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U.S. Government Shutdown Enters Third Day; Women's Marches around the World; U.S. Vice President Mike Pence In Israel Visit; SAG Awards Honor The Best In Film And Television; Philadelphia Set To Take On New England In Super Bowl; How Trump's Twitter Feed Has Defined His Presidency. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 22, 2018 - 02:00   ET

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


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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome back to viewers here in the United States and around the world. We continue following the breaking news this hour here on CNN. The U.S. government shut down for a third day. Yes, it went into Monday. I'm George Howell.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

U.S. senators will try again to end a government shutdown at noon Monday. The shutdown moved into its third day when senators adjourned without agreement on a temporary spending bill Sunday. Two Democratic sources say they think the measure will fall short of the 60 votes needed to pass on the next vote at noon.

HOWELL: Republicans are resisting a Democratic push to tie DACA to this bill. That's the program that protects thousands of young immigrants from deportation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MAJORITY LEADER: The shutdown should stop today. And we'll soon have a vote that will allow us to do exactly that. So let's step back from the brink. Let's stop victimizing the American people and get back to work on their behalf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Now this shutdown, as you see from the clock, it's two hours into the third day.

CHURCH: Ryan Nobles has all the details from Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary and George, it turned out not to be as late a night as we expected here on Capitol Hill but that's not because there was some sort of grand bargain struck between Republicans and Democrats.

Instead they've decided to yet again delay this process, extending this vote just a little bit longer, till noon Eastern time on Monday. This is what Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said on the floor late Sunday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MAJORITY LEADER: Should these issues not be resolved by the time the funding bill before us expires on February 8th, 2018, assuming that the government remains open, it would be my intention to proceed to legislation that would address DACA, border security and related issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: If you listen to what the Senate majority leader is offering, it is a promise to Senate Democrats and some Republicans that they will address immigration, in particular, protections for those DREAMers, those hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to this country through no fault of their own and were once protected by the DACA program.

But there's been a long sense of a lack of trust between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to this issue.

Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who's been one of the key negotiators from the Republican side, told me last night, after McConnell's speech, that he is hoping that the fact that the Senate majority leader made the promise to take up that DACA issue before this next deadline for the continuing resolution will be enough to convince Democrats to vote yes. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: I think there is a lack of trust. And that's why I wanted to stand up afterwards and reiterate and to confirm what the leader has committed to.

I do think, given the high-profile nature of this whole debate, that it will be impossible for us not to move on to immigration. And the Democrats still have the spending caps as leverage beyond this time. So I do think we'll get there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: Beyond the back and forth, though, between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, there is a stark reality for the hundreds of thousands of federal government employees across the country, who now will not have to come into work on Monday morning.

And that means they won't receive a paycheck on Monday as a result. They are continuing to remain on edge, as Republicans and Democrats here in Washington iron out their differences. They are hoping to cast a vote on this issue noon Eastern time on Monday -- Rosemary and George.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Ryan, thank you.

So clearly the rhetoric has cooled down from what we saw over the past several days. But do listen here to the Senate minority leader, sounding a little less than optimistic about negotiations going forward. But still a sense of positivity here. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-N.Y.), MINORITY LEADER: I am happy to continue my discussion with the majority leader about reopening the government. We've had several conversations. Talks will continue. But we have yet to reach an agreement on a path forward that would be acceptable for both sides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And joining us now from Los Angeles, CNN political commentators Democratic strategist Dave Jacobson and Republican consultant John Thomas.

Good to have you both back with us this hour.

Dave Jacobson, I want to go to you first, because the Democrats are particularly vulnerable here, aren't they?

They're open to blame for holding the government to ransom --

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CHURCH: -- over the DACA issue, many saying why not just pass the spending bill and deal with DACA a few weeks down the track?

DAVE JACOBSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, I actually think the Democrats have the high ground here. They're the ones that were able to pull bipartisan support last week and get four Republican senators to support the reference: Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake, Mike Lee and Rand Paul sided with the Democrats over Republicans.

And at the end of the day, the American people overwhelmingly want a DACA fix. We've seen consistently in poll after poll 90 percent of Americans, nearly the entire country wants a DACA fix.

And the CHIP program, the Children's Health Insurance Program is even more popular. The six-year-long deal is not going to cut it. The American people want something that's more long-term, that's more comprehensive, that fully funds the program for years to come.

And so that's why we're seeing fresh evidence of Americans blaming Republicans for this in a new poll, fresh out today from Politico/Morning Consult, that shows 41 percent of respondents say Republicans are to blame over Democrats, who are only at 36 percent.

Why?

Because Republicans control every arm of the federal government, from the White House to the Senate to the House of Representatives.

CHURCH: And, John Thomas, that is a major point, isn't it?

Because there are vulnerabilities on both sides and people are annoyed with both the Republicans and the Democrats. And after all, you're in charge of the executive, the House of Representatives and the Senate.

So how do you get to a point here, where you're showing a dysfunctional government?

JOHN THOMAS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Sure, well, because the Republicans are being held hostage by math. In order to pass this budget, they need 60 votes. And the Republicans simply don't have 60 members of the Senate.

And so the Democrats understand that. And Dave's right. The CHIP, the funding for Children's Health Care Program, is critical. And that expired on Friday night.

Let's not forget. And now that the government is shut down, if a child who relies upon that insurance needs a surgery on Monday morning and the government is still shut down, Dave and Schumer just don't think that's a priority. We do. We want to keep the government open.

And what's interesting, Rosemary, is that to Dave's point, CNN released a poll, saying yes, of course, people like DACA. But 60 percent compared to 30 percent think that we should first open up the government and then have a DACA discussion.

HOWELL: So, Dave, this question to you.

Has the president done enough here?

Keep in mind, this is a President of the United States who has always prided himself on being a chief negotiator. Let's listen to the president himself explain his abilities.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I make deals. I negotiate.

We don't make great deals anymore. But we will once I become president.

Nobody knows the system better than me which is why I alone can fix it.

Everybody wants me to negotiate. That's where I'm known as, as a negotiator.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOWELL: But what we've seen here, mixed messages, Dave. We've seen this president keep a distance in fact from this negotiation. I remember that the past administration, the criticism by some, was that the president was leading from behind.

The question here, Dave, is this president leading from behind?

Is he doing enough?

Are the mixed messages muddying the water here?

JACOBSON: I think that's accurate, George. Donald Trump isn't really part of the latest conversations that we've seen over the last 48 hours with negotiations with Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. And that's because he has no core set of values.

We don't know where Donald Trump stands on any given issue, let alone the DACA issue or this budget issue. He was the one who said to Lindsey Graham, hey, bring me a deal. I'll take the heat. I'll get it done.

So what did Senator Graham do, Donald Trump's former golf buddy?

He brought him a deal with Dick Durbin. They presented a comprehensive plan that had bipartisan support. And the president rejected it.

And so at the end of the day, you've got a president who refuses to cut deals when he is supposed to be the ultimate dealmaker. And I think that's a testament to his failure as commander in chief and leader of our country.

HOWELL: But John Thomas, it's all in how you look at it, right, because some people are saying that the president is keeping good distance from this so that both sides can work it out and then he is prepared to sign it.

THOMAS: And that's right. There is no point for the president to get involved at this stage. This is a conversation really between the two houses of Congress and their leadership.

So, no, I think the president is actually doing the right thing here. But as we can see, DACA is a very controversial topic. And President Trump is saying he is ready to sign a bill that keeps the government open.

And here is just something to keep in perspective. Not even one Democrat can find one thing wrong that they oppose in the current bill that's been proposed. It's that it doesn't have --

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THOMAS: -- DACA, which isn't set to expire for weeks. So they're willing to shut down the government over a bill that no one opposes. I just find that amazing. CHURCH: I just want to listen for a moment to Republican senator Jeff Flake. He was asked whether the Senate can come up with an agreement before the deadline on February 8th. Let's listen to what's had to say.

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SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: I don't know. I hope we can. But I'm doubting it because that relies on the White House to actually work with us on this. We haven't seen that yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: I mean, that's damning, isn't it, John Thomas, regarding the White House?

What have they been doing?

And they're just sending out these mixed messages.

THOMAS: Well, Senator Flake, with all due respect, is not exactly simpatico with the White House. Here is a guy who is being forced out, being forced to essentially retire because the Republican base has rejected him and he went to war with President Trump earlier. So I don't think he is actually on the short list.

But the White House I think has been actually fairly consistent. They want to make a deal on DACA. But the devil is in the details. They just don't want to give away the ship. They want to end chain migration and they want meaningful funding for the border wall. And they're just not willing to give up that.

And they think that we should keep the government open first and then have a conversation about DACA before it expires.

CHURCH: Dave, your reaction to that?

JACOBSON: Look, I think budgets and policy are a reflection of values. And Democrats' value our inclusive society. We are a nation founded and built by immigrants. Immigrants are what makes this country great. And so Democrats are pushing. They're digging their heels in because they want a DACA fix.

The American people want a DACA fix, 90 percent of Americans consistently, in poll after poll, say that they want a fix to this issue. And then when it comes to the CHIP funding, John, you're wrong. Democrats don't necessarily agree with the existing funding bill. They want a long-term solution, not a short-term six-year deal.

They want a long-term solution to CHIP. These children are our most vulnerable in our society.

(CROSSTALK)

THOMAS: You're right. And you're throwing them under the bus tomorrow, Dave -- JACOBSON: -- it's Republicans who control the power levels of government. Look, Democrats want to cut a deal. But Democrats are on the side of the American people. It is Donald Trump who has led this shutdown. It's Donald Trump who is spearheading an agenda that goes contrary to what the American people want.

HOWELL: Here is the question, though, guys. As both sides figure it out, hash it out and there are certainly important issues to discuss, there are Americans waking up this day, wondering, when do I go to work?

THOMAS: That's right.

HOWELL: Will I get paid?

THOMAS: Right.

HOWELL: So that's the bottom line question for a lot of people.

THOMAS: And I think President Trump, that's why he is arguing for the nuclear option, because I think he feels that the partisans are so far from making a deal that a simple majority is the right way to get something done.

HOWELL: We'll have to see how this plays out, gentlemen. Thank you so much for your time and we'll stay in touch you.

THOMAS: Thank you.

CHURCH: Thank you.

With the government shutdown continuing so far, that means the following also continues: hundreds of thousands of non-essential employees are furloughed. That means they stop working without pay until Congress is able to agree on a bill for the federal budget.

The military is considered essential and still reports for duty. But the 1.3 million active duty personnel won't be paid if the shutdown continues after February 1st.

HOWELL: That's where it bites. That's where people get hurt. That's where they feel the true effects of what's happening.

But, hey, guess who still get their paychecks?

Members of Congress. It's written into law.

So national parks also closed. National parks, zoos and museums will stay closed. And mail will still get delivered. Essential service like Social Security still gets funded. That includes the TSA and air traffic control. Our Pentagon reporter, Ryan Browne, has more now on how the shutdown will affect the military.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN BROWNE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: As the government shutdown continues, both sides have pointed to its effect on the military as a reason that it needs to come to an end.

Now the military will be impacted in a variety of ways. U.S. troops, U.S. uniformed personnel, will continue to perform their duties both here at home and overseas. But if the shutdown continues to the next pay period, those troops, including those in combat, will not be paid.

Death benefits to be paid potentially to fallen service members' families could potentially be affected as well by a shutdown. About 50 percent to 75 percent of the Department of Defense's civilian workforce will be furloughed, will not come in to work.

That can affect contracting, can affect other maintenance programs, something of very big concern to the Secretary of Defense, James Mattis. Reserve training will be canceled as well.

All these things --

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BROWNE: -- having an effect not necessarily on active military operations but a lot of the support services, which is why Secretary of Defense Mattis said a shutdown would have a terrible impact on the United States military and the Department of Defense but U.S. troops around the world would continue performing their jobs. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: All right, thank you for the reporting.

CHURCH: And not surprisingly, Democrats and Republicans in Congress remain at odds. But New York state and federal officials are in agreement on the Statue of Liberty.

HOWELL: The monument reopens on Monday, despite this government shutdown. Our Polo Sandoval explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This morning when America's most recognized landmarks expected to reopen amid this shutdown showdown, we can tell you that the Statue of Liberty is expected to reopen its doors again and welcome tourists.

That is after a special arrangement that's been done. New York governor Andrew Cuomo essentially hoping to foot the bill to pay for the federal employees, who run the landmark. So this is something that was announced yesterday here in Manhattan.

Officials in New York believe it is really in the city's best interest, really the entire state's best interest to reopen it. They say, if they open it, the tourists will come.

ANDREW CUOMO, GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK: I know that the Statue of Liberty is a federally controlled memorial. But it's a major income generator for New York State. And we don't want to lose the income. And, symbolically, you can shut down the government but you can't shut down the Statue of Liberty.

SANDOVAL: This is certainly not going to come cheap, though. About $65,000 a day that will be pulled out of the New York State Tourism Fund. But as you just heard from the governor, they hope that at least some of these tourists will be coming and it will help pay for itself.

This is also not the first time we're seeing this. Back in 2013 there were governors across the country that were doing something similar as well. They were tapping into some of these emergency funds to open some of the recognized landmarks. For now, at least the Statue of Liberty, at least in the governor's words, it's back to work today.

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CHURCH: Thank you so much.

Next on CNN NEWSROOM, a second day of rallies and marches in the U.S. as thousands of women came together to demand greater rights. How they plan to create change. That's next.

Plus:

HOWELL: Women in cold rainy London also raised their voices Sunday to show their solidarity. How the #TimesUp movement has gone global. That's ahead.

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HOWELL: Sunday marked the last day of the women's march protests in the United States and, for the participants, it was a day of political resolve.

Thousands of people came together in cities around the country, demanding greater equality and rights for women. They took to the streets in cities like Miami, Florida; Buffalo, New York; and Las Vegas, Nevada.

CHURCH: And that was the scene of one of the weekend's biggest rallies. Organizers and celebrities there urged women to turn their attention to the 2018 U.S. midterm elections when seats in the House and Senate are up for grabs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are marching for a future where there is a place of honor and dignity for everyone. We are fighting for a country where we understand our fates are bound up together, together. We're all bound up in each other, for an economy that lifts up

everyone, for access to health care for all, for peace, for our climate, for racial and gender justice, for our democracy itself, for our children and grandchildren.

We are marching for the America that has never yet been but will be.

CHER, MUSICIAN AND ACTOR: This is one of the worst times in our history. And that's why I honestly believe that women are going to be the ones that fix it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Miguel Marquez takes us to that closing rally in Las Vegas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the scene here. They've been going on for several hours here in Nevada. I want to show you a little bit what the crowd look likes still.

Many people have left but they have had hours of rally, basically, a political rally. The National Organization for the Women's March has held this as the one-year anniversary of the march from last year.

The point of this is very, very political. They want to focus attention on specific races here in Nevada and across the country. Specifically, there is a Senate race, Dean Heller, he is a Republican who they consider to be vulnerable and they want to win that.

There is also a governorship that is up here in November. And they're also very focused on that.

Beyond this event, this is considered the first event for the Women's March Organization. They want to register a million people across the United States over the next several months for those midterm elections.

They also say they'll hold up to 10 rallies like this in battleground states. They did announce a few of those states today. Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania all will have rallies like this.

The Left and the Women's March organization very, very focused on taking away Congress, both the Senate and the House, from the Republicans and making it Democratic.

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HOWELL: And our thanks to Miguel Marquez for that report.

Now across the Atlantic, women in London have also been showing their own solidarity with the demonstrators we saw in the United States. CNN's Erin McLaughlin was at the rally there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Despite the rain and the cold, people from across London are here outside Downing Street to send the message that time is up. I was actually speaking to one person who was here.

She was telling me that she felt obligated to be here after seeing the mass marches across the United States on Saturday. She felt it was her duty to be here to have her voice heard. We've heard from a range of speakers, members of Parliament, human rights activists --

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MCLAUGHLIN: -- as well as the great-granddaughter of Emmeline (ph) (INAUDIBLE) to secure the vote for women in this country. I spoke to three women who were here dressed as suffragettes, who told me, 100 years later, there is much more work to be done.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One hundred years ago, it was such a massive landmark for women. And it just feels like we've moved quite slowly since then. And it's almost like we've kind of got the vote and we've been coasting.

But we just need to bring everyone together to have that last push, just to make sure that we kind of can live in a world where everyone is equal and women are seen on the same level as men, which we're not quite there yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. And some of the things that we're fighting for like equal pay, the suffragettes, we still don't have. So it seems quite important to remind people that we haven't necessarily changed as much as we might have hoped by now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's also just to honor what they did (INAUDIBLE) women's rights activists were in the suffragettes and everything they did for us as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: Organizers say they hope to build on this momentum to create change in communities across the world -- Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Erin, thank you.

We continue following the breaking news here on CNN. The U.S. Senate adjourns without ending the government shutdown. The agreement among U.S. lawmakers remains elusive. We take a look at what's next. The next steps in Washington ahead.

CHURCH: Plus U.S. President Mike Pence is in Israel. We'll look at what's on his agenda and why Christian leaders are not exactly lining up to meet him. We're back in just a moment.

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[02:30:12] CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM with your world headlines this hour. Germany has taken a step toward ending the political deadlock that has prevented Chancellor Angela Merkel from forming a new government. The social Democrats voted on Sunday to open talks for a governing coalition with Miss Merkel's Christian Democrats.

CHURCH: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is in Israel. And just about an hour, he is set to sit down with that nation's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss peace and regional security. Pence is also expected to speak to the Israeli Parliament.

HOWELL: The U.S. Government it is shut down now for a third day. A vote to end this shutdown is scheduled in the Senate for noon Monday. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said that he intends to take up immigration issues by early February if the shutdown is ended first. But Democrats have been pushing to vote now on protection for undocumented immigrants across the United States as children. Now the question remains will Republicans have enough votes in just a few hours' time to reopen the U.S. Government until early February? Now some are hopeful after a group of senators from both parties tried to find a compromise on Sunday.

CHURCH: Meanwhile both sides of the aisle are pointing fingers at each other for the shutdown. But Democrats and now some Republicans say President Trump and his top advisers must also do their part.

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SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It all really stems from the president whose inability to clinch a deal has created the Trump shutdown. I agree with Majority Leader McConnell. The Trump shutdown was totally avoidable. President Trump walked away from not one but two bipartisan deals and that's after he walked away from an agreement in principle on DACA we reached way back in the fall of last year. If he had been willing to accept any one of these deals he wouldn't be where we are today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: All right. Let's talk about where things stand right now. Back with us Republican Digital Strategist, Austin James, and Democratic Strategist, Caroline Heldman. It's good to have you both with us to talk about this. So the sound bite that we just heard that was from earlier in the day it's when the rhetoric was just a bit more heated. Not quite as heated now, it's cooled off a bit. We heard from both sides, you know, there is a sense of possible optimism there could be some sort of a deal here. But here's the question there is still a trust gap. So Caroline the question to you, will Democrats be able to get over this trust gap? Do they believe Republicans are serious about taking up the immigration? CAROLINE HELDMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well I don't think there's

any way to be serious and trust with the Republicans given the fact that this government shutdown is the direct result of Donald Trump flip-flopping on the issue of DACA. And in fact, when Chuck Schumer went in and said look we will negotiate DACA and put the wall on the table he still rejected it because he's working with extremist advisers who are advising against a policy that 90 percent Americans support. So I think that it would be full hardy for Democrats to believe the person in the White House and the Republicans given the experience of the past week.

HOWELL: Austin, same question to you. This trust gap.

AUSTIN JAMES, REPUBLICAN DIGITAL STRATEGIST: Yes. Listen there certainly a trust gap. I think what we're seeing though is that Donald Trump and Republicans, in general, are seeing the American people kind of make their voices known. There's a CNN poll out that says 60 percent of the people would -- in no way want to put DACA in front of spending especially when you have to talk about American employees domestically and also service numbers overseas. And so I think what Republicans are kind of holding out for is a better deal based on the policies set forth by Trump and the Republicans when they were ushered in.

CHURCH: Caroline, we know the vote's coming up at noon on Monday and it looks like they're not going to be able t get the necessary 60 votes to open the government. If that does indeed happen, what next? What will happen to this country and how it's viewed by leaders all around the world?

HELDMAN: Well this is the 18th government shutdown we've had since 1976 when continuing resolutions were put into place. But this one I think will look probably very similar to what happened in 2013. So about 800,000 to 850,000 employees furloughed. It means that you won't get help with your taxes. It means that you won't be able to get a gun permit. There will be a delay in passport processing, we won't be monitoring flus and viruses in the same way. We won't be keeping track of that data. We also won't have the live panda stream from the national zoo which is perhaps, of course, less important than the fact that our military personnel will not be paid.

[02:35:12] So it will affect a lot of people including friends of mine who work in Washington D.C. and around the country. The 2.9 million federal employees but about 850,000 will be affected.

CHURCH: And Austin I mean it does now come back to President Trump even some Republicans are saying this that he needs to do something now. He's rejected some of these bipartisan agreements. So what is he doing and what does he need to do at this juncture?

JAMES: Well listen I think he's actually doing the right thing which is staying out of the fray. You know, Back to Caroline's point I mean listen 2013 we lost $23 billion in economic revenue for this country. I think it was 2 billion in salaries to government employees. And the critical employees that kind of the -- the executive type positions stay, it's the ones who really are about these checks, you know, month to month that are really going to be put out. And so I think Donald Trump is doing the right thing. He wants to see a resolution. He's spoken to the fact that he wants to see a resolution. I think when we had the opportunity to have Democrats into the oval office and present something that was bipartisan it tended to be a little bit too liberal given the fact that this is on them. I mean this is -- this is widely known on social media as the Schumer shutdown. And so President Trump I don't think wants to give too much away because they're in the right on this.

CHURCH: All right. Austin James and Caroline Heldman, thank you much for joining us. We appreciate it.

HOWELL: Thank you much. Still ahead here on newsroom how this year's SAG Awards elevated the voices of women while recognizing the best films and T.V. shows this year.

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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Where U.S. President Mike Pence's Middle East trip is moving ahead despite the government shutdown. Pence was in Amman, Jordan Sunday where he met with King Abdullah. The King expressed concern about U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

[02:40:08] HOWELL: The vice president is now in Israel where he will meet with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coming hours to discuss peace and regional security issues. However, Mr. Pence, a devout Christian is expected to receive a less than warm welcome for Christian leaders. CNN's Ian Lee explains for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Incense wafts into the air. Ancient prayers reverberate off stone walls. An Armenian priest performs the sacred rituals. Sunday service at Bethlehem's church of the nativity. In the grotto, on the spot, Christians believe Jesus was born, above Greek orthodox worshippers receive the holy sacrament. And in the room over a Catholic congregation sings hymns of peace. Despite centuries of war, famine, and disease the local Christians remained. But now church leaders fear a complete exodus.

RAMI ASKARIAN, CATHOLIC PRIEST: Our biggest challenge is to keep them here. You need to build a government, the country, the identity for the people. And this is we pray for that to have peace in this country.

LEE: Three denominations share the birthplace of Jesus, just right through that door. And while they don't agree on theology, they all agree that U.S. Foreign policy is hurting the local Christian community. When President Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel 13 of the city's church leaders from 13 denominations denounced it. Before the declaration, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced a Middle East trip to help embattle Christians. Now not one of the local church leaders wants to meet him. The major threat to Christians in the Middle East comes from the White House. That according to former Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah. MICHEL SABBAH, FORMER LATIN PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM: If he wants to

defend Christians in the Middle East he has to stop changing the American policy in the Middle East to start a new vision of politics build on life, a new life in all countries.

LEE: What's seen here as the U.S.'s preferential treatment toward Israel and the occupation of Palestinians lands is driving Christians away to the clergy. People's lives, opportunities, and movement restricted by Israel. In a Christmas message, Prime Minister Netanyahu defended Israel saying it's the only country in the region where Christians have equal opportunity.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: I'm proud that Israel is the country that in which Christians not only survive but they thrive because we believe in this friendship among people and we protect the rights of everyone to worship in the holy shrines behind me.

LEE: But local Christians see the opposite and look abroad for a better life.

MORIN BUTTO, CATHOLIC: We want to raise our kids here and we don't know what makes to a deep but most -- the most that we know that most our -- of our related left the country for these political situations.

LEE: If the American Vice President truly wants to help the Christians of the land Sabbah offers this advice.

SABBAH: If you love Israel, it's very good. But you love the Palestinians if you are Christians they say love everyone.

LEE: Otherwise a Church without a congregation becomes just another shrine. Ian Lee, CNN in Bethlehem the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: More North Korean officials will be visiting South Korea later this week ahead of the winter Olympics. North Korea music and arts officials are in South Korea inspecting the venues where performances will be held during the games.

CHURCH: Pop star Hyong Song Wol is leading the North Korean delegations and more inspectors will arrive on Thursday. Meantime in Tokyo, a few hundred people are preparing to participate in a missile evacuation drill. The exercise is in response to North Korea's repeated missile launches.

HOWELL: Japan has been holding drills in several municipalities since March. The first was in Oga after three missiles from North Korea landed in the sea just 370 kilometers from the city.

CHURCH: And we'll take a short break here but next on CNN Newsroom the teams for this year's Super Bowl athlete all up ahead, the American football championship. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [02:46:58] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've got ourselves the most disruptive of wintery weather patterns here across the central portion of the U.S. Blizzard conditions in line here. I'm meteorologist Pedram Javaheri following a really could be a headache setup here for at least parts of 10 states that are underneath winter weather alerts, but blizzard warnings in place as well. Parts of the Dakotas working your way into Southern Minnesota on into even Iowa there, dealing with not only the combination of heavy snowfall but blinding winds to go with it. So, you put it together and visibility will be really drawing close to zero across some of these regions. So, we know disruptions going to be widespread for some of these communities. As much as a foot or, say, around 30 centimeters of snowfall could come down across parts of, say, Sioux City. So, this is certainly a big story for folks around that region, and going to see some travel disruptions out of it as well.

The western U.S. expecting a quieter setup. Some showers coming in across the I-5 corridors from Seattle down towards San Francisco. Highs ranging from around, say, eight to 10 degrees across the northwest to about 13 or so degrees down in San Francisco. And finally, see the trend here for milder temperatures. Sure, there are some bouts of cold air in the forecast across the far northern portion of the U.S. but it looks like a relatively moderate setup of temperatures for much of North America for this third week of January.

Down towards Chihuahua, how about 13 degrees? Mexico City a beautiful January afternoon, makes it up to 24 with sunny skies, and leaving you with Quito, thunderstorms and 17.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, Sunday marked another Hollywood celebration for the best in film and television, the Screen Actors Guild Award.

HOWELL: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, one of head -- one head of winning night, I should say. The movie star, Frances McDormand, won Best Actress, and Sam Rockwell, Best Supporting Actor. The cast also won outstanding performance by cast in a theatrical motion picture.

CHURCH: The SAG Awards elevated the voices of women in the room with first ever host Kristen Bell and all-female presenters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN BELL, HOST, SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS HOST: Everyone's story deserves to be told especially now. We are living in a watershed moment. And as we march forward with active momentum and open ears, let's make sure that we're leading the charge with empathy and with diligence because fear and anger never win the race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Screen Actors Guild also announced a new code of conduct that will be enacted on sets to keep actress safe. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has shared her own #MeToo moment. The 84-year-old detailed a sexual harassment experience while speaking at Sundance Film Festival. Ginsberg says the incident involved an instructor while studying at Cornell University in the 1950s. She gave the interview before the premiere of the documentary on her life called RBG, which a co-produced by CNN.

[02:50:15] CHURCH: Ginsberg, says she's glad the attitude toward sexual harassment is changing. She adds, "I think it's about time. For so long, women was silent, every woman of my vintage knows what sexual harassment is, although we didn't have a name for it."

HOWELL: All right, the stage is set for this year's Super Bowl. New England Patriots will take on the Philadelphia Eagles for the American football championship. The Patriots on their conference with the victory over Jacksonville on Sunday. Quarterback Tom Brady led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to beat the Jaguars, 24-20.

CHURCH: A little later, Philadelphia squashed Minnesota 38-7 to earn the other conference title. The Vikings took an early lead. But the Eagles then scored 38 unanswered points. Eagles' fans took to the streets to celebrate. The super bowl will be a chance at revenge for Philadelphia. They lost their last one to New England back in 2005. This year's Super Bowl is set to February 4th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Well, the U.S. President's preferred means of communication is he saw folks now, face, and bully pull bit all rolled into one.

HOWELL: All right, Twitter -- So, how has Twitter transformed the Trump's Presidency. CNN's Brian Stelter takes a look back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I didn't have social media, I wouldn't be able to get the word out.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: President Trump, got the word out more than 2,400 times during his first year on office. His tweets give talking point to his supporters, and a heartburn to his critics.

TRUMP: Make sure you look up @realDonaldTrump, right?

STELTER: His tweets gave us in the media a lot to talk about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This just in. The Twitter in chief has fired off a new one this morning.

STELTER: It's a real-time sense of what the President cares about, what he's doing and what he's watching.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He sort of live tweets the morning shows.

STELTER: Or what he wants all of us to focus on.

TRUMP: He's in a Twitter storm again. I don't do Twitter storms.

STELTER: Or his tweets distractions may be sometimes. But his words carry power and shape policy. His use of social media has taken the presidency to a new more divisive place. Trump reacts to perceive sights in real time. Targeting other world leaders like British Prime Minister Theresa May, and his own cabinet members like Rex Tillerson and Jeff Sessions, Plus, funny of other politicians, including the mayor of San Juan.

Nicknames abound, on the left, there is Dicky Durbin, Sneaky Dianne Feinstein, Crying Chuck Schumer, and Al Frankenstein. On the right, Little Bob Corker, Jeff Flakey, Sloppy Steve Bannon. But his most famous nickname --

TRUMP: Little Rocket Man, he is a sick puppy.

STELTER: He has used that moniker several times in tweets about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Nuclear taunts on Twitter scares some Americans. A reminder that most voters disapprove of all the tweeting.

Now, some lawmakers say they have warmed up to the tweets at when the President says on message.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Regarding the President's tweeting habit, I haven't been a fan until this week.

STELTER: But other times, tweeting has caused chaos in Washington. Like when the President seemed to reverse course on a surveillance bill vote. After lawmakers scrambled, Trump tweeted the clarification. Even at the White House downplayed the turmoil.

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It wasn't confusing for me, I'm sorry if it was for you.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here is the reality, it did create confusion. It just did.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They're telling us that two plus two thus not equal four, they're telling us that the sky is not blue.

STELTER: Blame the Trump T.V. feedback loop. The President watches his boosters on Fox News. Then, quote the shows on Twitter. Promoting Fox and friends, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson. He calls other news fake, even labeling some outlets, enemies of the American people.

His most retweeted post as President wasn't about immigration or education, it was --

TRUMP: (INAUDIBLE)

STELTER: This video let himself at wrestling match, body slamming a CNN logo, encouraging violence against the media. Trump has tweeted the word "fake" nearly 200 times. TRUMP: It's fake, it's made up stuff --

It's fake, phony, fake.

Fake news. It's fake, fake news.

STELTER: Telling his followers not to trust real reporting, even while spreading misinformation himself.

SETH MEYERS, HOST OF LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS, NBC: Trump is spending his time rage-tweeting, picking fights with our allies and pissing off pretty much the entire world.

STELTER: Sometimes though you just have to laugh. If nothing else, Trump's first year gave us a new word.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Covfefe, covfifi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what exactly is covfefe?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know how to pronounce cobefe?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Covfife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Covfife.

STELTER: What will you're too bring? Brian Stelter, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:55:10] CHURCH: Good question. Well, a high-tech convenience store is here, thanks to Amazon. On Monday, the company is finally opening a zero check-out line store in the U.S. state of Washington, not far from Amazon's headquarters.

And this is how it works, customers scan their Amazon Go app when they walk in. Senses tract their movements and charge their Amazon accounts for any items they grab.

HOWELL: Then, they can just walk out. The Amazon Go store sells groceries, ready to eat meals, drinks, and meal prep kits. The tech giant says it's focused on the Seattle location right now, but more stores may open in the future, possibly near you.

CHURCH: Wow.

HOWELL: Thank you for being with us, I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. We'll be right back with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM for an international audience, and for viewers in the United States, stay tuned for early start, right after this short break.