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Boris Johnson and the EU: We have a Brexit Deal; Sondland Says Trump Directed Diplomats to Work with Giuliani on Ukraine; Trump Writes Erdogan; Don't be a Tough Guy; Pence and Pompeo in Turkey to Discuss Syria Incursion; Pelosi Says Trump Called Her a Third-Grade Politician; U.S. House Votes Overwhelmingly to Oppose Syria Withdrawal; Pence Meets With Erdogan on Syria Incursion. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired October 17, 2019 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: It's 6:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi, 5:00 in northern Syria, 4:00 in the afternoon in Brussels and 3:00 p.m. in London.

I'm Becky Anderson connecting your very busy world this hour from our Middle Eastern programming hub here in the UAE. We have a jam-packed show

for you. And we are going to keep you right up to date on three breaking international news stories. I'm going to get you right to it.

There's a new Brexit deal. U.K. and European Union negotiators coming to an agreement. But hold up, what's new? The Parliamentary arithmetic seems

as tricky as ever. And right out of the gate Northern Irish lawmakers key to getting it approved, effectively saying, no way.

Also, this hour, a copy of a letter written by the U.S. President Donald Trump warning Turkey's President Erdogan not to invade northern Syria to

take on Kurdish forces. Don't be a fool writes Mr. Trump. What Mr. Erdogan did with it, later this hour.

And take a look at this image going viral. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pointing her finger at President Trump. What each of them had to say about

this encounter is coming up.

And the man the Trump administration didn't want anyone to hear from. Well guess what? We're hearing from him right now. Ambassador Gordon Sondland,

one of the key figures at the center of the impeachment inquiry is testifying before Congressional committees on Capitol Hill as we speak. As

CNN has been reporting, he says he was directed by President Trump to work with Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe

Biden and his son.

All that is coming up. I promised you a busy show. First to Brexit. There is a deal, an excellent deal according to the British Prime Minister,

but, folks, it's a long way from a done deal. So how is this different to the agreement that Theresa May put to the U.K. Parliament and was rejected

three times?

Well, Northern Ireland will have to abide by EU rules for goods effectively keeping it in Europe's single market. In four years, lawmakers there will

get to decide whether it wants in or out of that arrangement. The U.K. as a whole would benefit from a transition period until the end of 2020. But

that can be extended if both sides agree. Why is Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist party against this plan? Well their position has been

very clear from the outset that any new Brexit deal should not separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. whether that is economically or

constitutional. Let's break this down for you, Richard Quest right at the heart of the story. He is live for us in Brussels at the European

Commission headquarters -- Richard.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: Becky, thank you. Yes, an excellent up sum of the situation there and what the regulations and what

the rules will be. Nic Robertson is with me will and Bianca Nobilo is outside Parliament and Julia Chatterley is in London. So let's start with

you, Nic. This deal, the DUP says they can't -- they can't support it. But at the end of the day these customs arrangements will only come into

play if there's no free trade agreement at the end of the transitional period.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The DUP feels like it will disadvantage the people of Northern Ireland. That they will have less

choice in their shops, that prices will be higher. And the reason they believe that -- and I think this is the crux of the issue -- is that the

European Union alone, according to DUP, will have the right of veto over which goods coming from mainland U.K. into Northern Ireland will have

tariffs on them in which will not. It is designed, of course, to make sure that across that open border in Ireland, anything destined for the south,

the integrity of the single market is protected, tariffs, customs tariffs are paid. It is complicated. They try to boil it down and it just isn't

to the DUP's taste because fundamentally, it makes them feel less part of the United Kingdom.

[10:05:00]

QUEST: Bianca, I was just looking at the chart that we had showing. The understanding, and this is in the weeds of it I'm afraid, but the

understanding of how this -- what Northern Ireland will be signing up to is what? When does -- when does all this take place?

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it would be ironed out during the transition period. And that's a point that leaders have been keen to

underscore this morning that there's obviously still a lot of legal aspects and technicalities that need to be ironed out. But it's obviously

something that the DUP don't feel that they can sign up to and the clue is in the name. The Democratic Unionist party -- as Nic says -- they've been

fairly consistent that any form of de facto separation from the United Kingdom, even if du jour and technically they remain part of the EU customs

territory is unacceptable to them and always has been.

Now the real concern for Boris Johnson is that the DUP have throughout this process been referred to as the tail that wags the dog of the Brexiteers,

the ERG. The votes that Boris Johnson absolutely, fundamentally requires if he has any chance of passing this deal.

Now over the past couple of weeks, the DUP had been conspicuously silent. And some Brexiteers I spoke to almost read that as tacit approval of what

was going on. But we have had the statement from them which is unequivocal. They won't be supporting it. And even more concerning for

the Prime Minister is some murmurings that I've been hearing from members of the ERG and from Brexiteers inside Westminster who have deep concerns

over the way that this new deal treats Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, other members of the Conservative Party who think that this deal goes too far. So, Richard, we yet again find ourselves in the goldilocks

and the three bears situation where this Brexit deal is far too soft for some, particularly on that principle of consent to the ERG into the DUP and

far too hard for others. So Boris Johnson is presented with this issue which has been omnipresent in the Brexit debate over the last couple of

years. And whether or not he's got any chance of getting this through depends on him winning over these key constituencies within the British

Parliament. And from the people I've been speaking today, Richard, it doesn't seem like he's got great chance of doing that.

QUEST: Bianca, thank you. Bianca is at Westminster. Sinn Fein MEP, Matt Carthy, joins me now to talk about this in some more detail. Let's ignore

for a moment the natural instinct to sort of say you don't like it and you won't agree with it and it's all a very bad idea. Is there anything in

this that proves a workable option from your point of view?

MATT CARTHY, SINN FEIN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Yes, from an Irish Republican point of view, we welcome the fact that agreement was reached.

Notwithstanding the very firm belief that we have that there is no such thing as a good Brexit for the island of Ireland. We do not want to see

what we were considered to be the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit being imposed on our land. You have to remember, and your viewers have to recall

that the majority of people in the north of Ireland voted emphatically to remain part of the European Union.

The British government have essentially road roughshod over that Democratically endorsed message. And instead we have been trying to ensure

that we secure the withdrawal agreement here at the European level, that minimized the damage that Brexit would do. And that's what we see this

deal in the context of. It has the potential to minimize the disaster that is Brexit for our country.

QUEST: Matt, do you see these new arrangements of alignment for Northern Ireland with the south to be permanent or merely in the event of a failure

to put in place a free trade agreement during the transitional period? Because that was the problem with the backstop. It was the potential for

the permanency.

CARTHY: Well, I think just looking at this in the broader historical context. There partition and the partition of our country has been

disastrous for all parts of Ireland, North, South, East and West economically, politically and socially. Over the past 20 years we've tried

to undo through the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement some of the damage that Brexit has caused. That was facilitated by our shared

membership of the European Union. So Brexit had the potential to undo some of the resolving of those historical issues. What Brexit has done is put

into stark focus the undemocratic nature of the partition of our country. As I said, the majority of people in the north of Ireland voted to remain.

So what we have now is a potential to minimize the damage that Brexit has presented. In terms of the permanence, the permanent solution ultimately

will be the reunification of Ireland.

[10:10:00]

Anybody who looks at a map, anybody who understands the political and economic prerogatives of people of Ireland realize that's the trajectory

that we're going.

Through this agreement we may have the process by which we can have a planned managed way of securing that in the longer term.

QUEST: Matt, good to see you, thank you, sir. I appreciate it. It's a very complex issue on a very difficult day with many things happening.

So, Becky, there's a slightly unreal air about it. Because on the one hand they have done a deal and there's lots of almost champagne metaphorical

champagne corks being popped here. But as you started right at the beginning, what good that deal does if you can't get it across in London on

Saturday, that's your problem.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. We know that the Prime Minister will be working very hard over the next, what, 24, 30 hours to try and ensure that

that arithmetic works out Saturday. Richard, thank you for that. Fascinating times for the EU and the U.K.

We're going to move on and come back to the story as you'd expect us to in the next couple of hours. Want to get on to our second but far from last

breaking news story this hour.

With the -- within the past hour, dramatic testimony in the U.S. Presidential impeachment investigation. His opening statement, President

Trump's ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland said he was instructed to work with Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine.

Manu Raju is standing by. This is a key witness, Manu, in this inquiry. He was blocked from testifying last week by the White House. Just how

significant is what we have heard from Gordon Sondland today?

Sounds like we haven't got Manu. Manu, can you hear me? All right. Let's take a very short break. I'm going to come back to Manu.

The impeachment inquiry obviously, a massive story. Brexit a huge story. Brexit may be front and center but it's not the only issue exercising minds

in Brussels and in London this hour as Turkey's actions in Syria raise concerns in Europe's capitals. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and U.S.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meet the Turkish President. That in the wake of President Trump's threatening and, frankly, bizarre letter to his

Turkish counterpart.

Plus --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Back to Capitol Hill. Within the past hour, dramatic testimony in the U.S. Presidential impeachment investigation. Manu Raju is standing

by for you.

[10:15:00]

Gordon Sondland, a key witness, the U.S. ambassador to the EU speaking before committee. How significant is what we've heard from him today?

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well we have obtained his opening statement and it's remarkable because he breaks with the

President. And this is President Trump's top diplomat for the European Union. Someone who is viewed as a pretty close Trump ally.

But he makes very clear in this opening statement that he was disappointed by the President's actions. Also making clear that the President

essentially put on ice this effort to bolster a key alliance between the United States and the Ukrainians in exchange for these officials, including

Gordon Sondland to talk to Rudy Giuliani. The President's personal attorney who had been seeking an investigation into Joe Biden and his son

Hunter Biden. Also seeking an investigation into the 2016 elections.

Now in some of the -- getting into the testimony is very detailed. He gets into some of the particulars here. He said that in May of this year, after

President Zelensky of Ukraine was inaugurated, he went to the President, along with other U.S. officials to talk about ways to bolster the alliance,

including a meeting between Zelensky and Trump. But Trump said, no. He said first he wanted him to speak to Rudy Giuliani. He said that it was

apparent to all of us that the key to changing the President's mind was Mr. Giuliani.

So there was outreach to Giuliani. And he said that they were faced with a choice. They could, quote -- they could abandon the goal of a White House

meeting with President Zelensky which they all viewed was critical, or we could do as President Trump directed and talk to Mr. Giuliani to address

the President's concerns. Now Sondland says he was not aware until much later what Giuliani's agenda might include was to prompt the Ukrainians to

investigate Biden and his son in what could be an apparent effort to help the President's 2020 election campaign. That is what Gordon Sondland is

testifying about now.

Now he said he did talk to Rudy Giuliani a handful of times. One time in August of this year and Giuliani made clear what the President wanted was a

statement, a public statement from Zelensky committing Ukraine to look into anti-corruption issues. Now what those anti-corruption issues are

significant. It involves the 2016 elections, including the DNC server and Burisma. Now Burisma is code for the Bidens. Because Hunter Biden served

on the board of that energy company and that -- and while Giuliani does not explicitly say to Sondland that they wanted to investigate the Bidens,

Sondland says that he later learned that that was an apparent reference to investigating the Bidens.

Now there were also questions about why military aid had been held up for the Ukrainian government despite its approval by the U.S. Congress and

whether that was part of any quid pro quo. Well Sondland testifies that he talked to President Trump about it. He said there was a brief phone call

with the President who said repeatedly there was no quid pro quo, no quid pro quo. And that was essentially it. And there was no real apparent

effort to confirm there was actually no quid pro quo.

But the fact the President, that the President's top diplomat here is testifying that the President essentially decided to put on ice this effort

to bolster this alliance in exchange for talking to Rudy Giuliani and pursuing Rudy Giuliani's agenda is a very significant development in this

impeachment inquiry as Democrats try to pursue whether the President abused his power while in office -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Manu Raju is on The Hill for you keeping an eye on an extremely important story. Manu, thank you. We promised you a busy hour, and it is.

On to another major story this hour.

Nothing to do with us. Well, the President's words feeling quite ironic this hour. His two top officials in Turkey looking for an off ramp for

Ankara's rapidly escalating action into northern Syria. Vice President Mike Pence has been meeting one on one with President Erdogan, the U.S.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also expected to join in those talks. We are expecting to hear from the Americans after those meetings. You will

have that, of course, just as soon as it happens.

Meanwhile, we are seeing the pen strokes of President Trump's so-called art of the deal. Take a look at this letter written by President Trump to his

Turkish counterpart. The day that Turkey began its offensive into northern Syria. It is so important. So just let me read the whole thing out for

you.

[10:20:00]

Dear Mr. President. Let's work out a good deal. You don't want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don't want to be

responsible for destroying the Turkish economy -- and I will. I've already given you a little sample with respect to Pastor Brunson.

I've worked hard to solve some of your problems. Don't let the world down. You can make a great deal. General Mazloum is willing to negotiate with

you, and he is willing to make concessions that they would never have made in the past. I am confidently enclosing a copy of his letter to me, just

received.

History, he says, will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good

things don't happen. Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool! I will call you later. Sincerely, Donald J. Trump.

With that, let's get you straight to the White House. CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns is in the briefing room. And hot on Mr.

Pence and Pompeo's heels, Jomana Karadsheh is in Ankara. Let me just start with you there. What sort of welcome did the American delegation get in

Ankara today?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well you know, Becky, it was actually quite interesting as we saw those arrival pictures of the Vice President.

It wasn't that red carpet that you'd expect for a Vice President to low level Turkish officials. The deputy governor, deputy mayor according to

U.S. officials were the ones there greeting the Vice President. And that's not really much of a surprise, Becky. He is coming here at a very awkward

time. You've got the letter coming out in the overnight before the visit. You got the mixed messages coming from President Trump.

And then, you know, we saw these pictures of President Erdogan meeting with the Vice President, Turkish channels were actually analyzing the body

language that both looked very serious as one would expect at a time like this. So we'll have to wait and see what comes out of these meetings. We

understand that the bilateral meeting, the one-on-one between the Vice President and President Erdogan has wrapped up. It took more than an hour.

And now they have gone into an expanded bilateral meeting. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, amongst other officials who will be meeting now.

But I have to tell you, here what we're from analysts and you know, many here in Turkey don't really expect much to come out of this meeting.

Because the Vice President, the U.S. side has made it clear they're coming here to ask for an immediate cease-fire. And Turkey has said, we've heard

it from President Erdogan repeatedly. That is a nonstarter for them. The only way they say this operation will come to an end is when these Kurdish

fighters withdraw from the border area and they have that safe zone that Turkey aims to establish through this operation.

So we'll have to wait and see. And in the words of one analyst, Becky, I was speaking to a short time ago, he says that what we're seeing coming

from the U.S. administration, that's his analysis, is that this is a show for domestic consumption, he says, in the United States, for critics of

President Trump. For this uproar that happened following his decision to withdraw U.S. forces and essentially giving the green light for this

operation. The feeling is this is a bit of back pedaling to try and make up for that decision as we said for the United States and critics. So not

much expectation that anything is going to come out, anything of substance is really going to come out of these meetings -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Joe, this letter is written that I just read out was written or was dated October the 9th. As we understand it, it was just hours after

receipt of this letter that the Turkish President decided to begin this military offensive. So the very idea, Joe, that this American delegation

has arrived or has been sent to and is now ensconced in Ankara with a message from the President that reads we want you to affect a cease-fire.

Now just seems nonsense at this point. This is to Joe Johns.

[10:25:00]

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I think throughout this entire exercise, if one thing has been the sharpest

criticism about the President is that he continues to fail to articulate strategic values that the Kurds represent both in that letter he sent out

and as well in his public pronouncements. Just listened to something the President just said yesterday about this situation on the border there in

Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Syria may have some help with Russia and that's fine. It's a lot of sand. They've got a lot of

sand over there. So there's a lot of sand they can play with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: A lot of sand. So this has been the problem with the President throughout, at least according to his critics. And it's been one of the

drivers I think for the action that's going on, on Capitol Hill right now. Senator Lindsey Graham generally considered a major ally of the President

from his own party on Capitol Hill, Republican, Introducing with a Senator from Maryland, Chris Van Holland a series of sanctions against Turkey as a

result of their military actions there against the Kurds. They are supposed to unveil those in a little while. We've got a preview of it on

Twitter just a little while ago that includes sanctions against the energy secretary and prohibition on military assistance -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Joe Johns is in Washington. Jomana is in Ankara for you.

Well for years, northern Syria has been a place of refuge for those fleeing parts of the battle-stricken country. Now many who have been displaced, at

least once in Syria's eight-year war, are finding themselves on the run once again. Humanitarian groups are leaving the region as Kurdish families

bury their loved ones and shift their allegiances. Nick Paton Walsh reports on the human side of this crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's little light left for Syria's Kurds who must bury their dead and their old

allegiances. It wasn't time for you to die, my son. Why were you killed, she mourns. Your mistake was defending the country against invaders.

Take a moment to consider their world. They've grieved like this before under American direction to fight ISIS and buried 10,000 sons and

daughters. Now America's President, in one phone call, has unleashed Turkey's NATO standard army and air force on them and America's military

has reluctantly left them.

A martyr does not die, she chants. One of many here who do not look like they'll submit to Turkey's new border soon. At the hospital, the doctors

line up outside to receive the wounded. It is an endless stream. Despite over a week of fighting, Syrian Kurdish fighters who complain so often that

only having old Kalashnikovs to combat ISIS are still holding Turkish forces back.

They have had some help. Desperate enough to strike a deal with something worse than the devil, the Syrian regime arriving here, quite far north in

Tal TaMr. The flags may be so new they've just been unfolded but the moves, the show of loyalty is old and practiced.

Our spirits are high, and our will strong, he says. We're here to defend Syrian land and people, another adds.

While diplomacy stalls at Ankara and soon the Kremlin and the displaced scavenge shelter yet again, possibly hundreds of thousands are on the move

as the fighting continues.

Turkish President Erdogan wants control of a deep swath of Syria yet the Kurds are fighting hard for Ras al-ayn with the Syrian regime supporting in

nearby Tal TaMr. Pro Turkish forces push towards this road and the American base west and the regime and Russia are now in Manbij, setting both sides

for a collision in the city of Kobani.

And Wednesday night, video emerged of a deeply symbolic moment. Syrian regime forces entering the city of Kobani where the Syrian Kurds fought for

months with American air support to kick ISIS out of the rubble. But where now Russia and the regime are their new protectors from America's NATO

ally.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Erbil, Northern Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Nick Payton Walsh reporting there.

Well coming up, more on a U.S. ambassador's bombshell testimony to Congressional impeachment investigators. That and an awful lot more after

this short break.

[10:30:00]

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you. It is a very big day in the Brexit process. We have a

deal struck between Britain and the EU this morning in Brussels. Theoretically, it could now mean that Britain leaves the bloc as planned on

October the 31st. French President Emmanuel Macron says it amounts to a good compromise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): I think it's good news and this agreement applies to the objective which were on the EU side

to defend the integrity of the European market and free trade. And on the U.K. side to have all the guarantees to preserve their own integrity and to

preserve the whole balance for the Irish. This agreement appears to be a good compromise that allows to answer all these objectives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, it's far from a done deal. Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist party says it can't support the agreement as it currently stands.

And the opposition Labour Party says this deal is worse than Theresa May's. And that was an agreement, remember, that was rejected by Parliament three

times. Both the DUP and Labour say they won't back this deal in Parliament when lawmakers vote on it on Saturday. So the Prime Minister has an awful

lot of work to do before then.

Back to today's dramatic testimony in the U.S., impeachment investigation. U.S. President Donald Trump's ambassador to the European Union is

testifying on Capitol Hill as we speak. And according to Gordon Sondland's opening statement, Mr. Trump instructed him to work with Trump's personal

attorney, Rudy Giuliani, on Ukraine.

[10:35:00]

Now Giuliani was looking for damaging information about Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden. Ambassador Sondland's statement says

diplomats had to choose between strengthening U.S./Ukraine ties or talking to Giuliani about the President's concerns.

Suzanne Malveaux joins us live on Capitol Hill. Just how valuable is this testimony as we understand it having seen his opening statement to this

inquiry -- Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Becky, very much so. And just to kind of set the stage here on Capitol Hill it is a very busy day. It's

also a very sad day. The chair of the very powerful oversight committee here on the House side, one of the three committees involved in the

impeachment inquiry, Elijah Cummings, died and people got the news early this morning. And so,

a lot of people really struggling. But his work continues through this impeachment inquiry. We did, in fact, see the U.S. ambassador to the EU

Gordon Sondland. He is behind closed doors and he is testifying before the impeachment inquiry. He is really central to this because of that

development, Becky, that you just mentioned coming out of his opening statement. The fact that it was the President himself that he testifies

that asked and perhaps even ordered these diplomats to work with his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani when it came to dealing with the

Ukrainians. Here's a little bit of background.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Despite President Trump's constant swipes.

TRUMP: The whistleblower's report was totally wrong.

MALVEAUX: And the White House stonewalling Democrats' impeachment inquiry. More and more Trump administration officials and career diplomats are

showing up, helping shape a better understanding of the President's Ukraine scandal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The President's phone call to President Zelensky was really the tip of the iceberg.

MALVEAUX: This morning, Gordon Sondland is scheduled to testify, joining a growing list including Kurt Volker, Marie Yovanovitch, Fiona Hill, George

Kent and Michael McKinley. The Republican donor turned United States ambassador to the European Union, a key piece to House Democrats' probe. A

source telling CNN, Sondland's planning to tell Congress he didn't understand President Trump wanted the Ukrainians to investigate former Vice

President Joe Biden until after the release of the transcript of the July 25th phone call.

Sondland was the person texting a week before that call with fellow U.S. diplomat Bill Taylor. Those messages released by House Democrats writing,

I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The President has been crystal clear. No quid pro quos of any kind. Adding, I

suggest we stop the back and forth by text.

Fiona hill, Trump's former top Russia adviser telling lawmakers Monday, she viewed Sondland as a security risk. A source familiar with the testimony

tells CNN. She reportedly testified Sondland often used his personal cell phone to conduct official diplomatic business and worried his lack of

experience could be exploited by foreign governments.

REP. DENNY HECK (d-WA): Every single witness, every single one that's come forward, has added to the richness and the texture of our understanding of

the sordid affair.

MALVEAUX: After abruptly resigning from his position less than a week ago, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's former top aides Michael McKinley telling

lawmakers the reason why he quit. Sources with knowledge of his testimony saying he blamed the details of the transcript from the July 25th phone

call and Pompeo's lack of support of U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): None of the testimony seems to contradict in any way by anybody what we have learned in the whistleblower's complaint and

the transcript that came out of the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And, Becky, Sondland, his profile is one just like Trump. A political diplomatic novice. One who is a hotel tycoon who donated a

million dollars to the inaugural committee for President Trump. Now seemingly perhaps an unwittingly witness to all of this activity. In his

opening testimony saying that it was much later that he discovered that the reasons why potentially that President Trump wanted him to talk to Giuliani

had to do with digging up dirt on the Bidens -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Wasn't always Donald Trump fan as I understand it. Suzanne, I also want to ask you about yesterday's reportedly angry meeting

at the White House which got so heated, as I understand it. The Democratic Congressional leaders walked out. President Trump tweeting this photo of

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wagging her finger at him during the meeting. But if it was an attempt to shame her, it didn't seem to work. She

actually put it on her Twitter page. And there it is. What does this tell us about the Donald Trump/Nancy Pelosi relationship at this point?

[10:40:00]

MALVEAUX: Sure, and, Becky, it really depends on who you ask, of course. Because the President is saying, well, this is evidence that she's lost

control. But Democrats are very clear and Pelosi owning this moment, proud of this moment, saying that she was, in fact, insulted by the President.

Called a third-rate politician and was being berated. Publicly berated before her Republican and Democratic colleagues. This according to Senator

Chuck Schumer as well. So she left. And she said that she felt that the President was on the verge of a meltdown and that she was praying for him

and praying for his health.

The Republicans -- a few of the Republicans in the room describing it differently saying that they thought perhaps she was inappropriate in how

she was speaking with the President. But clearly, she was not putting up with it and, therefore, she has -- she left the White House.

It begs the question, Becky, what's next here in terms of anything being able to be accomplished between this Congress and this administration.

This President very much in a standoff, if you will, in a system that is quite broken here in Washington. People looking at this and saying that

this is evidence now that even civil conversation is not possible. And so there has to be some sort of breakthroughs in this impasse.

ANDERSON: Well, she's due to speak in what is her regular weekly press conference in the next five or so minutes. We will get to that as we see

fit. Before I let you go, President Trump under fire for his recent decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. A huge story, not least in

this region where we are in the Middle East. The House voted 354-60 to oppose that move with four members voting present. How much impact will

that vote have given these difficult times in Washington.

MALVEAUX: Well, Becky, it might not have much impact at all and the reason I say that is because I spoke with one of Trump's greatest allies, Senator

Lindsey Graham, no less than three times yesterday. Who, in fact, said that the President has American blood on his hands if they abandon and

continue to abandon the Kurds. And no one is listening. I mean, he's not listening to anyone. And even Lindsey Graham is acknowledging that the

fact that there are no advisers, no national security team, nobody that the President would listen to, to change the course of how this is going.

And so, they are doing what they can, quite frankly, in passing that resolution. They feel like there are other things they can do as a

bipartisan group to punish Turkey and perhaps, you know, there is something to be said when negotiate with Erdogan. But they are at a loss in terms of

how they can really be more impactful when it comes to the President's decisions regarding Syria and Turkey.

ANDERSON: Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence, of course, in Turkey as we speak with the Turkish President. The idea was this delegation has

been sent to try and persuade Mr. Erdogan to call a cease-fire. It looks as if that train, though, has left the station. Suzanne, thank you for

your reporting.

And as you heard from Suzanne. Earlier, the U.S. impeachment inquiry continues despite the death of an important Democratic Congressman. Elijah

Cummings was chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, one of the three panels involved in the impeachment probe. His office issued a

statement saying the 68-year-old Democrat died of complications from longstanding health challenges. He had been in and out of hospital in

recent weeks. It's not clear who will replace him as oversight committee chairman.

Let's take a very quick break. Back after this.

[10:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Any moment now we are expecting to hear from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. They are in Ankara

in Turkey. And they've -- Pence at least has just wrap up a meeting with the President there Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

President Trump sent Pence and Pompeo there to push the Turkish President for a cease-fire in northern Syria. Well Erdogan has already dismissed

President Trump's call to end the offensive.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins has been traveling with the Vice President and joins us now by phone. I know that that meeting is now over. Do we know what

happened during the pence/Erdogan meeting?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (via phone): So the first meeting is over. It actually lasted way longer than it had been slated

for. It only had been scheduled for about ten minutes before it was supposed to get into that -- with both delegations involved. But instead

it went on for about an hour and 20 minutes. Now what that means, we still don't know. Because the (INAUDIBLE) pool was briefly allowed in at the

beginning of that second meeting. It was President Erdogan and Vice President Pence seated at the head of the table with their counterparts and

officials next to them.

But when we went in there, we asked questions. We were told not to, but we asked, have there been any agreements about a cease-fire yet? Which is

what we were told was the purpose of this trip here by the American delegation. Even though Erdogan had said publicly, no, he was not going to

declare a cease-fire. We asked that question of the Vice President. He did not answer but thanked the media and we were instructed to leave the

room. So, we're still waiting to see what exactly it was.

But we should note that American officials had pretty low expectations going into this meeting of what the outcome was going to be. Given the

public comments not only from President Erdogan but also from President Trump himself who said during that press conference with the Italian

leader, the White House yesterday that he didn't see any role for the United States in between this conflict between Turkey and Syria. So that

was really the question. If the President doesn't see a role here, why was he sending two of his top aides to come and negotiate a cease-fire. And

essentially that's something we're still waiting to learn the answer to.

ANDERSON: To paraphrase the U.S. President, nothing to do with us is effectively what he said.

[10:50:00]

You make a very good point about questioning why indeed this delegation, therefore, is there. Just briefly, and we're looking at video from the

room. A room that I know you were, as you say, briefly allowed into. How would you describe the body language between the Turkish President and the

Vice President of the United States?

COLLINS: Becky, it definitely seemed tense and solemn in the room. There weren't a lot of words. No smiles or small talk that you typically see

sometimes or any handshakes, anything like that at the beginning of these meetings. And that was really the mood we were getting from the Vice

President before he was going into that meeting. A very somber-type mode. Because essentially, they know what they are dealing with here. And they

realize the place that they've been put in here with this decision by the President. These decisions by President Erdogan as well.

And essentially, you know, the expectations were low for an outcome. So that could determine what it is that we're going to learn soon. The good

thing is the Vice President is holding a press conference. So we'll be able to ask him these questions. What tangible deliverables did you get

from this meeting? What was the point of you taking this ten-hour flight and coming here. That's something we're still waiting to hear from the

Vice President himself.

ANDERSON: And you can see just how little time the U.S. pool were -- a pool of reporters were allowed into that room. This video we've been

showing you. Thank you, Kaitlan. This video is, what, about 30 seconds maximum? We've been re-racking it for you while I speak to Kaitlan. But I

think it's a very good example there of what Kaitlan was saying. They were ushered in, and the press were ushered out.

Let's take a very quick break at this point. And we are waiting for U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi any moment now. The room is set. She is

due or certainly was due about five or six minutes ago to this podium. Very quick break. Back after this.

[10:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, it is a very busy day on Capitol Hill in Washington. And we are hearing some key testimony from the U.S. ambassador to the EU on the

Ukraine controversy. And we are also waiting to hear from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi. She, of course,

called for this impeachment inquiry, and not a great fan of the President. Clearly a President she had an explosive meeting with Donald Trump

yesterday. And she is about to give her weekly address to the gathered press there in the room. We'll be watching to see what she says about the

new developments in this impeach inquiry. And indeed, of course, the situation in Syria.

And as we await her arrival at this podium, let me show you this. President Trump tweeting this photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wagging

her finger at him. Some may say pointing her finger at him during a meeting last night. But if it was an attempt to shame her, well folks, it

didn't work. She just went and put this on her Twitter page. Perfectly happy for the world to see her position in that meeting.

So as I say, we are now waiting for the arrival of Nancy Pelosi to the stage, to this podium. This is her weekly address. Not something we would

necessarily sit on, but the point being that this is no ordinary week on The Hill. As we know, we are into week 3 1/2 of this impeachment inquiry.

Gordon Sondland's testimony extremely important today. Suggesting in his opening statement that effectively, he was instructed to circumvent the

State Department. All roads he was told lead to Rudy Giuliani when it comes to U.S./Ukraine ties at present. More on that as we get it.

We also want to make a quick note of a CNN royal exclusive for you that you won't want to miss. CNN's Max Foster sits down with Britain's Duchess of

Cambridge as she and Prince William continue their official tour of Pakistan. Officials say this is the most complex trip the couple has ever

taken due to security and logistics. You can watch that tonight on CNN's "HALA GORANI TONIGHT" at 10:00 p.m. Abu Dhabi time. 7:00 p.m. in London.

I'm Becky Anderson. We'll take a quick break. Back with CONNECT THE WORLD after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Elijah Cummings of Maryland, my brother in Baltimore. He was in the Congress. Elijah are was considered a north

star. He was a leader of towering character and integrity. He lived the American dream and his own of a very important committee in the Congress of

the United States. He lived the American dream and he wanted it for everyone else. He spoke with unsurpassed clarity and moral integrity when

he spoke on the floor --

[11:00:00]

END