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Putin Defends 'Lawful' Seizure of Ukrainian Ships; Tijuana Refugee Camp Overflows, Short On Food; Dutch Church Shields Armenian Family From Deportation; Robot Waiters Serve Meals In Nepal Restaurant; Anti-Semitism Reaches Fever Pitch in France; Briefing by Top U.S. Officials over Khashoggi Murder Sparks Backlash; Trump Pardon for Manafort "Not Off the Table"; Conspiracy Theorist at Center of Mueller Probe. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired November 29, 2018 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The new anti-Semitism in France. As the extent of the problem is revealed, many Jews fearing for their safety are packing up and leaving the country altogether.
Just a minor border incident: Russia's Vladimir Putin downplays the latest military confrontation with Ukraine and accuses Ukraine's president of planning the clash at sea.
Plus giving sanctuary: how a small church in The Hague is trying to save a family from getting deported.
Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
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CHURCH: We begin with "A Shadow over Europe," our extensive investigation into the rise of anti-Semitism on the continent. CNN has spent months looking into the surge in hate crimes and hate speech across Europe. And nowhere is the problem more apparent than in France, home to the largest Jewish population in Europe.
CNN's exclusive polling shows 48 percent agree anti-Semitism is a growing problem in France today; 29 percent of those surveyed say they know just a little or have never heard of the Holocaust. And 24 percent believe Jewish people have too much influence over global finance.
Rarely does a week pass in France without news of another anti-Semitic attack. The mood in the country is driving some Jews to leave France altogether. CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward reports from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In France today, anti-Semitism is not just a prejudice. Its 26 people held hostage in a Kosher supermarket. Its three children and a teacher gunned down at a Jewish school. It's a Holocaust survivor murdered in her apartment. It's 11 body bags in 12 years.
Nathaniel Azuly (Ph) nearly ended in one, too. He says he and his brother were attacked in a Paris suburb by a group of local Muslim kids. One of them armed with a saw.
"We were in our car and it happened very quickly," he said. "It happened just because I had the kippah on."
WARD: Just because you were wearing a kippah?
WARD (voice-over): "His speech changed when he saw the kippah," he told us. "He started hurling anti-Semitic insults. Jew, you're going to die on this road."
Azuly (Ph) believes that his knowledge of Krav Maga, the martial art form favored by the Israeli military, saved his life.
Instructor Avi Atlan says he has seen an uptick in the number of young Jews wanting to learn to defend themselves.
"It's very said but that's where we are," he told us. "There are so many people who hate Jews."
According to the French government, the number of anti-Semitic acts here increased by a staggering 69 percent in the first nine months of this year and the nature of the attacks is changing, becoming more violent.
Frederic Potier has been tasked with managing the official response. He says the government does not fully understand the reason for the increase.
FREDERIC POTIER, HEAD, FRENCH GOVERNMENT OFFICE AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM: We're worried about these figures. But we have decided not to hide these numbers. We decided to face it. And that's very important.
WARD: So, what do you say to a young French boy who is too afraid to wear a kippah?
POTIER: Don't be afraid to wear it. I need him, I need to fight anti-Semitism. I need him to fight cliche and stereotype. I need him to stand for with the republic saying that, all the French Jews are French.
WARD (voice-over): France is now spending nearly $6 million dollars on educational and online initiatives to combat hate speech. But anti-Semitism is a complex issue here. Analysts say the traditional anti-Semitism of the far-right has been compounded by a more recent threat from radical elements in France's Muslim population.
Hakim El Karoui has advised previous governments on what some are calling the new anti-Semitism.
HAKIM EL KAROUI, SENIOR FELLOW, INSTITUT MONTAIGNE (through translator): We don't speak about Muslim anti-Semitism, which is a reality in which aligns the anti-Semitism from the far-right and from the far-left which is mostly directed --
[02:05:00]
EL KAROUI: -- towards Israel.
WARD (voice-over): A CNN poll found that more than a quarter of French people have a somewhat or significantly less favorable opinion of Jews as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. France is home to the largest Muslim and Jewish minorities in Europe with roughly half a million Jews and 4.7 Muslims.
But the relationship between the two communities has deteriorated steadily since the first Palestinian intifada in the year 2000. As the politics of the Middle East has lapped up on France's shores.
"They're right to be afraid because the conflict in Palestine has reached here. That's why there's this situation." Muslim resident Mallika says, "but for me when I see a Jew next to my place or on the street, I say we are the same family, they have nothing to do with what's going on in Palestine and they're afraid for their children. And that's crazy."
France does not identify the religion of those convicted of anti- Semitic crimes. Making it a difficult problem to quantify and a sensitive issue to discuss with the Muslim community that already feels discriminated against and disenfranchised.
EL KAROUI (through translator): The perception of the Muslim is that they are the victims. They are the ones who suffered from racism and discrimination. And then the Muslim community is going to tell you, yes, there is an an-Semitism problem but don't our situation. And the problem is that you start comparing victims.
WARD: Miriam and her family have considered moving from France, joining the more than 55,000 Jews who have left the year 2000. In the sanctuary of their home, they celebrate Shabbat, a ritual ushered in every Friday night by lighting candles and reciting a blessing.
MIRIAM, FRENCH CITIZEN: I'm scared for the future of my baby here, I hope that he will have a future here. And you know, Jewish community is a part of historical France. Really. And so, I think France without any Jews is not any more France.
WARD: Miriam's prayers are for a France of tolerance with her little boy can grow up free of fear, but for now, there are no signs that her prayers will be answered -- Clarissa Ward, CNN, Paris.
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CHURCH: Join us again on Friday, when Clarissa Ward talks with Edith Eger, who survived the Auschwitz death camp and has dedicated her life to educating people about the horrors of the Holocaust.
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EDITH EGER, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: He pointed my mom to go to the left and I followed her. He came after me, grabbed me -- I'll never forget those eyes.
He said, "Your mother is just going to take a shower. You'll see her soon."
WARD (voice-over): Edie never saw her again. Both her parents were killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, along with more than 1 million Jews.
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CHURCH: Clarissa also talks with the chief rabbi of Poland for his thoughts on the fact that many young people know very little about the Holocaust. Don't miss the next report in this exclusive series, "A Shadow over Europe: Anti-Semitism in 2018." That's Friday, only on CNN.
Well, a federal judge in Argentina will allow an investigation of Mohammed bin Salman to move forward. The Saudi crown prince arrived in Buenos Aires on Wednesday for this weekend's G20 summit. Human Rights Watch requested the investigation of possible crimes against humanity, citing the war in Yemen and the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Argentina's foreign ministry says the crown prince has diplomatic immunity and will not be arrested during his visit.
Meanwhile in Washington, U.S. senators got a briefing on the Khashoggi murder from the U.S. secretaries of state and Defense. But many were angry about the top Trump administration official who was not there to answer questions. CNN's Alex Marquardt reports.
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ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A defiant and determined Mike Pompeo on Capitol Hill today.
MIKE POMPEO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: We talked about U.S. policy in Yemen, the U.S. policy with respect to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
MARQUARDT: After giving a briefing to senators, making the argument Congress should not take action to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led fight in Yemen following the killing of "The Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi and giving the Saudi crown prince, who is known as MBS, a pass.
POMPEO: There is no direct reporting connecting the crown prince to the order of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
MARQUARDT: Pompeo, who is a former CIA director himself -- [02:10:00]
MARQUARDT (voice-over): -- disagreed with the CIA's assessment that MBS ordered the killing, as did Secretary of Defense James Mattis who joined Pompeo on the Hill.
JAMES MATTIS, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We have no smoking gun that the crown prince was involved.
MARQUARDT: The comments following Pompeo strongly worded and controversial op-ed in the Wall Street Journal where he argued that Saudi Arabia's strategic importance trumps the brutal murder of Khashoggi, dismissing what he called the "Capitol Hill caterwauling and media pile-on," adding that degrading U.S.-Saudi ties would be a grave mistake to the national security of the U.S.
SEN. BOB CORKER, (R) TENNESSEE: I think 80 percent of the people left the hearing this morning not feeling like an appropriate response has been forthcoming.
MARQUARDT: There was widespread disappointment and condemnation across the aisle of the briefing by Pompeo and Mattis were CIA director Gina Haspel was a no-show, asked why, Pompeo replied simply--
POMPEO: I was asked to be here and here I am.
MARQUARDT: Not good enough for many senators.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Yes, I'm not going to be denied the ability to briefed by the CIA that we have oversight of any key vote. Anything that you need me or to get out of town I'm not doing it until we hear from the CIA.
SEN. DICK DURBIN, (D) ILLINOIS: We were told in this briefing that it was a direction of the White House that she not attends.
MARQUARDT: A White House that also disagrees with the intelligence committee's conclusion that in all likelihood MBS was behind Khashoggi's murder. Trump telling the Washington Post that MBS denies it. That the CIA isn't sure. "I'm not saying that they're saying he didn't do it." The president said, "but they didn't say it affirmatively."
And the CIA has responded to those allegations from those senators that Haspel was directed by the White House not to show up to today's briefing, the CIA said that they had already briefed the Senate intelligence committee and said in a statement, quote, "the notion that anyone told Director Haspel not to attend today's briefing is false" -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: Vladimir Putin said it was Ukraine's president who provoked a naval confrontation of Crimea to increase his popularity ahead of an election. On Sunday, Russia seized three Ukrainian ships and detained a crew, saying they illegally entered Russian territory. The Ukraine president responded, imposing martial law in border areas.
Then he visited troops, warning Moscow could launch a full-scale invasion. But Mr. Putin said the Ukranian president is playing a political game, one that could backfire. Our Fred Pleitgen has more.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The three Ukrainian ships remain impounded at the other end of the bridge that I'm standing at right now in the port town of a Kerch.
And a court in Crimea has also announced that's 24 Ukrainian sailors who were on board of those trips are going to remain in detention for at least two months, awaiting a trial.
The Russians, of course, accuse them of entering illegally into Russia's territory. Now Russian president Vladimir Putin he came out on Wednesday and he said that he believed that the incident was what he called "a planned provocation by the Ukrainian government" and its president, Petro Poroshenko, who the Russians say was in trouble ahead of an election in Ukraine.
That's one of the reasons why the Russians say they believe that this maneuver was pulled off. The Ukrainians of course, very much denying that. They continue to say that it's the Russians who provoked this incident and are in breach of international law.
Now the U.S. special representative to Ukraine he came out and he said those ships need to be given back by the Russians immediately. And the U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis also coming out and blasting the Russians, saying they are showing that their word, quote, "cannot be trusted."
The Russians, however, are not feeling as much blowback from the U.S. president. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, saying he believes that despite this recent standoff that that meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin at the G20 summit -- that's upcoming, of course -- that that meeting is still very much on.
And Russia's president Vladimir Putin, he himself came out and he said that he still believes that President Trump is positively inclined to bettering relations between the United States and Russia despite the incident that took place right near where I'm standing right now -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Taman, Russia.
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CHURCH: Paul Manafort is behind bars right now but for how long?
The U.S. president dangles the prospect of a presidential pardon for his former campaign chairman. That's next.
And who is the right-wing conspiracy theorist at the center of the Russia investigation?
We'll have the details when we come back.
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CHURCH: Now to former Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. He's behind bars right now, convicted on eight counts of financial fraud.
Earlier this week, special counsel Robert Mueller said Manafort violated his plea agreement by lying to investigators. We also learned that Manafort's attorneys have been keeping the president's attorneys updated with what they know about the Mueller probe.
Now a bombshell statement from the president about a possible pardon. Senior White House correspondent Pamela Brown has the details.
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PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, President Trump saying in a stunning new interview his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort could receive a presidential pardon.
The president late today telling the "New York Post" that the pardon for Manafort is, quote, "not off the table." Saying, quote, "it was never discussed, but I wouldn't take it off the table. Why would I take it off the table?"
It's a shift from just 24 hours earlier when his press secretary was asked about a pardon for Manafort.
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SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I'm not aware of any conversations or for anyone's pardon involving this process.
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BROWN: In the interview, Trump railed against special counsel Robert Mueller, saying that Mueller was trying to get three people to lie: Manafort, Trump's longtime ally Roger Stone and Stone's associate, Jerome Corsi, telling "The Post," quote, "You know flipping stuff is terrible and I'm telling you this is McCarthyism. We are in the McCarthy era."
Trump characterized the three as, quote, "very brave" and alluded to them earlier today in a tweet when he called them, quote, "three major players."
The president also re-tweeting this image today showing, among others, two former presidents, former Justice Department officials, Mueller and even the president's own deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, behind bars, asking when the trials for treason begin. The president also saying in this latest interview that he would declassify documents that could, quote, "be devastating for his opponents" if Democrats go after him in the next term.
He said he was going to release in this past September but his attorney, the White House attorney Emmet Flood told him not to, that it would be politically a bad thing to do at the time. So we'll have to wait and see what happens -- Pamela Brown, CNN, the White House.
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CHURCH: CNN legal analyst Page Pate is here with me now to discuss all of this.
Great to have you in the studio.
PAGE PATE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Thank you.
CHURCH: So, after all this time with the Mueller investigation working on --
[02:20:00]
CHURCH: -- all of this with Paul Manafort. It appears that the president intends to pardon him anyway. Now the president says he hasn't had any discussions about this with Manafort and his team.
Do you buy that?
PAGE: I don't buy that no discussions have occurred. Now maybe the fact that the president has not personally talk to Manafort and said, look, I'm going to pardon you, there's nothing to worry about.
But I do think that message has been made clear to Manafort, probably by his lawyer, perhaps through Trump's lawyers.
But I think the message has been sent from the president that if you hold tight, if you do not provide any evidence against me or anyone else in my White House or my inner circle then I'm going to take care of you at the end of the day. You do not have to worry about actually serving that sentence.
CHURCH: What impact or something like that have on the credibility of the president given the reputation of someone like Paul Manafort.
PAGE: You know, we've never seen anything like this before where the president has the ability to pardon someone who could be a witness against him in a potential criminal proceeding.
Now our Constitution gives the president almost an unlimited right to pardon someone, whoever he wants for whatever reason, but in this case, I think it's tempting for the president to use that pardon power in an unconstitutional manner, in a, I guess you would say corrupt persuasion to try to use it to obstruct the criminal investigation, the Mueller investigation
And if that occurs, then I think Robert Mueller does have a strong argument that the president is obstructing justice.
CHURCH: So, how do you think the Mueller investigation then would respond to that. And I did want to ask you too, what sort of sentence do you think Paul Manafort will get if it even matters now if he's going to get a pardon anyway.
PAGE: Well, I don't think he is going to have to serve at least not on the federal level, given the amount of money that was involved in Paul Manafort's case all the money that he was receiving from the Ukraine and the folks over there that he was servicing, the things that he was doing with that money. The money laundering convictions.
The sentencing guidelines in federal court are going to call for a lot of prison time. But I do believe and it maybe after sentencing but at some point, before he actually serves out that sentence President Trump will likely pardon him.
Now what does that mean to the Mueller investigation going forward as far as Trump is concerned, I don't think you're ever going to see the special counsel try to indict President Trump. It's just too unclear under our laws if that can even be possible.
But I think we're going to see at some point a report from the special counsel's office that will suggest the conduct that the president is engaging in now and engaged in, in the past could be obstruction of justice.
CHURCH: Right. And in addition to this we are learning that President trump gave in writing an explanation to Robert Mueller's team that to the best of his recollection, he was not told previously by Roger Stone about WikiLeaks and he said he didn't know about the meeting between his son Don Jr. the campaign group that was with meeting with that Russian lawyer. Again, your legal perspective on that.
PAGE: Well, we're not surprised by his answer. I mean, that's consistent with what he said before in the media publicly. But I am interested and I find it very significant the language that he now uses. I mean, he's never said to the best of my recollection. I mean, his tweets, his public statements have always been crystal clear. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't know about it. No collusion. Witch hunt.
But now I think with his lawyers then put--
CHURCH: Right.
PAGE: -- he is the saying, well, to the best of my recollection and I think that does keep him from being later charged with making a false statement if the special counsel can prove what he saying is not accurate.
CHURCH: I mean, that has been the problem for his legal team, hasn't it, because he can't seem to keep the story straight.
PAGE: Absolutely. Even today, when he's talking about the possibility of getting a pardon to Paul Manafort at the very moment when it looks like Paul Manafort is going back in the hot water because his refusal to cooperate.
CHURCH: So, the best of my recollection is a line we should all remember because that can save us, right?
PAGE: If you're ever in trouble, absolutely.
CHURCH: OK. Page Pate, always a pleasure.
PAGE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And we're learning more about what special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating, the details come from a draft court filing given to CNN and point to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, long-time Trump confidant Roger Stone and someone long known for peddling right- wing conspiracy theories. Our Sara Murray has that.
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JEROME CORSI, CONSPIRACY THEORIST: Glad to be back with you again.
SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jerome Corsi's seemingly rejected plea agreement and his willingness to spill the details, landing the conservative author on Mueller's bad side.
CORSI: Well, my attorney said that the special counsel wasn't very pleased and they said, well, we'll take it from here.
MURRAY (voice-over): Draft court filings, which Corsi said he received from Mueller's team in plea discussions, shed light on how a right-wing conspiracy theorist landed at the center of Mueller's investigation into whether there was a connection between WikiLeaks and President Trump's inner circle.
E-mails included in the draft filings show how Roger Stone, a long time advisor to Trump, allegedly sought information from WikiLeaks, using Corsi as a go-between.
CORSI: Roger Stone writes --
[02:25:00]
CORSI: -- in July, when I'm in Italy, and said, "Get to Assange."
And so I copy that e-mail and I forward it to Ted Malloch, associate in London.
MURRAY (voice-over): Malloch, a London-based professor who now runs his own consulting firm, was eager to make inroads with the Trump team, Corsi says, and Corsi introduced him to Stone.
CORSI: He would have loved to have had a policy position working for Trump. And Roger basically was saying, if you want something from me, why don't you do something for us and I can show Mr. Trump how you can be important to us.
MURRAY (voice-over): A few days after Stone emailed Corsi to get to Assange, Stone sent another e-mail to Corsi, this time encouraging him to have Malloch visit Assange.
Earlier this year, Malloch was questioned by investigators at Boston's Logan Airport. He was specifically asked if he had visited the Ecuadoran embassy in London, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lives.
He said he had not. As for Corsi, he followed up with Stone in early August 2016, writing, "Word is friend in embassy plans two more dumps, one shortly after I'm back, second in October. Impact planned to be very damaging," before referencing Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and The Clinton Foundation.
Corsi insists he was never actually in touch with Assange, even though his email came months before WikiLeaks began releasing Podesta's emails.
Another eccentric character in Mueller's probe, Corsi has a PhD from Harvard, a background in finance and a penchant for spreading conspiracy theories, casting doubt on John Kerry's Vietnam War service and even writing a book about Hitler secretly surviving the fall of Nazi Germany.
He and Trump were both particularly involved with the racially charged and inaccurate theory that President Obama wasn't born in the U.S.
CORSI: For a few years, I about lived in the Plaza Hotel. Donald Trump owned it and of course we got to know each other. Then in 2011, when the birth certificate issue came around, there were a few instances where Donald Trump called me to ask me questions and discuss it with me.
MURRAY: Corsi said he and Trump talked on a couple of occasions in 2016 but these days it's their lawyers that are sharing the information and Corsi says he won't take any plea deal that says he knowingly lied to investigators. As of Wednesday, he still had not been charged with a crime -- Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Britain's prime minister is on a publicity blitz, trying to win support for the negotiated Brexit deal. When we return, why folks in Scotland have no interest in what she has to say.
And some scientists are stunned and outraged by the birth of the world's first genetically edited babies. Hear why the researcher involved in the project is defending his work. Back in a moment.
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[02:30:17] CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check the headlines for you this hour. Russian President Vladimir Putin says a naval confrontation off Crimea was planned by Ukraine's president to boost his popularity ahead of an election in March. On Sunday, Russian forces seized three Ukrainian ships and detained the crew saying they illegally entered Russia territory.
The U.S. Senate has voted 63-37 to advance a resolution which would end American support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. It came just hours after CIA Director Gina Haspel skipped a closed-door Senate briefing on the conflict. Lawmakers want to know why Haspel's agency strongly suspects the Saudi crown prince was behind the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and why the Trump administration won't acknowledge it.
We turn now to Europe where a new report by the British government found in most cases leaving the E.U. would make the U.K. poorer than staying in. The report outlines the cause of a range of Brexit scenarios. It found there would be slightly weaker economy by 2023 than if the U.K. remained. But if trade with the E.U. can avoid regulatory barriers, the economy could grow by almost two percent. Britain's finance minister says economics is not the only measure.
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PHILIP HAMMOND, BRITISH CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: The only consideration was the economy then the analysis shows clearly that remaining in the European Union would be a better outcome for the economy, but not by much. The prime minister's deal is -- delivers an outcome that is very close to the economic it benefits of remaining in while having all the political benefits of being out.
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CHURCH: But a disorderly Brexit would have a different outcome. The Bank of England projects the U.K.'s GDP could drop by eight percent. Unemployment could rise to seven and a half percent. House prices could decline 30 percent and the pound would fall by 25 percent. Well, Britain's parliament is to vote on the Brexit agreement in less than two weeks and at this point it doesn't look like it will go the prime minister's way.
Therese May insist the deal she brokered with European leaders is good for the United Kingdom. But she faces strong opposition both from within and outside her party. CNN's Erin McLaughlin is in Scotland where the prime minister is now on a nationwide tour to gain last minute support.
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ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Convincing Scotland was always going to be a tough slug. In a Brexit referendum, the Scots overwhelmingly voted to remain. So British Prime Minster Theresa May perhaps not the most welcome guest. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she's got brass neck to suddenly ask for
Scotland's support which she ignored us, disrespected us, and undermine our parliament.
MCLAUGHLIN: She's in Glasgow today. If you could meet her, what would you tell her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably (INAUDIBLE)
MCLAUGHLIN: Despite some bitter feelings, the industrial city of Glasgow is a stop on May's Brexit tour to show of inclusivity ahead of an historic parliamentary vote. Her Brexit deal fresh from the negotiating table.
THERESA MAY, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Well, I'm here today talking to employers hearing from people and talking to them about the Brexit deal that we've negotiated for the U.K. So this is a deal that is right for Scotland and (INAUDIBLE) Scottish fishermen.
MCLAUGHLIN: This is a tightly controlled P.R. event. In fact, this is as close as we're able to gets being held at a leather good factory known for supplying to British parliament and in Scotland, not as friendly as it gets for Theresa May. Inside the city itself, people were coil at the thought of leaving the E.U. and Theresa May's Brexit deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you can't just say that you've either got this deal or no deal because that means that there's no other deals, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Democracy doesn't work that way. Democracy does not work through a simple majority. You have to have consensus and she chose to ignore that.
MCLAUGHLIN: And do you want to see an independent Scotland? Do you want to see --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, yes, absolutely. I did not -- when we (INAUDIBLE)
MCLAUGHLIN: The government needs all the help it can get to see Theresa May's deal through. But from Scotland, there's little support, plenty of anger, and perhaps a new problem for the United Kingdom. Erin McLaughlin, CNN Glasgow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:35:11] CHURCH: The U.S. Federal Reserve chairman is hinting that rate hikes will slow down and Wall Street is loving it.
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CHURCH: That news gave investors reason to cheer. The Dow surge after Jerome Powell's comment and by the end of trading, the Dow had its best day in three weeks. The index soared 617 points gaining two and a half percent. The NASDAQ and S&P also ended higher. The markets in the Asia Pacific region are mixed for the day. You can see there, Japan's Nikkei up .39 percent there and Seoul's KOSPI is up about a third of a percent.
Well, the Federal Reserve chairman's reassurance to investors comes a day after the U.S. president criticized him for the fed's rate hikes earlier this year. Clare Sebastian has more.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jerome Powell delivered pretty much what the market was hoping for in the speech and that's a signal that the fed may not raise interest rates as far as they previously forecast. Here's the comment that sent the markets soaring.
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JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: Interest rates are still low by historical standards and they remain just below the range of estimates of that level that would be neutral for the economy. That is neither speeding up not slowing down growth.
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SEBASTIAN: Well, the phrase just below neutral a significant because less than two months ago, Powell said that rates were, "A long way from neutral suggesting rates would need to rise for some time." That helped sparked a series bout of market volatility and has continued to unnerve investors many of whom believe the U.S. economy will start to slow next year as the effect of tax cuts fade and tariff start to bite. So this shift reassures the market the fed is prepared to hold off on all rate rises if there's risk material.
Well, another reason the speech was so closely watched is that it's not just the market who went fewer rate rises. President Trump continues to rail against the fed breaking a long standing tradition of presidents not openly criticizing the fed's decisions. Trump told the Washington Post this week he's not even a little bit happy with Powell. According to fed, a much bigger problem for the U.S. economy than China with Jerome Powell who has continued to maintain politics a not a factor in essential banks decision making to not comment on this latest presidential critic. Clare Sebastian, CNN New York.
CHURCH: A Chinese scientist is sparking an international outcry over his medical ethics after allegedly creating the world's first genetically edited babies. Our Alexandra Field reports from Hong Kong.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Proud of what he has done, that's the response from a Chinese scientist who says he helped create the world's first genetically edited babies. Dr. He Jiankui says he edits the embryos of twin girls born in China and he says another pregnancy is now in its early stages which means a third genetically altered baby could be born. He says he altered the embryos with the goal of making the babies genetically resistant to contracting the HIV virus. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HE JIANKUI, SCIENTIST: (INAUDIBLE) is not available and I have personal experienced with some people in (INAUDIBLE) 30 percent of (INAUDIBLE) people are infected.
FIELD: Dr. He has received scaling rebukes from fellow scientist were gathered here in Hong Kong for the Human Genome Editing Conference. They say they are already regularly practice methods for preventing the transmission of HIV. They've condemned the secrecy surrounding his process which hasn't been independently verified or peer reviewed and they've raised ethical questions. The chair of the summit Nobel Prize winner David Baltimore condemned his actions calling them irresponsible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID BALTIMORE, BIOLOGIST: I don't think it has been a transparent process. We've only found out about it after it has happened and after the children are born. I personally don't think that it was medically necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: He defended his work here at the summit in front of the same group that in 2015 set guidelines to regulate against the implantation of genetically altered embryos without further research and without more consensus building first. He says his clinical trial is currently on hold. Chinese authorities say they're investigating and the university where He says he did his research says they knew nothing about the work he was doing. In Hong Kong, Alexandra Field, CNN.
CHURCH: We'll take a short break here. But still to come, hoping for a better life that finding close doors, a refugee camp bursting at the scenes.
[02:40:03] We will go to the U.S.-Mexico border when we come back. Plus, an immigrant family facing deportation in the Netherlands take sanctuary in a local church. The congregation then takes an unusual step to keep them safe. Back in a moment.
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CHURCH: Well, the U.S. may now keep troops at the border with Mexico until late January. The mission had been scheduled to end December 15th. It comes as a refugee camp in Tijuana is bursting at the scenes overflowing with migrants waiting to seek asylum in the United States. Tijuana's mayor says it's a crisis and is calling for humanitarian aid. Our Leyla Santiago is there.
LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Long lines formed every single day, one for women and children. The other for men that are waiting here some say for hours just to get a small place of food. Food many telling me is a very limited resource. The state tells me they spend $27,000 just to feed this caravan. Let me actually show you exactly what they get. It looks like a spaghetti and soup. And this is what we'll see this young child and this gentleman.
This is a family who from Honduras who I actually met earlier saying that they're fleeing violence to hopefully for them get asylum in the United States. That is their goal. But I also want to walk over here to sort of show you what it's like a lot of people crowding outside and this is outside the shelter, so you can see again many of them here because it's time for a meal. But also down over here they actually have some tends that have been setup.
Many of them using plastics right now to put some tarps over because there is a concern that there could be rain in the next 24 hours and those tarps may cover them from above but does not provide any sort of relief from any water that may get on the ground. I spoke to a volunteer with one of three medical teams out here. He says they're seeing more than a hundred fifty people a day many with respiratory infections, lice is an issue as well as stomach issue.
So how long these migrants will be willing to stay under these conditions for what many call a dream, a hope of a better life? We'll just have to wait and see. Leyla Santiago, CNN, Tijuana.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:45:17] CHURCH: Well, immigrant seeking asylum in church is not new. But a Protestant church in the Netherlands has taken it to another level. An Armenian family that lived in the country for nine years suddenly found itself faced with deportation.
Now they took refuge in a local church. Under Dutch law, police cannot make arrests in a place of worship during services. So, to shield the family from deportation, the church began round-the-clock services. That was more than a month ago and it's still going on.
So, with us from The Hague, to explain more about, this is Reverend Theo Hettema, chair of the General Council of Protestant Ministers. And Reverend Joost Roselaers, one of the many keeping up the nonstop services at Bethel Church where this family is now living. Thanks to both of you for being with us.
JOOST ROSELAERS, PASTOR, VRIJBURG, AMSTERDAM (via skype): Good morning.
CHURCH: Well, Theo, you organized the nonstop church service for this Armenian family to try to prevent their deportation. How did you come up with this idea, and do you think it's going to work in the end?
THEO HETTEMA, CHAIR, GENERAL COUNCIL OF PROTESTANT MINISTER (via skype): Yes, maybe were asked to will -- to realize this, and when a question comes to us, you have to take it seriously. You want to love God and our neighbor, and we thought that it was clear opportunity to put out the law for our neighbor into reality.
It was very urgent for this family to seek for a safe place, to hide, and to tell the story to the government. And also the story of some 400 children in the Netherlands there were similar circumstances. So, we decided to allow sanctuary for them and started this nonstop service going on for more than a month. More than 800 hours, 24 hours a day. And we will continue as far -- as long as it's necessary.
CHURCH: Right. And Joost, as a minister, you have been involved in these services, why did you feel a need to be a part of this and how long do you think the church it can realistically keep visiting services going on?
ROSELAERS: Well, I felt this as an appeal to my Christian faith which is very clear about taking care of refugees. So, for me, this question only had one answer. And as if it's very good as the church in The Hague took this initiative.
How long it will take? Well, only God knows. And let's hope before Christmas could be a very nice time for government to change their mind about this matter.
So, but we will go on and on until the -- until it's clear and that his family can stay.
CHURCH: Right. And Theo, this family has been struggling for a number of years, and now, the government wants to deport them as we've reported. How is this family dealing with all the attention and, of course, what about the other families who are also in need of similar help?
HETTEMA: Yes, they've been in here hold on for nine years already. And it's very stressful for them the entire procedure. But, especially, of course, these weeks now in the church. But they are very faithful people, they pray, they have hope, and they cling to each other, and we form a circle around them.
We can only help this one family, but they are an example and exemplary for those 400 children in Netherlands. And we hope that our prayer and our appeals to the Member of Parliament and the government will affect for the entire group of children.
CHURCH: Have you had any feedback so far from government officials?
HETTEMA: We have some contacts with government and Members of Parliament, but we do these behind the scenes. We intend to have a good dialogue. The good dialogue is not always for all of us. And so, we keep it as it is behind the scenes.
CHURCH: Right, yes. And Joost, what has been the reaction from other churchgoers and, of course, the wider community?
ROSELAERS: Well, I found it very impressive to be present there to see all these people joining the services being present, so this video very good spiritual moves there, which is a significant encouraging for church and, of course, for this family.
CHURCH: All right. And Theo, just to go back to you for just a final question, you -- you're getting a sense that this could possibly wrap up around Christmas. So, that seems to be what you're saying here. But I mean, I know, it's difficult you don't want to divulge too much of the behind-the-scenes negotiations here.
But this must be giving -- this family must feel incredibly loved by all of you. I mean, what you're doing is just really amazing. And really showing other people particularly at a time when we're seeing so much anti-immigrant sentiment across Europe, particularly.
[02:50:11] HETTEMA: Yes, important for us to show that hope can be realized in deeds and in context this people. And we are severely as -- severely convinced that hope can change society. And hope can change politics.
How long that will take? We don't know, which we leave that to God, we pray. We have this service here. We have some 450 pastors who are leading a part of the service an hour or more going on. And that's so much faith, and love, and hope. It must affect something. I'm sure about that.
CHURCH: Yes. I commend both of you and, of course, your church and all the churchgoers involved in this for what you're doing. It is, it sets an example to the rest of us right across the globe. Many thanks.
ROSELAERS: Thank you.
HETTEMA: You're welcome.
CHURCH: And still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM. Everything tastes better when it's served by a robot waiter? People take you to a restaurant in Nepal where customers love this unique dining experience. We'll explain.
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CHURCH: Well, part of Australia are experiencing record flooding while other areas are dealing with fires. Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam is covering all of this, joins me now. Of course, Derek, this is a story we're hearing a lot of lately in all parts of the world.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN INTERNATIONAL WEATHER ANCHOR: Yes, it's been a difficult past 36 hours for much of Eastern Australia, all the way from Queensland to New South Wales. Just get a load of the footage coming out of Sydney. I mean, look at the flooded streets get to the next video, and you'll see some people trying to navigate these flooded roadways.
It's a bit difficult. I was listening to the audio this. But the woman who was in the passenger seat of this car was just completely terrified. As one would imagine because the floodwaters rose so quickly in Sydney has a very intense thunderstorm roll to the city.
This took place on Wednesday, local time, by the way. We're already in the Thursday evening. Now, let's take you to Queensland. Because you can see what they're doing in terms of the wildfires. There are three large fires are burning out of control. 130 plus smaller wildfires are still burning, as well. Schools have been shut down, and firefighters are working very hard around the clock to contain these blazes.
We'll get to the details here about what's actually taking place in Australia because it has been a wild weather ride over the past day and a half. Look at the coastal low that formed off of New South Wales. That's what brought our heavier thunderstorms into Sydney.
132 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, get a load of this. Our monthly average for November only 84 millimeters. So, well, in more than a month's worth of rain just in a day's time. So, a significant amount of precipitation to say the least. We dry things out and warm up into the weekend topping the middle 30s by Sunday. So, feeling more like early summer instead of late spring.
Now, Cairns, this is an interesting stat. It has never reached over 40 degrees in the month November. It did it three times in a row this week. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, all topping 40 degrees. This is a significant finding for this area because we just have not experienced this type of weather in much of Queensland.
This early in the spring season, we usually see these temperatures as we head into the middle parts of summer. Of course, hot weather continuing across much of northern parts of Australia. And the problem with this is this going to continue our wildfire threat which are really has seen its worst day on Wednesday.
But we continue with the potential for dry lightning storms that have lightning that can cause these bushfires to burn rather quickly when there's no rain associated with them. Rosy, back to you.
[02:55:20] CHURCH: A lot going on there back in Australia. Thanks so much for that, Derek, appreciate it.
VAN DAM: All right.
CHURCH: And finally, a restaurant in Nepal offers a unique dining experience. Robot waiters are serving the meals and customers love it. Here's Lynda Kinkade.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It's not exactly speedy service. More slow and steady, but the customers seem to like it. Meet ginger, the robot waiter.
GINGER, ROBOT WAITER: Would you please clear the table?
KUSUM GM, RESTAURANT CUSTOMER (through translator): I am happy and satisfied to get service from a robot. The food is delicious and clean. I will recommend this to my family and friends. This was my first experience and I really liked it.
KINKADE: Of course, it's always children that can put a weight as people skills to the test.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop, stop, stop, stop!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it's your time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Move backward! Move backward!
KINKADE: Ginger appears to largely ignore the little ones, but is capable of cracking jokes.
AAYUSH KASAJOO, RESTAURANT OWNER, DIRECTOR OF PAAILA TECHNOLOGY: We saw there is a potential market in the international market for waiter robot. Mostly where the labor cost is very high. So, we came back and we sat down in our office. And then, we compared with different robots around the world, around the companies which are producing around the world, and then, we developed our -- this service robots here in Nepal.
KINKADE: Ginger and several other robot waiters have been working at this restaurant in Kathmandu for the last four months. They were created by a Nepalese company and can answer basic questions in English and Nepali.
And, of course, being robots they never complain about difficult customers. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: We'll see if it catches on. Thanks for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with another hour of news in just a moment, you're watching CNN, stick around.
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