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Dennis Rodman Arrives in North Korea; Theresa May Set to Meet New French President; Uber CEO Out After Series of Controversies. 08:00a-09:00a ET

Aired June 13, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:23] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

A friend says President Trump is considering firing the man leading the probe into alleged ties between his campaign and Russia as the U.S.

attorney general is set to speak to lawmakers about his contacts with the Russians.

Eccentric former NBA star Dennis Rodman arrives in Pyongyang amid high tension between the U.S. and North Korea.

And one of the top names at Uber is out after a series of controversies about the ride hailing firm's workplace culture.

And we begin with the U.S.-Russia investigation and the cloud that hangs heavier than ever over the Trump White House. Just hours from now, we will

hear testimony from Attorney General Jeff Sessions about his Russian contacts.

Now, meanwhile, there is speculation that President Donald Trump is considering whether to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.

Now, a source says the president's advisers are urging him not to make the move. Ryan Nobles has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS RUDDY, NEWSMAX: I think he's considering perhaps terminating the special counsel.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just hours after leaving the White House, President Trump's longtime friend, Newsmax CEO Christopher

Ruddy, claims the president is considering firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the man in charge of investigating possible collusion between the

Trump campaign and Russia.

RUDDY: I think he's -- he's weighing that option. I think it's pretty clear by what one of his lawyers said on television recently. I personally think

it would be a very significant mistake.

NOBLES: White House press secretary Sean Spicer insisting "Mr. Ruddy never spoke to the president regarding this issue."

But hours earlier, Spicer's deputy said that Ruddy, quote, "speaks for himself."

Several Trump allies now attacking Mueller's credibility, despite initially praising his appointment. Former Trump campaign adviser Newt Gingrich

tweeting Monday, "Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair." But only last month, Gingrich praised Mueller

as a, quote, "superb choice."

One of the reasons for the revolt? Who Mueller has hired for his legal team. CNN analysis of FEC records reveals three of the five lawyers on

Mueller's team have donated almost exclusively to Democrats, with two giving the maximum donation to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.

Still, White House sources tell CNN Trump's advisors are urging him not to fire Mueller, a move lawmakers feel could backfire.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), RANKING MEMBER, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE (via phone): It would be absolutely astonishing, were he to entertain this. The

echoes of Watergate are getting louder and louder.

NOBLES: All of this comes ahead of today's public testimony by embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions is expected to face a grilling

about his contacts with Russia and the firing of James Comey.

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: He was very close to and inevitably going to recuse himself for a variety of reasons. We also were aware of facts

that I can't discuss in an open setting that would make his continued engagement in a Russia-related investigation problematic.

NOBLES: Sources tell CNN Comey told senators behind closed doors that Sessions may have had a third meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey

Kislyak, which the Justice Department denies. It will likely be brought up today, along with Comey's account that Sessions was booted from an Oval

Office meeting back in February before Comey said the president asked him to drop the Michael Flynn investigation.

COMEY: My sense was the attorney general knew he shouldn't be leaving, which was why he was lingering.

NOBLES: It's unclear whether Sessions will invoke executive privilege to avoid answering questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you believe that executive privilege in conversations between himself and the president...

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think it depends on the scope of the questions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Ryan Nobles reporting there. And be sure to tune in for CNN's special coverage of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' testimony,

7:00 p.m. in London, 2:00 a.m. here in Hong Kong. Do stay with CNN.

Now, Donald Trump's revised travel ban has been dealt a new blow. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a Hawaii judge's decision that

blocked the ban.

The president, taking to Twitter to say this, quote, "well as predicted the Ninth Circuit did it again, ruled against the travel ban at such a

dangerous time in the history of our country," an apparent reference to the Supreme Court there at the end, SC.

Now, the Ninth Circuit cited Trump's recent tweets on the travel ban, including this one from June 5.

The ban would temporarily block people from six Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S. And the White House believes the travel ban is

lawful and will be upheld by the Supreme Court.

Few Americans have met Kim Jong-un, but Dennis Rodman is one of them. And now the basketball legend is back inside North Korea for his first visit in

three years. Will Ripley is in the capital Pyongyang with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dennis Rodman is back in North Korea for the fifth time. His flight landed on time here at the

international arrivals section of the Pyongyang airport. And he didn't want to answer a lot of questions when we saw him outside of the VIP

lounge.

Dennis, are you bringing a message from President Trump to North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong un?

DENNIS RODMAN, FRM. NBA STAR: I'm just here to see some friends and have a good time.

RIPLEY: He was accompanied by a Columbia University professor, who is believed to be here

as his translator along with another colleague. Rodman and that colleague wearing t-shirts of a U.S. crypto currency company, apparently the sponsor

of this trip. That sponsor put out a statement online saying that Rodman is in a very unique position, because he is friends with

President Trump having appeared on Celebrity apprentice twice, but he's also friends with North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong un. He has made

previous to this visit four trips to the country, three of them between 2013 and 2014.

Part of those trips were documented on a film, a very controversial film in the United States because Rodman's behavior here in North Korea was

described as out of control. He yelled on live television at CNN's Chris Cuomo during an interview. And it was that behavior that reportedly caused

the North Korean leader to cancel one scheduled visit towards the end of Rodman's trip.

But nonetheless, he's back in the country. And there are a lot of questions about what is behind

this visit. Obviously, tensions are high on the Korean peninsula. North Korea has attempted to launch more than a dozen missiles so far this year,

and of course, North Korea is also holding four detained Americans. But when I tried to ask Rodman if he is going to be talking about any of those

things during his time here, he didn't have much to say.

Have you spoken, Mr. Rodman, with anybody?

RODMAN: No...

RIPLEY: Have you spoken with anyone at the U.S. government about this trip?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No questions.

RIPLEY: Rodman's host here in North Korea is the sports ministry of this country, and he has said that part of his mission here is to try to

continue this kind of sports diplomacy that he talked about during his previous visits a few years ago. Regardless of what happens, it's

certainly going to be an interesting few days here in North Korea with an ex-NBA star once again

making an appearance in one of the most inaccessible countries on Earth.

Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang, North Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, U.S. Senate leaders have reached an agreement to not only roll out more sanctions on Russia, but to make it more difficult to lift

them. Now, the deal imposes new sanctions on those carrying out cyber attacks on behalf of the Kremlin and on those supplying weapons to Syria.

It authorizes to help to counter disinformation campaigns in Central and Eastern Europe. And if existing sanctions are eased, they're subject to a

congressional review. The proposal is expected to win bipartisan support.

Across Russia, as many as 1,400 people were detained during anti-corruption protests. Now Russia opposition leader Alexei Navanly was quickly picked

up and jailed for 30 days for organizing the demonstrations. His influence was evident was protesters jostled with police throughout the country,

shouting anti-Putin messages.

Now, Navanly, who would like to be a candidate in next year's presidential election, has struck a chord with some of Russia's young people. And he

is a constant thorn in President Vladimir Putin's side. Russia expert, and former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief, Jill Dougherty, joins me now live from

Moscow with more. And Jill, thousands answering Navalny's call to go out there on the streets to protest across the country. Nearly 1,400 people

reportedly arrested. Is this going to intimidate or galvanize the anti- government protest movement?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, the movement, Kristie, has been continuing for awhile now with Mr. Navalny. And I think you'd have to say

it probably will contineu, and it's probably predictable that even though he's in jail for the next 30 days that he'll do it again.

So, the question is where does it go? You know, down the road six months from now, a year from now, what will these primarily young people do?

Because some of them, even if they're young, they're going to be voting. There's a presidential election next year. And that is the election that

Mr. Navalny wants to be involved in. He is running, even though the government says that he's broken the law. He claims it's bogus. So he

can't run.

But nobody really knows. You can certainly say that been continuing for a while now with Mr. Navalny. I think you'd have to say it probably will

continue, and it's probably predictable that even though he's in jail for the next 30 days, that he'll do it again. The question is where does it go

down the road, six months from now, a year from now? What will these primarily young people do? Because some of them, even if they're young,

they're going to be voting. There's a presidential election next year, and that is the election that Mr. Navalny wants to be involved in. He is

running, even though the government says that he's broken the law. He claims it's bogus, but - so he can't run.

But nobody really knows. You can certainly say a lot of these young people come from Moscow, come from St. Petersburg and other cities where they have

pretty educated and well-off population. They see things very differently. They want a good life.

And in other parts of Russia, they're not as well off. So, in those areas they tend to support President Putin.

So again, we have to see the depth of their feeling and what concretely they would do: continued demonstrations, or would they organize

politically? That would be something that would be quite different.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and the opposition figure they're organizing themselves around, Alexei Navalny. We know that he's going to spend some time in

jail, the next 30 days at least. Does he still plan to run against Putin next year? And will he be allowed to?

DOUGHERTY: Well, that is the question. I mean, technically he has been accused and found guilty of embezzlement. So, at this point he should not

legally be able to run. That is what authorities say.

Now, if he -- what he wants to show -- and you saw this at this demonstration, is that he has a

lot of support, so it is in his interest to do anti-corruption demonstrations, but he also wants to show that he has some political

influence. So, as we get closer to the election next march, 2018, would the

Kremlin find it useful maybe to have him run to show that it's an open election? Very unclear. At this stage that seems unlikely, but you never

know.

So I think, again, predictably he is going to continue to do what he can, probably with demonstrations using different tactics. This one in Moscow

was kind of different joining an existing kind of street fair. There may be other tactics, but I think he will

probably continue this political and social movement.

LU STOUT: Al right, Jill Dougherty reporting live for us. Thank you, Jill.

Now, the leadership team at Uber just took another big hit. Senior Vice President Emil Michael has resigned following an investigation into

workplace culture and sexual harassment at the company. Now, the investigation is overseen by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and

Uber is expected to announce recommendations on that later on Tuesday.

And sexual harassment isn't Uber's only PR crisis. Uber is also being sued by the self-driving car company Waymo . Now, Waymo says Uber's stole

technology from them. And then there's the criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. It's looking into whether Uber built a tool to

help its drivers dodge law enforcement in cities where it's not allowed.

And finally, Uber CEO, Travis Kalanick, is also struggling with bad PR. He was caught on camera arguing with an Uber driver. The driver told Kalanick

that he was frustrated with Uber's lowered rate. And Kalanick responded with, quote, "some people don't like to take responsibility," unquote.

Now, he has since apologized for that one.

But let's circle back to Uber's current problems with the allegations of sexual harassment, concerns about the workplace culture there. Laurie

Segal joins us now live from London with more of the story. And Laurie, we just where Uber is in right now. Another rough patch, the senior VP is

out. This is the latest as mentioned just now. And a string of setbacks for the firm.

LAURIE SEGAL, CNN MONEY: Yeah, and you've got to go back to -- if you look at February, an engineer left, a female engineer left and wrote a damaging

blog post and really went into details of sexual harassment, what happened to her at the company. And she talked about going to HR,

the HR department and they did absolutely nothing is what she said.

So, this kind of started a bigger look at what this workplace culture is like. And I'll tell you this from covering Uber for many years and

spending time out there, it's a very aggressive company, very aggressive in every sense. And you see this is why the company has probably grown as

quickly as it has, but then if you look inward, you see that's there's real cultural issues.

News, also came out in March that there was a company outing back in 2014 at an escort club, and another woman was uncomfortable, had gone to HR, and

they'd hadn't done anything.

So, it's this lack of accountability that I think you're beginning to see. You have just last week, 20 employees fired as part of its investigation.

And this is just I think, going to be the beginning. We're going to hear more and really kind of peeking behind the curtain of a place that -- and

I've spoken to many employees, many female employees who had left, they say it isn't a great place for women. And I think we're going to begin to

hear more about that.

LU STOUT: Yeah, more stories likely to come out of Uber as it's firmly in the spotlight for allegations of sexual harassment and, as you put it, its

aggressive workplace culture. But in the tech world and in Silicon Valley, Uber is not alone, is it?

SEGAL: No. I mean, this is such -- this is - it's such a larger problem. I mean, I've covered tech in Silicon Valley for eight years and I can't

tell you how many times I go to these events and you witness things happening and everybody has a story, every female employee

you talk to has a story. And this is a largely male dominated culture. There's a lot of young money. And oftentimes when these companies grow

really fast, they don't really invest in HR, they don't invest in trying to get women in those top positions, which can help impact the culture.

So, this is an issue all over, but this is an issue, if you look at it through the lens of Silicon

Valley, that - you know, I'll tell you this, have their talking points now. They talk a lot more about diversity. They talk about being a safer place

for women, but when you really kind of go in and you dig in you see that ti's still a major issue in the tech community.

[08:15:56] LU STOUT: Yeah, that's the thing, it's such an issue, so what can be done to improve the workplace culture at Uber and other tech firms?

I mean, you could have an investigation led by Eric Holder, but what kind of practical measures can actually be taken?

SEGAL: Right, like the idea is you don't want to get to that point where you have to have an investigation. I think what it comes down to is

getting women in those top leadership positions, because I think, you know, a lot of these company cultures -- and Uber is very much -- it's all about

Travis, who is the CEO, and that inner circle. And you see that culture trickle down. So, I think getting women in those top positions early on

makes such a big difference.

Because unconscious bias is a real thing. You know, oftentimes maybe it's just they don't seem to understand, that oh, no, that's not appropriate.

Or, you know, actually, this probably wouldn't be the right thing to do. And I think oftentimes it's - they're a little blind-sided by it. So, I

think really getting women early in those leadership positions can make a big difference and also, you know, a diverse -- I mean, any type of

diversity is always helpful in these situations, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. More women at the top of tech, amen to that. Laurie Segal reporting for us. Thank you. And take care.

You're watching News Stream and coming up, so much for strong and stable. Theresa May prepares to meet Emmanuel Macron ahead of crucial Brexit talks,

but with her government in disarray the uk prime minister's show of force is a little bit weak.

And 3 million people face an uncertain future. We will hear from EU citizens who say Brexit has thrown their lives into limbo.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Against the odds, Theresa May has managed to hold on to power. Now the British prime minister is preparing for two pivotal meetings, one could set

the tone for upcoming Brexit negotiations, and the other could decide the future of our government.

In the coming hours, Theresa May is to fly to France for a meeting with newly elected President Emmanuel Macron. It was meant to be a show of

force with their newly elected government behind her, but instead her hand is now weaker than ever while Mr. Macron says never been stronger.

And before she leaves, she meets leaders from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party. The prime minister needs their support for her minority

government, but the DUP has indicated its backing comes at a price.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is outside 10 Downing Street. He joins us now. And Oren, after the election, the DUP has a strong hand. So, what kind of deal

does Theresa May hope to get out of this meeting?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's the excellent question at this point. Arlene Foster, the head of the DUP, the Democratic

Unionist Party, arrived just about half an hour ago, before 12:45 local time. And she's been inside meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May since

then.

We don't know if there will be a formal agreement coming today. It may take longer than that. But the question, as you pointed out is, at what

cost? How much will this cost Prime Minister May? Some of it will certainly be financial. Arlene Foster can certainly demand more money for

Northern Ireland, but what else? She could make demands on Brexit, having an effective veto power over whatever it is that Theresa May is trying to

do, because May needs Arlene Foster, she needs the DUP to get anything through parliament.

So, one of the big priorities for Arlene Foster has been a soft border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. She can make that demand as well as

many others.

And again, the question comes at what cost to Prime Minister Theresa May? And it comes before another critical meeting, before May jets off to meet

the French president Emmanuel Macron. And he knows she's in a weakened position, and he knows that this meeting here between Arlene Foster and

Theresa May could affect that meeting, the future of the UK and the future of Brexit negotiations.

So, this, just one of many difficult meetings for Theresa May just today.

LU STOUT: Yeah, two pivotal meetings just in one day. Oren Liebermann reporting live for us from 10 Downing Street.

Let's go now to France. Nina Dos Santos is in Strasbourg with a preview of Theresa May's talks with the French president.

And, Nina, first let's talk about her upcoming meeting with Macron. As Oren was saying just then, I mean, these are two leaders who come from two

very different election outcomes. What should we expect?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With very different points of view on Europe. And remember that Strasbourg, which is in

France, is actually the official seat of the European Parliament. Emmanuel Macron is very unashamedly a europhile, he's brought Europe right at the forefront of Frane's political

agenda for the next presidential term, wheras obviously Theresa May has to negotiate her way out of Brexit with a very weakened hand here, probably

much to her embarrassment as well.

So, she's going to be going to meet with Emmanuel Macron to have a dinner in Paris. They're likely to come up with a public show of force when it

comes to making the internet a more accountable place for people who might have extremist views and want to commit terrorist acts like the one the UK

has recently been subject to this year, and of course, France, after the Paris attacks, knows all too well. So, there will be a show of force on

things like accountability on the internet.

But when it comes to real issues that they're going to be having problems on , it's probably going to surface, Brexit is going to surface very

quickly.

Now, here in the European Parliament, where a lot of members of the European Parliament are gathering this week for their monthly plenaries, as

well as some of the big commissioners from the executive arm of the European Union, there's a lot of consternation here at

the situation the UK is facing, some real concerns that the deadlines for Brexit could slip and that that could basically distract this particular

region in the world away from other things that are perhaps more pressing for them like, for instance, issues surrounding immigration and how to

shore up the economy.

I've been speaking to Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister, somebody who doesn't mince his words. He's now in charge of the Brexit

negotiations for the European parliament. And he said that if the UK doesn't get its act together soon, it could face some really severe

consequences. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUY VERHOFSTADT, FRM. BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER: It's very clear in the treaty. The treaty says that we have to do this within a framework of two

years. So it needs to be done before the 29th of March, 2019. Everything has to be behind us, otherwise that will be a more brutal exit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: So, no appetite, no - so brutal Brexit is the word here from some members of the EU. Guy Verhofstadt making it very clear that, Kristie,

that even though the UK may have to delay the starter talks, we don't know, it may have to, though, because obviously we know that the queen's speech

may be delayed and that could mean that Theresa May's government may, you could argue, not have the mandate to come to speak to the bureaucrats in

Brussels and also Strasbourg on behalf of the queen, because she hasn't been yet been appointed as the government.

So, the point here is that they're saying, well, we will stick to those deadlines in two years' time. And if the UK hasn't got its act together,

it could just unceremoniously, if you like, fall out of this big bloc. That could have consequences forhow people go about their daily lives on

both sides of the Channel, Kristie.

[08:25:22] LU STOUT: Yeah, an incredible outcome there, leaving the EU without a deal. Nina Dos Santos reporting live for us from Strasbourg,

many thanks indeed for your reporting.

Now, Theresa May's government insists that securing the future of 3 million EU citizens living in the UK will be a top priority. But for more, the

shocking outcome of last week's election adds more uncertainty to an already uncertain future.

Isa Soares spoke one British resident who says the Brexit vote has put her life in limbo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA HOFMANN, GERMAN NATIONAL LIVING IN U.K.: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Nina Hofmann feels like she's being bullied into leaving the U.K.

HOFMANN: Come Sophia.

SOARES: A German national, she came here in search of work as a foreign language tutor 11 years ago.

HOFMANN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SOARES: And in the process, found love, got married to an Englishman and had two children, Benjamin and Cynthia.

HOFMANN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

SOARES: Her home is a testament to that love. Every portrait framing the life she's built, a life now left in limbo following the U.K.'s decision to

leave the European Union. Further complicated feeling bullied.

HOFMANN: Politically, I do very much feel like an outsider because you just have to follow the general discourse surrounding immigration and E.U.

immigration and the fact that I don't know if I would be able to stay here.

SOARES: She was hoping to apply for permanent residency here but was told by a lawyer she wouldn't qualify.

HOFMANN: I found an immigration lawyer who was giving advice for an hour, so she took my timeline, when I was working, when I was on maternity leave,

and a gap where I was neither working or on maternity leave, when I was at home looking after my children. Asked me if I held private health

insurance, and I said no, I didn't know that was necessary.

SOARES: But it is. Not that Nina or anyone else has ever heard of it.

HOFMANN: My doctor or the dentist, nobody ever said anything to me.

SOARES: But the Home Office does require it, if you're a student or self- sufficient.

(on camera): We're reached out to the Home Office regarding this little- known rule, also known as Comprehensive Sickness Insurance. In a statement to CNN, the Home Office say this is a requirement set out in the Free

Movement Directive and applies to all member states. This is not just in U.K. law, but it seems European Union has a different take, telling CNN

that this actually breaches E.U. law, and going as far as saying access to the U.K.'s National Health Service should count as sufficient. This makes

you see why so many Europeans feel like they're bargaining chips in these Brexit negotiations.

(voice-over): Adrian Barry, an immigration asylum barrister tells me this insurance hurdle is causing plenty of uncertainty.

ADRIAN BARRY, IMMIGRATION ASYLUM BARRISTER: About 73 percent of the people I've seen since the referendum have been about the Comprehensive Health

Insurance question at the heart of their case and on the need for a permit. They haven't had it. They are immensely frustrated.

SOARES: Nina certainly feels like she's overstayed her welcome.

(on camera): Do you feel like you're being bullied out of the country?

HOFMANN: In a way yes. If I make a decision based on this uncertainty, it could be a problem for my children. That feels like being pushed out.

SOARES: A sentiment shared by many people who feel they're lives are coming crashing down.

(LAUGHTER)

Isa Soares, CNN, North England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Around the world, polio is on its way to eradication. And find out how the Gates

Foundation is making this health breakthrough a reality.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:39] LU STOUT: A Bangladeshi diplomat based in New York has been charged with labor trafficking and assault. Authorities say several years

ago Muhammad Islam (ph) arranged for a Bangladeshi man to travel to New York to work as a household helper. They say that he then seized the man's

passport and threatened to kill or hurt his family if he tried to leave. The man says he was forced to work up to 18 hours a day and received little

money and was assaulted. He escaped last year and reported the case to police.

Joining me now is Phil Robertson from Human Rights Watch. And Phil, thank you for joining us here on the program. The details of this case very

disturbing. What's your reaction to the alleged abuse here?

PHIL ROBERTSON, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: This is a clearly very brutal case. It reminds us of a similar case that came up in 2013 also involving a

deputy consul general, in that case from India. It's very important that people recognize that consular service officials are supposed to

protect the nationals of their countries, rather than exploit them. And in this case, this person was exploited extremely badly. There are 33 counts

against the diplomat.

The government of Bangladesh I think washed their hands of this person. I think they could see a full prosecution of this person for these crimes,

and I think it's important now to recognize that there's a problem, that these diplomats need to be educated about how to treat the people they

bring with them to their overseas assignments.

LU STOUT: This is a problem, and it's a chronic one. For years now, there have been many

reports of foreign diplomats who mistreat their domestic servants or helpers in the United States. Why does this happen again and again?

ROBERTSON: Well, these diplomats they have diplomatic immunity and they think that they're not accountable. They think that they're above the law.

And clearly, this individual thought they could get away with whatever they were going to do to this poor man

servant. It's an indication of a lack of respect for the country they're being sent to, but it's also a lack of understand - and I think the culture

of impunity that exists in some of these ministry of foreign affairs that, no matter what you do

overseas, we'll protect you because you're one of us.

LU STOUT: So, because of diplomatic immunity, could justice be denied in the case of - involving this Bangladeshi diplomat? I mean, how strong are

the chances that the diplomat could just leave the country and not be taken to a U.S. court?

ROBERTSON: Well, in this case, this individual has limited diplomatic immunity. The diplomatic immunity that he has covers official acts. And

obviously the way he treated someone in his household is not a diplomatic act? So, we expect that he will be prosecuted. What we're hoping is that

there will not be any sort of deal or any back room dealing between the U.S. and Bangladesh to find a

way out of it. This person could face a day in court, his victims could see justice done, and I think it's very important that there not be any

games played around this case.

[08:35:38] LU STOUT: Absolutely. And the abused worker at the center of all this, what kind of support does he need to get his life back together,

to get back on his feet?

ROBERTSON: Well, I think that the the U.S. has to stand up and help him as a victim of human trafficking with the various physical and mental support

and services. Obviously, this person was beaten. He was threatened. His family was threatened. It's a situation where this person could get it.

And I think that ultimately I think the government of the United States needs to be very clear with other governments that they can't allow these

things to happen with their diplomats.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. This type of labor trafficking needs to end and needs to end now. Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch, thank you so much

for joining us.

ROBERTSON: Thank you.

LU STOUT: You're watching News Strea. And up next, wiping out disease for good. Find out how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is working to

pull the plug on polio around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, it is quite a battle to wipe a disease off the face of the Earth, and the Bill and Melinda

Gates Foundation is working to make that happen with polio. Ashleigh Banfield sat down with the Microsoft founder and philanthropist to talk

about the challenge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BILL GATES, FOUNDER, MICROSOFT: It's very exciting to think that the hundreds of thousands of kids that were paralyzed and killed when this

started back in 1988, that we will completely get rid of that. It's only happened once in history with smallpox. That was way back in 1980 that that

got finished. And polio's tough. It transmits pretty easily, particularly in these war zones where we can get the vaccine out. So it's not been easy

but it's heroic. It's energize the whole commitment to equity and health. We've learned along the way, built up the partnership, so it's thrilling to

be part of it.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Does it concern you with U.S. cuts in foreign aid that we're going in the wrong direction, given that government

is such a critical part of these partnerships?

GATES: Yes. The U.S. foreign aid budget is a key piece of this. They're the second biggest giver on polio after our foundation. They are, by far, the

biggest giver to malaria and HIV, keeping over 10 million people alive. So there have been proposed cuts. I'm hopeful the Congress won't approve those

cuts because a lot of them get out and see the work, see how important this is.

BANFIELD: You met with the president twice. In particular, what were you able to impart on him?

GATES: The goal of helping where we avoid these pandemics, like Ebola or Zika, getting completely out of control. I'm not sure you've been exposed

to that. He wanted to know about it. And so I'm hopeful that we can get past what they propose on the budget and find some ways that this

administration can further new innovations in help.

BANFIELD: In the last two weeks, it's not lost on you the United States, with its change in commitment to the Paris Climate Accord, how did that sit

with you?

[08:40:33] GATES: I was disappointed the U.S. pulled out of the pact. The U.S. is still the biggest funder of energy research and development, so I

hope the budget is maintaining that because some of the innovations there will make it possible, not just to the U.S. but for the world to move away

from dirty forms of energy generation.

BANFIELD: From your days in your garage building Microsoft to your days traveling around the world with foundations, clearly you have to broaden

your horizons to a point where leadership would not be an unusual next step. Is that something you're looking at?

GATES: I've had to learn about help and delivering to poor countries and working with governments without many resources so that's some leadership

there. But my second career is my final career. I will do everything I can to help elected officials, but myself, in partnership my wife, running the

foundation as what I'll do the rest of my life.

BANFIELD: So no announcement in your office that you might run for president one day?

GATES: No, quite the opposite.

BANFIELD: Not a chance?

GATES: No, I just couldn't see that as a possibility. We need good people to do so. I'll support them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Bill Gates there batting away any talk of political aspirations.

Now, according to the World Health Organization, in the last 30 years polio has decreased to

just a few dozen cases. As a result of the global effort, more than 16 million people have been saved from paralysis.

Now, the boss of Qatar Airways is accusing the U.S. of fanning the flames in Qatar's row with its neighbors. Now, President Donald Trump offered

last week to mediate the crisis, but he also accused Qatar of funding terrorism and appeared to endorse the blockade.

CNN's John Defterios spoke to the CEO of Qatar Airways. And here is part of their conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AKBAR AL BAKER, CEO, QATAR AIRWAYS: I'm extremely disappointed, because I never expected a country that is so dependent on its fight against

terrorism on my country is treating my country with staying on the backseat. They should be the leader, trying to break this blockade, and

not sitting and watching what's going on and actually putting fuel on fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: We will have much more on this situation in Qatar on CNN Money with Maggie Lake in 15 minutes. But that is News Stream for now. I'm

Kristie Lu Stout. World Sport with Alex Thomas is next.

END