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President Trump Well-Accepted in China; India's Unlivable Space; British P.M. Left and Right Challenges; Women Speaks About Abuses; Mental Health Causes Texas Shooting; Woman Faces Prison for a Tweet. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 08, 2017 - 03:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A high stakes visit. Donald Trump arrives in China for the most consequential foreign visit of his presidency. This stop comes after he delivered a speech to lawmakers in South Korea and a message to the regime in Pyongyang.

Disturbing new details about the Texas church gunman's past and they're raising more questions about how he was able to buy guns.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, and this is CNN Newsroom.

The U.S. president is now in Beijing, where he faces the most challenging mission of diplomacy on his Asia tour. Donald Trump is seeking more pressure on North Korea to halt its nuclear program, and he wants to address trade issues with President Xi Jinping.

His visit comes on the heels of President Xi's consolidation of power at the communist party congress. And Mr. Trump will receive an unprecedented honor for a U.S. president in China, an official dinner inside the Forbidden City. He's actually there. There are live pictures of Donald Trump and the first lady Melania, as well as Xi Jinping and his wife, the first lady there in China.

And he is the first foreign leader to have the honor of dining at the Forbidden City since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949.

Now, earlier in Seoul, President Trump praised South Korea's accomplishments over the past seven decades while condemning the North's oppressive regime. He emphasized America doesn't seek conflict but will not run away from it either.

And he repeated a warning to Pyongyang. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The regime has interpreted America's past restraint as weakness. This would be a fatal miscalculation. This is a very different administration than the United States has had in the past.

Today, I hope I speak not only for our countries but for all civilized nations when I say to the North do not underestimate us and do not try us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Paula Hancocks was watching that speech. She's standing by in the South Korean capital.

But first, we do want to bring in Matt Rivers in Beijing. So Matt, President Trump just arrived in the Chinese capital on the third and possibly most important stop on his 12-day trip to Asia. We also just saw those live pictures of him at the Forbidden City. And we know he will gain that honor of having dinner there. What all can we expect in his time there in China?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We can certainly expect China to roll out the red carpet, both figuratively and literally tomorrow, for President Trump. I mean, the symbolism behind Donald Trump being given a formal dinner inside the Forbidden City shouldn't be lost on anyone. That's a big deal. And it shows that the Chinese at least are playing their cards in the sense that by giving Donald Trump this honor, by showing him all the pomp and the circumstance that they believe that will help them in their diplomacy and their negotiations with Donald Trump.

And very high on that list, the number one item on that list will of course be North Korea. Donald Trump specifically mentioning China in his speech to South Korea lawmakers, really kind of reiterating the exact same thing that we've heard the Trump administration argue since the very beginning of Trump presidency.

And that would be that they want China to use their economic leverage to force Pyongyang to stop developing their nuclear weapons. China for its side of things has not been willing to cross a certain line, the kind of line in terms of putting more pressure on them that they believe could cause the Kim Jong-un regime to collapse.

So there has been a bit of a stalemates on both sides throughout the Trump presidency. It will be interesting to see if there will be any movement there over the next 36 hours or so.

And also there's going to be issues of trade. Donald Trump has come back time and time again, saying that the U.S. loses when it comes to trading with China and that he wants to do something about it. He wants to give deliverable to his U.S. political base, domestic audience, saying look, I was tough on China and here's the result.

The Chinese for their part want the United States trading relationship to continue the Chinese economy is gradually slowing down. China wants to continue to make sure that it can use the U.S. economy to further its own growth. So they don't want to see too much damage done.

[03:04:58] But those are the two issues, Rosemary. It's going to be North Korea. It going to be trade, some very high-stakes diplomacy over the next 36 hours here in Beijing.

CHURCH: And we will be watching to see what sort of progress is made on particularly those two issues. Matt Rivers, thank you for joining us live there in Beijing.

Let's go to Paula Hancocks now. And Paula, before Mr. Trump set off for China he received that standing ovation for his address at South Korea's national assembly. They clearly liked what they heard. But not surprisingly, North Korea didn't feel quite the same way.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, yes. This is the first time a U.S. president had made this kind of address. It was different tack really for the U.S. President Donald Trump. We didn't hear about the direct threats to destroy North Korea. We didn't hear the direct insults against the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un like rocket man.

That would have made lawmakers very happy. But what we did hear instead was a very stark and blunt insults and criticism of the North Korean regime. Mr. Trump really did home in on the fact that Kim Jong- un spends a lot more money on the nuclear and missile program than he does trying to feed his own people.

It was a speech where he talked about human rights abuses within the country. He was talking about the gulags and how about people are put into these gulags that even at a young age for very small crimes, even if it's a crime of a grandfather.

Also these clearly are based on fact and what we've heard from defectors and the United Nations. But it did take some by surprise that it was such a strong onslaught on the North Korean regime, calling it a cult. So certainly the North Koreans are not going to take very weak to this, although they have told CNN that they would be watching very closely but they wouldn't necessarily be listening too closely because the fact is there is nothing that he can say according to North Korea that would change their minds about what's happening. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Just after 5 p.m. there in Seoul, South Korea. Our Paula Hancocks bringing us that live report. Many thanks.

So what does Pyongyang make of Mr. Trump's speech in Seoul? CNN's Will Ripley has North Korea's reaction now in this exclusive report.

WILL RIPLEY, INTERNATIONAL CNN CORRESPONDENT: I spoke with North Korean officials here in Pyongyang just after President Trump gave that speech at the national assembly in Seoul, and they reiterated a comment that they gave just about an hour before he even spoke, trying to downplay the significance and the impact of President Trump's words, saying, quote, "We don't care about what that mad dog may utter. We've heard enough."

The North Koreans also saying that the president's words will not affect any plans for upcoming military tests. They say those plans are already in place. And the words of the U.S. president aren't going to provoke them one way or another.

They say there will be more nuclear tests and missile launches happening at the time and place of their choosing. Well, what they are accusing President Trump of doing is continuing to push the situation here on the Korean peninsula closer to the brink of an all-out military conflict.

In fact, those same government officials told me that they believe this is the closest that the peninsula has ever been to war since the end of the Korean War back in 1953. That's a very strong statement considering the fact that there have been many moments over the decades where tensions have been particularly high.

But it just goes to show you how seriously right now the North Korean government take, the rhetoric and the actions. Perhaps even more importantly of the Trump administration. Because as we speak, there are three U.S. aircraft carriers in the waters off the Korean Peninsula.

There's a ballistic missile submarine and other military assets preparing to engage in large-scale military exercises, once again the kind of exercise that always infuriate this country and its government and often provoke them to engage in some kind of response on their own.

So, will North Korea follow through on a nuclear test or a missile launch while President Trump is here in Asia. Well, that is something we just have to watch and wait.

Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang, North Korea.

CHURCH: And we will have more on that story but I do want to go to U.S. politics and voters in two U.S. states are venting their disapproval of President Trump, electing democrats as the next governors of Virginia and New Jersey.

First, Virginia where Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam will take over the state's top office. Democrats also won lieutenant governor and attorney general. Northam beat republican lobbyist Ed Gillespie, who supported President Trump during the campaign. Gillespie promised he would keep Confederate statues in Virginia and fight against sanctuary cities for immigrants.

In New Jersey, democrat Phil Murphy will move into the governor's mansion replacing hugely unpopular republican Chris Christie. Murphy is a former Goldman Sachs executive and former U.S. ambassador to Germany. His main rival was republican and lieutenant Governor Kim Guagdagno, who was dragged down by Christie's dismal approval rating.

[03:10:04] Well, The British government has been racked with nonstop disasters over the last few weeks, and it's all serving to undermine the already fragile leadership of Prime Minister Theresa May.

Our Diana Magnay reports from London.

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two weeks into sexual harassment scandal which shows no signs of abating, Westminster on Tuesday was shocked by news of a death. Welsh assembly member Carl Sargeant was found dead at his home in North Wales just days after he was suspended from the Labour Party following undisclosed allegations of improper conduct. Police are not treating his death as suspicious. A terrible turn in a

bitter few weeks for British politics, which has seen M.P.s from across the party suspended. Defense Secretary Sir Michael Fallon stepped down after admitting his past behavior towards women had fallen short.

And the prime minister's right hand man Damian Green under investigation for unwanted sexual advances. Allegations he vigorously denied.

As if the growing scandal weren't enough already, there are new questions over the conduct of two other key ministers. The international development secretary Priti Patel under scrutiny for failing to disclose in advance a series of meetings with Israeli officials while she was on holiday in Israel. Patel apologized for not following usual procedures in reporting those meetings.

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also facing criticism for adding fuel to the fire of Iranian suspicions about a jailed British Iranian woman. Iran apparently using his comments to haul Nazanin Zaghari- Ratcliffe back before a judge over the weekend. Her family now concern, her -five-year jail term will be extended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The U.K. government has no doubt that she was on holiday in Iran when she was arrested last year and that was the sole purpose of her visit. My point was that I disagreed with the Iranian view that training journalists was a crime. Not that I wanted to lend any credence to Iranian allegation that's Mrs. Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been engaged in any such activity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MAGNAY: It can hardly get worse for British prime minister. Her parliamentary majority stripped away in June's catastrophic election. Her government fractured by Brexit, now accused of being too weak even to sack those ministers who defy her. Perhaps all that's keeping her in power is that at this stage at least there seem to be no cabinet ministers prepared to take on her Brexit vote.

Diana Magnay, CNN, London.

CHURCH: We'll take a short break here, but coming up a new report alleges Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein hired spies to prevent accusers and journalists from revealing his allege sexual misconduct. Stay with us for that.

Plus, thick smog is forcing one of the world's most populous cities indoors. Dangerous pollution in the Indian capital. That's next.

[03:15:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The U.S. president is getting a tour of Beijing's Forbidden City right now. You're seeing those live pictures. So let's get more on the significance of this trip to China. Robert Lawrence Kuhn joins us now from Beijing with more on the

presidential visit to China. He's a long-time adviser to China's leaders and the Chinese government. He's also the host of closer to China with R.L. Kuhn on CGTN and the author of "How China's Leaders Think." Thank you so much for being with us.

ROBERT LAWRENCE KUHN, HOST, CGTN: It's a pleasure. It's a very exciting day here in Beijing. People have been really expecting President Trump's visit, and we'll talk about the significance of it.

CHURCH: Absolutely. And of course it is the president's third stop on his 12-day Asia trip. But what will he likely achieve in terms of getting China on board with his request to pressure the rogue regime of North Korea over their nuclear program and how careful does Mr. Trump have to be on this issue?

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, can you hear me? We are live on CNN now. All right. We're clearly having some issues there. We will try to get him a little later in the show.

But one the very last holdouts has joined the Paris climate accord. Syria told the U.N. climate change conference in Germany it's signing on. That makes the United States the only country in the world among 200 that is not part of the landmark agreement. And as of now President Trump has not been invited to next month's climate change summit in Paris.

At the time of the negotiations in 2015 Syria and Nicaragua were the only holdouts. Nicaragua announced its participation two months ago. But Mr. Trump took America out of the deal in June. That was after it was welcomed under President Obama.

Well, the capital of India is struggling with a major pollution risk. Thick smog is blanketing the city, causing all manner of problems and posing serious danger to the public.

CNN meteorologist Tom Sater has more now.

TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Navigating the streets of New Delhi is proving difficult right now. Thick smog currently blankets the city prompting the Indian medical association to declare a public health emergency.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISHAN KUMAR AGGARWAL , PRESIDENT, INDIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (through translator): Schools should be closed down. People should not step out of their homes. Especially the elderly, pregnant ladies, children, and heart and asthma patients.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SATER: City officials say the air quality index, which measures the concentration of harmful substances in the air, reached a dangerously high level of 451 this week out of a maximum of 500. Anything over 100 is considered unsafe. At the city's main airport about 20 flights were delayed due to poor

visibility. This passenger says his flight was grounded for nearly 30 minutes because the pilot could not obtain permission to take off in the smog.

Rail traffic was also affected with about a dozen trains running late. Forecasters say there is no relief in sight for at least the next few days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This type of scenario we are expecting for another three days. Due to that we have given warning for another three days for dense to be the dense fog.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SATER: This has prompted some to call for the cancellation of the annual Airtel half marathon which takes place in about two weeks. For now Delhi's schools remain closed and if the heavy pollution persists or worsens city officials are discussing ways to reduce traffic on the capital's streets.

Tom Sater, CNN.

CHURCH: New developments in the U.S.-Russia investigation, congressional investigators are interviewing people close to the president and they may soon reach Mr. Trump's own family.

Our Manu Raju reports.

MANU RAJU, SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, the congressional investigations into Russia meddling move closer to President Trump. His long-time body man Keith Schiller grilled today by House investigators about Trump's interactions with Russians before he became president, as well as the president's firing of FBI Director James Comey.

When it happened, CNN captured the moment Schiller delivered the letter to the FBI. And the president's eldest son, Donald Trump, Jr., soon could have his turn to answer the question about his June 2016 meeting at trump Tower, where Russians promised dirt on the Clinton campaign.

The Russian lawyer at the meeting suggested this week that Trump Jr. signaled his father was open to rethinking Russian sanctions if elected, something that has drawn attention on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[03:20:02] RAJU: What's your reaction to that?

MARK WARNER, (D) UNITED STATES SENATOR: Well, we still got a couple additional people to talk to, and then we hope to talk to Mr. Donald Trump, Jr.

RAJU: And when do you think that may happen?

WARNER: Soon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm particularly grateful for...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: At the same time Carter Page, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, once again in the spotlight after the House intelligence committee release more than 200 pages of his testimony from last week. Many questions centered on a July 2016 trip he took to Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARTER PAGE, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER: It was terrific to have the opportunity to help clear the record.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Page had repeatedly said that his trip to Moscow was not campaign-related, and he didn't meet with any Russian officials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: You say you only met with academics essentially on your trip to Russia.

PAGE: A few business people who I'd known for a decade, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: But Page's testimony tells a different story, saying he interacted with the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Arkady Dvorkovich and he wrote an e-mail to the Trump campaign last July that he gained some incredible insights in outreach from a few Russian legislators and senior members of the presidential administration here.

He even floated the idea that Trump travel to Russia. Plus, he acknowledged meeting with a top executive with the Russian energy giant Rosneft. This after he denounced the dossier about Trump-Russian connections that said Page met with a different Rosneft executive on that trip in an effort to broker a deal to ease U.S. sanctions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAGE: Great to see you guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Page, however, denies he was part of any quid pro quo with the company. Page also told senior campaign officials about his Moscow trip, including campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Hope Hicks who is now the White House communications director, and Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general. Asked if he spoke with national co-chairman Sam Clovis after his trip, Page said, I did. Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: And we turn to another big story we've been following. Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has been banned from yet another prestigious Hollywood organization. The board for the television academy, which helps award the Emmy's, has expelled Weinstein after dozens of women accused him of sexual harassment and assault.

Well, now a New Yorker report is detailing how it says Weinstein went to extraordinary lengths to try to silence his accusers.

Brynn Gingras has that.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to the most recent new Yorker article Weinstein hired private investigators last year to shut down any allegations of sexual harassment or assault. It is reported that some of these investigators, get this, formerly worked for Israeli intelligence agencies.

The article states in some cases they worked under a contract signed by a high-profile New York City attorney which Weinstein allegedly hired so if criminal proceedings ever came forward he would be protected by attorney client privilege.

That attorney also was advising the New York Times on an unrelated case. Now, remember, the New York Times was the first news agency to publish a story on Weinstein outing these claims from alleged victims.

Now, these investigators, more about them. Reportedly, they would create fake names and fake personas in order to get close to alleged Weinstein victims in order to find out what they had to say about the movie mogul, also find out if they had gone to the press with any of their allegations.

Now the article also says the investigators were targeting journalists Weinstein thought were planning to report negative stories about him in an attempt to snap out those stories altogether. So this goes very, very deep. Weinstein's spokesperson still has not responded to our request for comment about this explosive New York story.

CHURCH: More than 60 women have come forward accusing Weinstein of rape or sexual harassment. The allegations have sparked the Me Too movement, which has empowered women around the world to speak up about being victims of sexual misconduct. In France they are calling it expose your pig. And it's inspiring women to take action.

Melissa Bell has more now from Paris.

MELISSA BELL, INTERNATIONAL CNN CORRESPONDENT: The language of the hash tag may have varied from the U.S., but the anger expressed has been universal. Women speaking out about harassment, sexual abuse, and rape in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

In France, the expose your pig hash tag has led women onto the streets and into action. Women like Henda Ayari. (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BELL: Henda Ayari is one of two women now accusing the high-profile Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan of rape, allegations that are now in the hands of prosecutors.

[03:25:06] Ramadan, who's taken a leave of absence from Oxford University, denies any wronging, denouncing what he calls a campaign of lies, and saying on his Facebook page, "Unfounded allegations can never take the place of concrete truth. These accusations are simply false and betray all the ideals I have long strived for and believe in."

In France, as in other countries, women have been speaking out about specific allegations but also about a cultural problem that has allowed men to harass them with impunity in the worlds of business, fashion, cinema, journalism, and politics.

Like Westminster, France's national assembly is now at the center of a great deal of attention over sexual harassment allegations. As recently as July 2012 this minister was subject to cat calling.

This for choosing on that summer day to wear a dress, now Sandrine Rousseau, a former Green Party spokesman, has decided to act. Last year she and several other women accused the vice president of the national assembly of sexual harassment.

Denis Baupin resigned although the case never made it to court. In a statement he called the allegations defamatory and baseless lies. He said he re-signed to protect the reputation of parliament and to defend himself, launching slander proceedings against the women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRINE ROUSSEAU, FORMER GREEN PARTY SPOKESWOMAN (through translator): Sexual violence is an abuse of power and the world of politics is a world of power. Specifically a world of male power because there are far more men who have the top jobs in France and so far I don't think women in politics have been speaking out enough. I think there is much more that needs to be says about how men behave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Sandrine Rousseau wants to make it easier for women to get justice. She's created a site for women to come together and share their stories and raise money for legal action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROUSSEAU (through translator): It's a revolution and the women who have been using these hash tags are very brave but I also want to say to them come and help us finance our project because together we'll be stronger.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BELL: France's first minister for equality between men and women believes that the hash tag is important but agrees that more needs to be done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARLENE SCHIAPPA, FRENCH MINISTER FOR EQUALITY: We can say that street harassment is no allowed in the law in France, and I think it's really important to say that no, it's not OK, it's not allowed to follow women, it's not allowed to harass them in the street, in the subway, you are not allowed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: The struggle for women in France as in other countries will now be to drum their anger into action.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

CHURCH: We'll take a short break here, but still to come, Donald Trump's message in South Korea wasn't directed only at Pyongyang. The reason he's calling China out. That's still to come.

Plus, why an upscale hotel in Saudi Arabia's capital is being called the world's most luxurious prison. We're back in just a moment. Do stay with us.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. Time to update you now of course on our top stories we've been following.

While Donald Trump is in Beijing he will receive an unprecedented honor for a U.S. President, an official dinner inside the Forbidden City. He will be the first foreign leader to attend such a dinner since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Democrats are literally jumping for joy after election victories in two U.S. states. New Jersey voters have elected Phil Murphy as their next governor. And in Virginia a wave of anti-Trump sentiment swept democrat Ralph Northam to the governor's office.

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein hired private investigators last year to collect information on women and journalists trying to expose his background. According to the New Yorker magazine sources say Weinstein's goal was to stifle anyone from publishing sexual harassment or assault allegations against him.

Weinstein's spokesperson denied any individuals were targeted or suppressed. And Weinstein has denied allegations of non-consensual sex.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to urge China to further isolate its neighbor North Korea during his visit to Beijing. Before leaving South Korea Mr. Trump warned Kim Jong-un's regime not to underestimate the United States. He also mentioned the joint navy drills in the region right now. He

drew a contrast between the human rights violations in North Korea and the freedoms South Koreans enjoy. And he put pressure on China and Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: All responsible nations must join forces to isolate the rogue regime of North Korea to deny it and any form, any form of it you cannot support, you cannot supply. You cannot accept. We call on every nation including China and Russia to fully implement U.N. Security Council resolutions, downgrade diplomatic relations with the regime, and sever all ties of trade and technology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And joining us now from Beijing is Paul Haenle. He is the director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center at Tsinghua University. Welcome, sir. Thank you so much for being with us.

PAUL HAENLE, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE-TSINGHUA CENTER, TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, President Trump has arrived in Beijing to a very warm welcome. We saw him and the first lady to the Forbidden City, and he will have dinner there. Quite the honor. China clearly wants to impress Mr. Trump.

But Mr. Trump actually wants Beijing to put pressure and isolate its ally and neighbor North Korea. Will we see any move in that direction from China, do you think?

HAENLE: Well, thank you, Rosemary. I think you put the finger on the key challenge here, and that is that Chinese leadership President Xi Jinping, as you say, will roll out the red carpet and give President Donald Trump all the pomp and ceremony that they can.

They've called this a state visit plus, indicating that they're going to do more than they've done with previous leaders in terms of giving him the respect that they believe he's accorded.

But Donald Trump will come here wanting to make progress on some key issues and will want to be able to show that he's made that progress. On top of the list is North Korea, which he talked about in his stops in Tokyo and in Seoul, and also on the list is the issue of trade and economics and rebalancing the trade and economic relationship with China.

So he'll be under pressure to make progress. The visuals will be great, but the key question is will Donald Trump be able to achieve some policy objectives on this trip?

CHURCH: And that's what Mr. Trump wants. So what does China want to get out of this U.S. presidential trip, do you think?

HAENLE: Well, I think that they'll give him the pomp and ceremony, and I think they're trying to think through what they will do with respect to North Korea.

You know, the level of frustration here in China with regard to North Koreas as high as I've ever seen it. But China has not yet made the decision to fundamentally shift its policy, align more with the U.S., and put the kind of pressure on North Korea that the United States, South Korea, and Japan would like to see, which we think is necessary to get the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, to change his political calculus and abandon his nuclear program.

[03:35:08] And so the question is, will China shift to a tougher approach? Will they be willing to do things like cutting off oil potentially or stopping the money and the influx of capital into Pyongyang that allows them to develop their programs?

CHURCH: We'll certainly be watching to see what happens there. You mentioned trade a little earlier. President Trump of course wants to discuss trade issues, specifically greater access to Chinese markets. What's he likely to accomplish on that issue? Will China give a little?

HAENLE: Well, Rosemary, the one thing we do know is there are going to be a number of large deals announced during this trip. There are upwards of close to 30 CEOs traveling with President Trump, and we're expected to see a number of large deals announced during this trip.

But as you suggest, there are some more fundamental and structural trade and security issues at play here, and the question is will China open its markets to U.S. companies? Will China stand down on intellectual property and force technology transfer?

These are the more structural issues that are on the agenda, and these are the issues frankly, that are more important for the long-term health of the U.S.-China relationship, and if they're not addressed in some way during this trip I worry that the relationship will not be on solid footing going forward.

So these are issues that Donald Trump as President of the United States will have to raise with President Xi.

CHURCH: Two big issues we will all be watching very closely. Paul Haenle, thank you so much for joining us with your analysis and perspective there in Beijing. I appreciate it.

Well, we are following the escalating tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia as both sides lash out at each other after a thwarted missile strike on the Riyadh airport just days ago.

Saudi's crown prince accuses Iran of supplying rebels in Yemen with missiles in what he describes as direct military aggression by the Iranian regime. Iran denies the claim, with Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif calling the Saudi comments dangerous allegations.

All this amid an anti-corruption purge in Saudi Arabia involving more than a dozen Saudi princes.

Our John Defterios has more now. JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: It's not your typical

five-star experience. Unforgettable as it may be. New footage from inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, shows a dramatic transformation from a favorite haunt of the well-heeled into arguably the world's most luxurious prison.

Its gilded ballrooms and grand hallways now home to dozens of princes, billionaire businessmen, and former government ministers swept up in an intense anti-corruption campaign led by the kingdom's young crown prince.

The video shows people, possibly guards, lying on mats with a military style rifle perched up against a wall. It's a far cry from earlier this year when the Saudi monarch warmly welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump at the palatial retreat or from just last month when along with hundreds of global business leaders, I attended the so-called Davos in the desert there, are gathering meant to tell the world the kingdom is open for business.

Robots greeted guests, Saudi's cities of the future were born. The moneyed class were impressed how times have changed. While billionaires still walk its marbled halls there are no longer foreign businessmen seeking a deal.

But Saudi elite, marooned by a young crown prince, upending traditions all in the names of fighting corruption.

John Defterios, CNN Money, Abu Dhabi.

CHURCH: After a short break, the Texas church shooting was carried out by a man with a long history of domestic violence. And we are learning the pastor of the church did not want him in his congregation. We'll have the details on that.

Plus, an American woman faces a court hearing and potentially years in prison for a tweet some say insulted Zimbabwe's president. Do stay with us for that.

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The violent act of the Texas church shooter should have prevented him from legally buying a firearm. Police say Devin Kelley escaped from a mental health facility five years ago after threatening military commanders. He also served jail time for domestic violence. But he still passed background checks and was able to legally purchase guns because the U.S. Air Force failed to report his conviction.

President Donald Trump is blaming the shooting on a mental health problem. He says strict stricter gun laws would not have prevented the massacre.

Well, the shooter had attended the church where he killed 25 people and an unborn child. But the pastor whose 14-year-old daughter was among those killed warned he did not want Kelley at his church.

The details now from Brian Todd. BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Prior to pleading guilty to assaulting

his wife and child in 2012, CNN has learned Devin Kelley, the gunman who opened fire on this Texas church briefly escaped from a mental health facility in New Mexico where he was being held.

This 2012 police report shows that while Kelley was still in the air force he was institutionalize after threatening his commanding officers and trying to sneak guns onto Holloman Air Force Base where he was stationed.

Police later found that then the 21-old at a bus station nearby. He was later convicted on the assault charges. Now investigators want to know if a history of mental illness, a seething anger toward his in- laws, or both led to his rampage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE TACKITT, SHERIFF, WILSON COUNTY: He was thinking that his mother- in-law was in the church probably and, you know, that's who he was targeting. But, I mean, as you know, all the other lives that he took and all the people that he injured, I mean, it's senseless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Officials say Kelley's mother-in-law was not at church on Sunday although his wife's grandmother was. She was killed. Investigator say Kelley was familiar with the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs and had attended activities there. His behavior had raised red flags for the church's pastor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TACKITT: He did know him. He did not want him at his church.

TODD: Why not?

TACKITT: He said because he just thought that he was not a good person to be around.

TODD: Is there anything specific you can say about what he said?

TACKITT: No. He just said he didn't think he was a good person and he just didn't want him around his church. But he said how do I run him away from my church?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Records obtained by CNN show even more reasons to be concerned. Court documents show Kelley was the subject of a sexual assault investigation in 2013. Although charges were never filed.

And in a separate 2014 incident, Kelley was accused of abusing his then girlfriend who later became his wife. Records say Kelley's girlfriend texted one of her friends, sang her arms were red and that Kelley told her to pack a bag.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TACKITT: Apparently, they talked to the female that was supposed to be the subject of the abuse and she was saying now she's not a victim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Friends say Kelley also began going after them online in recent months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER LEO LONGORIA, DEVIN KELLEY'S CLASSMATE: Picking on a lot of other student. Picked on me for losing weight. Also just, you know, anti-God. You know, preaching his beliefs of Atheism. Lots of gun violence videos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: A source telling CNN that Kelley had also become fixated by mass shootings judging by indications in his social media accounts.

[03:44:59] All of this raising sharp concerns about how a 26-year-old, with a history of violence and threats was able to buy multiple, guns and why the air force did not notify the federal criminal data base used for background purchases of his criminal history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER COMBS, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, SAN ANTONIO FBI: Unfortunately, this has happened in the past from a number of agencies. Nothing is perfect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Another point of frustration for investigators - an FBI special agent here says they have the shooter's cell phone but they can't yet crack it. They can't access the content of the phone because of encryption and other technology. But one official here says emphatically we will get into that phone.

Brian Todd, CNN, Sutherland Springs, Texas.

CHURCH: Long-time Texas journalist James Moore wrote an opinion piece for CNN.com and in it he said he used to associate the town of Sutherland Springs with wildflowers and Texas history. A gunman, he said, changed that forever.

James Moore joins me now to talk more about the impact of that horrifying day. Thank you so much for being with us.

JAMES MOORE, JOURNALIST: Sure.

CHURCH: Now, you wrote that Sutherland Springs has been changed forever. Talk to us about how this event has altered the church, the town, and the people. And do you think they can ever recover from this horror? MOORE: I don't think it's just Sutherland Springs that has been

changed by this, Rosemary. I think it is our entire country. Because prior to this we still had this sort of sense of naivete maybe that we were safe in these small towns, in these little places in our churches, our synagogues and our mosques.

But if somebody can come into a remote place and even though it's only 30 miles east of San Antonio it feels much more remote, it's on the edge of the Texas brush country. If someone can come in there and do this kind of thing in this community, it means that none of us is safe anywhere.

And consequently, what that means for the city of Sutherland Springs is that it changes dramatically. It will never be the same. We can expect that church to probably be razed. Who knows if spiritually these folks are strong enough to go back and recondition it and continue to worship there after 10 percent of the town gets shot in one day.

It's hard to know what will happen. Bu I do know it has transformed other places that have recovered. But this seems to me completely different because of the sort of horrifying scope of what has happened and the location where it's happened.

I'm telling you, if you've ever been in South Texas in the springtime, it's a sea of wild flowers. The Indian paintbrushes, blue bonnets, and they grow all along the highway and in the past years. And riding through there, as I mentioned in the piece, on a motorcycle it's a fantastic experience.

It's beautiful, it's idyllic, and now you have to think about this little place in a completely different way. And it's obviously very disturbing on a number of levels.

CHURCH: And as you say it is hard to know what will happen to the church and the town although these people do appear particularly resilient, don't they? And their faith is so strong.

But you appeared to place a considerable amount of blame on Texas Governor Greg Abbott for pushing the people of that state to purchase more guns. Is he the one to blame here or is it bigger than that given the air force failed to report the shooter's domestic abuse convictions to the national data base, essentially allowing a mentally ill man to purchase guns.

MOORE: Well, we have a number of problems. First of all, our governor is culpable in this. He's not alone of course. But he does have some of the blame for what happened down there. He was I think I mentioned that he was promoting the Texas buy more guns in California.

And he was embarrassed, that was his words that he was embarrassed that Texas wasn't buying more. And it was less than six months later that this young man took him up on his demand that we buy more guns and he bought one.

Now the air force did not report him to the national crime information computer. But, even if they had, Rosemary, it would have made no difference in Texas. He could have gone to any one of a number of gun shows that are held every weekend in the State of Texas. Walked in, shown his I.D., and bought the very same weapon, and walked out with no waiting period whatever.

He could have done the same thing because we don't like to restrict the sales at gun shows. There's no cooling off period. There's no waiting period. You walk in with your I.D.

So we have a cultural problem in this country. And in Texas it does seem to be a bit more manifest than the rest of the country. But the question is not so much about do we need to make guns go away because that's never going to happen in our country. And that certainly isn't going to happen in Texas.

[03:49:55] But what we do need is better reporting. We need the national computer systems talking to the mental health data systems, talking to the local crime data bases, whose criminal record should preclude them from this.

This obviously isn't done efficiently and we need laws to address that and we need laws that make it much more difficult for a crazy person to get their hands on a deadly weapon. It's not like that now in our country. And I'm hoping personally that this event will make us all sort of stand up and say we're done with this.

CHURCH: Still so much more to be done to stop these mass shootings and there are so very many of them. James Moore, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

MOORE: My pleasure.

CHURCH: Still to come on CNN Newsroom, an American woman is jailed in Zimbabwe, accused of an insulting tweet aimed at President Robert Mugabe. The latest on her case and the prison sentence she could face. That's ahead in a live report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: An American woman imprisoned in Zimbabwe faces a bail hearing after reportedly tweeting that President Robert Mugabe is quote, "A selfish and sick man." Martha O'Donovan is also accused of plotting to overthrow Zimbabwe's government.

Now David McKenzie joins us now from Johannesburg with more on this. David, what could happen to this 25-year-old American woman?

DAVID MCKENZIE, INTERNATIONAL CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are two charges and they're both very serious, Rosemary. Martha O'Donovan, this 25-year-old American who's been living and working in Harare, Zimbabwe, could face up to 20 years in prison. One of these charges is subverting the state, an allegation that has been put to political activists and others in the past in Zimbabwe.

Now, as we mentioned, one of those charges also relates to a tweet she allegedly sent saying that Zimbabwe was being led by a selfish and sick man, something that she and her lawyer have both denied.

She was due for a bail hearing in Harare at the high court this morning, local time, it seems like according to witnesses that the stake has been granted a one-day extension. So that means she'll be back in the notorious female Chikurubi Prison for yet another night and should be at that appeal -- sorry, that bail hearing tomorrow.

Now, questions are being raised, Rosemary, why exactly the state is throwing its might against this young American who was a manager at a TV production house that put out satirical videos. It seems to many, including diplomats, that it might be a message that Mugabe is trying to send in this tense political time in that country. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes, it's looking that way. Davis, Robert Mugabe also fired his vice president this week. How is that shake-up affecting politics in Zimbabwe?

MCKENZIE: Well, this is a tectonic shift in Zimbabwean politics. Emmerson Mnangagwa known as the crocodile because of his ruthless enforcement over the years can really be seen as Mugabe's right-hand man for decades.

And yesterday in a pretty blunt and short statement read out in front of the press it was announce that V.P. Mnangagwa has been unceremoniously dumped by the 93-year-old Mugabe for things including disloyalty, disrespect, deceitfulness and unreliability.

[03:55:01] Now, many see this as a way of opening up in the brutal leadership battle to replace Mugabe for Mugabe's wife, the first lady, Grace Mugabe. Still a lot of political machinations in Zimbabwe and it's all running up to a critical leadership conference next month, as well as elections next year.

One opposition politician said because of the economic climate, the political situation and other factors that really is a perfect storm in that troubled country.

CHURCH: Our David McKenzie watching those developments from Johannesburg, where it is nearly 11 in the morning. Many thanks to you.

Well, tweet can now be longer but not everyone's happy out that extra space. Twitter has doubled the original character limit to 280 for most users.

Our Samuel Burke reports so far there have been mixed results.

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When the test group for this was announced back in September, I was amazed at just how divided Twitter was over this. I thought everybody would be happy to have a few extra characters if they tweet. But some of the loyal Twitter users really like the brevity of Twitter and they were outrage.

But after all that moaning and groaning, well, not much happened. No celebrities left in protest. And in fact, the stock price for twitter actually has gone over, $3 since then. And Twitter says after the novelty wore off only 5 percent of users of users kept on tweeting pass that previous limit of 140 characters in the test group.

One person who wasn't in the test group was arguably Twitter's most important user, President Donald Trump. Now he has the ability to tweet 280 characters along with the rest of us. But before, he just used to have the tweet storm style where you tweet one message after another. That kept a lot of journalist on edge, but I have a feeling 140 character, 280 character limit, Donald Trump will keep on tweeting no matter what.

CHURCH: Samuel Burke there. Are you using that extra space? Thanks for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me any time on Twitter. The news continues with our Max Foster in London.

You're watching CNN. Have yourselves a great day.

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