Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Winter Olympics Reopen Relationship with South and North Korea; Trump Pushes for Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum; President Xi Jinping Could have Unlimited Term; Lawmakers Make Their Move on Gun Control; Top Stories; Netanyahu in U.S.; Conflict in Syria; DACA Recipients Left in Limbo; Italy Decides; Academy Awards 2018. Aired 3- 4a ET

Aired March 05, 2018 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A South Korean delegation heads to Pyongyang. Their hope, to discuss direct talks between North Korea and the United States. CNN is live in Seoul, South Korea following the story.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: In the United States it is yet to be determined what President Trump will do on gun control, but some states are already taking action of their own.

HOWELL: Plus, the Oscars, serious messages with some lighthearted fun. We look at the bigger moments from this year's Academy awards.

We are live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. CNN Newsroom starts right now.

And we start with what could be a diplomatic breakthrough in North Korea. A high-level delegation from South Korea has left for Pyongyang, is led by South Korea's national security chief, and might put direct dialogue between the United States and North Korea on the agenda.

HOWELL: On Saturday, the U.S. President Donald Trump said North Korea wanted to talk, but would have to abandon its nuclear weapons.

Here's how North Korea responded to that. Quote, "The United States, that was terrified at the rapid development of our nuclear force and has continued to knock the dialogue, now feigns indifference, making North Korea abandon nuclear weapons and persists in maximum pressure until complete denuclearization is realized. That is really more than ridiculous."

Let's go now live to Seoul, South Korea CNN's Andrew Stevens following the story. Andrew, North Korea essentially responding, saying that the idea that they would denuke, as the president has suggested that idea ridiculous. Is the door still open from what you're hearing for progress with this delegation? ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR: Well, the door is open this

purely on the fact that this delegation has actually gone, is actually now in Pyongyang now, George. That is a breakthrough in itself.

There will be discussions also on dialogue. There is suggestion that this end at least that President Moon of South Korea is keen for a summit between Kim Jong-un and the South Korean leader sometime this year.

That is a hope at this stage. Officials are being very cage in exactly saying about exactly what they are going to be talking about as far as any resolution is concerned. Just listen to the head of this delegation. His name is Chung Eui-yong. He is a man who is very close to the president of South Korea. He's also very close to the Americans as well.

So, listen to what he had to say in a very brief briefing about what was plan in Pyongyang.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUNG EUI-YONG, NATIONAL SECURITY CHIEF OF SOUTH KOREA (through translator): I will communicate clearly the will and intention the president who wants the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and create by a lasting peace by utilizing the flow of the inter-Korean dialogue and improvement of the relationship that was built during the Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEVENS: I think the best way to put this at this stage, George, it's talks about talks. And as you point out, there is a polar opposite between the U.S. and North Korea on whether or not nukes should be on the table. When and if the North and the U.S. actually sit down to look at each other across a table.

The North has never shown any indication that it's prepared to pull back the scale, its nuclear program. And Donald Trump certainly has never suggested that the U.S. would talk without that being on the table.

So, talks about talks, it's going to be very, very incremental on how this progresses. And there is also something of a window here. Given the fact that this detente, if you like, really started when Kim Jong- un said in s New Year's speech that relations between the North and the South should improve, and we have seen meetings on this side of the border and the South. We've seen the Olympics, two teams marched together at the opening of the Olympics.

So, we have seen some movement there, but after the Paralympics which end in the middle of March, in April there is the annual military drills between South Korea and the U.S. to military allies there.

How those drills will be perceive in North Korea, which is always being enrage by them, and just how large scale they'll or they could be may depend on what happens in these talks in Pyongyang. [03:05:07] HOWELL: All right, Andrew. Talks about talks and certainly

a great deal of skepticism on the U.S. side about the motives of Kim Jong-un. We'll have to see what comes out of those talks. Andrew, thank you for the reporting.

Now, this week President Trump could push ahead with proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum.

CHURCH: Yes. James Davis is the dean of school of economics and political science at the University of St. Gallen. He joins us now from Munich via Skype. Thank you so much for being with us.

JAMES DAVIS, DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE FOR POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF ST. GALLEN: Good morning, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So let's start on this trade issue because on March 1st President Trump slapped major tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and there is a concern this could very well trigger a trade war, but the president doesn't think that such a bad idea. What do you say about that?

DAVIS: Well, of course, it would be a bad idea. Trade war is a war that nobody wins. The consumers don't win because prices go up. Industry doesn't win because any time you take away competition the incentive to innovate to become more efficient and drops away. International relations will not win. The cooperation that we have with our allies will be strained by this.

So this is not -- this is not a good idea and it's nothing that can be won. And the other is that, you know, you wonder if the president really understands much about the international trading system today.

This is not a system where tariff wars bring anybody advantages. This is a system where we have production that's integrated globally in a way that you really won't be able to manage through a blunt instrument like tariffs to begin with.

I'm sitting in Munich the headquarter of BMW. I don't know if the president realizes BMW makes more cars in the United States in South Carolina that it does in Germany at this point.

CHURCH: And this is what President Trump tweeted Sunday evening, I'll just read this out. "We are on the losing side on almost all trade deals. Our friends and enemies have taken advantage of the U.S. for many years. Our steel and aluminum industries are dead. Sorry, it's time for change. Make America great again."

So what is your assessment of this, is he right? Is it time for change or is that moving into pretty dangerous territory?

DAVIS: Look, there are efforts of some countries to advantage of the United States and trade. That's nothing new. That's been around for a long time. The question is how do you deal with that?

You know, my suggestion to the president, to the administration would be to lead on negotiations to recalibrate the international training system. The way in which protectionism takes place and protectionism is going on in the world today, the way protectionism takes place is not through tariffs but many other more subtle means.

And the president if he were leaving he would try to get the international community to revisit the rules of the game, try to create a fair trading system and then let America compete. And I think if that's the case America can compete. We just look at industries out of California and high-tech industries. We are leaders around the world.

So, America is not losing everywhere. It may be losing in some areas and we need to talk about how to get free and fair trade in those areas. But unilateral l imposition of tariffs is not the way to go if you ask me.

CHURCH: Right. And the president's comments about tariffs, those comments have over shadowed and distracted from the national conversation on gun control.

We saw Mr. Trump at a bipartisan meeting last week, appealed open to quite radical gun control it has to be said. But now he's distancing himself from those promises just as he did on the bipartisan meeting on the DREAMers.

How likely is it that the president would do something of substance when it comes to gun control or is it going to take some of these compares like Dick's and Walmart and as well as some of the states? They seem to be taking the lead here. And the president not, and Congress not.

DAVIS: Right. I mean, last week the president went way off the republican and NRA reservation calling for serious gun control measures that I think shocked many members of his own party. If anybody remembers, today is the deadline for DACA that the president set, March 5th. It's going to come and go.

So, you almost think that the announcements on tariffs and the trade war sort of a big attempt to change the subject to keep his base focused on something other than these issues on which he hasn't been able to move forward.

But I don't think the issues are going away. We're going to have a march for our lives, a march organize by these young students across the country on March 24th, a big rally in Washington.

[03:09:57] We're going to have the DACA issue with us for a long time. We have a number of immigrants that have this kind of limbo status and that status has to be cleared up at some point.

So, the issues aren't going away, but this White House hasn't been able to focus on any issue for long enough to really move a positive agenda forward. It's very difficult when you have a week like last week which was, you know, pretty chaotic from everyone's standpoint.

CHURCH: That's definitely a lot of distractions it has to be said. James Davis, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. DAVIS: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, 3,000 delegates, two weeks and one central figure. China's de facto parliament, the National People's Congress is all about one man this year, President Xi Jinping.

HOWELL: That's right. The 13th Congress opened Monday in Beijing. This annual session is a key moment for Mr. Xi. Presidential term limits are expected to be lifted.

Let's bring in CNN's Will Ripley following the story live in Beijing. And Will, without term limits the president there could essentially rule for the rest of his life.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, potentially Xi Jinping is set up now to rule indefinitely. The Chinese government spin on this is that, you know, the military and the party already don't have term limits.

And now by the state not having term limits, there can be consistency in leadership during tumultuous times. Obviously there is the North Korea situation we talked a lot about. There is the potential trade war looming with the United States.

A lot of complex global issues. China's economy continues to grow. Xi Jinping apparently feels that he is the only person qualified in China to see through his vision for this country and so that does mean potentially he could remain president for life even though the Chinese people obviously did not elect him. This is an authoritarian one party state.

Our reporting here is blacked out every time we start to talk about this. Chinese state media is talking a little bit about it, but their spin is that it makes China no different from other countries with leaders without limits. They brought up Germany as an example. Of course, Germany's chancellor is elected, Xi Jinping is not.

But the term limits were set up Deng Xiaoping back in 1982 to try to avoid a return for China to the bloody dictatorship of Mao Zedong who oversaw the Cultural Revolution at time when many people were lifted out of poverty but many people also died of starvation as a result.

They didn't want to give one leader too much power. They wanted to have a check, they wanted to have a peaceful transfer of power. Xi Jinping had an opportunity to really solidify the peaceful transfer of power at the end of his second term.

But now, clearly, George, that is not going to happen.

HOWELL: Looking back at the former leader Deng Xiaoping his vision for China Ping focused more on party as opposed to one particular person. But we are seeing a different approach with the current president of China. With leadership, Will, what does this mean for China? What does it mean for the national plans in the year to some?

RIPLEY: Well, the China moves forward with its plan laid out by the communist party. There are about 3,000 delegates gathering for the National People's Congress as China's top legislative body.

But clearly, Xi Jinping is the man at the top and he's put himself in you know, in so many different positions of power that he oversees nearly all aspects of the way that this country is run.

So they just announce, for example, they're going to increase their defense spending to 8.1 percent of this national budget, an increase from 7 percent last year. So they are spending more in their military which they say is to improve the conditions for the soldiers who are serving.

Then they also talk about the economy. They say the economy grew by around 7 percent last year. They are forecasting 6.5 percent growth next year which is a pretty impressive growth rate when you look at a lot of other countries around the world.

And that's what they tell the people here in China that the communist party is leading this country in a direction of prosperity, that its position China's position in the world is growing is on the rise.

And they can point to the situation in the United States, President Donald Trump, some of the chaos even though they wouldn't say it publicly, they kind of like to contrast the stability here in China.

There are no mass school shootings here in china, for example, that you know, you tend to be safer when you walk on the streets.

So, that's the case that they make to the Chinese people. But of course anybody who wants to oppose what's happening here, they can.

Social media posts are deleted and news coverage, including CNN and all the other networks are blacked out whenever we talk about this.

HOWELL: Will Ripley on the story, live for us in Beijing. Will, thank you.

The Academy Awards show the world that Hollywood is trying to forge a new path ahead after months of scandal and controversy. Amid the glitz and glamour of Sunday night's show, stars and filmmaker share the stage with activist and political advocates.

CHURCH: Host Jimmy Kimmel and other presenter shine a light on the Me Too campaign and other movements fighting for right for women and other minorities. Musician Andra Day and Common performed the political song "Stand up for Something" from the film "Marshall."

HOWELL: They were joined on stage by activists from groups including Black Lives Matter, and the United Farm Workers of America and the anti-gun group Sandy Hook Promise.

[03:15:06] We'll have more on the Oscars coverage just a bit later here on the show.

Still ahead on Newsroom, Florida lawmakers are taking on gun control after the deadly mass shooting that took place at a Florida high school. What they could vote on in the coming hour, ahead. CHURCH: Plus, California is also taking action on gun control. We'll bring you along with agents as they search for weapons in the wrong hands.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, U.S. President Donald Trump shifting stance on gun control has left many wondering what he actually thinks about the issue.

HOWELL: That's right. At a bipartisan meeting with senators last week, he appeared to support reforms like expanded background checks. But the next day the president met with a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association. After that meeting, the lobbyist tweeted that the president doesn't want gun control.

CHURCH: Yes. And one of the lawmakers who met with Mr. Trump is calling on the president to show leadership.

Here is what he told CNN's Anna Cabrera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED DEUTCH, (D) UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: We're at this moment now where the ground is shifting on this issue.

[03:20:00] The support for an assault weapons ban, the support for banning high capacity magazines, the overwhelming support for universal background checks, and all of that happening with this incredible leadership of the student survivors makes this different.

The president can do this. It's not -- it's not a question of waiting for something to come to his desk. He can lead on this if he wants to, just as he told my colleagues when he looked at them and said you're afraid of the NRA.

He can't be afraid of the NRA. He has to lead on this issue if we're going to do something that can help save lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: That was Ted Deutch, a U.S. congressman, a democrat from Florida. His state Senate may vote on gun safety measures in the coming hours. Of course, we'll watch to see what happens.

CHURCH: Yes, we will. And the legislation could lead to some teachers being armed in classroom.

CNN's Athena Jones has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. This is the last week of the legislative session, and Florida lawmakers are racing to pass a bill and get to it Governor Scott's desk. After a rare Saturday session in which senators spent eight hours debating the school safety measure, the Senate is preparing to vote on the bill on Monday.

That bill would do several things. It would raise the age to purchase a weapon to 21 from 18 years old. It would require a three-day waiting period to guy a gun, with some exceptions. And it would ban the sale and possession of bump fire stocks.

That's the accessory that allows people to make semiautomatic weapons fire like automatic weapons. The measure would also give law enforcement more power to seize weapons and ammunition from people deemed mentally unfit or otherwise a threat.

And it would provide additional funding for armed school resource officers and for mental health services across the state.

The most controversial version in this legislation is the Marshall program. That's a program that would allow teachers and other school personnel to be armed as long as they go through training. In this case 144 hours of training, including 12 hours of diversity training that was a provision that was insisted on by some members of the black caucus.

This program would be voluntary. The sheriff and the school district would have to decide to implement it. And no teacher would be required to take part. And to be armed. But again, this is something that has been very controversial. It's gotten a lot of pushback. Not just from students and teachers, but also from parents.

And also from Governor Rick Scott, who has said he is opposed to arming teachers. He said teachers should teach.

But one question that Governor Scott has not answered yet is whether he would veto any legislation that reaches his desk that include a provision to arm teachers.

And as with any bill, there are folks on both sides who are not happy with it. You have democrats who wanted more gun control measures, for instance, an assault weapons ban. And there are republicans who believe that the gun measures in the bill have already gone too far.

If this bill is able to pass the Senate, it will move on to the House. And if it passes the House, on to the governor's desk. But really, time is running out here. They have until Friday to agree on something that can pass both chambers and make to it the governor. And then we'll have to see if the governor decides to sign a bill that includes arming that teacher's provision.

Athena Jones, CNN, Tallahassee, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Athena, thank you. The state of Florida is also taking action on gun control.

CHURCH: Yes. Our Stephanie Elam reports agents they are searching for and taking away weapons that are in the wrong hands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than 6,000 rounds of ammunition, three semiautomatic weapons, a shotgun, and a pistol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the assault weapons was fixed with a bump stock.

ELAM: Bump stocks like what the Las Vegas mass shooter used to mimic automatic firing were banned in California in 1990. All together, it's an arsenal 57-year-old Timothy Pope is not allowed to have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I forgot they're even here, really.

ELAM: He was previously convicted of possessing a destructive device, a felony.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you remember being notified and told that you can't have guns anymore?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, in the court.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you feel right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stupid.

ELAM: This bust coming at the end of the daily mission for these California Department of Justice agents who door knocked targeted homes in search of weapons in the wrong hands.

XAVIER BECERRA, CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Only in California do we have a law that permits us to seize these weapons.

ELAM: It's the only system of its kind in the nation. The armed prohibited person system, or APPS flags those who previously registered firearms, but were later deemed unfit to own a gun after a felony conviction, violent misdemeanor, domestic violence restraining order, or found to be mentally unstable.

Using the APPS data, agents visit Pope, who now likely faces a new set of felony charges, including the possession of so-called ghost guns, homemade weapons free of serial numbers officials use to track guns.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you imagine if these guns got in the wrong hands through a burglary?

[03:24:59] ELAM: California's Department of Justice has recovered 18,000 firearms since the program began. More than 10,000 people are on the list statewide.

As the country is again embroiled in the gun control debate, some point out that APPS would not have caught the mass shooters in San Bernardino and Isla Vista, California.

There are people throughout who say with all the shootings we've seen across the country, that none of this, that the apps program would not have stopped that. What do you say to that?

SEAN RICHARDSON, SPECIAL AGENT, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: I say it's impossible for us to measure the success of this operation. Nobody knows whether or not one of the guns we seized would have been the next mass shooting.

ELAM: Another concern for second amendment advocates, how well the database is kept up to date.

CRAIG DELUZ, SPOKESMAN, FIREARMS POLICY COALITION: And the people that are prohibited are appropriately notified and given ample opportunity to get rid of the firearms and ammunition so that they're not in further violation of the law.

ELAM: But after a night like this, these officers believe APPS is a good place to start. And that other states should follow California's lead.

Stephanie Elam, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And coming up, it is a busy day ahead for President Trump. But at least he will see a friendly face. What's on the agenda as he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That's ahead.

HOWELL: Also, Hollywood's biggest night, it has come and gone. Did the Oscars live up to the hype? We'll talk about that that and much more with a film critic a little later in the show. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A very warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and of course, all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

[03:30:00] A high level South Korean delegation has left for North Korea. It includes South Korea's national security chief and might discuss direct dialogue between the United States and Pyongyang. President Trump said on Saturday that North Korea wanted to talk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00] HOWELL: A high-level South Korean delegation has left for North Korea. It includes South Korea's national security chief and might discuss direct dialogue between the United States and Pyongyang. President Trump said on Saturday that North Korea wanted to talk, but it would have to abandon its nuclear weapons program first.

CHURCH: Final results in Italy's parliamentary election won't be known for a few hours. Exit polls show no outright winner. They center-right coalition supported by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi could gain the most seats. Right behind it, the anti- establishment Five-Star Movement.

HOWELL: President Trump could sign his proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in a matter of days. The White House trade advisor tells CNN no countries will be excluded from the tariffs. Economists are warning the measure could hurt the U.S. economy and lead other other countries to retaliate.

CHURCH: And fears of a global trade war are rattling the world markets in Asia. We're going to bring those numbers up. They say the markets in Japan, Hong Kong, and India all in negative territory.

HOWELL: And it is early in the trading day in Europe where the political uncertainty there in Italy is weighing in the markets. You can see FTSE, the CAC-40 and (INAUDIBLE) all seeing gains. The DAX though the exception.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, starting his week in Washington despite facing a corruption scandal back at home.

CHURCH: Yes. In the coming hours, he will meet with President Trump at the White House and on the agenda, Iran and moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Mr. Netanyahu will also attend a conference of the pro- Israel lobby AIPAC.

Well, for more, CNN's Ian Lee joins us now live from Jerusalem. So Ian, facing a corruption scandal at home, Mr. Netanyahu meeting with U.S. President Trump in Washington, D.C. in the coming hours. What do you think he's hoping to achieve apart from hopefully getting away from his troubles back home?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. We got a lot to unpack here for you. First off, this is a feel good trip for both men. Both men like each other. The bases of both men like each other. For the prime minister though, the number one issue he wants to talk about is Iran.

This is a topic he's talked about quite often. It's one of his main issues, Iran's influence in neighboring Syria during that civil war, as well as Lebanon, as well as Iran's nuclear program and this nuclear deal which the prime minister has said, nix it or fix it, essentially saying that he doesn't like it and he wants the United States to help push to change it.

For President Trump, there's also the peace process. We are hearing that they have a plan, although we haven't talked to anyone who has actually seen it. We would like to see it, but there is a plan, a peace plan, something that he's been working on, something his special envoys have been working on.

And so that is something that they would probably discuss although the Palestinians have said that right now, they have no interest in working with the Americans, so that is going to be an obstacle for him.

And then you have the U.S. Embassy, something that both men have been championing, something that they are both excited about. We are hearing that the President Trump could possibly be invited for the ribbon cutting ceremony, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Ian Lee watching what's happening from his vantage point there in Jerusalem. Many thanks to you.

And Mr. Netanyahu is not President Trump's only visitor in the hours ahead. He is also expected to meet with U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and this comes as she is struggling to implement a ceasefire in Syria.

The U.N. Security Council voted for the truce more than a week ago, but violence has not let up in places like Eastern Ghouta.

HOWELL: State media say the military just seized several villages in rebel-held enclave. The U.N. reports around 600 people have been killed since an offensive started last month. It hopes to deliver aid to Eastern Ghouta this week, but it has been blocked before. The Syrian president claims his government is trying to help civilians, but the U.S. says his forces are targeting them. Listen.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

BASHAR AL-ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA (through translator): When we speak about the resolution, there are some positives that allow for the achievement of humanitarian goals at the same time as allowing us to achieve the goal of hitting terrorists. This is why we have to continue with our operation while at the same time allowing civilians to leave to the state areas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is following the story live in Amman, Jordan. Jomana, so we just heard the Syrian president say that, you know, the operation continues but at the same time they are trying to help civilians. Do civilians trust the government to allow them to pass? I mean, how is this -- how is this playing out because there was a truce that was supposed to stop all of this fighting, but the bombs continue?

[03:35:00] JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this has been the issue, George, over the past week or so. You know, we heard from Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing that humanitarian pause in the fighting five hours during the day between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., saying that during that time this was to allow civilians to leave, aid to come in. The critically wounded, the ill to leave for urgent medical treatment.

But we really did not see civilians leave during that time and, you know, we've heard from both sides. You had the Syrian regime on the one hand saying it is the rebel groups inside Eastern Ghouta that are stopping those civilians from leaving, that it was the rebel groups that were targeting those designated routes to the humanitarian quarter that would allow the civilians to leave.

It's been part of the government's narrative. They are saying that they are holding -- these rebels are holding civilians hostage to use them as human shields. On the other hand, we've heard from the rebels, we've heard from activists on the ground in Eastern Ghouta saying that it was the regime, and it was the Russians that continued to target these different areas.

We've seen a death toll that continued to rise and saying that there was no real commitment to this humanitarian pause. We've heard from civilians in Eastern Ghouta over the past couple of weeks and people say they don't want to leave their homes. What they want is for the bombing to stop.

What you essentially have here is a serious lack of trust. They are concerned that when yo look at who is making these promises, it is the Russians. People don't view the Russians as a neutral party in all of this, so they are really concerned about taking that risk of trying to leave, concerned about where they will end up. They are surrounded by regime-controlled areas so they would end up in regime-controlled areas and people would say that they might be in imprisoned or they might have a worse fate than that.

So it is a very complex situation on the ground and at the end of the day, you have this blame game between the regime, between the rebel groups and it is the civilians, George, as usual who continue to suffer.

HOWELL: Civilians who have to decide whether they trust that they can even move freely to escape the bombing. Just thinking about, you know, what would they have gone through. Bombs day after day and now do you trust to walk outside and try to leave it? Jomana Karadsheh, thank you for the reporting, live in Amman, Jordan.

Now, Monday, a very important day here in the United States. It was supposed to be the deadline for DACA, the day that the Trump administration ended protections for young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. But court actions and (INAUDIBLE) Capitol Hill both mean these young people called dreamers, they are stuck in limbo.

CHURCH: And some of them will be on Capitol Hill later on Monday telling their stories. On Sunday, the American Civil Liberties Union held a rally to try to keep DACA front and center. Sara Sidner has been talking to three dreamers who say they feel as if people in power are playing with their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These are the faces of dreamers. (INAUDIBLE) is one of 2,550 DACA recipients born in India. Christine is one of 7,060 recipients born in South Korea. And Oscar is one of 544,150 recipients born in Mexico.

Monday was supposed to be doomsday for the program that allowed them and nearly 700,000 others to be in the United States legally. President Trump set March 5th as the end of the deferred action for childhood arrivals program.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I have a love for these people and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly.

SIDNER (voice over): But they didn't.

(on camera): He said he has a heart. But then he ended the program. What does that tell you?

CHRISTINE, DACA RECIPIENT: He has a heart the beats, but that doesn't mean anything. Everyone's heart can beat, but can he relate to us?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It almost feels like -- like we're just a game, you know, like this is one big chess game for them.

SIDNER (voice over): According to a lawsuit filed in New York against the Department of Homeland Security, the March 5th memo would have meant 1,400 DACA recipients would lose their legal status every working day.

But the Supreme Court stayed out of the dispute which allowed a federal court ruling that the memo cannot be enforced to stand while the case goes through the courts.

It means DACA recipients are left in limbo. (INAUDIBLE) has been the family translator, a second mother to her sister, and an income earner, all while attending college and dealing with pain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like people think just because we're here, we have all these benefits and we're, you know, leaching off the government. But it's like we don't have medical, like (INAUDIBLE).

SIDNER (voice over): As a DACA recipient, she is not eligible for government medical insurance programs or federal financial aid for school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm emotional because some days it feels like our sacrifices aren't enough. And our trauma isn't enough.

SIDNER (voice over): Oscar was a high school class president, but then his father got deported.

[03:40:00] Since then, he has had to work up to four jobs at a time to help his mother to feed a family of six.

OSCAR, DACA RECIPIENT: I work (INAUDIBLE) taco stand. I work at a food restaurant. Just anything. Just to make sure we have food on the table.

SIDNER (voice over): Now, he manages work and college.

(on camera): When do you sleep?

OSCAR: Hardly ever.

SIDNER (voice over): Christine got into the college of her dreams. Her father tried to pay for it, but that dream eventually died with no financial aid.

CHRISTINE: He wanted me to be there. And every time I see him write the amount on the check, just seeing that, I just couldn't more. SIDNER (voice over): At 25, she now works at the Korean Resource and are hoping to make a better life for other immigrants like her. She says politicians have failed them.

CHRISTINE: It's quite tiring, exhausting to know that people are playing with your lives.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Sara Sidner.

CHURCH: Yes.

HOWELL: Yes. Thank you.

CHURCH: We will take a short break. When we come back, the ballots have been counted in Italy's election. Could an anti-establishment party be the linchpin or with next government? We will take you live to Rome for an update. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Italy looks to have a hang parliament after Sunday's general election. As of now, exit polls show no outright winner. The anti- establishment Five Star Movement is projected to get the most votes by a single party.

CHURCH: But a center-right coalition put together by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi looks like it will gain the most seats in the Senate. Results are expected in just a few hours from now.

Italy is the eurozone's third largest economy and this election could have major implications across Europe. CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau joins us now from Rome with more on this. Barbie, no clear winner at this point, but how is it that populist parties appear to have gained ground at the expense of the establishment voices in this parliamentary

[03:45:00] election and what could that mean for the outcome in Italy?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it's very clear that Italians voted for anti-establishment party. Fifty percent of the vote went to either the Five Star Movement or the league which was formerly known as the Northern League, which is a far-right party under the direction of Matteo Salvini.

They both campaigned on anti-immigration and euro skepticism. And I think that whatever ends up being the ruling party of this government, whatever sort of coalition they can cobble together, the message is clear that the status quo is no longer the ruling party of Italy.

The old establishment is gone and we've seen lots of commentary this morning about just what that mean. The youth vote was loud and clear. The anti-immigration vote was loud and clear. And this euro skepticism seems to be one of the underlying factors in the way this ballot went. But there is a long way to go yet, Rosemary, before we know who is going to be in the seat of the prime minister. You know, it could take days certainly even weeks before any sort of coalition is cobbled together.

The center-right coalition that won the most seats is in question now because that was formed with Silvio Berlusconi's party as the lead party of that coalition. Right now, Matteo Salvini is in the driver seat of that party, so anything could happen at this point, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, certainly. We will watch to see what this political shift means to Italy and indeed for Europe. Barbie Nadeau joining us there from Rome where it is 9:45 in the morning. Many thanks.

HOWELL: The most glamorous night in Hollywood is now over. We take a look at who took home Oscars and how the "Time's Up" movement played out on stage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST AND WEATHER ANCHOR: I'm Ivan Cabrera with your weather watch as we check in on North America, Canada and the eastern provinces especially quieting down, of course after that, major coastal storm that impacted not just New England and the U.S. but across the eastern provinces here.

The next storm system now winding up across the mid section of the U.S., perhaps a few strong thunderstorms, not expecting anything as far as any significant severe weather outbreak. We do have this area of high fire danger, low humidity and some high winds as well.

And on the next system, we have busy several weeks across the pacific northwest once again with a new one moving in. But winter is not done with us here. There is the low across South Dakota. It will be impacting with Bismarck as well, even Minneapolis.

If you're perhaps flying into New York and then into Minneapolis, you may find some delays there as a result of low visibility because of the snowfall that will continue moving in particularly through the late day hours.

[03:50:00] And there's the forecast further south as you would expect. Here of course it will be on the west side as far as some rainfall. Upwards of 25 to 50 millimeters in the next 24 to 48 hours. We do have the cold there and we do have the moisture and both combining, we have winter storm warnings for portions of the upper mid-west as I mentioned including Minneapolis.

That will be our spot there as far as any travel-related delays. That's where you're going to find them. And then a new system moving in north and west with some showers across British Columbia.

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, this is a award season wrapped up just a few hours ago with the Oscars. The show aimed to strike a balance between celebration and serious topics. Host Jimmy Kimmel set the tone early on, calling out harassment and inequality plaguing the industry. And throughout the night, stars shared a spotlight on diversity and inclusion.

HOWELL: But the films still took center stage. "The Shape of Water" swept top awards winning best picture and best director. And there was little surprise in the acting categories. Frances McDormand took home the best actor's Oscar and Gary Oldman won best actor for "Darkest Hour."

Let's bring in film critic Richard Fitzwilliams live in our London bureau. Good to have you with us, Richard. Let's talk about best picture, "The Shape of Water" winning that category. This film based in fantasy and imagination. What did you make of this pick?

RICHARD FITZWILLIAMS, FILM CRITIC: Well, I think it's historic because this is the only fantasy film ever to win best picture, unless you count "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" which was part of a series. And it's a very unusual story, set at the cold war, mute cleaner with a sea creature.

It's fantastic in the sense that it is beautifully colored and it's one of those very, very intriguing films which draw you in a very unusual movie, but certainly between that and "Three Billboards" with the academy's waiting system for voting, there was a huge question mark throughout the entire ceremony.

It kept the tension going. We didn't know whether "Shape of Water" or "Three Billboards" is going to win. As it is, "Shape of Water" has made history.

HOWELL: All right. As we mentioned, best actor, that went to Gary Oldman and his impressive transformation and portrayal of Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour." Best actress to Frances MNcDormand for "Three Billboards," her role in that. But it was her speech really that resonated in the audience especially in the context of the "Me Too" and "Time's Up" movement.

FITZWILLIAMS: Absolutely. And she really brought the women in the audience to their feet because she quite correctly identified so many of the problems in the industry. The diversity difficulty, remember the hashtag Oscar So White and also the problem of inequality in women's roles and women's pay with the fact that the bosses make decisions that favor the males.

It's that, I think, that really was the important thing about that speech. She was wonderful as a bereaved mother who ferociously fights back in "Three Billboards." She was bound to win.

HOWELL: Certainly. As you point out, asked people to stand up at that moment, the moment that will certainly be a defining moment of the show today. Let's also talk about what we saw with activist joining on stage. We saw groups like Black Lives Matter, the United Farm Workers of America, and the anti-gun groups Sandy Hook Promise, focusing on messages, important messages here.

FITZWILLIAMS: Yes. I think that it is very significant that a awards ceremonies and the entertainment industry as a whole, at least the activists within it who are driving this, are making shows of the sort, a platform to spread a wider message and this message is supposed to resonate far beyond the actual industry itself and help those in other fields, help victims and also campaign the issue of the right to bear arms and the abuses of that right.

It was very, very significant, I think, too. So you got vast numbers of people to see something that is spectacular and fabulous fashion fest, but you got very serious issues. And when Oscar celebrates 100 years, that's in 10 years' time, let us hope that these issues will have been resolved positively by then.

HOWELL: Richard, we saw a history made as well wit the movie "Get Out." Jordan Peele, the first African-American to win for best picture.

[03:55:00] FITZWILLIAMS: This was very significant that he won for best -- best screenplay it was actually, but he was the first person who debut it was for "Get Out" to be nominated for best director and best picture and best screenplay, best original screenplay, I think, it was.

And I think that this movie was the dark horse (INAUDIBLE) "Three Billboards" and "Shape of Water" (INAUDIBLE) and yet because of the way the academy votes for best picture, "Get Out" could have conceivably sprung a surprise. It kept us on tinder hooks all evening.

And it is a very far from indictment and racism and the movie very much of the sort of contemporary sort which Oscar is choosing, choosing the low-budget ones. Look at recent winners, "Moonlight," "Spotlight," "Birdman," and "Shape of Water," very different from the epics like "Dunkirk" that would have won before.

HOWELL: And Richard, just briefly here, we also saw Warry Beatty and Faye Dunaway back on stage together again, getting a second shot, to present the category for best picture. Did they seem a little nervous up there?

FITZWILLIAMS: I thought that they seemed extremely nervous and I think they remember all too vividly what we all remembered. But to be fair to Oscar, why not has a famous British politician was told by Dame Edna Everage, the Australian drag queen, if you can't laugh at yourself, you're missing the joke of the century.

The academy did at least have a laugh at itself because after all that chaotic, climatic mess was probably the worst thing that we've seen at any stage and I think they are in a way got away with it.

HOWELL: Richard, we are going to have to go. Thank you so much for your time, Richard. And thank you for being with us in "Newsroom."

CHURCH: Thanks, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. Have a great day.

[04:00:00]