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U.S. President Unveils Immigration Plan; Despite Ceasefire, Fighting Continues Around Donetsk Airport; Secretary Kerry, Foreign Minister Zarif Leave Nuclear Talks; Dutch Mother Travels To Syria To Retrieve Daughter

Aired November 21, 2014 - 8:00   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet.

Now the U.S. president puts his executive powers to use on immigration reform affecting millions of people, but critics say he has overstepped his

authority.

Plus, world leaders have the weekend to hammer out a deal over Iran's nuclear program, but a number of key players may leave the talks for

consultations away from Vienna.

And, violent clashes in the streets of Mexico City, frustration and tensions continue to rise over the case of 43 missing students.

We begin in the U.S. where President Barack Obama has ordered the biggest overhaul of U.S. immigration in decades. His executive action

temporarily protects up to 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation, but as expected it's sparking a backlash from some in congress.

A White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski breaks down the plan and the reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

KOSINSKI: With crowds chanting in Spanish "Yes, he could" in the freezing cold outside the White House, the president put his case for

executive action before the American public.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: These people, our neighbors, our classmates, our friends, they did not come here in

search of a free ride or an easy life. They came to work.

KOSINSKI: At one point, quoting scripture.

OBAMA: "We shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger. We were strangers once, too." My fellow Americans, we are and

always will be a nation of immigrants.

KOSINSKI: His plan allows the Department of Homeland Security to take certain groups off the priority list for deportation while keeping others

high up.

OBAMA: Felons, not families, criminals, not children, gang members not a mom who's working hard to provide for her kids.

KOSINSKI: Putting more resources at the border and focusing on deporting criminals and those entering the U.S. most recently. The plan

will allow immigrants who have been in America at least five years with children who are legal residents the chance to apply to stay for three

years provided they pass a background check and start paying taxes. They will also expand such relief granted by the president to people brought

here illegally as kids, the so-called Dreamers. For example, eliminating the age limit. And promises to streamline the immigration system, helping

high-skilled workers, graduates, and entrepreneurs with a chance to stay.

OBAMA: What I'm describing is accountability. A common sense middle ground approach. If you meet the criteria, you can come out of the shadows

and get right with the law. If you're a criminal, you'll be deported.

KOSINSKI: The speech was played just before the Latin Grammys. Cheers went up at watch parties around the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It gets me emotional so that maybe one day my mom will be able to -- my parents will be able to go back to Ecuador and that,

you know, families will be connected again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously this is a huge victory for our community, but obviously this is not enough. We're going to still fight.

KOSINSKI: The plan, remember, is not a path to citizenship. The Republican response?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What he has done is thrown Article One out of the Constitution, put it into his own pocket and said "I'm now the legislative

branch, too."

KOSINSKI: House Speaker John Boehner in a statement said the president cemented his legacy of lawlessness and squandered what little credibility

he had left. To all of which President Obama responded with those three little political words.

OBAMA: Pass a bill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Michelle Kosinski reporting.

Now despite what you just heard from some Republicans in congress, the Department of Justice says President Obama's executive action is legal and

that the Department of Homeland Security will enforce the law.

Now, Mr. Obama isn't alone in his efforts to tackle immigration reform. Past Republican presidents have issued executive actions on

immigration, notably Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Now, let's turn to Vienna where two of the most important negotiating parties are about to leave talks just days away from a final deadline to

reach an agreement over Iran's nuclear program.

Now, the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry heads to Paris to consult his European counterparts, and Iranian media reports the country's foreign

minister might also be making his way home to Tehran to consult leaders there.

Now let's go live to Vienna. CNN's Nic Robertson is there. He joins us now live. And Nic, Iran's top negotiator , the U.S. Secretary of State,

and others both leaving days before the deadline. What does that mean for the dynamics of the talks?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we've been told is that these have been very tough talks. They've been very tense

talks that they're close, but the gaps that remain in between are substantial and what we are seeing now if we look at the pace and the sort

of the step by step of what's happened, yesterday when Secretary John Kerry arrived here, he went into a trilateral meeting with Catherine Ashton the

chief EU representative here as well as the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif.

Then there was a pause overnight. Then he went into the same trilateral meeting this morning. We had the French foreign minister, the

British foreign minister arriving here.

If you look at what's happened here, a sort of a pause overnight if you will to consult potentially with capitals by phone, a meeting again in

the morning to talk about the new position and now the decision by the Iranians to go back to Tehran to consult their -- you know, in their

capital in person. then you have the French and British foreign minister who arrived here only a few hours ago set to go back to their capitals

again.

What this tells you is that those gaps are big, whatever's been put on the table, and the British foreign secretary said that it was a big prize

for Iran that was on the table, whatever has been put on the table and discussed here in the past sort of 18 hours or so is going to need further

consultations, the gap is still big.

Can they achieve the deadline by Monday? What we have been briefed until now it looks unlikely, but Secretary of State John Kerry has said

that's what they're still aiming for, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Nic, I'm trying to understand what's at stake here. If there is no deal, what then? What will happen if these talks fail?

ROBERTSON: I don't think anyone at the moment is contemplating that, because there is a huge amount at stake. Obviously not just the sort of

tinder box situation in the Middle East that exists already that a breakdown in talks here could potentially mean.

But you have a lot invested on the Iranian side, the Iranian President Rouhani has a lot invested here. President Obama in the United States has

a lot invested here.

I think what the parties would like to do is to try to cement at least some of the technical agreements they have, some of the outstanding bigger

political and tough issues to crack may take more time, may be an extension.

So what we're being told is that, you know, that a failure is really too big to contemplate at this time. But what would it actually mean? It

would mean over time a likely escalation of tensions in the Middle East. And at the moment that is in absolutely no one's interest, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, that's not in anyone's interest. They need to hammer something out. But what is the biggest hurdle here? Is it over uranium

enrichment capacity? Is it over sanctions reduction? Or is it the issue that the IAEA has brought up, Iran's lack of transparency over its bomb

technology?

ROBERTSON: Well, it's very interesting that the director-general of the IAEA yesterday spoke on camera. He was really reiterating what it had

already put in a written report almost two weeks ago, but saying that, you know, the IAEA that oversees the inspections and the agreements with Iran

over its nuclear fuels development said that at the moment he doesn't know for sure whether Iran is really following a peaceful policy, and that is

has very much set the -- set the mood music here for what we're seeing at the moment.

So the key issues for Iran, we understand, that hard-liners in Tehran need the Iranian delegation here to come back with sanctions lifted

quickly. They want that financial relief. The EU sanctions -- the UN sanctions, rather, the banking sanctions, the energy sanctions, they want

them lifted quickly. And that's not something that it seems the P5+1 are ready to do. They're talking about a more progressive lifting. And all of

that of course depends on the level of trusts that exists.

And as we've heard, the IAEA itself the most closest involved in the ground in Iran isn't ready to give that trust yet -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, a number of trust issues, the number of issues to hammer out before they can reach any sort of agreement.

Nic Robertson reporting live from Vienna for us, thank you very much indeed for that update.

And as we have been reporting, we haven't seen significant concessions from either camp in Vienna. But in the Iranian capital it looks like

there's actually a contingent of support for striking a deal. Reza Sayah has the view on the deal from on the ground in Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On the Islamic Republic of Iran, it's in the paper, on TV, on everyone's mind.

The nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers. With a deadline for the talks fast approaching, everyone here has an opinion.

So we came to Tehran's bustling Tadri Square, set up a CNN open mic with this question: do you want a nuke deal?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Yes. We want a deal. Everyone would like a deal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We've reached a point where we have to solve this issue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): No one wants conflict. Peace is always better than everything else.

UNIDENIFIED MALE (through translator): 100 percent I want relations with America. There's nothing wrong with having relations with America as

long as they don't use us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I have two sons and they're sitting at home unemployed. If there's an agreement the world will open.

People can travel. We'll have more jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The sanctions have caused damage, you can't deny it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All the country's problems are linked to sanctions -- high prices and shortage of goods.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think we need to think about our needs. It's our right to have a nuclear program.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I demand my government not to sign an agreement if Iran's rights are not honored. We've paid steep price

to give up our rights now. We should never back down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Our nuclear program is nothing to worry about. The world powers accuse us of building a bomb, but

that's not true. We're not after a bomb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Why are we dangerous? Iranians have been around since the beginning of civilization. And we

haven't had a problem with anyone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The world power have nuclear bombs, so does Israel, Pakistan and India. These countries can destroy the

Earth 24 times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Even if we give up our nuclear program, the other side won't accept it. Whatever happens, they

think of something new.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think all of this is just a game. It's a farce. And Iranians know this. It's all a game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I don't have faith in either side. They only care about themselves.

UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE (through translator): If everything is done with justice and wisdom, then they have to reach an agreement.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I want peace. I want an agreement so people can live in peace.

SAYAH: So the consensus is clear, most Iranians say yes we want a deal to happen if it's fair. However, not everyone thinks a deal is going

to happen. Everyone know waiting for the outcome.

Reza Sayah, CNN, Tehran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And still to come, tensions in the Middle East have been running high. And now a controversial tactic

revived by the Israelis. We'll explain.

In Mexico City, protesters face off with police overnight as outrage hit the boiling point over the case of dozens of missing students. We've

got the details.

And later in the hour, we have the remarkable story of a mother from The Netherlands who ventured into ISIS controlled territory to rescue her

daughter. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now Israeli police are allowing all Muslims access to Jerusalem's al Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers. Now the site is considered sacred by both

Muslims and Jews -- they call it the Temple Mount; Muslims call it the Noble Sanctuary.

Now recent violence over the holy site and other long-standing issues has again broken down the trust between Israelis and Palestinians. In

fact, some Palestinians are now wondering whether Israel's decision to revive a controversial policy is an act of collective punishment after this

week's deadly synagogue attack.

Now the policy allows Israel to raze the homes of those who attack Israel. Now CNN's Atika Shubert joins us now live from Jerusalem. And

Atika, why did Israeli authorities revive this policy to demolish the homes of accused terrorists?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the government says it's a deterrent. And the reasoning is that anyone who is thinking

about carrying out a future attack with think twice if they realize that their family's homes could be destroyed, that it'll have this knock on

effect on the rest of their family. But critics of the policy call it collective punishment. They also say it's ineffective, that it doesn't

seem to be deterring attacks at all, but in fact may encourage more violence.

Now we want to the home of Anash Solourdi (ph. She is the mother of a man who carried out an attack at a light rail station here killing two

people, including a three week old baby. And that home was reduced to rubble . And she said she feels that it's only going to cause more violence

later on, that it's simply adding to pressure and tension.

And so that's where a lot of the criticism is coming from.

LU STOUT: Yeah, tensions on the rise as a result of this move. Separately, Israel has charged three Palestinians with plotting to Israel's

assassinate Israel's foreign minister. What more have you learned about this case?

SHUBERT: Yeah, this is a plot that apparently was hatch during the conflict with Gaza earlier this year. And these are -- bothers,

apparently, near Bethlehem, that plotted to buy a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and fire it as the Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. And they

did a number of surveillance activities, tracking his movements, but he didn't get much farther than that before they were arrested.

Now we know all this because they were indicted in an Israeli military court. So that is still going through the court process.

LU STOUT: All right, CNN's Atika Shubert reporting live for us from Jerusalem. Thank you, Atika.

Still ahead on the program, what the head of U.S. cyber command is calling a coming trend and the one country he has named as the likely

perpetrator.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Now U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is in Ukraine as the country marks one years the Maidan upraising.

Now Biden is speaking now alongside the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, let's listen in.

(U.S. VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN NEWS CONFERENCE)

LU STOUT: Quote, "Russian actions are illegal and Russian aggression is unacceptable, words from U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaking just

then live in Kiev as Ukraine marks one year since the Maidan uprising.

Now, Mr. Biden also said that the United States will not accept the Russian annexation of Crimea.

Now fighting in eastern Ukraine has been especially intense around the international airport in Donetsk. Now residents say shelling continues

despite that September ceasefire. And this drone video just shows the level of destruction there. What appears to be rooftops smashed by

artillery or tank fire.

As Phil Black reports, residents are struggling to survive in the middle of this devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The control tower looks like it shouldn't be standing. Much of the terminal building isn't.

This was the international airport of the northern outskirts of Donetsk. September's ceasefire has not stopped shells and rockets falling

here. The separatist guns have maintained a daily bombardment, smashing through buildings, tearing up the tarmac.

Somehow, Ukrainian government forces have held on.

For weeks, this has been the most intensely contested territory in Ukraine, but that smoke shows the fighting isn't just localized to the

airport. All along its southern and eastern perimeter are residential and industrial areas. And the separatists are staging their operations from

among those homes and buildings. And it's also often where the Ukrainian military fires into when they're trying to hit them back.

The streets near the airport some locals no longer react as heavy weapons fire and fall nearby.

This is a dangerous and difficult place to live.

"It's the third time they hit the area," this man says. "We have no electricity and water."

Artillery and rocket fire has ripped open homes on almost every street, exposing them to the freezing late autumn air. In a damaged

apartment building, we find three terrified women.

They tell me they live on the front line. The shelling never stops.

This woman begs the world to help. "Please don't let them kill us for nothing," she says.

The people here believe Ukrainian government forces are deliberately targeting civilians, but separatist fighters are close.

From this vantage point in a residential area we hear outgoing artillery fired repeatedly, enormous amounts of firepower have been

exchanged here, but it's unclear for what purpose, neither side is claiming new territory, while homes and infrastructure are destroyed and hatreds

deepen.

Phil Black, CNN, Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. We'll be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Now in Vienna, two key leaders are leaving the talks over Iran's nuclear program. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is headed to Paris to

consult with his European counterparts, and Iranian media reports the envoy from Tehran Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif might return home to Iran to

consult leaders there. Monday is the deadline to reach an agreement.

Now U.S. President Barack Obama has unveiled the biggest overhaul to the U.S. immigration system in decades and all by executive order. Now his

plan offers some five million undocumented immigrants temporary protection from deportation. He says the goal is to deport felons, not families.

Now Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dissolved the country's parliament in an effort to seek support for his struggling economic reform.

Now elections are scheduled for December 14 and the move comes after surprising data emerged showing Japan had fallen back into recession last

quarter.

In Mexico City, more protests over corruption. And this was the scene overnight: riot police forcibly cleared protesters from the capital's main

square. Now the national holiday, Revolution Day, became a day of anger over the case of 43 missing students.

And now the incredible story of a mother who has just arrived back in The Netherlands with her daughter. Now the young woman went to Syria after

marrying a Dutch jihadi fighter and her mother traveled to an ISIS stronghold to bring her back.

Isa Soares reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For months Monique (ph) lived in a state of constant worry, looking for ways to get her 19-year-old

daughter back from the clutches of ISIS in Syria. And then out of the blue, her daughter Isha (ph) reached out to her mother crying for help.

And that's when she decided to go on her own last month.

Her daughter wanted a way out from her marriage to a jihadist husband, widely known as Omar Yilmaps (ph), who according to Dutch media, is a Dutch

jihadist she became infatuated with after seeing him interviewed on television.

Last week, she traveled to ISIS controlled Raqqa in Syria, successfully returning with her daughter via Turkey. She's now back home

in a Dutch city of Mastrict (ph) where her daughter is being questioned.

ANNA-MARIE KEMP, LIMBURG PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE: The daughter was taken into custody because of suspicion of aiding criminal activities and

the mother, she's not in custody, she's home I presume.

SOARES: Still, locals seem open to her return.

UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: We should definitely let her integrate back into Holland. Some people say that she shouldn't be allowed back in The

Netherlands, and I think that's very harsh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she should not be punished, but she should have some counseling, because I think somebody indoctrinated her.

SOARES: Monique (ph) is not the first parent to take matters into her own hands. In May of last year, after a year of searching, Dimitry

Bontinck traveled to the north of Syria to retrieve his son.

DIMITRY BONTINCK, RESCUED SNO FROM SYRIA: They beat me. They almost killed me. They took all my clothes out. They put the cap on me. They

hide me, because they suspect me are you CIA. But at the end, they believed me and they let me go. And these same leader, he let my son

return volunteer.

SOARES: According to the general intelligence and security service of The Netherlands, over the past two years more than 160 Dutch nationals have

traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the conflict. But there could be more. Roughly 18 have died there and only 30 have returned home.

For many families it is a heartbreaking situation. But there is hope. And the realization that getting them back may require them making the most

hazardous of journeys.

Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And now to Ferguson, Missouri. And CNN has learned that police officer Darren Wilson could announce his plans to resign from the

force on Friday.

Now Wilson is the white officer who shot and killed the unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in August. Sources say he is in the final stages of

negotiations with city officials to step down.

The grand jury's decision are whether to return an indictment against Wilson could also come on Friday.

Now authorities across the U.S. are being told to be on high alert for potential violence in reaction to that decision. Michael Brown's father

has recorded a statement calling for calm no matter what the jury decides.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BROWN, SR., FATHER OF MICHAEL BROWN: I thank you for lifting your voices to end racial profiling and police intimidation, but hurting

others or destroying property is not the answer. No matter what the grand jury decides, I do not want my son's death to be in vain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now Missouri's governor has already declared a state of emergency.

You're watching News Stream. And still ahead on the program, a behind the scenes look at what goes into preparing for one of CNN's biggest events

of the year, honoring our heroes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now protesters here in Hong Kong are taking their pro-democracy demands to the British consulate. And here, you could see some gathered

holding up the territory's old colonial flag. They want the British government to uphold the joint declaration from Hong Kong's handover in

1997 and ensure that China stays out of local elections.

Now pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong's Mongkok district could be forced to pack up and leave after this weekend.

Now part of the Admiralty protest site was cleared out by police earlier this week, but as you can see from images this evening Occupy

rallies are ongoing.

Now, it is one of CNN's biggest events of the year and it's right around the corner: CNN Heroes an All-Star tribute. And the stars at a gala

in New York celebrates our top 10 CNN Heroes of the year. And CNN's Michaela Pereira has a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at the big event.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a chilly day here in New York, but one of the hottest events is about to start right behind me

through those doors. You can come with me, going to be a back stage pass to "Cnn Heroes: All-Star Tribute." Come on.

(voice-over): This year's venue, the iconic American Museum of Natural History, a grand place to honor ten everyday people doing extraordinary

things.

(on camera): We're in what's called the whale room. You're wondering why, right? A little hint for you.

(voice-over): The days leading up to the main event are action-packed. Cameras, lighting, HD video screens and decor are put in place, and no show

is complete without the rolling out of the red carpet. Before you know it, a transformation.

(on camera): So inside this trailer, my fantastic colleagues are putting the final touches on the show. Dare I go in? Come on, look alive

people. We're almost at show time.

(voice-over): On this night at the museum, host Anderson Cooper and the CNN team honor a very special kind of person.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST "AC 360": A lot of these people, they don't have a lot of money, they don't have access to power, they don't have, you know,

they're just people who saw a need in their community and set about trying to fix something.

PEREIRA: And here, the celebs have turned out to pay them tribute. Recording artist Sheryl Crow, who performed at CNN Heroes inaugural event,

is back for another special performance.

SHERYL CROW, MUSICIAN: I'm grateful to CNN that they started this program, because there's so many angels out there on this planet that are

doing God's work.

PEREIRA: For the night's honorees who never seek the spotlight, seeing it all for the first time is a moment to remember.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And you can find out more about his year's top heroes at CNNHeroes.com. And be sure to tune in to watch a show featuring the full

gala event with Anderson Cooper and a host of celebrity presenters and performers. That's next Sunday, December 7.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, because World Sport with Patrick Snell is next.

END