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NEWS STREAM

North Korean Figure Skaters In Spotlight At Games; Wind Disrupts Winter Olympics Again; White Calls Harassment Allegations Gossip; Govt.: To Seek Arrest Of Former Oxfam Aid Worker; Kuwait Condemns Duterte's Call For Workers To Return; Report Attempt To Rush Gate At National Security Agency; Zuma Calls Decision To Remove Him From Power Unfair. Aired at 8-9a ET

Aired February 14, 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: Olympic debut -- North Korean athletes take part in the Winter Games with an unexpected result. Returning home -- workers take up the

Philippine president's offer of free flights home from Kuwait after reports of abuse. And Zuma responds -- the South African president says calls for

him to resign are unfair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And we begin in Pyeongchang where a pair of figure skaters has put North Korea back in the Olympic Games. Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik

received a warm welcome when they hit the ice for the short program.

They are the only athletes to compete under the North Korean and the only North Koreans to qualify for the games. CNN's Will Ripley was there at the

event. And he joins us now live from Pyeongchang.

And, Will, what an event to witness -- the figure skaters, they performed today finally. What did you and fellow spectators make of their skill,

their performance, and their expressiveness?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the first thing I notice when they came out of the ice, Kristie, was that the crowd erupted in applause.

There was more applause for them than any of the other skaters that were in their particular group.

And their performance didn't disappoint the crowd. It was -- after seeing a couple of performances, including by the South Korean skaters, where

there was a -- there was a hard fall, some awkward moments.

But the North Koreans charged through it, they did a solid performance. In fact, that was their best score this season and these are two young people,

18 and 25, who have been really training very hard since they first started.

And also, in addition, their Canadian skating consultant, there were other people who hired observers who were impressed, including by the way, the

United States pair of skating team who scored several points below the North Koreans.

But gave very gracious answer afterwards, saying that they also were so proud to see how far they've come. There are young people who trained most

of the week away from their families, maybe see their families on the weekend.

They're out with the eyes of the world on them, even though their skating wouldn't put them at the level of the top skaters in the world, they have

all of the attention that the top skaters of the world do.

But from what I saw today, Kristie, they seemed pretty unflappable in the spotlight. Although I will say that we were waiting in the back to try to

ask them some questions, including about their choice of a Beatles song that they performed to.

Something tells me that it was maybe the Canadian coach that had something to do with that. But they walked right pass the international press with a

smile but went back to continue training. So hopefully we'll get a chance to try to ask them some questions later on today.

LU STOUT: Yes, they performed to a cover of the Beatles song, A Day In The Life, and they did pretty well. Our apologies to our viewers and to you

just a moment ago, we are getting a little bit of a technical disruption there.

But now, you know, the signal is loud and clear. I also wanted to ask you about changing opinions there in South Korea, Will. You mentioned the

cheers. These North Korean skaters hit the ice and they were cheered there on Pyeongchang. Has the Olympic spirit in South Korea translated into a

greater desire for diplomacy and talks with North Korea?

RIPLEY: Well, look, I think these skaters clearly proved that you can separate sports from a political situation. And there were probably many

people in the crowd that might not agree with the North Korean system or the North Korean government, but who were cheering their hearts out for the

skaters.

And it proves that sports have the ability to bring people together. As for what happens next, we know that the International Olympic Committee

Chairman Thomas Bach will be visiting Pyongyang at some point in the coming weeks.

They are still sorting out the dates but there will be a delegation that will be traveling, representing the Olympics on Pyongyang, another kind of

symbolic meeting, symbolizing peace and hoping to build on this sports momentum to see if there can be diplomatic progress made.

Obviously, though, there's a lot of questions about really what is going to be attainable here, given the fact that North Korea continues to insist

that it will keep its nuclear weapons, no matter what.

While the United States and South Korea says the denuclearization has to be the ultimate goal here for any substantive change, lifting of sanctions,

lifting of diplomatic isolation, the maximum pressure campaign.

[08:05:02] LU STOUT: Absolutely. The North Korea remains a threat and a thawing is happening. And what is the price tag for that? I mean how much

does it cost to host the North Koreans in Pyeongchang and who is paying for it?

RIPLEY: We learned that figure today, Kristie. It's actually a little bit less than some people were expecting. South Korea is contributing two and

a half million dollars to pay for North Korea's participation in Pyeongchang Winter Olympics -- the Peace Olympics, as South Korea likes to

call it.

So that figure, 2.5 million covers art troupe, it covers the taekwondo, the cheering squad that we have seen visiting through the country but what it

doesn't cover are the cost for the athletes, the North Korean delegation that included Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong and North Korean ceremonial

head of state, Kim-Yong-nam, also, the Paralympic expenses are not covered.

And North Korea did initially make a request for reimbursement for fuel expenses because they brought a lot of this delegation of several hundred

people over on a big ferry. They wanted some reimbursement for the fuel but they withdrew that quest, because they said they didn't want to be an

inconvenience.

Obviously, fuel is a pretty touchy issue, given the international sanctions that are trying to stop North Korea from obtaining fuel that could be used

for its missiles and its nuclear program.

LU STOUT: Will Ripley reporting live for us from Pyeongchang. Thank you, Will. Now, fierce wins. We know that they' been creating problems at the

games in Pyeongchang.

In some cases, the gust have been so strong, several alpine events have been disrupted or postponed. But as CNN's Christina Macfarlane discovered,

for some spectators, it's about more than just sport.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just when we thought it was safe to go back outside, wouldn't you know it, the wind has picked up here. And

for the third time this week, alpine race have been cancelled in Pyeongchang.

We're here in the Yongpyong Alpine Center, and you can see probably the snow is falling and there's a very strong, harsh crosswind here. And up

above me, just about visible, still, is that slalom run where racers have just been postponed -- all of this making life very difficult for the

athletes.

EINAR THOR BJAMASSON (PH), PRESIDENT, ICELANDIC SKI ASSOCIATION: You are hearing up for competition. I mean, you're activating every cell and

molecular in your body and really ready for competing. And then it's postponed again. It's frustrating.

MACFARLANE: It wasn't just any spectators who were hoping to see the women's alpine slalom here today but the unified Korean team who are with

me here. Let's see if we can ask them a question.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

MACFARLANE: Proof that even though these events are being canceled, there is one very unique group of fans who are relishing the experience.

Christina Macfarlane, CNN, Pyeongchang.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now the U.S. is marking a milestone at the Pyeongchang games. Snowboarder Shaun White, he landed a historic third goal at the men's

halfpipe. And that victory was the 100th Winter Games gold for the U.S.

But White's win is being clouded over by sexual harassment allegation against him from 2016 involving a female band mate. At the press

conference after his win, White dismissed the allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAUN WHITE, U.S. GOLD MEDAL WINNER: You know, I'm here just to talk about the Olympics not, you know, gossip and stuff. But I don't think so. I am

who I am and I am proud of who I am and my friends, you know, love me, and vouch for me, and I think that stands on its own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: All right. Let's get more now on those allegations and white's response to them. Our CNN's sports analyst, Christine Brennan, joins us

now live from Pyeongchang. Christine, thank you so much for joining us here on the program.

You have covered this very closely, what did you make of that press conference and the way Shaun White dismissed the allegations as gossip?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know the press conference, Kristie, was really unique. It was 13 minutes long and it was clear that

the moderator and Shaun White did not want to deal with this issue. I had my hand up the whole time, so did another woman -- journalist, as well as

of course men.

And they only called on men, there were five different men that were called on and the moderator kept asking questions as well, which was unusual. And

I have never been to a press conference where literally, you would -- you know, they would not call anyone, and there were plenty of women in the

audience.

So, that was very unusual and for Shaun White also to call it gossip -- to use the term gossip when it's, you know, a very serious conversation about

allegations that he has actually admitted to texting some sexually explicit and awful, and loot, and disgusting photos, and other things to Lena

Zawaideh, who a drummer in his band. Wow, to call it gossip was another big surprise. So I don't think they handled it well as all.

LU STOUT: You detailed the allegations in your USA Today column, pretty disturbing.

[08:10:00] And yet Shaun White says he doesn't think that they are going to tarnish his Olympic legacy, your response to that? And also looking at the

momentum behind the Me Too movement, especially in sport, show he think twice about saying that?

BRENNAN: You know, the reason I wrote this column today was not to sabotage Shaun White as he is winning a gold medal, not that any column

could do that. But because the Me Too movement as you said is so important -- so culturally important and it such a serious conversation in our

country.

We should be having that conversation in the country around the world and I did not know about this until someone emailed me about this other news

organizations we're starting to reported today.

And the focus is on Shaun White today, so we're focusing on his past. That's really simple. That is not dredging up old news, that is simply

just looking at the man and looking at his record. And will it -- you know, I don't know what the future holds for him.

But I noticed this is a very big deal and we care about this very much, and it's a conversation if he had addressed it head-on in a conference, and

talked about the specific allegations, and talked about why he settled with her out of court, and the civil suit, why he settled in and they moved on,

that would've been very helpful.

He is a public figure and he is in the limelight and he said the rules of the game in 2018 and he knows that and I was very surprised with the way

they handled it.

LU STOUT: Yes, as you pointed out -- I mean, this is a very important conversation to have. Let's just widen the focus a little bit and talk

about just the greater issue of sexual harassment and misconduct among lead athlete in generally. Is it more widespread, more pervasive than we think?

BRENNAN: You know, we haven't seen much of the -- from the athletic side of the world in the Me Too movement. When you think about it, there he

has been reporters who have been let go and other NFL types that have been let go.

We certainly have seen the Carolina Panthers -- the NFL teams owner, Jerry Richardson, who is no longer owning the team because of his behavior. So

we have seen a little bit and nowhere near what we've seen with politics and with of course Hollywood.

So, I think we'll probably see more again. This is a topic that is so worthwhile to discuss whatever or wherever it takes us. The conversation

is so important and I think it's worth like anything else.

Sports could take us to those conversation whether we like the answers or not, or whether we like the topic or not. And obviously, the journalists -

- that's what we do, we talk about these issues.

LU STOUT: Yes. But there are some people out there saying this is not a conversation we should be having right now. So to the viewers out there

watching this coverage to your readership who have been reading your column say, you're spoiling the moment. Let's focus on the win here, how do you

respond to that?

BRENNAN: Sure. I understand that conversation absolutely, Kristie, this is what we do. And I'm not Shaun White's P.R. person and nor are you know.

He has PR people. We are not those people. We are journalists.

And when you see this and when I read that first story, it was, Flake (ph), that actually have the story online this morning, Korea time.

When I read that story, I was shocked and shocked at the -- at the detail, the disgusting, lurid, sexual harassment obviously think that again that

Shaun White admitted to the text messages. And that other physical activity, there are allegations, and I thought, this is absolutely news.

My editor agreed, obviously all of USA Today, this leadership agreed, and here we are talking about it, and were talking about it all day and I think

it's an important topic.

So this is not about sabotaging Shaun White. This is letting the consumers and the fans understand the whole story of Shaun White. If they choose to

push it aside, I have every right to do that.

But again, Shaun White had an opportunity to talk about it and really did not do a good job of answering the questions. And again not calling on a

female reporter in 2018 at the U.S. press conference, that was shameful. Absolutely.

LU STOUT: Christine, we thank you for your journalism. And we thank you for joining here on the program. Christine Brennan, joining us from

Pyeongchang, thank you. Take care.

Now, Haiti is looking to arrest the aide worker who paid prostitutes while he was there on relief work. Pressure is indeed piling up against Oxfam.

The British government had harsh words for all aide agencies saying, instead of protecting their staff beneficiaries, the government will pull

funding and won't work with them.

An Oxfam manager detail how women were coerced into sex for aide and there weren't enough background checks on staff who work with young children in

Oxfam shops.

Sean O'Neill, he is the chief reporter for The Times who broke the all time story. And he told our Hannah Vaughan Jones that this actually a sector

wide problem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN O'NEILL, CHIEF REPORTER, THE TIMES: I think certainly, Oxfam is not alone. I think this is a sector wide problem and if you look at the

history of Mr. van Hauwermeiren, and his career...

HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is an individual that Haiti now...

[08:15:00] O'NEILL: Half of the country director for Oxfam and Haiti in 2011, that Haiti now want to have arrested or put an international arrest

warrant from. We revealed in the paper this morning that he was in Liberia in 2004 after the Civil War Liberia.

He was the country manager for surgical Maryland which is now part of Save the Children. She was investigated for this exact same conduct in Liberia

and he was we don't know what happened when he resigned and he was -- we don't know what happened but he resigned or was dismissed.

But he was able to find a job with Oxfam, work for Oxfam for five years, then move on to work for the French charity acting against hunger. The

whole sector is failing to deal with these issues and follow people who are misbehaving.

JONES: If this an endemic problem within the aide sectors together, why is that disaster site zones seems to be such plum right opportunities for

predators to act or produce this to be carried out?

O'NEILL: I think, predators and abusers look for environments in which they can have unfettered access to vulnerable people, beyond children,

beyond young women in most of these cases.

You know you don't have to look at the history of child abuse cases down the years from the churches to swimming coaches, to gymnastics coaches and

in the states.

You know, they get access that they have trust and they have power, and they have access, in disaster zones, civil authority, civic authority have

collapsed and they are the most powerful people. They have access to food and water, and money. And they can use now to barter for sex.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Just into us here at CNN. We're following a developing new situation from the United States, in U.S. State of Maryland. CNN, reports,

someone tried to rush the gate at a National Security Agency there in the U.S. State of Maryland. You are looking at live pictures of the facility

outside that NSA facility.

Videos have been showing a black SUV that appears and you can see there on your screen to have crashed into a barricade at the gate, e airbags seem to

be deployed, the NSA hasn't released a statement.

It says the situation is under control. And there is no ongoing security or safety threat but as you see, there was an incident at a NSA office in

Maryland. We will continue to monitor situation there, if there are any new developments, we will bring it to you right here on CNN.

Now Kuwait and its foreign minister has condemned a move by the President of the Philippines to bring thousands of workers home. The decision was

prompted by the death of several Filipino women and numerous reports of abuse in Kuwait.

So far the Philippines has flown hundreds of workers home for free. In fact, this is the scene at the airport in Manila. Lynda Kinkade has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They flooded in to the Manila airport amid crowds and cameras, some covering their faces. As many as 10,000

Filipinos workers in Kuwait are expected back in their home country after the Philippines government offered free flight to its domestic workers.

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a ban on the employment of overseas foreign workers in Kuwait after abuse, as well as the death of several

women, including 29-year-old domestic helper Joanna Demafelis.

Her body was found in a freezer at her employer's apartment. Authorities say she could have been there for more than a year. President Duterte has

bound to support the workers upon their return.

RODRIGO DUTERTE, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES: I want total ban and they can come here we will have to support them.

What do you mean subsidize them, you come home. And I will sell my soul to the devil to look for money so that you can come home and live comfortably

here.

KINKADE: CNN ask the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister about Duterte's ban and he condemns it.

SHEIKH SABAH AL-KHALED AL-SABAH, KUWAITI FOREIGN MINISTER (through a translator): This escalation will not serve the interest of either Kuwait

or the Philippines. The only solution is to cooperate and collaborate on details of the very sad unfortunate event that happened.

KINKADE: Claire Hobden of the International Labour Organization also took issue with Duterte's plan.

CLAIRE HOBDEN, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION: This will prevent Kuwaiti's government from seeking domestic workers from other countries of

origin. So it is not a long term solution, it won't replace the measures they should be taken in the countries destination.

KINKADE: The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry says that there were 276,000 Filipino workers in the country in January. According to the Philippine

Statistical Authority, there were 2.2 million Filipinos overseas working in 2016. An overwhelming 57 percent located in the Middle East, 6.4 percent

in Kuwait. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:20:00] LU STOUT: You are watching News Stream. And straight ahead, the ruling political party in South Africa is cranking up the pressure on

Jacob Zuma, calling for a no-confidence vote. How he responded in a televised interview a short time ago, just ahead.

Plus, Israeli police say there is sufficient evidence to indict the prime minister on two corruption cases. What's behind allegations against

Benjamin Netanyahu, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back, this is News Stream. Now returning to that developing new story that we're

closely following near the U.S. capital, Washington D.C., we are getting reports of an attempt to potential rush the gate at the National Security

Agency facility in the U.S. State of Maryland.

You are looking at live pictures of the aftermath of the incident that happened. Early in the morning, today, U.S. time, Reuters is reporting

three people were shot and wounded. CNN has not confirm that.

We do know that the FBI in Baltimore, they where and investigating the scene, a black SUV appears to have crashed into a barricade at the gate.

You can see that on your screen. Its airbags seem to have deployed.

The NSA has since released a statement. It says that the situation is under control and that there is no ongoing security or safety. We are

continue to monitor the situation there and bring in right here on CNN.

Turning out now to the political career as South Africa's scandal plate president -- it appears to be hanging on by a thread, Jacob Zuma, he spoke

in a televised interview just a short time ago. He said the decision to remove him from power is unfair.

And he questioned his ruling party's plan to quote, rush him out of office. Those comments come after the African National Congress called for a no-

confidence vote against him to be held on Thursday.

CNN's David McKenzie is in Pretoria with more in this story. And, David, he listened in to that interview that Jacob Zuma gave just about an over

and hour ago. You know, he has spoken out. Does he seem to define or in denial about the political pressure he is under?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it was. Certainly Jacob Zuma is in a very tight spot. And this is very lengthy bizarre interview that

was broadcast live throughout the South Africa in the world which was more like a monologue.

He frequently referred to himself in the third person, cost himself as a victim of the ANC's leadership and in some levels are revised political

history.

He did say though that he is not defying the ANC. And he said that he will have to abide by the parliament's decision if it does recall -- does vote

him off, it will fire him tomorrow. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACOB ZUMA, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: I don't agree that this defiance. Is it wrong? (Inaudible)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:25:05] MCKENZIE: Well, certainly, Kristie, he said that he will potentially give a statement. We agreed he will give a statement later.

He didn't indicate whether that was to resign or not.

The ruling party has said that they await that statement and take notes of his comments but certainly an extraordinary moment here in South Africa.

The ANC's former president, current leader of the country airing the dirty laundry of the organization in this live interview and remain defiant,

pushing back and trying to cost himself as the man who's being a victim of some kind of plot to unseat them, where the reality is that the ANC's top

leadership has agreed to recall him and now are moving to firing in parliament. Kristie.

LU STOUT: So far, Jacob Zuma, he is defiant, he has refused to budge, will a vote in parliament force him to step down?

MCKENZIE: He did say he had abide that to parliamentary votes. Now the way it works is that it had accelerated this no-confidence vote, it just a

simple majority. He had survive many of these before, but of course totally different political scenario.

His party has turned it back on him. The opposition of course has long been calling for him to go and already on social media and elsewhere in

South Africa, people scratching their heads a little bit about this lengthy interview monologue that he gave.

So this is a man who is cornered, who's giving his last stitch kind of public relations push, using himself as the spokesman of his own record and

try to perhaps persuade some in his own party and in the general public that he is being a victim.

He even threatened obliquely some kind of chaos or violence if they took this decision but certainly this appears to be a man who has very limited

options left. So I see this is the last ditch attempt, not a way to maybe change the narrative in reality. Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yes, not many oppositions left but he clinging on to power. David McKenzie reporting live from Pretoria. Thank you. The Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also facing a challenge to his political survival.

The country's police said that there is sufficient evidence to indict in two separate corruption cases. Mr. Netanyahu is calling the allegations

baseless and insists he is not going anywhere. Oren Liebermann looks at what lies behind the accusations and exactly what's at stake.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The criminal investigations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are a fight for the very legacy of the

Israeli leader.

That man who won four elections the country's second longest-serving prime minister now facing a police statement that there is enough evidence to

indict him on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in two separate investigations, known as Case 1000 and Case 2000.

In Case 1000, police say Netanyahu received hundreds of thousands of dollars from overseas businessmen in the form of gifts, cigars, champagne,

and jewelry.

In Case 2000, police say Netanyahu bartered for better coverage in an Israeli daily newspaper in exchange for hampering a competing paper.

Netanyahu has denied all the allegations against him, saying there will end in nothing. He said he will not step down.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I think about the good of the country not for personal reasons or for the press but

only for the country and nothing will stop them from doing this. Not even the acts against me. And believe me, they are never ending, and therefore

today isn't any different from any other days which I've been through in the past 20 years.

LIEBERMANN: The pressure on Netanyahu has grown. He's been questioned by investigators seven times in the ongoing probe. His former Chief of Staff

Ari Harow turned states witness, providing evidence in the criminal investigations.

Deflecting blame, the prime minister's list of targets has grown, the media, the police, the attorney general, the courts, and the left. He

accuses them of trying to beat him through investigations since he says they can't beat him in the election.

Netanyahu has been in this position before in his first term in the late 90s, police recommended an indictment against him but the attorney general

decided there wasn't enough evidence. The investigation was dropped, an outcome Netanyahu predicts will happen again. Oren Liebermann, CNN,

Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And that was, Oren Liebermann, reporting. You are watching News Stream. And coming up, a confusing situation in Syria. Several Russian

contractors were killed in U.S. air strikes last week. The U.S. said that they were told that no Russian were at that location. We have got the

latest on Moscow 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." These are your world headlines.

The North Korean pair of figure skaters got a warm welcome when they hit the ice at the Olympic Games. Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik are the only

athletes to compete under the North Korean flag and the only North Koreans to qualify for the games. They will be among the 16 pairs to compete in the

free skate on Thursday.

Haiti is looking to arrest the Oxfam worker who hired prostitutes during earthquake relief efforts. It is asking the U.K. to help set up talks with

Belgium. Meanwhile, Oxfam admits it failed to act quickly when a former manager reported workers were sexually exploiting staff or people that they

were supposed to care for, but denies it covered it up.

South African President Jacob Zuma says calls for him to resign are unfair and that party officials haven't given him a reason for their decision.

Now, he was speaking in a televised interview a short time ago. Mr. Zuma has been mired in multiple scandals and corruption allegations. His own

ruling ANC Party has called for a no-confidence vote against him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing in two corruption cases. On Tuesday, Israeli police said that they had sufficient

evidence to bring criminal charges against him. Mr. Netanyahu is accused of fraud, taking bribes, a breach of trust.

And now to northern Syria, where several Russian paramilitary contractors are among the more than hundred men killed by U.S. airstrikes near Deir

Ezzor. The U.S. defense secretary, James Mattis, says that the U.S. is puzzled by the attacks since Moscow initially said that there were no

forces there.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us now from Moscow. Fred, what more have you learned about the incident and about the Russians who are among these men

killed in these U.S. airstrikes in Syria last week?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's certainly quite interesting, Kristie. All this happened in the night, from

the seventh to the eighth of February, where all a sudden there was a pretty large scale attack by pro-government Syrian forces towards the

position, towards pro-American forces known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF.

All this took place near the town of Deir Ezzor in the east of Syria. Apparently, these pro-government forces went across the Euphrates River

which is normally sort of the demarcation line between the Syrian government forces and the forces that are on the side of the U.S. and the

Syrian Democratic Forces and apparently started launching an attack.

Now, the U.S. responded to this attack because there were some U.S. advisers on the ground, apparently killed a hundred of the attacking

fighters. Now it turns out there were some Russian contractors who are among those killed.

We have been able to confirm the identity of several Russians who were killed in that attack. All of them seemed to be part of a contractor

company called Wagner. Now, it is a highly secretive company that has hundreds of personnel, some of them fighters, inside Syria. It has never

been officially acknowledged by the Russians.

[08:35:00] And one of the interesting things that you have been pointing out is that the Russians have said, they had no knowledge of any fighters

on the ground there. This is an unofficial force that Russia until this day has not acknowledged, that it actually has on the ground there in Syria.

Kristie?

LU STOUT: So these were Russian contractors but they were working for the military.

PLEITGEN: Yes.

LU STOUT: Is this the first time that there has been a deadly incident between U.S. and Russian forces in Syria? What is usually in place to avoid

accident or clash like what happened here?

PLEITGEN: Yes, you know, from what we know, this is the first deadly incident between U.S. and Russian forces inside Syria. Now again, these are

not official Russian forces. And so far from the Russian government, all we're getting is that they have no information on all of this. They say

they don't know how many Russians are actually inside Syria.

And if you look on some of these forums where people talk about folks that they knew who are allegedly killed in this incident, they are quite angry

at the Russian government for not acknowledging that these contractor forces are on the ground there.

Some opposition figures in Russia have been asking questions as well that so far all you're getting from the Russian government is them saying they

don't know anything about the presence of these people.

There is normally a channel that is in place that is supposed to deconflict, as it's known in military terms, between U.S. and Russian

forces. A lot of that is about the air forces that are operating inside Syria to make sure planes don't get in each other's way.

But certainly, one of the things that this deconfliction channel is supposed to do is also supposed to stop forces from bombing each other on

the ground, they're accidentally bombing each other's forces that are operating on the ground.

Of course, all of this, Kristie, is designed to make sure that these two forces that don't necessarily like each other very much continue to fight

against ISIS, first and foremost, and concentrate on that rather than getting in each other's way, Kristie.

LU STOUT: But also, as the fight against ISIS in Syria winds down, why are they there? Why Russian military contractors (INAUDIBLE) American forces

there?

PLEITGEN: Well, one of the things that the Americans continue to say is, look, the fight against ISIS is not over, one of the lessons that they for

instance learned from Iraq. For a very long time, it seemed like Al Qaeda in Iraq was on the ropes, was down and out, is that they then returned in a

reincarnation as ISIS, because there was a lot of instability in that country.

That's one thing that neither the U.S. or Russia wants to happen. U.S. keeps saying that they think that there is still a real chance that if

there is instability, if there are bad governments in some of these places that have been retaken by the Syrian Democratic Forces or in-fighting

between groups, that that could open the way for ISIS.

Now, in the wake of this incident and other incidents for instance that take place in the north of Syria between Turkish forces and pro-American

forces, there are some who say, loo, that could be a breathing ground that could help ISIS make a comeback. And that's one of the reasons why you

still have the Russians there and why you still have the Americans there, as well.

The Russians certainly seem to be in it more for the long-term. They have fortified their positions. They have said that they want to stay at their

air base that they have near Latakia. They also have expanded or starting to expand their ports that they have in Tartus on the Mediterranean.

So it seems that the Russians have a very long-term interest in that region where it is not exactly clear what the American endgame is going to be in

the areas that are controlled by forces that are certainly loyal to the U.S.

LU STOUT: Fred Pleitgen reporting live for us in Moscow. As always, thank you, Fred, take care.

Again, we are following the breaking news story coming in to us from very close to the U.S. capital. There are few details on what happened outside

the NSA facility in the U.S. state of Maryland. But U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on a shooting at a national security agency facility

there in Maryland.

National security agency police and local law enforcement, they say that this incident took place at one of the vehicle entry gates. They are also

saying that the situation is under control. You're looking at earlier video of the situation there outside the NSA facility. They also add that there

is no ongoing security or safety threat.

Now, the very thing that has powered the Olympic Games has also posed a challenge for the athletes and for CNN teams covering the games. We've got

a closer look at how Pyeongchang is using the wind to its advantage.

[08:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. You're watching "News Stream." Now, we have been talking about the biting

cold and the wicked winds that have forced a delay of some Olympic events this year, frustrating athletes and spectators alike, but on the other

hand, the fierce gusts have been an environmental asset. Ivan Watson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This gusting wind is one of the natural resources of the Olympic host city. At this wind farm,

these turbines, they alone generate enough electricity to supply 60 percent of the households in the nearby city of Gangneung.

In fact, the Olympic organizing committee says that wind power is making up more energy than is needed for all of the Olympic and Paralympic games,

with up to 204 megawatts generated. The problem is, is that this wind is also creating some serious obstacles for some of the Olympic events.

(voice over): Organizers postponed several alpine skiing and snowboarding events due to severe wind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The winds up at -- up at the alpine venue were pretty much that you couldn't even stand up straight at the top of the mountain

before the race.

WATSON (voice over): Australian snowboarder Tess Coady blamed the wind for a fall on a training run that led to an injury.

(on camera): These powerful winds have helped make the Winter Games more environmentally sustainable, but they've really been a source of complaint

for some athletes and certainly some spectators. But this is just a fact of life at this Winter Olympiad. It's cold and it's pretty windy.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Pyeongchang, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Oh, hang in there, Ivan. Now, it's not just humans hitting the slopes at the Winter Games. Robots of all shapes and sizes competed in

their own Olympic ski challenge at a resort outside of Pyeongchang. Some glided down the hills flawlessly, others took a tumble or two. The prize

for the winning robot, $10,000.

Now, we are of course following the breaking news coming into us from the United States very close to the capital. There are few details, but Donald

Trump has been briefed on a shooting at an NSA facility in Maryland. National Security Agency police, local law enforcement, they say that this

incident took place at one of the vehicle entry gates.

You are looking at earlier footage from the scene of what happened. They say that the situation is under control and there is no ongoing security or

safety threat. Of course, we will continue to monitor the situation for you right here on CNN.

That is it from "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, we got "World Sport" with Amanda Davies coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END