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Kim Jong-un Makes Surprise Visit to China; White House Defends Trump's Silence on Stormy Daniels; Top Lawyers Decline Joining Trump Legal Team; Protesters Demand Full Investigation of Russia Mall Fire; Russia Warns of Retaliation after Expulsion of Diplomats; Holocaust- era Survivor Killed, Anti-Semitism Suspected; No Charges Against Officers In Alton Sterling Death; California Sues Over Census Citizenship Question; Sanctions Expected for Australian Cricket Cheaters; ABC Reboots Roseanne in the Trump Era. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired March 28, 2018 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles.
ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Ahead this hour: the rumors are true. Turns out Kim Jong-un was on that train, the mysterious one through China. The North Korean leader's first foreign trip since taking power.
VAUSE (voice-over): She survived the horrors of the Holocaust only to fall victim to what is believed to be anti-Semitism of modern-day Paris. Police believe the murder of an elderly Jewish woman was a hate crime.
SESAY (voice-over): And a cheating scandal rocks the cricket world. Three Australian players accused of ball tampering now await their punishment.
VAUSE (voice-over): It is shame, shame, shame.
Hello and thanks for being with us. I'm John Vause.
SESAY (voice-over): And I'm Isha Sesay. This is NEWSROOM L.A.
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VAUSE: North Korea's Kim Jong-un has boarded his special train and headed home after making his first international trip as leader. Kim's four-day visit to Beijing was marked by incredible secrecy an extraordinary security as he met with China's leaders.
SESAY: Only now are we hearing from state media in China and North Korea confirming that Kim met with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing for talks and a banquet dinner before leaving on an armored train hours ago.
Kim repeatedly told Xi he's committed to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. This comes just weeks before Kim is set to hold separate summits with South Korea and possibly the U.S.
CNN's Andrew Stevens joins us now from Beijing.
Andrew, are we any the wiser or just how serious Kim Jong-un actually is about denuclearization and what it might take to go from rhetoric to reality?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR: What we've learned today, Isha, is the words are coming virtually directly from Kim Jong-un's mouth himself. We have heard that he has been committed to denuclearization. We've heard that through the South Koreans. We've heard that through the South Koreans (INAUDIBLE) the U.S. but we never directly from Kim Jong-un or anyone from North Korea.
Now we have these quotes being attributed to Kim by the state news agency in China, Xinhua, that says very clearly that Kim told President Xi, the Chinese leader, that he is committed to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. He said he is also committed, as his father had been and as his grandfather had been before him.
Let me just read you one of the quotes of Kim Jong-un, which was recorded by Xinhua.
It says -- excuse me -- "The issue of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with good will, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realization of peace."
Now these progressive and synchronous measures, that is going to be the devil in the details.
What does he mean by that?
It is a step-by-step approach by the looks of it, I will be de- escalate here if you deescalate there and so on. So these are going to be the big sticking points, the big negotiating points, when Kim meets with Donald Trump.
That meeting planned to be by the end or sometime during May -- Isha.
SESAY: Indeed. So the tone of the meetings, from all the reporting, the tone of the meetings between President Xi and Kim Jong-un seems pretty upbeat.
So, Andrew, I guess, can we say it was mission accomplished in terms of the reset of relations between China and North Korea?
STEVENS: Well, certainly, certainly looking at the reporting and the quotes again from Kim and the president, Xi himself, it does look like this very frosty relationship has begun to thaw. President Xi is talking about a traditional relationship which goes
back generations between North Korea and China. There was a 14-minute news piece today here in Beijing on Kim Jong-un coming to China that included footage of Xi and Kim at a state banquet, the wives were also there, all the Chinese senior leadership was there as well.
And Kim also saying that he thought that the relationship between the two was improving for a new era, as he said it.
One of the things that he did say that was that he had come to Beijing out of a sense of comradeship and responsibility, Isha. So it does give you an idea that these two allies, who have been facing something of a rocky patch since Kim took over the leadership back in 2011, are now coming together in the face of these negotiations.
It is a reality check, if you like. They both need to have a united front. North Korea certainly because China is such an important economic ally, an economic lifeline and China because it wants to have a say in the future of the Korean --
[01:05:00]
STEVENS: -- Peninsula. China wants denuclearization. North Korea says it does. But China has much more heft.
It wants to make sure that it is also at that top table as developments unfold -- Isha.
SESAY: We shall see what emerges in the days and weeks ahead. Andrew Stevens there in Beijing, appreciate it. Thank you.
VAUSE: And joining us now for more on this, CNN political commentators Democratic strategist Dave Jacobson and Republican consultant John Thomas.
Let's take a look at that Kim quote one more time because it's too good not to have it a second time.
OK, the issue of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula can be resolved is South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with good will, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking aggressive and synchronous measures for the realization of peace.
So in other words, as Andrew said, this is an indication that Kim Jong-un is preparing for this upcoming summit, definitely with the South Korean president; maybe with the U.S. president.
It's still kind of an open question whether or not it will happen. Meantime on the U.S. side, what has been happening?
John Bolton is joining the administration as national security adviser, who in the past not only wanted to nuke North Korea but also rip up the Iran nuclear deal, which, if you're going into nuclear negotiations with North Korea, sends a pretty dodgy signal that maybe you won't stick to your word and what's the point of actually making a nuclear deal?
On top of that Trump has unveiled $60 billion in tariffs on China. China just happens to be North Korea's closest ally. And then we also have last week Trump threatened to remove U.S. troops from South Korea, which probably angered Seoul but also gave Kim a pretty big heads-up about what could be on the table for any future negotiations.
John, the world's greatest dealmaker is not setting this up so --
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JOHN THOMAS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think what he is doing is he is arming up and he is coming in for a good cop/bad cop situation. He is -- he is arming up so that Kim Jong-un thinks he serious, that when he means he wants to come to deal, he does but he is not afraid to take a military option.
I think a lot of people have felt that there is no military option available for the United States. Well the team of generals and John Bolton that the president surrounded himself with I think would beg to differ.
VAUSE: Dave, the concern though is that the president is going to be played here by Kim Jong-un.
DAVE JACOBSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's possible. This is a guy who does not have a whole lot of experience in dealing with other countries. Today --
VAUSE: He's a stable genius.
JACOBSON: -- he is. And he has got a good brain.
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: That's right.
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JACOBSON: Well, today's action or yesterday's action was promising that he joined our NATO allies in the U.K. --
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JACOBSON: -- I don't think he had a choice but like nonetheless I am glad that he did it, right, like that is at least one good thing we have seen in terms of foreign policy from the Trump administration.
But that being said, he does have a history over the last year and half of being president where he has created animosity with us and our allies. So one could only imagine what he is going to do with being in a room with Kim Jong-un, who, by the way, that statement, what I read from it was it is on Kim's terms.
He set this up where it is my terms. It's my way or the highway, Donald Trump. And so that is the big question is like how is Donald Trump going to react to that?
VAUSE: And I guess, John, the worry that a lot of people are expressed is that once Donald Trump gets into that room with Kim Jong- un and if he flatters the president, he says what the president wants to hear, he just gives in like a house of cards.
THOMAS: Yes, it is a concern. He does it with Chuck Schumer.
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: There is no question about it. I hope the president does not agree to anything definitively when he gets in the room but the fact that they are having conversations I do not believe is a bad thing. It is better than just having this inching closer and closer to a military standoff.
VAUSE: The other problem is, what happens if these talks break down or there's a problem or they go really badly?
What is the next step?
JACOBSON: I hope they do not blow up because there is what like a quarter million Americans that are in Seoul and that's right on the line of fire. So it could be a pretty explosive situation --
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THOMAS: -- what happens if we do not get into talks, if we don't deescalate --
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VAUSE: But the problem that a lot of people expressed is that usually by the time you get to the leader stage of any kind of negotiations between two adversarial countries, everything is locked up and done. Nothing can go wrong.
THOMAS: And that would be applicable to past administrations not this one, John.
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THOMAS: Donald Trump calls the shots. I think we've seen that --
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: -- but there is no safety net but it also does not mean that the State Department has so lawyered this thing that there is no room for negotiation.
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JACOBSON: Well, there's no secretary of state. There's no ambassador to South Korea --
(CROSSTALK) VAUSE: -- expert on North Korea, the guy who was -- the State Department's North Korea guy quite a couple of weeks ago.
But with all this work, the president's being doing, busy, busy, busy, not a moment to tweet about porn stars alleging they had sex with him. I think here's Sarah Sanders.
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SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He also has a country to run and he is doing a great job with that. That is why the economy is booming. ISIS is on the run. We're remaking the judiciary. He's focus on pushing his agenda through. Sometimes he chooses to specifically engage in punchback and sometimes he doesn't.
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VAUSE: And, John, sometimes Sarah Sanders is almost believable.
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THOMAS: Certainly he could weigh in on this and it is uncharacteristic. But I think what else is there for the president to say?
He's letting his lawyers do the talking on this matter. And it just seemed like after the Anderson interview, OK, they had they had sex once. Trump's White House denies it. She said he did.
Where you go from there?
What point is there to engaging in just trying to race to the bottom here?
I think the president's doing the right thing.
VAUSE: Dave, is the sex the problem or is there a bigger issue here?
JACOBSON: I think there's a bigger issue. Look, I think Corey Lewandowski always says let Trump be Trump.
Well, if Trump was being Trump, he would either punch back, number one, or, number two, he'd gloat and say, you are damn right I had sex with a porn star. The fact of the matter is this is a guy who has gone after his own administration, you know, whether -- and Republicans, right.
I mean, Leaking Comey, Crazy Joe, Crooked Hillary, Lyin' Ted, the list goes on and on and on.
VAUSE: Well, I'll just say Donald Trump, he is a counter puncher. He likes to counter punch. He explained why he does it time and time again. Let's listen to this.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When they attacked me, I have to attack back. I'm a counter puncher.
I then respond times maybe 10. I don't know. I mean, I respond pretty strongly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Only this time, nada and the lawyer --
THOMAS: When there is something politically for him to gain. Going after --
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: Like the Gold Star family?
THOMAS: Well, that was a stupid mistake but going after --
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: -- going after Lyin' Ted, going after Little Marco. He eviscerated a large --
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: -- well, actually, some could argue that arguing against the liberal Hollywood elite and getting in fights with them -- but getting in fights with a porn star, what does he --
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JACOBSON: -- like one would imagine, and I am not a lawyer but like perhaps if there is a lawsuit that he would like watch his tone. But at the same time, this is the same guy that, during the 2016 presidential race, called Judge Curiel biased when he was overseeing the Trump University.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: The threat of legal action doesn't seem to --
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: OK, well, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, he has a theory on why the president has been on mute.
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MICHAEL AVENATTI, STORMY DANIELS' ATTORNEY: I guess there's two theories. One, maybe we're not punching hard enough. Maybe we're not being aggressive enough and that is why he is not counterpunching.
And the second theory -- and I actually think this is the theory that holds -- he knows it is true, Chris. And he wants deniability. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, John, do you think it's because they haven't been punching hard enough or because the president thinks it could be true or knows that it's true rather?
THOMAS: I also think it might be that the president has nothing to gain from engaging in a conversation and he does not want to make her career any better. She wants the fight. She is begging for the fight. It only makes her relevant. It makes her stripping signing bonuses bigger. She has everything to win. He has nothing to gain from it.
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VAUSE: He down always punches down.
JACOBSON: He always punches down. It could be that he is in the doghouse with his wife. Melania, the first lady, is probably sick and tired of all of these salacious stories coming out about her husband. It is a totally different dynamic when you are a business tycoon or when you're President of the United States.
And clearly we've seen moves within the White House that they try to shift the conversation. Donald Trump is a master at creating headlines. And the John Bolton hire, getting rid of Rex Tillerson, there has been a number of moves that have tried to shift the narrative --
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VAUSE: -- the thing about Avenatti, the lawyer, he basically said that there were six women who had come to him with a similar story to tell as Stormy Daniels to -- that's -- two more have now joined that number. There's now eight and a couple of them have had very similar nondisclosure agreements.
So this is, dare I say, it's the brewing Stormy for Donald Trump, at least personally.
JACOBSON: Absolutely, yes. And if you looked onto the 2018 election, like look at Conor Lamb's win in Pennsylvania 18, just a couple of weeks ago, white suburban women are swinging.
Those are Donald Trump voters last cycle. They're swinging left towards Democrats.
THOMAS: But those white women never thought that he was a family values candidate in the first place.
VAUSE: But maybe they didn't think it would be this bad.
JACOBSON: And maybe they're exhausted.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- on the Howard Stern show.
VAUSE: -- when he was not president.
OK, well, Avenatti has been outplaying the Trump legal team. I think we can sort of (INAUDIBLE) accept that as a premise here.
Because Michael Cohen, who is Trump's personal lawyer, is more like that lawyer out of "My Cousin Vinny."
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: -- one who stutters a lot.
But Cohen's own lawyer, David Schwartz (ph), actually hit back at Avenatti with this. Listen to what he said.
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DAVID SCHWARTZ (PH), MICHAEL COHEN'S LAWYER: The "60 Minutes" interview, what was that?
It was a big thud. Yes, he's a master at building up this situation. He's a master at PR. But when you come -- he showed us pictures of videos, of CDs, showed us all of this. It's a big thud.
What did we learn from that "60 Minutes" interview?
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VAUSE: And, John, he has a good point because the interview was a bit of a fizzer. But Avenatti continues to warn that there is still a lot more to come.
THOMAS: Yes, he seems like a promoter. The Karen McDougal interview still has me scratching my head in a weird way --
[01:15:00]
THOMAS: -- like her allegations that he is a ruthless, heartless womanizer. He showed him as a gentle, caring man who did not want to hurt him -- or he did not want to hurt her.
It is -- you have to scratch and go, where is the bombshell here?
OK, the guy was a philanderer. He's probably had many women. There are probably more women to come out.
JACOBSON: Well, here's why I think Stormy's winning. We are still talking about it. And by the way, 22 million people tuned into "60 Minutes." It was like an explosive opportunity for that show. It outpaced the demo and number of other --
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBSON: -- and Avenatti was trolling Trump on Twitter, saying it outrated "The Apprentice" -- (CROSSTALK)
JACOBSON: -- Monica Lewinsky and a porn star --
(CROSSTALK)
JACOBSON: -- this is jaw-dropping stuff. The President of the United States and a porn star.
VAUSE: OK, very quickly, we're going to the other legal problems for the president, the Russia investigation. The president is very happy with his team of Jay Sekulow and his enthusiastic paralegals. Here's Trump former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski earlier on FOX News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COREY LEWANDOWSKI, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I know he has complete confidence in Jay Sekulow. I know that they have talked about adding members to his legal team. Think he has a comfort level with the people that he is currently engaged in.
Does that mean you can't add more to the team?
Of course not.
Is that something I think the team will do moving forward?
I do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, well, the Reuters News Agency is reporting that Andrew Ekonomou is being elevated to a central role in the Trump legal team for the Russia investigation. He is a Washington outsider, a DA from Brunswick, Georgia. He has a doctorate in medieval history, telling Reuters that he prosecutes a lot of murders for the DA.
When asked about his biggest cases of late, Ekonomou said, "That's basically it. Nothing earthshaking."
John, the president realizes that the Russia investigation is serious, right?
THOMAS: He does. And I think he has the same challenge with his legal team that he does with his coms director. Finding people with immense amounts of experience around the Beltway that want to associate themselves with a client who may not take their advice all the time is not something that a blue chip firm lawyer wants to be part of.
VAUSE: It's not just that though, is it, Dave?
JACOBSON: I think he's tainted. I think, either, A, B is lawyers who are much smarter when it comes to law than I am see the writing on the wall and they think he's going under --
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: -- lawyers never said I'm not going to represent you. It's called a criminal defense attorney. OK, they do not care whether or not their client is in trouble or not.
JACOBSON: Donald Trump is toxic.
(CROSSTALK)
THOMAS: -- if your client disobeys your advice, goes on Twitter and people go, what kind of legal advice is this guy getting, you cannot slander your client because you're bound to protect them.
JACOBSON: You don't want to be undercut or embarrassed on a regular basis and that is precisely what the president does to his White House staff, to his high ranking officials and to his administration, to his communications directors and to his attorneys.
VAUSE: Yes, and there's also the issue of potential perjury and what that all means and as a lawyer, what (INAUDIBLE) goes on and on.
Dave and John, though, thank you.
We could go on and on but we won't. Thanks a lot.
SESAY: Quick break here. An elderly woman escaped a roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942. Now police believe her religion is the reason for her murder 76 years later.
VAUSE: Also there is outrage in the state of Louisiana after charges were not filed in the police shooting of this African American man. Details in just a moment.
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VAUSE: A national day of mourning in Russia after one of the country's deadliest fires. Hundreds of protesters in the Serbian city of Kemerovo gather to demand answers. At least 64 people were killed, including an entire class of school children when a fire ripped through a mall on Sunday.
SESAY: Fire exits were blocked and the alarm system had been turned off. Children trapped inside called their relatives to say their final goodbyes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was talking to my daughter on the phone. I asked her where she was. She cried, "I'm here, Dad." I told her to lie down on the floor and breathe, breathe and don't die, I told her. I ran there but they grabbed me by my feet and dragged me back. I cried, "You bastards."
I was crying to my daughter. She said, "Dad, I love you. I'm suffocating. I'm fainting."
Excuse me.
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VAUSE: Protesters are calling for a full investigation and President Vladimir Putin has promised to punish those responsible.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): What is happening here? This was not a combat situation, not an unexpected methane outburst in a mine. People came to rest. Children. We talk about demographics and lost so many people because of what?
Because of criminal negligence and carelessness.
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SESAY: It's not known what caused the fire. Five people are being detained over fire safety violations.
It's really awful.
VAUSE: Yes.
OK, NATO has joined the list of countries punishing Russia over the nerve agent attack in the U.K., expelling seven diplomats from the Russian mission and denying the applications of three others.
SESAY: NATO will also cut the size of Russia's mission to the alliance. More than 2 dozen countries have now expelled Russian diplomats in a unified global response to the attack on a former spy and his daughter in England.
Russia denying any involvement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: This sends a clear message to Russia that there are costs and consequences for its unacceptable and dangerous pattern of behavior.
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We will respond undoubtedly because nobody wants to tolerate such boorish behavior. And we will not, either.
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SESAY: CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now from London.
Melissa, good to see you. Put this move by NATO in some kind of context for us. It's not entirely surprising, given NATO's mission. MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And yet it had seemed for much of the beginning of the story that Britain had pretty much gone out on a limb. It really wasn't getting the sort of support it clearly wanted, either from its European allies or from blocs like NATO.
Theresa May had very quickly announced in the wake of this poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, that Russia was clearly to blame. What was slow in coming was the unequivocal support of so many of its allies. And there was this very interesting shift.
For instance, it gave the European Union from Monday's statement -- Monday of last week, that is -- when European allies said that they understood Britain's position and they supported its request for answers from Moscow.
But really shying short of saying that it shared Britain's assessment that Russia was clearly involved in the poisoning. And of course, by Friday, that had shifted with this coordinated action by E.U. members and now by NATO.
And it is important to remember that NATO had been looking as though it might struggle to find any unity on this question. This is an organization that includes Turkey, which, over the course of the last few months and years has really been getting closer to Moscow.
So I think it is, again, a show of support for Britain and a show of unity within an organization that had looked as though it might fail to find it on this issue -- Isha.
SESAY: We've now wandered into the tit-for-tat territory so now we're all looking to see how Russia responds, given the growing scale of expulsions. I mean as we try and read the tea leaves from Moscow, what are we seeing?
BELL: I think we can expect for sure that there will be retaliation; of that there is no question, probably a sort of tit-for-tat like we saw after Britain had expelled 23 diplomats, the precise narrowing mirroring of that was announced by Moscow.
But with a step further, which was the creating of the British Council in St. Petersburg. so you can have this asymmetric response as well. And I think that is something we will be looking for the coming days.
Of course, Vladimir Putin has been occupied with the tragedy that you mentioned just a moment ago, spending time in the town --
[01:25:00]
BELL: -- where it took place and having to deal with the fallout with so many questions being asked.
But I think once that is over, clearly all eyes will very much be on Vladimir Putin and precisely what his response to this remarkably large, unprecedented, according to Theresa May, expulsion of Russian diplomats. We're talking now about more than 20 Western allies throwing out more than 140 diplomats. It is far beyond what we might have expected only at the beginning of last week.
SESAY: Absolutely, it is a remarkable moment and the fallout will continue for a while yet. Melissa Bell there in London, we appreciate it. Thank you.
VAUSE: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the U.S. Congress on data privacy. Lawmakers in the U.S. and the U.K. have demanded answers after a Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, Christopher Wylie, said the firm improperly accessed the personal information of millions of Facebook users.
He claims the data was used to influence voters in the 2016 U.S. election and may have swayed the Brexit vote as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAMIAN COLLINS, BRITISH MP: We believe, given the serious nature of the allegations that have been made around the access and use of Facebook user data that it is appropriate that Mark Zuckerberg should give evidence to the committee.
VAUSE (voice-over): But Zuckerberg has declined to appear before Britain's Parliament, sending one of his deputies instead. Cambridge Analytica calls Wylie's claims "unfounded conspiracy theories."
SESAY: Quick break here. An embarrassing scandal on the pitch in South Africa. Australia cricket players caught cheating, John.
VAUSE: Conspiring to cheat.
SESAY: The punishment they face --
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: Don't mention the C word. They're not calling it cheating.
SESAY: -- the punishment they face is just ahead -- John.
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VAUSE: Thanks for staying with us. You're watching CNN live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. The headlines this hour:
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[01:30:00] SESAY: Joining us now with reaction to this crime in Paris is Julien Theron, he's a Political Scientist and an Analyst at University Paris too. Thank you so much for being with us. Help us understand why French authority are working with this assumption that this one was murdered because of her religion and this is a hate crime?
JULIEN THERON, POLITICAL SCIENTIST AND AN ANALYST AT UNIVERSITY PARIS: Well, it comes from one of the two suspects who actually said that the other one said that she must be rich because she was a Jew, and he might have the shouted "allahu Akbar" when murdering. But to the two versions, actually, a conflict one -- each other.
SESAY: Yes, they certainly do. Looking to work more police and share data ahead, but can you give us some broader context on what we're seeing in front when it comes to the numbers and frequency of anti- Semitic attacks?
THERON: Yes, of course. Well, actually, there's a -- I wouldn't say, a debate but, the story is very important because last year, another judicial affair called (INAUDIBLE) from the name of this woman who was sent -- was killed by a man who shouted "allahu akbar". So, the justice system, actually, took some time to recognized the anti- Semitic nature of the crime. So, there was a debate regarding the -- these kinds of qualification. In this respect, it's true that the number of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim act were decreasing last time, 2017, but the number of anti-Semitic violence actually raised. And even though the Jews are considered to be not more than one percent of the population, they are the victims of a third of hatred actions. Meaning that, it's still a population that to a -- terrorism or through hatred actions which is uninjured a bit.
SESAY: Yes, I mean, with this, this latest killing, right now being investigated as a hate crime, can you give us some insight into the reaction in the Jewish community there in Paris or broadly in front. I mean, is there a growing sense of fear?
THERON: Yes, since quite a long time, actually, from the two attacks. You might remember that it all started with the what we called (INAUDIBLE) terror attack, a really long time ago now. And of course, where the different terror attacks, what we called a (INAUDIBLE) from this name of the supermarket, (INAUDIBLE) supermarket. Or even this kind of lone wolf terror attack even though it's -- the notion has been discussed. But Mohammed Merah, who actually attacked the Jewish community in front of the school. I mean, the Jewish community was endangered by a Jihadi attack indeed.
So, there's kind of fear of the Jewish community even though the states really tried to secure them and always calls since then for the community to feel at ease in friends, because friends would not be the same without its Jewish community. So, both organization, the legal representatives to the states from what we called (INAUDIBLE 33:39), which was a Jewish organization created by Napoleon 200 years ago, and the big association called the Crif or the representative institutions, Jewish institutions in France, both of condemned, the action -- and there will be a what we called the Whites March, meaning people dressed in White for the memory of Mireille Knoll, who has been just murdered. SESAY: Yes. We shall see the turn out for that march on Wednesday. But before I let you go, French President Emmanuel Macron, we see has spoken out, and he's spoken out strongly in response to the killing of Mireille Knoll. How satisfied is the general public in terms of his comments and, again, his commitment to fighting the discourage of anti-Semitism?
THERON: Well, I think we can doubt that the president is dedicated to fight against anti-Semitism. And more, usually speaking, very -- but of course, it's a test because it's only a year that he was elected, so we're going to see what he might actually do in practice to include the security of the whole citizen. Because as you remember, that France is a republic and does not consider any kind of difference between it's citizens. And if I may say, I've seen some people from Muslim background saying that it's not about our being Jew or being whatever, it's a matter of somebody who was murdered because of hate, and that its absolutely unbearable in France, whatever the religion. So, you see that France is trying to cope by getting (INAUDIBLE) all together.
[01:35:26] SESAY: Yes, trying to cope by finding united. Julien Theron, joining us there from Paris. We very much appreciate it. Thank you.
THERON: Thank you.
SESAY: Well, there is anger and outrage of a major decision in the police shooting of an African-American man. The State of Louisiana will not file charges against the two White officers involved in the killing of Alton Sterling in 2016.
VAUSE: The video of the shooting sparked protest across the United States. We're about to show you the moment one of the officers who shot Sterling and a warning, the video, the images are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: The police say, Sterling was reaching for a gun when he was shot. The prosecutors had already decided not to bring civil rights charges against officers. And now, the Louisiana attorney general says the investigation determined: shooting was justified.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF LANDRY, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF LOUISIANA: Officer Lake then quickly approaches. Mr. Stern -- approaches Mr. Sterling and removed a loaded 38-caliber handgun from his right front pocket. These are the facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, in the coming days, the Louisiana P.D. will decide how to discipline the officers who have been on administrative leave. Police are expected to release four new videos of the shooting. Mr. Sterling's family said, it is shameful, the officers will not face charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUINYETTA MCMILLON, MOTHER OF ALTON STERLING'S OLDEST SON: Yes, the system has failed us. Yes, we are disappointed. But as a family we're going to stay strong, and we're going to keep each other prayed up that they have a thought he won, but he didn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Meanwhile, the state of California is stepping into oversee the investigation of the police shooting of a Black in Sacramento. Hours ago, protesters again block the entrance to a basketball game. Demonstrators chanted "20 shots".
VAUSE: That's the number of shots the police officers fired at Stephon Clark, killing him while he was in his grandmother's backyard. This happened last week. Our Dan Simon has more, and again, another warning: this report contains some disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GUNS SHOTS)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An unarmed Black man dead and a community shaken.
(CROWD CHANTING)
SIMON: California's capital, the latest example of what many see as policing gone wrong. Two Sacramento police officers responding to a report of someone breaking car windows fired 20 shots at Stephon Clark, killing him after a 13 to 22-year-old was pointing a gun at them. Instead, only a cellphone was found nearby.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like this. Something in his hands. It looked like a gun from our perspective.
SIMON: With the department under a tense scrutiny, Police Chief Daniel Hahn announcing the investigation will be overseen by the state's attorney general.
DANIEL HAHN, POLICE CHIEF OF SACRAMENTO: This will build, help build faith and confidence in the investigation from our community.
SIMON: Among the lingering questions, why the officers turned off their microphones
(OFFICER BREATHING HEAVILY)
SIMON: Just moments after the shooting. Chief Hahn acknowledging that it has raised public suspicion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It might and probably is a time to not allow them anymore. SIMON: Sworn in a year ago is the city's first African-American
chief, he inherited a department where there was already deep mistrust within the Black community.
Bottom line, were the officers justified at all in this shooting?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that was what this investigation has when it come a conclusion of, and until all the facts are in and until we finished that, I can't answer that.
BENJAMIN CRUMP, CLARK FAMILY ATTORNEY: We will fight for Stephon. Until we get justice for Stephon.
SIMON: The Clark family has brought on top civil rights attorney, Benjamin Crump, who is expected to file a wrongful death law suit against the city.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why? Why did they have to do that?
SIMON: The shooting has created a wave of protest. But unlike other high-profile police shootings, they have stayed mostly calm with one notable exemption.
(CROWD CHANTING)
SIMON: Last week, protesters block the entrances to the Sacramento Kings Basketball game. Thousands of fans couldn't get it -- the stand empty. But NBA players too have taken up the cause.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not stick to sports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will not shut up and dribble.
SIMON: With Celtics and Kings players making this powerful public service announcement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say his name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stephon Clark.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stephon Clack.
SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN, Sacramento.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:40:09] VAUSE: Well, a former U.S. Supreme Court justice has sparked a heated debate by calling for the repeal of the second amendment -- that's the constitutional right in U.S. to bear arms. This came onto the weekend marches in John Paul Stevens gun control activist should ask for more than a ban on assault weapons and comprehensive background checks.
SESAY: He wrote: the demonstrations demand our respect. They revealed the broad public support for legislation to minimize the risk of mass killings of school children and others in our society. The demonstrators should seek more effective and more lasting reform. They should demand a repeal of the second amendment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you see that? The repeal of the second amendment from a man who once took an oath to uphold and defend the constitution, now admits he wants it dismantled. I have long said; the ultimate goal of the left is the complete repeal of the second amendment. This is proof my friend...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. On Twitter, law professor, Adam Winkler, said the repeal debate was essentially pointless. He explained the second amendment is not a barrier to an acting good gun laws, the NRA is. It's the politics of guns that controls our gun laws, not the law of the second amendment. Of course, all of these obvious problems is not a so flex chance in hell were going to repeal the second amendment anytime soon.
SESAY: Another (INAUDIBLE) Johnson.
VAUSE: There's only been one repeal of that, and that was the prohibition on loose. So, it's a late -- but it wasn't that long ago that, you know, that wasn't a guarantee.
SESAY: Yes, that's true, but...
VAUSE: There's a court a case back in 2010.
SESAY: Give it time. Giving time to NRA. Stay with us. Much more news after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. The Trump administration is facing a flurry of legal challenges to its plan to add a simple question to the 2020 census. That question is: are you a U.S. citizen? The White House says, it's necessary to have that questionnaire to enforce voting rights.
SESAY: But a number of states just don't buy it. CNN's Kyung Lah explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
XAVIER BECERRA, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CALIFORNIA: We're not going to stop and we're going to defend every one of our rights to make sure that every one of our people who's worked hard to make California the sixth largest economy in the state is counting.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: California's attorney general suing the Trump administration over that count -- the U.S. census, the form you fill out, making sure the country has an accurate count of the people live here. The Justice Department requesting a seemingly simple question be asked, asking: are you a U.S. citizen? California says, it's much more than that -- at the heart designed to cheat this anti- Trump state. ALEX PADILLA, SECRETARY OF STATE OF CALIFORNIA: It literally
diminishes our voice in our federal government and compromises our fair representation that's called for in this constitution and in federal law. That's exactly what's at stake here.
[01:45:05] LAH: In California, undocumented immigrants make up nearly two to three million people, and that the Trump presidency fear that those communities has grown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Frankly, it's a disgrace, the sanctuary city situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: Trump giving more teeth to immigration enforcement under Trump (INAUDIBLE) criminal immigrants more than doubled in 2017, as compared to the year before. Video of (INAUDIBLE) of parents like this father, have gone viral. The father arrested on a 10-year old DUI charge, was released. California's lawmakers say that deters undocumented immigrants from declaring their status on any documents.
Fewer people counted in California, fewer Federal dollars and potentially fewer representatives in Congress. The Trump re-election campaign endorsed the D.O.J.'s move. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, in a letter, reinstating the citizenship question on the 2020 census rights by the approximately 90 percent of the population who are citizens. This question is no additional imposition. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is something that has been part of the census for decades and something that the Department of Commerce felt strongly to be included again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: Ohio Congressman Warren Davidson says, it's about making representation amongst states more fair.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH), MEMBER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, UNITED STATES: We don't have as many illegal people in Ohio. Ohio is losing representation to states like California, and if California's illegal population is two to three million, then they have three to five members of Congress in that -- that wouldn't be there if they only counted citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: His math is a bit generous, here. It's probably closer based on the population and the number of people who respond to one to three seats at stake. But we are only talking about California, here, in this lawsuit. There are other Blue States who say they intend to join in the State of New York, the Attorney General said that he will lead a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration on the census issue. Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.
VAUSE: No lawsuits for the Trump administration added to the list. We'll take a break, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well (INAUDIBLE) sanctions are expected within 24 hours for three Australian cricket players at the center of a cheating scandal which has rocked the country. They've admitted that they concede -- conspired, rather, to ball tampering (INAUDIBLE) spin during a weekend test with South Africa. T.V. cameras caught Cameron Bancroft red handed and now along with Team Captain Steve Smith and Vice Captain David Warner, he's heading home. Here's the reaction from Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALCOLM TURNBULL, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: This has been a shocking affront to Australia. It is, you know, how many -- how many of us as children, how many of us as fathers and mothers have had children who have looked up to the Australian team? Have looked up, you know, to their idols, to their role models? This treating is a disgrace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's a disgrace. Bryce McGain, is a former Australian cricket and now, cricket comme ntator, joins us from Melbourne, Australia. Bryce, thanks for coming in. There are reports that the Australian team is essentially at breaking point over this scandal. There are some high-profile players who want to abandon the (INAUDIBLE) they just want to come home. What do you know about this?
BRYCE MCGAIN, CRICKET COMMENTATOR, AUSTRALIA: Well, certainly, three players will be coming home. The captain of the team, Steve Smith, the vice-captain, David Warner, and also the culprit who was actively rubbing the tape with a bit of dirt on it, on the ball, and scratching the ball, will be heading home, so three players are being banned from that fourth and final test to the series. There are other further sanctions that will happen down the track, but at this stage, cricket Australia haven't actually come up with those penalties as we speak.
VAUSE: Yes. And David Warner, out of the three, he seems to be -- who apparently is the focus of a lot of anger from the rest of the team. What was the reporting there?
MCGAIN: Yes, it appears that it may well have been that the -- I guess, the proactive player involved in taking this course of action, and potentially, well, cheating and breaking the rules, the code of conduct and also the spirit of cricket. And I guess it's -- as you heard from the Prime Minister, it certainly rocked the whole nation and it certainly really rattled what that Australian cricket team is about now. There are three players coming in to replace them. They're flying
from Australia, as we speak, and they'll be arriving in South Africa, ready to play that fourth test. So, for them coming in, it's quite an ordeal, I suppose, and settle in each were a completely disrupted change.
VAUSE: OK. There seems to be a lot of disbelief out there about this claim from cricket Australia that only three players here were in on a plan. Former England Star Michael Vaughan tweeted this, only three people knew #MyArse, another England (INAUDIBLE) I can't believe for one minute that only three players knew what was going on, bowlers, coach and bowling coach weren't involved in discussions of how to get the ball moving, whether it be by cheating or not.
Also former Australian captain Michael Clarke tweeted, the truth, the full story, accountability and leadership. Until the public get this Australian cricket is in deep yada and OK. So, we've got the situation now that, you know, cricket Australia is refusing to use the C word, the cheat word, why is that?
MCGAIN: Well, I think there's legal ramifications if the CEO of cricket Australia mentions that, sort of, word, that there's a number of reasons why until they really worked through their penalties and the sanctions that'll be happening to the players and, probably, also the team, that they're certainly aren't admitting anything. So, you know, a little guarded in a press conference but they give everyone an update. So, there's certainly more to play it in this story with how the rest of the players will be sanctioned and whether they're involved. I can understand with a number of players that were concerned and maybe find it hard to believe, that was the case. That's what the initial investigations have come up with, but I'm sure if we watch this space, there'd be more coming out in the coming days.
VAUSE: Absolutely. Bryce (INAUDIBLE) the sponsors are pulling their money already to some of these players, so, you know, they're paying the price already. Thanks for being with us, appreciate it.
MCGAIN: You're welcome.
SESAY: Well, the last time the show, Roseanne, was on the air, scientists clone dollies, Steve Jobs is running Apple for a second time.
VAUSE: Well, now, 21 years later, ABC is rebooting the sitcom and while the faces, the set, all, kind of, the same. There are some very obvious little differences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look, she promised that she would get along, and knowing the both of you, I'm guessing you're the one keeping this feud alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, deplorable?
ROSEANNE: I don't have time for this. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Knee still giving you trouble Knee still giving you trouble, Roseanne? Why don't you get that fixed with the new health care all you suckers got promised?
ROSEANNE: It works good enough to kick your ass, snowflake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) joins us now from San Francisco. He's a T.V. host and pop culture expert, Scott, thank you for being with us. OK. The big talker in all of this, is that on-screen and off-screen, Roseanne, Trump voter and Trump supporter, you very publicly stated, that is why you will not watch the rebooted version.
SCOTT NEVINS, T.V. HOST AND EXPERT, POP CULTURE: Yes, you know, I wrote an op-ed about this for NewNowNext and I was very specific, though, I didn't say I wasn't watching because Roseanne is a Trump supporter, I said, because she's a very specific kind of Trump supporter, one who peddles in conspiracy theories like Pizzagate and Seth Rich's death. And I just cannot support someone who spreads such vile, disgusting hate.
SESAY: And you taking this position, I'm wondering, generally, you're out there speaking to people, what people -- what the reaction is to your principle stand, because these days, people will just watch anything if it makes them feel good.
NEVINS: Yes. It's been really fascinating. I had -- I expected a lot of blowback from this, just people saying, you know, you're so close-minded. I was blown away by how many people were, like, thank you for finding the words that I couldn't find for myself to express to my friends who are watching.
Now, on the flipside, I was just checking out my Twitter, and I see a lot of my liberal friends who tuned in because they, likely, liked the original, and, you know, and they said it was interesting that it didn't fulfil that desire for the original that we all have and they, you know, some of them said the last did not land well.
Some of them said they liked it. So, listen -- I mean, everyone, it's art, everyone's going to have an opinion, but for me, it's not about the show. I'm not saying, you know, she can't do a show, I'm saying when the star and namesake of your show, sort of, peddles in such awful stuff, I just -- I can't do it, and I'm -- I can't even bring myself to -- you know, when we were listening to that opening segment, it brought me such nostalgia, maybe sad, that I'm not going to watch it.
VAUSE: OK. Well, Roseanne (INAUDIBLE) the whole Trump issue when she was on Jimmy Kimmel live. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, T.V. HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: One of the things on the show, which I know, like a lot of the television critics got very excited about the fact that Roseanne Conner is a Trump supporter on the show.
ROSEANNE BARR, ACTRESS: Well, she did vote for the President.
KIMMEL: She voted for the President.
BARR: Yes, she did.
KIMMEL: And she -- and then -- and that is part -- I don't want to give anything away but that's part of the dynamic with you and your family on that show.
BARR: Yes, and in real life.
KIMMEL: And in real life.
BARR: That's why everybody's family is pissed off at each other for one thing or the other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Isn't this, kind of, the tradition of the old Roseanne, and since they're breaking ground, dealing with contemporary issues, which all are so controversial.
NEVINS: You know, back in the day, yes, she was quite progressive, but I think this narrative of -- you know, Roseanne was saying, you know, I really want the show to display a family coming together even though they have political differences and we shouldn't judge each other and we should respect each other. To me, it sounds hypocritical from somebody who supports Donald Trump, who literally ran on badgering people on who they support, what they believe and who they voted for. And so, it always think of hypocrisy for me.
SESAY: So, give me a chance to answer a question or statement made about commentary of the times we live in there. People now are just -- you know, those who'll watch anything, but then there's the flipside of those who'll only watch what, kind of, reaffirms their own beliefs. It's all about, you know, the echo chamber. And, you know, we're not winning to watch things that challenge us or make us feel uncomfortable. What do you say to that?
NEVINS: I think that's very true for Fox News viewers. I think my -- I think my -- I think my list of liberal friends on social media sort of proves that point, wrong, right? Like, they tuned in tonight and they're saying, I think we need to listen to the other side, and let me be clear, I do too. I was just in Mississippi this weekend, in Starkville, Mississippi.
And I went out and spoke with people and said, you know, how do you feel about how Donald Trump was doing? Are you benefiting from this presidency? And the resounding answer was actually more no, than yes. A lot of people are not happy. So, this narrative that Roseanne is pushing about, well, my real-life politics and the character and it blurs the line.
To me, it's just -- you know, she's on GAB, that social media network which is for people who got kicked off at twitter because they broke the rules. You know, it's just -- I used to love the old Roseanne because she was progressive and now, I'm not a fan because she's vile and she's regressing to make America great.
VAUSE: We're out of time. Good to see you. Thank you so much.
SESAY: it was good to see you. Thank you so much.
NEVINS: Thank you, guys.
VAUSE: Cheers.
SESAY: All right.
VAUSE: OK, stay with us in our Newsroom L.A., after this.
SESAY: We'll see you then.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
