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Trump Met With Loud Boos, Some Cheers At UFC Fight In New York; White House Braces For More Damaging Testimony; Mali Attack Leaves More Than 50 Soldiers Dead; Demonstrations Continue After Lebanese Prime Minister's Resignation; World's Most Profitable Company Goes Public; U.S. Weapons Fall Into Hands Of Yemeni Militias; Rainforest Protector Is Ambushed And Killed; Olivia Newton-John's "Grease" Outfit Sells For Over $400K. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired November 03, 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]

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VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The president wakes up in New York City today after a late night fight in Madison Square Garden and that

was a distraction, a moment away from the impeachment inquiry back in D.C.

TRUMP: It's a scam. It's a hoax.

DANA BASH, CNN SR. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Was there a time when military aid was held up because the president wanted Ukraine to look into

the Bidens?

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: I don't know. But I know they got their aid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Atlanta, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Well, U.S. President Donald Trump launching a fresh attack on the impeachment process. We will have more

from Washington in just a moment, as we track renewed protests in Beirut as well.

I'm Lynda Kinkade filling in for Becky Anderson. Glad to have you with us.

President Trump is headed back to Washington at this hour. He will dive back in as public hearings loom over the impeachment inquiry. The key

witness that sparked the investigation is willing to answer House Republicans' questions under oath if lawmakers submit written questions to

the whistleblower's legal team first.

Well, the president got somewhat of a break on Saturday. He watched the Ultimate Fighting Championship in New York alongside several Republican

lawmakers as well as his two sons. Mr. Trump was greeted by both boos and cheers as he arrived.

Our Kristen Holmes is live in CNN New York for more on all of this.

There were people holding up impeach Trump signs. You were there, give us a sense of the reception.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was really interesting to see. I think it shows a lot of what politics looks like in the U.S. right now.

There were two definite defined groups, one cheering, one booing.

The ones booing holding up impeachment signs. When it would get quiet, they would yell impeach Trump. There were a other group of people,

cheering him on, say Donald Trump over and over again and cheer USA, USA.

A couple of the fighters, when they win, they get to make a small speech, gave a shout o ut to President Trump saying, they were glad he was there.

But it really goes to show you what is happening in the U.S. right now.

It is so polarizing that they're even, with the respect of the office, no one can go either way, there is no tepid clapping, no respecting the office

there. It's either you are in one camp or the other. It's showing you how ugly it will get as we head into the next election.

KINKADE: Ugly, indeed, looking ahead in the short term, he is throwing punches and counterpunches over the impeachment probe, tweeting this

morning, we are hearing White House aides who are refusing to testify, just take us through what we can expect this week.

HOLMES: So this week we heard late last night, Robert Blair, a Trump aide, a close ally and aide of Mick Mulvaney's chief of staff. He is refusing to

testify. The House asked him to come in tomorrow. Late last night the attorney saying he's not going to do it. They said they weren't coming in

because of the direction of the White House, who is being advised by the Department of Justice.

This is a big deal for a lot of reasons. Democrats had asked several White House aides to come in to testify in the next week as this impeachment

inquiry is ramping up.

So this kind of sets the pathway here that maybe these other aides aren't going to show up. Last night President Trump was asked if the White House

was going to stop aides from testifying and here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I don't know. You'll have to speak to the lawyers. Nancy Pelosi has become unhinged. There is something wrong with her. If you look at

what's happening, if you look at the poll numbers, if you look at the poll numbers in the states, they're saying, don't do this, don't do it. I'm

fine with it. We did absolutely nothing wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Clearly they're not answering the question and going on the attack, attacking Nancy Pelosi, calming her unhinged. But that wasn't the

only person he's attacked in the last 24 hours. I want to pull up his tweet from this morning. He has gone after the whistleblower.

Today he said, "The whistleblower got it so wrong he must come forward. The fake news media knows who he is but is being an arm of the Democratic

Party and don't want to reveal him because there will be hell to pay, reveal the whistleblower and end the impeachment hoax."

[11:05:00]

HOLMES: This comes after a night of tweeting about the whistleblower, saying, where is he?

He should come forward. This is important, since the whistleblower came forward, we have heard open testimony -- behind closed doors -- we heard

excerpts from people who were directly aware of the phone conversation, many on this phone call with the Ukrainian president, essentially, kind of

confirming what the whistleblower said.

Almost directly when it came to that transcript that the White House themselves released. So why is he so fixated on this building block. I

talked to aides, they say this is his entire way of saying it's a hoax. It started because the whistleblower is a Democrat, a pawn of Adam Schiff, of

Nancy Pelosi and the only reason he came forward is he wanted to impeach Trump from the get-go just like all the Democrat.

But it's clear, if the whistleblower was revealed and is willing to answer questions, it wouldn't backtrack all the other testimony that we've heard

since they came forward.

KINKADE: Exactly. All right. Kristen Holmes. Good to have you with us from New York. Thank you.

We will stay on this story. The House of Representatives, of course, is out of session. Through November 11th, but this isn't stalling this

impeachment inquiry. Testimony will continue before House committees over the next several days. Multiple sources saying Democrats are pushing for a

timeline for testimony to happen by the end of this month.

Votes on whether to impeach Mr. Trump potentially by Christmas. The Trump administration continues to deny wrongdoing when it comes to Ukraine, White

House counselor Kellyanne Conway spoke with CNN's Dana Bash a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONWAY: President Trump never said to the Ukrainian president, do this, and you will get your aid. Nobody thought we'd release the transcript.

Ladies and gentlemen, you can all see it. Go read it. Everybody has access to it, what we don't having to is what's happened over the last five

or six weeks.

BASH: So you feel totally confident at the core of this, at the heart of this, there was no quid pro quo?

(CROSSTALK)

CONWAY: I feel confident that Ukraine has that aid and is using it right now, that it is because of this president that they have it. The last --

BASH: Kellyanne, you very notably won't say yes or no, quid pro quo, yes or no?

CONWAY: I just said to you I don't know whether aid was being held up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, joining me now from CNN New York, political analyst and Princeton University historian and professor, Julian Zelizer.

Julian, glad to have you.

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thanks for having me.

KINKADE: Trump was at a rally Friday saying the Republicans are the most unified as he has seen as a result of this impeachment inquiry.

Is it possible this is bringing Republicans together?

What do you think?

ZELIZER: I'm not sure that's the case. I think they were together already. I think that's the story of the Trump presidency, that the

Republican support has remained very unified.

So it's possible this cements that unity a little more. But I don't think it's because of impeachment. If anything, impeachment is testing the unity

rather than causing it to be stronger.

KINKADE: And you actually wrote an op-ed, we are hearing from President Trump and his supporters that this impeachment process is a coup. You

wrote the suggestion that it's the equivalent of a coup, it's ridiculous, a coup is a sudden, illegal, often violent, taking of government power,

especially by part of an army. There is no way impeachment fits this definition.

Take us through the reasons, Julian, why you think that President Trump arguing this is a coup is wrong?

ZELIZER: This is a constitutional process. It's the rules of the nation that allow Congress to do this. It's conducted by elected officials, who

will have to face voters, either in two years or a little longer. And the key decisions are all in public.

They will have to vote on articles of impeachment. They will have to vote in the Senate rather to remove the president. That's not a coup. That's a

public process. And so all of this shows that that kind of rhetoric really doesn't point to much. It's better to argue we shouldn't go through

impeachment or better to wait for an election.

But this is a totally legitimate constitutional process that the House and Senate have at their disposal.

KINKADE: Julian, his supporters argue, for the president to be impeached, he has to commit treason, bribery, high crimes or misdemeanors.

What does that mean?

What are the high crimes here?

ZELIZER: That's open to interpretation. The Constitution doesn't spell it out. But certainly many agree that extortion and holding aid up in

anticipation of a foreign government doing something for the president's election is exactly what the framers had in mind.

[11:10:00]

ZELIZER: They worried about a president using power for their own self- interests and they worried about how other governments could ultimately corrupt our leaders. So those are two things the founders were primarily

concerned about and that's at the heart of this investigation.

KINKADE: Right. I want to put out a new poll that found 42 percent of Democrats think Joe Biden has the best chance to beat Donald Trump in a

general election.

According to that poll, that is, of course, more than Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg combined. Pete is certainly, though,

making gains.

What is your take on that poll?

ZELIZER: Well, it is a continuation of what we've seen since the time that Biden entered.

But the question is, do voters still feel that way if Biden starts to lose in the actual primaries and caucuses?

If he loses in New Hampshire, Iowa and on Super Tuesday, do they still think he's the one that can pull this off?

I suspect you would see those poll numbers drop very quickly if that happens because that's the test of electability for many voters, how do

they perform in a contest.

KINKADE: In the polls in those regions, he isn't doing as well as someone like Elizabeth Warren for example.

ZELIZER: There is a clear uptick for Warren, Buttigieg and Sanders remains very strong. So even from the Biden camp, there are clear indications they

are worried this might not be a victory for them.

KINKADE: Yes, absolutely. Good to have you with us, as always, thanks so much.

ZELIZER: Thanks for having me.

KINKADE: Well, coming up, ISIS is coming back into the headlines since the former leader was killed. We will have more on the attacks the terror

group it says has carried out.

The world's most profitable company eyeing a record breaking debut and some believe it could be the biggest IPO ever.

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Welcome back.

A week after Donald Trump announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Baker al- Baghdadi, the group is claiming responsibility for two deadly attacks in Mali. ISIS released a statement Friday, saying it attacked a military base

in the West African nation, killing 54 soldiers and one civilian.

[11:15:00]

KINKADE: On Saturday, a French soldier was killed when his vehicle drove over a roadside bomb. The terror group said it carried out that attack as

well. CNN's international correspondent Sam Kiley is following the story for us from Abu Dhabi.

So two deadly attacks and certainly a huge loss of life for Mali armed forces?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's not the first time, of course, a few months ago, back last year, there was another

similar attack, not quite on the same scale.

Malians have had a terrible time of it. Not just from the so-called Islamic State. Indeed, this claim of responsibility, Lynda, has got no

evidence to back it up. It's got no evidence of any kind of fighters or martyrs, videos of the sorts we've seen in the past, claiming

responsibility.

And it is very consistent with these groups' attempts to try to win this brand advertising war against Al Qaeda. And in that area of Mali, for

example, there are at least seven known Islamist groups fighting against the central government and foreign military advisers, Americans and French

and others, who are on the ground there.

And a lot of them are actually involved in smuggling and the illegal mining of gold and so on as they are in jihadi politics. So it's a very

opportunistic move by the Islamic State, following the killing of their leader.

Also, we have to remember, Lynda, as you well know, is this is all about the idea of the so-called Islamic State, now they haven't gotten an actual

state, which was so magnetic in its appeal to like-minded jihadists, when they were able to rule over an area the size of the U.K. and 12 million

people under it.

Now they're reduced to small pockets. There are all sorts of groups to use it as a sort of bogeyman mentality, there have been groups in Mozambique,

Somalia, North Africa, in fact, claiming to be a part of the structural state. But the connections to any structural entities are hard to show or

prove, Lynda.

KINKADE: Right. I want to ask you a little more about that, Sam, after the death of al-Baghdadi last week, ISIS released a statement saying and, I

quote, "America, do not be happy with the killing of Sheikh al-Baghdadi. Do you not realize ISIS" -- Islamic State -- "is not only on the doorstep

of Europe and in the center of Africa, it is staying and expanding from the east to the west?"

What should we make of that ISIS propaganda?

How much truth is there to that statement, given, as you mentioned, it barely had any territory anymore?

How strong is the ideology?

KILEY: The ideology remains very strong and strongly connected to its antecedents in Al Qaeda. There are people who've been radicalized by the

Internet or directly, much more frequently directly through encounters with people on the ground in Europe and the United States and the Philippines

and around the world.

Then if you take a sort of deep breath and then work out what is the militarily influential suspects of, say, Islamic State inside Afghanistan,

where they have been trying to get a foothold, the answer is they're brutal, spectacular but they're pretty insignificant militarily. And they

have a big enemy in Al Qaeda there.

Same thing in Somalia, there are groups of people who identify with Islamic State. The biggest threat to them is the al-Shabaab, which is related to

Al Qaeda, similarly up in northwest Africa.

Again, they're trying to get off the ground but they're likely to be eclipsed by bigger, more organized groups that have been there for a bit

longer. But there still is a kind of brand, a horrific brand element to this. Boko Haram in Nigeria said they were a part of that international

Islamic State. But the connections to something real, much harder to show, Lynda.

KINKADE: Right. Sam Kiley breaking it down for us from Abu Dhabi, thank you so much.

Demonstrations continue in Iraq, despite the government agreeing to resign. Protesters blocked the roads today. In Baghdad, they cheered their

homeland is not for sale. They also shouted, you are all thieves, that, of course, a reference to political leaders.

The protesters say they want systematic changes, not just a reshuffling of power and they want to see an end to corruption and cronyism.

Right now, just after 6:00 pm in Lebanon, we have live video from Beirut.

[11:20:00]

KINKADE: Demonstrations there against the government still taking place days after the prime minister resigned. It comes as a source tells CNN

that the United States has placed an indefinite hold on military aid to Lebanon, including $105 million in a package to support the Lebanese armed

forces. There is no official reason yet for that hold on aid. But concerns for Hezbollah might be the reason. CNN's Ben Wedeman explained

this last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really sends the wrong message at this time of uncertainty in Lebanon. Apparently, the

State Department wasn't informed of this decision by the White House nor was the Pentagon. And our sources in the Lebanese military weren't aware

of it as well.

Now the Lebanese army has, since 2006, received about $1.7 billion in aid from the United States. The reason why the United States supports the

Lebanese army is it wants to be the sole military force in this country, keeping in mind that Hezbollah, the political and military group here,

actually has the most effective military force in the country.

The purpose of this aid program from the United States was to bolster the Lebanese army. So this is barely a vote of confidence in that institution.

Now we do know that, according to reporting from "The Wall Street Journal," earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin met with prime minister

Benjamin Netanyahu, who was pressuring the United States to pressure Lebanon on what the Israelis allege is an Iranian missile-building program

here in Lebanon.

But it's such a sensitive time, this decision from the United States really seems to confirm, from the Lebanese perspective, that the United States has

one priority in Lebanon, that is to crush Hezbollah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our Ben Wedeman reporting there from Beirut. With more on the unprecedented protests in Lebanon and Iraq, you can go to cnn.com. We got

in depth explanations on the unrest and a breakdown on how demonstrators managed to topple two governments.

The world's most profitable company has announced its IPO in what could be the biggest public listing ever. The Saudi state's Saudi Aramco says it

will float shares on the New York stock exchange and if it meets valuations, it will eclipse some of the world's biggest companies.

To give you an idea last year it made $111 billion, more than tech giants like Apple and Google, dwarfing U.S. energy company ExxonMobil, even

exceeding the GDP of Kenya.

Well, our John Defterios has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Saudi Aramco is the crown jewel of the kingdom and is a giant player in the global market, the most

profitable company in the world.

At a press conference in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, it announced it's on a path to go public. It's a behemoth, producing about a 10th of

daily global demand with oil reserves bigger than the top five international major oil companies combined.

Aramco earned $111 billion last year, nearly two times the level of Apple and the chief executive said they welcome the opportunity to be compared to

their energy peers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMIN NASSER, ARAMCO CEO: It's a way to increase our visibility internationally. We are very strong company, as acquired by any company,

there will be a lot of analysts that will review our data and compare it with other listed companies and we are likely to have that type of

comparisons, because we are a company with a proud followers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEFTERIOS: Since this is the launch, key points to watch out for, can it beat the record valuation by Chinese ecommerce group Alibaba, $25 billion

set in September 2014?

And can it be the most valuable public company to go out on the market around $1.5 trillion?

The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman had aspirations for a $2 trillion valuation and there initially also was a push to list in New York,

London or a major Asian market. The chairman says, there are no plans to do that but a listing in Riyadh in the near future does make sense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this is the right time for us coming to a juncture where Saudi Aramco to be a profit company to have foot soldiers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:25:00]

DEFTERIOS: After the murder of Jamal Khashoggi last year, business leaders to claw back $100 billion in 2017 and most recently the major attacks on

their facilities in September, the kingdom under the crown prince is eager to look forward. He wants to deliver on his 2030 Vision and a listing of

Aramco, even a scaled down version of it, is a key part of that success -- John Defterios, CNN Business, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Thank you.

You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Off the back of reporting, there are new course and answers for the Trump administration as to how American

weapons fell into the wrong hands in Yemen. We'll have an exclusive report when we return.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD.

We have exclusive reporting into the war in Yemen. And that reporting has been making waves in the U.S. Two congressional committees demanding

urgent answers right now from the Trump administration after a CNN investigation found key U.S. allies, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, provided

American military vehicles to militia groups in Yemen in violation of U.S. law.

Now the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said the Trump administration must provide answers for how U.S. weapons have wound up in

the hands of Yemeni secessionist forces and ISIS terrorist fighters.

"We will not rest until we have transparency and accountability for this fiasco."

That was from Chairman Engel.

[11:30:00]

KINKADE: We want to bring you the latest exclusive reporting from that scene, whose investigation kickstarted all of this. Our Nima Elbagir

reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Separatist militia in Southern Yemen and armed groups loyal to the

internationally recognized Yemini government. Just a few months ago, these forces were on the same side, backed by the Saudi-led coalition supplied

with U.S. weapons.

Now they've turned those very weapons against each other and terror groups are exploiting the resultant chaos. In January, we traveled through Yemen,

documenting the proliferation of U.S. weaponry there.

ELBAGIR: It's like a graveyard of American military hardware and this is not under the control of coalition forces. This is in the command of

militias.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): This in violation of the law governing U.S. arms sales which says, they can't be passed on. In our original investigation,

we identified American-made armored vehicles, which had been sold by the U.S. to the UAE under a 2014 arms sale contract and had fallen into the

hands of armed groups.

The conflict in Yemen divided north from south, with the Iran-backed Houthis controlling the capital, Sanaa, and the U.S. supported, Saudi-led

anti-Houthi coalition, seizing the historic port of Aden.

But infighting in the south has further splintered territorial control between militia groups, threatening to plunge the entire country into a

protracted civil war, turning the Saudi and Emirati provided weaponry on each other.

Six months on and we spot one of the Emirati supplied vehicles. The U.S.- made Max Pro. Being paraded by UAE-backed militia known as the giant's brigade. The giant's brigade forces have a new mission. Here on their way

to the strategic port city of Aden to fight against the very legitimate government the Emirates armed them to restore. They are now fighting with

the separatists.

The giant's brigade did not respond to CNN's request for comment. But the UAE hasn't denied supplying them with the U.S.-made vehicles. The Giants

Brigade, they told us, are a part of Yemeni forces to fight the Houthis on the ground and under direct supervision.

The supervision has failed. Half a year on, we set out to find out what happened to the American vehicles.

In the aftermath of our reporting we received death threats. So we haven't been able return to Yemen. Working with local journalists, we have been

able to verify amongst the military vehicles used to wage Yemen's escalating civil conflict are those we identified in the U.S.-UAE contract

in our initial reporting.

Our team traveled to Shabwah, east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. A Yemeni army commander told CNN, in this far-flung war zone, U.S. military

technology is a game changer, whichever hands it ends up in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There are lethal and powerful weapons that the militias were using against the people. American's

weaponry is deadly. If the militias or others have them, they may be the winning side.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): CNN also filmed this: an armored vehicle captured by forces loyal to the legitimate government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. If

the U.S.-made BAE came in. Inside, we found the serial number as the AC system made by Real-Time Laboratories at their facility in Mississippi,

USA.

We contacted Real-Time Laboratories, who confirmed it had been supplied under a U.S. government contract. But said they couldn't comment on what

the government may have eventually done with the vehicle.

America has been supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE since the war in Yemen began. These countries have passed them on, illegally, to

militia on the ground that was supporting the Yemeni government, all to aid in the fight against the Iranian-backed Houthis.

This latest schism has seen the UAE backed separatist forces turn their U.S.-made weaponry on the Yemeni government, further complicating the civil

war and bringing the country closer to the abyss.

Already the terror group ISIS has stepped in to exploit the chaos, launching a campaign of multiple suicide bombings, the group's first

successful strikes in over a year, with the promise of more to come.

After years of drone attacks and the U.S. concentrating its military might on degrading their presence, terror groups, once more, developing a

foothold here.

[11:35:00]

ELBAGIR (voice-over): The U.S. is a key ally to the UAE in Saudi Arabia and both countries have spent time and effort lobbying D.C. decision

makers. High on the agenda, rolling back the move by U.S. lawmakers earlier this year to obstruct arms sales to both countries.

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): There is no reason for the United States to be involved in this war in Yemen. It is a humanitarian catastrophe but it is

also a national security catastrophe.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): -- triggered by CNN's original reporting.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Again a recent CNN report that suggests that weapons that have been provided to UAE and to Saudi Arabia have wound up in

the hands of Houthis, that they have been traded and been used on both sides of that conflict.

GEN. JOSEPH VOTEL, FORMER CENTCOM COMMANDER: We have not authorized Saudi Arabia or the Emirates to retransfer any of this equipment to other parties

on the ground.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Publicly the UAE and Saudi Arabia have been struggling to explain how and why forces loyal to them have opened fire on

each other. Worse, as we have learned, that they are using proprietary U.S. technology to do it with.

CNN has reached out to both the Saudi and Emirate governments to respond. The Saudis didn't respond, but the Emirates told us there was no use of

U.S.-made equipment without direct UAE oversight except for four vehicles captured by the enemy.

CNN found U.S.-made vehicles being used in attacks on key locations and personnel within the U.S.-backed legitimate government of Yemen. This in

spite of the fact that the UAE told us no weaponry was being used without their direct oversight.

We also contacted the Pentagon who told us there is an ongoing investigation into our previous findings. For how much longer or what

they'll do with it, they wouldn't say. All the while, the war in Yemen rages on, more lethal than ever -- Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Meantime, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen says that Yemen's internationally recognized government will sign on a deal on Tuesday with

the secessionist (ph) southern transitional council in an attempt to end the conflict between them.

Well, both sides are already partners in a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which is fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in

Yemen.

Well, an indigenous tribe leader in Brazil spent his life defending the rainforest. And now he's given that life for it. We will have details

about his murder and the conditions many say are responsible for it.

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

[11:40:00]

KINKADE: Brazil's indigenous tribes are mourning the loss of a leader who gave his life to protect the rainforest. He and another member of the so-

called Forest Guardians were ambushed by illegal loggers. Critics believe the attackers were emboldened by the Brazil's president pro development

policies. Our Shasta Darlington has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULO GUAJAJARA, INDIGENOUS RAIN FOREST PROTECTOR (through translator): We are protecting our land and the life on it, the animals, the birds, many

things.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paulo Paulino Guajajara's right to protect his indigenous land was abruptly taken

away Friday.

According to authorities in Brazil, the indigenous leader was killed by a group of loggers who ambushed him in the same area he once swore to

protect, the Arariboia reserve in the state of Maranhao in northeastern Brazil.

Guajajara was part of one of Brazil's largest indigenous groups known by the same name. In 2012 they formed the Forest Guardians, a community

effort dedicated to patrolling the land and protecting the rights of the people that inhabit it.

At the same time of his death he was being accompanied by another Guardian, Lyapsiya Sosa (ph), who according to authorities, is seriously injured.

They were both looking for water, not far from home.

Brazil's minister of justice and public security, Sergio Moro, called the incident "a terrible crime" and promised to spare no effort to bring those

responsible to justice. Justice, a word many believe arrived too late.

For years Survival International, an organization that works to protect tribal peoples, has warned about the great risk assumed by the so-called

Forest Guardians. They claim that while the Arariboia reserve is officially protected by the state, it has been the target of constant

attacks and threat by loggers and miners, inspired, they say, by the pro- deforestation policies implemented by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): There won't be a single centimeter for indigenous reserves for Quilombola people.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): Last June, Guajajara and other indigenous leaders recorded a video warning about the attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): Loggers are paying gunmen to kill some of the Guardians of Arariboia. We want the Brazilian authorities to help

protect the lives of the Guardians whose lives are being threatened.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): That same month, according to official numbers, deforestation in the Amazon accelerated more than 60 percent, compared to

the same period last year.

But with deforestation, other consequences emerge. Several studies affirm that the number of fires each year is highly correlated to deforestation

and the severity of the drought during the dry season.

This year alone, the number of fires in the Brazilian Amazon was 25 percent higher than the average number of fires in the same period from 2010 to

2018, facts that president Bolsonaro insists on minimizing.

JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Amazon is not being devastated nor is it being consumed by fire, as the media is

falsely portraying.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): In the midst of the fire and the threats are the indigenous tribes. For them, the message is clear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm scared a little sometimes but we don't let ourselves be dominated by fear. But we have to lift up our

heads and make things happen. We are believing and fighting.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): A fight that Guajajara can no longer continue -- Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: We are joined by Fiona Watson from Survival International, a group that protects tribal people's rights.

Fiona, good to have you with us.

FIONA WATSON, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY, SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL: Hello, thank you for having me on.

KINKADE: So this young warrior led this group, which essentially was to protect the forest, ambushed, shot by what are presumed to be illegal

loggers.

What's your reaction?

WATSON: Well, it's deeply shocking. It's terrible, terrible news because this should not have happened. If the Brazilian government and the

president had not weakened policies, slashed the budget of the very agencies that should be protecting the land where he lived, this could well

not have happened.

So we have a state of almost anarchy in the Amazon. The people who are really up there on the front line are the indigenous peoples and they're

paying for their lives now. And this could have been avoided.

KINKADE: They certainly are paying for it with their lives because violence against indigenous people in the Amazon has certainly increased in

recent years.

[11:45:00]

KINKADE: I just want to refer to your report by a global witness who found 164 land and environment defenders were killed in 2018, many of them

indigenous. That's an average of more than three people every week.

What does that tell you about the future of our planet?

If those defending it are being silenced like this?

WATSON: Well, I think it's in very grave danger. Because what's absolutely clear, if you look at all the scientific data and evidence

coming out of the Amazon, is that indigenous peoples not only are at the forefront now as we'd seen but also the role they play as conservationists

is vital.

So the Amazon, as we all know, is hugely important in how it regulates climate change. With these huge challenges, we've seen the Amazon fires,

for example, recently, which were out of control.

The indigenous people's role as conservationists is vital so if we don't stand by help them, everybody, whether it's survival people, general

public, but particularly the authorities in Brazil, that has very grave consequences to our planet because these people really, I think, are key to

our future survival and certainly global warming, combating global warming.

KINKADE: Absolutely. For his part, the president says, reports of the Amazon burning are over dramatic and overhyped by the media. Take a listen

to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is a fallacy to say that the Amazon is the heritage of humankind and a misconception as

confirmed by scientists to say that our Amazon and forests are the lungs of the world.

Using and resorting to these fallacies, certain countries, instead of helping, embarked on the media lies and behaved in a disrespectful manner

and with the colonialist spirit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, since he came to office, he has announced plans to open up indigenous land for live scale mining and agribusiness.

How have his policies impacted what's happening there?

WATSON: I think massively, I mean, first of all with somebody like an authoritarian, far right president, his kind of hate speech that's come

out. Some of the things he said about indigenous peoples are deeply offensive and racist.

For example, he had said in the past it would be better if they would have been all wiped out like the American cavalry did with the Native American

tribes in the States. He's called them dirty, lazy; they have no culture.

This is utterly racist, offensive stuff. And this feeds into those people in the Amazon, for example, the enemies really of the indigenous people,

that see them as obstacles to progress.

I was there locally visiting and tribe leaders said government leaders had said, we can do what we like because Bolsonaro is in power and he will

protect us. So this kind of speech is giving the green light to all sort of people, whether it's miners, loggers, cattle miners, you have to see it

not as indigenous lands, under Brazilian law, they have the rights.

They see it's now kind of open, you know, pot luck. Do what you like because the president is there supporting you. And also the fact that the

budgets have been cut back and this huge desire and support he has for many in the political sector, the big sector, is the mostly powerful in Brazil.

So the president is there with his allies and sees the Amazon simply as one more resource to make lots of money for him and his allies.

KINKADE: Fiona Watson, thanks for your perspective and thoughts on all of this. Thank you so much for your time.

WATSON: Thank you.

KINKADE: Well, the New York marathon is underway right now. We've just heard that there is a winner in the women's race. Kenyan Joyciline

Jepkosgei won the women's race and the first men should be crossing the line any moment now. This, of course, is the 49th year of the race, run in

all five of New York's boroughs, beginning in Staten Island, finishing in Central Park.

And along with 50,000 or so people taking part in the race, millions of people, of course, are cheering on their competitors.

We are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. More to come, who said boxing was a man's sport?

A female boxing champion just earned a new title and it is historic. We have that for you when we come back.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KINKADE: In your parting shots, are you ready to rumble?

Katie Taylor, the world's lightweight boxing champion, just earned herself a few title. She is now a two division world champion. She won the super

lightweight belt Saturday at Manchester arena. Regular host of this show Becky Anderson spent time with the legend in her hometown in Ireland. Here

is a little snippet from our documentary. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: So this is what you call the shed?

KATIE TAYLOR, BOXER: Yes. This is where I train pretty much all the time when I'm home for a few weeks. It's very unglamorous.

(LAUGHTER)

TAYLOR: It's very derelict. This is where all the fights are won.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Wow.

Lights, camera, action.

(LAUGHTER)

TAYLOR: I work (INAUDIBLE) here.

ANDERSON: Was it Muhammad Ali once said?

TAYLOR: Yes, I actually had a poster growing up on my bedroom wall. Everyone else had boy band posters. I had him witness behind the lines in

the gym long before I danced under those lights. And that's what exactly I saw is the hard work and the fighter won in here.

ANDERSON: And this is all you need?

TAYLOR: This is all I need, the boxing bag, all the weights, the sledge.

ANDERSON: When you say the sledge, what is the sledge?

TAYLOR: I'll show you. It's pretty heavy. It fits into that hook.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

TAYLOR: Do you want to have a go?

ANDERSON: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, if you want to know more about Katie Taylor and just what makes her so special, head to cnn.com to watch Becky's full documentary,

"Katie Taylor Undisputed." It truly is a thrill. That's at cnn.com.

It's been stuck on the rocks above Niagara Falls for more than a century but severe weather has dislodged a boat that has not moved since 1918.

Heavy winds and rain have pushed it closer to the falls on the Canadian side.

The vessel became stuck when it was dislodged from its tugboat in the final months of the First World War against the odds the two men on board were,

indeed, rescued.

[11:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "GREASE")

KINKADE (voice-over): Any excuse to get that into our show today. Olivia Newton-John's iconic outfit from Greece. The pants and that iconic top and

the leather jacket selling for over $400,000 at auction in California on Saturday.

That is twice the estimated price it was meant to go for. It was among hundreds of items for sale to help raise money for cancer centers in

Australia. The 71-year-old singer, of course, said, earlier this year, she, herself is fighting breast cancer again. That is for a third time.

She is absolutely an extraordinary lady. We wish her all the best with her fight. We do love that movie. I am Lynda Kinkade, that was CONNECT THE

WORLD. From our team here and in Abu Dhabi, thank you for watching. "WORLD SPORT" is up next.

END