tv CNN Newsroom Live CNN October 22, 2017 1:00am-2:00am PDT
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extraordinary thing on very short notice, under very difficult circumstances, and at a very difficult time, who are continuing to do the best they can. can. and i wish them well. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com five former u.s. presidents all together raising money for hurricane relief and sending a message of unity. live from cnn world headquarters in atlanta we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and all around the world.
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i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. 4:00 a.m. on the u.s. east coast. the political crisis in spain has reached a decisive point with the central government moving to take direct control of a region inside spain that has had a long-established independence movement. nearly half a million people protesting the central government on saturday. spanish prime minister mariano rajoy wants to dissolve the catalan regional government and to hold new election. the prime minister says he's trying to protect the spanish economy. catalonia's president, though, calls it an attack on democracy. the last time catalonia's powers were taken away spain was under
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cnn they're going to shoot or what? >> now we need to express all this in the streets and we're going to be here upstairs and free. >> we tried so many times to talk with him but they don't want to talk. >> and we've heard that over and over again from the catalan people, the catalan government. a call for dialogue and mediation from madrid, something the spanish prime minister mariano rajoy is very resistant to. he says catalonia needs to start acting within the rule of law and now he's making steps to
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article 155 of the spanish constitution, emergency rule over this region. it was interesting. at his press conference yesterday a journalist asked him is there anything the catalan government can do now to stop this process? and he said the only thing that could stop it is the spanish senate which is due to vote on friday but it's worth noting that rajoy's party has a majority within the senate. these emergency rules expected to pass. >> erin mclaughlin live for us in barcelona, spain. thank you so much for your reporting today. to get some context i spoke earlier to european affairs commentator dominic thomas. also the chair of french and frank o'phone studies at ucla. and he had this to say about what's happening across spain right now. >> let's talk about the political risk the central government faces by moving to exert direct rule over catalonia. could this indeed backfire on the prime minister? >> i think the prime minister
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has completely misread and miscalculated the situation here. not only has he triggered article 155 but he's also been working behind the scenes to enlist cross-party support so that when he goes to the senate he will essentially be able to put this into action. because after all a constitutional monarchy and yet for the second time the king has spoken out on this particular issue and he has the support of the in the region and the latest decisions come on the heel as we saw the police violence that repressed people going to the polls, political leaders still being held in prison, the police chief in catalonia has been threatened and essentially now rajoy is going to put the region into receivership. >> let's talk about article 155. it never has been utilized before. what exactly does direct rule look like? what immediate impact might it
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have on people's everyday lifes? >> the extraordinary thing that you mentioned, it never has been done. it is a complex document, something vague in many ways, there is no ambiguity in the document. it gives the central government of madrid the powers to go into the region and take control of it, essentially to put it into receivership, to oversee the operations in conjunction with that also talked about removing the current leadership and being democratically elected one should not forget. and allow a ministry in madrid to come in and control the region, day to day actions, economic oversight, and so on. so essentially takes away their total capacity to be able to function autonomously. this is galvanizing the population, even though we're not in support of the referendum, find this profoundly
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disturbing. >> let's follow the money trail here. what are the economic consequences for catalonia. will the portion of catalonia's tax revenue that would regularly support local government now go to the national government in madrid? >> not at this stage, they're not going to take away the funding, they're going to oversee the management of the region. the economic aspect is already significant because many businesses, banks and so on, are relocating to elsewhere in spain because they are afraid that independence will one day go through, which would give that catalonia was no longer part of the european union and also rajoy, when he came to power, a few years ago, spain was in a terrible economic situation, it managed itself out of the recession, this is an incredibly important region. it is destabilizing to the region. also for the national economy. i think this is something that rajoy is underestimating, let alone the destabilizing aspects
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for the european union in a broader context. >> this has never been done before, and if history is guide, the last time catalonia was under rule was under dictatorship. and they pointed to that act as context and pushed for independence. given the latest move here, what you surmise his next move might be and does he have any recourse in. >> he doesn't have any recourse, except to sort of preempt the government and call regional elections himself. that would slow down the process, something that is part of article 155, if the region goes for early elections, and it will calm things down. what he's really pushing for here by appealing to the international community is for some kind of broad remediation, an opportunity to sit down with madrid and talk this out. and i think this is rajoy's responsibility. he's the prime minister, the leader, he's taking spain down a very, very dangerous road here, a road that in fact is starting to look like european union is
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going to have deal with this and will pale in comparison to some of the issues it is dealing with brexit. this is rajoy's responsibility as prime minister to not drive its country into this appalling political crisis. >> we'll have to see what happens next. thank you so much for your time. >> thank you. >> the pentagon is investigating the deaths of four u.s. soldiers killed in an ambush by isis in niger. just a little more than two weeks ago this happened. questions remain concerning what happened to one of those four soldiers in particular, specifically sergeant la david johnson. he was somehow separated from his team and his body wasn't recovered until nearly 48 hours after that attack. on saturday, johnson was buried in his home of the u.s. state of florida.
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his widow saying an impossibly difficult good-bye. the u.s. congresswoman frederica wilson attended that service as well. she knew johnson and his family personally. she was also one of the people there who told reporters what president trump said in his condolence call to the family. that sergeant johnson knew what he signed up for. wilson said those words had offended the family and johnson's mother later confirmed that. the white house has spent the week alternating between denials of those words saying the words were never said. impassioned defenses. constant attacks on wilson that continued on saturday. president trump on twitter saying the congresswoman was wacky hours before johnson's funeral. he did not mention johnson himself, nor did he mention the ambush that killed the soldier.
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scott lucas is a professor of international politics at the university of birmingham live this hour in birmingham, england. good to have you with us, scott, to talk more about this. on the day of the funeral, the president had two options, he could offer condolences to the soldier's family, he could remain silent if he didn't have anything constructive to say or a third option, to tweet about this democratic congresswoman before the funeral. president trump actually gave some insight, though, into how he uses twitter, why he uses it in an interview with fox business. let's listen. >> i doubt i would be here, if it weren't for social media to be honest with you. i have a tremendous platform. when somebody says something about me, i'm able to go, bing, bing, bing and take care of it. the other way i would never be able to get the word out. >> before the funeral on the day of the funeral he tweets to the u.s. congresswoman, using the word wacky to describe her, on the day of the funeral, so the
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question here is who is the audience, scott? who do you surmise he's talking to? who does this tweet serve? >> donald trump is tweeting over the heads of yourselves in the media, he's tweeting over the heads of those in washington, politicians, officials who might be concerned about his behavior, he's tweeting over the heads of those in the military who are investigating this incident. he's appealing to what he would hope are millions of supporters who will rally to his defense and say, well, of course, mr. president, you're absolutely right, this congresswoman is wacky, let's bring this back to the core. this started last monday because donald trump said nothing for 12 days about the deaths of these four green berets, no condolences, no marker of respect, and then he was called out because he was asked about his silence. if you remember, his immediate attack was on barack obama and
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past presidents and said, they never called or talked to relatives. that was a lie, it was not true. when he was called out, he then scrambled and said, i'll call the relatives, he calls the relatives, in this case, myeshia johnson, the widow of la david johnson, but that conversation on speakerphone is the one where he refers to johnson as your guy, can't remember his name, and then says, well, he knew what he was getting into. that's at the base of what happens. but you don't want -- trump doesn't want to say that. that makes him look bad. the alternative is to go after and say, well, it is congresswoman wilson who is the bad person here, she's the one you should be blaming. >> this president certainly different than his predecessors and doesn't seem to take their counsel as we have seen of presidents before him. in fact, just this week we saw former presidents bush and obama on stage expressing their concerns about the direction of the united states, concerns that are at odds with president
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trump, without using president trump's name though in their appearances. do those voices of experience matter for a president who is now on the job for some ten months? >> i think the only thing that matters for donald trump is donald trump. the broader picture here is as you started this conversation, we're in a unique presidency. this president is unique in the way he communicates, but he's unique in an approach which is very short on detail on policy, very short on actually knowing the issues, and very long on trying to attack others. now, what john mccain said on monday, senator john mccain started this by saying, look, this is a spearious nationalism. when he in turn was attracted by trump the next day, trump said, well, at some point, i'll fight him and it won't be pretty, then you have george w. bush, a republican, barack obama, a democrat, coming in and expressing their concerns about division, hatred and bigotry. they're not just talking about trump, they're worried about the
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damage to an american system because of this unique presidency where conversation is being replaced by insult and where serious issues, whether we're talking about health care, the economy, our foreign policy, are reduced by these escalating single controversies about president trump and whether or not he can actually be statesman-like, even when he calls the widow of a soldier who died in service. >> scott lucas live in birmingham, england, scott, thank you for your time today. >> thank you. we're just talking a moment ago about former u.s. presidents, all five living former presidents were together saturday in the state of texas for a rare joint appearance. they all attended a benefit concert for hurricane victims in texas and florida and the caribbean. as of saturday night, organizers say they raised at least $31 million. in brief remarks, the former
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leaders praised americans for coming together. >> as heart breaking as the tragedies that took place here in texas and in florida and puerto rico, the u.s. virgin islands have been, what we have also seen is the spirit of america at its best. when ordinary people step up and do extraordinary things. >> the heart of america without regard to race or religion or political party is greater than our problems. >> i too am here to urge you to give to this fine fund and i want to thank all of the volunteers, but i am here for another reason. i speak for the folks right here when i say we really admire and love george h.w. bush.
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>> president trump did not attend the concert, but did appear in a video message. >> as we begin to rebuild, some of america's finest public servants are spearheading the one america appeal. through this effort, all five living former presidents are playing a tremendous role in helping our fellow citizens recover. to presidents jimmy carter, george h.w. bush, bill clinton, george w. bush, and barack obama, melania and i want to express our deep gratitude for your assistance. cnn live in northern iraq as the news continues.
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typhoon could affect voter turnout. it is expected to secure shinzo abe's position as the longest serving post war prime minister. mr. abe call for the vote in september. he hopes to get a strong mandate to keep taking tough stances on north korea which sent ballistic missiles flying over japan in recent months. >> translator: now together with the international community, we have to put the highest possible pressure on north korea. we will create a society where everyone can have a dream, a society where people young and old can feel safe. >> live in japan this hour, in tokyo, journalists are following the story. this could be a game changer for mr. abe. >> i think so, george. it could cement his legacy as one of the longest serving prime ministers in post war japanese history. and i think when the prime minister of japan shinzo abe called this election, it looked
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like a gamble. but it certainly is showing right now three hours ahead of the poll closing that that gamble may have paid off. people are very interested in this election, early voting showed that there was record turnout, especially because there is a typhoon approaching. but also because part of the biggest concerns in this election has been the threat for north korea. the prime minister has tried to paint himself and his party as the most experienced, and safest hands on deck to deal with what he calls a national crisis. a few months ago, this would have been an implausible turn of events from the prime minister. he had a lot of scandals he was dealing with. but month after month, george, we have seen the missiles being launched, some of them over japan, and threats from north korea to sink japan. he has been emboldened by this. i think today in terms of the magic number, if his party and the coalition wins a two-thirds super majority, it could really cement prime minister shinzo abe's legacy and change the tide
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for what role the japanese military plays in this region and that could have a tremendous impact not only here, but for the rest of asia as well. >> thank you so much for the reporting. as people head to the polls in tokyo, typhoon lan is barreling toward the japanese capital. meteorologist derek van dam is here. >> the question is whether it will impact voter turnout. time will tell. they have to tally things up. interesting to note that going back to 1979, october, there was actually a typhoon that struck tokyo as well, right during the lower house elections that were occurring during that month. and 100 millimeters of rain fell in tokyo, about four inches, and voter turnout in tokyo was about 10 percentage points lower than the two previous general elections. so will that be the case this time? well, again, like i said, only time will tell. we're feeling the effects of
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typhoon lan even though it is off shore. 230 clom pkilometer per hour sud winds near the center. the eye has basically collapsed in on itself, a sign to meteorologists that the storm is weakening and weakening quickly. doesn't mean it won't be a formidable storm by the time it makes landfall on mainland japan. overnight tonight, and into monday morning, local time. you see the computer models depicting the winds across that area. but quickly moving out too by tuesday. the skies will clear and probably see some sunshine, even into the early morning hours of tuesday as well. that system will bring a lot of rainfall, so the threat of landslides, mudslides continues across this region with some of our computer models indicating upwards of 250 to 350 millimeters of rain before it is all said and done. another thing to mention, 15 meter open ocean swells associated with this typhoon. it is a monster. that means we could have coastal erosion, especially on some of the south and east facing
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shorelines for mainland japan. want to switch gears, talk about the fire threat in southern california, we have over 15 million people with high fire danger today. critical conditions just outside of los angeles from the coast, right through the mountains. this is all thanks to our notorious santa ana winds that come right off the desert, they dry and they warm up as they come up and over the mountains and the canyons there, you see the red flag warnings in place from l.a. to anaheim as well as palm springs and just outside of the san diego region, according to the national weather service. another interesting thing to note, this is from so cal fire, california fire, i should say, we have had serious fire conditions, of course, this year. we know that. 12 of the most devastating wildfires in california history have occurred since the year 2000. four of those 12 have occurred just this month alone. that kind of put s the season into perspective for california. it has been a rough go.
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another billion dollar disaster with the tubbs and atlas fires burning near napa. >> wow. i wonder if people really understand the intensity of the fires and -- >> how quickly they can spread as well with winds of over 150 miles per hour. still ahead, the kurds are a key u.s. ally in the fight against isis in iraq. now they're protesting against the united states. we'll explain why. crohn's disease. you're more than just a bathroom disease. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara® stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs
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catalan leaders are condemning the spanish government for smacking down on the region's independent movement. madrid wants to dissolve catalonia's regional government and hold new elections and the catalan president said says his people have won the right to breakaway after holding a referendum that they call unconstitutional. shinzo abe is looking to become japan's longest serving prime minister since world war ii. the country is voting right now in snap elections. a win for mr. abe could re-energize his push to revise japan's pacifist constitution. all five living former u.s. presidents made a rare joint appearance on saturday. the concert benefiting hurricane relief efforts in texas, in florida and the caribbean. organizers say they raised at least $31 million for more than 80,000 donors. iraqi kurds are protesting in erbil. the demonstrators are angry at the u.s. for taking a neutral
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stance in the dispute, especially given the kurds' vital role in fighting isis. our senior international correspondent ben wedeman is following the story. people are making their feelings very clear about the current u.s. president. >> reporter: indeed they are. it is something of a turn around, you know. george, i was here in iraq last december, we did a story about the kurdish love affair with then president-elect donald trump. we went to a fish restaurant that had been renamed trump fish. we spoke to a man who had named his new born son trump. but now it appears that that love affair has gone cold, the kurds feeling the united states, the country they worked so closely with in the war against isis has turned its back on the kurds in this, their time of
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need. >> demonstrations from the western diplomatic mission is run of the mill in the middle east. but in the kurdish iraqi capital of erbil, it is a first. almost 15 years i've been covering events in iraqi kurdistan, this is a first for me and anti-american demonstrations. it is not necessarily an expression of anger as much as it is disappointment that the kurds have been let down by a country they thought was their friend. kurdish forces played a critical role in the war against isis. but since the kurds voted for independence from iraq last month, and since the central government's takeover of the disputed oil rich province of kirkuk last monday, suddenly the kurds are once again alone. facing a combination of iraqi government forces armed and
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trained by the united states and the iranian-backed popular mobilization units, the irony is not lost here. >> why we have been attacked by the american weapons and in the hands of shia militia. >> the american consulate was never in danger, well protected by kurdish riot police, the protest was peaceful. but the words were heated. especially when talk turned to u.s. president donald trump who during the campaign pledged his support for the kurds, but now the u.s. stands neutral in the clash between baghdad and erbil. trump lied to the kurdish people, says this engineer, america lied to the kurdish people. >> we had hopes in trump. but now we don't know what happened. >> reporter: what happened was the government in baghdad and every country in the middle east
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opposed the vote for kurdish independence. noisy though he it was, the protest may be falling on deaf ears. and, of course, the kurds may be disappointed with the americans, but they're definitely more angry with the iranians. also yesterday, there was a small demonstration in front of the iranian embassy where protesters tore down the iranian flag. george? >> is there a way out of this? >> well, both sides, baghdad and erbil, have expressed a desire to reopen a dialogue, but what we have seen is that at the same time that talk is going on, there have been clashes to the south of erbil, near the city of kirkuk. the americans have also offered to act as an intermediary between the two sides, but as long as there is military tension south of this city,
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those talks could prove to be difficult. george? >> senior international correspondent ben wedeman live for us in erbil, iraq, thank you for your reporting. the world health organization may reconsider naming zimbabwe's president robert mugabe as a goodwill ambassador. health experts and rights activists are stunned by the pick because the long-standing corruption and abuse of power allegations that stand against mr. mu gau mugabe. they're rethinking the appointment in light of who values. he says the agency is listening to critics' concerns. kenyans are set to cast ballots on thursday on the country's second presidential vote in two months, but doubt is growing over whether the new election will even happen as frustrations among kenyans boils into the streets. this report from nairobi. >> reporter: since the presidential elections, kenya
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has become a nation of protests. across the country, demonstrators have gathered to protest the lack of reform and electoral commission. they have been gathering in all the main cities. as you can see, thousands of supporters have gathered here to protest against the iebc, the official election commissioning body, and to say if there are not reforms, there will be no election. so now we're watching to see if there is going to be some kind of point of contact with the security forces. will the commission be able to reform?
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a veteran opposition leader decided they would not reform and withdrew two weeks before the date. the president called the supreme court's decision to allow the august election nothing but a coup. and from the moment the iebc announced the new election date, it seemed to be in doubt. he says his party was ready to go for the vote with or without their competitors. the government tried to ban protests, but quashed that move, saying demonstrations were protected in kenya's constitution. just a week before the vote, the electoral commissioner fled to new york, saying she feared for her life and that the iebc was rife with divisions. and then another twist in this country's tense political drama.
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>> all my motions have been defeated by majority of the commissioners. under such conditions, it is difficult to guarantee the free and fair elections. >> in what is called a permanent state of elections -- >> reporter: now days before the election, the big question is will they happen at all? with one candidate and millions of voters not participating in protests. riots groups and election body members warns if the situation cannot be contained, it could turn violent, just like ten years ago when more than a thousand people were killed. this activist ran for office in august and lost. he doesn't think there should be an election at all. >> the country should be worried. we cannot trust the president
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with political -- we're all afraid of what is going to happen. the election should be called off and prepare for election that are free and fair. >> reporter: if the vote goes ahead, it will be happening on the day the opposition vowed to fill the streets in protest yet again, leaving this nation more uncertain about its future. cnn, nairobi. coming up, new details on yet another sexual harassment claim against former fox news host bill o'reilly. how much he reportedly paid in a confidential settlement. you wouldn't do only half
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long time network analyst. all of this happened just a month before the company renewed his $25 million a year contract. o'reilly spokesman responded to the claims saying the nsk w information was provided by anonymous sources and is false and defamatory. brian stelter has the latest for us. >> reporter: $32 million, it is a staggering sum of money, the amount of money that bill o'reilly paid to a long time legal analyst on fox news when she came forward with allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct. now, weil agreed to the payout and disavowed the claims she made against o'reilly. all this happened privately in january, but the timeline here is remarkable. because just a couple of weeks after the settlement, the $32 million settlement, fox news went ahead and renewed bill
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o'reilly's contract. he was making about $25 million a year at fox. but he didn't last very long at the network. as i'm sure you recall, in april, the new york times reported on other settlements by o'reilly to other women accusing them of harassment. those settlements were smaller sums of money, but the revelation about them caused advertisers to flee from his show and cause ed fox news to cancel the show, all that happening a few weeks back in april. but now, in the wake of the harvey weinstein scandal, in a conversation across the united states, about sexual harassment in workplaces, the new york times published this new story about this $32 million settlement and that price tag is really astonishing to a lot of people. you know, harvey weinstein reportedly paid accusers 50 or $100,000, bill o'reilly paid small sums of money to other accusers. but the idea that he was willing to pay $32 million to a single accuser is really shocking and
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causing a lot of people to wonder why fox news was willing to renew his contract at all. here is what fox says. it says it didn't know exactly how much money was given over. according to the company, when the company renewed the contract in february, it knew that sexual harassment lawsuit had been threatened against him by allyse weil, but informed he settled the matter personally. that's the official word from rupert murdoch. two big questions moving forward for fox, number one, will this affect the ongoing u.s. federal investigation into fox news? remember, the department of justice already has been looking into how settlement payments were paid to accusers of roger ailes who was also caught up in his own harassment scandal last year. ailes passed away a number of months ago, but the ongoing investigation is looking into fox's conduct in the matter. that's one issue for the
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murdoches. the other big issue is involving the sky deal, the ongoing attempt to buy up the rest of the british satellite network sky. it had a hard time getting the deal through because of scandals back in the united states. and it would seem that this latest revelation about bill o'reilly will only complicate matters even more for the sky deal. brian steallter, cnn, new york. the new york times is responding to bill o'reilly spokesman who said the newspaper maliciously smeared the former fox news host. a spokesman for the newspaper says this, mr. fabiani addresses everything, but what the story actually says, this article like our previous reporting on the subject is accurate and deeply reported and we welcome and challenge to the facts the affidavit he claims our story ignored is, quote, in our article -- quoted in our article. it could be the great secret
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of the art world. what may be another mona lisa still ahead. my "business" was going nowhere... so i built this kickin' new website with godaddy. building a website in under an hour is easy! 68% of people... ...who have built their website using gocentral, did it in... ...under an hour, and you can too. type in your business or idea. pick your favourite design. personalize it with beautiful images. and...you're done! and now business is booming. harriet, it's a double stitch not a cross stitch!
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he plans to allow the release of the last secret files on the assassination of president john f. kennedy in 1963. experts and historians do not expect any evidence to contradict the official narrative that lee harvey oswald acted alone. but the documents could reveal details about a trip to mexico city that oswald took only weeks before that assassination. it is possible president trump could also keep some of the documents classified for national security reasons. leonardo da vinci's mona lisa is quite possibly most famous work of art in the world. art schoolers in france think they may have found another with just one slight difference. jim bittermann has this report. >> at the chateau outside paris, when they head down to the basement library where tens of thousands of works of art are stored, something is missing.
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designed by renaissance master rafael is still there, but several months ago, he sent away what is potentially one of the rarest items in the collection, a charcoal drawing called the nude mona lisa, a sketch that very much resembles in pose and in form leonardo da vinci's painting. >> the composition is the same, the position of the arms is very close to the position, the posture of mona lisa. >> reporter: it was a wealthy french nobleman who acquired the sketch along with the chateau's huge renaissance collection. practically ever since, there has always been suspicion that the drawing was either a da vinci original or perhaps done by one of his handful of students. so with the 500th anniversary of the death of leonardo coming up in 2019, he decided to send the drawing to another chateau, the louvre, more accurately the
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national research and restoration laboratory in the basement of the famous museum. here, the curator began studying the fragile drawing to try to discover its origins. after infrared, ultraviolet and a host of other analytical techniques, they determined from the paper and other indicators that the sketch is indeed from da vinci's era and region of italy. but what intrigued him most was the thousands of tiny holes in the drawing. evidence of a renaissanceed pri. when they laid out the holes on the computer, they came close to exactly matching two other paintings, one in russia and one in a private collection, which are known to have at least come from da vinci's workshop and perhaps were done by da vinci. a step further towards authenticating the nude mona lisa. the mystery still remains.
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>> who did this drawing? it is a question we're not able to answer but remain fine elements which will help to come to the conclusion. >> reporter: once scientists are finished with the sketch, it will be brought back here. only then will they make known their full results of their studies about the possibility that it was drawn by the hand of the great artist himself. jim bittermann, cnn, france. >> jim, thank you so much. some good news to share with you back in my home state of texas, the houston astros booked their trip to the world series. they had their backs up against the wall earlier this week. down 3-2, heading back to houston, but they swept both games at home and will now head to los angeles to take on the dodgers. the world series starts on
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throughout history, the one meal when we come together, break bread, share our day and connect as a family. [ bloop, clicking ] and connect, as a family. just, uh one second voice guy. [ bloop ] huh? hey? i paused it. bam, family time. so how is everyone? find your awesome with xfinity xfi and change the way you wifi. catalonia in crisis,
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defiance on the streets of barcelona, spain, as the region's political future moves into uncertain territory. also, the fallen u.s. soldier, killed in niger, is laid to rest. five former u.s. presidents coming together to raise money for hurricane relief and sending a message of unity. live in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world, i'm george howell, "cnn newsroom" starts right now. 5:00 a.m. here on the u.s. east coast, around the world good day to you. the political crisis in spain has reached a decisive point with the central government moving to take direct control over a rengion inside spain. the move triggered sharp reaction across catalonia, this the scene in
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