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Trump Calls for Investigation into Voter Fraud; British Prime Minister to Publish Detailed Plans for EU Exit; North Korean Leader Intrigued by Trump's Victory. 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired January 25, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:31] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream. Now the election is over, but Donald Trump can't

seem to leave it behind. Why he is now calling for an investigation into alleged voter fraud.

North Korea's highest profile defector claims Kim Jung-un is keen to meet with the new

U.S. president.

And the British prime minister says her government will publish a detailed plan for leaving the European Union

Now, Donald Trump won't let go of the claim that illegal ballots cost him the popular vote in the

U.S. election. Now, that claim has been debunked.

Now though the new U.S. president is taking action to try to prove it. He tweeted in the last hour that he is now asking for a major investigation

into voter fraud. He says it will involve people who registered to vote in two separate states, along with voters in the

U.S. illegally or people on voting rolls who had died.

Now those tweets come as Mr. Trump moves fast to turn some of his most vocal campaign promises into reality. Athena Jones has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to build a great border wall.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump set to take his first steps in executing his signature campaign promise. In just hours,

the president will sign an executive order to begin the construction of a wall along the Mexico border.

TRUMP: We are going to build a wall, OK? Don't even think about it.

JONES: The order would direct federal funds toward building the wall. But we still don't know how he intends to get Mexico to pay for it.

The president also expected to announce a second executive order on Thursday, seeking to eliminate so-called sanctuary cities and restrict

visas from, quote, "terror-prone countries" and the flow of refugees entering the U.S.

TRUMP: Twenty-eight thousand jobs. Great construction jobs.

JONES: The orders follow a blitz of executive actions in the president's first week.

TRUMP: I am, from a logical (ph) standpoint, an environmentalist.

JONES: Tuesday, Mr. Trump signed orders to revive construction of two controversial pipeline projects, but President Trump's policies continue to

be overshadowed by his conspiracy theories. The White House defending his unfounded claim that millions of illegal ballots cost him the popular vote.

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He continues to maintain that belief based on studies and evidence that people have presented to him.

JONES: Numerous independent studies refute his claims. The media continues to demand proof of the president's assertions.

SPICER: He believes what he believes based on the information he's provided. Yes, ma'am?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What does that mean about democracy, though? If he does believe that, what does that mean for

democracy?

SPICER: I've answered your question.

ZELENY: Have you?

JONES: Republicans and Democrats unified in opposing the president's baseless claims.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: I would urge the president to knock this off. This is the greatest democracy on earth. You're the leader

of the free world, and people are going to start doubting you as a person.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Athena Jones reporting.

And of course, Mr. Trump is not taking Lindsey Graham's advice as you just heard then.

CNN Money senior media correspondent Brian Stelter joins me now. Brian, let's talk about the

bigger theme here about Trump and the truth. He won't back down from this voting fraud claim. He's now doubling down with this investigation, which

he's announced on Twitter in the last half hour or so. There is no evidence to support this claim. So why is he doing this?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: That is what all of Washington I think wants to know, maybe what all the country wants to know.

A lot of this is illogical, starting with the idea that 3 million to 5 million people voted illegally.

That's impossible. That would be one of the grandest conspiracies in American history. It would require prosecutions of millions

of people, but obviously it didn't happen. It's not possible to have voting fraud on that scale.

Now Trump's moving the goal posts. Read his tweets from the past hour, he's not talking about

millions of illegal votes, he's talking about an untold number of people who may be able to vote who aren't supposed to be able to vote because they

may have passed away years ago or something like that.

So, what he's doing here is he's sort of changing the story a little, but at the same time he's actually stepping on his own message. He's making a

lot of news every day whether it's about immigration, about manufacturing jobs or other issues. Here he goes on Twitter this morning, maybe because

he's watching the morning shows in the United States and hearing all the coverage of this issue and so he's actually putting the spotlight back on

this wild and outrageous claim.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and he keeps driving the agenda with what he says.

But let's focus on something that he did. The Twitter ban. Donald Trump has banned agencies, government agencies, like the EPA, from providing

updates on social media or to reporters. What is the thinking behind this?

STELTER: This is happening at the EPA, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency,

an agency that's expected to come under a lot of scrutiny from a Republican administration. The EPA in charge of things like clean air and clean water

in the United States. Many Republicans feel that its regulations have gone way too far and need to be pulled back.

Now, other agencies within the government are saying they are not experiencing the same kind

of clamp-down that the EPA is experiencing, but there are other reports of other agencies aswell, for example, the U.S. department of agriculture.

What's happening here is you're seeing a dramatic change from the Obama administration to the

Trump administration. And many government officials, the rank and file, don't exactly know how

to respond, how to handle this enormity of this change. We've seen the National Parks Service come under scrutiny for some of the tweets, for some

of its Twietter accounts.

We're talking about climate change and issues like that.

LU STOUT: And let's talk about Trump and TV. Just a moment ago you said he's no doubt watching morning TV there in America. Last night there was

an interesting moment. You know, on Twitter he directly reacted to a Fox news segment. And it begs the question, Brian, what is known about

President Trump's media diet and how it affects his policy-making?

STELTER: He's a voracious consumer of television news, cable news in particular, CNN and Fox News, once in a while MSNBC in the mornings. He

likes Morning Joe.

There is something unique about this president, something we didn't see from Bush or Obama, for example. He is constantly consuming coverage of

himself and now of his administration on television, also in print, in newspapers like the New York Times and the New York Post.

Every indication so far, we're on day six of his administration is that that's not changing, that he is continuing to consume a lot of television

and react to it.

This tweet about a Chicago incident -- sending in the feds if the carnage doesn't stop, it was directly related to a Fox News segment an hour

earlier.

At the same time, you know, he's producing his own TV show. If you look at what he's doing in the Oval Office or in meetings, bringing the cameras in,

talking to the camera crews, he is showing that he's on the job.

He always cares about visuals. And we're seeing that again now when he's in the Oval Office. He is producing and he's basically playing president

at the same time he's actually being president.

LU SOUT: Yeah. The media reacts to Trump. Trump reacts to the media. And the cycle just churns on. And Brian Stelter covering it all for us.

Many thanks indeed as always, and take care, Brian.

Now, North Korea's highest profile defector says Kim Jung-un is keen to meet with the new U.S. president.

Now, Thae Yong-ho told CNN that the North Korean leader is intrigued by Mr. Trump's election victory, but that doesn't mean a meeting between the two

leaders is a good idea.

Paula Hancocks has more on her conversation with this high-profile defector.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim Jong-un is planning a massive nuclear push this year, exploiting power changes in the United States and

South Korea. That's the opinion of this man, the highest ranking North Korean diplomat to defect in almost 20 years.

Thae Yong-ho escaped his embassy in London last summer. He tells me Donald Trump's rise to power shocked them all.

THAE YONG-HO, FORMER NORTH KOREAN DIPLOMAT: Trump, you know, changed the course. So it is really, really a surprise to Kim Jong-un and North Korean

regime.

HANCOCKS: Thae says Kim Jong-un sees an opportunity for a new relationship with President Trump as long as he's not asked to give up the one thing

that worries the world most.

HANCOCKS: There's nothing that Washington or anybody else could do to convince him to give up his nuclear weapons?

YONG-HO: He will never give up his nuclear development. If American continues his policies against North Korea, then he openly said he will

continue to military capability with nuclear weapons and also, you know, he calls it preemptive strike capability. That is ICBM.

HANCOCKS: Kim Jong-un has said he is close to test launching an intercontinental ballistic missile or ICBM. Thae says he should be taken at

his word.

As for President Trump suggesting he may meet Kim Jong-un, a terrible idea according to Thae.

YONG-HO: It may serve to justify his legitimacy of the leader of North Korea and even Chinese President Xi Jinping and even Russian President, you

know, Putin. They haven't met, you know, to Kim Jong-un.

[08:10:12] HANCOCKS: Thae has a blunt warning for China. If you don't do more to cut off funds for the North's sneaky nuclear ambitions, you may

regret it.

YONG-HO: In the future, in the long run it can be a direct threat to China as well.

HANCOCKS: You think there could be a scenario where North Korea turns on China?

YONG-HO: According to international geopolitics, there is no eternal enemy or friend.

HANCOCKS: Thae says there's no trust, no loyalty among elites in North Korea, just fear as Kim Jong-un continues to execute high- ranking

officials, often he claims without proper cause or explanation. Thae may have escaped what he calls the slave system with his wife and two sons, but

says freedom is bittersweet.

YONG-HO: I spent 50 years of my life on the wrong side.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A revealing discussion there.

Let's get more now from CNN's Paula Hancocks on her conversation with Thae. And she joins me now live from Seoul with that. And Paula, what about the

future of North Korea? What did the defector tell you about the future of the Kim Jong-un regime?

HANCOCKS: Well, Kristie, he effectively told me there would never be peace in North Korea, there would be an improvement in human rights until the Kim

Jong-un regime collapses. There would never a halt or a denuclearization while Kim Jong-un is still in power.

But he did say there is a possibility of an internal uprising in North Korea. I asked him to enlarge on this, and he said that it is imperative

that more external information is let in to North Korea or at least forced into North Korea. The Kim Jong-un regime does not want its own people to

know exactly what is happening around the world. He said that it's important

for the world to pour gasoline, that it's up to the North Korean people to light it.

He does have confidence that there could in the future be an internal uprising -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And the defector, he also told you in that interview that Kim Jong-un wants talks with Donald Trump. I mean, do we know why, especially

when Trump has said and tweeted some very provocative statements about North Korea?

HANCOCKS: Well, he has. But also President Trump during the campaign did praise Kim Jong-un in a certain way for saying, you know, at least he's

managed to control the country after his father died. He also suggested he could potentially be willing to talk to -- to Kim Jong-un.

Now, of course, this is something that President Obama said as he was campaigning as well, but Thae was saying that the North Ksorean regime

really sees an opportunity now, an opening. There is a difference in this Republican administration than previous Republican administrations. He

says there are no friends with the Republicans when they have been given something by Washington, he said it's usually been by Democrats or at least

that's the perception within North Korea.

But there's certainly a hope, at this point, within the regime that Trump could be different, that there could be an opportunity, but as Thae kept

saying time and time again, yes, he would talk with Donald Trump, but it would be on his terms.

LU STOUT: Paula Hancocks reporting live from Seoul for us. Thank you, Paula.

Now, the Taliban are sending Donald Trump an open letter calling on him to withdraw U.S.

forces from Afghanistan.

It says this, quote, if the American forces insist on continuing the occupation of our country and preventing us from living an honorable and

free life, then obviously war is our necessity.

It goes on to say this, quote, but perhaps this futile war is not your necessity. In such a state it is the responsibility of American officials

as the initiators of war to bring an end to this tragedy.

LU STOUT: Now, one of the most important foreign relationships that Trump will have to manage is with China. And there is already growing tension

over trade, the One China policy and territorial claims in the South China Sea.

So what would the world look like after four years of Xi Jinping and Donald Trump

at the helm of two major world powers? That was my final question for a roundtable of experts here in

Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YVONNE CHIU, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: The question you ask, you know can, China handle this transition? That's the question actually Chinese leaders

ask every day.

I think they are aware that they are aware that they are reaching the limits of growth that's possible from the state-owned enterprises, from

state intervention. The question is are they actually going to make the next leap which is quite dangerous for them? Any time you open up

something, you know, whether it be liberalizing the economy or promoting nationalism, you are playing a very dangerous game.

I do think the biggest, the biggest questions are about what China is going to look like in four years, because the fact is the U.S. system has a lot

more robustness built into it. It has a greater capacity to ride out a bad presidency if it is indeed a bad one, whereas the Chinese system is not as

robust. It is -- it will not have the same kind of capacity to withstand mistakes by the leadership.

So, I think the next four years are actually in some ways, even though it looks -- on the outside looks worse for the U.S., I think in most ways it

will actually be much more critical for China.

WILLY LAM, CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: Actually, I'm much more optimistic about the economic and trade fronts. i think despite the

rhetoric trump and his colleagues, they have done business in China before, and we have also seen China -- Chinese business leaders like Jack Ma of

Alibaba having talks with Trump.

What worries me is the upsurge of nationalism in both countries, particularly regarding the

geopolitical issues. The questions around the South China Sea islands, it's quite possible that if both sides continue to build up, we can come

upon the situation where these cat and mouse games between the jet fighters and naval vessels from both sides could precipitate, well, not technically

not a full scale warfare but some kind of accidental gunfire.

So I think it is imperative for both governments to work more diligently on building confidence, confidence-building measures in this more tricky

geopolitical situations.

[08:16:30] JING ULRICH, VP OF ASIA PACIFIC, JPMORGAN CHASE: You mentioned there's so many uncertainties, but let's focus on the certainties. I think

under the Trump presidency there will be deregulation. There will be tax reform, which I think will benefit American businesses, but when it comes

to China, you know, four years from now the economy will be 30 percent larger. It is going to be even more powerful than it is today.

In terms of U.S.-China relations, ever since diplomatic relations were established in 1972, the

two countries' relationship has survived many crises, big and small, and I have no doubt in my mind there will be many crises coming up, but I think

the long enduring relationship between the two countries will last.

I think it will survive the upcoming challenges and crises.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A note of optimism there at the end from JPMorgan's managing director Jing Ulrich. She shared her thoughts about the next four years of

U.S.-China relations with China analyst Willy Lam and Hong Kong University professor Yvonne Chiu.

Now, Russia calls the latest rounds of talks on Syria a success. And up next, what was achieved? We'll break it down for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right. Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching News Stream. Now, two bomb attacks in the Somali capital

have killed at least ten people and wounded more than 50. And here you can see one of those bombs going off.

The attackers stormed a hotel near the parliament building after setting off a truck bomb. A

second blast happened nearby just 15 minutes later. And officials say four attackers were killed. The al Qaeda-linked terrorists group al Shabaab has

claimed responsibility.

Now, delegates have reached a deal after two days of talks on a cease-fire in Syria. Moscow is calling it a success. Russia, Turkey and Iran have

agreed to jointly enforce the truce and all parties affirm that the war can only be solved through a political process, not military action.

Now, the cease-fire came into force last month. Both sides accused the other of violations and another round of talks is set for next month in

Geneva to determine the political future of Syria.

Now, for more on this story Jomana Karadsheh joins us now. She, of course, has reported extensively on Syria. She joins us now from Amman.

And Jomana, the peace talks in Astana, they've produced the deal. But we don't know whether the regime or the opposition have signed on to it, so

what has it really achieved?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what really came out of these talks, Kristie, is this joint communique, this declaration

that was signed by Russia and Iran on the one hand, and those are the two main backers of the Syrian regime -- of course, there was a lot of

objection from the opposition to have Iran as a signatory to this declaration saying that Iran is a part of the conflict, not much as Russia

that has been emerging more in this mediator role as we have seen in recent weeks, but, still, it was signed by these two countries -- and Turkey on

the other hand, and that was the main backer of the Syrian opposition groups. And what hen they agreed on, basically is to work on establishing

a mechanism to observe and to enforce that fragile cease-fire. This has been an issue in the past of how do they monitor and how do they make sure

that the cease-fire is observed and who records these violations that are taking place. So this is something they are going to work on.

As you mentioned, another point, an important point they came up with, was saying that the solution for the crisis in Syria must be a political one,

something everyone agrees on right now that it cannot be a military solution.

So they have come up with a lot of promises here, some hope, as we've heard from different officials that this is a good step forward, but we're going

have to wait and see how all these promises are going to really translate into actions on the ground.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and wait and see what's going to happen with more talks next month in Geneva, the focus on a political resolution to the crisis.

And a question mark about the fate and future of Bashar al-Assad.

KARADSHEH: Well, that's what we've heard sfrom officials throughout. They are saying that these Astana talks, as we have seen, have not really

touched on the political issues, the political transition, the future of President Assad. They are saying that that is being kept for the United

Nations-sponsored talks in Geneva that we have really seen not produce much in the past. They were suspended last year. Now they are expected to

resume next month.

But when you're looking at the reality on the ground in Syria right now. You're looking at a very different equation to what it was just a few

months ago. You look at the opposition on the one hand and they really are coming into this from a position of weakness. The rebels, the opposition

have suffered what is described at their biggest defeat so far in the Syrian

conflict with the fall of eastern Aleppo.

The Syrian regime is looking stronger than it ever has, because of the backing very much of the Russian military and other allies like Iran and

other allies also on the ground. So it's a very, very different equation. And, of course, a big part of it is this relationship that we're seeing

between Russia and Turkey, these countries that have backed two opposing sides in this conflict for so long over the past few months are starting to work closely

together.

So, we really have to wait and see how this all translates into actions on the ground, what impact this is going to have on talks, and what kind of

influence they're going to exert on the different parties that they influence in this conflict

And I think a lot of what happens next depends on this fragile ceasefire, whether it is going to hold and this really if you have the right

conditions on the ground that will allow for these political negotiations to take place next month, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and the fate of the Syrian people at stake here. Jomana Karadsheh reporting. Thank you.

Now, Iraq's prime minister says his country's forces have driven ISIS out of the eastern half of Mosul. The U.S. military is praising Iraqi efforts

to keep civilians safe during the fighting. Here, you can see children returning to school there. Iraqi army began pushing into the city back in

October two years after ISIS ceased control. And recapturing the whole city is expected to take up to two more months.

Now, the grandmaster of the Knights of Malta on the left over there, he has resigned at the request of Pope Francis. Now, last year the ancient

Catholic order sacked its second in command, accusing him of allowed the order to work with charities that distributed

condoms.

Now, the pope reportedly appointed a commission to look into it, but the grandmaster resisted the intervention. So, Pope Francis asked him to step

down.

Now, CNN Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher joins us from Rome. And Delia what is the Knights of Malta? And how did the now former head of the

organization test the authority of Pope Francis?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, the Knights of Malta is one of the most ancient orders in the Catholic Church. It was

founded in the 11th Century. And they are involved in charity work throughout the world. And what is so unusual about this dramatic move that

the pope took this morning to essentially force the head of the Knights of Malta to resign is the fact that the head of the Knights of Malta publicly

resisted this investigation that the pope launched in December into his order.

He said that they would not cooperate with the pope's investigation and it's been going on since December, because the head of this order fired one

of his own officials. He said being involved and overseeing, allowing the distribution of condoms in Myanmar. That official

appealed to Pope Francis. The pope said I'm going to launch an investigation. And very publicly the Knights of Malta defied Pope Francis

and the result of that investigation is essentially the removal, although the head of the Knights of Malta says that he has agreed, to resign --

Kristie.

LU STOUT: So what does this development reveal about Pope Francis, the church today and its stance on condom use?

GALLAGHER: Well, Kristie, the story about the distribution of condoms is part of this story. The official was fired ostensibly for allowing this to

happen. Now the pope would not necessarily be in favor obviously of the distribution of condoms, but he was not in favor of firing the official, of

the kind of hard line that the Knights of Malta took against this official.

So the story is really about conservative leadership of the Knights of Malta going against a more progressive pope, and certainly about any time

you have a showdown with the pope, probably the pope is going to win -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Delia Gallagher live from Rome. Thank you, Delia.

Now, you're watching News Stream. And after the break, fresh from a loss at the Supreme

Court, Britain's prime minister faced a Brexit battle in parliament. We're going to give you the

details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:38] LU STOUT: Now let's go to the prime minister's residence in Downing Street. Isa Soares has been looking at the reaction in

Westminster. She joins us now. And Isa, during question time, how well did Theresa May do in drumming up support to trigger Brexit?

She's definitely trying her best, Kristie, isn't she? It was a very heated exchange. There's plenty of political fears and fireworks coming from the

opposition. But right off the gate when she went in with answering the first question she answered what many MPs have been asking for for some

time, and that is that white paper. So we have a bill that we know is going to be put through to members

of parliament here following from that Supreme Court decision.

But now she says she's going to give them also a white bill. And a white bill basically is information, detailed information, on exactly the

government strategy and plans when it comes to leaving the UK. Now, this is -- leaving the EU.

This is something that MPs have been calling for for some time. So she faced a lot of questions from Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition

saying, look, you've wasted 80 days or so with this. You should have given this a while back. And now do you know when you're going to give us this

white paper?

No answer as to when that will happen.

There is a lot of speculation, Kristie, here, that the bill could come that could be written as early as tomorrow that could be put forward to MPs as

early as next week.

But this has all happened in 24 hours because yesterday the minister for Brexit was basically saying there's not going to be a white bill, there is

no need for a white bill, because Theresa May has clearly outlined what her strategy will be. And the fear now is with that white bill, Kristie, that

perhaps she will maybe showing a bit too much her political hand when it comes to strategy and the EU. And that might weaken her position somewhat

-- Kristie.

LU STOUT: You know, (inaudible) during question time, but what is the level of opposition, you know, ahead for the prime minister? You know, the

Labour Party has said that it will not frustrate the process from booking invoking Article 50, that it will respect the will

of the people. So is it safe to assume that this will have a smooth and timely process ahead?

SOARES: Look, there's a lot of political posturing, that's for sure. But the MPs I was speaking

to from the opposition, Labour, Liberal Democrats, they all said exactly your point there, that they are not going to go against the will of the

people, the majority that wanted to go, wanted to leave the EU, and that's what will happen. And then they go on to say, but I want several

amendments to be put on the table and these amendments mean there will be a lot of discussion, a lot of discussion on what they want to see.

They want to see a discussion in terms of single market, perhaps more access to the single market. Customs Union and the list goes on. And this

is something that won't be decided on one day. You can imagine the back and forth between -- between MPs and one member of parliament basically

said we're going to let them talk until they wet themselves, and I'm quoting them here.

So expect this to be a lot of political theater, but at the end of it, Kristie, they will back Theresa May and that Article 50.

LU STOUT: Got you.

Now, Theresa May, we know that she will soon visit Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. What kind of cooperation will she be seeking from Trump,

an America first president?

SOARES: Well, there were a lot of questions, surprisingly, on that today at prime minister's question time because Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the

opposition, was basically saying that he wants reassurances on a deal with the U.S. and make sure that she doesn't give the U.S. a blank check when it

comes to trade. But she was also pushed on the question of whether she will push President Trump on

what he called, what he called a misogynist president following those women marches, what kind of relationship she wanted to have with him. Take a

listen to how she responded to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:35:23] THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm pleased that I am able to

meet President Trump so early in his administration, that is a sign of the strength of the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the

United States of America, a special relationship on which he and I intend to build. But can I also say to the leader of the opposition, I am not

afraid to speak frankly to a president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And that might be the case. She went ton to say that she wants to increase trade, increase growth. But like you mention, Kristie, this is a

president who has been seen to be pretty protectionist saying he's going to hire American, buy American, and the reality is they cannot reach

a deal until the UK has left the EU, and that could be four years or so.

For the time, being perhaps just a discussion, political posturing, and maybe some optics

there to put pressure on the EU, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Isa Soares reporting live from 10 Downing Street. Thank you, Isa.

Now, Donald Trump's relationship with the media is complicated and that's an understatement. Up next, why the new U.S. president just can't turn

away from an industry that he keeps attacking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Love and hate, two words that both seem to describe Donald Trump's feelings about the media. As Brian Todd tells us,

that relationship has grown all the more complicated and contentious since Trump won the election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We want to build the pipe.

TODD (voice-over): A carefully crafted photo op to mark his executive action on the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines, leveraging the media to

push the Trump presidential brand.

For a man who loves to project an adversarial relationship with the media - -

TRUMP: I always call them the dishonest media.

TODD (voice-over): -- Donald Trump is still said to be obsessed with the media and a voracious consumer of it.

MARC FISHER, CO-AUTHOR, "TRUMP REVEALED: AN AMERICAN JOURNEY OF AMBITION, EGO, MONEY, AND POWER": He's a big consumer of the New York City

newspapers, the tabloids especially. He likes to read in print, not online. He gets a printout every day, a stack of printouts of stories about

himself, that his staff puts together from the major newspapers and from T.V. as well. He watches T.V. constantly.

TODD (voice-over): So-called old-school media, said to be Trump's favorites. A Trump friend tells CNN his office at Trump Tower has always

been piled high with newspapers, magazines. He's said to pore over "The New York Times," a paper that, today, ran the headline, "Trump Repeats an

Election Lie."

Friends and observers say he loves to watch traditional T.V. staples like CBS's "60 Minutes" and the morning shows. He often responds to those

programs in real time.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: There have dozens of times when Donald Trump has seen something on cable news and then reacted to it

on Twitter.

TODD (voice-over): Just last week, Trump apparently saw a report on NBC's "Today" show that cast doubt on his job creation record. Minutes, later a

tweet from Trump calling NBC News totally biased, fake news. He's known to call into the shows during breaks to respond to something he's seen on air

on CNN and other networks.

TRUMP: And I saw today that somebody on CNN.

TODD (voice-over): Trump's colorful history with the media has ventured from consumer to critic to master manipulator. Trump biographers say, in

the 1980s and early '90s, Trump would speak to reporters on the phone, masquerading as his own PR, fictitious front man he'd call John Miller or

John Barron.

[08:40:14] TRUMP (via phone): Well, I'm sort of handling PR, because he gets so much of it.

TODD: Ficticious front man he'd call John Miller, or John Baron.

TRUMP (via phone): He's somebody that has a lot of options. And frankly, he gets called by everybody. He gets called by everybody in the book, in

terms of women.

TODD: Trump denied doing that, but the recordings were convincing.

MARC FISHER, CO-AUTHOR "TRUMP REVEALED": He didn't bother to disguise his voice. We got a hold of a recording of him making one of these calls. He

sounds exactly like Donald Trump, but he was offering the story behind the story about Donald Trump and saying, you know, you ought to go to this

club, and you'll see Donald Trump with the hot models of the day.

TODD: A key question now being asked, now that he's in the White House will President Trump scale back his ravenous consumption of the media or even

his tweeting? Observers say expect there to be some push and pull over that between Trump and his aides, but that Trump likely will never

give it up completely.

One Trump friend told us they are surprised he hasn't already called into any news shows from

the White House.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Amazon is suddenly seeing a sales spike for one particular book, 1984 by George Orwell. It is so popular that publisher Penguin had to

print 75,000 more copies to meet demand. The dystopian novel is famous for its harrowing take on mass surveillance and now the government edits facts

and history to stay in power.

Now, Penguin highlighted that scene in the cover art for an edition released in 2013. You can see the black bars covering the title and the

author's name in a play on censorship.

Now, this Chinese version featured a large eye for the novel's ever- watching Big Brother. It's not clear if the recent interest in fake news and alternative facts has anything to do with the spike in sales.

Now, 1984 also rose in popularity in 2013, that's right after Edward Snowden leaked information on the NSA's surveillance programs.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with Amanda Davies is next.

END