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Russia Blames Terrorists for Gas Attack in Syria; North Korea Tests Missile Ahead of U.S.-China Meeting. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired April 05, 2017 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:0014] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.
Syria's toxic gas atrocity: Russia blames terrorists for the poisonous attack, but world leaders say the Assad regime is behind it.
Curious words from the U.S. after another apparent missile launch by North Korea, this on the eve of the first meeting between President Trump and
Chinese Leader Xi Jinping. We'll take a look at what's at stake.
And we begin this hour with the latest developments on that horrific suspected chemical attack in Northern Syria, an attack that the UN says is
proof that war crimes are being committed there. And again, a warning, the images that we're about to show you, the images that you've seen in the
last 24 hours, they are disturbing, but they demand our attention.
Now, this was the aftermath of an air strike that hit Syria's Idlib Province killing at least 70 people, including children. Russia says rebel
munitions were hit.
World leaders say that they suspect Syria attacked with poison gas, that the regime was behind this.
Now, the World Health Organization says it looks like the victims, they were exposed to a nerve agent. And we are covering the reaction to this
attack from all angles. Let's go straight to our Matthew Chance who is following developments in Moscow. And, Matthew, according to
Russia, who was responsible for this chemical attack in Idlib?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, this is the Russians attempting to shield their Syrian allies from criticism and
from sanction from the international community over this appalling loss of life that we've all been witnessing and seeing terrible images of on our
television screens over the past 24 hours or so.
The Russians say the chemicals that caused that loss of life derived from rebel chemical
weapons that were on the ground.
Now, the Russian defense ministry has posted a statement online. Its spokesman has given that
statement on camera, which posted on its Facebook page and on its YouTube channel, acknowledging that the Syrian aircraft carried out air strikes in
that part of southern Idlib in northern Syria where the loss of life took place. But they're saying it was a strike against a rebel munitions
factory that was creating or manufacturing land mines that were being filled with poisonous, toxic material.
Take a listen to what Igor Kanoshenkov, the defense ministry spokesman, had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. IGOR KONASHENKOV, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator): Syrian aviation made a strike on a large terrorist ammunition
depot and a concentration of military hardware in the eastern outskirts on the Khan Shaykhun (ph) town.
On the territory of the depot, there were workshops, which produced chemical warfare munitions. Terrorists had been transporting chemical
munitions from this large arsenal the territory of Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: All right, well, the Russians haven't provided any evidence that this version of events, but the timing of it I think is key because it
comes just a few hours before an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council is to assemble in New York to debate this issue of
chemical attacks inside Syria and potentially to vote on a new resolution condemning the Syrian governments of Bashar al-Assad, Russia's ally, for
carrying out those attacks.
Now, of course, Russia has been a long-standing diplomatic shield for Damascus. It's vetoed at least seven UN Security Council resolutions in
the past and it seems to be preparing the ground for taking a stand on this occasion as well.
LU STOUT: And we'll be looking ahead to seeing that take place in a few hours from now.
This new line just coming out in the last few moments from Putin's spokesperson saying
that Russia will continue its military operation in Syria in spite of the suspected chemical attack. And Matthew, I have to ask you, remind us here,
why is Russia involved in Syria and with significant firepower and diplomacy assisting the regime?
CHANCE: Well, that statement from Dmitry Peskov coming to us within the past few minutes when he was asked whether the Russian forces, or Russia
would withdraw its support from Bashar al-Assad given the reports of this latest atrocity.
And that was a categorical rejection of any such move even being considered.
The Russians have been integral, central, to the regime of Bashar al-Assad, first of all, bolstering its position inside Syria. It was under - just a
couple of years ago and was on the back foot when it came to rebel advances during Syria's civil war. The intervention of the Russian military,
particularly with its air power to back Syrian army, Syrian government army troops on the ground along with other Syrian allies, for instance from
Iran, has been instrumental in bolstering President Assad's position and in making further territorial gains.
Late last year, of course, the main city of Aleppo was captured by Syrian forces, but crucially with the backing of Russian air power. That military
assistance and backing is going to continue, it seems.
[08:05:57] LU STOUT: All right, Matthew Chance reporting live from Moscow, thank you. And these latest lines of communication that we're getting from
the Kremlin they come just ahead of talks between the U.S. President Donald Trump as well as King Abdullah of Jordan.
Now, they'll be meeting at the White House in the coming hours. The Syrian conflict is high on
agenda. And for more on this, Jomana Karadsheh joins us in Amman, Jordan.
And Jomana, from Syria to ISIS to peace in the Middle East, we have a lot on the agenda for these two world leaders.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of issues to discuss, Kristie. And according to Jordanian officials, topping the
agenda, of course, as you mention, would be the war in Syria. You're talking about this conflict that's gone into its seventh year now. It's
had such a huge impact on this small country. When you talk about that refugee influx, Jordan hosting more than a million Syrian refugees. They
say this has had a real impact on the country's economy. Then there's the security threat from across the border in Syria.
So, this is one thing they really want to work with the U.S. and other countries to reach a resolution to try and end that conflict.
And then there's that issue of ISIS and fighting extremism, the feeling here from Jordanian officials, King Abdullah has also voiced his
frustration over the past year or so, but not enough is being done, that there isn't an aggressive enough approach in fighting extremism, not just
ISIS, expanding that fight beyond Iraq and Syria and fighting other extremist groups.
They're trying to get the U.S. more involved and to broaden this fight against extremism.
But one issue, Kristie, that Jordanian officials will tell you is very critical when it comes to this
meeting is the Middle East peace process, when it comes to the Palestinian- Israeli conflict. King Abdullah is taking a message to President Trump, to the United States following the Arab leaders summit that took place here in
Amman last week, and that's where we heard a declaration coming at the end of that summit where Arab leaders decided to have some sort of consensus
here that they want to revive the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians, that they are offering to revive that
initiative of 2002, the Arab Peace Initiative where they're offering Israel recognition in exchange for a Palestinian state, insisting that there's
only one solution to that conflict and that is a two-state solution.
So, very critical issues that will be discussed between the two leaders today. And of course, Kristie, we should expect a very warm welcome for
King Abdullah in Washington today. He has been praised by President Trump in the past as one of the key allies of the United States in the fight
against extremism.
LU STOUT: Yeah, so it's likely to be a warm and friendly encounter. Jomana Karadsheh reporting live from Amman, thank you.
Now, it is a big week of diplomacy for President Trump. And it looks like North Korea is
demanding attention. The U.S. believes Pyongyang has fired yet another ballistic missile into the sea. Now, Beijing is calling on all parties to
exercise restraint while Washington has issued an unusually short statement saying it has spoken enough about North Korea and has no further comment.
Now, for more, Will Ripley has reported extensively from inside North Korea. He joins us now live from Beijing. Will, another test by North
Korea today. Exactly what was fired? And does it show that North Korea is making progress in its weapons program?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's believed to be a ballistic missile similar to the one that was fired when President Trump and Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were meeting back in February. This would be an intermediate range missile, although this particular missile flew a very
short distance. It did go relatively high up before heading back down to the ground, so there's a lot of speculation was this a test failure, were
they perhaps just testing one aspect of the missile's flight path. These are things that we just don't know. Obviously, North Korea very secretive
about its missile development.
But each test does show progress. And we have to keep in mind the timing here. Of course, we have the upcoming meeting in Mar-a-Lago between
President Xi and President Trump. But also next week is a big week for North Korea. Their supreme people's assembly will happen on Tuesday.
That's a major political gathering where the delegates vote unanimously in favor of whatever motions the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presents.
And then on Saturday, it's the Day of the Sun, North Korea's most important holiday of the year.
And in previous years, we have seen major provocative behavior from North Korea ahead of this holiday, because it's a time for Kim to project
strength not only to his own people, but also around the world. We've seen a satellite launch attempt ahead of the Day of the Sun, and also there's
the potential for a nuclear test. All the analysts are saying that really North Korea could push the button on a nuclera test at any time.
[08:10:52] LU STOUT: And your thoughts on what could come out of this upcoming summit between Trump and Xi. I mean, Trump says he's willing to
go it alone to stop North Korea's weapons program if China doesn't help.
He'll be sitting down to talk about this very issue with Xi Jinping in Florida. Do you think what happened today will grant a sense of urgency,
will somehow compel those leaders to work together on this?
RIPLEY: Perhaps. Although, Chinese officials here in Beijing are downplaying that there's any connection between the Xi-Trump meeting and
this ballistic missile launch. It's obviously pretty irritating for China to have their president's name alongside the North Korean leader whenever
there's a provocative act that takes place.
But the view of the United States, certainly the Trump administration, and much of the world is that China remains North Korea's sole patron or
benefactor because they trade anywhere from 70 percent to 90 percent of North Korean trade is with China.
And so people feel that China has economic leverage that it's not using, whereas China feels that it's up to the United States to stop joint
military exercises with South Korea and then engage diplomatically with North Korea to defuse tensions.
And then those comments over the weekend from President Trump in the Financial Times somewhat, you know, cryptic remarks that could have
indicated that the United States is considering military action against North Korea, which of course has enraged Pyongyang. They put out some
pretty provocative rhetoric of their own within the past day or so.
It just goes to show that China and the United States do really need to work together if they're going have any effective approach on North Korea,
although the past decade of attempts from multiple administrations, really the past 20 years, have not stopped North Korea's
weapons development whatsoever.
LU STOUT: Will Ripley reporting live from Beijing, thank you.
Now, President Trump has been talking tough on ways to rein in North Korea, but he could be facing a reality check. Ivan Watson weighs out the
options.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: President Trump says he's willing to go it alone to stop North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
But he's facing regime that he has challenged U.S. administrations on this issue for a quarter century. Experts argue he has three basic strategies
for confronting Pyongyang starting with negotiations.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Would you speak to the leader of North Korea? I said, absolutely. Why not? Why not?
WATSON: Previous U.S. administrations have negotiated directly with North Korea, and in the past, Pyongyang has made some concessions in exchange for
big financial aid. But experts say Pyongyang used its existing nuclear weapons as the ultimate insurance policy, protecting North Korea from the
threat of possible military strikes.
PROF. ANDREI LANKOV, KOOKMIN UNIVERSITY: They are not going to give up a single nuclear weapon, a single warhead as they have already produced, and
no amount of negotiation is going to change that.
WATSON: A second option: sanctions. The U.S. already has many sanctions in place to economically isolate North Korea. But a further step might be to
punish companies that do business with North Korea, particularly those in China, North Korea's largest trading partner.
LANKOV: So, past policies have not worked actually because China is not completely participating, actually because the North Korean state is
designed in a way that basically makes the government quite oblivious to the demands of the population.
WATSON: The final option would be a military strike. Targets could include the North Korean leadership or their nuclear weapons or ballistic missile
facilities. But a former top U.S. official warned the consequences for a key U.S. ally could then be devastating.
ASH CARTER, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's quite possible that they would as a consequence of that launch, an attempted invasion of South Korea. This
is a war that would have an intensity of violence associated with it that we haven't seen since the last Korean War.
WATSON: There is one possible ray of hope: neither the U.S. nor China, the two biggest superpowers in the region, want to see a nuclear-armed North
Korea. If they can work together, then perhaps they can find a way to deal with the hermit kingdom and its weapons of mass destruction.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[08:15:21] LU STOUT: Now, the U.S. and China will have that chance to work on those issues
when Mr. Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida on Thursday. But dealing with North Korea is merely one challenge they face.
Now, here is a look at what's at stake for both sides.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matt Rivers in Beijing.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN'S CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping may be in a relaxed setting when they meet at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. But
the issues on the table very tense ones. North Korea high on the agenda. President Trump wants China to help more in restraining North Korea's
nuclear weapons program, but just this weekend said that if Beijing does not work to stop it, the U.S. will, telling the Financial Times, "If China
is not going to solve North Korea, we will."
Beijing is North Korea's only real ally and accounts for some 70 percent of the country's trade. Trump blames China for not using enough of that
leverage to curb North Korea's march towards developing a nuclear tip missile that could one day be capable of reaching the United States.
RIVERS: But Jim, China sees things very differently. It is balking at further economic pressure on Pyongyang. Regime collapse is the last thing
it wants. China says North Korea's fear of U.S. aggression is at the root of its nuclear arsenal. China suggests the U.S. stop its regular massive
war games with South Korea with the quid pro quo that North Korea stops its missile and nuclear testing.
The U.S. and China don't see eye to eye on trade either. President Xi has been marketing himself as a champion of free trade and globalization. The
deal here is that though there is room for improvement, globalization is a win/win scenario. But a trade war between the world's two largest economies
would make everyone lose.
SCIUTTO: Well, but Matt, Donald Trump has a very different point of view. China by far the largest source of the U.S. half a trillion dollar trade
deficit, President Trump is accused China of being responsible for stealing U.S. jobs and hurting the U.S. economy.
Trump signed executive orders last week initiating a large-scale review of the causes of the U.S. trade deficits. China will be a focal point of that
review. Regional security, a thorny issue between the U.S. and China, one big point of contention, the South China Sea where China has built and is
militarizing in the view of the U.S., islands in international waters along crucial shipping routes for the region and for global trade.
Trump's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that China should be blocked from accessing those artificial islands it has built setting the
stage for a potential conflict.
RIVERS: China just doesn't buy that. Beijing insists that the South China Sea is historically Chinese and it has the right to develop it and defend
it as it sees fit. Disputes with the other regional claimants should be dealt with by the countries involved and the U.S. has no business to
meddle. Those are just some of the issues that Presidents Trump and Xi are likely to tackle when they meet at Mar-a- Lago.
SCIUTTO: This U.S.-China summit is crucial. What comes out of this two-day meeting could set the tone for U.S.-China relations for the next four
years.
For Matt Rivers in Beijing, I'm Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And we will have much more on the concerns over North Korea a little later in the program, including a look at how the U.S. has been
trying to undermine North Korea's nuclear ambitions through cyber warfare.
Also ahead, a witness to the St. Petersburg metro bombing tells CNN that he will never forget the look on survivors' faces as they helped the wounded
get to safety, more on how Russia is coping in the aftermath just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:21:11] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching News Stream.
Now, the Pakistani Taliban are claiming responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing in the
city of Lahore. A government spokesperson says members of Pakistan security services were targeted as they conducted the national census.
At least six people were killed, two of them civilians. 16 people were wounded, and two in
critical condition.
Russia is in three days of mourning following Monday's deadly metro bombing in St. Petersburg. More than a dozen injured victims are still recovering
in hospitals.
Now, Paula Newton spoke with medical staff caring for them. And a warning, the report it contains video that you will find disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In every sense, the survivors here are utterly shattered. Wounds cover their bodies, the horror still on their
minds. This young woman was pierced with flying metal and glass shredding her flesh. The cruelest cuts slashing her face.
Is she going to be OK?
VYACHESLAV AFONCHIKOV, DEPUTY CHIEF PHYSICIAN, SAINT PETERSBURG RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF EMERGENCY: I think that very good prognosis.
NEWTON: Really, she's a young woman.
AFONCHIKOV: Yes.
NEWTON: So, this is the second operating room.
AFONCHIKOV: Yes.
NEWTON: Dr. Vyacheslav Afonchikov walks us through intensive care. Eighteen victims came to this hospital. He tells me so far they haven't lost any.
The two patients are still quite critical. They have serious injuries?
AFONCHIKOV: Prognosis he's not finished now. It is, how do you say, 50/50.
NEWTON: It's delicate.
AFONCHIKOV: Yes.
NEWTON: The fact is teams here have been preparing for this kind of a terrorist incident for years now. And when the victims arrived here, many
of them had dozens of wounds, very serious wounds all over their bodies.
AFONCHIKOV: We see them. When we look on x-rays closer.
(CROSSTALK)
NEWTON: So you were removing -- you were removing tiny metal pellets from patient's bodies.
AFONCHIKOV: Yes.
NEWTON: And you could see them. That must have been loaded in the explosive, it must have been in the bomb?
AFONCHIKOV: Yes, of course.
NEWTON: Alexey Chirochkin (Ph) saw victims pouring out of the train onto the platform and snapped this photo. Then he realized what was happening.
He says he'll never forget the look on survivors' faces as everyone pulled together to help victims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's possible that the person I dragged out was dead. He had lots of blood on his jacket. He was soaked in
it. I don't know if he's alive.
NEWTON: Just a day later, the same platform was already a shrine to the victims, but also a potent sign of strength. People here in St. Petersburg
boarded the same subway line in defiance and got on with their day.
Vigilance was high, security tight, and yet all around there were touching scenes of grief. Resilience in this city is rooted in its epic history. It
can never be conveyed in a single gesture, let alone a hash tag. But instead you feel it. Solemn prayers, bitter tears and profound disbelief.
Paula Newton, CNN, St. Petersburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now, CNN's Oren Liebermann is outside the metro station where the attack happened. He joins us now live. And Oren, you're getting more
details about the attacker. Are we closer to understanding how and why he carried out this brutal bombing?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At this point the why, the motive behind this remains a question. It has been speculation of
radicalization, but nothing definitive yet from investigators. They have pointed out, and this comes
from the Interfax news agency that there have been six arrested or detained in St. Petersburg for
suspected links or recruitment to al-Nusra or ISIS, but investigators have not definitively linked that to the suspect, 22-year-old Akbarzhon Jalilov.
They do say, though, Jalilov planted both bombs, both the bomb that exploded in the suicide attack as well as the bomb that was found, but was
diffused before it detonated, that was found one or two stations away. They say they have DNA from that bomb that matches it to Jalilov and they
say they've combined that to closed circuit television to come to the conclusion that it was one person, it was Jalilov who both planted the bomb
and then carried out the suicide explosion near this metro station here.
And you can see behind me the memorial itself is still growing as hundreds, if not thousands, have come to lay flowers here or light candles or pay a
moment of respect in their own way. So this city very much grieving as it struggles as it tries to move on at this point.
It is also worth pointing out that the suspects parents, Jalilov's parents, were spotted coming in to St. Petersburg airport earlier today. They
refused to answer reporters questions about any statement to the victims that they may have or how they feel about what their son carried out
according to investigators.
[08:25:55] LU STOUT: As you mentioned, the memorial behind you growing larger with people of St. Petersburg laying down flowers in tribute to the
victims. There are three days of mourning, not just there but across Russia to remember the lives taken in this attack.
Again, 14 people lost. What more have you learned about them?
WATSON: Well, we've learned a little bit at this point as the days pass and the investigation itself continues. We know the youngest victim was
just 17-years-old, the oldest 71. And others in between there.
Four have not been identified by investigators because at this point it is too difficult and that will have to be carried out through DNA testing to
identify four of the other victims.
We've learned a little bit more about one of them, for example. 25-year- old Denise Petrov who was a trainer and died in this attack.
More information will come out as time passes here and as more information and the other
victims are identified.
LU STOUT: Yeah, absolutely. A horrific terror attack. Thank you for humanizing the
victims and sharing some of their stories with us.
Oren Liebermann reporting live from St. Petersburg. You're watching News Stream. And after the break, we'll be speaking to a defense expert on the
state of cyber warfare against North Korea and whether it's actually effective in tackling Kim Jong-un's nuclear program.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[08:30:52] LU STOUT: The U.S. has been trying to tackle the issue of North Korea's growing nuclear program on several fronts including through cyber
warfare. Now, Reuters recently reported the U.S. tried to attack North Korea's nuclear weapons program years ago with a computer virus, an attack
that has parallels to the stuxnet virus that hit Iran's nuclear program in 2009 and 2010.
Now, Peter Layton is a visiting fellow at Griffith Asia Institute and has more than 35 years of extensive military defense experience. He joins me
now via Skype for more on this.
Peter, thank you for joining us on the program.
Now, under U.S. President Obama, the cyber warfare program seemed to have worked. But what about today? And I ask because of what happened today.
North Korea continues to launch a series of rocket tests, nuclear and engine tests as well. What is the cyber warfare situation today?
PETER LAYTON, GRIFFITH ASIA INSTITUTE: I think there's two different aspects there. One is that the launch earlier was already tested an
established missile, and it was an intermediate-range rocket. So, fairly short range and in service.
However, if we're talking about new longer range missiles, then I think that the cyber warfare program that President Obama started about three
years ago has worked relatively well.
The problem is, is the cyber warfare program will only slow things down, it won't stop the development of missiles.
LU STOUT: So, cyber warfare, it won't destroy or defeat North Korea's nuclear program, but it can delay it. But I'm curious about how it can
even work. North Korea is one of the most closed off countries in the world. And we don't know where all kits launch sites and nuclear sites are
located.
So, how would an agent even pinpoint and send a cyber attack against North Korea? How does that work?
LAYTON: OK, well, while North Korea only has a very limited internet access to the outside world through a single plug that goes through China,
North Korea does have an intranet inside North Korea where officials and engineers and military personnel can access. In the case of the test
firings and of the missiles, these cyber viruses can be entered into the intranet
by covert means and then cause difficulties with the development of the missile.
You will recall that in the Iranian case, with the stuxnet, that somehow the virus was smuggled into the Iranian nuclear system, which was also a
closed-office stem as well and intranet, also. But the problem was, just like stuxnet with the work on the missiles, they can slow down the
engineering work and they can cause some testing failures, you will recall that last year there was a run of failures.
But the trouble is that over time both Iranians and the North Koreans have worked out what is
happening.
So, they have hardened up all of the facilities considerably.
LU STOUT: There is the THAAD anti-missile system designed to take down a rocket after launch. That is not foolproof. Cyber warfare would
theoretically prevent the launch from even happening. But is it a more reliable option? I mean, how would you weigh the two?
LAYTON: I would probably think personally that THAAD would be a safer bet. What they call this, I suppose, is a layered defense system whereby the so-
called left of launch sites, left of boom as far as the various IED terms that came out of Iraq. They take various actions to try and stop a missile
being launched in the first place.
And if the missile has been launched, then sort of right of launch systems like the THAAD missile that will physically shoot down incoming rockets.
The trouble about the cyber warfare is that even been - even if it's worked, you are not sure. It is very difficult doing i-analysis and
whether your cyber warfare has been effective.
[08:35:11] LU STOUT: Now, the U.S. as its been established, has had a cyber warfare program against North Korea and its weapons program. You're
indicating that North Korea has been aware of that and is building up its cyber defenses. But we also know North Korea has used cyber warfare on
overseas targets, for example, the big Sony Pictures hack from a couple of years ago.
Does North Korea have the know-how to infiltrate the U.S. weapons or nuclear arsenal? Could it go that way?
LAYTON: In a hypothetical basis, possibly. Most of the U.S. systems, though, are fairly hardened or they are closed-office systems as well. In
the North Korean case, they have a significant cyber warfare capability, but most of it at the present time seems to be, if you like, stealing money
out of banks. Recently, or over the last 12 months, they have been able to access banks across 18 nations, stealing reasonable sums of money from
them and thereby financing their missile programs and their nuclear programs.
There's also been a number of intrusions into South Korea and just recently there was an
intrusion into the South Korean cyber warfare center that apparently stole some of the American-South Korean op plan for a hypothetical future war
between North Korea and South Korea.
And the op plan tells you what sort of - what the various force elements will do and how they will function during a conflict.
LU STOUT: Peter, really appreciate your thoughts and your analysis on North Korea's cyber warfare capabilities and also the U.S. cyber warfare
that's been conducted in the last few years targeting North Korea and the nuclear threat it poses. That was Peter Layton, visiting fellow of the
Griffith Asia Institute. Thank you and take care.
LAYTON: Thank you.
LU STOUT: Now, Amazon will soon bring American football to the masses online. The tech giant is teaming up with the NFL this seaons to live
stream 10 prime time Thursday night match-ups. The deal reportedly cost Amazon some $50 million.
But there's a catch, it's only available to Amazon Prime members.
It's estimated that there are 60 million subscribers right now.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube they were also in the running for the live streaming rights. Last season it was Twitter that got the deal reportedly
paying just $10 million.
Almost a quarter million people tuned in online during an average minute of the first game. But that doesn't compare to the TV audience at over 15
million by the same measure.
The NFL is using live streaming to attract viewers who have abandoned cable.
You're watching News Stream, still ahead, hundreds of companies are clamoring to build President Trump's border wall. But Latino contractors
who want to work on it, they face quite a unique challenge.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back.
Now, bidding has closed for companies looking to work on President Trump's border wall
with Mexico.
Now, hundreds of firms have expressed interest, including several owned by Latinos.
Boris Sanchez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[08:40:02] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would build a great wall and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me.
CROWD: Build a wall. Build a wall.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Since day one of his campaign, then candidate Donald Trump's promise of building a wall along
the border with Mexico has been a lightning rod, drawing chants from his supporters and scorn from his opponents. And now that the federal
government is accepting design bids for the wall, that ire is now focused on those who want to construct it.
MARIO BURGOS, OWNER, BURGOS GROUP: Every country in the world has borders. If you don't have borders, you don't have a country.
SANCHEZ: Mario Burgos is one of many contractors who've submitted bids to work on the wall. The son of Ecuadorian immigrants did not vote for Donald
Trump and he rejects the president's rhetoric about Mexicans and other minorities.
BURGOS: It's absolutely mean spirited.
SANCHEZ (on camera): But thousands of miles away from the divisive language of the campaign trail, here, in the desert of New Mexico, on the border
with Ciudad Juarez, reality trumps rhetoric.
BURGOS: The bottom line is, New Mexico has the highest unemployment rate in the nation right now, 6.7 percent. We have created these jobs. We have 120
employees now working for us. Our employees have families that they need to feed, just like we have families that we need to feed.
SANCHEZ (voice-over): The idea of Hispanics playing a role in the wall's construction has not been without controversy. This week the archdiocese of
Mexico City launched an attack on Mexican companies willing to work on the border wall, calling them "immoral" and "traitors."
BURGOS: Traitor to what? I am an American. It goes back to, we have borders. Every country in the world has borders.
SANCHEZ: Burgos says online trolls are already targeting his business.
BURGOS: Just calling me a bunch of names because I'm going to go build a wall.
SANCHEZ: But Burgos insists, if a wall is going up in his backyard, he wants any economic windfall to stay in his backyard.
BURGOS: There is no changing the fact that New Mexico is a border state. And so if there's going to be a border built in New Mexico, I'd like to see
New Mexico companies, both us as a general contractor, our subcontractors, the people that manufacture concrete, the folks that live here, work here,
coach soccer here, they should be able to participate in building the wall. And the truth is, if you can't beat them, bill them.
SANCHEZ (on camera): Mario Burgos is not alone. Of the more than 600 contractors that have registered with the federal government to build the
border wall, about 10 percent are Hispanic owned.
Boris Sanchez, CNN, along the U.S. border with Ciudad Juarez in New Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAYES: And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere. World Sport with Rihannon Jones is next.
END