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Around the World

Ryan and Murphy Agree on Budget Deal; Violence in Central African Republic; Uruguay Making Marijuana Legal; Tyson Banned from Britain

Aired December 11, 2013 - 12:30   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Yeah, and you were saying the protesters were actually spraying water on the police so it would freeze -

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Ice up their visors, yeah. That was an interesting tactic -

MALVEAUX: Yeah.

HOLMES: -- when it's minus-15.

MALVEAUX: Hopefully, it'll be some peace.

President Obama's latest approval rating not looking good here, we've got some new numbers.

But the budget deal, however, that's on the horizon and, of course, some positive response to his speech at Nelson Mandela's memorial, could things be looking up for the president? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: President Obama, back from the world stage in Johannesburg and arriving in Washington to some pretty big news on the home front, new numbers on Obamacare enrollment, also a bipartisan budget deal --

MALVEAUX: -- as well.

And Republican Senator Paul Ryan and his Democratic colleague, Patty Murray, managed to find some common ground and hammer out an agreement.

So, I want to talk to our own Jake Tapper about all of this. And, Jake, I have to first of all start with this, because it seems like a pretty low bar that we're celebrating here.

You don't have those entitlement reforms like they wanted. You don't close the tax loopholes.

But somehow we're celebrating because we're not going to get another government shutdown, and that's good enough.

HOLMES: Somebody agreed on something. MALVEAUX: Yeah, they agreed on something. Is the bar a little too low here?

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: We grade on a cuff here in Washington, Suzanne. You didn't know that?

We call it the soft bigotry of low expectations.

MALVEAUX: Oh, yeah.

TAPPER: In this era of government shutdowns and standoffs, the idea that a House Republican, a conservative like Paul Ryan, and a progressive Senate Democrat like Patty Murray could come together and actually have a plan that looks as though it could pass the House and Senate and be signed by President Obama, a plan that is modest in goals, but will avert a government shutdown and reduce the deficit, that's good news ultimately, even if as you point out, it is not exactly a grand bargain. It's a mini-bargain, a baby bargain.

HOLMES: What about the tea party reaction? Jake, that's obviously going to be crucial. You've got Paul Ryan already copping a little bit of flack.

TAPPER: House Republicans, I think it's safe to say, that House Republicans will lose a predictable and sizable chunk of their voters of their caucus.

There are a lot of conservative groups that are against this deal saying it does not go far enough, that it does not take into account the social safety net programs and does not take into account tax reform and all the things that they were hoping for. And they're right. It doesn't.

Progressive groups also opposed to the plan because it doesn't include extending unemployment insurance benefits. That said, from my talks with people in the House and Senate, I do think at this stage, it probably will pass the House and the Senate and make it to the president's desk.

MALVEAUX: And, Jake, one of those things that it does, too, it -- at least it makes be smaller those forced cuts, the sequester, those kinds of big, big cuts, the spending cuts there. Are people at least relieved in some way that might help the economy, looking to the next year?

TAPPER: That's right. I mean, one of the problems with the sequester cuts, those forced budget cuts, was, you know, they were never supposed to happen.

They were supposed to be so draconian, so onerous and horrific, that there's no way they would ever take effect. That's how they were designed. Of course, they did take effect.

Now, there are spending cuts, but there's a lot more flexibility, they're not as deep, and there are ways for people in decision-making positions to decide what gets cut and what does not get cut. So there is a big sigh of relief from those who do not want those draconian cuts, both to domestic spending programs and also to the defense budget.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jake, thanks. I guess we'll keep celebrating the baby deal as you called it there.

TAPPER: The baby deal.

HOLMES: They agreed on something. All right, rejoice.

TAPPER: They agreed on something.

I should say, we're going to have Congressman Paul Ryan on our show, "THE LEAD," at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and he'll talk about this deal that he cut with the Democrats.

HOLMES: Nice segue into what we were just going to say.

Yeah, 4:00 p.m. Eastern, Jake Tapper with "THE LEAD," and Paul Ryan. Good to know.

And, also, another reminder, tonight, 10:00 Eastern, Anderson Cooper is going to host a special report honoring the children of Newtown, one year since the tragedy there.

MALVEAUX: The special will introduce you to Sandy Hook Elementary School parents on a mission to turn their heartbreak into lasting legacies. That is tonight on CNN. And, also, chaos captured on camera.

HOLMES: More violence in the Central African Republic where hundreds of have already died, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes.

Did African soldiers shoot one of their own? We're going to look into that when we come back next on AROUND THE WORLD.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The chaos and the lawlessness in Central African Republic has taken the lives of two French soldiers. We reported on that yesterday.

And the French president, Francoise Hollande, visited the country in support of hundreds of his troops who have joined the fight with an African Union-led force, France, of course, the country's former colonial power.

MALVEAUX: The Central African Republic began to descend into mob rule when Muslim rebels seized power back in March, then began the looting, raping and killing. Christian militias have been fighting back. Caught in the middle of all this are millions of civilians whose access to food and water are dwindling. Just last week, the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution allowing military intervention.

HOLMES: Now, a camera crew from Great Britain was caught just yards behind an African peacekeeping team when shots suddenly rang out. Tragically, the soldiers may have killed one of their own.

ITN's Alex Thomson was there to witness it all. And we do have to warn you, the video is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX THOMSON, ITN CORRESPONDENT: It is just after 8:00 a.m., but this morning, no sign of the French army whose checkpoints were so visible on the main routes here yesterday.

Apart from the usual aid vehicles, only African peace keepers out this morning on an anti-looting patrol.

We should you warn you some viewers may find what happens moments later extremely disturbing. Suddenly, one of their vehicles cuts us off. And stops just ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just stop. Just stop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He shot at (inaudible).

THOMSON: Slowed down, it's revealed as chaos, a shambles, no proper firing positions. It's highly likely these men had shot their own men dead.

In this same area, aptly called the "Quartier du Combattant," the "Fighters' District," two French soldiers were killed overnight. And that just illustrates how these streets can go from apparent tranquillity to extreme violence in a matter of seconds. It is quite clear it is mob rule on the streets of the capital here today.

The African peace keepers apparently cannot keep a lid on it or control it. The French aren't even here on the streets. This morning, driving away from where the peace keeper had been shot, a large plume of smoke, not a mile away. In the mass sectarian fury, unleashed over this capital in recent days, a mosque ransacked and looted by a Christian mob, armed with the obvious machetes and who knows what else.

One man says it's all a response to Muslim militia attacking the Christians here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): Yesterday evening, the Muslims took out their weapons and they shot at the civilian population. All Muslims in our neighborhood are well armed at the moment. They have weapons in their mosques and their houses and they shot at civilians. That's why the people got angry and destroyed their mosque.

THOMSON: This religious hatred, they were mocking their Muslim neighbors at prayer.

This morning, in a recorded radio message, the U.S. president pleaded for Muslim and Christian communities here to come together. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (voice-over): Respected leaders in your communities Muslim and Christian are calling for calm and peace. I call on the transitional government to join these voices and to arrest those who are committing crimes.

THOMSON: The Americans pledged to help, flying in African peace keepers here from Burundi. The British are already are already flying logistical and military equipment to help 1,000 French peace keepers here.

But how long till these people get the help they desperately need? The 17,000 camped out in a monastery not far from where we're staying. Today, an NGO attempted to get food to them. They didn't have enough food. They were terrified there would be a riot. There probably would have been. How long will they have to wait before the world gives them what they need?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And Alex is telling us, it's certainly not clear why it was that the peace keepers seemed to shoot one of their own. There was a lot of chaos and confusion. But one of the good points, at least, there's a new cease fire that is between the Muslim and Christian militias that at least it's taken the heat off of one particular -

HOLMES: One place.

MALVEAUX: One town -

HOLMES: Yes.

MALVEAUX: In this country.

HOLMES: There's still a lot of violence there.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

HOLMES: A lot of uncertainty. And still 500,000 or 600,000 people displaced. So a lot of governments worried about what's going on in Central African Republic and whether that could bleed across borders as we'll.

MALVEAUX: We're also following this, buying, selling, growing marijuana now legal in Uruguay. That is the first country in the world to set up a system to regulate the drug.

HOLMES: Will this spark a global marijuana revolution? Probably not. But we'll talk about the business of pot coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, laws legalizing marijuana only beginning to take hold here in some states in the United States, like Colorado, but the entire country of Uruguay is going to have the most extensive law in the world legalizing pot. HOLMES: From start to finish, too, in the process. Uruguay's president expected to sign the bill. He's actually been a big supporter of the bill. Now, the South American country would be the first in the world to have a system that regulates the production, the sale, the consumption of the drug and cuts out the bad guys. That's the theory in a way, which --

MALVEAUX: That is the theory.

Rafael Romo to give us a demonstration and explain what is -

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: That's right.

MALVEAUX: What is behind this, first of all.

HOLMES: A demonstration?

ROMO: Well -

MALVEAUX: Not exactly.

ROMO: I was taking a look at the bill and there's essentially four ways by which people can legally possess and consume marijuana.

Number one, they can actually grow as many as six plants at home and have as many as 480 grams in their possession at any given time. Number two, they can be members of marijuana clubs. They can buy marijuana at pharmacies that are licensed. And number four is, medical marijuana with prescription.

Now, perhaps many people are wondering how much is 480 grams. If it is not tightly packed, let me give you this illustration. Each one of these bags of pretzels is about 60 grams. So we're talking about a total of eight of these.

HOLMES: But they've got air in them, so they would be more (INAUDIBLE).

ROMO: Exactly.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

ROMO: So at any given time, somebody would be able to have this much. If like you say, Michael -

HOLMES: Yes.

ROMO: Tightly packed -

HOLMES: Yes.

ROMO: We're talking about eight bags of peanuts.

HOLMES: Yes.

ROMO: We're talking, again, 480 grams total that people would be legally allowed to possess at any given time.

MALVEAUX: Is that a lot of pot? I really don't know.

HOLMES: Oh -

ROMO: I'm not the one to answer that. I have no idea. But we also have to emphasize that there are restrictions to the law. And there are three main restrictions that people are going to have to abide by. Number one, they will not be allowed to advertise marijuana in any way, shape or form. No big billboards, no TV ads, no radio, no nothing. It is - the sale to minors is strictly forbidden. And number three, you cannot drive under the influence. And if anybody's caught violating any of these three provisions, they face anywhere from 20 months to 10 years in prison.

HOLMES: Now the idea, obviously, is to cut out the criminal element, is it? Is that -- that's the thinking?

ROMO: Well, the idea is that the state will control the production, sale and distribution of marijuana so that they can take out of business the drug traffickers that create all the chaos, all the violence and all the deaths.

MALVEAUX: Is there any plan to enforce this? I mean how are they going to manage this?

HOLMES: Well, how do they will manage it across borders? Others (ph) in Asia is a bit worried?

ROMO: Well, the first step is they're going to create a registry. And anybody who wants to legally smoke marijuana in the future in Uruguay will have to register. And they haven't decided whether people will carry some sort of card or whether they will be in some sort of record, but everybody has to register to abide by the law.

HOLMES: All right. Rafael, thanks so much.

MALVEAUX: We'll have to see how that goes.

HOLMES: Rafael - yes, we'll see how that works out.

MALVEAUX: That is an experiment, I'll tell you.

ROMO: Pretzels, anybody?

HOLMES: Yes, Rafael and his baggies.

MALVEAUX: No, you can keep those. That's all right. I'm not going to tell.

HOLMES: Take your baggies and go. Rafael Romo there. We'll see how that works out for Uruguay.

MALVEAUX: Oh, boy.

Mike Tyson wants to visit the United Kingdom. The only thing is, the U.K. does not want him there. He has actually been banned. We're going to tell you why, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was supposed to be in London right now promoting his new book "The Undisputed Truth," but --

MALVEAUX: Instead, he only made it too Paris. Well, why? Because the U.K. has banned him. Eric McLaughlin in London to explain why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mike Tyson once said, everybody's got plans until they get punched. Well, it looks like Tyson's plans to enter the U.K. to promote his new book have taken a hit. New immigration rules say that anyone sentenced to more than four years in jail is barred from entering Britain. And in 1992, Tyson was sentenced to six years for rape. He ended up serving three. Tyson tweeted a thank you to the British press for agreeing to meet with him in Paris instead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: But no U.K. That's a recent law, too.

All right. Now, a (INAUDIBLE) restaurant outside of Jerusalem wants people to hang up their phones and talk for a change face to face. The nerve.

MALVEAUX: Can you imagine? OK, so the guy who owns the place says that customers who use smartphones while eating, they're not really getting the full culinary experience. So now he's offering a 50 percent discount to those who shut off the phones when they get their orders.

HOLMES: Yes. At first he tried to take the phones at the door, but that wasn't going to work out so well. So the discount seems to actually help people relax, he says, get to know people, enjoy a good meal. He probably doubled the prices for the people who won't give up the phone so that he can play for the half -

MALVEAUX: Hand over the phone. Hand over the phone.

HOLMES: Yes.

MALVEAUX: All right, thanks for watching AROUND THE WORLD. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now. Have a good afternoon.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, we're learning startling new details about the moments before Asiana Flight 214 crashed. The National Transportation Safety board is holding a hearing in Washington. We have details.

Right now, the chances of a farm bill getting passed this year don't look good. If a deal isn't reached soon, milk prices could soar. We're going to tell you just how high they could go. And right now, new questions about just who this man is. A translator for deaf viewers is now under fire. Was he a fake? And how did he wind up next to President Obama for the Nelson Mandela tribute?

Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

As the NTSB probes the fatal crash of Asiana Flight 214, we're learning some disturbing new details about what was happening in the cockpit. The first officer aboard the flight told investigators he called out more than four times.