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Global Economic Turbulence, Huawei's Leadership Discusses Damaging Effects From The U.S.-China Trade War As Davos Gets Underway; An Open Letter And Talk Of Extradition - The Diplomatic Rift Between Canada, China And The U.S. Takes A Series Of Wild New Turns; Who Is In And Who Is Out - Who Are The 2019 Academy Award Nominees.. Aired: 8-9p ET

Aired January 22, 2019 - 08:00   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST, "NEWS STREAM": I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream." Global economic turbulence, Huawei's

leadership discusses damaging effects from the U.S.-China trade war as Davos gets underway. An open letter and talk of extradition - the

diplomatic rift between Canada, China and the U.S. takes a series of wild new turns. And who is in and who is out? We are minutes away from

learning the 2019 Academy Award nominees.

And we start with the diplomatic tango between the U.S., Canada and China that has become ever more complicated. Canada now says that the United

States will soon make a request for the extradition of Huawei's CFO. Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada last month for allegedly helping her company

dodge U.S. sanctions on Iran. China has accused the two countries of abusing their extradition treaty, and this comes as former diplomats,

academics and activists sent an open letter to the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, in the letter, calling for the release of two detained Canadians,

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. China says that they were detained for endangering national security. The letter says that their arrests, quote,

"Will lead to less dialogue and greater distrust and undermine efforts to manage disagreements and identify common ground." Both China and the rest

of the world will be worse off as a result.

We are covering this story from both sides of the world. We have CNN's Will Ripley joining us from Beijing, but first let's go to Paula Newton in

Ottawa, Canada. And Paula, the pressure is building with this open letter and the expectation that the United States will formally request the

extradition of Meng Wanzhou.

PAULA NEWTON, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, and I can't say the Canadian officials expected anything else, but in listening to Canada's Ambassador

of the United States, he's saying - David MacNaughton - he is saying, look, if you're going to file that paperwork, we want guarantees that this entire

situation with Huawei does not turn into some kind of bargaining chip for trade. We are following the rule of law, which means you have requested

this extradition and we will file the paperwork before January 30th and we are meeting our treaty obligations.

But there is nothing, Kristie, more glaring to tell you the fact that Canada is being squeezed by both the United States and China and the fact

that its own Ambassador to the United States is pleading with U.S. officials to say do not use this as a bargaining chip in trade.

Having said that, it is not just the letter at this point, Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister is reaching out to as many allies as he can, garnering

support and we know that behind the scenes, a campaign will begin also in Davos for Canada to be basically lobbying with its allies to say, "Look,

it's Canada now, it could be any country next time."

China needs to be aware that this will severely impair its ability to wield any kind of soft power around the world.

LU STOUT: All right, now let's go to Will Ripley standing by in Beijing. And Will, how is China responding to the open letter and the possibility

that Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei CFO will be extradited to the U.S.?

WILL RIPLEY, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: In terms of the letter, Kristie, I think you could sum up the Chinese response in two words, "butt out." They say

that these academics, you know, 27 former diplomats, 116 scholars from 19 countries are interfering with Chinese sovereignty and interfering with

China's justice system.

And they say that they do welcome normal and friendly activities. They're not trying to discourage scholars and business people and diplomats from

operating in the country, but they say this case was different that these two Canadians essentially endangered Chinese national security, and

therefore, they deserve to be charged and China buckling down and saying they will continue to face charges.

In terms of Meng Wanzou, they call Canada's actions a grave mistake. A mistake that China believes needs to be corrected immediately. They

continue to call for Meng Wanzhou's immediate release. The Huawei CFO, the daughter of the company's founder, a company that is a pillar of China's

economy, her arrest really has hit a nerve here in China and has made the Chinese feel that it is blatantly apparent that this is not a legitimate

case.

As you said at the top, they feel that Canada and the United States abused their extradition treaty and that they feel this arrest was politically

motivated having to do with trying to put pressure on China when it comes to the trade war and trying to sully the name of Huawei, which is one of

China's most important companies, Kristie.

[08:05:04]

LU STOUT: Tension continue to rise over Huawei. We've got Will Ripley reporting live from Beijing; Paula Newton live from Ottawa, a big thank you

to you both.

Former Canadian Ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques is one of the signatories of that open letter to President Xi Jinping and he joins us now

from Montreal via Skype. Sir, thank you for joining us.

In this letter, you warned that the detention of Canadians will leave China worse off. Do you think that Xi Jinping is receptive to your message?

GUY SAINT-JACQUES, FORMER CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: Well, I do hope so and I think that's the main message there because this is not only a

problem that involves Canada and China, but it's something that could happen to any other country. And here is a group of people who love China,

who have worked in China most of their life in many cases, where you have there, great experts, people who have played a very useful role in

explaining what's happening in China to the world.

And of course, everyone is concerned about what could happen to them in the future, so I hope that the Chinese leadership will pay attention to this

letter.

LU STOUT: Yes, a lot of concern about the fate of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and what about the Canadian sentenced to death after a

court convicted him of drug smuggling? Are you also calling for the release of Robert Schellenberg?

SAINT-JACQUES: Well, in that case, I think you know that the initial sentence of 15 years that was handed to Mr. Schellenberg back in October

might have been justified. You know, he claims that he is innocent, but what is peculiar about this case is the speed at which the hearing of the

appeal took place and when it took place, the three judges didn't want to hear about his supposedly new evidence that the prosecutors wanted to

table. They said put this in the file.

And after it concluded, it took them about 67 or 68 minutes to turn the initial sentence into a death sentence, and even Chinese lawyers have said

that they were surprised by the speed of this hearing and the wait was conducted, so for me, clearly, there was political interference and it was

additional pressure that China wanted to put on Canada to return Mrs. Meng.

LU STOUT: And meanwhile, we've been reporting that the Canadian government says that the United States will soon make a formal request for the

extradition of the CFO of Huawei. Do you fear that when that happens, there could be more detentions, more retaliation from China?

SAINT-JACQUES: Well, if we look at the playbook of the Chinese, and I have seen this in the past when we went to a similar case that was less

publicized back in 2014, I suspect they will want to apply further pressure on Canada, but I hope that the strategy pursued by the Canadian government

to rally international support will make the Chinese leadership think twice because China remains concerned about its international image despite what

they say, like what Mrs. Hua, the spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing said today about the signatories of the letter. I think

that they are taking note of what's happening and I hope that they will tone down their messages, and I also hope that we will be able to soon to

sit face-to-face with China to try to resolve this issue.

LU STOUT: All right, so you remain hopeful that China is concerned about its international stature and international reputation, but in the

meantime, a personal question for you, given the current political climate and the ongoing detentions, would you travel to China right now?

SAINT-JACQUES: Well, I think in my case, I would delay travels because I know what can happen. And if you look especially at the case of Mr.

Kovrig, what the Chinese are doing contravenes the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relation. This Convention says that you are covered by

diplomatic immunity while you work in a country, but there is also this notion of residual diplomatic immunity whereby a country cannot question

you on what you have done while you were a diplomat.

And so in my case, of course, China could say that I was involved in all kinds of activities that threatened the national security. So I think that

I will probably abstain for a little while before going back to China.

LU STOUT: Guy Saint-Jacques, sir, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us on the program and take care.

Business and government leaders from around the world are gathering in Davos for, of course, the annual World Economic Forum. Optimism is in

short supply these days. The CEOs warn that Brexit, trade wars, other sources of uncertainty threaten to drag down global growth.

[08:10:05]

LU STOUT: One of those companies feeling that pain is of course, the company we've been talking about, the Chinese telecom giant, Huawei. Now,

CNN business editor-at-large, Richard Quest is on the ground for us. He joins us now live from Davos.

And Richard, Huawei's Deputy Chairman is there. He, in the last few hours, addressed delegates there. What were you able to glean from him? What did

he say?

RICHARD QUEST, EDITOR AT LARGE, CNN BUSINESS: It's fascinating, actually, because first of all, Huawei does have a presence there. They have got a

rather smart shop, porta cabin or whatever right on the promenade. You would hardly know looking at it that they were supposedly telecom's pariahs

at the moment.

They have got a presence here in this shop - I mean, shop, as in terms of invited people in to talk and the Deputy Chairman is speaking on a panel

today was quite clear that you know, we get this perception that Huawei is somehow an arm of the Chinese government or a spying arm of the Chinese

government. Well, he said, "If that's true, they, too, are being hurt by the trade war."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN HU, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, HUAWEI: We've seen, you know, the effect on many of the companies, including Huawei, and some of the sectors from the trade

war, and as a technology industry, we're highly reliant on the global supply chain and the global innovation ecosystem. So we are probably now

suffering the most right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: So there you have it, I mean, it's the best you're going to get in that sense, but any idea - what I think is perhaps the most fascinating,

any idea that somehow this company is going to pull up its tent and retreat to the hills and not be seen while these accusations swirl around is simply

not the case. They are here in full force and they are making themselves open.

LU STOUT: Yes, and addressing that, yes, they're getting the hit. They're feeling the damage from the ongoing trade war, one of many risks to the

global economy. That's being discussed there at Davos. We heard that warning from Christine Lagarde yesterday that the global economy is slowing

down, and it could get worse?

Richard, according to the people that you've been talking to so far, what is emerging as the single - well, the biggest risk to global growth?

QUEST: The biggest risk at the moment remains the trade dispute with China, most people seem to tell us, but they are not telling you how they

are going to solve it or who has to give in first. But fact that the ripples are being felt and will continue to be felt, by far and away, that

is the number one risk.

In terms of the immediacy, as before, you've got climate change, democracies, threats, all the other issues, pessimism that are on the

bigger issues.

LU STOUT: All right, Richard Quest joining us live from Davos. Richard, thank you so much for joining us. And you could join CNN for ongoing

coverage of the World Economic Forum live in Davos, "First Move with Julia Chatterley" continues the week-long coverage that will kick off in less

than an hour right here on CNN.

In the meantime, you are watching "News Stream" and coming up, a U.S. citizen detained in Russia makes a court appearance today. We are going to

tell you what happened at his pretrial hearing and the latest details from his lawyer.

And a model linked to a Russian oligarch with apparent ties to the Trump campaign is due back in a Moscow court. We are live in the Russian capital

with all of the details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:00]

LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream." Authorities are searching for a small airplane that

has vanished over the English Channel. A French official say that it had been carrying the Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala. His new club,

Cardiff City say that there is genuine concern about his wellbeing.

The Argentine had been flying back from Nantes in France where he had just said goodbye to his teammates after a transfer to the Welsh Club. We'll

have much more on this story coming up on "World Sport" in about half an hour.

Now, we want to get to some news just in from Paris about serious legal trouble for the American singer, Chris Brown. He has been accused of rape

and drug violations. Let's go straight to CNN's Jim Bittermann live for us in Paris and Jim, tell us more about the Chris Brown arrest there in Paris

and the allegations against him.

JIM BITTERMANN, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: All right, Kristie, well, the judicial sources here a confirming that Chris Brown is being held under charges of

rape and drug violations after something that took place apparently according to reports, last week.

Now, the judicial sources aren't going to confirm a lot more than what they've already said, but reports here are that Brown was partying last

week - a week ago, on the night of the 15th and 16th of January and that he and his bodyguard and another man brought a number of young ladies they met

at a night club back to their luxury hotel suite and that's where the rape allegedly took place.

The woman involved, 24 years old, according to reports, but she has not been identified by the police and the police have not said much more about

what has actually happened. We reached out to Chris Brown's attorney in the United States and he has not responded -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Wow, and this isn't Chris Brown's first encounter with the law, but this could very well by his first arrest there in Paris. Jim

Bittermann reporting live for us. Thank you for those details.

Now, a Moscow judge has denied bail to a U.S. citizen accused of spying in Russia. Now, this is the first video of Paul Whelan since his arrest in

December. His state-appointed lawyer told CNN that prior to his arrest, Whelan received a thumb drive containing state secrets, but he didn't

realize what was on it.

Fred Pleitgen joins me now from Moscow with more on this. And Fred, again, Paul Whelan's state appointed lawyer has spoken to CNN saying, yes, he had

state secrets and intelligence on him, but it was not viewed as his. So what does that mean for Whelan's case and for his legal fate?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, he certainly is still in a lot of legal trouble, Kristie, here in Russia. And

I think today was certainly a setback for Paul Whelan and his legal team as he was trying to get bail and that was denied by the judge.

It was a very quick hearing. I was actually inside the courtroom. The judge basically just coming in and saying that the bail had been denied.

Looking at Paul Whelan, he seemed to be in fairly decent spirits. He was trying to smile every once in a while. I sort of yelled a question over to

him asking him how he's doing. He didn't respond to that. He is also actually not allowed to speak while he's inside the court. He was behind a

bullet proof glass, so certainly a very difficult situation for him.

Now, as far as what all of this means, as far as his attorney is concerned, what he is saying is that Paul Whelan received a flash drive while he was

in a hotel here in Moscow and on that flash drive, apparently there is material that is considered to be state secrets here in Russia.

Now, the lawyer claims that Paul Whelan did not know that there were state secret on that flash drive. He thought that this was information

pertaining to cultural and tourism things here in Russia. He is, of course, someone who traveled Russia fairly extensively, who has been here

in the past and who has been on leisure travel in Russia in the past, not clear of course, whether or not the court is going to buy that.

It is quite interesting also because I asked the lawyer whether or not he thought the trial was going to be fair. He said, "Look, so far, everything

has been fairly professional or has been very professional," he said, but he also said and admitted that he's only been able to view, so far, about

5% of the material and the evidence that is actually available in this case. So there certainly is still a lot to do.

Paul Whelan, unfortunately, for him is not going to be able to be outside of jail while the actual trial is being prepared and that is something,

Kristie, that could take several months -- Kristie.

[08:20:03]

LU STOUT: It will take a long time, a lot of concerns about the fairness of the legal process ahead for him, as well. And Fred, the political

backdrop to all of this. We know that Whelan's arrest took place just weeks after a guilty plea in the U.S. by the alleged Russian spy, Maria

Butina. Is this retaliation?

PLEITGEN: It is unclear, but it is quite interesting to see because on the one hand, of course, this trial here against Paul Whelan is certainly

something that is at the behest of the relations between the U.S. and Russia and at the same time, of course, to a certain degree, might also

shape the future of the relations between Russia and the United States, at least to a small degree, to a certain extent.

You're absolutely right, this comes really very shortly after Maria Butina in the United States admitting to acting as a foreign agent inside the

United States at the behest of a Russian government official and there were some people in the U.S. who had been saying, possibly, Paul Whelan was

arrested as something like maybe a bargaining chip or whether or not maybe the Russians wanted to exchange and force someone like Butina or some of

the other high profile Russians who are inside American jails.

Now, the Russian government has flat out denied that, has said that that is absolutely not true and if you look at the U.S. side, the statements coming

out of - for instance, the State Department itself or the U.S. Embassy so far had been fairly careful on this case. They say they are monitoring the

case. They obviously want to be able to close to Paul Whelan to be able to give him Consular help, so far, the U.S. has been quite toned down as far

as its allegations are concerned.

But you are absolutely right, of course, all of this playing out in a very difficult situation between the U.S. and Russia where you do have those

high profile cases now on both sides of the pond and certainly some people saying they believe that there could be political implications or a

political back drop to this even as the government of the two nations are saying there aren't -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Got it. Fred Pleitgen reporting live for us. Thank you, Fred. The model from Belarus who claimed to have evidence of Russian interference

in the 2016 Presidential Election is set to appear in a Moscow court in just a few minutes. She was arrested on prostitution charges after being

deported from Thailand.

Now, the woman, she is a self-described sex coach, claims to be the former mistress of a Russian oligarch with ties to the Trump campaign. A lot to

impact here. Now, Matthew Chance has more now from Moscow. He joins us now, and Matthew, ahead of the hearing which is due to begin very soon, we

need a reset here. Tell us more about this model from Belarus and exactly how and why she is in trouble.

MATTHEW CHANCE, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, first of all, her name is Anastasia Vashukevich, and she comes across these days as

somebody who wants to take back everything that she said because she claimed, explosively, to have evidence of collusion, on Russian

interference in the U.S. Presidential Election from a brief fling she says she had with the Russian billionaire to whom Trump's former campaign

manager, Paul Manafort apparently owed substantial sums of money. So it is a very convoluted and complicated narrative.

What it's essentially about is this person, who is a real self-promoter, finding herself in the cross hairs of some of Russia's most powerful

figures.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CHANCE (voice over): This model and self-styled sex coach is languishing in a Russian jail, facing prostitution charges and a sentence of up to six

years. She's already apologized for publishing images of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire close to the Kremlin, implicated in allegations of

collusion with the Trump campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANASTASIA VASHUKEVICH, DETAINED IN MOSCOW (Through a translator): No audio record about Oleg Deripaska will be published and I will no longer be

compromising him. Therefore, he needs to relax. Really, I've had enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE (voice over): These are the snaps that got the 28-year-old into such deep trouble, pictures of her on a yacht off the Norwegian Coast in

2016 with Deripaska and a Deputy Russian Prime Minister.

Russia's main opposition leader seized on the images as evidence of collusion, suggesting the two men, who can be heard discussing U.S.-Russia

relations, links the Kremlin and figures close to Trump - both deny any wrongdoing.

But the oligarch has fended off allegations of collusion before. We confronted him after it was reported that former Trump campaign manager,

Paul Manafort, who once worked for Deripaska offered him private briefings.

Clearly rattled, the billionaire told CNN he never received any communication about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLEG DERIPASKA, RUSSIAN OLIGARCH: Get lost, please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE (voice over): The model did try to get lost on a beach in Thailand where she was hosting sex and seduction classes, but with such potentially

explosive material in her possession, she claimed to have 16 hours ...

[08:25:09]

CHANCE (voice over): ... of audio recordings. It wasn't long until she was found and arrested by Thai police on charges of soliciting. She

managed this tantalizing message before being locked away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VASHUKEVICH (Through a translator): I'm ready to give you all the missing puzzle pieces. Support them with videos and audio regarding the connection

of our respected lawmakers with Trump, Manafort and the rest. I know a lot. I'm waiting for your offers in a Thai prison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE (voice over): But those offers never came. And after months in custody, Vashukevich, pleaded guilty to soliciting and conspiracy. She was

then deported to her native Belarus via the Russian capital. But this is what greeted her as she tried to transit through Moscow Airport, seized by

plain clothed security and manhandled into a wheelchair before being dragged away, struggling and terrified. Now Vashukevich is set to appeal

for bail, but now Russia finally has her in its grip, it may be reluctant to let her go.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CHANCE (on camera): Well, Kristie, we've spoken to the lawyer who is representing Vashukevich, at her bail hearing which is scheduled for just

a bit little later on this afternoon in Russia time. He said she's in relatively good spirits, glad in fact to be out of a Thai jail, even if it

means she's been incarcerated in a Russian one.

About the case, though, he says it is entirely fabricated and that he intends to and she intends as well fight to fight it in the Russian courts

and if necessary, in the European Court of Justice, as well -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Matthew, this is, as you put it, such a convoluted narrative. We thank you for connecting all the dots for us. Matthew Chance reporting

live for us, take care. Now, in just a few hours, the U.S. Senate is expected to take President Donald Trump's proposal to end the longest

government shutdown in U.S. history, which is now in Day 32.

White House officials worked with Senate staff over the weekend to hammer out the details. A vote could come as early as Thursday, but it is

doubtful Mr. Trump's proposal, already called a nonstarter by Democrats will clinch the 60 votes it needs to advance.

Still, the impact of the shutdown continues to be felt across the nation. Ten percent of TSA workers called out Sunday due to financial limitations

even as hundreds of furloughed workers from the Department of Homeland Security are being called back to work with pay.

Now, WhatsApp is imposing stricter limits on its global users. The move will restrict users to forwarding a message to only five chats at a time.

All of this in an attempt to crack down on the spread of false information on the platform. The new limit was first tested out in India after viral

hoax messages resulted in a series of mob lynching there.

Silicon Valley's biggest firms including Facebook, Google and Amazon frequently test new features in India before rolling them out to users

worldwide.

Now, the nominations for this year's Oscars, they are being announced right now. We're going to tell you who is up for which awards, up next right

here on "News Stream."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]

LU STOUT: I'm Kristi Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. China is demanding the release of

Huawei's the CFO, accusing the U.S. and Canada of abusing their extradition treaty. Meng Wanzho was arrested in Canada last month for allegedly

helping her company dodge U.S. sanctions on Iran. She and Huawei have denied wrongdoing.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting with her Cabinet on Tuesday as she attempts to break the deadlock over her Brexit plan. It comes after

she unveiled new proposals on Monday following Parliament's overwhelming rejection of her Brexit plan last week. France and Germany have signed an

agreement to deepen their ties within the European Union. At the ceremony in the German city of Aachen, both Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron warned

a rising populism on the continent, but the treaty will mean greater cooperation on security and defense.

The nominees for the 2019 Oscars are being announced in Los Angeles right now. Let's listen in.

KUMAIL NANJIANI, AMERICAN-PAKISTANI STAND-UP COMEDIAN: "A Night at the Garden" and "Period, End of Sentence."

TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, AMERICAN ACTRESS: Nicely done.

NANJIANI: I insisted it should be at the end of that whole run.

ELLIS ROSS: Well done. Well done. For best documentary feature, "Free Solo," "Hail County, This Morning This Evening," "Minding The Gap." "Of

Fathers And Sons," and "RBG."

NANJIANI: If you think this is good, you should see me at 2:00. p.m. That's when I'm really hitting my stride. Here are the nominees for

achievement in production design. "Black Panther," "The Favorite," "First Man," "Mary Poppins Returns," and "Roma." I had bananas for breakfast.

ELLIS ROSS: Really?

NANJIANI: Yes.

ELLIS ROSS: No peanut butter?

NANJIANI: No.

ELLIS ROSS: Cereal?

NANJIANI: No.

ELLIS ROSS: Protein of any kind?

NANJIANI: No.

ELLIS ROSS: Okay, for achievement in cinematography. "Cold War," "The Favorite," "Never Look Away," "Roma," and "A Star Is Born."

NANJIANI: Here we go. For achievement in visual effects. "Avengers: Infinity War," "Christopher Robin," "First Man," Ready Player 1," and

"Solo: A Star Wars Story." I'm very impressed I could read all of these. I couldn't spell my name right now, I'm pretty sure.

ELLIS ROSS: Here are the nominees -- oh, that's yours.

NANJIANI: Okay. Sorry. Here we go. Here are the nominees for achievement in makeup and hair style.

ELLIS ROSS: Ah, yes, better you do this one.

NANJIANI: "Border," "Mary Queen of Scots," and "Vice."

ELLIS ROSS: A bit of trivia on that one, isn't there? Only three in that category.

NANJIANI: Only three in that category. It's a guilt thing. Keep going.

ELLIS ROSS: Sure. Thank you. Here are the nominees for best animated feature film. "Incredibles 2," "Isle of Dogs," "Mirai," "Ralph Breaks The

Internet," and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."

[08:35:10]

NANJIANI: All those movies are great. For original song. "All The Stars" from "Black Panther," "I'll Fight," from "RBG, "The Place Where Lost

Things Go" from "Mary Poppins Returns," "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born," and "When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs From Wings" from "The Ballad of Buster

Scruggs."

ELLIS ROSS: Well done.

NANJIANI: Thank you.

ELLIS ROSS: Here are the nominees for the adapted screenplay. "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," Joel Cohen and Ethan Cohen, "Black Klansman," Charlie

Wachtel and David Rabinowitz and Kevin Wilmott and Spike Lee. "Can You Ever Forgive Me," Nicole Holoefcener and Jeff Whitty. "If Beale Street

Could Talk," Barry Jenkins. And "A Star Is Born," Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper and Will Fetters.

NANJIANI: It's exciting that we get to do this.

ELLIS ROSS: It's very exciting. Oh, it's exciting for everybody listening.

NANJIANI: Okay, almost everyone. Mine, you know what? Can I take this one?

ELLIS ROSS: Yes, that's fine.

NANJIANI: It brings back fond memories.

ELLIS ROSS: That's right. This is all you, go.

NANJIANI: Here are the nominees for original screenplay. "The Favorite," Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. "First Reformed," Paul Schrader. "Green

Book," Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly. "Roma," Alfonso Cuaron and "Vice," Adam McKay. Are you going to sleep after this or are

you just have your day?

ELLIS ROSS: Oh, I'm probably going to go work out. Yes.

NANJIANI: Wow.

ELLIS ROSS: I'm lying. And now for performance by an actor in a leading role. Christian Bale in "Vice." Bradley Cooper in "A Star Is Born."

Willam Defoe, "At Eternity's Gate." Rami Malek in "Bohemian Rhapsody." And Viggo Mortensen in "Green Book."

NANJIANI: Me too, I'm going to go work out, probably for three to four hours, really. Yes, I'd do pull ups, push downs. Here we go.

ELLIS ROSS: I don't believe you.

NANJIANI: Performance by an actress in a leading role. Yalitza Aparicio in "Roma." Glenn Close in "The Wife." Olivia Colman in "The Favorite."

Lady Gaga in "A Star Is Born." And Melissa McCarthy in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"

ELLIS ROSS: Dreams just coming true out here. Here are the nominees for achievement in directing. " BlacKkKlansman," Spike Lee. "Cold War" Pawel

Pawlikowski. "The Favorite," Yorgos Lanthimos. "Roma," Alfonso Cuaron. And "Vice," Adam MacKay.

NANJIANI: I am going to work out, I don't know why you think I'm lying. Oh, my god, here it is, the final one. You want to do the - we're going to

do the big one together.

ELLIS ROSS: Oh gosh. Yes, let's do this one together.

NANJIANI: Here we go.

ELLIS ROSS: And finally, here are the films selected as best picture nominees. "Black Panther," Kevin Spivey, producer.

NANJIANI: "BlacKkKlansman" Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee, producers.

ELLIS ROSS: "Bohemian Rhapsody." Graham King, producer.

NANJIANI: "The Favorite" Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, and Yorgos Lanthimos, producers.

[08:40:01]

ELLIS ROSS: "Green Book," Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, producers.

NANJIANI: "Roma," Gabriella Rodriguez and Alfonso Cuaron, producers.

ELLIS ROSS: "A Star Is Born" Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell-Taylor, producers.

NANJIANI: And the eighth and final nominee, "Vice," Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin Messing, producers.

ELLIS ROSS: Wow.

LU STOUT: And there you have it, all the nominations, including for best picture just up on your screen. Film critic, Richard Fitzwilliams has also

been following developments from London, he joins us now, and Richard, we just got them, the best picture nominees for the Oscars. But when we have

this discussion every year, and it's good to have you again to talk about this, there is always a movie that will win the Oscar versus the movie that

should win the Oscar. For best picture, where do you put your vote?

RICHARD FITZGERALD, FILM CRITIC: For best picture, I would still put my vote at "A Star Is Born," which is absolutely marvelous, but I noticed that

Bradley Cooper did not get a nomination for best director, which is a surprise.

So I would hedge that bet and say it could be "Roma." It would be absolutely sensational. It's a Netflix movie, which would be extraordinary

in itself, but it would be the first foreign language film ever to win and there have only been ten since 1929. The other possible is "Green Book,"

which is a story about a black classical pianist bringing enlightenment or attempting to, to the Deep South in the 1960s.

So I'd hedge my bets, but it could be "Roma," it maybe should be "A Star Is Born," it might be "Green Book."

LU STOUT: Good hedging there. As you mentioned, that was a snob for Bradley Cooper. He was expected to get at least a nomination for best

director. He did not get that. That being said, it was nice to see Spike Lee's name in the list because I believe that was the first time he's been

nominated for the director - best director nomination category at the Oscars, which is great.

But all eyes on Alfonso Cuaran. You know, "Roma" up not only for best picture, also for best director and if he gets it, it's going to be - it

will make his name, also Netflix, as well.

FITZWILLIAMS: That's absolutely no doubt about it. I totally agree about Spike Lee and indeed one of the features, and you saw it, the best picture

nominees that "Green Book," "Black Panther" and "BlacKkKlansman," these are, two of them, black-helmed movies and telling African-American stories

and in the case of "Black Panther," a tremendous hit. The first superhero movie ever to be mentioned, a story about Africa and set in the mystical

land of Wakanda.

So that is very significant that these are much more diverse awards. Also, Alfonso Cuaran, definitely favorite for best director because he'd won

before for "Gravity" an Academy favorite, but also "Roma" is a marvelous, very, very sensitive movie and good to see Yalitza Aparicio gets a nominee

and also the supporting actress nominee, as well, for a member of the cast.

So definitely, a possibility. That makes it such an exciting night.

LU STOUT: Yes, exciting night and looking forward to it. Richard, thank you so much for joining us, for your feedback on this nominations just in

and is it for "News Stream." We've got "World Sport" coming up next with Amanda Davies. Keep it here. You're watching CNN.

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