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Donald Trump; U.S. Government; Trump White House; U.S. Politics; China trade wars; Russia investigation; Gunshots Fired at the YouTube Headquarters; Terrorism out of Duma; Yemeni crisis; Russian Espionage; Nerve Agent Attack; Ronaldo Scores Space As Real Madrid Crush Juve 3-0; Man City Striker Aguero Ruled Out Of Liverpool Clash; Tiger Plays Practice Round With Old Rival Mickelson. 2-3a ET
Aired April 04, 2018 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:22] ISHA SESAY, CNN, ANCHOR: This is Newsroom L.A. Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I am Isha Sesay. We begin with Donald Trump's shifting priorities for the U.S. Military. The President says he wants to bring American troops home from Syria even as military planners are preparing to increase the number of U.S. forces there. Now Mr. Trump says he wants the military to protect the U.S. border with Mexico, at least until a border wall is complete.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: We don't have laws. We have catch and release. You catch and then you immediately release and people come back years later for a court case except they virtually never come back. So what we are preparing for the military to secure our border between Mexico and the United States. We have a meeting on it in a little while with General Mattis and everybody. And I think that it's something we have to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Seema Mehta is a Political Writer for the L.A. Times and Peter Matthews is a Professor of Political Science at Cypress College. Welcome to both of you. OK, let's just say out loud the President is on a roll, OK. Since the weekend, he has been tweeting up a storm. If he's not tweeting, he is giving these conferences, making statements that have a lot of people scratching their heads and the administration trying to catch up with the statements he's making.
Let's start with this whole thing of getting t military to the border. Let's give our viewers context. It has happened before.
SEEMA MEHTA, LOS ANGELES TIMES, POLITICAL WRITER: Right.
SESAY: We have seen under Obama and Bush, the National Guard be deployed to the border. In the case of Bush, they were used to do rebuilding work and reconstruction work. Under Obama, it was more, surveillance. Seema, do we know what the President wants them to do this time around, or if it's the National Guard.
MEHTA: Well, initially we didn't. From his remarks in the press conference, he just talked about the military heading to the border, which alarmed a lot of people honestly. Because you know we have a long history in this century and it's in the law that you can't use the military to enforce domestic policy. You can't use it on American soil. But as you said, again, the National Guard has been deployed in situations like this.
I think exceptions have been made. For example, in 1992 when we had the riots in Los Angeles, the military was certainly deployed there. But the White House put out a statement later this evening sort of clarifying it, in which we've seen them do a number of times recently, saying that he was talking about the National Guard, which also raises other questions in terms of logistics.
Because one way to do it is of to have the governors of the states affected deploy the National Guard. But in California, Cherry Brown, I would be very, very surprised if he deployed the National Guard.
(CROSSTALK)
MEHTA: Right, exactly. And then there are ways for the federal government to do it but it does involve some complications and regulations. But when the President spoke this afternoon in that press conference, he didn't talk about the National Guard. He just talked broadly about the military.
SESAY: Peter, the President since the weekend has been, again, on this tear about the border, there are no -- the border law it's a crisis. There are drugs and crime and people pouring over the border. Is this more political messaging aimed at his base or is this really a case of political implementation? Does he actually plan to do something? Or is this just about the mid-terms coming up in November.
PETER MATTHEWS, POLITICAL ANALYST: I think it's mostly for his political base. He wants to hang onto that small 35 percent that he has and maybe expand it a little bit. But he's trying to hold on to the base so can win the midterm election to evenings to keep the Republicans in place so he won't get impeached by the house. If Democrats take over, that's a very good possibility, right? So he's offering some really amazing alternatives here.
He was saying bring the military. Are you kidding me? The Posse Comitatus Act which you mentioned of 1878 prevents that even if it would play a supporting role and the National Guard is usually is used at this time. I think he's really playing up to his base mostly.
SESAY: Do you think he knows that? Do you think the limitation? He is playing up to the base. Seema, you gave me a face there. But do you think he knows the limitation.
(CROSSTALK)
MEHTA: I think it's all of the above of what you mentioned. I mean first of all, he is reacting to this news that is being featured prominently on his favorite network, Fox News of a caravan of people from Central America coming to Mexico and heading towards the United States. So I think he is reacting... (CROSSTALK)
SESAY: In this obvious context, this is an annual march, right, where a human rights march that has migrants basically exemplifying the difficulties of making the journey.
MEHTA: And I think there were some questions about what the Mexican government was doing to perhaps halt...
(CROSSTALK)
MEHTA: So I think yeah, it's a controversial issue. But it's been featured in certain parts of the media. And he -- you know I think some of his tweets over the weekend were actually like moments after you would see it on TV, he would tweeting. So I think that he is reacting to that that's really as he often does.
But I also do think it's related to the base and the mid-terms which are connected, because let's not forget, during 2016 campaign, his whole thing, I am going to build this wall. I'm going to make Mexico pay for it. We aren't building the wall and Mexico isn't paying for it. So if you answer to your baseline, if your base is disappointed that you haven't done anything on this, well maybe sending the military or saying you're going to send the military to the border is one way to do that.
And also, this is a popular issue among Republican voters, Republican base voters. So if you're trying to hang on to the House, this is an argument one would think that Republicans could use to increase turnout.
[02:05:11] SESAY: Well, people on Capitol Hill, at least some of them aren't happy at all. I mean put up part of the statement by Representative Gallego. He had this to say. He is a Marine veteran. And then the statement he said that the plan, Trump' plan is an insult to our troops that would harm the military as an institution. Congress must stop this misguided scheme.
Peter, if the President is indeed serious about this, getting the Military, the National Guard to the border in whatever context, do you expect this Congress to push back and push back hard.
MATTHEWS: This current Congress is Republican dominated. They don't want to push anything with Mr. Trump. They're afraid of him. They're worried they might lose their own home seats, district seats in the mid-terms. I think he also confused the fact that those people coming up from Central America were political refugees. They were asylum seekers as opposed to economic refugees that have come across the border to find jobs here. He either confused them or...
(CROSSTALK)
MATTHEWS: Right, of course.
SESAY: (Inaudible) -- talk about Syria, also the U.S. Military involved there. The President, again, this started with a speech he gave last week in Ohio, basically shocked everyone, at least on his military advisers team by saying he wants U.S. troops to come home. Seema, I guess my question is what is driving this, bearing in mind his military advisers have been very, very clear. This fight is not over against ISIS.
MEHTA: I think this is something he talked about during the campaign, the idea that the United States is overly committed to helping other people in other regions of the world, that people in those regions need to take responsibility for their future. The problem with ISIS is first of all, while ISIS has -- they've lost so much territory.
The American military has been successful in clawing back the land. They are still dug in a small part of Syria. And the fear I think among the military advisers is that if we leave, A, there will be a vacuum where they could regain power, or B, you have other nations like Turkey and Iran who have who their own interest who might...
SESAY: And Russia.
MEHTA: And Russia, I'm sorry, the biggest one and I am leaving it out, but that might use that as an opportunity to sort of focus on their own strategic priorities. So I think there are a lot of concerns among the national security.
SESAY: Let's take a look at what the President said in the White House on Tuesday on this matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I want to get out. I want to bring our troops back home. I want to start rebuilding our nation. We will have, as of three months ago, $7 trillion in the Middle East over the last 17 years. We get nothing, nothing out of it, nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Peter, what I find interesting about what the President is saying with regards to the U.S. involvement in Syria is he frames engagement as purely a cost, an economic cost to the U.S. and not at all when he speaks publicly about the national security gain to this country, in the sense that being involved in the fight against ISIS ultimately keeps America safe. That's the reality of it. Why does he do that? Or does he not understand that? I mean ask that without trying to be cynical single about it. What's going on here?
MATTHEWS: I think it goes along with his America first agenda. And he has to tell these right-wing populists that voted for him that number one comes America. We're going to take of our country. We're going to pull troops out of places that are not paying for their way. And he is not looking at the overall balance of power, sophisticated we're looking at the world as most policy makers have been doing all these years.
He's as completely way off from what other Presidents have done or promoted in terms of our involvement in parts of the world. It doesn't have to always be militarily. It can be economically, could be diplomatically. (Inaudible) He doesn't have finesse about his foreign policy. It's pretty heavy handed.
SESAY: Seema, this is the President who said during the campaign and we have seen since that he defers to his military advisers on all matters military. But this time he is going rogue.
MEHTA: Well, he's making statements. Let's actually see what happens.
SESAY: You make a good point.
MEHTA: And also, I mean he's bringing in John Bolton as you know his new National Security Adviser, I believe. And his views are very hawkish. And he was of an architect of the Iraq war. So I would like to see what his thoughts are on some of these issues.
SESAY: It would not be a White House press opportunity without a question about Russia. Take a listen to what the President had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think I could have a very good relationship with President Putin, I think. It's possible I won't. And you will know about it. Believe me. This room will know about it before I know about it. It's a real possibility that I could have a good relationship. And remember this, getting along with Russia is a good thing. Getting along with China is a good thing. Getting along with other countries, including your three countries is good thing, not a bad thing.
So I think I could have a very good relationship with Russia and with President Putin. And if I did that would be a great thing. And there is also a great possibility that that won't happen. Who knows?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:10:04] It is such a head scratcher every time he talks about Russia. Because in that -- that clip we just played, he talks about his relationship with Putin as if it's in a vacuums, you know? As if we don't have the back drop laid out by the intelligence agencies of Russia meddling in the U.S. elections. It is truly fascinating that his dissonance on the part of President on what he says and sometimes what we hear out of his officials and his administration.
MEHTA: Right. I think you see the administration actually taking a strong stance. We just expelled about 60 Russian diplomats basically in -- over the poisoning of a Russian spy in the U.K. But you're absolutely right, and that the President -- his words about President Putin are very different than his words about sort of the...
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: Everything else.
MEHTA: Yes, and think of the audience he was speaking in front of. He was speaking with leaders from eastern European countries who suffered for decades under Russian rule, who are really concerned about increased Russian aggression, particularly after Russia.
SESAY: Right, Crimea.
MEHTA: Crimea, exactly, a couple years ago. So I thought the setting was really odd to make that statement. It also comes a couple weeks after the President called Putin and congratulated him on his reelection.
(CROSSTALK)
MEHTA: -- to not congratulate him, and didn't bring up the fact that it basically -- I mean he was reelected. The question of the fairness of the election is you know I think -- well.
SESAY: Yes. Peter, what did you make of it? What did you make of the comments? I mean he did say no one has been tougher on Putin than I have. Is he a friend or a foe? It was kind of like this (Inaudible), what do you make of it.
MATTHEWS: It's so inconsistent. You can't even understand where this President is coming from. In the one hand, we want to be good friends with Russia. On the other hand, he's expelling diplomats and trying to be a tough man with it. He needs to get a consistency and a visionary foreign policy that has principles on which it's based. And stop what he's doing the way other Presidents have done it, especially Barack Obama. I think it's time that we get a President on the right track here on this foreign policy issue, especially with countries like Russia and Syria.
SESAY: There are a lot of things this President does differently, Peter, if we figured that out by now. Seema Mehta and Peter Matthews, a pleasure, thank you.
MEHTA: Thank you.
SESAY: Thank you so much.
MATTHEWS: Thank you.
SESAY: Well the U.S. has fired off the next salvo in the looming trade war with China. The Trump administration published a list of 1,300 Chinese exports it could target with tariffs. They focus on China's aerospace industry, its high-tech and machinery, as well as medical equipment, medicine, and educational materials such as book binding equipment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the United States has done is in total is in total ignorance of the essence of the mutually beneficial and win/win cooperation in trade between China and the United States over the past four decades. In total defiance of the voices of the industries of the two countries and in total disregard of the interests of consumers.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SESAY: Well, the U.S. says it is retaliation for China's theft of trade secrets, including software patents and technology. The balance of power in the Syrian civil war appears to be changing. Presidents of Russia, Iran, and Turkey, the prominent proxy players, if you will are set to meet in a few hours to discuss a political solution. After seven years, the underlying causes of the war remain largely unresolved, but Russia has given the Syrian government a military advantage.
Eastern Ghouta is the latest regime conquest. This map you're looking at shows rebels control the enclave just a little over a month ago. But the forces of President Assad have since retaken most of the Damascus suburb and the military offensive wide condemned internationally. Only the enclave of Duma appears to be under the rebel control near the capital.
But now, we're getting reports that some of Duma's most powerful rebel group have started to evacuate. CNN is reporting from inside the war- torn country right now. Our own Frederik Pleitgen has more from Eastern Ghouta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: We are at the final entry check point to Duma, which is the last rebel enclave on the eastern outskirts of Damascus. Now what we've been seeing here is several buses with what we believe to be rebel fighters exiting this area. Now most of those fighters in the past couple of days have been bussed other locations, mostly in the north of Syria.
The groups that we saw, we're not sure which rebel group they were from, and also we're not sure where they were being taken. But in the past couple of weeks, the rebels lost a considerable amount of territory here on the eastern outskirts of Damascus. They used to hold a gigantic area. But after extremely heavy fighting, tens of thousands of civilian fled this area and then also thousands of fighters were bussed out as well.
Now with the rebels holding only one small enclave, many believe that a deal will be reached soon for those rebels to go out as well. So far it's unclear when exactly that's going to happens. But there do seem to be people here in Damascus who thinks it will be very soon. In fact, we spoke to people who came here to this checkpoint and said that they had relatives who were kidnapped by the rebels, some of them for years who they hope will come out soon.
Here is what one woman said.
[02:15:02] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I depend on God, she says. This is my only hope. I will wait here as long as it takes for my father to come out.
PLEITGEN: Now the deal to try and get the last rebel group here in this part of Damascus, called the Jaysh al-Islam to give up is being negotiated mostly by the Russians. And it certainly seems as though the government of Syria believes that deal will happen soon. In fact, there are already dozens of buses waiting here outside the Duma district ready to take those fighters to the north of Syria, which essentially would mean that the rebels would no longer hold any significant sort of territory in or outside the Syrian capitol, Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Eastern Ghouta, Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, back here in the U.S., investigators are trying to figure out why a San Diego woman opened fire inside YouTube's headquarters in California. Police say Nasim Aghdam shot three people but apparently took her own life. And they say there is no evidence she knew the victims. Amir Maloney has more on the shooting and the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRE CAMPBELL, SAN DIEGO GENERAL HOSPITAL, TRAUMA SURGEON: Once again, we are confronted with the specter of a mass casualty situation here in the city and county of San Francisco.
MARY MALONEY, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: A female suspect is dead after opening fire at the YouTube headquarters in northern California, Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The San Bruno Police Department received numerous 911 calls regarding gunshots at the YouTube campus. Upon arrival, officers encountered numerous employees leave from the building. It was very chaotic as you could imagine.
MALONEY: There people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds, one in critical condition. Some employees on the massive campus were enjoying their lunch break when shots first rang out. Other YouTube employees in different buildings heard the chaos through technology.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I actually was on a video conference with someone who is in the building when it happened. And we were all suddenly aware of a lot of noises of sounds that people running outside of the room where she was and people screaming.
MALONEY: News chopper aerials focused on a small outdoor eating area, where evidence markers dotted the ground. Law enforcement searched each employee one by one as they came out of the building with their hands up. Investigators believe the shooter acted alone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, it feels like the entire community of YouTube and all of the employees were victims of this crime. Our hearts go out to those who suffered in this particular attack.
MALONEY: I am Mary Maloney reporting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, quick break now. And traveling in France by rail won't be easy as strikes continue and President Emmanuel Macron faces one of his biggest challenges since coming to power. Plus, the U.N. makes a dire announcement about millions of people in Yemen as the country's war rages into its fourth year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:20:02] SESAY: Well, French rail workers marching in Paris as train services were severely disrupted. It was the first day of what organizers say will be three months of rolling walkouts. The union said the government's proposed labor reforms will threaten working conditions and employment benefits. It's creating the political stalemate that some say could make or break the Presidency of Emmanuel Macron.
And more travel curses expected in the coming hours, as the strikes enter a second day. CNN's Melissa Bell has more now from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA BELL, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: It was the day of travel misery for so many commuters here in France. Only one in eight national trains was working. Only one in five at a regional level with so many people affected today. Black Tuesday is how the unions have called it. And this they say is just the beginning. There are already 36 days of planned stoppages, planned strikes between now and the end of June.
What the rail workers say is that they will make the government back down on its idea of reforming France's national rail services. Not at all says Emmanuel Macron. This is a man elected on the idea of reforming France. He says he will see the reform through to the end whatever the cost, however painful it is for commuters. And it's a test not only of his resolve but also his strategy, since the strategy that he has chosen as he did in the autumn when he reformed France's labor laws is Presidential decree.
The threat of Presidential decree, the government hopes that most of the measures once consultations have taken place with the unions will get through parliament. It is a very small minority, they say, that will be pushed through by Presidential decree. But it is the threat of those decrees and the beginning of the negotiations with the unions, that the government hopes will help them win the day, Melissa Bell, CNN Paris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, the war in Yemen entering its fourth year is now the world's worst humanitarian crisis, that's according to the United Nations. The U.N. Secretary General says more than 22 million people in Yemen desperately need aid and protection. He a told a donor conference in Geneva that 3/4 of Yemen's population have no access to clean drinking water and the country is at high risk of a cholera epidemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS, SECRETARY GENERAL: Every 10 minutes, a child under 5 dies of preventable causes, and nearly 3 million children of the 5 -- pregnant or lactating women are actually malnourished. Nearly half of all children aged between six months and five years old are chronically malnourished and suffer from stunting, which causes developmental delays and reduced ability to learn throughout their entire lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, Geert Cappelaere joins us now. He is UNICEF's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Geert, good to speak to you once again. I know you've responded to crises in many parts of the world throughout your career. Talk to me about the unique conditions at play in Yemen, which make it the worst humanitarian crisis in the world right now.
GEERT CAPPELAERE, UNICEF MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Well, thanks, Isha. I am just coming out of Yemen and I have to admit, I don't think there are many worst places to be a child than today in Yemen. Over the last 3 years, over 5,000 children have been killed or seriously injured by a brutal war in Yemen. The Secretary General has quoted number of other statistics just showing how dire, how life-threatening the entire situation is in Yemen.
And we could add to that even the education challenges. Today, Isha, over 2 million children are not any longer able to go to school. The problem for children in Yemen, the problem for people in Yemen is that this brutal war comes on top of decades of chronic underdevelopment. So it's really, really one of the worst places today for being a child.
SESAY: Yeah. And as you have laid it out and the Secretary General has as well, the children dying, the children who are injured, the children who are out of school, talk to me about some of the choices parents are being forced to make for their children in these kinds of environments. I know that we're seeing increasing cases of child marriage.
CAPPELAERE: Absolutely. We estimate today that more than 80 percent of Yemenis population lives in deep poverty with little to no income. That means for every single parent, the few dollars they still have, have to be spent either to provide some food for the family, to provide some drinking water, which costs an awful lot of money.
[02:25:05] Very, very many parents have to make the choice to take their children off school wherever there is still school available, because they can't afford it any more. We, therefore, also see very negative coping mechanism, where again, the children are the first and most important victims. You see parents making the hard choice to have the children going out to beg or to work. I have never seen as many begging children as I have seen over the last week.
The same for other places there, parents have to make the choice to marry their girls at a very young page. Today, half of the girls are married before age 15.
SESAY: Gosh, it is truly tragic. It is considered the world's forgotten war. Geert, tell me what UNICEF is able to do. I know that humanitarian access is limited. But tell me how much of a difference you are making. CAPPELAERE: Well, we have our teams working hard, 24/7 throughout
Yemen in all parts of Yemen, trying to provide life-saving assistance to children. We have indeed the cholera, another cholera outbreak looming with the rainy season coming in a couple weeks time. So we are working hard with our partners to ensure that at least in those districts most affected we get children vaccinated against cholera.
We are trying to guarantee that children get access to drinking water, which is not a given in a country that is water scarce, probably one of the most water scarce countries in the world. We try to guarantee that those children suffering from malnutrition have at least a first response to that, to the most acute forms of malnutrition.
And there, where it is possible, we try to help children getting to school. But last but not least, Isha, we also continue being a voice for these children, making sure that the international community knows how big the suffering of children is, how many children, innocent children are being killed. Yesterday or the day before yesterday, nine children killed innocently, adding to the thousands who have been killed already, not generosity alone in Yemen is not going to be sufficient anymore.
SESAY: Absolutely.
CAPPELAERE: It's brutal. It needs to stop.
SESAY: Yeah, there is no doubt about it. The aid alone will not fix this. We need a political solution to save these children. Geert Cappelaere, we always appreciate you. Appreciate the honesty and the picture you paint of how bad it is. The world needs to know, Geert, thank you.
CAPPELAERE: Thanks, Isha.
SESAY: Well, next here oh on CNN Newsroom L.A., Russia and the U.K. have spent the past month blaming each other for a nerve agent attack. Just ahead, the action Russia is taking now. Plus, streaming music service Spotify makes a huge debut on Wall Street.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:30:44] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. The headline this hour. Donald Trump says he wants U.S. troops to guard the border with Mexico at least until he can build a wall. The president also says he wants to bring U.S. forces home from Syria despite plans from top military officials to increase the number of troops deployed there. A San Diego woman opened fire at YouTube's headquarters in Northern California shooting three people then apparently took her own life. Police say there's no evidence the shooter identified at Nasim Aghdam knew the victims. Tuesday shooting remains under investigation.
France is facing a second day of travel chaos as rail workers are planning to continue strikes in a few hours. It's the biggest challenge yet to President Emmanuel Macron and his ability to implement labor reforms. Well, the workers are planning three months of road and walkout. Well, the world chemical weapons watch dog is to meet later today to discuss the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in the U.K. Tuesday marked one month since the chemical attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in the English market town of Salisbury. In that time, Russia and Britain have blamed each other for the poisoning setting off the worst diplomatic crisis since the Cold War. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he hopes Wednesday's meeting of the organization with the prohibition of chemical weapons can help ease tensions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have presented 20 questions for discussion and I hope through this discussion a final full stop can be put on what has happened. Of course, we are interested in a full investigation. We want to be part of this investigation and want access to the relevant material and evidence as this is about a citizen of the Russian Federation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, CNN Salma Abdelaziz joins me now from Salisbury, England. Salma, thank you for being with us. Tell us what will we know about this meeting how it will conducted and who will be representing Moscow? Who will be present?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isha, we're here in Salisbury and as you said it was just four weeks ago on March 4th that Yulia and Sergei were leaving their home that's just a little bit away from me here where they were poisoned believed by U.K. authorities to be at their front door. And of course today we're having this OPCW meeting. OPCW exerts themselves. We're here in Salisbury just a couple of weeks ago, they collected samples from the home, from other locations, in the town, they even took blood samples from Yulia and her father from hospital after British authorities allowed that by court order. And they said at the time two weeks ago, March 21st when this took place that it would take about two to three weeks to reach the analysis.
Now, this means that we're not expecting a big announcement today. We're not expecting the results of their investigation. But what we are expecting is for them to deal with a diplomatic issues that are surrounding the OPCW. This is an impartial body, one that has to its work in a good environment to be able to give clean answers and ones that can be accepted by the community as a whole. Russia has been putting a great deal of pressure on the OPCW. They are the ones who have called for this meeting. Even Putin himself saying that he hopes it will defuse tensions. But Russia also seems to only accept and agree to the results of the investigation from the OPCW if Russian experts are involved.
That's what Russia said. The U.K. responded to this saying the OPCW is an impartial body. What does Russia have to fear? So you have this war of words happening between these two countries while this body which is supposed to be an unbiased body tries to carry out its investigation which we can expect this closed door meeting which takes place in about an hour and a half to kind of go over the rules and procedures of how this investigation is taking place and to try to reassure all parties involved that impartiality will be key for them and for the OPCW, Isha.
SESAY: (INAUDIBLE) Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Thank you. Well, Spotify has joined the list of companies trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The streaming music service is worth nearly $30 billion and opened just above $165 billion of share on Tuesday. Our Richard Quest had a front row seat in New York to see all the action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I can honestly say maybe not since Alibaba and all a couple of others, you know, do you get this large number of floor brokers all waiting to find out the, you know, the prices?
[02:35:09] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is an event. I mean this is certainly -- if you talk about the marketing value of a company coming to the public market, the fact that our market model shines during the price discovery process. This will be the latest opening of an IPO and that they can remember as far as they know especially it's a free for all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, there's nothing like an IPO and this is a listing, so it's a little different. And everybody is there and they are -- it's been an auction going on for the last hour and a half hours maybe now.
QUEST: Stay with me. How long do you think it's got to know? Any idea?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tremendous IPO and that's in the face of what's going on in technology right now. This is the biggest tech IPO of the year and, you know, it's being so well received in the marketplace.
QUEST: Nobody really knows when this is going to actually happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Getting close.
QUEST: Getting close. Getting close is the word. Shelly Palmer, it's getting close.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's getting close.
QUEST: What you're seeing today is a market performing to almost absolute perfection. Oh, now, he says he's named. He has tightened the range to 169 or whatever. That's 69 and a half, and he says if that holds he's going to open it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think we're breaking new ground which is essentially as we speak.
QUEST: That's got him -- that's got him on. Basically, what the guy in the middle -- oh UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.
QUEST: Spotify looks like it's about to open.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There it is.
QUEST: (INAUDIBLE) feels like it's just given birth. It was rambunctious. It was torturous. It was long winded. But it's enabled the most perfect of price transparency every market participant was able to take and be involved, and to see the way the designated market make-up brought the price closer to closer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: The one and only Richard Quest reporting there. Well, there was a red flag at the start of Spotify's day literal. Stock exchange put up the Swiss flags to welcome Spotify to New York. They got the wrong country though because Spotify is actually Swedish. Stock fixed the error and they tried to poke fun at themselves saying, it was a momentary overturn of neutrality in the process of price discovery. Nicely done. Next on NEWSROOM L.A., they were there when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and detail CNN it recorded a horrific details as if it were yesterday. Two civil rights leaders remember Reverend King next.
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SESAY: Well, some of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s children and other civil rights leaders have gathered in Memphis to remember the civil rights icon. Today is the 50th anniversary of his assassination. One day before he was killed, Reverend King gave his famous I've been to the mountain top speech. The last one he would ever give. He was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. A half century later his prophetic words still ring true.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[02:40:04] MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., AMERICAN BAPTIST MINISTER AND ACTIVIST: Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead, but it really don't matter with me now because I've been to the mountain top. I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life, longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: One day after Dr. King uttered those words shots rang out in Memphis ending his life but not his dream. In a CNN exclusive, two of the men who were there on that fateful day spoke with own Victor Blackwell to honor and remember Reverend King.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Does it feel like it's been 50 years?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Feels like it was yesterday.
BLACKWELL: It was April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee before Andrew Young was an ambassador to the world, before Jesse Jackson became a reverend and a ground breaking political figure. They were two young men dedicated to the cause of equality led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and it was a chilly Thursday afternoon at the Lorraine Motel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was talking to him telling him he needed a coat and he sort of raised his head to kind of see just the weather, and pow.
BLACKWELL: A single shot to his chin and King was dead. He was 39 years old. Now, a half century later, Young and Jackson return to the very spot where their friend and leader was assassinated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His shoes got caught under here and it knocked him out of his shoes.
BLACKWELL: A photographer who was staying three rooms down snapped this iconic image as King lay dying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were pointing over there because the police were here. They were running over this way and we were trying to tell them to go back that way. That's where the shot came from.
BLACKWELL: Do you think he heard the shot?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think he heard the shot or felt it. I think it was a beautiful death. My first reaction was to be mad. And second reaction was to say, well, if anybody is entitled to a reward you have sure earned it. And, you know, take your flight to heaven.
BLACKWELL: Young went on to serve as congressman, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and as Mayor of Atlanta. Jackson continued social and political activism and ran for president twice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every move I made whether demonstration or running for the presidency always felt his spirit in somewhat touched base with him for doing it.
BLACKWELL: Jackson, now 76 and Young, 86, say King did not fear death. And even as they stand on the balcony that was once stained with King's blood, they're convinced that he will never die.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been to 152 countries. I've never been anywhere where people have wanted to ask me about Martin Luther King. He's 89 years old even if he'd be just an old preacher, a preacher at sermons.
BLACKWELL: He modeled him his power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His spirit is alive.
BLACKWELL: Victor Blackwell, CNN Memphis.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SESAY: Yes, it is. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay. World Sport is up next. You're watching CNN.
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[02:45:13] KATE RILEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR: Hello and welcome along to WORLD SPORT. I'm Kate Riley at CNN Center. We will be headed to Augusta in just a moment's time. But first, on Tuesday, we saw the quarter-finals of the Champion League gets underway. Eight of the best teams in Europe are vying for a spot in the semifinals which take place later this month. Arguably, two of the biggest teams in the last eight.
Last year's finalist, Real Madrid, and Juventus went head to head earlier. The two teams have played 20 times before in the European competitions. Equally, match up with nine wins apiece and two draws. But the biggest one-sided win would come just last year, Real Madrid came out 4-1 winners in the Champion League Final which was their 12th title.
The Juventus, that loss meant a record seventh runners-up finish in the competition. Well, their second final loss in three years, meaning, Tuesday's quarterfinal first leg in Turin, would mean so much more than any other game to Juve.
The Real Madrid struggles domestically means the only chance of silverware comes in the Champion League. And in the night show, the states could not be hire. And what a start for Real, Cristiano Ronaldo, opening the scoring for the visitors in just the third minute here. And that wasn't the best of it. No, in the second half an astonishing overhead kick from Ronaldo, put the visitors to up for the strike that one. And even the Juve fans were standing off and applauding him.
Ronaldo wasn't done there, he was to set up Marcelo for Real, third. Juve finish the last 30 minutes of the match with ten men, 3-0 it ends. On the night, Ronaldo is the first player in Champion League history to score in ten consecutive games.
Of course, that wasn't the only Champion League quarter-final taking place on Tuesday. The five-time winners by Munich were away to Sevilla. He had shocked Manchester United old trusted in the round of 16 last time out. Well, this is a big deal for the La Liga side. The last time they made it to this stage of the competition was some 60 years ago. On that occasion, they lost 10-2 on aggregate. To that year, eventual winners Real Madrid, so, they'd be hoping to do a little better against buying this time around.
To Spain, we go, and the home side went ahead after half an hour Pablo Sarabia, makes no mistake as he slots the ball home, despite appearing to control the ball with his arm in the buildup. Well, their lead for shortly, in the four minutes. In fact, an in goal from Jesus Navas, withdraw the visitors level. And come the second half, the visitors were the better side. The Spanish midfielder Thiago put them at 2-1 up. That's how it would end to find running out winners on the night. Well, the other four teams will begin their quarter-final matchups on Wednesday. The 2015 Champions Barcelona will be at home to Roma, who are hoping to make it past the quarter-finals for the first time since 1984. Even though on paper, it appears to be a relatively one-sided affair. Barca are keen to show they are not taking it lightly.
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ERNESTO VALVERDE, MANAGER, BARCELONA FOOTBALL CLUB (through translator): Where motivated by what we'd have left to win. We don't think about what we have to lose, we have nothing to lose because we having won anything, but first, we need to win. Regarding wrong of being underestimated or being the underdog that might have happened outside, but not here. I don't think our players or anyone of us have said something along those lines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RILEY: And the other quarter-final sees two English sides go head to head. Liverpool in runaway EPL leaders Manchester City will take to the pitch on Wednesday. And there is some bad news for city fans. Their star striker Sergio Aguero has been ruled out of the tie with a knee injury, add to that city have only won once at on field in the last 37 years.
All right, then, coming up from the show, we are off to Augusta as CNN's Don Riddell looks ahead to the Masters for us. It's also where the former World Number One Tiger Woods told the media he back where he belongs.
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[02:51:52] DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, welcome back. WORLD SPORT continues from Augusta National where the Masters Tournament is going to be teeing off on Thursday morning. And there is absolutely no shortage of terrific storylines that are going to potentially play out over the next few days. But there is no doubt about the biggest one, the return of Tiger Woods.
We all know what this man has achieved in the game of golf, absolutely dominating it for so long. And, of course, winning 14 major titles. We also know about the depths of despair that he has clamp with these injuries over the last few years. And in particular, his back and the four back surgeries he has needed. He has been pretty candid about it in the past, saying he thought he might never play again. But here he is, he's back. And he is absolutely expected to be in contention because his performances over the last few weeks have been very, very promising.
Now, I did ask him today what he thought his chances were, he is trying to play down his chances of winning a fifth green jacket. But he didn't understate the journey he's had to make to get back to being competitive. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: The pain of just sitting there, and the amount of times that I've fallen because my leg didn't work. Or I just had to lay on the ground for extended periods of times. It's sort of some dark times, but that's why I said, it is -- it is a miracle. Now, I went from a person that's been really had a hard time getting up, walking around, sitting down anything. To now swinging a club, you saw it at one of the track, there's 129. It is a miracle in it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Side by side, yes, all eye.
RIDDELL: Amazing, you know what's also a miracle seeing he and Phil Mickelson playing a practice round together. That is something that nobody ever thought that would you would see, of course, two great rivals for so long. It's no secret they've never been particularly close or fond of each other. But in their old age and their more senior years, they do seem to be (INAUDIBLE) a little bit. And they had a great time out on a practice round along with Fred Couples and Thomas Pieters, here on Tuesday morning.
Absolutely huge crowds following them around the course. And Tiger playing very, very well too. Would you believe two eagles on the back nine? Here is what they had to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MICKELSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Seemed like there a lot of people out there. And they seemed pretty excited and I thought that the two eagles Tiger put on, on them, 13 and 15 led to some pretty nice roars.
WOODS: We partnered up against Thomas and poor Freddy. It was a long golf course for Fred, but get a young (INAUDIBLE) as his partner. But it was good, though, because -- you know, it was an appearance fee. So --
RORY MCILROY, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: We enjoyed it, I walked past Tiger on the range, just there before he came in and spoke to you guys and I said I'd never thought I'd see the day Tiger and Phil saw in a practice round in Augusta. So we had a bit of a laugh about that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIDDELL: Well it was really great to see them, I followed them for a few holes this morning. And so much interesting these two guys. Our Living Golf, Shane O'Donoghue, joins us now for a bit more insight. And how about that Tiger and Phil getting on now, friends and putting on a great show today.
[02:55:06] SHANE O'DONOGHUE, CNN HOST: Absolutely, you know, as I was looking at an old video of the guys who have been starters here, honorary starters, of course, tomorrow and indeed, Thursday, you'll see the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player getting things underway, they were always rivals.
RIDDELL: Yes.
O'DONOGHUE: But, you know, everything kind of eased out over time. And I'm sure Phil and Tiger -- you know, they could potentially be starters in years to come now. There has been an easing of the relationship, they were gladiators in the Arena for so long. And I think now its Phil being 47, Tiger being 42, there's a greater maturity. They have had lots of time to reflect on what they've achieved. They have nothing to prove to anyone here at Augusta National, certainly. But wonderful to see them certainly in contention but also just hands across to the water, you know, that there is great to see friendship there now.
RIDDELL: Yes. And they're both informed people are expecting them both to compete here, this week. We've seen Tiger, now play here at Augusta at the last couple of days. We heard him in the press conference, and that really was box office, the place was absolutely packed. From what you've seen and from what you've heard of how he's analyzing his situation now, how optimistic are you about what he's going to do this weekend?
O'DONOGHUE: I'm very optimistic that he's going to be in there. You know, and that he's going to be contending. He knows this place too well. He knows so much about what he needs to do. And we've seen evidence of that in recent weeks (INAUDIBLE) Bay Hill was the perfect example.
But we saw the performance at the Valspar Championship, and we saw the grit that he displayed on a regular basis, you know, he just never gives up. And he's been dying to play in this tournament for the last few years.
RIDDELL: He's been the last four -- yes.
O'DONOGHUE: And he's talked about how he was even uncomfortable 12 months ago at the champion's dinner which will takes place tonight as a does traditionally on a Tuesday. But this time, at least, to be going to that sharing all war stories, but looking ahead to playing in the tournament. But he was physically not in good shape last year. And now here he is, a miracle at Augusta.
RIDDELL: It's going to be quite something if he makes it more than a miracle. Shane, great to see you as always. We'll continue the conversations throughout the week. But that's all for now. Kate, back to you in the studio.
RILEY: Yes, many thanks to on, and that is it from us here in the studio, as well. Stay with CNN. The news is next.
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