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North Korea Marks End of Party Congress; Controversial Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Brink of Becoming Next Philippines President; Latest on Alberta Wildfire; Justice Department Files Suit over North Carolina LGBT Law; Athlete Maria Toopakay Wazir Fights for Women's Rights; Trump to Meet with Speaker Ryan. Aired Minight-1a ET

Aired May 10, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


[00:00:05] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles; ahead this hour:

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: The Party has spoken, let the celebrations begin. North Korea's Workers Party Congress bolster Kim Jong-un's grip on power.

VAUSE: Rodrigo "The Punisher" Duterte claims victory in the Philippines Presidential Election. He's promised to kill thousands of criminals, end corruption and rewrite the constitution.

SESAY: And, a tornado touches down in Oklahoma killing two and leaving behind a trail of catastrophic damage.

VAUSE: Hello, everybody; thanks for being with us. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay; Newsroom L.A. starts right now.

VAUSE: Celebrations are under way in the North Korean capital to mark the end of an extraordinary political gathering, the first Workers Party Congress in 36 years. Leader Kim Jong-un was given a new title and appeared to consolidate his grip on power. He also out plans to improve a struggling economy and at the same time enhance and expand the country's controversial nuclear program.

SESAY: North Korea's continued focus on its nuclear arsenal has analysts concerned that parades won't be only way they mark the occasion. The U.S. think tank, 38 North, released satellite images that appear to show preparations for yet another nuclear test.

VAUSE: It's been an eventful weekend in Pyongyang. Here's Paula Hancocks reporting in from Seoul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's what North Korea does best, these massive gathering and parades. This one on Tuesday morning was to mark the end of the seventh Workers Party Congress, a key meeting where we saw Kim Jong-un, the leader, being promoted to Chairman of the Workers Party. Now it's a title that most experts say is largely symbolic, given the fact he is already wielding absolute power. Now there was a speech at the beginning by Kim Yong-Nam, the long-

serving de facto head of state. He praised Kim Jong-un. He praised his achievements and also those of the Workers Party. Then after that, we had a parade which was truly North Korean. It was colorful. It was flamboyant. It was highly choreographed. We also saw some floats of mockups of missiles and satellites, really celebrating what, for North Korea, has been a successful 2016. What infuriates the international community is delighting the North Korean regime, that building on nuclear and missile technology.

Now there weren't any massive announcements during this Congress. Really, it was more a forum for the leader, Kim Jong-un, to reaffirm his dual track policy, the nuclear and economic development; and it was also a chance for him to show his people and also the rest of the world that he had no intention of deviating from that path and also he was ignoring international sanctions, ignoring international condemnation, just as his father and grandfather have done in the past.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Turn now to the Philippines and outspoken Mayor Rodrigo Duterte appears poised to win the presidency. His top rival Grace Poe conceded defeat Monday night. Early exit polls had shown the popular senator trailing Duterte by 16-percentage points.

VAUSE: Duterte is an anti-establishment candidate who has been criticized for joking about rape, and promising to kill thousand it was criminals.

SESAY: Well joining us now from Manila is Raul Dancel, Philippines correspondent, the Singapore "The Straits Times" Newspaper. Raul, thank you for joining us. Great to have you with us.

The votes are being counted but controversial Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte stands on the brink of becoming the Philippines next president. His campaign, as you know, was full of quick fix promises but short on details. The question now is; can he deliver?

RAUL DANCEL, PHILIPPINES CORRESPONDENT, "THE STRAITS TIMES": That is the question actually that everyone here is asking because he has made huge promises, like ending crime and corruption in three to six months. If he has to he will send 100,000 criminals to the bottom of Manila Bay. Everyone here is wondering whether he really means to do that.

The uncertainty is coming from the fact that there are few details. He has given out very few details, but I think as the first step, he has done a good job of reaching out to his rivals and starting the process of healing the nation so that everybody can rally around him as he tries to flesh out what he intends to do.

SESAY: A lot of people, it would appear, especially in the rural areas, gravitated to Duterte because of the sense he was going to take on the elite, that progress would be -- economic progress would be better spread among the masses. From his time in charge of Davao, is there a sense he did indeed [00:05:01] make things better for the poor and, therefore, that gives indications that he could do that for the Philippines as a whole?

DANCEL: He did make Davao one of the safest cities in the Philippines, from being a murder capital, and the growth rate in Davao outpaced the national growth rate. So he has a track record. He did do good in Davao and the question now really is whether he can do for Davao - do for the Philippines what he did for Davao. The Philippines is a different animal all together.

He has to wrestle with congress, which will most likely be adversarial at first, since you still have the Aquino group, the group of President Aquino, still wielding influence in congress. So he has to deal with that. He has to dial back on the strong rhetoric, the things he is saying: he is going to kill criminals; he's going to dissolve congress; he's going to declare a revolutionary government. I think he has to he has to dial back on those pronouncements now and act more presidential. I think that's what he needs to do now. That's what the nation needs right now.

SESAY: Does anyone internally there in the Philippines, is there much of a conversation about how his comments about rewriting the constitution and, you know, eliminating, for want of a euphemism, eliminating criminals, is there a conversation there in the Philippines of a concern that this kind of harkens back to the Philippines' authoritarian past? Are people concerned about that?

DANCEL: Surprisingly, the people here are so frustrated with what has happened over the past 30 years that there is a sense that a benevolent dictator may be what the nation needs right now. You know, we have tried post-1986 democracy. We tried that, and the perception is, with Duterte winning, the perception is that this may have not worked for us. So let us try another time, a strong man like Duterte, who can make things right for us. But, of course, there's also the concern that we may slide back to the dictatorship.

President Aquino has already said when he steps down, he will not let the legacy of his parents, democracy icons as we know it, Cory Aquino, be forgotten. So he's right now, placing himself as an opposition. He -- so the president is placing himself as an opposition. He is making sure whatever authoritarian tendencies Mr. Duterte has will be in check.

SESAY: He has threatened to sever ties with the U.S. and Australia if they criticize him. What's your sense of the implications here for relationship with Washington and for the Philippines neighbors?

DANCEL: You know what? Mr. Duterte is very hard to pin him down exactly on what he really means to say. He says one thing today. He says another thing tomorrow. He says oh, everything is a joke. I think the comments about severing ties with Manila and Canberra, I think those are not really well thought out comments. I think in the end, he will have a more sober appraisal of our diplomatic ties with our closest allies here, especially given the situation in the South China Sea.

He has already said he will be lukewarm towards Washington, that he will maybe call for a review of some of the terms of the Ten-Year Defense Pact we have, we recently concluded with Washington. But overall, I think he realizes the importance of the U.S., and even Australia and Japan, in securing our borders. He said last night that he wants a summit between the U.S. -- among the U.S., Philippines, Japan to set the results in the South China Sea. So, I guess that he has this foreign policy that is -- that will likely not be as antagonizing as saying because you criticize me for my rape joke, I will sever ties with you. This one will be - I think he will have a more sober foreign policy.

SESAY: All right; Raul Dancel always - Singapore's "The Straits Times" Newspaper, appreciate the insight today. Thank you so much.

DANCEL: All right.

SESAY: Now, Brazil's Senate plans to push ahead with impeachment proceedings against the President, even though the new Speaker of the country's Lower House has annulled his chamber's vote against Dilma Rousseff, citing irregularities in the vote process.

VAUSE: Now the president of Brazil's Senate says he will not recognize that annulment and the Senate vote for an impeachment trial will go ahead as planned, this Wednesday. This all comes just months before Brazil is set to host the Olympic games.

Russia put its military might on full display for Victory Day. President Vladimir Putin opened Monday's parade on Moscow's Red Square. It featured thousands of marching troops and heavy military equipment.

SESAY: Every year on May 9, Russia commemorates its past military victories [00:10:02] and honors the tens of millions of people lost in World War II.

Well, Russia has said it would withdraw most of its forces from Syria, but CNN is getting a firsthand look at how much military hardware and manpower are still on the ground.

VAUSE: Fred Pleitgen spoke to some Syrians who have mixed feelings about the ongoing Russian presence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the Russian intervention the world has come to know, but Russia's footprint in Syria seems to be far bigger than just combat jets.

There are thousands of troops stationed at its main air base, disciplined and highly motivated. We caught up with this first lieutenant during his boxing practice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad to serve my country here, he says; and I'm not afraid. What is there to be afraid of in Syria? PLEITGEN: The west has criticized Russia, saying its air strikes

target mostly moderate anti-Assad rebels. The Russians claiming, they bomb only ISIS and other terror groups.

But while Moscow says it has withdrawn most forces from Syria, on an embed we say, what appeared to be several bases in western and central Syria with a variety of attack helicopters. Also, a brand-new base in Palmyra, for its demining crews, with dozens of fighting vehicles and even anti-aircraft missile systems.

On top of its own assets, the military spokesman says his forces closely cooperate with Bashar al-Assad's troops.

IGOR KONASHERIKOV, MAJOR GENERAL, RUSSIAN MILITARY, via translator: We receive a great deal of information from the Syrian general's staff, he says. They're on the ground and close to the rebels. As for the military technical cooperation, of course, we help them as well.

PLEITGEN: None of this seems to indicate a full Russian withdraw from Syria any time soon. And for many in the government held part of Damascus, that's just fine.

The people here in the government held part of Damascus seem to be very well aware of the extent to which Russia's military has helped Bashar al-Assad's forces, but they also say that if there's going to be a solution to the Syrian crisis, it has to come from Syrians themselves and not from outside powers.

Violence still rages in most of the country. Reconciliation seems nowhere in sight, and neither is an end to Russia's involvement in the conflict.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Now, at least two people are dead after tornadoes ripped through the U.S. state of Oklahoma Monday.

VAUSE: Tornado emergencies were issued in several towns in the southern part of the state. The National Weather Service also warned of catastrophic damage. Take a look at this incredible video from our affiliate KOCO, as a tornado touched down in Elmore City.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, guys; there are houses through here that are just completely gone right now. All the walls are down. The trees have been stripped bare through here. This is not a good thing. The houses through here, there are several from memory, and they are all just -- they are just gone right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Terrifying images there. VAUSE: Well those tornado chasers are brave.

SESAY: So brave. So, so brace. Let's bring in our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri. Pedram, it's my understanding this tornado was part of a severe weather system, and it was packing some fierce winds.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, FOX METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Some of these tornadoes, could - certainly when they can measure it, as far as the damage is concerned, guys, could be in the upper echelons of tornadoes, which it comes to EF-4's, EF-5's, that sort of scale; very rare. Typically, about 1-percent of all tornadoes get up to that category, if this is verified, just based on the intensity that we saw with some of the storms; but look at these images.

This particular one, I was just able to speak to the gentleman who took this photograph in Lincoln, Nebraska. Show you some of the divots on a golf course with hailstones, some larger than baseballs, coming down across the region, traveling well over 120 to 150 kilometers per hour. So that alone could be a life-threatening scenario. We have 75 reports of extensive damage related to hail, and, of course, 20 reports of tornados all across the Central United States. This coming in where it typically is the peak season for tornadoes.

Right in the middle of May is when we typically see the highest tornado activity, but I want to show you something here. A classic, what is known as a hook echo on radar imagery. Any time you see this, you know the winds are so strong around a storm system, they are wrapping the precipitation around this central area. That's a telltale sign we have a large tornado on the ground; precisely what happened in this region of Oklahoma.

Again, climatologically speaking, look at the month of May, almost 300 tornadoes in May. Keep in mind, the second highest tornado count, for any country in the world, worldwide, is Canada at 100 for the entire year. In the U.S. we get almost 300 just this month alone. Of course, there's been a tornado drought that's in place across the United States. Since January 1, we've had 394 tornadoes in the United States. We should have almost 600.

Again, it's this month we typically see the activity really pick up in intensity. In fact, if you look at the thunderstorms this morning across the central United States, almost 10,000 lightning strikes in the past 24 hours. [00:15:01] A tornado watch across portions of Arkansas, including the town of Little Rock there. This is a multi- day event, Isha and John, where you see the activity move off a little farther to the east on Tuesday and by Wednesday expands back out towards the Central Plains. So certainly far from over in this region; Guys?

VAUSE: Pedram, please stay with us because we have some new images from our crew on the ground in Canada. Officials say nearly 10- percent of the city of Fort McMurray has been destroyed by a massive, out of control wildfire.

SESAY: The blaze has been burning in Alberta since May 1, destroying more than 2,000 structures; but there is some good news to share. The weather is improving and the fire is headed towards less populated areas.

Let's go back to Pedram now for the latest of the fire conditions there. Pedram, bring us up to speed with what you are seeing now.

JAVAHERI: Absolutely; guys, it's beginning to improve and it's improving pretty nicely, when it comes to the temperature trend at least. We know the rainfall was there in the past 24 hours. It has all moved to the south but the cold front that brought this rainfall is really brought the temperatures down to some of the coolest we have seen since the latter portion of April. In fact, temps dropping from about ten to 12 degrees. It does want to warm up later in the week. There is one more shot of rainfall, so you know the firefighters and the officials on the ground certainly looking at that very carefully for Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday evening and then beyond that.

We don't see much rainfall in the forecast moving in the next four, five even six days. So, an important thing to note across the region. Notice for Monday, the threat again extreme when it comes to areas just south of Fort McMurray in regards to the fire. Look how it improves, from very high out towards even, eventually high and drops off, just a little bit, towards the latter portion of the week.

So this is good news, but, again, it does look like we're going to go back into a dry trend this weekend.

VAUSE: Okay; Pedram, thank you.

SESAY: Pedram, thank you; appreciate it.

JAVAHERI: Thanks, guys.

VAUSE: We'll take a short break; when we come back, the battle over North Carolina's so-called "bathroom law" and transgender rights has intensified. Now the U.S. Federal Government and the State are suing each other. More on that in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (WEATHER HEADLINES)

[00:20:47] SESAY: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. Government and State of North Carolina are sparring over transgender rights with dueling lawsuits. The Department of Justice filed a civil rights suit for "state sponsored discrimination" and the state's so called "bathroom law". The law requires transgender people to use public rest rooms that match their sex at birth rather than their gender identity.

VAUSE: North Carolina is defending the law and suing the Justice Department. Meantime, a number of high profile entertainers are boycotting the state, including Nick Jonas, who explained why on the talk show "Ellen".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK JONAS, SINGER/SONGWRITER: We are very aware of our strong LGBT community fan base and the support they have given us and the support we want to give them. This was a time where I feel like we said we have to make a bold statement and put our foot down and stand firm in something we believe in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, joining us for more on this is Brian Claypool. He is a civil rights attorney. So, Brian, today we heard from the U.S. Attorney General, Loretta Lynch. She made it very clear that this counter lawsuit against North Carolina is about a lot more than just who gets to use a bathroom. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORETTA LYNCH, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: State sanctioned discrimination never looks good and never works in hindsight. It was not so very long ago that states, including North Carolina, had other signs above restrooms, water fountains and on public accommodations keeping people out based on a distinction without a difference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Okay; let's talk about the legal aspects of this. Comes out of Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act and whether or not trans people are covered, even though they are not specifically mentioned. Is that where we're going with this?

BRIAN CLAYPOOL, CIVIL RIGHTS LITIGATOR: Exactly; we need an interpretation from the federal court to decide whether Title 7 covers transgender folks. Both the Governor of North Carolina and Loretta Lynch both have a good point. They both want a determination on this. I think the Governor of North Carolina went about it the wrong way. I mean, the state - the state legislature went and created a law that does what Loretta Lynch says. It's discriminating against transgender folks, without getting that interpretation.

SESAY: Why would you go down that road? Why would you do something like -- there is that lack of clarification. Are there precedents, legal precedents that go in favor of North Carolina?

CLAYPOOL: Well, North Carolina says they have a couple cases in their back pocket. Loretta Lynch says she has a couple cases in her back pocket.

SESAY: And what do you say?

CLAYPOOL: And I think that the Federal Court is eventually going to come down in favor of protecting transgender folks. I think they're going to be protected under Title 7, because if you look at the definition of -- in Title 7 it defines -- it says you can't discriminate on the basis of sex, and then it defines basis of sex and says - it defines pregnant women and then it says "including but not limited to" -

VAUSE: Not limited to.

CLAYPOOL: That "not limited to" it leaves an opening, and that law was promulgated 50 years ago, Isha. Laws need to adjust and change as the social climate does.

VAUSE: Okay; North Carolina's Governor, he's called on Congress to try to clarify the law and Title 7; listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. PAT MCCRORY (R-NC): We believe a court, rather than a federal agency, should tell our state, our nation and employers across the country what the law requires. And let me say something. Our nation is one nation, especially when it comes to fighting discrimination, which I support wholeheartedly. Ultimately, I think it's time for the U.S. Congress to bring clarity to our national Anti-Discrimination Provisions under Title 7 and Title 9.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: That would be the easiest thing to do, from a legal point of view; not necessarily from a political point of view.

CLAYPOOL: Well I have a big question for the Governor McCrory in North Carolina. If he wants Congress to make this decision, then why did he have his legislature go out and create a law that's at odds, in my opinion, with Title 7? He should have asked Congress to do it and let them make a decision, if they wanted to make a decision. Instead, creates this law through the state's legislature --

VAUSE: He's being a little bit disingenuous there?

CLAYPOOL: Absolutely; and there's another way you can go about this, too.

[00:25:02] There's two ways to get an interpretation of this law: have Congress clarify Title 7 or do what both sides are doing right now. They're going to battle in court, and this might find its way all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

SESAY: Do you think it will get that far? There are those who say it will end in the appellate courts, which is a fairly conservative court that has actually sided, in the past, in favor of the federal law.

CLAYPOOL: I disagree with that. This is such a novel issue that it's going to find its way all the way to the Supreme Court, but unfortunately, we have a problem with that because right now we've got -

VAUSE: We're missing a justice.

CLAYPOOL: 4 to 4 is going to be -- it might be a tie. We might be back talking about this in six more months.

SESAY: Well, please come back.

CLAYPOOL: Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: Thanks for coming in.

SESAY: Thank you, appreciate it.

CLAYPOOL: Thanks for having me.

SESAY: All right; time for a break now. A Pakistani woman is one of the top squash players in the world, but she faced death threats to get where she is today. Her story is next on "Newsroom" L.A.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles; I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay; the headlines this hour: (HEADLINES)

VAUSE: Well, life in Pakistan for women is extremely difficult. Even though they are considered equal under the law, usually they don't get the same education. They don't have the same rights or opportunities as men.

SESAY: Well one young woman is looking to change that, especially in the world of sports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: A champion on the court, a fearless pioneer for young women.

MARIA TOORPAKAY WAZIR, PROFESSIONAL SQUASH PLAYER: I come from Waziristan, the most dangerous place on earth.

SESAY: Born in one of the most conservative parts of Pakistan, Maria Toorpakay Wazir rejected the traditional role reserved for women in her country.

WAZIR: Girls have nothing to do but stay home and from a young age they are told you will get married.

SESAY: At a very young age, she burned her clothes; instead, dressing and living as a boy.

[00:30:01] With her family's support, she competed in sports: first weightlifting, then squash, quickly becoming the best in Pakistan.

But when Maria stopped hiding her gender, she became the target of death threats from the Taliban.

She was forced to leave her country, but kept competing. She's now one of the top female squash players in the world, as well as an author; speaking out in support of women's rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(On camera) Well, I'm pleased to say Maria Toorpakay Wazir joins us in the studio, to tell us more about defying the Taliban, her journey to becoming one of the world's greatest squash players and how she is using her voice to fight for the rights of girls.

Her memoir, "A Different Kind of Daughter" is out now. Maria, welcome to the program.

MARIA TOORPAKAY WAZIR, PROFESSIONAL SQUASH PLAYER AND AUTHOR, "A DIFFERENT KIND OF DAUGHTER": Thank you, Isha.

SESAY: So, at a very young age you already knew this was not for you, that this was not the life that you wanted; and, in fact, at the age of 4 you burned all your girl clothes.

WAZIR: Yes; I was treated by some men really badly when they were playing volleyball match and they just wanted me to just go home and shouldn't be here. It was very amazing to understand that the girls who are 5, 6 years old and people tell them to curl their hair and, you know, stay home or not go out. So from that age they are just training them, giving them training. I was not kind of the person.

SESAY: So as genders can, you were able to -- you were able to expose yourself to sports. The first thing you did I believe was weightlifting?

WAZIR: Was weightlifting, yes.

SESAY: But weightlifting didn't -- you didn't fall in love with weightlifting. You fell in love with squash.

WAZIR: Yes.

SESAY: How did that happen?

WAZIR: Well weightlifting was something, was a given - that was the first sport I was introduced to. As I said, I was very strong and I always was found in the middle of fights. So kind of my father wanted to channel my energy into something positive. He was very, very worried about me, because I was not a typical girl. I just -- he couldn't tell me that you are 12, now you are a grown-up. You are going to change. Girls change physically at that age. So he said, you know, you shouldn't go outside anymore.

SESAY: So, Maria for 3 1/2, almost 4 years, you were in your bedroom playing squash on your own. What was that like for you?

WAZIR: It was very difficult knowing that all the other girls all over world are playing squash and sports with freedom and I'm the only one who has to -- who is confined to my house and I cannot freely play the sport that I really want, I really love. And all I'm doing is just something that is -- I have a squash ball and squash racket and that's all I'm doing. It's nothing

wrong. It's nothing bad in that. I'm very positive and very good person.

But you see, sports is considered as I said -- it's really -- it's a very inappropriate profession for Taliban and most of the people they don't think sports is something women should play. So when I was threatened by Taliban, at that time I was already very tired by this society already. I was struggling so hard against the society. When I performed really well, then I got the threats from Taliban. I'm like, where am I going to go now? SESAY: As you tell the story about how dangerous it is for women and girls in that area, let me ask this final question to you: when you imagine your future, what do you see?

WAZIR: I'm really happy. I'm playing squash for myself. I'm very happy but the only pain I'm carrying is that whenever those memories come to my brain.

You know, we live for 60, 70 years. I feel being the human, this is my moral responsibility to help all those girls and women who are being human, who are deprived of their basic rights, who are unable to explore those talents that god gave them and who are enslaved by another human being. I think I believe in equality. I believe in human rights, women rights and it's very important, and I believe that all my life I'm going to struggle for them and god willing, (inaudible) I'm going to make it.

SESAY: Maria Toopakay Wazir, thank you so much for speaking to us and sharing your inspirational story. We'll be routing for you to get to world champion -

WAZIR: Thank you.

[00:35:01] SESAY: -- and for all the work you are doing.

WAZIR: Thank you.

SESAY: Thank you. So impressive.

VAUSE: Some people have to overcome difficulties but nothing like that.

SESAY: 3 1/2 years she was in her room, unable to play outside. She kept hitting the ball on her own, in her own room; 3 1/2 years.

VAUSE: We wish her well.

SESAY: Yes, we do.

VAUSE: A short break; when we come back a surprise announcement from the U.S. Speaker of the House, just days ahead of his highly anticipated meeting with the Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump.

SESAY: Plus, the former host of "The Daily Show," John Stewart returns to blast the Republican frontrunner.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump says he would welcome London's new mayor to the United States despite his proposed Muslim ban. Trump has told "The New York Times" there will always be exceptions and that he was happy to see Khan elected.

SESAY: Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker, Paul Ryan says he will not chair the Republican Convention in July if that's what Trump wants. Ryan said last week he is not ready to support Trump's candidacy. Trump is scheduled to meet with Ryan and Republican Senate leaders in Washington Thursday.

VAUSE: As Donald Trump turns his attention to the general election, he is trying to clean up some of those comments he made on the economy.

SESAY: Yes; everything from debt to taxes to wages. Trump's comments are raising many eyebrows. Sara Murray has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump may be the GOP nominee, but he is already giving Republicans anxiety.

DONALD TRUMP (R) REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know more about debt than practically anybody. I love debt.

MURRAY: Professing his love of debt and making policy proclamations, like this one, when asked how he would manage debt payment, telling CNBC "I would borrow, knowing if the economy crashed, you could make a deal." Today, Trump is trying to moderate that stance telling CNN he would try to buy back debt at a discount and adding, the country won't default because America can always print more money.

TRUMP: First of all, you never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you; okay? So there's never a default.

MURRAY: Suggestions economist say aren't feasible, could risk America's credit or lead to a spike in interest rates. Trump also changing his tune on the minimum wage. After saying wages were too high during the primary -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So do not raise the minimum wage?

TRUMP: I would not raise the minimum.

MURRAY: Now he is open to an increase.

TRUMP: I don't know how people make it on $7.25 an hour. Now, with that being said, I would like to see an increase of some magnitude, but I would rather leave it to the states.

MURRAY: And then there's the shift on taxes. Trump saying he's willing to negotiate the deep tax cuts he proposed for the wealthy, but insists rich Americans won't pay more than they do now.

TRUMP: They go there to talk about like I'm giving a tax increase for the [00:40:02] wealthy. I'm not. Is said, they may have to pay somewhat more than my proposal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand.

TRUMP: My proposal is much less than people are paying right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand. MURRAY: A claim that's tough to square with Trump's own suggestion that he'd pay more under his tax plan.

TRUMP: It reduces or eliminates most of the deductions and loopholes available to special interests and to the very rich. In other words, it's going to cost me a fortune.

MURRAY: All of it as Trump is still struggling to unite the party, passing today on the chance to echo Sarah Palin's comments about House Speaker, Paul Ryan.

SARAH PALIN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Paul Ryan is soon to be cantered, as in Eric Canter. His political career is over but for a miracle.

MURRAY: And while Trump's take on Republican orthodoxy may leave some in the party groaning, "Saturday Night Live" is already celebrating its good fortune.

("SNL" Clip Plays)

MURRAY: Clearly SNL is already having plenty of fun with the idea of Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, but on a more serious note, Donald Trump and Paul Ryan will meet on Thursday to try to hash out their differences. Paul Ryan is already saying, look, if Trump isn't comfortable, I will step down as the co-chair of the convention. So far, Trump is not calling for him to do that.

Sara Murray, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Another day and -- yes. Another political note to share with you now. Former "Daily Show" host John Stewart has made a return with some choice words for Donald Trump.

VAUSE: He was speaking with CNN Political Commentator David Axelrod on his Podcast, the "Axe Files".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN STEWART, FORMER HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Are you eligible to run if you are a man baby? A baby man? He is a man baby. He has the physical countenance of a man and a baby's temperament and hands.

They keep saying, which I think is the most wonderful thing, don't worry when he becomes president he is going to be totally mature.

[Laughter]

DAVID AXELROD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well he says being presidential is easy and he will do it at the appropriate time.

STEWART: Right, but what does that say about your constituency if what you are saying to them is, look, the only way that I can win this part of race is by being an unrepentant narcissist (bleep) because that's what my voters like? But once I have to appeal to everybody I will be cool?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Make John Stewart come back for the next couple of months. Anyway, be sure to tune in throughout the day Tuesday for complete coverage of the West Virginia and Nebraska primaries, right here on CNN.

SESAY: Thank you for watching "CNN Newsroom," live from Los Angeles; I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause; "World Sport" is up next. Then we'll be back with another hour of news from around the world. You are watching CNN.

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