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North-South hotline reactivated; Trump: my nuclear button is more powerful and it works; Demonstrations over weak economy, lack of jobs; Israeli official refusal to negotiate incurs a price; YouTube star apologizes twice over video. Aired at 8-8:30a ET
Aired January 03, 2018 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: The Koreas are talking. Officials from the North and South hold two phone calls in a matter of hours. Demonstrations in Iran, now pro-
government protesters marched countering the antigovernment movement. And Palestinians say that they are committed to a two-state solution from peace
despite what President Trump says.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: North and South Korea have reestablish communication, that is something that is music to China's ears. Now for nearly two years, South
Korea called the North everyday twice but no one picked up.
And finally, North Korea returned the call. Leader Kim Jong-un order the hotline to be open. South Korea says the two talked for 20 minutes, the
first time and worked out technical issues.
And North Korea called again later to say, let's call the day. Now China responded to this landmark event saying it supports a dialogue. Let's
bring in Seoul base analyst, Duyeon Kim. She is the visiting senior fellow at the Korean Peninsula Future Forum. She joins us once again at the
program.
Duyeon, welcome back. It's good to talk to you. Wow. The Korean hotline up to two years has been reactivated. How significant is this event?
DUYEON KIM, SENIOR FELLOW, KOREAN PENINSULA FUTURE FORUM: Well, this event surely is meaningful and yes, it's significant because like you said,
Korean missions have been resumed. This is the most that they have ever offered in years.
So, it's a positive situation. Dialogue should of course happen between the two Koreas as many times as frequently in a cost of range of issues as
they should have.
However, the concern and the risk that we're facing right now, the potential risk is that South Korea could potentially fall into North
Korea's trap, which is to drive a wedge between South Korea and the U.S.
And to trap South Korea in a way in a situation in which Seoul will have to give North Korea exorbitant amounts of concessions and potentially caused
tensions and even a rift which North Korea wants with Washington.
LU STOUT: You are warning that North Korea could be setting a trap here and it's all because of Donald Trump, because we know where he stands on
North Korea.
So if relations warm between North and South Korea, that would drive a wedge between South Korea and the U.S. So, what does Seoul need to do now?
What does Seoul need to do to maintain good relations with Washington?
KIM: Sure. So, what's critically important is because we can foresee these potential traps and landmines, so to speak on the way going forward.
What Seoul can do -- Seoul and Washington, both can do is to prevent to fall in to those traps.
So that would entail better and more communication between solo Washington which a lot of people know that had not been so -- so good so far between
the allies. And more closer coordination between Seoul and Washington, as well in terms of their policy approach.
Their next moves went board having Seoul keep Washington in the loop every step of the way, informing Washington about the situation on the ground
that it involves in its dealings with the North. And also keeping Washington fully informed about its intentions going forward and its
objectives.
One thing that I would have to note that this tactic by the North of trying to drive a wedge between the allies, really in decades olds, it actually
dates back to the beginning of North Korean -- the North Korean regime's establishments. This has been one of the many objectives of North as
trying to achieve and have not yet achieved so far.
LU STOUT: And before we get too far ahead of ourselves talking about driving this wedge between South Korea and the U.S., and a sign of
relations between Seoul and Pyongyang, I mean what are the prospects for talks between North and South Korea.
Because we have been here before, haven't we? I mean Kim Jong-un made previous overture to South Korea. He did it in his newest address in 2015.
Seoul offered high-level talks under then President Park Geun-hye, nothing happened. So could nothing happen again?
KIM: Sure. Anything and nothing can happen. Whenever we're dealing with North Korea, particularly when it comes to -- when it deals with into
Korean dialogue, into Korean communications and cooperation, and exchanges, the whole works.
[08:05:07] It won't -- we won't know for sure until the talk actually happen because in North, with historical president, (Inaudible) has
occasionally just either walked out with the park or just decided not to show up.
And so, it's also with this hotline that's been resumed. The North -- I mean this communication channel should always be open 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
However, the North is always used as a communication channel to turn it on and off to the link to sever the link, to the reopen the link, as it wishes
and sometimes on the win, and sometimes just to get this out the hard time.
LU STOUT: Very fascinating to hear about the history and your thoughts on the diplomatic playbook from the perspective of Pyongyang. Duyeon Kim,
joining us live from Seoul, thank you, take care.
KIM: Thank you.
LU STOUT: While North and South Korea after have opened up the lines, there's been no let up in the back and forth with the U.S. Here is Joe
Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump taunting North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un over the size of America's nuclear arsenal, asserting
that his nuclear button is much bigger and more powerful than North Korea's before threatening that the U.S. button works.
Mr. Trump lashing out after Kim Jong-un bragged that the U.S. is within range of a North Korean strike, asserting that a nuclear button is always
on his desk, the ratcheting up of tensions raising alarm.
JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: There are potentially millions of lives at stake, an untold death and destruction
here, and to me it's very disturbing.
No one in the White House knows what is Kim Jong-un's ignition point where one of these tweets is going to set him off and he's going to hit that
button.
JOHNS: Hours earlier, Mr. Trump again mocking Kim Jong-un with the name Rocket man.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself.
JOHNS: The president responding after South Korea showed an eagerness to opening up talks with its North Korean neighbor.
NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: North Korea can talk with anyone they want, but the U.S. is not going to recognize it or acknowledge it
until they agree to ban the nuclear weapons.
JOHNS: The tweets about North Korea, two of 16 messages, the president sent on a range of unrelated topics during his first day back in the Oval
Office after the holiday break. Mr. Trump began the day attacking his own Justice Department as the deep state, referencing a conspiracy theory.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Obviously he doesn't believe the entire Justice Department is part of that.
JOHNS: And president going after top former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, asserting that she should be jailed over her handling of State
Department emails despite the fact that after an FBI investigation, she has not been charged with a crime.
President Trump also urging the Justice Department to act in prosecuting former FBI director James Comey, fired by the president last May.
TRUMP: When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.
JOHNS: Other targets of the president's Twitter attacks, The New York Times, former President Barack Obama, Pakistan, Iran, and the Palestinians,
who Mr. Trump threatened not to give future funding if they do not rejoin peace talks.
President Trump also taking credit for a record year of safety and commercial aviation without citing any measures his administration has
implemented.
REP. JIM HIMES, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: It really doesn't matter what the president of the United States says anymore because it is so bizarre,
strange, not true, infantile.
JOHNS: Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And now to one of Donald Trump's targets, Iran where thousands of pro-government demonstrators have just held marches of their own.
They chanted every signs showing support for one supreme leader in response to the ongoing antigovernment protest. At least 21 people have been killed
since it erupted on Thursday, hundreds have been detained, and more antigovernment demonstrations are expected.
Iran is now in the middle of its biggest display of public unrest since the 2009 green movement. Our Amir Daftari takes a look at what is driving
these young people to defy their country's leaders.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMIR DAFTARI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unemployment, inflation corruption, what triggers the deadly protest across Iran. The government has acknowledge
these economic challenges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through a translator): What is clear, is that these threats and challenges have to be turned into opportunities.
DAFTARI: But words haven't been enough. In fact, the protest spreads, with frustrations over the economy growing into wider discontent about the
overall state of politics. Many Iranians have expectations for their country.
[08:10:00] This was the theme just two years ago, young men and women cheering Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, hopeful than an end to
years of economic sanctions will bring a more prosperous future.
There have been some improvements, growth has returned and inflation is board on. The International Monetary Fund said the economy is set to
expand by 4.2 percent. Iran's crude oil is being sold overseas once again and foreign investment is starting to trickle back as well.
France' oil giant, Total and China's CNBC agreed to invest billions of dollars to develop a giant gas field. But many Iranians are not feeling
the benefit.
Daily life remains hard and there aren't enough jobs, especially for the young. The unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 29 is around 25 percent.
At the same time, the government's new budget is set to cut infrastructure spending and cut subsidies, while allocating millions of dollars for
religious institutions.
So while Iran's economic indicators are positive, the government needs to find a way to translate them into higher living standards and fast. Amir
Daftari, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Authorities in Tehran are blaming other countries for the unrest. Now joining us for more in the situation is, Nic Paton Walsh.
And, Nic, let's talk about what happened earlier today because we saw pro- government protesters hitting the streets across Iran? How significant is this counter movement?
NIC PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Significant but not entirely unexpected, Kristie. Remember, you know President Rouhani and moderates
has just received a pretty comfortable reelection victory with inaugurated back in August.
So clearly, there are many Iranians who supported his administration and also to remember there is a bit of stay in structure those able to get
people on the streets as well.
This is the message that was designed to counter the notion perhaps, I think around in foreign capitals in the West, certainly in particular from
the Trump administrations that the voice on the streets of Iran is purely demanding that the system change.
But still, that says while the protest of the unrest are against governments are certainly less than they were a number of days ago. There
have been still happening in the last 24 hours or so.
And the broader question now is, do these pro-government protests mark the end of his bouts. The unrest has the steam felt sort of in the angry youth
here, economic problems, over lack of freedom has not been vented or are we going to see perhaps more maybe this Friday, this weekend, tonight et
cetera.
And have the precious put on by Nikki Haley in Trump's envoy to the United Nations. Her comments that the Iran could deserve to be free and the Trump
administration's broader noise on this issue fermented.
What was occurring inside Iran or is that sort of some of something which frankly was a groundswell, or will continue to be a groundswell and is now
slowly having.
LU STOUT: And where this all send out because its now day seven of these anti-government protests. There is an ebb and flow but it's still
enduring. It began last week, it started as this expression of frustration over the economy. But what does it represent now?
WALSH: Still I think frankly, the same thing. I mean we just a worrying moment over sort of what we learn from Monday and Tuesday where the death
toll nearly doubled, one instant, mostly responsible for that.
But still only about 21 or so individuals having lost their lives, that's pretty small, I said tragic for families involved but pretty small for
weeks worth of unrest in the scale, not seems since 2009.
It began because people are angry at the economy, jumps in price rises as you heard there in the last month or so, subsidies being stripped the way
under a new budget.
And a broader, I think feeling that the nuclear deal supposed to lift sanctions, supposed to improve lives for many of Iran's youth very quickly,
simply hasn't been able to do that.
Now that is partly because the Trump administrations being so anti of the nuclear deal. And to continue its own unilateral stanchions outside of
that nuclear framework that has put many European businessmen off from increasing their links with Iran.
They wonder if they will get involved if they could suddenly fund the Trump administrations back sounds to the nuclear deal of the last minute, that
have a longer term effect.
It made an impossible relief for the moderate government to President Hassan Rouhani to live to the idea that it was going to make life easier
economically for people, that was so much how it manage sell the nuclear deal to his own hardliners.
But you have to remember, too, if those looking on the outside into Iran for some sort of change on increased moderation, increase unrest and
instability are unlikely necessary to bring that overnight because the hardliners in Iran are quite capable and if sharing the past of repressing
or stopping street unrest.
For some degree, we haven't seen that so far as being comparatively measured, frankly, and we are a week down the line. It does appear to be
slowing to some degree.
[08:15:00] But this was so unpredictable, Kristie, from the beginning on the scale on this kind of geography that it will be foolish to get what we
are going to be seeing in the next few days.
LU STOUT: Absolutely, Nic Paton Walsh, reporting live for us. Thank you. Now, Pakistan is pushing back against the U.S. allegation that it's not
doing enough to fight terror. At the U.N., U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley accused Pakistan of playing a double game, taking aid from the U.S. while
supporting terrorism.
She says Washington has put almost a quarter of a billion dollars of Pakistan aid on hold. But Islamabad rejects the accusation saying it is
contributed and sacrifice the most in fighting international terrorism. It says, it can review its cooperation.
U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to cut aid to the Palestinians as well. He tweeted this quote, with the Palestinians no longer willing to
talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?
Now spokesman for the Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas says Jerusalem is not for sale and that chief Palestinian negotiator had this to
say speaking with Rosemary Church earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAEB EREKAT, CHIEF PALESTENIAN NEGOTIATOR: We are committed to peace. We committed to the two-state solution on the 1967 line. We are committed to
the principle of line for peace. We want a Palestinian step in the 1967 line with Jerusalem as its capital to live in peace and security.
In the state of Israel -- we have organized the state of Israel. Now with President Trump and what Mr. Netanyahu are doing, are torpedoing and
destroying the two-state solution, and moving towards imposing and dictating solution which will not fly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Saeb Erekat there. Let's get more now from CNN's Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Oren, tell us more about the angry Palestinian
response and also, how are Israeli officials reacting to Mr. Trump's threat?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have heard from a number of Palestinian leaders at this point and many echo the sentiment of PLO
secretary-general, in the longtime PLO negotiator there (Inaudible).
We have heard from a spokesman for Palestinian authority, President Mahmoud Abbas who says Jerusalem is not for sale, not surprising, there would
always comes back to Jerusalem, the most sensitive, arguably the most important issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Meanwhile, a number of other Palestinian leaders have said, we will not be blackmailed. Meaning they refuse to be held hostage by this threat to cut
off hundreds of million dollars of Palestinian aid that comes from the U.S.
Perhaps not surprisingly, some Israeli leaders are praising what we are seeing here, praising President Donald Trump's threat to cut off aid to the
Palestinians saying, that Trump was approaching us from a businessman's perspective.
If you don't accept the first offer, the offers get worse, not better and they say perhaps this will bring the Palestinians to the negotiating table.
In the end, what this does is really affects whatever President Trump's peace plan was her plan was or plan to bring Israelis and Palestinians
together, that now seems more remote than ever with charges on both sides here as he tries to press forward on that. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Oren, if the U.S. president goes ahead with this threat and cuts U.S. foreign aid to Palestinians, how devastating could it be? What kind
of real world impact would it have?
LIEBERMANN: So we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. From U.S. aid, we know that $660 million and then the U.S. also contributes
nearly $400 million to the budget of UNRRA, which is the U.N. organization that deals with Palestinian refugees.
It touches almost every aspect of Palestinian society from education to hospitals, to infrastructure and more. We have visited the Shuafat refugee
camp, that is a neighborhood in Jerusalem to see what life is like there, that community, that neighborhood relies very heavily on some of this
money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIEBERMANN: If there was ever hope in Shuafat refugee camp, it was long ago replaced by garbage. Bags have been pile up on the streets, fill empty
yards, far more real than any peace process. When was the last time you saw garbage truck here?
KHALID AL-SHEIKH, COMMUNITY WORKER (through a translator): There was never an Israeli truck getting in here for garbage. There is no cleaning
services given for the refugee camp at all.
LIEBERMANN: Khalid Al-Sheikh takes me through the camps, now allies, home to some 70,000 Palestinians who crammed in the Shuafat's concrete jungle in
crowded streets, many of them, refugees for wars in 1948 and '67.
Al-Sheikh runs a children center in the camp to keep kids off the streets, crimes, drugs, major problems here. There is a national healthcare center
here but few local services. Jerusalem's holy sites seem a world away. What is it like living here in the Shuafat refugee camp?
AL-SHEIKH (through a translator): Living in Shuafat means you are living in a big prison.
LIEBERMANN: The greater Jerusalem plan being developed by the Israeli government would see this neighborhood removed from the city into a new
municipality, made up of other densely packed Palestinian neighborhoods. The movement to see Jerusalem's Palestinian population cut of more than a
third.
[08:20:00] MICHAEL OREN, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT MINISTER: The goal is one that is shared by the overwhelming majority of Jewish Israelis but that
Jerusalem remain our cut, a Jewish majority said it.
LIEBERMANN: A wall separates Shuafat refugee camp from the rest of the city, nearby the (Inaudible), Israelis live looks pristine in comparison,
the neighbors, separated by so much than a valley. As we leave the Shuafat refugee camp, we are going from Jerusalem into Jerusalem.
And yet we still have to cross through this checkpoint within the city. The camp is an island of isolation in a city held by its leaders as united.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIEBERMANN: it is neighborhoods like the Shuafat refugee camp but other Palestinian neighborhoods that rely very heavily on foreign aid to support
education, to support hospitals and others that would feel most severely the effect of the cuts to U.S. foreign aid to the Palestinians. If indeed
those happen, Kristie, as of right now, it's a threat but a very serious one if carried out.
LU STOUT: And before you go, Oren, what about the feature of talks, what is Israel's standard on negotiations after the Knesset vote yesterday?
LIEBERMANN: So Trump would have a very tough time not just with the Palestinians who refuse to engage after he recognized Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel but also with the Israelis.
They just passed a law or enacted a law, I should say, making it much harder to negotiate Jerusalem to require larger majority of the Israeli
parliament to see any part of that to a foreign entity which of course negotiations would be the Palestinians.
Now it's interesting to point out Trump's tweet on Jerusalem because he said Jerusalem was off the table. That directly contradicts what he said
earlier in December when he said, I haven't decided Israeli sovereignty in the holy city or contested borders.
So there seems to be a message of contradiction there. But also one more point, he said Israel would have paid a price for Trump's recognition of
Jerusalem, implying that once he gave Israelis' diplomatic and political gift, there was a concession that has to be named.
What is that concession at this point, Kristie, perhaps we never find out. It all depends on how seriously Trump is still trying to push his plan for
what he's called the ultimate deal.
LU STOUT: Oren Liebermann , we thank you for your reporting. You are watching News Stream, still to come, backlash over a gruesome video posted
on YouTube. Not only against the person who posted but the platform itself. Some say YouTube is not doing its job.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back, this is News Stream. Now YouTube star Logan Paul has apologized a second
time over a morbid and many would say insensitive video that he posted.
The 22-year-old is known for these highly produced video of flashy stunts and pranks. Many of his fans are young teenagers but the feedback on this
particular video is that he crossed the line.
[08:25:00] And also that YouTube, didn't do its job. Here is Samuel Burke.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You may not know who Logan Paul is but any young person you know likely does. The YouTube star with more than 15
million followers on the platform apologized Tuesday after posting a disturbing video called, we found a dead body in Japan Suicide Forest.
It showed a body hanging from a tree in what appeared to be a suicide. Paul posted an apology on Twitter saying he'd been misguided by shock and
later posted another atonement.
LOGAN PAUL, YOUTUBE STAR: I want to apologize to the Internet. I want to apologize to anyone who seen the video. I want to apologize to anyone who
has been affected of testify mental illness, or depression, or suicide but most importantly, I want to apologize to the victim and his family.
BURKE: The video was viewed millions of times before, Paul, took it down. Many commenters called Paul's original post sickening and disgusting.
Some say YouTube is also partly to blame though in recent months companies like, Marriott and Etihad Airways began pulling their ads from the platform
over concerns that their brands were being featured alongside hateful or explicit content.
In response, YouTube promise to devote more resources to removing content in violation of its policies. A promise that the number humans they have
reviewing videos would grow to 10,000 people by 2018.
In response to this particular video, YouTube says it prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking sensation or disrespectful manner.
If the video is graphic, it can only remain on the site and supported by appropriate educational or documentary information. In some cases, it will
be age gated but it was, Logan Paul, not YouTube who took this video down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Samuel Burke reporting there. A key line there at the end. For more on this controversy as well as reaction from YouTube, reaction across
social media to this new apology, you could find it at CNN.com.
Now as reported, North Korea has reopened this communication line with the South, it's being called a diplomatic breakthrough but what is does that
really mean for relations going forward? We've got Paula Hancocks standing by live from Seoul, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream, and these are you world headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: China is soaring its support behind North and South Korea, reestablishing communication for the first time in almost two years. North
Korea opened a hotline to the South.
South Korea says the 20-minute conversation checked technical issues of the communication line. Now the North then called again to say let's call it a
day.
At the United Nations, Iran is blasting U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley's remarks as, quote, nauseous crocodile tears. She praised the anti-
government protests in Iran and called for an emergency U.N. meeting (INAUDIBLE). Iran has also been criticizing the U.S. president for his
tweets in support of the protests.
A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says Jerusalem is not for sale. That's in response to a tweet from U.S.
President Donald Trump, threatening to cut off aid to the Palestinians, because he says, they're not willing to negotiate a peace deal with Israel.
Pakistan denies U.S. allegations that it's not doing enough to fight terrorism. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. accused Pakistan of harboring
terrorists, and said Washington is holding almost a quarter of a billion dollars to Pakistan aid because of that. Islamabad says it can review his
cooperation with the U.S.
Now, returning to our top news story this hour, North Korea reestablishing communication with the South. CNN's Paula Hancocks has been following the
story for us from Seoul. She joins us now. Paula, contact has been made, multiple times, twice between North and South Korea. What more have you
learned about the hotline and the calls?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kristie. This is the hotline up in the DMZ, the demilitarized zone between North and
South Korea, the truce village. Now, this hotline has been there for many, many years. It has always been the communication tool between North and
South Korea, but haven't been used since February 2016, or at least that's the last time the North Koreans answered a phone call from it.
Now, we know that at 3:50 p.m. Seoul time this afternoon, North Korea called. We have a transcript of what was said. It is a very short
transcript where effectively that the South Korean official identified themselves than the North Korean official identified themselves.
Now, beyond that, we're hearing from the South Korean side that -- Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was not mentioned despite the fact that North
Korean Leader Kim Jong-un is saying he is willing to send a delegation to Pyeongchang. That was not brought up.
Also, (INAUDIBLE) talks were not brought up. South Korea has suggested next Tuesday, January 9th, as the potential date for high-level talks. They say
it has be soon, it has to be high level because the Olympics is only a month away. But that wasn't discussed either. And then that was the end of
the conversation, 20 minutes long, the dialogue was (INAUDIBLE) to understand.
And as you say, a second phone call just a few hours later saying let's call it a day. Now, that we understand potentially was because I knew South
Korea was waiting for that phone call and they just want to let them know that that was probably be it for the day. So, 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning,
South Korea will phone North Korea, will have to see whether or not they pick up the phone.
And interestingly, this is what South Korea has been doing since February of 2016, 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. every single day. Since that hotline
became dormant, they have been calling every single day. North Korea hasn't been picking up. So, despite the dialogue being slight, it is significant
change. It is a step in the right direction, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, the fact that North Korea finally just picked up that handset, that should make this event significant. I got to ask you about
the tweet from Donald Trump that everyone has been talking about. This red button measuring contest between Trump and Kim Jong-un. It generated eye
rolls, it also generates some genuine fear. Has this raised tension in the region?
HANCOCKS: It hasn't been dealt with publicly by any official certainly here in South Korea, and I very much doubt it will be. They simply don't
want to touch any of those tweets. I even asked the president, Moon Jae-in, a few minutes ago when I interviewed him about the tweets coming from the
U.S. president, and he said we shouldn't take them too narrowly, showing that he clearly didn't want to talk about them directly.
Whether or not Kim Jong-un makes any kind of reference to them, whether the North Koreans react to them, they have in the past, so that will be
interesting. Really, the North and South Koreans are just (INAUDIBLE) head with their decision to try and alleviate tensions on the Peninsula.
The South Koreans are very pleased that North Korea has said potentially they are coming to the Olympics. South Koreans are already making plans. We
have just spoken to the Gangwon Governor Office. This is the district where the Olympics are going to be held. They have already said that they are
making plans to accommodate all of the North Korean delegation. They will pay for their transportation. They will sort out their food.
They said whether it takes a crew ship going up to North Korea, whether it takes a plane bringing them down to (INAUDIBLE) that is close to Olympics
or by land, they are making plans already to make sure that North Korea is there. South Korea and the president of South Korea are very determined
that Pyongyang be part of this Olympics. Kristie?
LU STOUT: Incredible. South Korean organizers saying that they are getting ready to host
[08:35:00] North Korean athletes for the upcoming Winter Games in Pyeongchang. In that interview that you had with South Korea President Moon
Jae-in back in November, he told you that the Olympics would be an opportunity for peace. Is it shaping up to be just that?
HANCOCKS: Well, certainly since that speech that we heard on new year's day from the North Korean leader, it is far more looking like it could be
the peace Olympics that (INAUDIBLE) us than ever before. I think some were very surprised that the North Korean leader was quite so conciliatory
towards South Korea.
They certainly weren't towards the U.S., still saying that they were able to hit all mainland cities in U.S. with a nuclear weapon. Certainly, the
nuclear defiance towards Washington remained. But experts here are saying potentially, North Korea was looking for an (INAUDIBLE). North Korea was
looking to try and alleviate the tension on the Peninsula and the Olympics was the perfect excuse to be able to do this.
LU STOUT: Paula Hancocks reporting live for us from Seoul, thank you so much and take care.
The former Taliban hostage, Joshua Boyle, will soon appear in court via video conference. The Canadian, who spent five years in captivity with his
American wife and children, faces assault charges in connection with alleged incidents since his release last year.
There are 15 charges in total including assault and sexual assault. Boyle's lawyer says that he has not seen the evidence against his client but he is
looking forward to defending him. The couple was kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012 by terrorists from a Taliban-affiliated network.
You're watching "News Stream." Still ahead, a bizarre winter indeed. A deep freeze has been hitting the American Deep South. That's ahead, after this
quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream."
Now, a deep freeze is gripping Niagara Falls, turning the iconic sight into a winter wonderland. I mean, look at the footage we are bringing up for
you. The falls are still flowing on the Canadian-U.S. border but the surrounding area, that is covered in ice and snow. And it may stay this way
for a while.
This brutal winter temperatures are spreading where they are not expected into the Deep South of the United States. I mean, what's happening here?
When is it going to end?
Meteorologist Jennifer Gray joins us now from the CNN Weather Center with more. Jennifer, thank you for joining us. Ice, snow in some parts of
Florida and this brutal winter storm is on the move, too. What's happening?
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. A lot is going on in places that like you said normally don't get that wintry preset. Look at these
temperatures. This is what it feels like right now. And of course, that northern tier, definitely dramatic, 20 and 15, 27 degrees below normal. But
you can Jacksonville, Florida, three degrees below zero.
So, that's what we are dealing with this morning. We are going to see ice and snow continue to develop across portions of North Florida. We've seen
ice accumulation. We've seen portions of interstate shut down across northern portions of Florida as well. (INAUDIBLE) my graphics a little bit,
[08:40:00] maybe we can get them going and get to the rest of the graphics, but we are dealing when ice in Florida. This is going to continue
to get itself together as we go through the next 24 hours or so, and it is going to impact the northeast as well. The purple right there, you can see,
that's the ice. Very hard to drive in. We've seen multiple accidents. We've seen interstate shut down as we said.
So, wintry makes across portions of Georgia, South Carolina. It's going to basically turn into snow once it gets to the mid-Atlantic, North Carolina.
And then by the time it gets to the northeast, we have blizzard warnings in place across places in Massachusetts through coastal Maine. We could see
hurricane force winds along with this across portions of New England as well.
We've also heard of that term bombogenesis that has been referred with the storm multiple times over the past 12 to 24 hours. It's basically a
meteorological term, meaning that the storm is going to intensify rapidly. It's going to drop 24 millibars within 24 hours. That's the parameter of
bombogenesis. The storm will definitely fit into that. So, we are going to see it rapidly intensify tomorrow as it goes up the coast.
And then by the time it gets to northern portions of New England or even off the coast of New York, say Boston, that's where we are going to see
very intense winds. We are going to see heavy snow fall. And then we are going to see possible power outages and that's something we have to keep in
mind because with temperatures being so, so cold and we see power outages up and down the coast, people are going to have to find a way to keep warm.
And so here is the snow fall forecast. You can see Charleston, South Carolina. That's a place typically doesn't see a lot of snow. We could see
10 centimeters of snow just outside there, up to 20 in minutes. We get into New England, we could see anywhere from 30 to 45 centimeters of snow fall
by the time we get into Thursday evening.
So here are those temperatures. As I mentioned, New York 12 below zero. By the time we get into Saturday, Boston 15 below zero. By Saturday as well,
normal temperatures three and four, so well below normal. And if we see those power outages, a lot of folks will be in trouble up and down the East
Coast. Kristie?
LU STOUT: Thank you. You used that term bombogenesis, that's what this bomb cyclone is all about, this term that has been churning on social
media. As you point out, it may have an unusual term, but not an unusual phenomenon. Jennifer Gray reporting live for us, thank you so much. Take
care.
Now, there are plenty of online dating apps out there and they are pulling out all the stops to try to trap us, to lure customers. But eHarmony is
finding itself in trouble in the U.K. for saying that it can help users find true love through science.
One complainant called that misleading, saying that science can't prove one match-making system is better than all others. And the U.K. Advertising
Standards Authority agreed and banned eHarmony from using that ad. Good call.
That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Alex Thomas is next.
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