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Gabon`s Military Coup Has Overthrown, A Powerful Political Dynasty; Floating City Of Venice Could Soon Charge Some Visitors A Fee To Help Discourage People From Visiting During The Busiest Times Of The Year; Sneaky Germs Hiding Where You Can`t See Them. Aired 4-4:10a ET

Aired September 07, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello and happy Friday Eve. It`s Thursday, September 7th. And we have a jampacked show, but only 10 minutes to do it.

So let`s get right to it. Keeping you on your toes today. So pop quiz, hot shot. One of the richest countries in Africa, what nation`s capital is

Libreville? Ghana, Gabon, Senegal or Tanzania?

Home to over 2 million people, the mostly French speaking country of Gabon is the answer here.

Let`s learn a little bit about what`s going on in Gabon now. The leader of Gabon`s military General Brice Nguema was sworn in as interim president

during a televise ceremony Monday. Last week, the General lead coup or military takeover that ousted President Ali Bongo. This takeover ended the

previous family`s power over many decades of rule over Gabon.

The previous leader was in power for 14 years and was recently declared the winner of a disputed presidential election. There were voting delays,

internet cuts, and the administration did not allow coverage of the vote by foreign press.

After Bongo the previous ruler was ousted. He was placed on house arrest and the new group in power voided the election results and shut the

country`s borders. And this has since triggered global condemnation of the coup. Celebrations also breaking out across the tiny nation and thousands

of supporters expressed solidarity with the military. There was even a military parade for General Nguema`s inauguration.

No one knows how long Nguema will have power. He said the country will not rush into any new election. So as to avoid a "repeat of past mistakes." CNN

Senior International Correspondent, David McKenzie has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI BONGO ONDIMBA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF GABON: I`m Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An extraordinary plea for international help. The ousted president of Gabon, Ali Bongo, and the house arrest.

ONDIMBA: To tell, to make noise, to make noise for the people here have arrested me.

MCKENZIE: The noise was not enough. On Monday, the new military leader sworn in.

"I solemnly undertake on my honor to do my utmost to achieve national unity," says Gabon`s Junta Leader.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Is there a fear that there is contagion happening here?

CAMERON HUDSON, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTL. STUDIES: Well, I don`t think it`s a fear of contagion. There is contagion.

MCKENZIE: It`s just the latest domino to fall. In just three years, a cascade of military takeovers spreading across west and now central Africa.

Most of them form French colonies, but each with a specific cocktail of grievances over security, corruption, and a lack of opportunity.

HUDSON: This is a wave who has -- whose time has not yet crested. I think we`re going to see several more of these in the coming months and years

before we see a kind of return to what we thought was a normal state in the kind of post-cold war era.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): The condemnations have been universal. The impact minimum. African and Western powers face a dilemma in Niger, there is

apparent popular support for the coup and deep anger towards France. Plans for a regional military intervention have stalled. French counter terror

forces have withdrawn from two of the countries. Their position in Niger is tenuous at base. At Sahel, Niger for the U.S. multimillion dollar drone

bases critical in fighting extremist groups. The state department is treading carefully.

VEDANT PATEL, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: And continue to advocate for a diplomatic solution that respects the constitutional order in Niger.

MCKENZIE: In Gabon, state media showed off bags of cash. They say they were found at the son of the president`s home and at the home of another

official. CNN couldn`t independently verify these images. For more than 50 years, Omar Bongo and his son, Ali Bongo run as oil, rich nation, much of

their wealth was kept in France. Most Gabonese young and old had only known the rule of the Bongo family and its cronies.

CHRIS FOMUNYOH, NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE: So for them, the military coup in the short-term looks much better than anything that they`ve been

living through. And one can understand that boost of immediate support and what the military and various missionary groups bring to the continent is

less opportunities for freedom for democracy than more.

MCKENZIE: David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: And now let`s talk about Venice, AKA, the floating city, which has so much rich history, art, architecture, and charm, that it can bring a

sort of ebullience to many who visit.

If anyone you know is thinking about making the day trip to the floating city, listening to this. Starting in the spring of 2024, if you`re not

spending the night, you`ll have to fork over five euros. That`s about $5.40 to get into the city on super busy days. The city is making history as the

first in the world to charge folks an entry fee.

This isn`t a permanent thing. It`s like a 30-day test run. And instead of doing it all in one month, they`re picking days when they expect tons of

visitors like holidays in the peak carnival season. The goal, to discourage day tourists during those crazy times.

So here`s the deal. Venice can get seriously crowded. On some days, there are way more tourists than actual residents. They`re still working out the

official dates when the fee will apply.

But here`s the scoop, for those who live there commute, own a second home, or are staying overnight, you`re off the hook. You`ll just have to register

online for your visit. The money they collect from these entry fees in part will help cover the cost of this booking system.

And you know what, other European cities dealing with Hordes of day- trippers or keeping a close eye on this test, run in Venice. They`re wondering if they too can pull off something similar to deal with the whole

over tourism thing.

Coming up, have you ever thought about how clean your place really is? I mean, even though it might look clean, what about those sneaky germs hiding

where you can`t really see them? Well, up next CNN`s Clare Duffy decided to roll up her sleeves and get down and dirty testing the germs in her home.

And one more thing, I`ve always wondered, do we ever truly get rid of dirt and dust? Like if we wipe it up and toss it in the garbage or broom it

away, it kind of just gets moved around, doesn`t it? Anyways, let`s see what nasties might be lurking beneath the surface of our spaces.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: I want to know, was I the dirtiest?

PAUL DAWSON, PROFESSOR, CLEMSON UNIVERSITY: It was a code. So we don`t know who was who, but whoever`s A, was the least contaminated.

DUFFY: Yes.

(Voice-over): We set out on an experiment guided by food scientist, Paul Dawson, to collect samples from the homes of our colleagues, family, and

friends to find out which spot in our homes has the most germs.

Across five homes, we tested the same spots. Four days after they were cleaned. The kitchen sink drain, the kitchen countertop, the bathroom

toilet seat, the bathroom faucet handles and the front door entryway. The lab, isolated bacterial cells and documented them as they multiplied,

growing into colonies that we can see.

(On camera): This is really gross. I mean the front door one, especially, it just looks, I mean, it`s covered, right? I was really worried about when

you walk in the front door, that ground, because we live in New York City and the ground is dirty.

DAWSON: So you`re really concerned about that. Maybe having a door mat that you can clean periodically.

DUFFY: Our non-scientific experiment confirmed decades of research microbes, including bacteria live all around us. We`re familiar with the

dangerous ones like salmonella, listeria and E. coli, plus viruses that we didn`t test for. But not all germs are bad. In fact, most are just fine for

us. And some help our bodies function.

(On camera): The thing that surprises people most about the germs in their homes is?

DAWSON: That the tallest seed is probably the cleanest place in their house.

DUFFY: So the places where we prepare our food, those were dirtier than the toilet seats.

DAWSON: I would say yes, definitely.

DUFFY: The National Sanitation Foundation recommends using a weak bleach solution to sanitize kitchen drains and disposals once a month. For your

sponge, try to replace it often.

DAWSON: Across the board, the sponges, very highly contaminated with bacteria and mold.

DUFFY: So in that sponge, I replace my sponge every week. So that sponge was only three days old.

DAWSON: Yeah, it`s impossible to remove all the bacteria. They`re going to be there no matter what. The point is, most bacteria are harmless, are

positive. There`s a few that aren`t. That`s where the sanitation would come in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: The Danish Chamber Orchestra had some pretty unique performers at their recent gig. A canine choir was howling at the moon, putting on a rare

show, featuring the hunting symphony, a piece composed by Leopold Mozart who happens to be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart`s dad, did you know?

So here`s the scoop, 10 dogs tried out for this gig, but only three made the cut, Cookie, Sophus, and Sica. These furry rock stars got picked

because their barks sounded just about right. And they could handle the loud music and the loud crowd.

All right, we have a shout out to Mr. Mason, history teacher at Mio, in Mio, Michigan. Your Miley submitted the winner of #YourWordWednesday.

Ebullience, a noun meaning the quality of being cheerful and full of energy. Well done. I`m Coy Wire and we`ll see you tomorrow.

END