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Hala Gorani Tonight
"BuzzFeed" Reports Trump Directed His Lawyer to Lie to Congress; Clash Between Trump and Pelosi Intensifies Over Shut Down; It Is Now The 28th Day of The Government Shutdown; British Prime Minister Calls for New Brexit Negotiations With The EU; Interview with Boris Johnson -- Former British Foreign Secretary; Top North Korea Negotiator Meets with Trump And Pompeo; Tesla Shares Fall As Company Sheds 7 Percent of Workforce; Irish Backstop Remains Key Sticking Point; Scotland Residents Voice Concerns Amid Uncertainty With E.U.; Britain's Prince Philip Cleared By Doctors After Car Crash; Moscow Detains Woman Claiming Proof Of Trump-Russia Ties; Muslim Journalist Misidentified AS Pakistan Actress By Vogue. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired January 18, 2019 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00] HALA GORANI, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, a potentially explosive development in the
Russia investigation. Reports that American President Trump personally directed his former attorney to lie to Congress about a proposed Trump
Tower in Moscow. We are live in Washington with those details.
Also, a CNN exclusive interview with Boris Johnson. We ask the Conservative rebel if he wants to be prime minister. That is just ahead.
And 97-year-old Prince Philip was shaken after flipping his SUV on a British road. More details on the crash this hour.
We begin with an explosive report that could be a game changer in the Russia investigation. According to "BuzzFeed" news, Donald Trump directed
his then personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about a proposed Trump project in Moscow. The U.S. President's current attorney
Rudy Giuliani says that is categorically false, calling Cohen a liar. But if the report is true, it's not a case of he said, he said, because Special
Counsel Robert Mueller reportedly has evidence from multiple sources backing up Cohen's claim. Several court filings also lineup with part of
"BuzzFeed's" reporting. Congressional Democrats are now asking for answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D), RHODE ISLAND: Well, I mean, this is obviously a very, very serious report. If threw, this is, I think, the most serious
threat to the Trump presidency that we've seen so far, and that's saying something because we've seen a lot. But this is obstruction of justice if
these facts are true, this is suborning perjury. There's no question it's an impeachable offense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. Well, "BuzzFeed" also reports that Mr. Trump supported a plan by Cohen to visit Russia during the campaign and meet with Vladimir
Putin. The President said, quote, make it happen. CNN's Kara Scannell is in Washington with this explosive report. What are we learning -- what
more are we learn forgive this reporting?
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This report that "BuzzFeed" published last night, CNN has not verified the contents of it. But what "BuzzFeed"
is saying, and they're citing two law enforcement officials, is that Donald Trump had directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress when Michael Cohen had
told Congress that their conversations with Russians and others to potentially build a Trump Tower in Moscow had ended in January of 2016,
which is just as the Presidential campaign is getting underway. Now, Cohen told Congress, in fact, these conversations continued much later, into June
when Trump was about to seal the nomination for the Republican side. So, what this report is saying is that law enforcement officials have
information based on witness testimony, documents and text messages that back up what Michael Cohen is saying. We have not independently verified
this, but the report from "BuzzFeed" also says that Cohen was in contact with lawyers close to the administration in the drafting of his statement
to Congress, which, of course, he had said was a lie.
And there are some little clues in the court reporting that is out there in these documents where Michael Cohen had said when he pleaded guilty in
November that he did this because he wanted to be consistent with Trump's political messaging, which was really shortening this time line of when he
was having these communications about building a tower in Moscow. And the Special Counsel's office in their filing around Michael Cohen had also
noted that he had described to Mueller's team the circumstances around the drafting of his statement to Congress. So, none of that backs up
"BuzzFeed's" report, but there are a little bit of parallel lines here about what Michael Cohen had told prosecutors and the little bit that
they've told us publicly and what "BuzzFeed" is reporting today.
GORANI: All right. Kara, thank you very much for that from Washington. It's all about whether or not the President told his attorney at the time,
just go with the story and commit perjury, essentially, if this report is true. Of course, this could be very problematic for the President. This
bombshell report comes amid an escalating fight between President Trump and the top House Democrat over this government shutdown that is the longest in
American history. Now, you have to imagine this. This is a country where 800,000 federal workers are essentially going to work without pay, most of
them. Nancy Pelosi is now responding to Mr. Trump, who pulled the plug on a trip that she was planning to Afghanistan just before her Congressional
delegation was set to depart, he denied them the use of a military plane. Pelosi said she was forced to abandon the trip altogether after Mr. Trump
outed her confidential itinerary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[14:05:00] NANCY PELOSI, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We never, we never advance -- we never give advance notice of going into a battle field. We just
never do. Perhaps the President's inexperience didn't have him understand that protocol. The people around him, though, should have known that. But
that's very dangerous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Let's get the latest now from Washington. I'm joined by Stephen Collinson. So, this shutdown, any -- is there any hope that there will be
some sort of agreement that will lead to the government reopening and all these people getting their paychecks?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: There is no hope really, Hala. There aren't any serious negotiations going on either between the
Democrats and the White House or among senators and lawmakers on Capitol Hill that gives us any indication that this is going to end soon. And I
think this rather childish spat between the two most powerful people in the United States, Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump, is an indication of how bad
relations between the sides are and how unlikely it is that they've got to appoint where they might sit down and start to try and get over this. I
think the reason is because this is hugely important to both of them. For Donald Trump, the wall, as we have talked about, is so fundamental to his
political support, and he can't afford to lose his first clash with the Democratic House. Nancy Pelosi and her first act doesn't want to, you
know, give in to Donald Trump, to give him money for his wall. And I think there is good reason to believe that the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi, if you
look at polls and you look at this subjectively, are actually winning at this moment because Donald Trump is getting most of the blame.
GORANI: I was going to ask you that, because most Americans are blaming Trump, according to the latest polls for this shutdown. So, I guess the
question is are Republicans on the hill concerned that this will start to hurt them by association?
COLLINSON: Yes, there are some Republicans, particularly people like Senator Cory Gardener, for example, from Colorado, who is already looking
at a very tough 20 reelection fight. But there aren't enough Republicans right now -- maybe there's a handful who are really concerned -- there
aren't enough Republicans who want to split with the President. The President, for all the crises that are besieging his White House, still has
that strong solid support from his political base. There have been a few polls that suggest that's softening slightly, but nowhere near where Mitch
McConnell, the leader in the Republican Senate, is going to lead his troops into a revolt against the President.
GORANI: Surely that's going to change if this shutdown continues. We're 28 days in now. The second paycheck missed, we're looking at situations
where families will have -- we're reading stories of TSA employees having to go on food stamps.
COLLINSON: Yes, and it's appalling. There is increasing human misery. The theory is that the more of these reports that Americans see, the more
pressure will come upon those Republicans who are sort of wavering and wonder how they get out of this. There was one aborted effort led this
week by Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator and ally of the President, to try and put some things on the table, but that didn't work.
It's interesting, we had some reporting from some of our colleagues out of the White House yesterday that said that Donald Trump actually thinks he's
winning this, despite all the evidence of the polls. I think that gets perhaps to some of his inexperience in Washington. He tends to see the
news and read the polls he likes. Personally, I think what the breaking point may be for the President is if we see the economy start to go in
reverse. We know how important the good economy is to Trump's reelection and the White House said this week there has been more impact in the
economy than they expected. 1.1 percent shaving of GDP growth for every week the shutdown goes on. At some point --
GORANI: I was going to say the economy is so strong -- I mean, the metrics and the numbers and the indicators are so strong, it's going to take a lot
of shutdown to put a dent in that.
COLLINSON: That's right. And all of this, the political side of this, the economic equation, those are all reasons why it looks like this is going to
go on for at least a few more weeks.
[14:10:00] GORANI: Stephen Collinson, as always, thanks so much for joining us.
Let's go back now to that potentially explosive "BuzzFeed" report. Now, if it's true that the President directed his personal attorney at the time,
Michael Cohen, to lie to Congress, it would be the first known example of Trump explicitly directing a subordinate to lie.
Larry Sabato is the Director at the Center for Politics at The University of Virginia. Could you put this in a sort of would be the first known
example of Trump explicitly directing a suborn to lie. If it's the case and if this is true that Donald Trump told Michael Cohen who was his
attorney at the time, just go with this story, tell Congress this story that we didn't negotiate this Trump tower deal well into June 2016, but
that we ended the negotiations much sooner? What is the significance of that?
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: The significance is, for anyone who actually cares about the law and the
impeachment provision in the constitution, it's an open and shut case at that point that Donald Trump suborned perjury, encouraged perjury in
Michael Cohen's testimony before Congress, and was directly involved in obstructing justice. It's open and shut. That doesn't mean that he would
be convicted of impeachment once it goes to the Senate. But it means that the facts are very he clear to anyone with an open mind.
GORANI: So, but again, impeachment is a political process. This isn't a court of law. And you would need Republicans. Therefore, the President's
own party to start feeling the heat as well, to start feeling that this is all harming them politically. But we're nowhere near that yet, are we?
SABATO: No, nowhere near it, and you're absolutely right to point out that in the Senate, even if all the Democrats voted on the article sent over
from the House and they voted unanimously, that would only be 47 votes. You need 67 votes to oust a President. 20 Republicans would have to agree
to oust a President who strongly supported by the Republican base. Dream on.
GORANI: Exactly right. But so, what significance does it have? At what point -- could the shutdown, do you think -- because, according to polling,
most Americans are blaming Donald Trump. Could the shutdown, could the association with Donald Trump at some point become politically harmful to
Republicans on Capitol Hill if this drags on?
SABATO: That's half of the story. The other half is looking to 2020 and seeing whether Trump can actually be reelected. If he's -- it looks like
he's going to lose, that's going to affect lots of members of the House and the Senate who are on the ballot in November 20. That may be a break.
But, Hala, I still don't think they'll have enough votes. The import of this is really for the political process. It's whether Trump can be
reelected or not, not whether he's going to be impeached and convicted.
GORANI: Right. Larry, as always, thanks so much for your take on this. We really appreciate your time. Have a great weekend.
SABATO: Same to you.
GORANI: Now back to the U.K., it's fair to say Theresa May is under a lot of pressure as she scrambles to work out plan B with cabinet ministers and
MPs. She has two days until she has to present a revised bill to Parliament. Boris Johnson, the staunch Brexiter, is urging Mrs. May to
return to Brussels and renegotiate. He says removing the Irish backstop proposal will allow for a, quote, proper Brexit to happen. Yes, there is a
problem with that, though. The E.U. won't do it. Johnson made the comments at a major speech which many believe to be a thinly veiled
leadership move. CNN's Matthew Chance was at that speech and he joins me now from Stoke-on-Trent. So, Matthew, you were able to speak with Boris
Johnson in an interview. You asked him, do you want to replace Theresa May as head of the Conservative Party? His wing, the hard Brexiters tried to
unseat Theresa May in a no confidence vote. What did he say when you asked that question?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They did lose, Theresa May survived a vote of no confidence essentially in the British
Parliament as well. But these are very febrile times and unpredictable and chaotic times in British politics. Boris Johnson knows very well the
opportunity could present itself at any time. And that's why this key speech that he made about the future of Brexit post Britain is, as you
mentioned, interpreted as a bid for leadership, a bid to realize his ambition as prime minister. He categorically denies that, saying, no, it's
not about that at all, it's not about my personal ambitions. He made the point there is no vacancy at Number 10 at the moment.
[14:15:00] And said this was purely about his vision for the future, which as he represented it, when you put it against the backdrop of all the
confusion and division in Britain, he said it was very clear. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BORIS JOHNSON, UK MP, CONSERVATIVE PARTY:
CHANCE: I listened to your pitch, no new taxes and a united Britain. This is a naked, naked leadership pitch on your part?
BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: No, it isn't. Actually, what I was trying to say is there are things you can do now to address the
reasons that people voted to leave the E.U. but also to exploit the opportunities of leaving the E.U.
CHANCE: You want the country to unite behind you on this issue.
JOHNSON: I want the country, I want the -- I want us to go ahead on this model.
CHANCE: You're such a divisive figure, though. Is it going to be possible for you to unite your party let alone the country?
JOHNSON: With great sadness and humility, this isn't about me. This is about -- it's not my agenda, this is an agenda of loads of people who share
the same basic view of, of leaving the E.U. There's no point -- the E.U. is not a hostile body to us. It's not -- in many ways it's an
inspirational idea --
CHANCE: You rule out any leadership ambitions in this country, you don't want to be prime minister?
JOHNSON: There is no vacancy for that post.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. And so there you were walking in that factory. Let's talk also about what he told you regarding Brexit. I mean, because there's
been so much chaos and Theresa May's deal was defeated in Parliament, some people have speculated maybe Brexit won't happen. You asked him, do you
think it will happen, what did he say?
CHANCE: He said that he thinks it will. Look, Parliament is divided. The protesters outside Parliament we've been seeing and hearing, the whole
country is divided. Boris Johnson says that he's absolutely confident that Brexit is going to happen with a deal, he says, or even without a deal, he
believes the country would find a way to get through and would prosper. The only thing he wouldn't do is completely rule out the possibility, the
slim possibility that Britain could still stay somehow inside the European Union. He said that would be a toxic thing to try to do. He said it would
be -- it would be a betrayal of all the millions of people that voted Brexit. He wouldn't rule it out. No one can do that at this stage.
GORANI: All right. I thought we were going to hear that portion of the interview. I guess we're not. All right, Matthew. By the way, is it
snowing where you are? You're not too far from me and it is not at all snowing in London. That's snow.
CHANCE: I'm 100 or more miles away from London. It feels like -- actually, Boris Johnson came in on a helicopter and he had to rush way
because there was this big snowy weather front coming in, which we've been caught in.
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much and stay warm in Stoke-on-Trent.
Still to come this evening, the top North Korean nuclear negotiator in Washington for meetings with President Trump and top U.S. diplomats. Does
his visit increase the chances of a second summit with Kim Jong-un?
Plus, trouble at Tesla. As the electric car maker slashes its work force, why CEO Elon Musk says the job cuts are need.
[14:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: North Korea's top nuclear negotiator sat down with President Trump today in Washington. Kim Yong Chol's Oval Office visit followed his
earlier meeting with the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He reportedly was set to deliver a letter to the President from Kim Jong-un himself. Now,
obviously this is all fueling speculation that the two countries are accelerating plans for a second summit between the leaders. Will Ripley
has visited North Korea 1900 times -- no, 19 times, and he joins me now from Tokyo.
So, Will, tell us about what you're hearing from your sources about the possibility of another summit between the two leaders.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's very likely that it's going to happen, and it's probably going to be Hanoi. And it seems like
things went pretty well between North Korea's top negotiator Kim Yong Chol and President Trump. We obviously don't know. The meeting is yet because
there is no read out from the State Department. President Trump hasn't tweeted about it yet although his Twitter account has been silent the last
two hours. But to think about the fact that the meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is the designated negotiating counterpart with Kim
Yong Chol, lasted under an hour. You know, they kind of had a half smile. They didn't shake hands in their photo op. Then they head over to the
White House for what was supposed to be a very short courtesy call. That's what we were told. And the meeting, you know, was supposed to start at
12:15 p.m., and we he got word that it ended shortly after 2:00 p.m. eastern time in the U.S. so we don't know if the meeting lasted that entire
time. Based on when they went in and when they went out, almost two hours in the Oval Office with President Trump. That is an indication that the
North Koreans sent this high-level delegation all the way to Washington, not to meet with Pompeo, but to meet with Trump because Kim Jong-un
believes Trump is going to be the one who is going to give them the kind of deal that they think will be favorable to them. They have had a hard time
working with Pompeo, remember, he went to Pyongyang in July. It was a very tense meeting, a disaster described by some officials. Pompeo leaves
Pyongyang a couple of hours later. They are blasting him for making gangster-like demands. Even as tensions with the U.S. have escalated
rhetorically as the talks have broken down, dee nuclear talks since Singapore, they have continued to lavish praise on President Trump because
they feel that that is going to be the way for North Korea to get the deal that they want, Hala.
GORANI: Will Ripley, thanks for that update live in Tokyo.
Major job cuts are sending Tesla shares plummeting. The electric car maker is slashing its work force by 7 percent. The CEO Elon Musk is warning of a
difficult road ahead. He says the cuts are necessary. Richard Quest is here with more. He'll be covering the story with "Quest Means Business" at
the top of the hour. What's the issue with Tesla now?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: It is. When you read Elon Musk's letter that he sent to the staff, he's very honest about it, he said
we need to do two things. We need to send cars to different parts of the world where they can afford them, and we need to make cars cheaper in the
United States. Or the Model 3 at 35,000. And he says we can't do that at the moment and the only way to do it is to cut costs. 7 percent. Put this
in perspective. Tesla took on 30 percent more staff last year, so you know, it's offsetting that to some extent.
GORANI: It's finding itself in the same conundrum traditional car makers are.
[14:25:00] QUEST: Well, Musk talks about this in the letter. He says, you've got to look -- we are fighting against entrenched competitors,
mature competitors who have been doing this for a long period of time. We're trying to do something new. What analysts are saying, nobody should
have been surprised by this. He wants that $35,000 car. He cannot get it at his current cost space. But that he needs if he's going to make the
thing successful.
GORANI: But investors must be getting a little bit -- we see it with the 13 percent drop, but also in the past, Elon Musk's tweets, you know, that
radio podcast show he did where it looked like he was smoking pot. Is that all tied in as well to the concerns here?
QUEST: Not in the share price at the moment, no. It is about profitability. And remember, that disagreement with the sec where he had
to put in a new chairman -- new chair, and he had to change his ways, that's almost like a line underneath everything. It's almost as if -- not
rub the slate clean, but he can say it's a new project. Many will say what he's doing today is exactly what needs to be done to make the firm
profitable. He says that the next quarter's profitability will only be marginally less than the previous.
GORANI: What I find surprising is usually when corporations have staff cuts, the share price reacts positively because it means costs are being
cut and issues are being addressed. In this case no.
QUEST: Look at the share price. Look at the share price and the graph of the share price. And you will see -- let's say, for example, what you're
seeing is down 13 percent now. But if you remember, it literally goes like this. So, we have to take -- I suspect the share price is down at this
level because it's a volatile stock and because investors are worried that something else is unsavory or unsettling in the company. I think, though,
this is going to unwind itself. You mark my words.
GORANI: Unwind itself -- it will bounce back, you mean?
QUEST: The share price history of this company is exceptionally volatile. It is not -- as we used to say in the old days, it's not for widows and
orphans.
GORANI: The old days. Thank you very much. And we'll see you at the top of the hour. Great having you in London.
QUEST: Wonderful, yes.
GORANI: Still to come tonight, we go to the Irish border live. Such a crucial part of the whole Brexit process, to see how people there are
feeling as the date to leave looms ever closer.
Also, a witness says Prince Philip was obviously shaken from Thursday's car crash. Next an update and debate following this incident on how -- on the
age you should be to drive a car.
Well, Theresa May is again reaching out to Europe as she tries to figure the next step in the Brexit process. But there were tough words from one
leader, one European leader. The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has stark words for May. He says he's told her that it would be difficult to tweak
her Brexit deal, and that Britain needs to clarify what it wants in the first place. One of the issues that has caused Theresa May's deal to fail
in Parliament was the complicated issue of the Irish backstop. What is that? It's basically an insurance policy that ensures that there will not
be a hard border between North Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
[14:30:05]
And the worry for Brexiters and some hard Brexiters, there's no time limit on this.
And if the European Union needs to give its approval for that backstop to end, then the U.K. could indefinitely be stuck in some sort of Union with
Europe. So that's the issue.
Now, Nic Robertson joins me live from the city of Londonderry known by some northern island as Derry. It lies just a few miles from the border with
the Republic of Ireland.
So what are people telling you there about this backstop that I tried to explain did in simple terms?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: You explained it really well, Hala, and that's one of the issues here. A lot of people find
it complicated that they can't really follow the way things discussed by politicians and that's sort of causing some people to switch up.
There are those who are focusing it with a razor sharp focus because it affects their businesses. A lady I spoke to here today is a business lady
and she imports many of her products that she sells here from France and Spain, so she's worried. People are worried because they have family on
the other side of the border.
So what we've found here today is a range of concerns and views, but all of them really underscore that point that the backstop is a huge question and
is a big threat at the moment for much of -- many people's businesses and ways of daily life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: If I said to you backstop, what would you think of?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes, OK. So Brexit, but I'm not 100 percent sure what exactly what it means for the Irish border.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom is from Buncrana, which is in Donegal. So I - -
ROBERTSON: Just across the border.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just across the border. So I go there maybe two or three times a week with my children, so that worries me. That's on the
part of -- but it's the whole border.
ROBERTSON: So what would happen if there's a no-deal Brexit and to the border?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does it mean I have to show my passport or something to go down? I don't know. I was like I was told that maybe you'll have to
show your passport or have a visa to go join over the border.
ROBERTSON: If I said to you backstop, what does that mean to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Publicly?
ROBERTSON: On Brexit, backstop?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't follow politics. It doesn't matter who gets voted or not. I mean, it never changes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I would go over the border a lot. Even for fuel. I would go over the border for fuel.
ROBERTSON: Because it's cheaper for fuel right there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I find it's cheaper anyway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think a man on the street has any idea what's going to happen, especially with businesses. I'm working for a company
that does cross-border trade, and so they are particularly worried in terms of taxes going back and forth over the border.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a step back in time, basically. We really don't want the hard border again. We had it for so many years and the troubles.
So we've seen the checkpoints of the police, the threats of violence at the borders and what's happened. So, I mean, we don't want this -- we don't
want this basically.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: So that is one of the big concerns for the people as well. It's the possibility of a return to violence. There were three decades of
sectarian violence, more than 3,000 people were killed. That all ended with a Good Friday Peace Agreement 20 years ago. But I remember being in
this very square more than 20 years ago watching young Catholics who's running up here throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, petrol bombs at the
mostly protestant police just up here.
There were flames everywhere. The police were firing back their big rubber bullets. The battlegrounds. People were getting hit and dropping in the
street. It was a battleground here. And people are genuinely worried that that is a possibility that could come into play again if negotiations over
the whole of Brexit and backstop in particular don't plan out properly.
GORANI: Can you explain to international viewers why the -- a hard border raises the fears of renewed violence?
ROBERTSON: Yes. It's a complicated issue, but very simply that if you -- the Good Friday Peace Agreement of 1998 that ended those three decades of
sectarian violence said that the border should be open. It was an international treaty agreed between London, Dublin, the European Union.
And the idea was so that people who have all different aspirations, whether they're unionists who want to remain part of Great Britain, or they're
nationalists here, who would like to have a united Ireland.
They would all be able to sort of see their aspirations realized. And part of that was having an open border. So if you put up border post again,
customs post, people have to have their passports checked.
For the nationalist community here, that would be putting up a barrier with what they aspire to, to a united Ireland. And that was the grassroots, in
part, for the republican terrorist movement that became the IRA and the dissident republican groups that still exist today that make bombs still
today, that shoot people still today, even in this city.
[14:35:07] So this, again, as I said, complex, but boiling it down, that would be a view.
GORANI: All right. Nic Robertson, thanks very much live there in Londonderry.
So that's Ireland and Northern Ireland. But what do the people of Scotland think about the state of Brexit? Well, as you know, a majority of Scottish
people voted to stay in the European Union. Many of them are firmly pro- E.U. As the future looks uncertain as ever, Phil black went to Aberdeen to ask the people there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Aberdeen, Scotland's east coast, runs on oil and gas. From this port, platforms out in the North Sea
are crude supplied and managed.
The industry fears in the case of a messy Brexit, it will see reduced investment, increased trading costs and limited access to material,
equipment, and crucially skilled labor.
In the worst-case predictions, some platforms may have to close for a time.
Now, more broadly, Scotland remains a huge fan base for the European Union. Sixty-two percent of voters backed to remain. And here in Aberdeen, we've
met many people who still hope the break up can be prevented.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Scottish, but I'm European --
BLACK: But there are lots of Scottish people who feel that way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of Scottish people feel that way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I don't want to leave from the start. And I think it's a crazy idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's (INAUDIBLE) to come at the European market is -- it's that simple. And it's all -- it's simple as that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop the waffling about and just do what the people ask for.
BLACK: So you want it to happen?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do want it to happen, yes, and I think there's a lot of negativity surrounding it happening. And a lot of fearmongering.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I voted to go out and I still believe we should do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I certainly don't want another referendum. We have bought it and that should be what it should be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think we should go.
BLACK: No?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
BLACK: Tell me why.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just because I don't -- I don't think it will be good for the country if we go.
BLACK: So you'd support a second referendum?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, that's even worse.
BLACK: That woman has a severe case of referendum fatigue. And in Scotland, she's not alone. Before the Brexit vote, Scotland held a
referendum on the question of Scottish independence. That was 2014 and the idea was rejected.
But now there is a lot of talk about re-running the Scottish Independence Referendum because of Brexit. The Scottish government says it wants to do
that because Scotland is being pulled out of the E.U. against its will.
So the path to Brexit is still incredibly unclear, but it means it is still possible. The ultimate consequence of leaving the European Union could be
the breakup of the United Kingdom.
Phil Black, CNN, Aberdeen, Scotland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: We have an update now on the car crash involving prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband. He's been given the all-clear by doctors.
The adult passengers in the other vehicle suffered minor injuries. It was a nine-month-old baby with them. Thankfully the baby is fine.
But as Anna Stewart reports this collusion has raise questions about age limits for some drivers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're now one day on since this terrible accident which we saw Prince Philip's vehicle actually
overturned onto its side.
Now, miraculously he wasn't seriously injured. In fact, the palace said he saw a doctor on Sandringham stayed shortly afterwards and was given the
all-clear.
The other vehicle involved had two women in it and a young baby age nine months. Now, the two women sustained minor injuries and were treated in
local hospital but otherwise are OK.
Now, we are learning a bit more about the accident, which is still being investigated by local police. Now, you can see behind me, very main road,
busy road, traffic comes down here very fast speeds. And you can see there's a junction with two roads leading on.
Now, from eyewitnesses who have spoken to U.K. media outlets, the belief is that Prince Philip's car was trying to cross this busy road when the
collision happened.
Now, the car ended up being pushed over here at great force onto its side and you can actually still see some of the debris here, broken glass,
broken plastic, even a remnants of the wing mirror which actually has the Land Rover serial number which suggests that it could be from Prince
Philip's vehicle.
Now, one eyewitness who spoke to U.K. media that he arrived on the scene straight after the accident who was able to help Prince Philip out of his
car said he seemed very, very shaken and that there was a little bit of bleeding as well.
The royal entourage was quick to arrive on the scene afterwards. All of this comes in the time when there is some concern about Prince Philip's
health. He's had several health conditions before. We've seen him go in and out of hospital. And he wasn't seen over Christmas at Sandringham with
the rest of the royal family.
He hasn't actually been seen much in public, though, since he retired from public duty back in 2017.
Now, this accident has raised some questions as to whether a 97-year-old man should be driving on main roads like this.
[14:40:03] The palace have confirmed that the prince does have a driving license. The advice by U.K. rules and regulations, he gets it renewed
every three years which is what you do when you're over the age of 70. But that hasn't stopped some people questioning this matter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The majority of his driving is done on private land and, OK, he knows all roads. He's been here for years and years. Why
shouldn't he carry on driving on private land?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His eyesight is not very good or he's not very quick. But he seems a bit -- seems an abled person, don't he? He's -- really,
yes. He's active. So, you know, I suppose it might have been just one of those things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He drives around here so much as well. He's used to all the roads.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I suppose it depends what your physical, mental state is. There are people who are driving at 100. Personally, I don't
think I would, but when I get to 97, I doubt whether I'll have all my marbles anyways.
STEWART: The questions swirling around whether Prince Philip should have been driving at the age of 97 are likely to continue as is the
investigation here to find out exactly what happened.
Meanwhile, though, I think everyone is thankful that nobody was seriously injured in this terrible car accident.
Anna Stewart, CNN, Sandringham.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come, this self-styled sex guru says she's got dirt on Russian election interference. And now, she's being held in Moscow. The
latest on her saga next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Does the self-proclaimed sex coach have inside knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election? That is the claim
of a woman who has just been deported to Russia after nearly a year in a Thai jail.
And this is some of the video. This is very strange video, I have to say. You see her being forced into a wheelchair. This does not look like she's
going willingly. After she arrived in Moscow, this was the footage that was captured.
Brian Todd has the latest on this bizarre saga.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANASTASIA VASHUKEVICH, RUSSIAN SELF-PROCLAIMED SEDUCTRESS: Cannot go back home.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A self-proclaimed seductress and sex coach from Belarus who claims to have inside knowledge of Russia's
attempts to meddle in America's elections tells CNN that she's been detained by the Kremlin.
Anastasia Vashukevich says she was rounded up as soon as she landed Moscow after being deported from a jail in Thailand.
KEITH DARDEN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: She is probably being interrogated. In particular, they're probably interested in where she has this information
that she claims to have. And they'll probably keep her in cold storage until she produces it.
TODD: Vashukevich bizarre tale began last year when she was arrested and jailed in Thailand on prostitution charges. At the time, she told CNN she
believed she was being held on Moscow's orders.
In a bid for U.S. asylum, she said that she had previously witnessed meetings between a prominent Russian oligarch with ties to Vladimir Putin
and at least three Americans, whom she refused to name.
[14:45:06] VASHUKEVICH (through translator): I'm ready to give you all the missing puzzle pieces. Support them with videos and audios.
TODD: But so far, Vashukevich has produced no recordings or photos of Americans meeting with the oligarch to CNN or other news outlets. And
there has been no indication in court filings from the special counsel that she has talked to U.S. investigators.
FBI agents tried to meet with Vashukevich in the Thai prison last year but were not allowed to, according to a senior Thai official.
GARRETT GRAFF, AUTHOR OF "THE THREAT MATRIX": It's really impossible to know whether this was a real key source or someone desperate to get out of
a Thai jail and avoid deportation back to Belarus.
TODD: Vashukevich's claims might normally have been laughed off if she hadn't produced these photos of her with the oligarch in question, Oleg
Deripaska. They're seen embracing on his yacht. She says they had an affair. Something he denies.
Vashukevich also released this video of Deripaska, apparently on his yacht talking to Russia's deputy prime minister about the state of U.S.-Russian
relations. All of which makes her story more intriguing. That's because Deripaska, closely tied to the Russian president, is the same billionaire
who paid former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort millions for lobbying.
And the Washington Post says Manafort once offered Deripaska briefings on the state of the Trump campaign. Manafort and Deripaska deny any briefings
took place. And Deripaska denies being involved in election meddling.
OLEG DERIPASKA, RUSSIAN OLIGARCH: Get lost, please. Thank you.
TODD: Last year in Thailand, Vashukevich posted on social media she feared she'd die in a Russian prison if she were sent back to Moscow. Now, that's
exactly where she is.
Could her life be in danger?
DARDEN: Of course. If she really collected lots of compromising material about Oleg Deripaska. He's a very dangerous man to be dealing with. And
she could very easily lose her life.
TODD: We've reached out to Russian officials in Moscow, and here at their embassy in Washington to ask why Anastasia Vashukevich has bene detained
and exactly what she's being questioned about.
Russian officials will only say she's being detained as part of a prostitution inquiry. We've also asked the Kremlin to respond to her
claims that she would die in a Russian prison if she was deported. They have not responded to that.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: This news just in to CNN. The White House says president Trump and North Korea negotiator Kim Jong-chul discussed a second meeting, a
second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. And we understand it will take place near the end of February.
Kim Jong-chul met earlier with Mr. Trump and the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. He met Pompeo in a D.C. hotel for several hours trying to
iron out some of the details of the upcoming summit.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says the meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-un will take place at a location to be announced at a later
date.
You'll remember, of course, that the first meeting that took place between Trump and Kim Jong-un happened in Singapore. That was on June 12th. And
as I mentioned, the fact that the lead negotiator traveled to D.C., that this meeting with Mike Pompeo took several hours and eventually culminated
in a meeting with the president, ironing out some details that we don't have the location.
We were speaking with our Will Ripley earlier who reports a lot from North Korea. He was talking to us from Tokyo. And he said one of the locations
that is being considered could be Hanoi in Vietnam. Though that's not something we have confirmed with this news right at this second. We'll
keep our eye on it. We'll bring you more news as it becomes available.
And after the break, a Muslim activist and journalist has been left devastated after she was misidentified as a Pakistani actress in American
Vogue. Is this a wider problem for minorities and women of color in the U.S.? We'll discuss, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:35] GORANI: Imagine that you get the chance to have one of your all-time goals realized, the chance to appear in Vogue, in American Vogue.
It's a dream for many young women and Muslim-American journalists and activist, Noor Tagouri got to live that dream or so she thought. Now,
imagine picking up a copy of the magazine and seeing yourself in it for the very first time, but then this happens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No way. No way.
NOOR TAGOURI, JOURNALIST AND ACTIVIST: I'm really freaking out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the (BLEEP). What? Givenchy
TAGOURI: Hold on (INAUDIBLE) they (BLEEP) spelled my --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Damn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, she was in Vogue. That part went according to plan. But it turns out that Vogue hadn't just spelled Noor Tagouri name wrong. They, in
fact, had her mixed up completely with a different person. They had actually identified the journalist as Noor Bukhari, who's a Pakistani
actress. And this is not the first time that something like this has happened to her.
Last year, her picture was used to depict Noor Salman, the wife of the gunman in the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando.
All right. So, Brian Stelter can join us, our chief media correspondent with more on that.
Vogue, obviously, Vogue says they're mortified here.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and rightly so, deservedly so. I'm glad that Noor Tagouri is calling attention to this
problem, however.
Here's a statement from the magazine, once this went viral. They put out a statement saying, "We were thrilled at the chance to photograph Tagouri and
shine a light on the important work she does, and to have misidentified her is a painful misstep."
We also understand that there is a larger issue of misidentification in media, especially among non-white subjects. An accurate statement there,
at least, from Vogue.
GORANI: But I wonder how could something like this happen, if you're featuring someone in the pages of your magazine, this is such a huge
blunder. I mean, we all make mistakes. But I mean, this is incredible.
STELTER: Yes, and I don't want to assume the actions there at Vogue. But oftentimes, we see a lack of diversity in newsrooms and media affect the
coverage in negative ways.
Look, Noor Tagouri has also been in these kind of situations before. I interviewed her back after the Pulse nightclub shooting here in the United
States in Orlando, Florida, where she was identified in photos on the internet in this misinformation hoax as the gunman's wife. Here's what she
told me back then.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAGOURI: This isn't just about someone using my photo. It's about the fact that the misrepresentation of Muslims, especially Muslim women in the
media today, is putting so many people in harm's way.
And when people are covering a story and being reckless about fact checking or making sure that they're covering the story in a way that isn't putting
the community they're talking about in danger, they're not thinking about how this is going to actually affect the people who are being talked about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: So there you go. I mean, frankly, Hala, she said it better than I could. This is something that's come up with her in the past. As she
seeks to be a more prominent successful journalist in America who happens to be Muslim.
Obviously, many Muslims in this country face experiences that are quite negative. There are some even hostile. This isn't about Vogue a different
kind. It's about misidentification.
But again, another example of the challenge and that problem within media companies.
GORANI: But so obviously they're not going to reprint the magazine. Online, at least it's been fixed. So that's a good thing, because frankly,
most people are going to be seeing this online.
But I wonder if Vogue would consider -- I don't know, I mean, some people have said maybe you should consider featuring her again and maybe actually
getting her name right this time. I wonder if this is something they'd consider. But they stopped at that statement, I understand.
STELTER: It's a good point. It's a good idea. But frankly, calling out the magazine, putting attention on these issues. That's the only thing
that I think people like Noor Tagouri can do to improve the climate and to improve these situations at media companies.
[14:55:05] GORANI: Yes. It's good that -- you're right. I mean, there's now -- people are talking about it and they're more -- absolutely.
Brian Stelter, thank you. Have a great weekend.
STELTER: Thanks. You, too.
GORANI: And just before we go, a rare sighting of a shark believed to be the world's biggest caught on video in the waters of off Hawaii. Too. The
shark is known as Deep Blue. It is six meters long and it's believed to be more than 50 years old. It's a good age.
And divers now say it's possible that she's pregnant. Deep Blue, who even has a Twitter account named after her, was last spotted in Mexico in July.
Apparently she was eating off of a whale carcass. If she's pregnant, maybe she's got the munchies cravings. Who knows?
Thanks for watching, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. We're going to tack a quick break. Do stay with us. There's going to be a lot more news
specifically with Richard over what's happening at Tesla with that cut, seven percent of the workforce cut, and Tesla acknowledging, Elon Musk
acknowledging that times are going to be tough and that they're not going to make much of a profit in the next quarter.
Richard will have that. He'll have all the latest market news and, of course, do stay with CNN for all the latest news headlines.
I'm Hala Gorani. If it's your weekend, have a great one. I will see you on Monday. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is coming up after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
