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Trump Fires Acting Attorney General; Shaheen Helps Indian Girls Escape Forced Marriage; Trump Voters Happy with Performance So Far; Google Aims to Demystify AI. 8:00-9:00a ET

Aired January 31, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:11] ROBYN CURNOW, HOST: I'm Robyn Curnow at CNN Center. Welcome to News Stream.

A shocking shakeup in Washington. The U.S. president sacks the nation's top lawyer for refusing to defend his immigration order.

Plus, as protests against the travel ban enter day four, we will hear from supporters who say this is exactly why they voted for Donald Trump.

And this group helps rescue and prevent underage girls from being sold into forced marriage. Go undercover with the CNN Freedom Project.

Well, Donald Trump is sparking more controversy over his decision to fire and replace the acting attorney general. Late Monday, Mr. Trump accused

Sally Yates of betraying the Justice Department after she refused to defend his executive order on immigration and refugees. In a letter to Justice

Department lawyers, Yates said she was not convinced the executive order is lawful. That order bars citizens from seven Muslim majority countries from

entering the United States for the next 90 days and suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days, and indefinitely suspends the Syrian refugee

program.

Well, CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more on the impact of Mr. Trump's decision to fire Yates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In an extraordinary move, President Trump firing acting attorney general Sally Yates, her dismissal coming via hand

delivered letter only hours after she stood in defiance of the president's travel ban. Yates writing in a letter she is not convinced the executive

order is lawful, citing that the solemn obligation of the Department of Justice is to always seek justice and stand what is right.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: We had a Monday night massacre, Sally Yates, a person of great integrity who follows the law, was fired.

ZELENY: The White House attacking the career prosecutor, claiming Yates betrayed the Department of Justice and is weak on boarders after she

instructed the Justice Department to not defend the president's order on immigration and refugees. Immediately following the swearing in of new

acting attorney general Dana Boente, Yates's replacement rescinding her guidance right away, directing the Department of Justice to, quote, "defend

the lawful orders of our president." Appointed by President Obama, Yates garnering major bipartisan support in 2015. Senator Jeff Sessions, who is

currently awaiting confirmation as attorney general, seen here asking her is she would bend to political pressure from then President Obama?

SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R-AL), NOMINEE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL: If the views the president wants to execute are unlawful, should the attorney general or the

deputy attorney general say no?

SALLY YATES, FORMER ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL: Senator, I believe the attorney general or the deputy attorney general has an obligation to follow

the law and the constitution and to give their independent legal advice to the president.

ZELENY: In another swift move on Monday night, President Trump naming Thomas Homan as the new acting director of the U.S. immigration and customs

enforcement, demoting Dan Ragsdale to his previous position of deputy director.

Meantime the president's travel ban met with growing outrage in Washington and across the country. Only 10 days after leaving office, former President

Barack Obama weighing in, a spokesman saying "The protests are exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake." Trump's White House

slamming any opposition, telling dissenting State Department officials to quit their posts if they disagree with the policy.

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think that they should either get with the program or they can go.

ZELENY: All of this as President Trump moves up his Supreme Court nomination announcement by two days, scheduling a primetime address

tonight.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think you will be very impressed with this person.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, that was Jeff Zeleny reporting there.

Now, there is a lot of outrage over this temporary travel ban, but as our Martin Savidge now reports, it also has its fair share of supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I sat down and had a conversation with seven Trump supporters, all of them voted for Donald Trump and all of them

agree with his executive order when it comes to immigration, including two of them who are immigrants.

As thousands across the country protest President Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim majority nations, here outside Atlanta, his supporters are

cheering him on.

MICHAEL FITZGERALD, TRUMP VOTER: I'm glad to see our president taking the actions that he needs to take to provide the highest degree of security for

the American citizenry that he possibly can.

[08:05:03] SAVIDGE: Jay Lin came to America decades ago. He too agrees with Trump and said something that the group expressed about the order.

JAY LIN, TRUMP VOTER: It's temporary. Until we figure out a way of securely vetting the people who are coming to this country, I think everyone wants

to be safe.

SAVIDGE: They all feel in the aftermath of 9/11 and subsequent attacks in San Bernardino, Paris and Nice, the world changed. And America's policies

have to change as well.

KRISTINA TWITTY, TRUMP VOTER: I walk that same street in Nice with -- where the truck ran all over the people. So, I'm aware that we're just a few

steps removed from terrible things that could happen. And I'm OK with the temporary stop so that we can re-evaluate where we are.

SAVIDGE: Instead of blaming President Trump, they say blame those who flew planes into buildings, turn the holiday party into a massacre, and mowed

families down on the street. They do not hate Muslims, they stressed, and resent those who say they do.

MAUREEN GIANNONE, TRUMP VOTER: I think the push back ended up being like, no, I don't like you because you're Muslim. I don't like you because you're

making me feel unsafe.

SAVIDGE: Lenny agrees with the president but he admits he grapples with the impact on the refugees.

LENNY ZAPROWSKI, TRUMP VOTER: That's what I struggle with morally, because is this the right thing to do, I don't know. But I believe this is a

temporary thing and making sure we're getting it right is OK.

SAVIDGE: Vinnie immigrated from India 41 years ago. He's the only one in his family to vote for Trump, something they often ask him about.

VINOD NAYYAR, TRUMP VOTER: How can you agree with our president that so many people are left on the airports? I'm saying, yes, there's a human side

which I think -- which we could have done differently. But the intent -- I think the intent is right.

SAVIDGE: Bob says this is not about being fair to those immigrants who want to come to America, but about being fair to an entire nation of immigrants

already here.

BOB GRAY, TRUMP VOTER: They have come here to create a society and nation and they want to be protected. And right now, we have a threat. And we are

at war and we have to recognize that and do something about it.

SAVIDGE: Those we interviewed also said if you think that this is some dramatic historic change for the United States, then, well, they say you

don't know history. In times of crisis and conflict, they claim, the U.S. has limited immigration only to open up once more.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: In Britain, opponents of Donald Trump's immigration order are making their voices heard.

Chanting Donald Trump has got to go, protesters like these filled city streets across the UK. An online petition to cancel Mr. Trump's state

visit has received more than 1.5 million signatures. London's mayor expressed his opposition, calling the ban shameful, while foreign secretary

Boris Johnson said Mr. Trump's action is divisive and wrong.

And we learned a short time ago, European Council President Donald Tusk has sent a letter to 27 European heads in which he described the Trump

administration as an external threat to the European Union. In fact, the group -- he groups the White House along with an assertive China, Russia's

aggressive policy towards its neighbors, and radical Islam.

Well, Nina dos Santos joins us now from Westminster with more on that statement. Hi.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN MONEY: Hi, there. Strong words there as you can see from the head of the European council, which convenes these meetings among

EU member states. Remember, of course that the UK will be leaving the EU. And in fact this building behind me, what UK parliamentarians are doing at

the moment is having the second reading of that so-called Brexit bill, another equally divisive topic that has people very hot under the collar

here in the UK as well.

But just going back to that issue of the Trump travel ban, it must be pointed out that UK citizens who are dual-nationals of the seven countries

as well will be exempt from this ban. This was confirmed in that very house behind me this time yesterday by the foreign secretary Boris Johnson.

But despite that, thousands of people still took to the streets, this time yesterday, and stayed on them despite the freezing temperatures for hours

between parliament and 10 Downing Street. The seat of the prime minister about a quarter of a mile down the road, protesting the politics of Donald

Trump saying that these are divisive measures and also saying that the UK should now retract that extension, that invitation of a state visit to

Donald Trump which Theresa May delivered on behalf of the queen just less than a week ago upon her visit to Washington, D.C. -- Robyn.

CURNOW: But is that likely to happen with all these tough statements, with the signatures, with the protests? I mean, it's really unlikely the

government would cancel a Trump visit.

DOS SANTOS: For the moment, what we are hearing from the government, in fact, Theresa

May's office, 10 Downing Street, reiterated this yesterday evening, they're still happy, they say, to continue to extend that invitation to Donald

Trump.

But what's really interesting is what the British newspapers have been saying about this. In particular, Lord Rickets (ph) who used to be the

head of the foreign office, Robyn, he's been quited by the Times of London saying that actually, they should do is try to postpone this visit for

about three years. He was saying that the monarch, the queen who remember is apolitical here, has been dragged into what is a really difficult

political situation.

But Theresa May is also in a difficult situation as well. As I mentioned before, Brexit that's the other divisive issue here across the UK, well, as

lawmakers continue to talk about that this very hour in the House of Commons, Theresa May knows full well that when she finally breaks the

country's ties, this country's ties with the EU, she's got to make up the economic difference. And that is likely to have to come from America --

Robyn.

CURNOW: Nina Dos Santos, thank you so very much. Appreciate it. Perspective there from

Westminster.

Now, a few moments ago, we heard from our Jeff Zeleny about President Trump's upcoming announcement on his pick for the Supreme Court. Well,

let's go to Washington. I want to ask Jeff about that. And that announcement, it was supposed to be made, Jeff, a little bit later on in

the week. But it's been moved up to this evening. Is that likely to deflect attention from the travel ban controversy?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Robyn, I mean, that certainly might be the hope of the White House to change the subject a little bit. But I'm

not sure that they will be successful in doing that.

And this is why. This Supreme Court nominee, whoever it ends up being, their confirmation hearing is already contentious, will also include

aggressive questioning on this immigration ban and this immigration order. This, of course, is something that could end up in the Supreme Court

ultimately anyway here. So, this is going to be front and center in that debate.

But we do know that the president has met with at least three finalists. But CNN has learned that the two leading finalists are judges who are

already on the federal bench, appointed by George W. Bush. One is named Neil Gorsuch from Colorado, the other is Thomas

Hardeman from Pittsburgh. They both are about 50 years old, one 49 and one 51.

So, Robyn, this is a lifetime appointment here. Certainly one of the most important, if not the most important, appointment a president makes. So,

this is consequential tonight.

And Democrats are vowing to fight and scrutinize heavily whoever is nominated.

CURNOW: Yeah. It's certainly important because in many ways the Supreme Court judges are -- have a very definitive, lasting impact on a president's

legacy way after they have left office. Now, this choice will be conservative. We know that. It replaces another conservative judge,

Antonin Scalia. With that in question, people are going to looking at what might or might not come up before this court. I mean, how much momentum is

there particularly for a challenge to Roe verus Wade, that key piece of abortion legislation that continues to be a really key social issue here in

the U.S.?

ZELENY: It does, indeed. I mean, Row versus Wade also is a litmus test, if you will, at least in the eyes of some.

So this is a central appointment.

But this is also to replace, as you said, Justice Scalia, who passed away about a year or so ago. So this vacancy has been on the court for a year.

Now, whoever the president replaces Justice Scalia with will likely -- will certainly have the same view, the same opposition view to a Roe versus

Wade.

So, this appointment is not likely to change the balance of the court on that.

But Robyn, this is not going to be the only appointment that this president has. Most people in the legal community here in Washington, in the capitol,

believe that Justice Kennedy, who, of course, is the sway vote on all of these, they believe that he will retire if not at the end of this term in

June, then the end of next term in June. So, it is his next appointment to the Supreme Court that is likely to have the potential to shift the balance

on key social issues like that.

But this pick will be conservative, no doubt. But the president needs Democrats to vote for him as well. It takes 60 votes in the United States

Senate, that means eight Democrats have to vote to confirm this nominee as well, which is likely why the president will try and pick someone more in

the moderate view.

But that, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. So, this fight will go on for months here in Washington.

CURNOW: And when you talk about a fight going on for months, I mean, let's talk about the

Democrats. And what kind of a mood are they in to work? and particularly with what is happening now. I mean, what options do they have to block

this pick, particularly within the context of the atmosphere up there on the Hill at the moment.

ZELENY: Well, Robyn, Democrats do feel somewhat emboldened now, particularly with all these protests you see in the streets here in the

U.S. and indeed around the world. They believe that they need to and should stand up to this president. But it only goes up to a point here.

I mean, the president has the purview to make an appointment to the Supreme Court. So they believe, at least here at the White House, they believe

that either of these two leading candidates could be confirmed, largely because they already have been confirmed by the Senate to their current

positions on the federal bench.

But Democrats believe that they were treated unfairly. They believe that this opening should no longer exist. Of course, President Obama, if you

remember, appointed a judge almost a year ago, Merrick Garland. He never got a hearing on Capitol Hill because Republicans blocked that. So,

Democrats do feel like they're in a blocking mood, but more of a delay probably than an ultimate block.

But this person will be scrutinized unlike anyone else. And again, the immigration order, that's going to play out all throughout these

confirmation hearings.

And here in the U.S., confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court are the toughest, most consequential thing. So again, Robyn, this is a fight

coming up for months.

CURNOW: Indeed. Thanks so much giving us reports there on the latest from the White House. Thanks so much, Jeff Zeleny.

We want to update you now on the deadly shooting at a mosque in Quebec City. Investigators are charged a university student are Canadians held

candlelight victims to grieve for the victims and to send a message of unity.

The gunmen killed six people during evening prayers on Sunday.

Well, the attack comes as Canada sets itself apart from the latest U.S. policy on refugees.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Canadian authorities charging Alexander Bissonnette in three charges of murder police calling

him a lone wolf in what is considered an act of terror. Authorities say he is previously unknown to police and not on any watch lists.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quebec received a call for a shooting. A lot of police officer were here to try to know what happened and make a perimeter of

security. So now we consider the event like an act of terrorism.

FEYERICK: A second man arrested shortly after the shooting is now being called a witness and not a suspect.

8:00 p.m. Sunday a gunman dressed in black entered the mosque and opened fire on worships including families with children. The six who died were

all men between the ages of 39 and 60. The wounded were taken to nearby hospitals. 39 others escaped injury.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have three people in intensive care. They spent all night in surgery and two other people in care, and they are more stable.

FEYERICK: In this city where mass shootings are an uncommon tragedy, the mosque's former director remembered the innocent people gunned down, quote,

"in a place of worship with people who were praying." The same mosque was targeted last June during Ramadan. A pig's head with the message bon

apetite left at its door. Practicing Muslims don't eat pork.

Canada has welcomed refugees, taking in thousands since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office in 2015. Many of them are from Muslim- majority

nations.

And as large crowds turned out in Ottawa to protest the U.S. travel ban on predominantly Muslim nations, Quebec's premier reached out to reassure

Muslims living in Canada.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: We are with you. This is your home. You are welcome here. We are all Quebecers.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Quebec City, Canada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, coming up, few industries have been more vocal on opposing the U.S. temporary ban than the tech world. Now, some of America's biggest

companies are preparing to fight back.

And also after the break, the next investigation by CNN's Freedom Project, rescuing young girls

from it the horror of sham marriages.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Well, all this week CNN Freedom Project uncovers an international sex trafficking

network in our series Brides for Sale. On Monday, we introduced you to a woman who was sold into a sham marriage when she was a young girl. Well,

in this report, Muhammad Lila meets the heroes who are risking their own lives to save these child brides.

MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In a tiny office on a rundown street in Hyderabad, a group of women are plotting a daring

operation. They are putting on hidden cameras hoping to catch a human trafficker in the act of selling a young girl.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to be very fast. When you are going behind those, we have to be very fast. Walk straight (inaudible) you should not

give the impression that you are (inaudible).

LILA: These are the women of Shaheen, an NGO that helps rescue and prevent underage girls from being sold into forced marriages. Jameela Nishat (ph)

started Shaheen (ph) more than 20 years ago.

UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: I got into the work because I wanted my dream to come true.

LILA: What's your dream?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dream is that every girl be happy and enjoy her life to the maximum and feel free.

LILA: after rescuing girls, Shaheen helps to rehabilitate them, teaching them skills like tailoring, applying henna or how to use computers: all to

help them become financially independent.

How many girls do you think you have helped?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Directly? At least more than 100. But indirectly, almost 1,000.

LILA: All of the women here have stories of physical and sexual abuse, many were sold against their will to wealthy tourists, part of an

underground network that targets poor villagers so desperate for money they'll sell their own daughters. Some were gang raped, nearly all were

given drugs sometimes by their own parents making them helpless, unable to stop what was happening.

Is it just a business transaction for them?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just a business.

LILA: That's it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is just a legalized sex work. I call it that way.

LILA: Legalized sex work?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Flesh trade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (subtitles): After coming to Shaheen I got strength.

LILA: One of the girls that Shaheen rescued was Manira Begam (ph) She says she was just 12 years old when her parents sold her to an Arab man who

was 70. She says he kept her locked up using her only for sex. When she became pregnant after a few months, he left her, telling her over the phone

something he knew all along: that he wasn't coming back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (subtitles): I stared to cry a lot. I was in so much pain, I thought my life was useless. The last time, I tried to cut my

wrist.

LILA: That's when Manira (ph) was rescued and taken in by Shaheen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (subtitles): I owe a lot to Jameela ma'am. I used to cry so much but she wouldn't let me cry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the girls came and showed me all the wounds that she got on her body.

LILA: She had wounds?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She had all over wounds, all over the body.

LILA: Most are sold in forced marriages where everyone is paid off -- the brokers, the clerics, even the girls' parents. But the girls themselves

are never given a choice.

Traffickers prey on poor Muslim families in Hyderabad, an Indian city with its largest Muslim population. Their customers are wealthy tourists from

the Middle East and Africa, regions that historically Hyderabad has had strong business ties with.

We're on our way to visit one of the most senior religious authorities here in Hyderabad. Let's see what he says.

We asked a senior Muslim cleric, Meir Muhammad Khadir (ph) if in Islam a girl could be

forced to get married without her consent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (subtitles): If the girl says no, it can't happen. Her consent is necessary.

LILA: But as the victims told us, their consent was taken into account, or they had no idea what was going on.

So if a top religious authority says girls can't be forced into a marriage, we wanted to know why it's still happening.

Hello, sir. Nice to meet you.

Vee Satnorayanan (ph) is the deputy police commissioner. He says the network of traffickers sends potential customers to Hyderabad.

Look, if this is an international criminal racket, why aren't the police doing more?

UNIDENITIFED MALE (subtitles): We are doing -- we are continuously doing, that's why the rampancy, whatever the degree of this occurrence has come

down, it has come down. And we want zero tolerance to this nasty criminal act.

LILA: Because only 5 percent of the police force are women, Shaheen and its volunteers have been taking matters into their own hands, running their

own sting operations, trying to catch known traffickers in the act and then giving their undercover footage to police forcing them to act.

When you look around at this house and all of the people here that you have helped, do you think you are making a difference?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully. I only think it is a drop in the ocean. We have to do a lot. We need to do a lot.

LILA: And as this group of women head out, they know it could be dangerous. But if it means saving lives, they all say, the risk is worth

it.

Muhammad Lila, CNN, Hyderabad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, on Wednesday, we go undercover with the women as they try to catch human traffickers in the act and get them off the street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LILA: Inside this house they are posing as a mother and a group of friends, trying to sell two underage girls into a forced marriage for the

equivalent of just a few hundred dollars.

The house they are in belongs to a woman who is a well-known marriage broker. What the broker doesn't know is that across town, Jameela Neeshat

(ph) is listening in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: ...that secret footage and what they found on our Freedom Project series, brides for sale. Don't miss it.

Well, CNN is committed to fighting modern day slavery. And on March 14, we are teaming up

with young people around the globe for a unique student-led day of action called my freedom day, driving my freedom day is a simple question. What

does freedom mean to you? Send us your answer via text, photo or video across social media using My Freedom Day as a hashtag.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:40] CURNOW: And earlier we saw protests in London over the U.S. temporary travel ban. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has added her voice

to that chorus, even though her own country suffered a terror attack over Christmas. She says the Trump administration's action can't be justified.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLP)

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): The necessary and decisive fight against terrorism does in no way justify general suspicion

against people of certain beliefs, in this case people of the Muslim faith, or from a certain origin. These actions, according to my beliefs are

against the core idea of international aid for refugees and international cooperation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, Atika Shubert joins us now from Berline. Strong words there from the

German chancellor. But how much pressure is she under?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she's been under pressure since obviously the refugee crisis happened here. She opened the

doors to the tens of thousands of refugees. And then you had things like the mass sexual assault in Cologne, for example, and of course the

Christmas market attack.

But interestingly in this case, she still maintains a lot of public support. When we spoke to people on the streets of Berlin today, overall

people were not in favor of this executive order by Trump.

And even though Germany has had its share of criticism about its refugee policy, many Germans I have spoken to here basically say it needs to be

managed better. You shouldn't shut the doors entirely.

But Merkel is facing elections this year. So she will be coming under increasing pressure. And of course, Trump has singled her out saying

though he respects her as a leader, her policy on refugees was, quote, a catastrophic mistake.

So she is sort of, if you will, the anti-Trump. And in fact, on Saturday, in her phone call with Trump, she told him personally that the executive

order was, frankly, wrong and that it was against international law, specifically the Geneva Convention on Refugees. And

she's perhaps the only world leader to tell him this personally so pointedly.

CURNOW: You make a good point there. Let's also talk about -- we spoke a little bit about earlier in the show about the EU calling the Trump

administration an external threat to the EU, along with China, Russia and radical Islam.

SHUBERT: Yeah. Well, Donald Trump in an interview with European media has said that the European Union is essentially a vehicle for Germany, that's

how he described it. He also said that he expects other nations to follow suit with Great Britain and leave the EU. So it's not really a surprise

that Donald Tusk would say, well, the Trump administration is a very serious concern.

The EU certainly feels very threatened at this moment, and it's primary objective at the moment is to stay united in this is what preoccupies the

minds of leaders like Chancellor Merkel.

CURNOW: But certainly having the American president say these things about immigration, about the EU, about her leadership and her decision making

isn't helpful, particularly as you say during an election year.

SHUBERT: It's clearly not going to be helpful, not only for Merkel but -- and remember, there's elections in The Netherlands coming up very soon, in

March, and in France in April and May.

So Merkel is facing a tough year. There is no doubt.

At this point, however, her approval ratings are still relatively high, a majority of the German public still supports her leadership. A lot could

happen before the elections happen on September.

[08:35:16] CURNOW: Atika Shubert there, thank you very much, perspective there from Germany.

Now, some of the most focal opponents of the immigration ban are from tech companies. We will tell you what Silicon Valley is doing to fight back

against the executive order. Stay with us. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Well, as protests are held across the United States over the immigration ban, tech companies may weigh in on a legal challenge to the

executive order. Reuters is reporting that several leading tech companies have been invited to a meeting to discuss a friend

of the court brief. Some are already going beyond rhetoric, though -- AirBnB and Vibr are providing free housing and calls for those affected by

the ban, while Google and Lyft pledged millions to the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that are fighting the ban.

And it's not just tech executives are speaking out, hundreds of Google employees held a protest on Monday outside the company's California

headquarters protesting the immigration ban.

And we have complete coverage of the U.S. travel ban and its fallout, including this detailed

explanation of how the U.S. screens refugees. It's all at CNN.com.

And now to concern over the future of artificial intelligence. Some fear the rise of machines -- think of killer robot movies -- but a team at

Google's creative labs thinks it can change how people view AI by getting them to draw.

Kristie Lu Stout spoke to Alexander Chen about the appeal of quick draw.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Quick draw is a lot of fun, you know, it's this great doodling game. And it's also very -- an

impressive AI. I was really impressed when I was playing around with it myself. And it correctly guessed my doodle of a goatee.

Could you just tell us, how the AI was able to do that?

ALEXANDRE CHEN, GOOGLE: Yeah. Quick draw is a game built using machine learning.

And machine learning is really just math and computer programming. But it's a little bit of a different approach to it.

So, in this game, when you draw something like a goatee or take a cat, for example, you think about the millions of different ways that people around

the world drew cats for this game. So one person might draw the ears, another person might focus on the whiskers, another might draw the whole

body. And what machine learning is able to is look across all of those drawings and figure out the patterns in that.

LU STOUT: Now, the AI is very clever. It's able to guess what your doodle is. It does make some mistakes. And, you know, I will be generous here,

it's not as if my doodles were particularly good. But it thought my doodle of a zebra was a bear.

So, I need to improve as a sketch artist, but how can the AI improve?

CHEN: Of course, it's going to be wrong sometimes. And that's part of the fun of this project was we wanted to put it out there as a way for people

to kind of get curious about machine learning. The mistakes are actually kind of the fun of it where they can start to wonder, why didn't it get

this drawing right or why did it get this drawing right. And having it be this

hands-on toy I think really gives you a different feeling about playing with artificial intelligence.

LU STOUT: And does the AI learn and give more accurate results over time?

CHEN: Yes. So, that's part of the fun of it, too, is that as the world plays with this game, it is actually adding to the overall set of

drawings, which is what machine learning is all based on. And so far, you know, in the first three days we saw over 2 million people play with it.

And now there's -- all of the people who have played with it together have generated 350 million drawings. And it's still increasing as people keep

playing with it.

[08:40:25] LU STOUT: Quick draw is such an easy, very approachable, simple approach to AI. Do you think it serves the purpose of demystifying AI and

making it less sci-fi and less scary?

CHEN: Yeah, I mean, this game obviously isn't scary at all. And I think that's part of it. On the outside, it seems like magic, but really, this

is something that people can take apart and tinker with and start to wonder about. And that's the way that people are going to come up with new ways

to apply machine learning, whether you are a coder or not.

You know, it started when my teammate, Yonas (ph) was just showing me a prototype he

made. And we just had so much fun playing with this prototype. And we realized we hadn't seen anything like that out there with machine learning

where somebody had hacked together fun prototype using machine learning. So, we're glad we are able to share it with the world and show everyone

that you can apply this stuff in all kinds of unexpected ways.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, that was Alexander Chen from Google's creative lab.

And before we go, the man known as the father of Pac-Man has died. Masaya Nakamura founded the Japanese game company Namco in 1955 making arcade

rides and games. Its biggest hit, of course, was Pac-Man, which came out in 1980. In its first year alone, the game sold more than 100,000 units in

the U.S.

Nakamura passed away last week. He was 91.

Well, that was News Stream. I'm Robyn Curnow. Don't go anywhere. Thanks so much for joining us, though. I'm going to hand you over to World Sport

and Amanda Davies.

END