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Death toll rises as search and rescue continues in Indonesia; Boris Johnsons speech at the Conservative Party Conference. Aired at 8-9a ET

Aired October 02, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream."

Desperation grows, earthquake and you tsunami victims in Indonesia struggle to get basic supplies as the death toll spikes.

Blond ambition. Boris Johnson gets ready to make a big speech at the U.K. Conservative Party conference.

And no limit in scope, the White House agreesto expand the FBI investigation into U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The death toll from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia has risen sharply. Now, it stand to get more than 1,200 people. And that number

is expected to climb as bodies continue to be pulled from the rubble. Meanwhile, rescuers and family members are still desperately searching for

survivors. We'll have more on the aftermath of this disaster in just a few moments.

But first, one of the U.K.'s most high profile politician, Boris Johnson, is set to take to the stage this hour on day three of the U.K. Conservative

Party's Conference. Johnson will give a speech at a fringe event to convince party members to back his ideas on Brexit, tax cuts and law and

order and destabilize Prim Minister Theresa May's plans for Britain's exit from the European Union.

May will deliver a keynote speech to the conference on Wednesday. CNN's Bianca Nabilo joins us now live from Birmingham, England, and Bianca, Boris

Johnson, we know him. He is one of the loudest voices of protest in Theresa May's own party. What message is he set to deliver moments from now?

BIANCA NABILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're likely to hear a very optimistic message about Brexit, but he will be attacking the prime minister's

chequers plan. Boris, last week, announced his own version for Brexit, a so-called super Canada plan. That is a more comprehensive free trade deal

that sees Britain break away from the E.U. more substantially than the prime minister in messages with her own.

Now, this is not good news for Theresa May today because I have been here since Sunday and I can tell you, Kristie, that the mood has been at least

sedate. I've been to quite a few of these conferences over the years and it certainly didn't have much of the buzz. It's got quite a corporate feel.

Well today, when Boris Johnson arrived, from the moment he did arrive because I saw him come in, that completely changed. And even though some of

the main speeches by key government ministers have been not particularly popular, today, for Boris' so-called fringe event, that that should be

happening in one of the main halls here because they need such a large auditorium.

There were queues snaking around the conference center for about two hours prior to the start of the speech that we're expecting any moment now. So

that is juts a bit of a barometer about even though Boris' incredibly polarizing, he is a figure that people wants to hear from.

LU STOUT: And that is Boris Johnson getting ready to present his super Canada model for Brexit, a harder Brexit formulation. Is he also presenting

himself as a leader in waiting?

NABILO: I think it's quite difficult to distinguish the two because at this point, Theresa May is so synonymous with her plan for Brexit. So her

credibility as leader really depends on her ability to progress her Brexit plan. So every time that Boris attacks Theresa May's so-called chequers

proposal, he's really attacking her.

It's like a form a political voodoo if you like. So every single thing that we hear in this speech just moments from now, which is about problems he

foresees with the chequers proposal, the disadvantages of remaining that attach to the E.U., the inability to have the autonomy to strike wider free

trade deals. These are all going to land as attacks on the prime minister as well.

Now, there's been speculation that's been rife over many years that Boris Johnson would like that top spot within the Conservative Party to lead the

party and to be prime minister. Famously, he said growing up as a child that he wanted to be world king. So this is not man short of ambition.

And many people today will be listening to this speech and listening to see if he is starting to try and present himself in a different light and

perhaps readying himself for a potential leadership bid, but we've been saying that for years. I will have to listen to what he says today to

determine if it will be different now on.

LU STOUT: Boris Johnson is speaking now at this fringe event there in Birmingham. Let's listen in.

BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER U.K. FOREIGN SECRETARY: -- it is great to be here in Birmingham where so many thoroughfares in the city are already named after

our superb Conservative mayor, Andy Street. And I know -- I know that this conference is going to be a staggering success.

[08:05:05] I know this conference is going to be a staggering success because just in the last couple of days a bout a dozen hard left Momentum

activist have taken the trouble to ring my personal mobile phone and pledge their support. Of course I passed them straight on to Brandon.

I want to also to congratulate my friend Phillip Hammond for predicting that I will never become prime minister -- yesterday I saw him, he said it,

which is the first treasury forecast in a long time I think to have a distinct ring of truth.

(LAUGHTER)

As my friend Paul, the former (inaudible) Goodman might confirm, I am not naturally of a timid disposition. It is not my way to confide my innermost

fears. But since this is only a fringe meeting and unlikely to be widely reported I would reveal that I have one overriding anxiety about the

current political scene, both domestic and internationally.

And it isn't global warming or terrorism or Rouhani's Iran or Putin's Russia -- real all those challenges are. It isn't the negotiating tactics

of Jean Claude Juncker, whether before or after lunch. It is not even the economic and political catastrophe that would befall us in the event of a

Corbyn government -- horrifying though I find that idea.

My friends, the one thing I really worry about in this critical autumn of 2018 is that after 200 years, this oldest and most successful of all

political parties should somehow lose confidence in its basic belief in freedom and that after 1,000 years --

(APPLAUSE)

-- of independence this country might really lose confidence in its democratic institutions and that we should be demoralized and so exhausted

as to submit our institutions forever indefinitely to a foreign rule. And if I have function here today, it is to try with all humility to put some

lead into the collective pencil, to stop what seems to me to be a ridiculous seeping away of our self-belief, and to invite you to feel a

realistic and justified confidence in what we can do.

Not in a spirit of jingo or glib partisanship, because I know that this a time of trial. And it is precisely because our position is so serious and

the decisions before us are so vital that it is more necessary than ever that we feel that quiet and legitimate confidence in country that we

believe in basic conservative ideas and values that we believe in our democracy.

And quite frankly, that basic belief in conservatism ought to be a little easier after the little party conference of last week. You know, you can't

these days, in deference to you thrusting (inaudible) because I can't get away with to many references to the 1970s and 1980s. But surely to goodness

we can take on this Tony Benn tribute act and wallop it for six.

(APPLAUSE)

Not by imitating them. Not by capering insincerely on labor turf. We won't get anywhere by metaphorically acquiring beards and string vests or

allotments. I know, but I have nothing against big fears (ph) (inaudible) - - but by systemically pointing out the damage they would do. They would spend literally hundreds of billions re-nationalizing British -- re-

nationally industries in this country.

They want to clobber business with new taxes, with kind of worker soviets on the board. They would wreck the economy. They would drive away

investment and it now emerges they would consign the population to years of further tedium, rancor and uncertainty -- as if the last couple of years

wasn't bad enough by promising another Brexit referendum. Another one, as Brenda from Bristol might put it.

(LAUGHTER)

[08:09:56] We cannot, we must not and we will not let this weaselly cabal of superannuated Marxism and Hugo Chavez-admiring, anti-Semitism-condoning

Kremlin apologist anywhere near the government of this country.

(APPLAUSE)

And that means instead of aping Corbyn, we have to take our basic conservative ideas and fir them to the problems of today. It is true that

the old conservative buzzword of choice has a different resonance these days. In some respects we have more choice than you can shake a stick up

between (inaudible) anytime, anywhere. Some of you I see bring it already.

We can zoom off to AirBnB on cheapo flights. Our food is better. Our cars are faster. Our life expectancy is a lot longer. There is one huge

difference between a baby boomer like me and all you trusting ConHome millennials. In one way in which opportunity has diminished, and that is in

the scope of the younger generation, with their own resources to buy somewhere they can live that they can call their own.

And it's a disgraceful fact that we now have lower rates of owner occupation -- for under 40's -- than in France or Germany. And that

reflects the failure of government for the last 30 years to build enough housing, but it is also a massive opportunity for us Tories. If we rise to

the challenge, if we get it right, it is an open goal because this is one of those critical issues, where in the phrase of Chris Patten, the facts of

life do turn out to be conservative.

And labor's instinct actually clash in a fundamental way with the instincts of ordinary people. And worse still, labor's political interest which

center on the building and control of state-owned housing are diametrically opposed to the interests of most families. I remember when I first realized

that we Tories were absolutely right about housing.

I was a reporter on the Wolverhampton Express and Star, not from here. And I went back to see a couple who complained about damp. It's normally you

(inaudible) but I have a simple one. And it was a terrible scene. They were sitting there and with the heating on full blast and a baby crying and the

condensation dripping down the window, and there were these great black spores all over the wall.

The chap was in his socks in an armchair in a state of despair. And he was worried about the baby's cough, which was getting worse. And the council

wouldn't do anything. And he felt that he couldn't do anything because it wasn't his property. And I could see how he felt somehow unmanned by the

situation. And I felt very sorry for them both because they were both total prisoners of the system.

And I thought what a difference it would make to that family if they had been able to take back control, to coin a phrase, to buy that flat. And

since then I have lost count of the number of times and I bet you have too -- when I've been out campaigning ans someone has told me on the doorstep

that they would vote conservative forever out of sheer gratitude to us, to (inaudible), for letting them buy their own home.

(APPLAUSE)

And that is what people want. People want the pride of having a place they own. A sense of excitement for being common to humanity since the first

couple took vacant possession of a mud hut in Mohenjo Daro. And yet labor hates that instinct. And Corbyn hates that instinct.

Because although they themselves live in rather nice Islington townhouses, which they own, they would much rather that the electorate stayed in social

rented accomodation. Passed by hereditary right as incredibly these state- owned dwellings are, from one generation to the next.

And they like it that way because they know that as soon as you get a mortgage and as soon as you have stake in society, you are less likely to

go on strike and you are more likely to vote conservative. And if you stay in social rented accomodation, you are of course more likely to vote labor.

But I tell you something my fellow ConHomers.

[08:15:00] The paradox is that that conservative approach not only delivers more homes for private purchase, but it delivers more affordable homes as

well. More homes for all tenures. And if you look at the record for instance of the previous mayor of London, something that my friend Phillip

Hammond might care to consult -- you will see that not only did crime come down by 20 percent and the murder rate down by 50 percent. Deaths by far

down 50 percent. Road KSI is down by 50 percent. Tube delays down by 30 percent.

Beautiful new buses, beautiful bikes, millions of trees planted, two new river crossings, crossrail started. (Inaudible), record investment, new

museums in East London. And by the way, and the treasury council tax cut by 20 percent -- well, he did ask for it. You will see that in those eight

years, we built more homes for more tenures than the previous labor administration.

Precisely because we changed the constricting rules that stopped good developments going ahead. And you will see now how under #useless

(inaudible) the number of new builds is slumping because labor gets tangled in its cynical political objectives. And it is the conservative approach

that gets things done. So let's follow our conservative instincts and give millions more young people the chance to become owner-occupiers.

And let's encourage more small private builders as my colleague, Richard Bacon has long campaigned for. Let's take on the big eight home builders,

some of whom now are frankly abusing their dominant position. Let's crack down on land bankers and let's give councils a real incentive to go for

planning commissions and to go for grace and to encourage building on those brownfield sites with long ordue fiscal devolution.

Give good councils the ability to retain stamp duty, council tax, business rates, and annual tax on enveloped dwellings. And they would then have a

motive to go for growth in their neighborhoods. Of course you'd need to make sure that parts --

LU STOUT: Former U.K. foreign secretary Boris Johnson there speaking live at a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham,

England. He urged his party to believe in conservative values and he made these statements to a rousing audience of supporters. Let's head back now

to CNN's Bianca Nabilo in Birmingha who is monitoring the conference and the speech. And Bianca, I want to get your take on Johnson's address so far

and the challenge he is posing to prime Minister Theresa May.

NABILO: Well, I think the challenge was apparent from the very beginning. So the divisions between Boris Johnson and Theresa May and her government,

particularly the Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, have been laid bear this week at conference and that one of his openers in this speech was a jive at the

chancellor saying that one of the only forecasts the treasury has got right lately, is the fact that Boris won't be prime minister.

He is known to being very self-deprecating and he's almost trying to nip that in the bud early on. However, I would say, there's an (inaudible)

political circles where if any potential leadership (inaudible) that gets up and makes a speech which is wide-ranging in terms of policies, which has

stories from individuals from the campaign trail or stories about their family background.

That sort of rings the alarm that they are, in fact, trying to position themselves for leadership. But I'm hearing a lot there, which is showing

himself in a different light, more statesmanly and again, you mentioned his extolling of conservative values.

And that's partly in response to the labor party conference which was very successful and quite rowdy last week. And he's trying to galvanize the

party and get them to band around his notion for the future of Britain. He also touched on the fact that a second referendum he thinks would be a

terrible idea. I mean, you got already and he's likely going to touch on Brexit more as that speech goes on

LU STOUT: We are Boris watching with Bianca Nabilo in Birmingham, England. Bianca, thank you so much. Take care.

Returning now to Indonesia where the death toll from the devastating earthquake and tsunami has risen to more than 1,200 people, and that number

will likely climb ans bodies continue to be pulled out of the rubble. Thousands of buildings in the city of Palu have been destroyed. Food and

other supplies are running dangerously low.

Not long ago, emergency officials said fuel trucks have final begun reaching the city. And joining us now from Palu, Indonea, is CNN's Matt

Rivers. And Matt, since the last time we spoke, you were able to get a much more comprehensive understanding of the scale of the devastation there.

What have you seen?

[08:19:59] MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Kristie, the kind of devastation behind me is the kind of thing that we're seeing time

and again as we spend more time in Palu and really kind of get around the area and see this kind of destruction. These are the focus -- these kind of

buildings are the focus of search and rescue operations to try and find anyone who might still miraculously be alive five days after the earthquake

and the subsequent tsunami.

But if you're talking about scale as well, you're talking about the amount of people impacted here. We know the death toll, we know the injuries,

66,000 homes have been destroyed. But then you go and meet these people in person. We went to a refugee camp earlier today where entire families have

been out there and they don't know how long they are going to be having to live outside.

And there is increasing criticism of the Indonesian government for what they are calling -- ordinary people are calling a very slow response.

People in these refugee camps, they have a lack of electricity, food, water, healthcare, hygiene. Toilets don't work. There is no education for

their kids.

The list goes on. They are frustrated and they are putting their blame at the foot of the Indonesian government. And you know what, Kristie, I'll be

honest, I have not seen the kind of response you would expect from a government like Indonesia who has gone through this kind of thing before.

This is not a country that is, you know, unfamiliar with natural disasters, so I understand where these people are coming from. The response jus

doesn't seem to be where it needs to be at this point.

LU STOUT: And as a result, they're in the disaster zone. You're seeing chaos and mounting frustration. The need is just so immense on the ground.

Where do we begin? What is the number one priority for aid workers?

RIVERS: Well, I think the number one priority has to be getting, you know, food and water into these people. Right now, when we're talking to the

people in the refugee camps, I mean, of course you're trying to get search and rescue. If anyone is alive, that is the priority, right. But it's

really at this point if you're talking about who is going to affect the most.

It's people who are displaced. That's where the efforts need to be, the education, the health care, getting things back to normal. The rebuilding

process is months and months down the line. It's those immediate critical care needs and that's where people are frustrated to this point. Now, we

know the military flights into the airport here are increasing.

We know that ships are coming towards Palu, over the next couple of days, bringing aid including ships from the Indaian Navy. But you have to wonder,

where was that four days ago? Why are these ships only coming here now and they won't be here for three or four more days? That's why people are

frustrated.

And I should bring up one more thing, Kristie. People are also frustrated about these mass burials that are going on. We saw a mass burial firsthand

today. We went to the top of the hill and we saw dozens of bodies be drag into hastily dug pit and covered up just as quickly. Many of those people

are unidentified. There was nothing dignified about that burial.

And the government says they need to do it to preven the spread of disease. The WHO would say that risk is not nearly as high as the Indonesian

government makes it out to be, but still, that's the line they're sticking to. And so for all of those reasons, that's why the criticism here of this

government is mounting.

LU STOU: You described very, very grim scenes there in Palu. CNN's Matt Rivers reporting from the Indonesian city, thank you, Matt.

We have seen many images of the devastation in Palu, but information has been slow coming out of Donggala. Earlier, I spoke with Vanda Lengkong with

Plan International about the conditions there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VANDA LENGKONG, REGIONAL HEAD OF DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT, PLAN INTERNATIONAL (via telephone): So, when we are basically entering central

Sulawesi, we can really see extensive damage caused by the earthquake as well as the tsunami. I can really see there in the coastline there's no

building are basically standing, electricity poles. It's basically a collapse and also I can really see bodies on the streets and that the

population still ongoing as we speak

LU STOUT: When you were in Donggala, you said that you saw bodies on the streets and we know that the death toll has been rising this day. Do you

have any understanding or idea of how many lives in Donggala were taken as a result of this disaster?

LENGKONG: I think based on what I see, I mena, there are some bodies already been recovered, somebody are still not being evacuated because also

the evacuation are still ongoing and I think that also the government also needs some more support on healthy staff.

Because beside the one that I already mentioned before, there are also like one settlement area were completely also collapsed and people are -- they

still need to recover the bodies. And I think, yes, the number is going to continue to increase just because from what I see today directly on the

ground.

LU STOUT: The information about what's happening in Donggala is so hard to come by because this is a place even more remote than Palu. Were you able

to see a lot of aid or equipment or aid workers getting into the city?

LENGKONG: I think for now there are three location that basically have (inaudible). So one is Donggala, one is Palu and then the other one is

Sigi. And there's a lot of competing priority as of now, search and rescue, ensuring that electricity is going to get on soon, water, and then the

gasoline.

[08:25:04] I saw there is a lot -- there's a long queue of gasoline in Palu City now, but then I also saw that (inaudible) supply is about to come in.

And again, access road -- access of the government is a challenge so that's why (inaudible) we have to drive 12 hours from West Sulawasi which

basically just neighboring province.

LU STOUT: You know, the challenge is so immense for Plan International and for other aid groups on the ground. You know so many challenges and the

need is so great for the survivors in the quake zone. What is the greatest need right now? What is the number one priority?

LENGKONG: I think the biggest challenge as of now for the people are all the supplies so that is basically food, water, and sanitation because

again, Palu is always depending on electricity. I mean, they can get their water if the electricity is back. So if basically the electricity is back,

I think some of the problems we'll be able to address and especially for younger children, boys and girls.

They really need a type of social support. They are still nearly recovered from all the aftershocks. So (inaudible) a little bit become distressed. No

activity for children so I think, really assessing the needs of the children be important as well to ensure that we are able to provide support

to the peoe beside the main priority from the government, really, search and rescue and addressing the basic needs for distribution of water and

other things.

LU STOUT: Vanda, thank you very much indeed for joining us. Vanda Lengkong of Plan International joining us on the line from Palu, telling us about

the situation in Donggala. We thank you and your teamyou're your work and for helping of course the child survivors of this disaster. Take care.

And if you would like to help the victims affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, you can go to cnn.com/impact and there you will find

links to organizations working to bring relief. Again, you can find it at cnn.com/impact.

Now, the sheer size of the tsunami that that earthquake generated is raising questions for many scientists. Now, meteorologist Chad Myers joins

us from the World Weathe Center with more on that. And Chad, the earthquake we know was a big one, but not the type normally associated, to such a huge

tsunami. Why did it generate such massive waves?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This was very different than Banda Aceh. And I know you remember that. We talked about this earthquake just a couple

of days ago when it happened. We were on TV live with it with the tsunami warning wondering whether there really was tsunami. So what we're looking

at here is the bottom of the ocean.

Here's a typical Banda Aceh type quake. What happens? The bottom of the ocean rises, just simplifying, it goes up but it pushes water up in a

bubble. And that bubble travels across the ocean. That didn't happen this time. What happened was this slipped this way and this slipped this way and

that is not typically a side motion or an up motion that would push water up. So what could have happened?

A number of things could have happened. There may have been an under sea landslide and that landslide would move because we've seen some landslides

even in Palu itself, but here it is. This is how this thrust fault pushes up water. The bubble goes on top of the ocean and then it runs on shore as

it displaces water. Some of these bubbles are only about 6 inches high until they reach shore.

And then all of a sudded, you lose depth because you get shallow and shallow on the continental shelf and then the water washes inland. So it

was a 7.5. So what else could have happened? The earthquake kind of happened but in fault line like this. So there is an island that sticks out

here. There may have been a landslide on that island and washing all of that water down into a funnel.

It went all the way down to Palu and at the bottom end of here, there was no place else for the water to go because the land got in the way. Let me

show you some before and after pictures of what we have going on here because it's hard to get your mind around what's going on here as we get

down toward Palu.

There comes the water straight down into the bay and all of a sudden the water was up. This is a before shot. Notice over here, all land is all

good. We have a bunch of houses over here. All of a sudden, the water came through completely missing the shore line and all the way up into here

knocking all of those homes down, yet leaving the buildings on the other side of the river.

We had some pictures. Maybe you'll find them on the internet. From this little building right here, it's a parking lot where you drive down to get

out of the parking garage. This right here is going to be in this picture because you're going to see it. This is a mosque that was there completely

shaken apart by the earthquake itself and then washed through with the water after the shaking.

[08:30:02] and that's what this looks like right now. So, as we go from neighborhood to neighborhood, this is Bala Roa. You see the dirt coming

through, landslide moving through. There are people that are buried in the stuff. Kristie, this is --

HERE

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

[08:30:00] CHAD MYERS, CNN WEATHER EXPERT : . with the water after the shaking and that's what this looks like right now. So, as we go from

neighborhood to neighborhood, this is Balaroa. You see the dirt coming through, landslide moving through. There are people that are buried in the

stuff. Kristie, this is a devastating place right now. They can't even get to all the people that may be buried under some of these houses. We know

that are -- at least five days of survival just being under buildings. Hopefully, they will find some more people alive.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN HOST: Yes. Stunning satellite imagery there of the devastation and just to imagine the people who can still be there in rubble

awaiting helps. Chad Myers reporting for us. Chad, thank you. Watching the skin will be back right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. The death toll in Indonesia from

Friday's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami has now risen to 1,234. Thousands of buildings in Palu have been destroyed. Food and other supplies

are running low. Earlier, emergency officials said kill trucks (ph) have finally began reaching the city.

Now, former U.K foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, is right now delivering a speech at a fringe event on the third day of the Conservative Party

Conference in Birmingham, England. And in the speech, he has criticized Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for Brexit. It comes ahead of Prime

Minister May's keynote conference speech to take place on Wednesday.

CNN has seen a police report from 1985. It says U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was accused of being involved in a bar fight while he was a

student at Yale. The FBI is already investigating sexual misconduct accusations against Kavanaugh, getting back to his time in high school and

university. He has vehemently denied those claims.

That report is another piece of the puzzle that officials are trying to put together to figure out whether Kavanaugh was when he testified about his

past drinking habits. Abby Phillip reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: After President Trump's freewheeling press conference yesterday, there are still more questions

than answers this morning about the scope of the FBI probe into Brett Kavanaugh's past.

Now, one of the key issues at hand here is what his drinking history is going to be part of that probe, but that issue is one that Republicans say

is a sign that Democrats are shifting the goalposts.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R), KENTUCKY: The times of endless delay and obstruction has come to a close. Mr. President we'll be voting this week.

PHILLIP: Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell saying he will move forward with the vote on Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation despite the White

House allowing the FBI to expand its investigation into the nominee. His pledge coming amid backlash over the restricted probe.

[08:35:10] SEN. JEFF FLAKE, (R), ARIZONA: We certainly want the FBI to do a real investigation. It does no good to have an investigation that just

gives us more cover.

PHILLIP: President Trump declaring that he supports the comprehensive probe with a couple of caveats.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF America: My White House will do whatever it the senators want. I'm open to whatever they want. The

one thing I want is speed.

The FBI should interview anybody that they want within reason.

PHILLIP: CNN has learned that the FBI has spoken with three people who knew Kavanaugh in high school and Debbie Ramirez, who accused him of

exposing himself to her in college, a claim he denies. But he said that the FBI will delve further into Kavanaugh's past remains unclear. A source says

Ramirez supplied an extensive list of witnesses to the FBI. And Democrats on the Judiciary Committee submitted a list of more than 20 individuals

they believe should be interviewed, including Kavanaugh's third accuser, Julie Swetnick.

Swetnick says she witnessed Kavanaugh engage in inappropriate behavior while they were in high school, which Kavanaugh also denies.

BRETT KAVANAUGH, U.S. SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: The Swetnick thing is a joke. That is farse.

PHILLIP: Republicans raising questions about Swetnick's credibility. But a spokeswoman for a key GOP swing votes, Susan Collins, tells the Portland

Press Herald that Collins is advocating for the FBI to look into Swetnick's claims.

JULIE SWETNICK, KAVANAUGH'S ACCUSER: He was very aggressive, very sloppy drunk, very mean drunk.

PHILLIP: Meanwhile, Kavanaugh's college friends offering conflicting accounts of the nominee's past drinking habits. The White House releasing

statements from two of Kavanaugh's friends who say they never saw Kavanaugh blackout, an account contradicted by Chad Ludington, a former classmate.

CHAD LUDINGTON, KAVANAUGH'S FORMER CLASSMATE: I can unequivocally say that I'm denying the possibility that ever blacked out from drinking and in down

playing the degree and frequency of drinking, Brett has not told the truth.

PHILLIP: Ludington says he was present during an altercation involving Kavanaugh at a bar in 1985. According to the police report, an argument

started between Kavanaugh and another man who said the nominee threw ice on him before Kavanaugh's friend hit him in the ear with a glass.

President Trump appearing to the Off Script Monday when discussing the Supreme Court nominee's relationship with alcohol.

TRUMP: He's had a little bit of difficulty. I mean he talked about things that happened when he drink. I watched him. I was surprised at how vocal he

was about the fact that he likes beer.

PHILLIP: And as President Trump has shined a spotlight on Brett Kavanaugh's past drinking habits, some of the people who knew him during

that time in high school and in college are coming forward to tell their side of the story.

President Trump, meanwhile, is making multiple stops today, first to Pennsylvania for an event and then on to Mississippi for a campaign rally.

Kristie?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Abby, thank you. You're watching "News Stream". We'll be right back.

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LU STOUT: We're coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is "News Stream." The Noble Price in Physics has been jointly (ph) won by a

woman, the first female to win it in 55 years.

[08:40:00] It was shared between three people, including Arthur Ashkin at 96, the oldest ever Nobel laureate for his work on optical tweezers. Gerard

Mourou and Donna Strickland share the other half of the prize for their groundbreaking work in the field of laser physics. Strickland is only the

third woman ever to be awarded the Nobel Prize for physics.

A presidential pinup, it's Vladimir Putin every month of the year. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen shows us the new calendar that is hitting the stands in

Russia.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Kremlin cover man is back, brand new 2019 Vladimir Putin calendars fresh on the stands in Russia, and many

Russians proud of their president's posture.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think not many countries have a president as strong as ours. And I think many people would like to have

such president in their countries. It's always good to see and hear from our president. His statement and appearances are always so well done.

PLEITGEN: There is Putin with a pup, Putin with a cub, Putin on a horse in winter and even colder, Putin taking the epiphany dip in ice water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): If foreigner buys this calendar, they will definitely have a good impression of our president and they will

see that he can do it all. He loves animals. He can shoot. He looks good and loves sport.

PLEITGEN: The nearly omnipotent president, that is how Putin is portrayed, whether that's international summit like earlier this year with President

Donald Trump or taking his top officials for a tour of the hills and rivers in the Siberian outback. Putin is the one running the show, leading the

pack.

The calendars are designed to show Russians that they have a strong leader who is in control, but also that Putin is a compassionate man and a man of

the people. They're usually a pretty well selling item.

Shopping kiosk owners we spoke to say they think this batch will sell out fairly quickly as well. But there's always a strong supply of Putin

calendars for those who missed out now, once again giving Russians and many tourists a glossy reminder of the brains, the brawn, the bravado, and of

course, the beef of President Vladimir Putin. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

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LU STOUT: I need to get my hands on that. And that is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Sout. Don't go anywhere. "World Sport" with Alex Thomas is next.

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