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NEWS STREAM
Six Years To The Day Since A Gang Rape Ripped The Nation And Now, New Accusations Of Another Horrific Assault In India On A Three-Year-Old; Taking On Goldman Sachs, Malaysia Is Filing Criminal Charges Against The Wall Street Investment Bank, Part Of A Multi-Billion-Dollar Scandal; North Korea Warning The U.S., A New Round Of Sanctions Could Derail Denuclearization Before It Even Begins. Aired: 8-9a ET
Aired December 17, 2018 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WILL RIPLEY, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: I'm Will Ripley in Hong Kong. Welcome to "News Stream." Six years to the day since a gang
rape ripped the nation and now, new accusations of another horrific assault in India on a three-year-old. Taking on Goldman Sachs, Malaysia is filing
criminal charges against the Wall Street investment bank, part of a multi- billion-dollar scandal. And North Korea warning the U.S. A new round of sanctions could derail denuclearization before it even begins.
We begin in India in a story so shocking, so horrifying in so many different ways. Right now, a three-year-old girl is in the hospital.
Police say she was assaulted and raped, just outside the capital of New Delhi. Now, the girl is in stable condition. A suspect has been arrested.
But if this case wasn't already horrendous, there's another shocking aspect to this story. This happened six years to the day of a fatal gang rape of
a student on a moving bus. An attack that led to protests across India and calls for changes in the law. Although, as you process the news today, you
might be forgiven for asking exactly what lawmakers have really done.
Nikhil Kumar is in New Delhi for us and he is standing by live right now. Nikhil, first of all, what do we know about the condition of this three-
year-old girl? Is she expected to be okay?
NIKHIL KUMAR, NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF, CNN: Will, the details are still coming through, but from what we understand, from what the police have told
us, she will be okay. She is, as you said, in stable condition in hospital. The case was first highlighted by the Delhi Commission for
Women, a statutory body in this city, which is meant to promote women's safety.
The head of that body alleged that a rape had taken place, this three-year- old was the victim. It happened yesterday, Sunday, which as you say, six years on from the horrific 2012 gang rape case. The police have arrested a
man accused of the attack. They have yet to confirm the rape. They're awaiting medical tests. But a man is under arrest and the girl is
receiving medical treatment.
And taking a step back, as you said, this has come on the day, six years on from that 2012 case and has once again highlighted this problem of sexual
violence in this country. You mentioned the protests back in 2012. But in April 2018, earlier this year, we had more protests in this country,
because people came out to express their anger about another series of cases, one of them involving an eight-year-old child, in fact, and asking
that very question. Why haven't things changed enough? Why is this happening again and again? That for all the legal changes, why do we keep
hearing these stories again and again? Will.
RIPLEY: And you know, I was reading India's official crime statistics for 2016. One rape every 13.5 2 minutes and those are just, I'm assuming the
ones that are reported. A lot of them go unreported. What is it going to take to change this?
KUMAR: A lot of them do go unreported, Will. That's a problem which activists have highlighted again and again. Look, many people who work in
this area, who we have spoken to again and again as these cases have come to the fore and have hit the headlines, they point out that many of the
legal reforms that were brought in after the 2012 rape case and after those protests, among them reforms, so for example, broaden the definition of
what counts as rape to allow police to better prosecute these cases.
Many of those reforms, they say, are good, are positive, and were all steps in the right direction. But you can have as many new laws as you want.
What the country still needs and what's been lacking again and again, they say, is enforcement. That you need the police to enforce these laws. You
need institutions that are strong enough, that are not susceptible for example, to manipulation.
I mentioned the protests in April earlier this year. One of them involved the case of a 16-year-old, in which the man accused, one of the men
accused, I should say rather, was a sitting lawmaker of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, Janata Party. And the accusation was that he had
been able to evade arrest for some time because he was able to manipulate the local police and local institutions because he was a powerful local
strongman.
So as long as those problems exist, as long as people can get away with hoodwinking, effectively, the institutions, that these problems will
remain. So enforcement, that's the key. That you can have new laws, but what you really need and what's really been lacking is enforcement -- Will.
RIPLEY: India certainly should not be defined by this one issue. And yet, we keep hearing about this time and time again.
[08:05:10]
RIPLEY: Nikhil Kumar, we know you'll keep watching the situation there in New Delhi, thank you.
In China, western governments and Civil Rights advocates are warning that China is expanding its crackdown - a crackdown on religious freedom, after
a prominent pastor and 100 Christians were taken into custody last week. The parishioners were accused of inciting subversion of state power. The
head of the Early Rain Covenant Church, Wang Yi is calling China's moves against Christians a wicked, unlawful action.
Alexandria Field is following this story for us here in Hong Kong. Alex, what is it about churches like this one and others that makes the Chinese
government so nervous?
ALEXANDRIA FIELD, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, well, Will, in the broadest sense, this church really isn't different from any other church in the
senses that churches give people an ability to organize. That can certainly inspire fear in communist countries among party leaders.
This can be seen as a threat, of course, to power. This church, though, is different in a certain sense. Look, it is legal to practice religion in
China. China actually recognizes five different religions, as you know. But the practice of religion is subject to Communist Party rules and
surveillance.
Churches and other houses of worship must follow specific regulations and they have to register. This church that we're talking about, the Early
Rain Church operates as an underground church, as many do. That means it isn't registered with authorities, but it doesn't mean that its prominent
pastor keeps his views quiet.
In fact, he has incredibly fiery sermons. His writings and his work are widely available, and they are highly critical of the Chinese government,
of the Communist Party, and of Chinese President Xi Jinping himself. So much so that this is a pastor who actually prepare for the possibility that
he could, in fact, one day be arrested because of his views.
He had written a manifesto that was set to be published in the event of his detainment. It has now been published and we're seeing that in that
manifesto. He does rail against what he sees as the Communist Party's persecution of the church in China, Will.
RIPLEY: So obviously, it's kind of a mixture of both politics and religious freedom. And you have to wonder what this is going to mean for
other churches like this and whether they'll be continued to be allowed to operate. Alexandria Field live in Hong Kong, thank you.
New U.S. sanctions on North Korea are sparking condemnation from Pyongyang. North Korean state media warning that relations between the two countries
could revert to, quote, "exchanges of fire." A reference, perhaps to the fiery rhetoric and also the missile and nuclear tests that have been
suspended for a year now.
Last week, the U.S. placed sanctions on three senior North Korean officials for alleged human rights abuses. Now, this all comes after that hyped up
summit back in June between the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and the U.S. President Donald Trump. A summit that sought to help end the nuclear
standoff on the Korean Peninsula.
In about 20 minutes, I'll speak with Chad O'Carroll, the founder of NK News. He has made many trips to North Korea and he can help us understand
what to make of all of this.
But now we turn to Malaysia and that massive financial scandal that cost the nation billions and contributed to the shocking defeat of the former
Prime Minister and it focused the attention of Malaysian authorities on banking giant, Goldman Sachs.
The country's Attorney General has filed criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and two of its former employees. The complaint alleges that the bank
broke securities laws and misappropriated billions of dollars from Malaysia's state development fund, known as 1MDB.
The U.S. Justice Department claims conspirators took some $4.5 billion from the fund - $4.5 billion, and almost half the money Goldman Sachs helped
1MDB raise was allegedly siphoned off for bribes and goods, everything from yachts to fine art. And as you can tell, this is all actually very
complex, but here to break it down for us, he's been pouring through all the court documents, Ivan Watson, live in Hong Kong. How big of a problem
could this be for Goldman Sachs? This new lawsuit? This new case in Malaysia?
IVAN WATSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Will, you've got the Attorney General from Malaysia now placing charges against one of
the biggest banks on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs, as well as these four individuals, basically two Goldman Sachs bankers and then the top lawyer
for this state investment fund, 1MDB, and this notorious figure, Jho Low, who is alleged to be at the heart of this scandal.
Now, what the Attorney General is alleging and accusing them of is saying that they worked together to misrepresent and to bribe involved with the
sales of bonds from 1MDB in 2012 and 2013, and misappropriated some $2.7 billion worth from those bond sales ...
[08:10:02]
WATSON: ... and in doing so, Goldman Sachs, the charges go on to say, charged some $600 million in fees, which the Attorney General claims is
well above the market rate. So what he's asking for is that all of the defendants pay fines in excess of $3.3 billion, which is substantial, and
jail sentences of up to ten years.
Among the people named is Tim Leissner, who was the head of Southeast Asia for Goldman Sachs at the time. His deputy, Roger Ng, and again, these two
Malaysian individuals. Goldman Sachs issued a statement to CNN in which it said, quote, "We believe these charges are misdirected and we will
vigorously defend them and look forward to the opportunity to present our case." Goldman Sachs says it is cooperating with authorities in this huge
investigation -- Will.
RIPLEY: And also huge, I mean, the amount of money that was embezzled and some of the details about how it was spent. It almost reads like a
Hollywood script.
WATSON: Yes, I mean, let's also be clear that last month, this former Southeast Asia Director for Goldman Sachs, Tim Leissner, he pled guilty to
the U.S. Justice Department. They announced this on November 1st, for criminal charges involved in this scandal. So he seems to be cooperating
with the authorities here.
Goldman Sachs is also under fire from an Abu Dhabi Investment fund, which has taken it to court in the state of New York, after this executive pled
guilty and we learned a lot of details from that Justice Department filing. And we also have had reports of investigations going on of Goldman Sachs
also in New York, involving the Federal Reserve.
Now, go one step further. The investigation has listed just this colossal amount of wealth that has been seized, as part of the investigation. So,
if I just run through a list of some of this, it's truly astounding. A $250 million yacht known as the "Equanimity," which the Justice Department
says Jho Low purchased in 2014. All rights to a number of Hollywood films, that appeared to have been funded with some of this allegedly embezzled
money, such as "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Dumb and Dumber 2," "Daddy's Home," paintings by Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, and then property in Los
Angeles, Beverly Hills, numerous apartments and penthouses in New York and we're not even talking about the gems and luxury items that were seized
from the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, who has been charged with dozens of counts in Malaysia, of corruption -- Will.
RIPLEY: That's just incredible and it sounds like this case in Malaysia may just be the beginning. Ivan Watson, live in Hong Kong, thank you.
You're watching "News Stream." And up next, we go live to Washington. President Trump's weekend tweet storm takes aim at just about everyone, as
Robert Mueller's Russia probe dives deeper into his inner circle. And once was enough, there will be no second Brexit referendum, at least not if
Prime Minister Theresa May has anything to say about it. Why is she so keen to rule out a rerun?
[08:15:00]
RIPLEY: You're watching "News Stream," coming to you live on a beautiful Monday night, here in Hong Kong. And now we go to another weekend in
Washington and another tweet storm by the U.S. President. Donald Trump taking aim at multiple targets on Sunday, Special Counsel Robert Mueller
and his Russia investigation, the Democrats, the media, and his former fixer, Michael Cohen. Mr. Trump called his onetime personal lawyer a rat
for cooperating with prosecutors.
Meanwhile, his current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, suggests that the President discussed the proposed Trump Tower Moscow project further into the 2016
election cycle than was originally thought. In a moment, we'll speak with our senior political analyst, John Avlon in New York. But first, we're
going to speak with Abby Phillip, who is in Washington at the White House for us. Abby, all of these tweets, seems like President Trump has a lot on
his mind right now.
ABBY PHILLIP, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Absolutely. It does seem that President Trump is really focused on some key developments in the last
couple of weeks, particularly the guilty plea reached by his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
But also this information that we've learned since then about the level of cooperation Cohen has had with Federal prosecutors. And also about
additional investigations into the President's inauguration that have been spawned from the raid into Michael Cohen's office, which produced a trove
of documents and audio tapes, which combined with Cohen's own testimony and interviews that he's done with prosecutors, could lead to serious legal
troubles for the President.
Now, the President, you know, issued several tweets over the weekend, denouncing the probe, basically accusing Federal investigators of
entrapping people from misstatements. And also suggesting that Federal prosecutors should have broken into the Democratic National Committee
instead of Michael Cohen's office.
Now, those comments really have set people - some people in Washington, off, who are now saying that the President is talking like someone who has
very little regard for rule of law. The warrant that was served for Michael Cohen's office was a lawful warrant that was signed off at the
highest levels of the Justice Department. But President Trump doesn't see it that way. What he sees, now, is a huge ballooning problem for him and
his family, as all of these probes really start to look into the conduct of his organizations, his business, the inauguration and accusations that
money has been misspent, that perhaps taxes were evaded. There's a whole litany of issues being looked at, at state - at the state and Federal level
that I think President Trump is clearly very, very worried about, as we go into this week.
RIPLEY: And John Avlon, going on what Abby was just saying, let's say that some of these accusations turn out to be true. What does that actually
mean? What are the next steps for President Trump and his family?
JOHN AVLON, SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, CNN: Well, a sitting President can't be indicted. That's Justice Department regulations. So that's not the
issue of legal jeopardy. The issue is that we have a President who is under an unprecedented amount of legal scrutiny.
Literally, according to a "Washington Post" report over the weekend, every organization Donald Trump ran over the last ten years is under
investigation. Everything he has touched. And that creates a reverse Midas touch affect for the people who work with him on team Trump.
So you've not just got the Mueller investigation, which is heating up. You've got everything from the campaign to the Inauguration Committee now.
His own private businesses. And that could include his family, and it's a degree of legal jeopardy we just haven't seen for a President before.
The President is not reacting well. Rage tweeting is not a legal defense. And the President may believe that things were unlawful, but that doesn't
comport with the facts. He took an oath to uphold the Constitution, his own Justice Department is bearing down, and you can expect things to get
worse for a President who increasingly feels that the walls are closing in, because they are.
RIPLEY: Abby, what are you hearing about President Trump's mindset at the moment? What are his aides saying, if they're saying anything?
PHILLIP: Well, for weeks, we've been hearing from the President's aides, that this has all been a massive distraction for a President who obviously
has a lot on his plate.
[08:20:01]
PHILLIP: But it's clear, based on what we're seeing, as well, that every morning, he wakes up and this is almost the first thing on his mind. So it
has become something looming over this administration, but it's also had a lot of other impacts.
For example, last week the President was trying to find a candidate to replace his White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, who's leaving at the
end of this year, but one of the problems has been that very few people seem to want the job.
Everyone would raise their hand, only to say, "I'm honored, Mr. President, but I don't want this job." And one of the reasons is likely that this is
a White House that is under siege. It is one that is going to face significant headwinds in 2019 and a President who is distracted and in many
cases, angry about it, is going to be very difficult to manage.
So it's having widespread impacts across the Federal government, in part because the Commander-in-Chief is really fixated on something that isn't
really the governing of the country.
RIPLEY: And John, we've talked about the implications potentially, legally. What about politically? Are voters, especially Trump supporters,
going to care about this?
AVLON: Well, look, his core support will probably stick with him, no matter what. Even Richard Nixon, in the moments before his resignation,
when impeachment was looming held on to a core support of just between a quarter and a third of the American people.
That said, the President's poll numbers are historically low over the course of his first two years in office. And there's some erosion among
Republicans, as well as anemic numbers among Democrats and Republicans. The reason what you ask is so key is because it's the question of
impeachment.
And even though Democrats control the House, the Democratic leadership is not keen to have this impeachment conversation, even if their base would
like to have it. It's a wait-and-see issue with Robert Mueller's report. Can anything rise to that very high, albeit, political standard. But then
you get to the Senate and because Republicans control the majority of the Senate, and you need essentially two-thirds to remove a President from
office, that jeopardy, that political and historic removal of office option does not seem to be likely at this point, given what we know.
So that creates a bit of a safety net for the President. It doesn't handle things that he may be culpable before when he leaves office. It doesn't
address legal jeopardy to people around him. But his numbers are falling, but he does have that security blanket in the Senate with the Republican
majority.
RIPLEY: Just when you thought the news cycle in Washington couldn't get any busier, then the next day happens and you guys are all over it.
AVLON: That's right.
RIPLEY: Okay, John Avlon in New York and Abby Phillip in Washington, thank you both very much for being with us.
AVLON: Take care, Will.
RIPLEY: "The Washington Post" has obtained a draft of a damning report about Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. Election. The comprehensive
report prepared for the U.S. Senate studied millions of social media posts provided by technology firms. Its key findings, Russia used every major
social media platform to help elect Donald Trump.
All of Moscow's messaging was intended to benefit the Republican Party. And on Facebook alone, Russia's campaign reached 126 million people. And
despite President Trump's continued support, Saudi Arabia is now firmly in Capitol Hill's sights. The Kingdom denounced the U.S. Senate after
lawmakers voted to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and voted to condemn the Saudi Crown Prince for the murder of journalist
Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Affairs Ministry issued this statement. "The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs and
any and all accusations in any manner that disrespect its leadership."
It might look like the British Prime Minister is running out of options, but in just a couple of hours, Theresa May will try to tackle one of those
choices very much off the table. Mrs. May is expected to criticize the growing calls around the U.K. for a second referendum on Brexit arguing
that putting the question to a new vote would betray British voters, who turned out the first time, and do, quote, "irreparable damage" to British
democracy.
Erin McLaughlin is live in London. She has been following all of this very closely. Does the British public want a second referendum?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: You know, that's a good question, Will. I was out in Belfast, I was also out in Wales, speaking to people
here in London. You definitely get the sense of a divided public. And I think the issue with a referendum at this point, which does not have a
majority in the House of Commons to pass any sort of legislation for a referendum at this point, the issue is a couple of things. The timing
issue.
A Brexit is happening. It's enshrined in U.K. law in March of 2019. That deadline is quickly coming. It would require unanimous approval of all 27
E.U. member states, in order for a referendum to happen.
[08:25:07]
MCLAUGHLIN: It also is an open question at this point, what the question would be on any sort of referendum paper. Do you have a "no" deal, do you
have Theresa May's deal, do you put "remain" on there. Those are all sorts of options people are now talking about. Lawmakers are, as I said, talking
about this. There is momentum that seems to be building over the weekend.
There was a report in "The Sunday Times" about Theresa May's own Cabinet - members of her Cabinet, her deputy, as well as her Chief of Staff, talking
about planning for this possibility, because the fact of the matter is, if she's unable to get her Brexit deal through Parliament, the options that
are remaining are limit limited.
There's the option of calling a general election, the prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn government is not appealing to many within her own Conservative
Party or anyone within her own Conservative Party, for that matter. The no deal scenario looks to be an economic catastrophe for both the E.U. and the
U.K. so that leaves this no deal - this referendum, rather, scenario that people, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, is talking about, but
Theresa May lashing out at that.
She's expected to address the House of Commons from a rather bruising week last week, talking about this chatter about a referendum, saying that it's
undemocratic, saying that it's divisive, because what she's trying to do right now is create sort of a pressurized situation before that meaningful
vote, which is expected in January, looking at her deal, which pits her deal against a no deal scenario, the chaotic scenario, and she's hoping
that her deal will pass. She's also hoping and continuing to talk with the E.U. to extract additional concessions from the E.U. to alleviate concerns
about that Northern Ireland backstop, which is at the center of this entire impasse.
If she is able to do that, perhaps she could get it through, although that's looking unlikely at this point.
RIPLEY: You have to wonder how some people who voted for Brexit might vote now, knowing all of the implications and the potential damage to the U.K.
economy? And who knows, maybe we'll find out. Erin McLaughlin always following it very closely, live in London, thank you.
Coming up on "News Stream," North Korea is warning the U.S. that it just made the path to denuclearization a lot harder. The reason, new sanctions
over a very sensitive topic for the North Koreans. We will speak with an expert who has traveled to the country many times to try to break down this
new message from North Korea.
[08:30:00]
RIPLEY: I'm Will Ripley in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. In India, a three-year-old girl is
recovering in the hospital. Police say she was attacked and may have been raped just outside of New Delhi. They also say a suspect has been
arrested. The horrendous attack happened exactly six years after the deadly gang rape of a student on a moving bus. That led to nationwide
protests and calls for changes in the law.
The Malaysian government has filed criminal charges against American investment bank, Goldman Sachs. The charges allege that the bank and two
former employees violated Malaysia's securities laws and fraudulently diverted more than $2 billion from the country's state development fund.
Goldman Sachs denies the charges.
China is urging Canada to release Huawei CFO, Meng Wanzhou, saying Ottawa can correct its mistake by doing so. She remains under house arrest in
Vancouver while awaiting an extradition hearing to the U.S., where she could face up to 30 years in prison. A spokeswoman for China's Foreign
Ministry also pressed the U.S. to revoke her arrest warrant on charges of evading Iran sanctions, immediately.
In Japan, at least 42 people have been injured in the city of Sapporo after an explosion close to a pub. It's not clear what caused the blast. The
residents reported smelling gas after the explosion. This according to national broadcaster in Japan, NHK. There was also a fire which you see
here caused the building to collapse.
And now we return to our coverage of this latest kind of ongoing public spat between Washington and Pyongyang. Fresh U.S. sanctions on North Korea
over the issue of human rights have prompted a very sharp response, putting the relationship between the two countries into question.
North Korean state media warning, quote, "Added sanctions pressure will block the path to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula forever. A
result desired by no one." So what do we make of this? Let's bring in Chad O'Carroll, he is the founder of NK News, which provides news and
analysis on North Korea. In fact, Chad and I just were both in North Korea back in September. Chad, you read what North Korea put out over the
weekend. How much of it is rhetoric and how much of it should be taken very seriously here?
CHAD O'CARROLL, CEO, KOREA RISK GROUP: Hi, Will. So yes, the statement over the weekend, it was published across six different North Korean media
outlets. So it seems that they're really keen to get this message out. But it's important to be said that this was put out from one of the North
Korean Foreign Ministry's think tanks. It's not the Foreign Ministry itself, so there is some kind of distance here.
But it comes against the canvas of ongoing low-level complaints about the U.S. position on sanctions, human rights, and so forth. And it seems that
the North Koreans are growing increasingly intolerant of U.S. sanctions designations and so forth. But at the same time, they're leaving a kind of
fig leaf out to Donald Trump, because he has been kept out of all of the criticism from North Korea's recent and other statements.
RIPLEY: Speaking with your sources in North Korea, are they holding out hope that Donald Trump is going to be the answer to a more favorable deal
for them at this point?
O'CARROLL: I think a lot of North Koreans believe based on what I'm reading in state media and from what I learned from speaking to those in
Pyongyang, it seems that there's a hope that a second summit with Donald Trump can bring about some kind of game change in terms of U.S.-DPRK
relations.
Right now at the working level, things just aren't going very smoothly. And it seems that the North Koreans believe that Donald Trump's statements
and pledges at Singapore are just not being meted out by the State Department, Treasury, and other relevant departments. So it seems as
though hope that a second summit can bring about some kind of big change in U.S.-DPRK relations.
RIPLEY: Now, before that second Trump-Kim Summit, you would presume that there would need to be a summit with President Moon Jae-in in South Korea,
because he's the intermediary and often he has teed up what's going happen with the U.S. and yet, it's not going to happen this month. It seems
almost impossible to organize a summit in Seoul, even though President Moon said when he was in Pyongyang, he expected it would happen before the end
of the year. So how is that going to affect all of this?
O'CARROLL: Yes, a summit with Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, I think from a North Korean perspective, it would play most valuable, either just before
or right after a summit with Donald Trump. There's just little value for doing it right now or right before the end of the year. There's nothing
that can really be agreed to that will be substantial for either party, given the stalemate that we've seen in recent years.
[08:35:02]
O'CARROLL: So it's very unlikely to happen in the short-term. That being said, if we cast our minds back to May, we'll remember that there was a
summit announced between the two Koreas the day it happened. It came about very, very suddenly, indeed. And so there's still a very small chance that
something could happen, but I still mostly doubt it, for now.
RIPLEY: It would be tough to arrange it there in Seoul at the last minute, but maybe at the demilitarized zone, they could pull something together
quickly. Chad, are you optimistic about the direction things - I mean, where this is headed. Given the North Korean messaging that's gotten kind
of increasingly sharp, but they're still showing restraint.
O'CARROLL: Unfortunately, I'm getting more and more pessimistic. It seems that there's just this big logjam that neither the U.S. nor North Korea can
find a way around. And I frankly am finding it difficult to think about what can even be achieved through a second U.S.-DPRK summit. Kim Jong-un
would have to make some space for the potential of some very big concessions to Donald Trump, to try and get things to move forward, because
with the way things are the and the advice that Donald Trump is likely to be getting from some very, very skeptical advisers around him, I don't
think it's going to be him that's going to be too likely to make any major gestures.
So unfortunately, it's starting to look like all of this may come for nothing.
RIPLEY: Even as President Trump continues to tweet that things are going just fine, and yet it seems to be moving in the other direction. Chad
O'Carroll, I'm sure I'll see you soon, either in Eeoul or in Pyongyang. Thanks for being with us.
You're watching "News Stream" and when it comes to political power, image, of course is everything. Optics, right? Well, just ahead, we'll show you
how some say one congressional leader really nailed it.
An ambitious renovation project is underway in Hungary to keep two of the country's cultural treasures in top form. In our series, "Destination
Budapest," CNN goes behind the scenes, right here, the State Opera House under renovation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Hungarian government is investing heavily to secure the future of the opera and ballet. The 134-year-old Opera House will
remain closed until 2020, while the entire building receives a brush-up or complete renovation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA JOZSA, CHIEF ENGINEER, HUNGARIAN STATE OPERA: A renovation of the Opera House, it's in every 30, 40 years. So I am very lucky that I can be
a part of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But the show must go on and in an alternative venue, the Hungarian National Ballet is in its final rehearsal, for the most
popular show of the year, "The Nutcracker."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAMAS SOLYMOSI, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, BALLET: We have "The Nutcracker" tour in December. We have 24 performances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the same stage, the Hungarian State Opera will performing a classic Italian opera, directed by an up-and-coming stage
director. This will be an almost purely Hungarian production.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VASILY BAKHATOV, STAGE DIRECTOR: It's a rare thing when the State Opera or any opera can cover the whole cast of such a difficult and big opera like
Fanciulla del West.
[08:40:07]
BAKHATOV: ... their own singers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And because the state opera needs more space, the government has purchased this vast industrial site. An abandoned train
repair station from the 19th Century. The opera is investing close to $70 million to build an all-inclusive facility, with three rehearsal stages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOZSA: You can see from here, this will be the auditorium part, and here will be this flexible seating system, with 400 seats. This will be the
orchestra pit for 100 musicians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state opera is planning to open the new facility next year, adding to the high notes of Budapest's cultural scene.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
RIPLEY: And we turn back to Washington now, where you've probably heard of things like the power suit, maybe even power heels, but now it's the power
jacket with a dash of shade.
CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on Nancy Pelosi's rock star treatment after her take-no-guff encounter with President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT, CNN: After the now-famous Oval Office meeting --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY PELOSI, MINORITY LEADER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: You should not have a Trump shutdown.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Did you say Trump shutdown?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: There was a lot of shade thrown. But when Nancy Pelosi put on shades for exactly five seconds, that became the moment of fans
immortalized. Pelosi like a lock star. That look when you just got finished manhandling a man baby. The new power suit for women, red coat,
sunglasses, nerves of steel.
For a politician who almost saw her position as House Speaker-to-be blown up, it must be sweet to be compared to the cool dude in "CSI: Miami."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HORATIO CAINE, FICTIONAL CHARACTER: Burn, baby, burn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Critics threw cold water, when you're getting excited by Nancy Pelosi putting on sunglasses, you need to take a deep breath and maybe look
in the mirror.
Tell that to whoever made Pelosi gangster, by adding Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Pelosi joins other sunglass-wearing women who went viral, like
Hillary and Elisabeth Moss from "Mad Men."
At the meeting, President Trump Nancied and Chucked the two leaders to death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Nancy and Chuck. Nancy - well, you have walls, Chuck, Nancy, I'd have it passed in two seconds. The last time Chuck, Nancy, I need 10 votes
from Chuck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: But why waste time with two separate names when you can combine them into one. Nanchuck. Nanchuck was the brain child of two CNN anchors,
Lemon and Cuomo, or if you prefer, Lemonoumo.
Coumo gave Lemon credit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS CUOMO, ANCHOR, CNN: My name was not good. I had Pelumer and Schelosi. Nanchuck is great. It's like what Bruce Lee would do with those
things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: From Bruce Lee to Jay-Z ... Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi, also known as Nanchuck, Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
RIPLEY: And that is "News Stream" on a Monday here in Hong Kong. I'm Will Ripley. Connect with me anytime on Twitter, Instagram a@WillRipleyCNN and
stay with us, "World Sport" with Alex Thomas coming up next.
(SPORTS)
[09:00:00]
END
