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NEWS STREAM

Behind-The-Scenes Action In Pyeongchang; Korean Unified Women's Hockey Team Plays Warm-Up; IOC Denied 15 Russians Entry Into Games; Appeals Court Suspends Samsung Heir's Sentence; Democrats Push For Release Of Rebuttal To Republican Memo; Syrian Families Risk Everything To Flee Into Lebanon; Israel Hands Out Deportation Notices To Migrants; World Headlines; No Charges Against Three Kenyan Journalists; Super Bowl; Destination South Korea. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired February 05, 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: Countdown to Pyeongchang. For the first time ever, North Korea sends its highest-ranking official to visit the South. Koreans from both

sides are playing on the same team.

The heir to the Samsung empire, guilty of corruption is now out of jail, freed early. His sentence of years becomes months. And Super Bowl ads

still have people talking. We take in the highs and lows of championship commercials.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The opening ceremony at the Winter Olympics in South Korea is until Friday, but action is already well underway behind the scenes.

South Korea is participating and anticipating an unprecedented visit from North Korea's ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-nam. The 90-year-old is

the head of the country's parliament and one of the highest ranking North Korean ever to visit the South.

And we've learned 13 Russian athletes and two coaches who had their lifetime bans overturned last week will not be welcome at the games this

year. We've got Fred Pleitgen in Moscow with more on that in just a moment.

But first, let's go to, Ivan Watson, standing by in Pyeongchang with more on North Korea's high-level delegation. And, Ivan, very high-level -- I

mean Not Kim Jong-un, but how significant is it that North Korea's ceremonial head of state will be in South Korea for the games?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is part of what Seoul was lobbying for. And it just underscores how dramatic the diplomacy of the

last month has been, where you had two neighboring countries, rivals, enemies, arguably, who weren't talking for years.

And suddenly in this flurry of diplomacy, you have the ceremonial head of state from North Korea leading the North Korean delegation to attend the

opening of the games, as well as 22 athletes who will be competing, as well.

And that is kind of insurance for the South Koreans that there will not be a missile launch or a nuclear test from the North that could overshadow the

games, which is really their greatest nightmare.

Of course, athletes will be attending, as well. And we got to see, Kristie, this experiment that was launched just essentially days ago, where

North and South Korea united for the first time ever their women's Olympic ice hockey teams.

And they have gotten one chance -- just one chance to play together as a team and not against each other. And we saw the game in Incheon, this

demonstration match.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Dancing for joy outside a women's ice hockey game, just days before the Winter Olympics. Some supporters delighted about the joint team

from Korea playing what's supposed to be a friendly match against Sweden.

But others not feeling so friendly. Scuffles erupt between police and the small crowd of anti-North Korean demonstrators. They call North Korea's

leader a dog and they ridicule the Winter Games, calling them the Pyongyang, not Pyeongchang Olympics.

A flurry of diplomacy last month resulted in a last-minute decision to create the first-ever joint North and South Korean women's Olympic ice

hockey team.

Playing under a unification flag, they stand for a Korean folk song instead of their country's national anthem. Twenty-three South Korean players

skate alongside 12 North Korean players under the leadership of South Korea's Canadian coach.

The North and South Korean players only had a few days to train together and in the end, Sweden soundly defeated them. Sweden ranked fifth in the

world easily beat the Koreans 3-1.

After the game, North Korean coach and player briefly sat alongside South Korean counterparts to make a short statement about unity.

But then in a surreal twist, the North Koreans walked off stage to avoid answering questions from journalists. The team that's supposed to be a

symbol of unity isn't even allowed to live together.

SARAH MURRAY, COACH OF UNIFIED KOREAN WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY TEAM: North Korea is not going to be staying with us in the same building in the Olympic

village. They have their own building, so all the North Korean athletes will be together.

[08:05:00] In an ideal world, yes, we would be in the same building and we would stay together, because we need to do team meetings. We need to be

together. We're one team, so -- but unfortunately, it didn't work out that way, so we're just going to deal with it.

WATSON: Due to a political decision, these athletes and coaches have been given very little time to overcome deep cultural and even linguistic

differences. That doesn't sound like a strategy for winning at the Olympics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: And, Kristie, the symbol of unity, you know, after the game, not only did the North Koreans walk offstage at the press conference.

But there was a photo opportunity of the united team that was abruptly canceled moments later, when the journalists -- we were informed that the

North Koreans had left the stadium, evidently leaving the South Korean part of the team at the stadium.

So another sign of kind of things aren't working that well together. The South Korean coach, Sarah Murray, went on to say that another problem is

simply language.

That dialects have gotten different between North and South since the Korean War with the separation and that definitely applies to the sport of

ice hockey, which moves really quickly on the ice, and the players from North and South have completely different terminology for communicating

basic plays and strategies in the middle of the game. Kristie.

LU STOUT: Well, it seems like both on and off the ice, challenges to giving that feeling of inter-Korean unity during the games. Now, the games

are kicking off later this week, but also this week, a series of North Korean cultural shows. Is that drumming up a lot of interest?

WATSON: Absolutely. There is this kind of art troupe coming from the North that will be performing in two cities, Seoul and Gangnam and the

South Koreans have organized a lottery system for people to get tickets, free tickets to these two concerts.

And there are only a couple of thousands seats in all at the two concerts and approximately 150,000 people have already applied for those shows.

This is another part of the North Korean kind of charm offensive here, kind of trying to reach out to South Koreans, calling for unity, calling for

friendship across the demilitarized zone. There's just one problem.

Amid some of these signs of support and cooperation, there's also very strange show of strength, where the North Koreans are planning to hold a

military parade the day before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics here in Pyeongchang.

And we've heard that they're going to be marching and bringing out a procession of their missiles for display. That's sending a bit of a mixed

signal to the international community and certainly to the South Koreans on the eve of the opening of the winter ceremony -- Winter Olympics, rather,

here in Pyeongchang. Kristie.

LU STOUT: Absolutely, with North Korea putting both its soft power and hard military power on display during this month. Ivan Watson reporting

live from Pyeongchang, thank you.

Now, let's go to Fred Pleitgen who's standing by for us in Moscow. And, Fred, again, the IOC refused that request for 13 Russian athletes as well

as two coaches to attend the games. And that prompted a rather irate response from the Russian foreign ministry.

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, from the spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, she came out on her Facebook

page where she does comment on world affairs quite frequently and she said that she believes that the IOC itself should be investigated for doping,

obviously meaning the decision made something that the Russians don't really understand.

But by and large, if you look at some of the more serious responses to the IOC's decision, you have for instance the spokesman of the Kremlin who is

saying that the Russians reject -- regret, I should say, this decision that was made and that they will continue to fight for their athletes.

There's a lot of that that we've been hearing also from other Russian politicians, also, quite frankly, from Russian athletes as well.

On the one hand, you have some anger, you have some disappointment, but you don't really have a great deal of surprise. In fact, there were some

athletes who were quoted in Russian media saying that they kind of expected this to happen.

Also because of the time frame, because of how close it is to the Olympics. But of course, also, because they believe that it's more of a political

decision, that the IOC has made rather than one that really would take into account what the Court of Arbitration for Sport has said.

Namely, that 28 Russian athletes were completely cleared of any sort of doping charges around the 2014 Sochi Olympics. It's interesting, also, to

sort of read through the reasoning given by the International Olympic Committee.

Thomas Bach, the head of that committee, he came out and he said, just because athletes are not sanctioned, doesn't mean they get the privilege of

actually being invited to the games. The IOC is saying it's very disappointed by the decision that was made by the Court Of arbitration in

Sports.

They think that they still have some questions about the methodology used by that court. They don't think they have all of the information just yet.

[08:10:00] So as you can see, this is beginning to be -- I wouldn't necessarily say a standoff. I think a lot of these Russian athletes are

now come to terms with the fact that they're probably not going to be able to participate.

But it certainly has become a big issue of contention between the Russians and the International Olympic Committee, again, many Russians very, very

angry at this decision and believing that it is politically motivated, rather than motivated by anything surrounding the support itself, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yes, especially with the Olympic Games a massive source of national pride there. This is seen as a big blow to Russia. Fred Pleitgen

reporting live from Moscow, thank you.

Now to South Korea where an appeals court has suspended the prison sentence of the heir of Samsung, Jay Y. Lee. He walked out of jail less than a year

after being sentenced for bribery and corruption. South Koreans called it the trial of the century and it led to the downfall of former President

Park Geun-Hye.

Let's get the very latest now from CNN's Paula Newton. She is in Seoul, South Korea. And, Paula, he was found guilty. Guilty of bribery and

corruption, so why was Jay Y. Lee able to walk free from prison today?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Extraordinary set of events here today. Really, the court shocking everyone and reducing his sentence to 2 1/2

years, but then also suspending his sentence for four, and that means basically, if he doesn't get into any trouble, he is a free man.

And that's what you see today. Lee walked out of prison a free man. I think what was so interesting, though, Kristie, was the contrition that he

showed on coming out, knowing that this would be a controversial decision in South Korea. Take a listen to what he had to say as he was just

released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY Y. LEE, VICE CHAIRMAN, SAMSUNG (through a translator): I feel very sorry that I have not shown my best behavior and it has been a really

valuable year, being able to reflect on myself. From now on, I will be more thorough and diligent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You know, this was really followed so closely in the hours after he made those comments. He said he was going to see his father. His

father, again, the person that he seceded, was in hospital.

A reminder, Kristie, I actually don't have to remind you, his father was charged and convicted twice of similar crimes and was then pardoned by the

South Korean government. Kristie.

LU STOUT: The Samsung heir very contrite, saying he is very, very sorry. Is that enough to placate the people -- the people who are so angry last

year turned out in droves to protest?

NEWTON: Yes, and you've been covering it. And everyone here still remembers. I think on social media, there was a lot of anger and really

wanting to know what reform means in South Korea. Many feel that it's time.

That these kind of family conglomerates loosen their grip on the governments, of course, because they work hand-in-glove, they believe in a

corrupt way. But also that these companies, that these leaders aren't doing their companies any favors, very, very angry.

A lot of people blaming the judge and saying that there must have been some influence there. And this isn't the end of the line. I mean, the defense

was very clear -- Lee's defense.

That they are still going to the Supreme Court to see if they can get all the charges dismissed, so a lot of controversy over this, when some felt

that perhaps real reform in South Korea was actually happening.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. Paula Newton, joining us, live from Seoul, South Korea. Thank you. Turning now to Washington, where Democrats are expected

to push for a vote later today to publish their rebuttal to the so-called Nunes memo.

That's the controversial four-page Republican document released late last week, claiming that the FBI abused its surveillance powers during the 2016

campaign. Democrats have been blocked from releasing a rebuttal so far. Boris Sanchez has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We heard from several Republican lawmakers, some of them on the House Intelligence Committee contradicting

the president outright over weekend.

The president was active on Twitter, saying that the Nunes memo vindicates him and proves that the Russia investigation is nothing more than a witch

hunt.

On Saturday night, the president also tweeted portions of a Wall Street journal editorial, that suppose that there are political actors within the

Department of Justice and the FBI.

We also heard from Donald Trump Jr. on Saturday night, who was on Fox News, saying that the release of the Nunes memo is like sweet revenge for him and

his family.

Despite that, these Republican lawmakers again are contradicting the president, saying that the Nunes memo has nothing to do with the Russia

investigation and should not prevent Robert Mueller from continuing his work. I want to play some sound for you now from South Carolina

representative, Trey Gowdy. Listen to what he had to say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The memo has no impact on the Russia probe?

REP. TREY GOWDY (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Not to me, it doesn't. And I was pretty impractically involved in the drafting of it. There is a Russian

investigation without a dossier.

So to the extent the memo deals with the dossier and the FISA process, the dossier has nothing to do with the meeting at Trump Tower. The dossier has

nothing to do with an e-mail sent by Cambridge Analytica.

[08:15:00] The dossier really has nothing to do with George Papadopoulos' meeting in Great Britain. It also doesn't have anything to do with

obstruction of justice. So there's going to be a Russia probe even without a dossier.

SANCHEZ: Now, that statement coming from Trey Gowdy is especially significant because even according to Devin Nunes, he's the only Republican

on the House Intelligence Committee that has actually seen the raw intelligence, the raw data that led a FISA court judge to allow the FBI to

surveil Carter Page.

So if anyone knows the validity of the Nunes memo and its implication on the Russia Investigation, it would be Trey Gowdy. Now, Democrats are

pushing for the release of the so-called Schiff memo, their rebuttal to the Nunes memo, which they say provides more information and more context, and

contradicts portions of the Nunes memo.

We could see vote from the House Intelligence Committee as early as Monday for its declassification. What is unclear now is whether the president

will allow for that memo to be declassified the way that he did for the Nunes memo. Boris Sanchez, CNN, traveling with the president in West Palm

Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Investigators in South Carolina say a locked switch caused a collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a parked freight train.

Two train employees were killed and 116 people were injured. Investigators are trying to determine why the switch had been manually set to send the

train on to the siding. This is the fourth fatal crash involving Amtrak trains since December.

Now, we are following developments on the plight of refugees and migrants in the Middle East. And just ahead, Syrian families are making the

desperate decision to flee into Lebanon, a choice that cost one family everything.

Plus, Israel is cracking down on illegal migrants, telling thousands of people they have 60 days to leave, one way or the other.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is News Stream. Now we are seeing new evidence of the toll that the Syrian war is

taking on the vulnerable. Russia is ramping up air strikes in Idlib province and the volunteer White Helmets Rescue group says a hospital has

been hit.

Now, a warning, the images you're about to see are disturbing. This video was recorded by rescuers. It was posted on social media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: You can hear the fear in their voices, as they do everything they can to get these tiny babies out of that damaged hospital. Russia's

bombardment in Idlib follows the death of a Russian pilot, who Moscow says was shot down by rebels, then killed in an exchange of gunfire on the

ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:20:00] LU STOUT: Scenes like that are compounding the desperation to escape the war. And some are making the dangerous decision to cross the

border into Lebanon. CNN's Ben Wedeman went to get their stories. And another warning for you, his report contains graphic images.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michon (ph) tries to distract his 3-year- old daughter, Sada (ph), recovering in a Lebanese hospital. Sada (ph) is all he has left.

The rest of his family, his wife Manal (ph) and 5-year-old daughter Hiba (ph), froze to death along with 15 other Syrians while crossing the

mountains into Lebanon in a snowstorm at night. Michon (ph) has been working in Lebanon for the last 2-1/2 years.

They were dropped off by a car on the Syrian side, he says, and were supposed to walk for half an hour into Lebanon, and then be picked up by

another car. But it was dark, it was snowing, and the smugglers abandoned them.

Michon (ph) shows me on his phone pictures he downloaded of his wife as she was found, cradling their daughter Hiba (ph), his mother, and his brother's

family, all frozen to death.

Sada (ph) has just come out of an operation on her frost-bitten face. She doesn't know her mother, sister, and grandmother are dead. We went back to

the mountainside where they died. They were just a few minutes walk from the nearest house.

The snows have now melted, but this is the spot where the bodies were found. There are still rubber gloves here used by those who took the

bodies away. Now, this is a valley frequently used by Syrians trying to sneak into Lebanon. And their deaths here underscore just how desperate

they are to reach safe ground.

It's safer in Lebanon, but life for the nearly one million Syrians who have fled here is hard, ever harder in winter in these makeshift camps.

Perhan's (ph) wife, Patty (ph), is ill. Sickness is but one of the perils in their leaky, plaque shelter. Vermin another, he tells me. There's

everything here, says Perhan (ph). "Things I've never seen before, rats, mice, everything."

Mona (ph) crossed into Lebanon with her son. Her husband went missing five years ago. We were afraid, she recalls. We walked for four days over the

mountains after paying $700 to smugglers.

Some have returned to Syria, but others continue to come, says Mike Bruce of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

MIKE BRUCE, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL (through a translator): Walking across the mountains and taking days to cross the mountains in the middle

of winter are a testament to that -- to the fact that Syria is not safe. Until Syria is safe, until there's a lasting peace, people should not be

going back to Syria.

WEDEMAN: And in this cold, wet, and bleak existence, the day when Syria is safe again seems an eternity away. Ben Wedeman, CNN, near the Lebanese-

Syrian border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Heartbreaking story and just the struggle to survive. Now, Israel is putting pressure on asylum seekers. It has begun handing out

letters to illegal migrants, telling them they have 60 days to voluntarily leave before deportations begin.

It is part of a growing crackdown on African migrants. Israel has rejected 14,000 asylum requests over the last ten years, while accepting 33.

The government says most are job seekers. Now a group of law experts have sent a letter to the attorney general saying that the deportations violate

international norms. Oren Liebermann has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The map of Johnny Goitom's journey is drawn in scars. The marks when he left Eritrea, the beatings in Sinai, and

the wounds when he crossed over into Israel, where he's lived since 2009.

JOHNNY GOITOM, ERITREAN ASYLUM SEEKER (through a translator): I feel like I belong here because this is where I am. I placed my foot here. I am

here.

LIEBERMANN: Goitom has built a life here. But his family, like thousands of others here, face deportation. He speaks to me in fluent Hebrew.

GOITOM (through a translator): They don't want refugees here. They tell you, you aren't a refugee. You just came from work. They just don't

believe you.

LIEBERMANN: Israel has vowed to remove some 38,000 illegal immigrants within months offering to pay them to leave. Most are from Eritrea and

Sudan, two of the biggest sources of refugees in the world.

Fleeing war and poverty, they traveled north through Egypt, turning east to pass through Sinai. More than a thousand cross the border into Israel each

month until the Israeli army sealed the route with a fence in 2013.

The immigration authority here says it has received more than 50,000 asylum requests in the last decade. Some 3,600 from Eritrea have been rejected,

just eight have been accepted.

[08:25:00] Less than one percent among the lowest rates in the western world, Israel calls them infiltrators.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through a translator): We are not acting against refugees. We are acting against illegal migrants who

come here not as refugees but for work needs. Israel will continue to offer asylum for genuine refugees and will remove illegal migrants from its

midst.

LIEBERMANN: South Tel Aviv is ground zero for this fight. And Sheffi Paz, a grassroots activist is on the front line.

SHEFFI PAZ, TEL AVIV ACTIVIST: We have been completely standards. And it began (Inaudible)...

LIEBERMANN: We stroll around her neighborhood at night, the polished shine of the tech hub glimmers in the distance. She says this no longer feels

like Israel and wants to see the recent arrivals return to their countries, the vast majority from the countries the U.S. labels human rights

violators.

PAZ: My parents all looked for survival. It is my conclusion from the holocaust. In order to have to give a home for the world, but that they

need to fight for my country.

LIEBERMANN: Others draw a different lesson from the holocaust. Reut Michaeli works to help Africans apply for asylum. Her parents entered

British mandate Palestine in 1941 illegally. She says a nation built by Jewish refugees cannot turn away others.

REUT MICHAELI, HOTLINE FOR MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES: Israel was one of the initiators of the refugee convention. And the fact that Israel will deport

people to third country without taking even a little, little bit of responsibility is not moral, not to mention that it's against our Jewish

values as a refugee nation.

LIEBERMANN: And nearby Levinsky Park, I meet the Awat Asheber from Eritrea. This is where Israel first brought many of those fleeing Eritrea

and Sudan. Even after ten years in Israel, Asheber's goal has never changed.

AWAT ASHEBER, ERITREAN ASYLUM SEEKER (through a translator): Tomorrow, the next day, it doesn't matter when. The day our country has peace, we will

go back. That's what we are waiting for, but no one is going to bring us peace.

LIEBERMANN: As Israel has pressured these families to leave, peace has been hard to find here, the Promised Land. It just wasn't promised to

them. Oren Liebermann, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And still ahead, Kenya is now in its seventh day of a media blackout after the government ordered three

major networks off the air when activists challenged the shutdown -- that story, coming up.

Also ahead, the NFL's biggest game did not disappoint and neither did it highly anticipated TV ads, a look at the ones getting the most attention,

after this.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines.

North Korean state media says high-ranking official Kim Yong-nam will attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Games later this week in South

Korea. He is considered Pyongyang's ceremonial head of state. Seoul says he will be the highest ranking North Korean ever to visit the south.

The billionaire heir-apparent of Samsung says he is sorry for his behavior following an appeals court decision to suspend his prison sentence. He was

found guilty of bribery and other corruption charges in August. The case is part of a huge scandal that brought down the government of former president

Park Geun-hye.

A new era begins at the world's most influential central bank. Jerome Powell is to be sworn in as chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, taking over

from Janet Yellen, the first woman to lead the FED. Powell was nominated by President Trump in November.

CNN has learned three Kenyan TV journalists who went into hiding fearing arrest, say that they are not aware of any criminal charges. The Kenyan

government has still not obeyed a court order to put their station and two others back on the air.

They were shut down nearly a week ago after they broadcast the opposition swearing in its leader calling him the, quote, people's president. CNN's

Farai Sevenzo has the latest from Nairobi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAILA ODINGA, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF KENYA: I, Raila Amolo Odinga --

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is the moment when Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga defied pleas to call off

his swearing in as the people's president.

ODINGA: Assume the office of the people's president.

SEVENZO (voice over): It was a mock ceremony, which some authorities deemed treasonous against President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was declared winner

in October's election. It also set off a chain of events which included the closure of some media networks and a new fearsome mood for the country's

media practitioners.

The Kenyan government turned off three of the country's largest television stations that began to broadcast the event, saying some elements in the

media fraternity participated in the furtherance of this illegal act. Their complicity would have led to thousands of deaths of innocent Kenyans.

But the government offered no evidence on how thousands would have died after coverage of Mr. Odinga's performance in Uhuru Park. And now, days

later, the channels remain off.

(on camera): Here in a typical Nairobi electrical shop, the TVs are for sale. It's February, there are sales everywhere. And if you look down here,

Kenyans are able to watch international channels, but go to KTN -- scrambled signal. Are you missing KTN and citizen and all these things?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, we are. The government is doing this. We only get to watch international channels. We can't get our own channels.

LARRY MADOWO, KENYAN JOURNALIT AND NEWS ANCHOR: The atmosphere between the state and the media in Kenya has become very antagonistic.

SEVENZO (voice over): Prominent broadcaster Larry Madowo's workplace, NTV, was turned off on Tuesday. He spent two days in hiding, fearing government

arrest.

MADOWO: I have seen a lot of discomfort with any critical reporting. I have seen a lot of senior government officials, people who work at

statehouse, telling us tone down. No, you can't say this, which is a space we haven't been in more than two decades.

OKIYA OMTATAH, KENYAN ACTIVIST: Each TV channel --

SEVENZO (voice over): It took a private citizen, activist Okiya Omtatah, to challenge the shut down of the country's biggest TV stations. He filed a

petition at Kenya's high court. But despite a court order demanding that the government restore the signals, the stations remain switched off.

(on camera): These are dangerous times. They must be for you, right?

OMTATAH: They're exciting times, not dangerous. Who wants to live in dark times? I think to live at a time where you are willing to stand up for what

you believe in is the best time to live.

SEVENZO (voice over): Farai Sevenzo, CNN, Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, let's take you stateside. And fans of the Philadelphia Eagles are celebrating their first ever Super Bowl win. They beat the New

England Patriots 41-33. But for some, the Super Bowl isn't so much about the game, it's about those commercials.

Advertisers this year forked out $5 million for a 30-second in-game spot to reach tens of millions of viewers in the U.S. and beyond. Eli Manning and

Odell Beckham Jr., they had the time of their lives in this one.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I'll tell you something. This could be love. Because I had the time of my life. No, I never felt this way before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The lift. They did the lift. I had goose bumps. Wow, CNN's Christine Romans.

[08:35:00] She joins me now live from New York for more on these amazing ads. Christine, as you know, of course, this is TV's biggest stage. So much

buzz about all these great ads, including the tide ad. So simple, so brilliant.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

LU STOUT: Was that the best one out there?

ROMANS: Yes, it was the best one out there. Look, it has been a controversial, you know, divided year in this country. So the humorous ads

really did well and I think they struck just the right tone with fans.

You can see the New York Post, cover of The New York Post today. Giants win, best ad. Because, of course, there wasn't a New York team that was in

the Super Bowl. In fact, it was like the worst nightmare for New York fans in terms of the two teams that were there.

I think that Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. ad for the NFL was just spot-on in terms of what the country has been looking for and it was -- you

know, it was really clever. A lot of the people who rate this ad are saying that was one of the best ones. There was a Doritos ad, that was really

good. A Mountain Dew and Doritos ad, sort of, you know, a dance off between a couple - there were some other good ones, but this one was my favorite.

LU STOUT: Yes, absolutely. And all these ads -- they were good. The Doritos face-off one. Oh my gosh, Peter Dinklage was brilliant in that one.

It was about silly humor, not politics. Bringing people together with a good laugh and good product positioning, you know, but not talking about

politics.

And let's talk about an ad that I know caught your attention. I saw your Tweeter feed earlier. We've got to talk about Chris Hemsworth. He really

wants us to visit Australia. So, do you think that tourism Australia ad worked its charms on you?

ROMANS: I think it did. And here is the thing. There had been these little teases on social media and elsewhere in recent days that made it seem as

though there was going to be a remake of the "Crocodile Dundee" film. And that's what everyone was waiting for this big reveal.

But it turned out they tricked us, right? They tricked us into, you know, coming to visit Australia this summer. So, I think it worked well, in a

pretty media-savvy, social media conscious, consumer base. They tricked a lot of people.

But now, I'm told there's an online petition that's growing quickly to actually do a "Crocodile Dundee" remake with Chris Hemsworth. So, maybe --

maybe we'll be tricked again. I don't know.

LU STOUT: Yes, because I really want to see it. And you're right, being tricked by the Super Bowl ads, they go meta every single year, buy they

seem to just sort of supersede the previous year. You know, every year, there's this (INAUDIBLE), there's the good, but there's also the bad and

the ugly. What was the biggest fumble in the batch this year?

ROMANS: Well, a lot of people are talking about this Ram Trucks ad. And it used the anniversary, the 50th anniversary of a Martin Luther King Jr.

sermon to show this very respectful and well-done ad showing everyday people in all different kinds of ordinary acts of kindness and love, right?

So, on the surface, that seems lovely, but it is trying to sell trucks. It is using the Martin Luther King Jr. legacy to sell trucks. And that's

something that didn't sit well with some viewers who thought that it was just a little tone deaf.

I mean, yes, it's beautifully made, but at its core, it's trying to sell trucks. And, you know, Fiat Chrysler which owns Ram said that it had been

working with the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation in the early stages of the creative process, so they did issue a statement about that. But it just

didn't sit well with some folks.

LU STOUT: Yes, I mean, good intentions, but you got to respect tone. You got to respect that. Christine Romans, we'll leave it at that. Thank you so

much for joining us.

ROMANS: Nice to see you.

LU STOUT: And hopefully we'll talk again soon. Take care. You're watching "News Stream." Still to come, a taste of Gangwon. We head to the South

Korean province holding the Winter Olympics for a chicken dish that is rooted in history.

[08:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream." Now, with days to go until the Winter Olympics, CNN has

been exploring Gangwon province. It's the South Korean region that is hosting the games. Counting down is hungry work, so we tried one of the

region's most famous specialties. It's a chicken dish with historic origins.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chuncheon, the riverside capital of Gangwon Province in South Korea. The city is perhaps best known

for a "dakgalbi," a fiery treat popular during the winter and a beautiful mess with a story to tell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): No one forgets June 25th, 1950.

SOARES (voice-over): The battle of Chuncheon signaled the start of the Korean war. Much of the city was destroyed as a result.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): South Korean villages awoke to a world suddenly filled with noise and flame.

CHOI JEONG-YERN, RESTAURANT OWNER (through translator): After the war, chicken farms became the livelihood of people who were poor and always

begging on the street. There was agony and pain, even after the conflict was over.

SOARES (voice-over): Generous portions, affordable, and easily shared. "Dakgalbi" was a fast favorite among soldiers and students on a budget,

earning it the nickname, "Commoners Galbi."

Myeongdong Dakgalbi Street in Chuncheon is filled with dozens of restaurants paying homage to the dish.

JEONG-YERN (through translator): I am the second generation to run this restaurant. Our restaurant's "dakgalbi" is light and not too spicy which is

something that we are proud of.

SOARES (voice-over): As her restaurant, Jeong prepares the "dakgalbi" with cabbage, rice cakes, sweet potato, and marinated chicken. All topped with

Korean chilly paste and scallion. The fresh ingredients have been stir fried in a large cast iron pan that's built into the communal table.

JEONG-YERN (through translator): Part of the fun is cooking with your family. I think of "dakgalbi" as my own history. My parents started this

restaurant, handed it to me, and now my son will run this place after me. I have so much pride in "dakgalbi." Every restaurant in this historic alley

contributes its own special taste to the dish.

SOARES (voice-over): Since its creation more than 50 years ago, "dakgalbi" taste and reputation has spread far beyond Chuncheon to the rest of South

Korea.

JEONG-YERN (through translator): I hope people don't come to Chuncheon just to eat "dakgalbi" without understanding its history. I hope people

come here and learn that Chuncheon's iconic dish "dakgalbi" was created out of the pain that people carried after the war. This is a local food that

has a history and a story.

SOARES (voice-over): Isa Soares, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Our mouths are watering. That is it from "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Alex Thomas is

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END