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WORLD RIGHT NOW WITH HALA GORANI
Obama Makes Case For Clinton As She Recovers; Trump Unveiled Plans To Rebuild Military; Aid Agencies Now Await Security Clearance; Israel's Peres Hospitalized After Suffering Stroke; Germany Arrests Suspected ISIS Members; New York Hate Crime Task Force Probes Assault; Facebook Faces Revenge Porn Trial In Ireland; New Movie On Edward Snowden's Life; Snowden Makes Case For Presidential Pardon; Protesters Crash Lochte's Dancing Debut. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 13, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[15:00;22] HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm HaLa Gorani. We are live at CNN London. Thanks for being with us this hour. This is THE
WORLD RIGHT NOW.
If you're forced to stay home sick, it helps to have a heavy hitter step in for you. U.S. President Barack Obama is campaigning today for Hillary
Clinton in person and solo after she was sidelined by pneumonia.
He spoke in Philadelphia a short time ago making his first solo appearance on her behalf. Mr. Obama says this presidential election is a choice about
the very meaning of America. He accused Donald Trump of fanning resentment, anger, and hate. Here is Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This isn't Abraham Lincoln's Republican Party. This isn't even the vision of freedom
that Ronald Reagan talked about. This is a dark, pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other. We turn away from the rest of
the world.
They're not offering serious solutions, they're just panning resentment, blame, anger, and hate, and that is not the America we know. That is not
the America I know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Nearly halfway across the country, Donald Trump was addressing his supporters at the same time. At a rally in Iowa he slammed Hillary
Clinton's policy saying everything she touched has been a disaster. Trump is also keeping up his attacks on her assertion that half of his supporters
belong in a basket of, quote, "deplorables."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While my opponent slanders you as deplorable and irredeemable, I call you hard working American patriots,
who love your country and want a better future for all of our people.
Her comments display the same sense of arrogance and entitlement that lead her to violate federal laws as secretary of state. Hide and delete her e-
mails, 33,000 e-mails.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right, bringing up the e-mail question again, we're joined now from Philadelphia by CNN political commentator, Michael Smerconish. He is
host of "SMERCONISH" and joins us now live on CNN.
So Michael, let me ask you first about Barack Obama making that first solo appearance on behalf of Hillary Clinton. Was that planned or is that
something that was organized after she was sidelined?
MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, this has been in the planning stages for a while, Hala, and as a matter of fact, as you point
out it's really his first foray into the final stretch of the campaign. And you might ask yourself OK, why Philadelphia and the answer is the same
reason that Donald Trump will be in the suburbs of Philadelphia tonight.
This is a battleground area. In order for Hillary Clinton to do well, she needs to do well particularly among those who live in the city and the
inner core of suburbia, that's a battleground suburbia that Donald Trump doesn't want to concede.
And so he will be in the suburbs of Philadelphia this evening. Barack Obama's role for Hillary Clinton is to energize the Democratic base, the
base that comes out every four years.
We're talking about women, the young, and people of color. These voting blocks are not those that come out in the midterm elections, but every four
years they're there and she needs them.
GORANI: Yes, and how badly will this whole, you know, covering up the pneumonia diagnosis hurt her. Plus she is off of the trail for several
days. We expect here to be back at the end of the week, but still, this is a critical time to be away.
[05:05:10]SMERCONISH: I think it is still an evolving story. I don't know that we have heard all of the facts of what has transpired and what might
be the true nature of her illness. I can tell you that I just hosted a three-hour radio program all across America, took telephone calls from
countless people, and they see it in stark terms.
The defenders of Hillary Clinton say give her a break, she is sick, she is strong. Look how badly she wants the job. She is willing to go out even
when she is ill to campaign and attend events, but critics say look, she didn't tell us everything.
She hid the illness that she had and it is part of an ongoing image about Hillary Clinton that there is something about her that doesn't allow us to
trust here. So people are reading into it what they are inclined to see.
GORANI: And Michael, I'm sure you've seen this poll and I found it fascinating. It's YouGov poll among registered voters, 46 percent of those
who were polled say they don't believe Hillary Clinton's explanation about her health issues.
The 9 percent say they're uncertain. Only 45 percent say, yes, I believe the version of events that was put forward by the campaign. This has got
to be worrying for her campaign.
SMERCONISH: It definitely is worrisome, and look, they didn't handle it well. Hillary Clinton went to the Yale Law School with Lanny Davis who at
different times has been an advisor of hers. He's an expert in crisis management.
He wrote a book and the mantra was tell it early, tell it all, and tell it yourself. She is not following the advice of her close associate from the
Yale Law School.
Because she hadn't been fully forthcoming. She didn't tell her it herself. A period of about five hours when off of the clock on Sunday until there
was an acknowledgment by the campaign that she had pneumonia.
Many people are wondering this, they are wondering where would we be but for that video. If video had not caught her stumbling into that van, would
we know what we know today? Would they have acknowledged her illness and people have doubts?
GORANI: Meantime, Michael, finally, regarding Donald Trump, I mean, A, where are his tax returns, B, what kind of health assessment have we
received from him. We know you will be discussing those with a reality show doctor, Doctor Oz, a little bit later this week. Is he not being held
for the same account here?
SMERCONISH: Listen, I think they both have deficiencies. They are running for the highest office in the land. My own view is that if you put your
name forth it is incumbent on you to make disclosures both about health and about finances, and neither of them has been sufficiently transparent in
either regard.
GORANI: Michael Smerconish, thanks very much. We'll catch your program this weekend, and thanks very much for joining us live from Philadelphia
with more on the latest in the campaign.
Now a former CIA director has joined ranks with the Trump campaign as a senior adviser. James Woolsey once served as U.S. ambassador to the Treaty
on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and he was CIA director between `93 and '95, and he is live in Washington. Thanks, Sir, for being with us.
Why do you support Donald Trump in this advisory role? What is it about Donald Trump the candidate that you find appealing?
JAMES WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: I looked carefully at the records and the results of what both candidates have been saying and doing. And I was,
I think, perhaps most negatively affected by what Hillary Clinton has been making essentially available through the crazy system of multiple devices
she had to the public.
The public and hence our enemies such as the Iranians and North Koreans have full access just as any of you do to what's on the web. It's detailed
intelligence reports that raised the issue in a number of circumstances of safety of individuals who would be named or indirectly indicated who they
are.
GORANI: What detailed classified reports were leaked through the publication of some these e-mails?
WOOLSEY: Once they got out of the server, once they were out, then they can be collected and published and you can read them on the web.
GORANI: But there is no evidence that any of that was classified. They are retroactively designated as classified.
WOOLSEY: That really is I must say as ridiculous as alibies get. Anybody who takes the trouble to look at these, and to see what they cover and what
they are about, and to know from FBI and other testimony, that they were classified is -- it is as far as I'm concerned, it's now open and shut.
[15:10:09]It is not half way credible that those were not classified documents.
GORANI: But there is no evidence that any damaging classified information made it out as a result of Hillary Clinton using that server. There is
just no evidence of that.
WOOLSEY: Thousands of detailed reports of conversations say among them between senior officials of other countries, either one of which is like at
the United States when he sees what he said in private and broadcast around the world.
Information about technical capabilities, come on. This is really -- it is really -- anyone who claims that these are not classified documents, these
thousands of e-mails, those designated by the FBI and others are just whistling in the dark. It's ridiculous.
GORANI: All right, we know that is the position of the Trump campaign, I mean, even the FBI is saying there is no -- nothing here to pursue anyone
criminally on even though it was reckless, et cetera, et cetera, but can I move on to the --
WOOLSEY: The FBI decided not to pursue based on negligence, extreme negligence. They characterized Hillary's behavior as being -- but to only,
I suppose move in case of intent. And most of these circumstances I rather imagine she was extremely negligent, and they said so and they have written
so.
But extreme negligence whether you're driving a car or anything else, it can get you into a deadly situation just as easily as intent.
GORANI: Just underlining the fact that of course her camp says there was no classified information leaked, but if I could just move on to --
WOOLSEY: That is absolute nonsense what her campaign is saying on this subject. I've looked -- I know something about classified information and
I've looked into these materials rather substantially --
GORANI: Then tell us was is it exactly that was leaked, that was classified that was a result of her negligence in your opinion then because
right now you're not --
WOOLSEY: Read the thousands of e-mails and turn to the one on Libya and --
GORANI: But you've read them?
WOOLSEY: I've read some of them.
GORANI: Which ones did you consider to be damaging to national security.
WOOLSEY: I thought that there was a number that were damaging to national security. You want to go through them carefully, yourself, you can do it.
It's on web and see what it is. It's simply not credible to say that these were not classified documents.
GORANI: All right, James Woolsey, let me ask you a little bit about the ISIS plan. I know you are advising Donald Trump on national intelligence.
Also, presumably on counter terrorism. I guess there is some confusion internationally about what Donald Trump says he wants to do about this
threat.
One he says he knows more than the general then two he says he'll give generals 30 days for a plan? I mean, which is it? How do you vote or not
for someone based on such a murky proposal?
WOOLSEY: Well, I think if you or your choice is someone from the current administration, who has been totally ineffective in dealing with ISIS, your
choice is relatively clear, at least it is to me.
GORANI: What is it though?
WOOLSEY: The materials?
GORANI: No, what is the plan from Donald Trump?
WOOLSEY: I think that it is pretty clear that there is an intent go after ISIS in its layer, so to speak, in its home country, in Iraq and Syria. We
have, so far, been in most cases piddling along with that use of force. We have some ground forces there, Special Forces, but not many.
And we have not been doing anything like we did in Kosovo back at the end of the Bill Clinton administration. When he was flying hundreds of sorties
a day --
GORANI: You're talking about much bigger military involvement here. I mean, we are talking about more special forces, more aerial bombardments --
WOOLSEY: We did not lose a single pilot in bombing the Serbs and we knocked Kosovo out of the Serbs' hands and there is a Bill Clinton Avenue
in Pristine, the capital of Kosovo, and justifiably so. He saved them from being massacred and he did it with air power.
It doesn't mean you can only use air power, but no one has to advocate division after division after division of ground troops. We probably has
some special forces assisting forces in place such as the Kurds and others.
But you don't really need, I don't think, extremely large numbers of ground troops, but you do need to have the same kind of resolution with respect to
the use of air power that existed at the end of the Clinton administration.
[15:15:12]GORANI: James Woolsey, thanks very much for joining us. We hope to have you on again to talk a little bit more in detail of some these
proposals and also your advisory role with the campaign. Thanks very much.
More than 24 hours after a ceasefire took effect in Syria, there have been reports of skirmishes and clashes, but thankfully no major violence. Yet
for hundreds of thousands of desperate Syria, there has also been no sign of aid.
A short time ago, the U.N. special envoy for Syria spoke about the current situation as he announced a dramatic improvement on the ground, listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFFAN DE MISTURA, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA: The bottom line, to previous days, there is no doubt a significant drop in violence. Of
course, this is only 24 hours. The 48-hour benchmark is going to be important.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Staffan De Mistura, the U.N. special envoy said when it comes to aid, in his words, homework still needs to be done, agencies need security,
they need to be able to deliver these supplies.
Now Fred Pleitgen is live in Damascus, our senior international correspondent. I want to ask you first, this ceasefire, where are we? Is
it largely calm?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is largely calm here in the Damascus area, and what we've been hearing from
the United Nations and also from monitoring groups as well, it certainly is a lot more quiet than it would have been in the past couple of days before
the ceasefire took hold.
That doesn't mean there hasn't been any fighting especially around the Aleppo area, Hala, which has, of course, been a really hot bed of violence
before this ceasefire went into effect.
But one thing that you do notice when you're here on the ground is that people are still quite skeptical that this ceasefire can hold.
Because they have been in this position before where you have local ceasefires, where you had an attempt at national ceasefire that they have
held for maybe a day, maybe several days, maybe even a week or two, but then at some point they fell apart again.
So people here still quite skeptical, but at the same time, of course, clinging on to any hope that maybe this time the cease fire could hold for
an extended period of time. So there has been fighting -- a lot less than before, but at the same time, much too early in the game of the ceasefire
for people here to really believe that it's something it could be longer term -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, thanks very much, Fred. We'll stay in touch. As calm returned to the streets of Aleppo, cameras captured this rare scene, we
show you a lot of destruction and death, sometimes it is just nice to show you something else quite frankly from Aleppo.
Children laughing and playing during a peaceful day at a city playground with a ceasefire in place. It was for once, safe enough, for about 300
kids to turn out for the Muslim holiday.
Still to come this evening, the latest on the condition of a former Israeli president, Shimon Peres, after he was rushed to the hospital.
Plus, Special Forces arrest suspected ISIS members arrested living in this peaceful German village. We'll discuss how they got to Europe and their
link to a number of terrorist attacks.
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[15:20:24]
GORANI: We are closely following developments out of Israel. Former President Shimon Peres has been rushed to the hospital after he suffered a
stroke. Peres just turned 93. He underwent surgery in January after he suffered a mild heart attack.
Let's go right to CNN's Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. So Oren, what is the latest on Shimon Peres' condition?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest that we know from doctors and from the hospital is the former president, Shimon Peres, has been
sedated and intubated so that doctors can carry out a full evaluation. His doctor said he would be going through a CAT scan so they've get a better
idea of his condition and what condition his brain is in after he suffered a stroke.
We're awaiting the results of that CAT scan and an update on his condition from his doctors. Earlier today, he was taken to the hospital after
suffering that stroke. The first statement came out and said he was fully conscious and in stable condition.
Then a short time later, we found out that he has been sedated and intubated, that he suffered a stroke and that his doctors would carry out
that CAT scan for a full evaluation. As you mentioned, this isn't the first time Peres is in the hospital this year or even this month.
Earlier this year in mid-January, he went to the hospital with a mild heart attack. He had a stent put in and he was then released. But just a week
and a half later, he was back in the hospital after suffering irregular heartbeat, there he was in the hospital for five days.
Then just last week he had a pacemaker put in. He was in the hospital overnight and was released. He was in good condition and then earlier
today, he suffered that stroke. We're waiting for the latest.
Israeli leaders, Israeli politicians and others have all sent their best wishes to Shimon Peres for a speedy recovery. We're waiting for the latest
here on his condition -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, we'll stay in touch, thanks very much. Oren Liebermann with the latest on the condition of Shimon Peres.
We're learning more about one of the terror suspects arrested a few hours ago in Germany today. A source tells CNN that the suspected ISIS member
had links to the attempted attack on a train from Amsterdam to Paris back in August last year.
You're looking at pictures of that thwarted attack. Remember when those three American guys jumped in and one of them sort of tied the hands and
feet of that terrorist suspect.
Now he is one of the three people that German Special Forces arrested in this village. They are set to be linked to those Paris attacks as well
that killed 130 people in November.
Let's get more from our chief U.S. security correspondent, Jim Sciutto in Washington. What more do we know about these three suspects, how they got
to Germany, and what they're intentions were.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, what you really learn by looking at this cell is just how broad and extensive
the network is of ISIS operatives in Europe. You mentioned the tie between these attackers and that attempted attack on the trains thwarted by those
Americans.
These three men, they were Syrian nationals. They were picked up at a refugee shelter in Northern Germany. They came into Europe in November,
2015, just before the Paris attacks. They were sent like the Paris attackers by ISIS leadership.
They were sent with lots of money, U.S. dollars, cash, cell phones, but also crucially they were traveling on false travel documents made, it's
believed, by the same ISIS forger who forged those fake passports for several of the Paris attackers.
So you see ties to the Paris attacks and this attempted attack on that train, and again one of the three as well. He was just 17 years old, Hala.
He received training it is believed in explosives and weapons in Raqqa, ISIS's claimed capital of its claimed caliphate in Syria. So again those
ties among the networks in Europe, but also back to its home base in Syria.
GORANI: So all the authorities have are these fake documents, do they know where these young men are from to begin with? Do they believe they are
Syrian?
SCIUTTO: They believe that they are, well, at least they were traveling -- they are believed to be Syrians. They were traveling on fake documents.
So they are working out more information about them right now.
Meanwhile, they've captured these three, but they're on the lookout for 30 to 40 others who were part of the broader network behind the terrorist
attacks. So they are constantly trying to keep up.
In the midst of this you hear comments, for instance, from the French prime minister saying, listen, every day in effect we are thwarting an attack,
and guaranteeing, you know, rare comments from a public official to virtually guaranteeing that France will face more attacks.
Just laying the ground work, preparing people, and bracing people for the likelihood that French authorities cannot keep up with all these attackers
even as they make successful arrest like this one.
GORANI: Right, thanks very much. People are nervous in France that is for sure these days. Jim Sciutto, thanks for joining us.
[15:25:06]New York Police are investigating an attack on a Muslim woman right in the middle of 5th Avenue and they're saying it is a possible hate
crime. Local media reports say the woman was window shopping, wearing traditional attire. She felt heat on her left thigh, and then noticed her
blouse was on fire.
Police say she then noticed a man nearby holding a lighter. That this was an attack on her it's believed. Police are now searching for this man that
you see in this video as a person of interest.
The woman was able to douse the fire, she was not hurt, thankfully. The assault comes just a day after the mosque attended by the Orlando nightclub
shooter was set on fire and police are calling it a case of arson and they have released this surveillance video of a possible suspect. This one in
Orlando.
Facebook has been tripped up by its computer algorithms again, this time in Northern Ireland. A 14-year-old girl is suing Facebook for failing to
prevent a man from posting a nude of her over and over again. Her lawyer say it's a clear case of revenge porn.
CNN Money correspondent, Samuel Burke, joins me now with the details. So revenge porn is in someone who took a photo of her naked and kept posting
it to, you know, to be abusive toward her.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, posting it on Facebook over and over again. But it is interesting because what they're
saying in this case is that after the first time that picture was uploaded to Facebook from there on in, after it had been flagged up, which Facebook
says it was.
That they should have been taking it down automatically. Now we know that Facebook does have the type of tools to automatically take something down.
If I upload a music video to Facebook, let's say, it will come down right away. They say that is Alicia Keys song. We hear it and see it and it
won't even be get posted.
GORANI: Because they have an algorithm already setup that detects it.
BURKE: Exactly. The same thing with an ISIS video, if it is uploaded once, from there they can know and they can take it down automatically or
even prevent it from ever going up a second time.
But admittedly by Facebook's own statements, we know that this video, these photos went up over and over again and the family is saying the lawyers are
saying after that first time it should have been prevented.
GORANI: And so how was this individual able to upload it over and over again, and why wasn't Facebook kind of more forthcoming in finding a way to
block it?
BURKE: Well, it's interesting because Facebook is saying, look, every time they wanted this case dismissed because they said every time that that
photon showed up on Facebook they brought it down. It was reported and they brought it down.
In a statement a Facebook spokesperson said the following to me via e-mail, quote, "There is no place for this kind of content on Facebook. We remove
it when it is reported to us. Nudity and sexual exploitation are not allowed.
They went on to tell me again, listen, if you see something you can flag it, but there is a big distinction there. The family saying once you had
it the first time, you should have put it in the system called Photo DNA. It's developed by Microsoft.
So it's basically a thumbprint, let's say a digital thumbprint for any type of picture of this nature so that if it comes up the second time, the
blocks just go up automatically and it's never even seen --
GORANI: That nay palm girl photo from the Vietnam War that was of course considered documentary photography that kept being taken down.
BURKE: That photo that you're seeing there. That may have been this automated tool. Once Facebook had decided one time that it should come
down, it may have been that their algorithm was saying any time we see this picture, let's bring it down.
The family and the lawyers of this 14-year-old girl saying if you can do it for a picture like that, possibly, then you should do it as soon as you see
it the first time for this type of picture, it could change everything now that it's going on to a full court case.
GORANI: I don't know. It's going to be interesting because it could set a -- are they asking for monetary damages?
BURKE: We don't know yet, but it could set a precedent and that could be a very interesting to see not just how it plays out for young women in this
position, but also for terrorism videos, and other types of content of this nature.
GORANI: All right, Samuel, thanks very much. It's really interesting.
Still to come, we return to politics. I ask a Hillary Clinton supporter why more than half of registered voters in America are not sure whether she
is telling the truth about her illness.
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[15:31:10] GORANI: Welcome back. A look at our top stories, a cease fire appears to be holding across Syria more than 24 hours after it first went
into effect. The U.N. Special Envoy for Syria says there's been a, quote, "Significant drop in violence." Still, aid has yet to begin reaching
hundreds of thousands of victims.
CNN has learned that one of the suspects arrested in Germany this Tuesday has also been linked to the Paris train attack from August 2015.
Altogether German Special Forces arrested three Syrian nationals living in this village you see on your screen. All are suspected of being ISIS
members with links to the November attacks in Paris as well.
Former Israeli president, Shimon Peres is to undergo a brain scan after suffering a stroke. His office says the 93-year-old former president is
sedated and intubated right now. We will keep you updated as news becomes available.
American president, Barack Obama says Hillary Clinton is more than prepared to replace him in the White House. He made his first solo campaign
appearance for Clinton today. She is off of the trail while she recovers from pneumonia.
Mr. Obama slammed Donald Trump and warned voters not to treat the election like a reality show. Hillary Clinton is pushing back against criticism
that her campaign lacks transparency. She says she didn't believe that her pneumonia diagnosis would be a big deal and she thought she could power
through it.
Let's bring in CNN political commentator, Maria Cardona. She is a Democratic strategist and a Clinton supporter. So, Maria, first of all,
hello, thanks for being with us.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you.
GORANI: I have to ask you, is this not, as we call it in soccer, I don't know if you follow soccer, is this not just an unnecessary own goal. I
mean, you have pneumonia, tell people honestly, say you're going to rest a couple of days, and get back on the trail. This is really doing a lot more
damage, isn't it?
CARDONA: Well, I think it is being completely blown out of proportion. What people are realizing is this is a woman who, from the moment she
started her career in public service, making sure that the policies that were put forth by both local, state, and the national government, were
policies that would help working families, children, and women put forth a better future for themselves and their families.
She powered through everything and I think if you are a woman in this country, and frankly anywhere in the world, you will absolutely relate to,
you know, waking up, maybe not feeling all that well, but understanding that you have obligations and wanting to soldier on.
GORANI: But I get that, Maria, but -- other than women are not running for president. I get all of that, and you know, obviously her supporters say
it is commendable, she was sick and she decided to work anyway.
I get all that and working mothers, it's even worse, you have to go work and take care of your kids when you are sick. But they're not running for
president, and they're not going to be blamed for not disclosing critical information about their health if it comes out -- it's revealed that
they've covered it up.
CARDONA: Look, first of all, they didn't cover it up. I think what happened was, and her campaign has come out and said they should have
provided more information earlier on. I think what they wanted to do was first of all to make sure that she was OK.
And secondly before they went out there with a diagnosis, her campaign staff are not doctors, they wanted to make sure that she was actually
examined by her doctor and then a statement from her doctor was the one that was actually put out.
[15:35:08]We found out she had pneumonia maybe 12 hours after she was diagnosed and people actually knew what was going on. It doesn't matter.
They came with what it was that was going on with her, she is feeling better.
And here is the bottom line, Hala. There is such a false equivalency here between what Secretary Clinton has been transparent about and has disclosed
to voters versus what Donald Trump has absolutely kept hidden and still has not disclosed to voters even when it comes to health.
The letter that she put out from her doctor was very detailed. It was very official. You know, it talks about what issues she has had in years past,
what medications she is on, her respiratory rate, heart rate, cholesterol, her EKG, you know, again what medications she is taking.
The letter from Trump's doctor was a complete joke. It was a farce. It was an actually an insult to voters. And on any issue you can go on and
compare transparency, and she is head and shoulders above where Trump is.
GORANI: And now Donald Trump is saying that later this week he will appear with Dr. Oz, who for our international viewers is a reality show -- a
proper medical doctor, but he has a talk show, and he will be appearing with him later this week.
He won't be asking questions or questioning the results of the medical test, but he says he will talk about the results of his medical exam, what
do you make of that?
CARDONA: Well, you know, we'll see, Hala. He also said that he was going to release his tax returns. Have you seen his tax returns? Has any voters
seen his tax returns? The only thing that we know about Donald Trump's tax returns is that in the late '70s, he paid zero taxes.
And to me this is such an affront to what voters need to know and it is rich when he talks about a conflict of interest in any way, shape, or form
coming from Secretary Clinton.
When you have somebody who is vying to be leader of the free world, who refuses to disclose their taxes and where we have had reports of how many
millions of dollars he owes banks in China and Germany.
GORANI: But why isn't the campaign making it bigger --
CARDONA: They are.
GORANI: But I'm not hearing it over and over and over again from the campaign. In other words, if this were a constant issue brought up
strategically speaking from the camp, from the Hillary campaign side, wouldn't this be a line of attack just to keep on going after Donald Trump?
CARDONA: It is, it absolutely is, last night, when you had Secretary Clinton talking to Anderson Cooper, she absolutely brought all of this up,
and she said that there is no comparison between what voters know about Hillary Clinton, who is the woman that frankly voters.
Not just in the United States but around the world know the most about in politics today, versus trump, who is number one, the most dishonest
candidate we have had in modern history.
And number two, the most nontransparent candidate we have had in modern history. Your viewers also need to understand that there is a rich
tradition in American presidential campaigns from the last 40 years.
When you have Richard Nixon, Hala, being somebody who is more transparent than you, I think that is a red flag to everybody. And what I mean by that
is that Richard Nixon himself put forth his tax returns, even when they were being audited, which is the excuse that Trump gives for him not
sharing his tax returns. Donald Trump has not shared one year of tax returns with American voters.
GORANI: Maria Cardona, thanks very much for joining us. For more on the last few momentous days in this campaign, less than 60 days left. Thanks,
Maria. Speak to you soon, I hope.
Now medical issues are no joking matter on the campaign trail. The image they project to voters can make or break a candidate's chances. Our Kyung
Lah looks back at how health issues have played out previously in presidential politics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hillary Clinton is hardly the first candidate to visibly fall ill in the glare of running for president.
In 1992, President George H.W. Bush fainting and vomiting into the lap of the Japanese prime minister. His campaign blamed the flu. Bush 41 was in
the middle of a tough reelection campaign against a much younger candidate, Bill Clinton.
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: That video clip went viral, kept being show over and over again on television, and it leaves one to
think that the candidate is weak.
LAH: That fear consistent through presidential times says Historian Doug Brinkley as are the very human conditions of illness. In 1840, William
Henry Harrison was elected president. You may not have heard of him because he stubbornly refused to wear a coat at his inauguration, caught
pneumonia, and died after being president just one month.
[15:40:03]In 1933, candidate, Franklin Delanor Roosevelt publicly acknowledged his illness polio opening up a retreat for polio patients.
But once elected, he famously restricted photographers from documenting his disability. This being one of the few film clips of FDR in a wheelchair.
There are the candidates who simply lie about their health. John F. Kennedy projected youth and energy, when in reality, his family and
advisors kept his medical records and treatment inside the White House secret hiding a rare auto immune disease.
BRINKLEY: It is almost impossible to get away with it in this new media culture.
LAH: Video now capture stumbles like Bob Dole's plunge on a stage and General Ford falling down the steps of Air Force One both eventually
satirized and then weaponized in the political forum against the older men.
Learning from the past, John McCain chose to open up volumes of his medical history. Joe Biden did the same, though, his disclosure came two decades
after suffering an aneurysm.
Vice President Dick Cheney's heart issues were public, though, in his memoire he revealed the state held a secret resignation letter in case he
became incapacitated while in office.
Then there is recent history's most elderly nominee flipping his age on his head.
BRINKLEY: Sometimes presidents are able to get rid of issues of health effectively. I remember in 1984 when Ronald Reagan, you know, flipped it
on a debate.
FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponents youth and inexperience.
LAH: The Republican president perhaps a cue for this Democratic contender.
BRINKLEY: I think in this case the debates for Hillary Clinton are going to be a way for her to outperform, out duel him, and show that her stamina
is for real, and that this set back of pneumonia was just that of a normal human condition that hits a lot of us when we're overworked and exhausted.
LAH (on camera): So here are some advice from historians to the Clinton campaign. Recent history has shown that when it comes to health issues
it's best to be forthcoming with the voters and honest with the voters rather than having them learn it some other way. It's likely in today's
media landscape that FDR and JFK would have been caught hiding their health issues. Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Coming up, he is the whistle-blower behind one of the biggest intelligence leaks in American history. Now a movie is coming out about
Edward Snowden's life. In a few minutes, I'll be speaking to Glen Greenwald, the journalist who helped leak this secret and report on it.
We'll be right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: A national security agency employee leaked classified information becoming one of the biggest whistleblowers on the planet. It sounds like a
plot from a Hollywood movie, right? Well, that is what it has become with Edward Snowden.
(VIDEO CLIP)
[15:45:28]
GORANI: That is a clip from the new Oliver Stone movie, "Snowden." It releases in the United States Friday. Snowden rose to prominence after
leaking a trove of NSA documents to media outlets around the world. He was charged by the U.S. with violating the Espionage Act.
After a number of weeks on the run, he was eventually granted asylum in Russia where he still remains. Now he is making his case for a
presidential pardon before Barack Obama leaves office.
One man portrayed in the Snowden movie is Glenn Greenwald, one of the journalist who had a key part in breaking the story. He joins me now live
from Rio de Janeiro. Glenn, first, do you think that Barack Obama will grant Edward Snowden a presidential pardon?
GLENN GREENWALD, CO-FOUNDING EDITOR, "THE INTERCEPT": I think it is pretty unlikely. The U.S. government thinks it is important to have people see
whistle-blowers being punished, having their lives removed in order to scare other potential whistleblowers in the future from following the same
path.
But, you know, recently, President Obama's long time attorney general, Eric Holder, himself said that Edward Snowden has performed a public service.
So it's possible that public opinion is changing enough that makes it at least possible.
GORANI: Snowden himself says basically historically speaking down the line, maybe even post-Obama that people will see what he did quite
differently then he will be able to return to the United States.
GREENWALD: One of the principal defenders of Edward Snowden has been Daniel Elsberg who, of course, leaked the Pentagon papers (inaudible) and
he was regarded as a traitor. He was accused by the U.S. government of treason. He was put on trial, and now 30 years, 40 years later, he is
widely regarded as a hero, and I think Snowden is fairly on that same trajectory.
GORANI: Let me ask you about the movie, you didn't see it, right, "Snowden," the Oliver Stone film?
GREENWALD: I've heard a lot about it. I have not yet seen it.
GORANI: But did you consult on it at all? I mean, did you approach Oliver Stone or have discussions with him?
GREENWALD: I actually wrote a book about the work that I did which was purchased by Sony and that book is still on development. We have kind of
competing projects, but I have known Oliver for a long time and you know, he is certainly familiar with the work. I knew Zack a little bit who
played me in the film. So I didn't consult, but I think they drew a lot on the story I told.
GORANI: We know Oliver Stone met with Edward Snowden in Russia a couple of times I think maybe more. But what do you think went through the mind of
Edward Snowden. This is a dramatization.
They are going to be, you know, taking some liberties, I'm sure with the facts in dramatizing some of it even though the original story is extremely
dramatic. The actual story even based on the fact. So why do you think Edward Snowden would want to go there?
GREENWALD: He wasn't paid for anything. He doesn't stand to benefit personally. I think the story has been told journalistically like I said
they wrote a book. (Inaudible), my colleague produced a documentary, which he filmed in real time what happened that won the academy award.
But the reality is that Hollywood films reach an audience that documentaries don't reach. So it is an opportunity to engage more people
in the discussion that he helped us start about surveillance of privacy.
GORANI: Because this turns him even more into this kind of Hollywood, you know, myth, you know? As you said it will reach millions, it's an Oliver
Stone film, but why collaborate with Oliver Stone? He is a controversial filmmaker.
GREENWALD: Well, I think when Edward Snowden risked his life to bring these documents to the world, his goal was to reach as many people as
possible. And to have them be informed about what governments around the world are doing on the internet and telephones and communications networks.
So Oliver was going to make this film whether Snowden met with him or not, and I think from Snowden's perspective, he'd rather have his influence so
that the film is as accurate and engaging as possible.
GORANI: You said -- you mentioned -- so you're played by Zachary Quinto, right? What do you make of that? I mean, what do you make of knowing that
this really famous actor is playing you? I mean, it's got to be kind of weird?
GREENWALD: It is extremely weird to have somebody play you at least (inaudible). But you know, fortunately, Zach is a really smart actor and a
smart person. He is talked about the intricacies of this case in a really informed way and so I at least have the comfort that I'm being played by
somebody who has given a lot of (inaudible) at these topics, but it is extremely strange.
GORANI: Glenn, let me ask you one last question about Edward Snowden himself and his desire, and he said he'll do jail time if he goes to the
U.S.
[15:50:05]It really sounds -- it is starting to sound like he really wants to get out of Russia. Is that fair to say? I mean, is he starting to find
that too difficult.
GREENWALD: No, I don't think it is fair to say. He said from the beginning that he is an American citizen, his family lives in the United
States. He grew up in the United States. He didn't choose to be in Russia and his preference is to be able to go back to the U.S.
He's always said that from the start, but you know, I think it's really important to remember when we started this, we thought he would be in
prison the rest of his life instead he's free in Russia.
He participates in a debate that he helped to begin and I think he's very satisfied with his life, but of course, he would rather be able to be free
to live in his own country.
GORANI: All right, Glenn Greenwald, sounds like your dog is calling for you in the background, I will let you go, joining from Rio. Thanks very
much.
Don't forget you can get all the news and analysis on our Facebook page. You can check out facebook.com/halagoranicnn.
Coming up, we now know Hillary Clinton's stumble on Sunday was related to weakness from a pneumonia diagnosis, but the incident is still sparking
conspiracy theories of a completely different (inaudible). We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: New developments tonight in the saga of one of the BBC's most popular reality shows worldwide "The Great British Bake-Off." So it is a
British show, but it's seen all over the world, super successful, but it's now losing its two key presenters. Here is Mel Gidrock (ph) giving the
contestants their weekly challenge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, Bakers. Welcome back to the tent of dreams. For your signature chance, we would like you to make 24 iced
biscuits. They should be identical and crisp. You have 2-1/2 hours. Ready, set, bake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: OK, Gidrock and fellow presenters, (inaudible), say they will not follow the show to its new home on Channel 4. "Bake Off" is on its seventh
season on the BBC. It has ten million viewers every week. It's also a big hit in the United States.
Now replacing those two presenters is going to be challenge. If judges, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, also quit, Channel 4 is going to be a little
stuck in its casting.
Now sticking with reality television, the U.S. swimmer, Ryan Lochte may be trying to move past his Rio Olympics controversy by appearing on the U.S.
television show, "Dancing With The Stars."
Some are not quick to forget though, several protesters rushed the stage cutting off the judges' critique of Lochte's dancing skills.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I really do feel that you brought your best to this ballroom. You have a long way to go. Excuse me, back off. Excuse
me. Excuse me. Off, off, off. Excuse me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. OK. I'll tell you what. OK, we'll take a break. We'll get the rest of the judge's comments, take a deep breath, and we'll
be right back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: This is how it aired, I'm being told. Anyway, two of the -- that's why you didn't see the guys, two of the suspected protestors were
handcuffed and led away afterwards. One of them called Lochte a liar.
Lochte, of course, had told us stories about being robbed in Rio. Lochte himself said he was really heartbroken by the protest, but said he had to
brush it off and was glad he was on the show.
[15:55:11]Now to a bizarre new conspiracy theories, skeptics want to know how Hillary Clinton recovered so quickly after falling ill during Sunday's
9/11 ceremony. Jeanne Moos has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From being literally loaded into a van to a peppy rebound a couple of hours later, the speed of
Hillary Clinton's recovery was too much for some.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was not Hillary. No, sorry.
MOOS: And thus was born #hillary'sbodydouble. Believers say she resurfaced looking slimmer and younger. Personal trainers hate her, she
lost 30 pounds in two hours with this one simple trick, though, the photo on the right is an old one. Some found it odd she reappeared without her
entourage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody is around her, why not?
MOOS: The Secret Service was there, just hanging back. The body double believers pointed out physical differences saying the real Hillary's index
finger is longer than her body doubles along with side by side photos.
One person tweeted, "Now I understand the "stronger together slogan." If Hillary can't do it, her body double can." A Hillary supporter joked she
has two body doubles to explain differences in photos."
One is named angles and one is named lighting. Other Hillary fans were stunned. "I think I may have seriously underestimated human stupidity."
(on camera): Next thing you no Hillary supporters doubled down with #trumpsbodydouble.
(voice-over): The Donald was compared to everything from a cat to Cheetos, fried, orange and full of air. There were plenty of references to "Weekend
at Bernie" showing Hillary's team propping her up like a dead movie character.
Red One tweet, "If she doesn't raise concern, she shouldn't dress like Bernie. It is enough to make a candidate want to call in sick."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Madame Secretary, how are you feeling?
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened?
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Thanks for watching. I'm Hala Gorani. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
