of billions of dollars American assisted air defenses. That's a different argument.
ZARIF: Well, I mean, then you should go and find the problem with the state-of-the-art American air defense. It's not -- it's not with the
Houthis. I mean, you believe the United States is omnipotent and the United States military equipment are flawless. And that is why a bunch of
people with no access to anything cannot defeat that.
[11:05:02]
But I can tell you, I mean, it's going to be news for you and it's going to continue to be news for you that people can do a lot of things when they
are desperate. When they see their kids killed. When they see their kids maimed. When they see their wives bombarded, their Houses, their
hospitals, their schools destroyed. That gives you a lot of creativity. A lot of tenacity to go and search for yourself. This is exactly how we did
it. How do you think we built all of this? Huh? How do you think we built the missile system that brought down a U.S. drone?
WALSH: You are very sure that the Houthis did this. That there is one major inconsistency --
ZARIF: I'm very sure that Iran didn't do it.
WALSH: Understood. But you have also said consistently you believe the Houthis did this.
ZARIF: No, no, no, I believe the Houthis made a statement that they did it.
WALSH: So you're not sure they did it?
ZARIF: I cannot have any confidence they did it because we just heard their statement. I know that we didn't do it. I know that the Houthis
have made the statement that they did it.
WALSH: They're showing you no proof?
ZARIF: They -- I heard that they issued some released some documents last night which I haven't been able to examine for myself and I'm not an expert
to examine them anyway. To show that they were able to increase the range of the drones and the missiles by jet engines in them. But I'm not an
expert. So I cannot say.
WALSH: But it puts you in a similar position to the Saudi Arabian government to some degree. And that you're saying someone did this based
on a hunch and you would say the same thing about their conversations?
ZARIF: I'm not accusing anybody. You can have a lot of accusations flying around. Based on who may benefit from this. Iran wants security in the
region. Iran wants stability in the region. Iran does not want war. Iran wants an end to all wars.
WALSH: Would you call on the Houthis to release evidence that they did to this to clear this misunderstanding up?
ZARIF: I think they did release the evidence but it's not up to us to ask the Houthis. I think the Houthis know what they did. And they know what
they need to do. They released some evidence last night. And I think it's -- it is important for the Saudi government to understand what they're
trying to achieve. Do they want to fight Iran until the last American soldier? Is that their aim? Because if that is the aim, they can be
assured that this won't be the case.
WALSH: Why?
ZARIF: Because Iran will defend itself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: Now, I asked given the gravity of the American allegations whether or not he felt that the lack of an American military response reflected
perhaps President Trump being gun shy and he was quite clear that he thought no, it would be a foolish mistake to start a war based on deceit
and that that was a moment where Donald Trump had in fact been rational. And so the tone I think generally saying no conflict is a good idea, but
clearly stating that Iran is very ready for it -- Robyn.
CURNOW: OK. And then let's also talk about diplomacy. The possibility, the sliver of it, perhaps. The option of course is always the United
Nations. The U.N. GA, the General Assembly is next week. Are the Iranians going to be there?
WALSH: It doesn't look like it. He was saying just this morning that it was getting late to get the visas. The advanced team had been denied
visas. He hadn't gotten a visa. His President had not got a visa. After our interview he tweeted again that he still hadn't got a visa and we've
heard from State Department officials that they reserve the right to look at things on a case by case basis.
In fact, Secretary Pompeo said that if somebody is close to a foreign terrorist organization -- and that is what the United States has called the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Obviously, Dr. Zarif is not close to them but he is part of the same government that they belong to. Then Mike
Pompeo questioned whether such people should be allowed into a meeting that's about peace. That was echoed by a State Department spokesperson
today saying they take the safety and security of people very closely.
Look, that's not what the General Assembly is about. They've invited many people in the past. They allowed them to attend, I should say, the U.S.
don't get to invite people who had worse records frankly than Hassan Rouhani and Javad Zarif. But that's by the by. It doesn't look like
they're going and it doesn't look like if they went, they're going to end up having sideline meetings with the U.S. officials. But simply represent
Iran's view on the multilateral world stage.
[11:10:00]
But still their bids to be isolated here from the United States, not causing them to be cowed at all in their rhetoric -- Robyn.
CURNOW: OK, great interview. Good to have you there on the ground in Tehran. Thanks so much, Nick Paton Walsh.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State says he's trying to build a coalition in the Middle East to deter Iran. Nic Robertson now joins us
from the Saudi capital where Mr. Pompeo was earlier. Nic, hi. Talk us through the Secretary of State's trip, the messaging.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think the messaging has been on the quiet side. And I think that's to the benefit of both the
Saudis at the moment what they want to the Emiratis, of course, and Pompeo went on to the United Arab Emirates after leaving here this morning.
And also, perhaps the advantage of the White House, the reason is that the Saudis and Emiratis are very sensitive to the fact that the United States
could potentially trigger through their own individual actions, unilateral actions, could trigger a wider conflict here.
And the Saudi's recognize the cost of that, the Emirati's too. That they could potentially be dragged into a conflict. Even though there was a huge
provocation over the weekend, you know, taking down half their oil capacity. That were they to pursue that in a military manner, the effect
would be negative and it would be big on them because there are other vulnerable sites. Effectively they can't defend those sites as well as
they perhaps a week ago believed that they could.
So the messaging has been quite quiet. That the messaging has been, there was a criminal act, an act of war is what Secretary Pompeo called it. The
Saudis and the U.S. and the Emiratis want to try to build support for a more internationalized position to isolate Iran on this issue. To call out
Iran on this issue and to find a way to curb what Iran is doing on this issue.
But, you know, there was a moment yesterday and again early today where there was a thought that Secretary Pompeo may hold a press conference here
-- joint press conference. That didn't materialize. And I think that tells you a lot that by not putting yourself in front of the cameras and
facing that really tough question which is, you know, the high degree of probability that we understand that this attack came from Iranian soil. To
have secretary Pompeo have to stand there and deny that in some way, deny knowledge of it, would have been a very awkward position to be in. And
again, potentially add to ratcheting up tensions on the situation.
And I think that's what we're seeing at this moment. In essence with his visit before he gets back to the White House of course and briefs President
Trump in the national security meeting we understand will be held in the coming day or so.
CURNOW: And, Nic, I mean, you also asked some pretty tough questions in that press conference yesterday. We heard you. So as the Secretary of
State makes his way back to Washington, we heard Nick Paton Walsh's interview with the Iranian foreign minister. What happens next? Who makes
the next move?
ROBERTSON: That's in a way that's the multimillion-dollar question, isn't it? And this is the difficulty for the Saudi leadership. President Trump
is saying it's down to them. You and Saudi Arabia will do what you want. There is a real street level anti-Iranian feeling and a sense here in this
country that the Crown Prince is strong. So he's kind of got his -- he's got to be seen to be acting for the domestic audience in a strong and
robust way. Without going to war in the short term.
And it's very, very difficult. I mean, diplomacy, the White House is going to say -- Pompeo said it will take this to the United Nations General
Assembly this coming week. It's quite possible that the Saudis may send a high-level delegation there.
But they still have to face that issue, that if as they say Iran was behind this, then Iran has them caught in a very difficult position. Because Iran
has shown by the Saudi's measure, because they're saying that Iran was behind this that they are exposed to pressure, extreme pressure from Iran.
So you would think that their negotiating position is weak and therefore the only way to respond is militarily. It is not at all clear and I'm not
even sure as we -- as I talk to you from Riyadh right now that it is clear to the Saudi leadership quite how to navigate their way through the
process. And of course, there are -- there is therefore the potential for errors and the possibility of conflict. But it's not where the intention
is at right now. I feel fairly confident about that at the moment -- Robyn.
CURNOW: OK, thanks for that. This U.N. General Assembly is going to be interesting. Isn't it, Nic? I know both of us are going to be in New York
next week so there'll be a lot to talk about. Thanks so much.
OK. I want to take you to Israel where Benny Gantz is declaring victory in Tuesday's elections despite a deadlock that left the country's political
future in limbo. Projections show his Blue and White party edged out Benjamin Netanyahu Netanyahu's Likud.
[11:15:00]
But neither won enough support to rule on their own. Both Gantz and Mr. Netanyahu are calling for a unity government. The problem is they both
want to lead it. Gantz is rejecting Mr. Netanyahu suggestion that he may be willing to share power.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENNY GANTZ, BLUE AND WHITE PARTY LEADER (through translator): I want and intend to set a broad and liberal unity government headed by me. A
government that will manifest the world of people and our core promises to the public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Israeli President is encouraging the rivals to come together, but despite this hand shake today they remain very much apart.
And President Rivlin also has a big role in determining the next government. He's now raising the possibility of a third election if this
deadlock drags on. Well, Sam Kiley has been reporting in Jerusalem for -- on all of this -- Sam.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this third election prospect, Robyn, above all apart from election exhaustion here in
Israel. That said, the turnout was about 1.5 percent higher this time around than back in April. But it would be very bad news indeed I think
for Mr. Bibi Netanyahu -- Benjamin Netanyahu -- who at the time of a third election in all probability would also find himself embroiled in no less
than three court cases. Defending himself against allegations of corruption and other charges.
Now, it is because of those charges hanging over him that Benny Gantz the leader of the Blue and White party, co-leader with Yair Lapid, is saying
that they're prepared to form a national unity government with Mr. Netanyahu's Likud party, but without Mr. Netanyahu at the helm. For his
part, Mr. Netanyahu has at least admitted that whilst he has not won the elections, he is no longer -- you'll note -- not yet admitting defeat.
He's soldiering on and saying he does want to form a national unity government with Blue and White.
So the key element here really is his presence in a future government. Where he to remove himself I think it would be very, very easy indeed for
these two parties to form a national unity government. There's very little ideological difference between them. Benny Gantz has got two other former
chiefs of the IDF as part of his leadership element in the Blue and White party. So they have a strong case for playing the security card. The
level of experience available to them. But that's just not going to happen with Mr. Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, neither the Likud nor Blue and White can put together enough of a coalition based on projections at the moment which can be inaccurate of
61 seats that they need, Robyn, in order to have a majority of one of the 120 seat Knesset.
CURNOW: OK, Sam Kiley, thanks so much. It's been a busy week for you, Sam, and the team on the ground, certainly, in Israel. So catch up on all
of our special coverage. Go to CNN.com/connect where you can find all of CNN's interviews and analysis from the week that was. That's
CNN.com/connect.
Meanwhile, still to come, what did he say? Who did he say it to? President Trump's communication with a foreign leader has prompted a
whistleblower complaint. The latest details on this story. That's coming up.
And also, a shocking photo emerges of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in racist makeup weeks before the election there. What he's saying
about this photo now. All of that coming up next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
CURNOW: Britain's Supreme Court sat for a third and final day to consider if the Prime Minister acted unlawfully in moving to suspend Parliament. So
in the past few hours a lawyer for the former British Prime Minister John Major addressed the judges. Saying, Boris Johnson's decision was motivated
by political interest. A lawyer for the government insists this is not a matter for the court.
Well the court says that it hopes to publish its decision early next week. Well, Matthew Chance has been watching all of the twists and turns. You're
outside court, Matthew, in London. What's been happening?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, the court's been saying for the past three days. 11 supreme court judges have
been trying to sort of hearing the various arguments about this prorogument of parliament -- the suspension Parliament by the Prime Minister Boris
Johnson. The prorogue was suspended it for five weeks. The government argues that that's just a political judgment. It's got nothing to do with
law.
But what critics of that decision have said, is that look, this was antidemocratic. This was designed to stymie Parliamentary oversight of
Boris Johnson's Brexit strategy at this crucial time in the Brexit negotiations. There have been a couple of court cases in various parts of
the country. Sort of testing this but unfortunately, they've reached conflicting decisions. And so, it's the delicate job of the Supreme Court
here to hear the arguments again and to decide which view will prevail.
It's immensely complicated. If the decision goes against the British government obviously it will make life very hard for Boris Johnson. Even
harder than it already is. But more importantly, it could be the start of some significant constitutional change in this country because, you know,
usually the courts are not dragged in to oversight of the country's Prime Minister in this way. This is a step along the very different -- very
different sort of constitutional path -- Robyn.
CURNOW: Yes, that referendum on Brexit certainly opened a can of worms on all levels. Thank you, Matthew Chance, there in London.
Now, an intelligence storm is swirling in Washington. CNN has learned that President Trump's communication with a foreign leader led to a U.S.
intelligence official to file a whistleblower complaint. "The Washington Post" reports that the complaint was prompted after Mr. Trump made a
troubling, quote, promise.
Mr. Trump has just tweeted about this saying. Is anybody dumb enough to believe I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader?
Meanwhile, the inspector general for the intelligence community deemed the complaint credible and urgent. Now he's briefing members of Congress
behind closed doors. So let's head to Washington. Stephen Collinson is going to break this down for us. Stephen, hi. So the President's tweet
notwithstanding, let's just talk about this complaint. In many ways it's shrouded in mystery. What do we know?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, Robyn. We don't really know an awful lot and it's very complicated. But basically what
happened is somebody in the intelligence community perceived something in a communication between the President and a foreign leader, which raised
alarm bells. And they thought it was serious enough to become a whistleblower.
The watchdog in the intelligence community, the inspector general, looked at that report, that complaint, and decided it was urgent and credible
enough to be sent to the Congress which is the legal recourse under whistleblower legislation.
Now, what's happened is that the chief intelligence officer in the United States, the director of national intelligence, is refusing to turn over
that complaint to Congress so it can perform its constitutional oversight responsibilities of the presidency. So that's where we are. There's the
standoff.
Last night in Washington, this big story broke first in "The Washington Post" and then most of it was confirmed by CNN. So this has turned this
into the massive new political standoff with real ramifications between the President and Democrats in Congress.
CURNOW: Yes, and it's also again this push and pull between the White House and the intelligence communities and the Congress as well. What is
the suggestion here broadly?
[11:25:00]
Is there a suggestion that the U.S. President and this acting intelligence chief are trying to squash or silence some information coming out about
him? That Congress should know about. Is that what we're seeing on a broader scale?
COLLINSON: Yes. The question is, why is the director of national intelligence stopping this information coming out that we now know involves
in some way the alleged conduct of the President. Is that an instance of the executive, the White House trying to thwart the constitutional rights
and the checks and balances that Congress has to examine the conduct of the U.S. government. So this is a very fundamental constitutional argument as
well as all of the politics that are raging over this.
Now, if you look at it another way, you could argue that the White House and the administration is in the right here. The President has expansive
powers under the constitution to conduct foreign policy. He can make any promise he likes to a foreign leader. The question that we don't know the
answer to is if whatever -- if whatever the President said was so egregious or potentially unconstitutional and illegal whether that justifies a
whistleblower complaint and that -- until we know that I think it's difficult to sort of work out whether the White House has the right to do
what it's doing or whether Congress is in the right to accuse the administration of trying to cover this up.
CURNOW: OK. And we just put up those photos of the leaders that spoke to Trump in the weeks preceding that complaint. Also I just want to bring up
the President's tweet again. I don't know if we have that, if we can bring it up. I can read it.
Mr. Trump has just tweeted that: Is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader?
What's your reaction to that? How does that move the needle?
COLLINSON: Well, you know, the President says inappropriate things with foreign leaders in public all the time. So, it kind of undercuts the logic
of that argument. Just think back to his press conferences with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. Where he's caused all sorts of storms.
Sometimes siding with Russia over the evidence of his own intelligence agencies. For example, on the question of election meddling.
Now it's true that when a President speaks to a foreign leader there are many people listening in to those telephone calls. Reports of the
telephone calls get circulated throughout the U.S. government. That's one reason why I think it's quite likely that in the coming days we may get
more information leaked out about this call as it was in "The Washington Post" report last night. I think there's a good chance that we may soon
find out who that call if it was indeed a telephone call not a meeting was with and whether and what the President was talking about.
I mean, I think this is Washington, this is a very leaky administration. So we're going to find out. But I think the defense of the President will
be that he has the power to do whatever he likes and to say whatever he likes with a foreign leader. And he may be grounded in U.S. constitutional
law if he makes that argument.
CURNOW: OK. Stephen Collinson, always great to speak you Thanks so much. Stephen coming to us there live from Washington.
So still to come, working to get it back on the menu. China takes action after a virus wipes out a third of its pork supply.
[11:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: You're watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow. Welcome back.
Now Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is apologizing for a photo that is nearly 20 years. In this photo it shows him wearing racist makeup at an
Arabian nights themed gala. It surfaces just before he faces re-election. Here's Paula Newton with more on this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking for forgiveness.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Just off of myself obviously. I'm disappointed in myself and I'm apologizing to Canadians.
NEWTON: After "Time" magazine tweeted this photo showing him wearing brown face to an Arabian nights themed party at a private school where he taught
in 2001.
TRUDEAU: I dressed up in an Aladdin costume and put makeup on. I shouldn't have done that. I should have known better but I didn't and I'm
really sorry.
NEWTON: The image surfacing just one week after Trudeau launched his bid for re-election.
TRUDEAU: I stand here before Canadians as I will throughout this campaign and talk about the work, we have to do to make a better country together
and I'm going to continue to stay focused on that and continue to work to fight intolerance and discrimination.
NEWTON: Some others Canadian lawmakers immediately slamming the Prime Minister.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wearing brown face is an act of open mockery and racism. It was just as racist in 2001 as it is in 2019.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To see this image is hard for a lot of people. It's going to bring up a lot of pain. It's going to bring up a lot of hurt.
NEWTON: In the past, Trudeau has been accused of cultural appropriation. During a visit to India last year where the Prime Minister and the family
dressed in traditional clothing. He was criticized and even mocked by many Canadians.
TRUDEAU: Whether I'm wearing a traditional clothing or a suit and tie has been extremely encouraging in the Indo-Canadian friendship.
NEWTON: Trudeau is now being compared to two U.S. politicians who had similar issues surface earlier this year. Last month, Alabama Governor Kay
Ivey expressed, quote, genuine remorse for wearing blackface in a skit while she was a college student in the 1960s.
KAY IVEY, ALABAMA GOVERNOR: I want to offer my heart felt apologies for my participation in something from 52 years ago that I found deeply
regrettable.
NEWTON: And in February, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam apologized, admitted and then denied being in this photo from his 1984 medical school
yearbook showing a person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe.
RALPH NORTHAM, VIRGINIA GOVERNOR: It is definitely not me. I can tell by looking at it.
NEWTON: Northam refused to step down despite public pressure. Trudeau is also facing those calls but when pressed on whether that could happen, the
Prime Minister offering yet another apology.
TRUDEAU: I didn't think it was racist at the time. But now I recognize it was something racist to do. And I am deeply sorry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: And we have just gotten a new photo tweeted by CTV news reporter Evan Sullivan. It's the image we believe the Prime Minister alluded to
when he said he put on makeup for a high school talent show. CNN partner CTV news obtained this image as I said and we've reached out to the Prime
Minister, the Liberal Party of Canada and the school but have not yet received a response.
And after being locked in a trade battle with the U.S., China is addressing another major challenge to the economy -- pork. The country has just
released 10,000 tons from state reserves after an outbreak of swine fever wiped out about a third of the pigs. China's pork market is the largest in
the world as you can see here. The pig population has fallen by 100 million in the past year and the shortage is driven up pork prices by 50
percent. In the government auction each bidder can buy up to 300 tons of pork. David Culver has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:35:00]
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside Beijing's Home Plate restaurant, American barbecue is king. Their
specialty -- pork ribs.
(on camera): How long will this take?
BILL CHEN, GENERAL MANAGER OF HOME PLATE: It will take six to eight hours to smoke.
CULVER (voice-over): The general manager, Bill Chen, touring us through the kitchen. He says China's growing pork crisis has had him paying about
20 percent more for the meat. He's about to print new menus to help ease the burden.
(on camera): Are you worried by raising the prices that you might push customers away?
CHEN: I'm a little bit. I worry about that, yes.
CULVER (voice-over): The Chinese pork market, the world's largest, has been ravaged by an outbreak of African swine fever. The demand is strong
as ever sending the prices up nearly 90 percent in some places. It's a reality that in small towns too. Despite the chill in the air this inter-
Mongolian market is bustling midweek. Among the raw offerings -- pork. Butchers are eager to make a sale.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Compared to previous years --
CULVER (on camera): Business is worse.
The locals whom we spoken with in this small-town market tell us they have noticed the price of pork going up. But their consumption has stayed the
same. They're willing to pay more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I need to eat pork. It's a big part of our life.
CULVER (voice-over): Chinese people consume more pork than the U.S. and Europe combined. It is also the biggest supplier of pork which explains
why the swine fever outbreak is so devastating. Since late last year a third of China's pigs, more than 100 million have been wiped out. To help
replenish the supply, China has suggested they will ease tariffs on U.S. pork imports in the midst of the trade war. There also trying to regulate
the domestic market from within.
(on camera): The Chinese government has just released some 10,000 metric tons of pork. Is that going to help you guys at all?
CHEN: I think it's going to be good for the common people and the restaurants like us.
CULVER (voice-over): But Bill is hesitant about the long-term impacts.
CHEN: The trade war between the two countries it's the politics. I don't know.
CULVER: For now Home Plate keeps dishing up bringing American customers a taste of home and serving local Chinese their staple meat with a Texas
twist and a soaring price tag.
David Culver, CNN Beijing, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Thanks, David, for that.
Live from CNN center, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Robyn Curnow.
Coming up, a young Swedish climate activist has strong words for U.S. lawmakers. We'll explain after a quick break.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): The simple act of recycle or repurposing waste destined for landfill can have a huge impact on a city. Here in
Delhi it's at the heart of an initiative empowering some of the city's most vulnerable citizens.
VEENA LAL, FOUNDER, JUGAAD: Waste is a very big problem in Delhi. There is no concept of recycling. So most is going into the landfill which is
getting bigger and bigger every time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Veena Lal has run a homeless shelter in Delhi for over 20 years. Being a committed environmentalist, she came up with a way
to help those at the shelter and the environment at the same time. Turning fabric waste destined for the city's overflowing landfills into trendy bags
and accessories.
LAL: Fabric waste is one of the parts of the landfill so we are taking care of that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every week about 300 kilograms of fabric off cuts from the city's textile industry are delivered to the shelter.
[11:40:00]
Veena and the girls sort the massive bundles of material.
LAL: It takes around 60- or 70-women everyday working with us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It takes the women one day to make one medium bag. While other, more intricate designs can take up to three days.
LAL: We came up with this idea how to use this waste and can work it into a product which we can sell and out of that they can sustain themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Packed and ready for distribution, all the money earned from this point goes back the women at the shelter. The goods end
up in the Jugaad shop located in downtown Delhi. Last year, sales reached almost 60,000 U.S. dollars.
LAL: If I don't do anything then I'm part of the problem. But what I'm doing, then I'm part of the solution. So that's why I'm contributing
towards my environment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Veena and her team recycle Delhi's waste one stitch at a time. Finding a profitable use for what was otherwise destined for
Delhi's landfill.
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CURNOW: So tomorrow, young people in 150 countries will go on strike over the climate crisis. The movement was kicked off by the 16-year-old Swedish
climate activist Greta Thunberg. She's currently in the U.S. and appeared before Congress on Wednesday. Take a listen.
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GRETA THUNBERG, CLIMATE ACTIVIST: I have not come to offer any prepared remarks at this hearing. I'm instead attaching my testimony. It is the
IPCC special report on global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The SR 1.5 which was released on October 8, 2018. I am submitting this report as my
testimony because I don't want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists. And I want you to unite behind the science. And then I
want you to take real action.
I am from Sweden, a small country and there it is the same argument. Why should we do anything, just look at the U.S., they say. So just so you
know that is being used against you as well.
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CURNOW: Oh. Her message comes as the U.S. President Donald Trump announced he's revoking California's authority to set its own car emission
standards. The state has tougher pollution controls than the federal government. It is just the latest move to chip away at the environmental
legacy of former President Barack Obama. And in fact, as you can see here, Greta also managed to squeeze in a fist pump with the former President when
she met with him on Tuesday.
So it's certainly been a busy week. To catch you were on the news and information, do head to CNN.com/connect.
I'm Robyn Curnow. Thanks so much for watching. I'll continue with the news tomorrow.
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