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White House Announced Presidential Visit to Asia; Serena Williams Announces Pregnancy; Bill O'Reilly Out at Fox; French Presidential Election Becomes Four-Person Race. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired April 20, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:17] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream.

Now, the U.S. president is to tour Asia later this year. Vice President Mike Pence says Donald Trump will attend leadership summits in the region

this autumn.

Now, meanwhile the U.S. Secretary of State slams Iran saying it has the potential to take the same path as North Korea.

And Serena Williams announces that she is expecting her first child, meaning that she won January's Australian Open while pregnant.

Donald Trump's administration is tackling a series of global crises. But a string of conflicting

messages is threatening the agenda.

Now, questions are still swirling about the location of a fleet of warships that the president had said was headed toward North Korea. And hiw

secretary of state is ramping up the rhetoric against Iran while the State Department had praised its actions. And once again, tensions with Russia

are escalating.

Now, we're going to touch on all those in just a moment.

But first, we have just received word from the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that Donald

Trump is coming to Asia.

Now, he made the announcement a short time ago from Indonesia where the United States wants to boost its trade.

CNN's Ivan Watson has been following all these developments for us from Seoul. He joins us now. And Ivan, again, we just learned that the U.S.

president is coming to Asia in the fall. How is Mike Pence and his visit to Asia setting the stage for that?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's going around, traveling around Asia, bringing messages of good will and warmth and

friendship on behalf of President Trump. And so this latest announcement, Kristie, that Donald Trump will attend these two key kind of summits, the

association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting, which will be in The Philippines in November and then the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation

meeting takes place in Vietnam, that is following up kind of the U.S. commitment to the region.

You know, under the former Obama administration there was the famous and vaunted pivot to Asia. We didn't know what to expect from the Trump

administration, which announced that it was going to rip up the Transpacific Partnership, called into question as a candidate, Trump called

into question the military deployments in Korea and in Japan, arguing both of those countries need to pay more for U.S. troops being there. Also

talked about trade surpluses and arguing that some Asian nations were taking advantage of the U.S. in trade.

Well, we're starting to see different messages coming from this new Trump administration, quite a bit of engagement in the region, perhaps in large

part because of this crisis involving North Korea and its nuclear weapons program - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, we know Mike Pence today, he has been visiting Indonesia and his visit there comes at a very delicate time especially on the back of

that controversial election for governor of Jakarta, and there's also the religion issue. You know, Pence is an evangelical Christian. Donald Trump

has used pretty harsh words about the Muslim world. How has that weighed on Pence's visit to Indonesia?

WATSON: Well, there was some symbolism here to seeing this vice president, this American vice president visiting the largest mosque in Jakarta in the

world's most populous Muslim country.

I've reported there in the past when Donald Trump was a candidate and when he was calling for a ban on Muslims coming to the U.S. And Indonesians had

very mixed feelings about that type of rhetoric, and the subsequent travel bans which some critics have called essentially bans on Muslims from

majority Muslim countries, I had heard months back from some Indonesians, hey, we should respond in kind. We should prevent Donald Trump from being

able to invest and develop golf courses and tourist resorts in our country.

So, here you have Vice President Pence come in with a message of good will, meeting with the imam of that mosque, trying to show a friendlier face in

the world's most populous Muslim country, but also coming at a delicate time when the former governor of Jakarta, who happened to come from not

only the ethnic Chinese minority, but also from the Christian minority in that country, was beaten after a very contentious election campaign in

which hard line Islamist groups in Indonesia went after him in large part because he was not a Muslim supporting the alternative candidate

at a time when that governor was facing charges in court for blasphemy, charges that have since been changed to inciting hatred.

But it gives a sense of the ethnic and religious tensions there, at a time when Vice President Pence is visiting. And of course, as you mentioned, a

very proud and outspoken evangelical Christian to boot.

But it doesn't appear that he stepped into any of the local political dispute over those issues

during his visit or at least has not yet - Kristie.

LU STOUT: Got you. Ivan Watson reporting for us live, many thanks indeed for that, Ivan. Take care.

Now, in South Korea, the military is conducting annual drills with the United States. Now, that always leaves North Korea on edge, but it is more

unsettling this year. Paula Hancocks reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is Max Thunder, a massive air exercise between the U.S. and South Korea. There is about 80

aircraft involved, more than 1,500 personnel.

Now, we're told it's routine: It is annual. The lieutenant colonel in charge of it said that it has been planned for months, and they don't have

a specific enemy in mind when they're carrying out this exercise.

But, of course, with what is happening on the Korean peninsula, that right now, means that this is very much in the spotlight. We know that North

Korea has blamed the United States for pushing to almost the brink of war. There is rhetoric on both sides being very strong at this point.

But from this point of view, the people who are involved in this particular exercise say that it's just important for them to be able to know how to

work with each other in case of a war. We're being told that this is as close a simulation as you can get to a possible war situation.

Now, of course, North Korea does not like these military options. They see this as a practice for invading North Korea. The U.S., though, says that

they are defensive. China doesn't like them either. They have even suggested to the U.S. and South Korea that if they actually hold these

drills, then North Korea may suspend their nuclear and missile program.

It's not a new suggestion, and it's not a suggestion that the United States accepts.

Paula Hancock, CNN, at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, meanwhile the White House is sending mixed messages on the Iran nuclear deal. Just one day after the State Department said that

Tehran was keeping up its side of the bargain, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claimed the deal ignores many of the threats Iran poses.

Now, CNN's Joe Johns joins me live from Washington with more on this. And, Joe, the White House. The White House is ratcheting up the rhetoric over

Tehran. Tell us how?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly are ratcheting up the rhetoric.

And it involves the Iran nuclear deal put into effect by President Obama. One of the things that has happened over the course of the campaign is

that President Trump essentially said he didn't think this was a good deal for the United states at all.

Well, now the United States has affirmed that Iran appears to be playing by the rules; nonetheless, the United States has also said it wants a review

of the agreement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REX TILLERSON, SECRETARY OF STATE: The JCPOA fails to achieve the objective of a non-nuclear Iran. It only delays their goal of becoming a nuclear

state.

JOHNS (voice-over): Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declaring the

Iranian nuclear deal a failure one day after the State Department said exactly the opposite, affirming in a statement that Iran has been compliant

with its commitment to the deal. Despite this compliance, Tillerson ratcheting up the rhetoric against Tehran.

TILLERSON: An unchecked Iran has the potential to travel the same path as North Korea and take the world along with it.

JOHNS: Announcing that the deal is under review, but stopping short of threatening to issue additional sanctions or dismantle the agreement, one

of President Trump's top campaign promises.

TRUMP: My No. 1 priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.

JOHNS: Tillerson's attempt to clarify the administration's position, the latest in a string of mixed messages on foreign policy. Earlier this week,

President Trump called the Turkish president to congratulate him on a referendum that strengthened his rule, just hours after the State

Department noted reports of irregularities in the vote.

The White House also struggling to get its story straight about why the administration said in April that an aircraft carrier was racing toward the

Korean Peninsula in response to North Korea's provocations.

TRUMP: We are sending an armada. Very powerful.

JOHNS: When in reality, the fleet was headed in the opposite direction.

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president said that we have armada going towards the peninsula. That's a fact. It happened. It is

happening, rather. The statement that was put out was that the Carl Vinson group was heading to the Korean Peninsula and is heading to the Korean

Peninsula. And it will arrive there.

[08:10:13] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it there now, though?

SPICER: What's that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's headed there now. It wasn't headed there last week.

SPICER: But that's not -- that's not what we ever said.

JOHNS: Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan rallying NATO allies amid escalating tensions with another international power, Russia.

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Russia interfered in our elections. And they are interfering in elections here in Europe as we

speak.

JOHNS: As the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee says, the Russia investigation is back on track.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER: I think we're very close to agreement on our initial witness list and the process

going forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: And we have a bit more information this morning on the Carl Vinson carrier strike group status. We're now told that strike group's deployment

has been extended for another 30 days. That announcement made by Rear Admiral James Kilby on the carrier's Facebook page. Of course, this just

adds to the concerns about the tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

Kristie, back to you.

LU STOUT: Yeah, absolutely. (inaudible) in the deployment of that super carrier, as you mentioned.

The Trump administration has been talking tough on North Korea, talking tough on Iran as well. But it's still sticking with the nuclear deal for

now. So, how has the U.S. position changed here?

JOHNS: It's not changed that much at all. The president made clear they had concerns about the deal during the campaign, and this is certainly a

reflection of that, at least a reflection of skepticism by the administration about the deal.

But the other half of that is, this is also an acknowledgment that Iran appears to be playing by the rules, and there's certainly international

concerns that, if the deal were to be torn up, it could lead to even greater problems.

LU STOUT: Joe Johns reporting live from the White House. Thank you.

Now, two weeks after a punishing U.S. missile strike on a Syrian air base, the military is

taking action to protect its remaining planes.

The U.S. military says Damascus has moved most of its war planes to an international airport close to a Russian air base. We get the latest now

from CNN's Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The April 6 U.S. Tomahawk missile attack at a Syrian airbase now reverberating inside the Assad

regime.

The regime has now moved the majority of its operational fighter jets to a coastal airbase at Bassel al-Assad Airport, putting the Syrian jets under

the protective umbrella of Russia's adjacent air base.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It points to a much closer relationship than we thought they had otherwise. And it may also be an

indicator that they might want to protect some of the assets, potentially their weapons. Potentially their fuel storage areas, and it could also mean

that they may be facilitating the hiding of chemical weapons.

STARR: Something to worry about given the Trump administration's willingness to use military force in retaliation for the regime's attack in

northern Syria, using what international agencies now believe was most likely Sarin.

A finding now underscored by the international inspections regime of the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons.

The U.S. retaliatory response to the Sarin attack took out 20 percent of Syria's operational fighter jets. Twenty three fixed-wing jets were

destroyed, including seven SU-22s and 16 Mig 23s.

Defense Secretary James Mattis traveling in the region, making the point the U.S. and Russian military are still talking about their combat air

operations.

JAMES MATTIS, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We are deconflicting with the Russians. We continue to deconflict with the Russians for safety of

flight, to avoid any kind of misunderstanding or any kind of inadvertent running into each other frankly in the air.

STARR: And while Syrian aircraft are looking for Russian protection, Russian aircraft are getting closer to U.S. shores. For the second time in

two days, two Cold War era Russian bear bombers were spotted flying off the coast of Alaska. At one point, coming within 36 miles of the mainland but

carefully staying in international airspace.

U.S. military aircraft conducted routine intercepts and the bombers turned back towards Russia.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, China is taking a major step in modernizing its military. State media announced a military reshuffling involving some 80 units of the

People's Liberation Army. President Xi Jinping called on the military units to safeguard the country's sovereignty. In recent years, Beijing has

been working to assert territorial claims most notably in the South China Sea analysts have observed in military buildup in the region.

Now on Tuesday, President Xi said, quote, great significance to the party in realizing the goal of

strengthening the army under new circumstances and building a world class army, unquote.

On a related note, reports say China could soon launch its second aircraft carrier.

Now, turning now to India where three senior figures of the ruling party will stand trial in a

25-year-old case, now it concerns an alleged conspiracy that touched off deadly religious riots. Mallika Kapur explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The longstanding battle between Hindus and Muslims in India over a piece of land is back in the

spotlight. This, after the Indian Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered several senior leaders of the ruling BJP Party to be prosecuted for their

alleged role in demolishing a mosque.

In 1992, thousands of Hindu activists tore down a 16th Century mosque in the north Indian town of (inaudible). Thousands died in the religious

violence that followed. It was the worst India had seen since independence.

The charged leaders have been accused of criminal conspiracy in the demolition. The main issue is what will stand in this patch of land: a

Muslim mosque or a Hindu temple? Hindus believe this is the site where one of the most revered Hindu deities was born long before the mosque was

constructed. Speaking after the court ruling, one of the accused leaders who is also minister in the current government said she is ready to

sacrifice her life for the Hindu temple.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I would say that whenever it happens, they can hang me, send me to jail. I'm ready to accept any kind

of punishment for Iotia (ph). There is no question of conspiracy. Everything was open for public. There was no need for conspiracy as

everything was openly done and a grand temple must be constructed.

KAPUR: The Supreme Court says a trial must conclude within two years.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And coming up, just days to go until the first round of the French presidential vote. We'll head to the

French countryside for a closer look at the tight race.

And shocking allegations of violence against gay men in Chechnya, men being rounded up, beaten and tortured just for being gay.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching News Stream.

Now, the people of France are keeping their politicians and all of Europe in suspense. There are just days to go until a pivotal presidential

election, which could impact the future of the EU. Now polls show that many French voters are still undecided.

Now, it's quickly turned into a four horse race after embattled Conservative candidate Francois Fillon appears to be making somewhat of a

comeback in recent day. Far left hopeful Jean-Luc Melenchon has also seen movement in the polls in the final stretch.

As we continue our countdown to election day, Jim Bittermann explains the tense race in a very French way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:20:33] JIM BITTERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So I don't think there's any question French elections are complicated and very difficult to understand,

especially if you're not French. I decided maybe one way to give you an explanation would be to show you through one of the games that's one of the

most popular games in France. It is called bocce in Italy, Tag in the United States, and Boules here in France.

To help me to explain is the French Boules club from France. Some of their champions are going to help play this very special game of Boules. We

called it Presidential Tank.

Aside here we have eleven balls that represent the eleven presidential candidates. Normally, you play with three balls per player but here we have

eleven candidates. You might ask why so many presidential candidates in France. It has to do with the way presidential candidates are selected. You

have to have 500 signatures from mayors or officials to be a candidate, and eleven people have gotten that. You might think that's a lot of choice.

Even the French think it's way too many balls to have in the air at election time.

And now you may have noticed there's twelve balls. Here there's a small ball here, called a jack in English. It's the target, the goal of all

Boules players to come as close to this as possible. This is the place, we've got photographed on here, and that's what all these presidential

candidates would like to get close to. This is not big enough for the presidential palace, not for the presidency of France. So we got down here

our rather large jack or goal that the presidential candidates will be approaching trying to get close to the presidential pass.

It's hard to believe that some of these people think they can win the election for presidency. But according to public opinion polls, we can

eliminate some of those who will fall short. And we'll take them out and see how they do with our expert Boules players here in Bayou (ph).

For a long time, the Boules players had a hard time getting some of these candidates, who are an anti-capitalist worker, conspiracy theorists, a

follower of Leon Trotsky, anywhere near the presidential palace.

Clearly, those first six really don't have much of a chance if the public opinion polls are correct. And the next president of France is right here

among these five that are remaining. So I'm going to give these five to the president of the Boules club, and he'll distribute them, and we'll see how

they do in the first round of the election.

Here, things get interesting. The left-leaning Socialist candidate, for example, who started the campaign strongly, has been knocked away by an

even farther left-wing candidate for the Communist Party who is coming out strong. The mainstream right-wing candidate, who also started off strongly,

has been knocked about by scandal, but he could make a comeback. Is it too late? Everyone is talking about the final two candidates, the leader of the

National Front Party, who lands far to the right, and a former banker, who never ran for office before, and some say, wobbles all over the place.

Now, at this point, if we were really playing Boules, we'd get out the measuring tape to determine the winner. But in presidential tag, the only

way to measure is with a public opinion poll.

Sorry, folks, that's not in the cards.

You didn't really think I was going to tell you which candidate Boules came closed to reaching the palace in the first round of the election, did you?

No way. I wouldn't take that risk.

But the two candidates who actually do come closest on April 23rd, will then go on to the second round of the elections on May 7th. Only then will

we know who the next president of France will be.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Well done.

Now, at least three people were killed on Wednesday during huge protests spilling across

Venezuela. Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in several cities calling for the ouster of President Nicholas Maduro. They blame him for

the country's severe economic crisis and they also say he is creating a dictatorship.

Now, the president's supporters also held a counter march. Mr. Maduro fired back at the speaker of the nationalist assembly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:25:03] NICHOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Julio Borges,

you are the head of the coup. Later, don't complain when the law comes for you. Julio Borges, I am telling you in defense of my motherland and in

defense of the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Security forces fired water cannon and teargas to break up the angry crowds.

Now, more and more gay men in Chechnya are speaking up about horrifying reports of mass

arrests and torture, but they're doing so under extreme risk. Russian officials in Chechnya deny the reports, but Matthew Chance spoke with one

gay victim who says he fears for his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SHOUTING)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Russia has a checkered gay-rights record. Breaking up Pride marches. Even passing

anti-gay propaganda laws. Now, shocking allegations much worse. Hundreds of gay men in Chechnya, in southern Russia, being rounded up and brutally

tortured by the local authorities.

People like Akmen (ph), who spoke to CNN on the promise we hide his identity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): My car was stopped at a check point and they asked for my documents necessary. They looked at the them

and said they are taking me.

CHANCE: For years, activists say sexual minorities have been targeted in conservative, mainly Muslim Chechnya. One recent victim shared this

cellphone video. He recorded it as his friend was abducted and beaten just over a year ago.

Now activists say the problem is much worse, with hundreds of gay men detained in special camps, some subjected to horrifying abuse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): They started beating me with their fists and feet. They wanted to get maimed at my gay friends. Then they tied

wire to my hands and put metal clippers on my ears to electrocute me. They have special equipment, very powerful. When they shock you, you jump high

above the ground.

CHANCE: Chechnya is run by Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed strong man who regularly posts videos of himself working out in his private gym.

Kadyrov's spokesman calls the allegations of a gay crackdown is an absolute lie, denying gay men exist there.

(CROSSTALK)

CHANCE: Chechnya clerics gave this fiery sermon, condemning the allegations and promising retribution.

A major Russian newspaper, which first reported the story, said it's entire staff is now at risk of reprisal.

But it's not the beating nor the torture terrifying the men we med. In Chechnya, just being gay is a death sentence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): If my family finds out I'm gay, then no authorities, no troops are needed. They will kill me themselves.

Even if my parents will forgive me, someone like my uncle won't forgive.

CHANCE: And it's that fear of family retribution forcing many gay citizens to flee their homes.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And coming up, Fox News decides it is better off without its most popular host. We'll tell you why Bill

O'Reilly is no longer a factor at Fox.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:03] LU STOUT: Now to the U.S. where Fox News has parted ways with its most popular host. Bill O'Riilly is out, his show canceled in the wake

of a barrage of sexual harassment allegations.

Now, 21st Century Fox says the decision was made after a thorough and careful review. O'Reilly called the allegations, quote, completely

unfounded.

Now, O'Reilly's ouster comes as a huge shock to the network's viewers. And Brian Stelter has more on the rise and fall of Bill O'Reilly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL O'REILLY, FORMER FOX NEWS HOST: Caution, you are about to enter the no spin zone.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CORREPSONDENT (voice-over): Bill O'Reilly is a FOX News original, who got his start as a local news reporter.

O'REILLY: Happy New Year, everyone. I'm Bill O'Reilly.

STELTER: He later went on to report for both CBS and ABC News.

In 1989, O'Reilly joined "Inside Edition." He anchored the show for six years, known for his big personality, even back then, O'Reilly also became

known for his temper, on display in this video that later went viral.

O'REILLY: I can't do it. We'll do it live.

Nope, we'll do it live! Do it live! I'll write it and we'll do it live! (EXPLETIVE DELETED) thing sucks!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In five, four, three --

O'REILLY: That's tomorrow and that is it for us today. I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thanks again for watching.

STELTER: O'Reilly took a break from television in 1995 and enrolled in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard School, where he got a

masters in public administration.

O'REILLY: Hi. I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for watching us tonight.

STELTER: The following year, he was hired by Roger Ailes to host a show at a start up network called the FOX News Channel.

The show was a great hit. For a time, O'Reilly also hosted a radio show, which combined gave him a massive audience for his outspoken, conservative

viewers.

But for all his fans, O'Reilly also earned nearly as many detractors. He was called a bully for his aggressive interviewing style. And at a book

fair in 2003, liberal comedian and now senator, Al Franken, called him a liar to his face.

O'REILLY: All he's gotten six and a half years is that I misspoke, that I labeled a Polk Award a Peabody, he writes a new book, he tries to make me

out to be a liar.

Shut up, you had your 35 minutes. Shut up!

STELTER: O'Reilly was the chief inspiration for the bombastic and conservative character played by Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central.

The show routinely pokes fun at some of O'Reilly's more controversial comments.

STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: Papa Bear Bill O'Reilly has found yet another reason she should be taken out of the not yet running.

O'REILLY: There's got to be some down side to having a woman president, right? Something.

STELTER: But his controversial comments were not what would eventually bring O'Reilly down. Accusations about his behavior toward women started

surfacing in 2004, after a FOX News producer filed a sexual harassment suit against FOX News, alleging O'Reilly repeatedly spoke to her about his

sexual fantasies.

[08:35:05] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The last time I had spoken to bill when this inappropriate conversation had happened, the last time. He said it was

going to be in person. And I was -- I felt extremely threatened for many reasons.

STELTER: O'Reilly vowed to fight the charge.

O'REILLY: This is the single most evil thing I have ever experienced.

STELTER: And filed a counter suit for extortion. The case was settled for a reported $9 million and it didn't end there.

In 2016, after accusations about FOX News founder Roger Ailes became public, some women also came forward with allegations against O'Reilly. FOX

investigated Ailes and he stepped down under pressure.

"The New York Times" started looking into accusations against O'Reilly as well. Just a little more than two weeks ago, "The Times" story detailed a

total of $13 million in settlements between O'Reilly and FOX and the women who had accused him.

The reaction was fierce: advertisers pulled out of O'Reilly's show by the dozens. And just like that, the cable news king who once seemed untouchable

is off the air for good, at least at FOX.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, some very revealing moments in that career obit filed by CNN's Brian Stelter. And Brian joins us live from New York. And Brian,

what is the mood inside Fox News after O'Reilly's exit? Is there shock that he wasn't invincible after all?

STELTER: The overriding emotion is shock. There are a wide range of reactions inside the network with some people relieved that O'Reilly has

been removed, others disappointed and and a little bit troubled by how it all happened.

You know, O'Reilly went on vacation last week, said he would be back, Fox said he would be back on Monday, April 24th. He didn't have a chance to

say good-bye to his viewers on the air. And some folks in the network, even those who don't like the guy say he should have at least had a chance to

say good-bye.

But I would say, Kristie, one of the major emotions is relief. I say relief because O'Reilly's reputation was pretty well known inside the

company. O'Reilly did not have a lot of fans inside Fox. So now, one day later, 21st Century Fox's board is about to meet. There are a lot of

issues to address about the corporate culture, about lawsuits pending against other Fox staffers, and a they've whole new prime time schedule now

to figure out.

LU STOUT: Yeah, a sense of relief at Fox among the staffers there. But as you said, the prime time schedule, that's a big question mark. What's

going to happen next? Especially when Big O'Reilly, I mean, big shoes to fill. He helped to really boost ratings and profits at the network.

STELTER: The biggest shoes to fill, and Tucker Carlson is going to become the new 8:00 p.m. host. And they're going to put a talk show on at 9:00

p.m., try to aim for stability, add some very clearly consistent and reliable, pro-Trump voices to the schedule.

Fox knows what its viewers - one - they're going to deliver more of that. But there are broader issues at play here about Fox's corporate culture and

about the toxic behavior inside the company. There's an ongoing federal investigation into settlement payments and other issues at Fox. So,

there's essentially a lot of unknowns, a lot of unanswered questions. This is not the end of the crisis at Fox, it's definitely somewhere in the

middle right now.

LU STOUT: Interesting. More to come. Brian Stelter reporting live for us. Thank you. Take care.

Coming up right here on News Stream, the tennis great Serena Williams breaks the news she's now playing for two. Our Jeanne Moos looks at the

baby mania next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:09] LU STOUT: Welcome Back. Now, the tennis star Serena Williams may be considered one of the greatest athletes of all time. And now she's

taking on motherhood.

On Wednesday, she learned that she is 20 weeks pregnant. And if you do the math here, that means Williams was pregnant when she won the Australian

Open back in January.

Jeanne Moos has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Serena Williams...

SERENA WILLIAMS, TENNIS PLAYER: So I think it's really difficult in a drop shot.

MOOS: Dropped a shot on the internet. A shot of herself with what looks like a baby bump, posted to Snapchat with the caption 20 weeks. The post

was soon deleted, but that didn't stop the wave of reaction.

Serena, what! The Daily News ran with it, game, set, baby. At the end of December, Serena revealed her engagement to the co- founder of the web site

Reddit.

ALEXIS OHANIAN, CO-FOUNDER, REDDIT: Frankly, it's inspiring and it's exciting to, you know, share my life with someone who is that special.

MOOS: Alexis Ohanian whisked Serena off to Rome to propose to her at the same restaurant table where they first met. The 20 weeks Snapchat post left

fans a gag when they did the math.

Serena Williams was pregnant when she won her 23rd Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open. And did not drop one set. Let that sink in.

But Serena's not the only one getting props over the pregnancy. The fetus has won a Grand Slam title and I'm living a regular shmegular life. "We did

it" caption Paris Hilton with a diagram that suggested she had been in the sense playing doubles.

Looking back at Serena's recent Instagram posts, fighting to get up this morning, fans were quick to diagnose. That morning sickness isn't a joke.

This past summer, Vogue had posed 73 rapid fire questions to Serena. Among them, this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Serena. My wife and I are having a baby boy, what should I name it?

WILLIAMS: My gosh, I don't know. Grant.

MOOS: Will she still take baby names for granted? With those famously strong arms, she could easily cradle more than trophies. As the winner of

23 Grand Slams, she inspires all. When my wife was pregnant, the only thing it seems she could do was eat a Grand Slam. Bon appetit.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT; And finally, satellite images of North Korea's nuclear sites are often closely inspected, hunting for any clue about what Pyongyang's plans

are. But a new set of satellite images show something rather different. Now the monitoring service 38 North says it saw volleyball being played at

the facility in some of the images. It says at least 3 volleyball games could be seen being played in different locations.

Analysts say that this could show the site is now on standby.

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

END