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Border Wall Talks Break Down Ahead Of Second Possible Government Shutdown; Women And Diversity Celebrated At Prestigious Awards Show; Women, Hip-Hop Dominate Music's Biggest Night; Childish Gambino's "This Is America" Wins Record Of The Year And Song Of The Year; U.S.-Backed Fighters Report Strong Pushback; Another Shutdown is Looming; Venezuela's Power Struggle Continues; Trade Between China and the UAE. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired February 11, 2019 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: CNN goes to the frontlines, an exclusive look inside the fierce battle to defeat ISIS in its last Syrian strong hold, plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: on a different square just down the road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: We hear from Venezuelan women forced to turn to prostitution in a desperate struggle to survive.
And another shutdown looming in the U.S. as border security talks stall over the weekend, while the White House stands by its plans for the controversial wall.
Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I am Rosemary Church, and this is CNN Newsroom.
U.S.-backed fighters report fierce resistance as they attack the last ISIS enclave in Syria. They launched an operation to seize Baghuz Al- Fawqani on Saturday. It is a small Euphrates valley town near the Iraqi border. It may also hold some of the most battle-hardened ISIS members determined to fight to the death.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is on the ground covering this battle exclusively on the frontline in eastern Syria. He joins me now live with the very latest. So Ben, what happens when and if U.S. forces win the battle in Baghuz, who will then control it and how will this battle be won?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Let me start off by explaining that we have had to move back from our frontline position because there was a major ISIS counterattack using car bombs, as well as they were just shooting right over our head right down the main street in Baghuz. And one round landed right next to the position where we had been going live from for the last few days, so we had to pull back.
We did see reinforcements moving up -- reinforcements moving up to the front, but this really underscores just how difficult this battle will be. What we heard from Commanders last night, they were speaking confidently of declaring victory perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow. Well, I think it's going to take a little more time than that.
And as we went out yesterday speaking with some of the fighters on the frontline, it was very clear that even they realize that the taking of Baghuz Al-Fawqani is not necessarily the end of the long war against ISIS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: The final battle began just after sunset with coalition airstrikes pounding the last dot on the map held by the state that called itself Islamic, the town of Baghuz Al-Fawqani in eastern Syria. But there was no calm before the storm as gunners with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic forces rained heavy machinegun fire down onto ISIS targets, while civilians who had stuck it out in the town made their way to safer ground.
A mortar round exploded near 14-year-old Mahmoud Nazal (ph) days ago, his wounds still fresh. His brother, Famir (ph) says they couldn't afford to pay the ISIS fighters $1,000 thousand a piece to leave, and thus had to sneak out under cover of darkness.
An hour before the final push begun, Arab tribal fighters danced a useful morale-raising exercise perhaps before the coming battle. The bombing of the town continued throughout the night, intensifying at first light.
The battle to take the last enclave of ISIS and Syria is now into its second day. Syrian Democratic forces have made good progress within the town, but they are encountering some resistance from the ISIS fighters, this despite the constant heavy coalition airstrikes on the town.
But as the day wore on, the going got tougher and the airstrikes increased. It's a hit, he says. ISIS has dug a network of tunnels and trenches. Its fighters some of its most experienced and battle- hardened.
[02:04:57] This battle will not end the war on ISIS, when ISIS, the state is replaced by ISIS, the terrorist insurgency, Jamad (ph), an Arab fighter tells me. It will be tougher still. This war is easy, he says. We are fighting them on a front. It will be different when it becomes guerrilla warfare.
Victory of sorts is at hand. Peace in this tortured land still illusive.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WEDEMAN: So it does appear after the events of this morning that victory may not be quite at hand. We are hearing coalition aircraft overhead. There is going to be hopefully a counterattack by the SDF this morning to push ISIS fighters back from the positions they took this morning, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And Ben, as you mentioned, there was a major ISIS counterattack that you referred to that pushed you to move back. So what sort of numbers are we looking at? And how are they standing up against the forces of the coalition?
WEDEMAN: In terms of the numbers, Rosemary, we have heard repeatedly the figure of 500. But it's not -- that's quite a good number. But what we are told by SDF commanders is that it's not a question of quantity but rather quality that the soldiers -- or rather the ISIS fighters inside the town are some of the most experienced, battle- hardened.
As ISIS has lost more and more ground, they really concentrated in this town. So that's one of the reasons why they are able to hold on like this. Another is that they have this extensive network of tunnels and trenches and booby traps that they have had plenty of time to prepare for.
So the -- it is somewhat impressive that despite the fact that we have seen British and French and American special forces in the area, not on the front line but there are many artillery and mortars and other positions, and there is a significant presence of the coalition in the area as well.
Nonetheless, they seem to be able to hold up against that. Of course, the problem is, in addition to the 500 fighters, we have heard numbers, and it's hard to really trust these numbers, somewhere around 1,500 civilians still inside, if not more. Some of them, of course, are being used as human shields.
What we have been able to see from high positions around the town is that they have set up basically camps of civilians on the edges of the town to make it more difficult for, a, the coalition airstrikes, and b, of course, the SDF fighters as they go in, because they often in many instances they are going through areas that have civilians in them, as I said, being used as human shields, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Indeed. And as you pointed out, this won't be the end of ISIS by any means. Our Ben Wedeman reporting there from eastern Syria, just after 9:00 in the morning, many thanks to you.
Well, the top general at U.S. Central Command warns ISIS could remain a threat. General Joseph Votel is responsible for operations in Syria and the Middle East. He's is to step down from the command and said this on a farewell tour, Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL JOSEPH VOTEL, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND COMMANDER: Well, I mean, you know, I would -- I am kind of aligned with where the intelligence community is on this. They have sought and talked about tens of thousands that have been disbursed and the disaggregated from the area.
So they are spread from, you know, kind of areas in Iraq to other areas in Syria. And they are disbursed and the disaggregated, but there is leadership there. There are fighters there. There are facilitators there. They, you know, have -- still have some access to resources. And of course, they still maintain this kind of diverse ideology that supports them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And that was U.S. General Joseph Votel. He also said the U.S. is on track to pull troops from Iraq and Syria.
Well, as Venezuela's power struggle continues, sitting President Nicolas Maduro is beefing up the country's military. On Sunday, he announced the purchase of thousands of surface to air missile launchers made in Russia, which he says will prevent foreign aggression. Mr. Maduro specifically warned the United States to stay out his nation's affairs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[02:09:51] NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are a peaceful country. But we do not want anyone to get into our business that Donald Trump does not threaten us, out Donald Trump from Venezuela, out your threats. Here we have armed forces and here is the people to defend the honor, the dignity, and respect of a nation that has more than 200 years fighting for its future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And the Venezuelan crisis has affected women in a major way. Before the downturn, many of them worked as lawyers and nurses. But now, some are forced to make impossible choices just to survive.
CNN's Isa Soares brings us their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the street corners in the main squares of Colombia's border city of Cucuta, Venezuelan women hide their pain behind their feigned smiles.
It is here I meet Mariza who trembles as she tells me her story. As a nurse back home, she worked 15 days for a bag of flour. Frustrated, desperate, and unable to find work in a city with the highest unemployment in Colombia, she now sells her body to feed her children back home, earning a mere $6 per man.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
SOARES: With each tear, comes a drop of anger.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE). SOARES: But the shame is overpowering, and keeping this secret is tearing her apart.
(SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
SOARES: On a different square just down the road, I meet an experienced attorney also selling sex to feed her two children and parents back in Venezuela.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
SOARES: But the impossible, she tells me, has become a burden.
(SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPOKEN IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
SOARES: Isa Soares, CNN, Cucuta, Colombia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, still to come, we will take you to the World Government Summit in Dubai, and speak to an architect and author who encouraged communities to rethink the way products are made with the goal of eliminating waste. Plus, was Iran's Islamic revolution really a success? We will find out how it's being remembered there 40 years later. We are back in just a moment.
[02:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: It is no secret that China is expanding its financial reach around the globe. And that the United Arab Emirates it is finding open arms. John Defterios takes us to the World Government Summit where multibillion dollar deals are born.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Big deals, big agendas, an annual event to talk innovation and technology to spark growth. And the United Arab Emirates started with the two largest emerging markets.
MOHAMMED KHALAF AL HABTOOR, CHAIRMAN, AL HABTOOR GROUP: It's not easy to do this product.
DEFTERIOS: According to the chairman of the one of the biggest conglomerates in the gulf, cracking China was a major milestone.
AL HABTOOR: They accepted us as partners in business and they appreciate our quality and they appreciate our understanding, because transparency in business is the most important.
DEFTERIOS: Trade between China and the UAE is forecasted to hit $70 billion by 2020. And with India, it's expected to exceed $100 billion in the same timeframe, pursuing projects in trade, energy, and infrastructure.
It all started in 2008 when Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, visited China, followed seven years later by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi to strengthen ties.
Still bearing fruit, the Chinese shipping giant, Costco, is opening a new terminal spending over $300 million at Abu Dhabi's industrial zone, all part of the ambitious belt and road initiative.
India was the focus of last year's World Government Summit. Substantial deals have been made, including state oil giants ADNOC and Saudi Aramco, investing $44 billion into a refinery in India, part of a wider strategy between the UAE and Saudi Arabia for oil and gas.
SULTAN AHMED AL JABER, DIRECTOR GENERAL AND CEO, ADNOC: We both joining hands complimenting each other. Building on their strengths and them building on our strengths enough for us to be more of a powerhouse for meeting global energy requirements.
DEFTERIOS: The UAE is a country home to less than 10 million people, and is clearly focused on harnessing the growth and investment of the world's two largest emerging markets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And John Defterios joins us now from Dubai with the very latest on the summit. So what has been happening there?
DEFTERIOS: Well, Rosemary, there is the whole trade discussion, that's the core business for Dubai as a major exporter, but the World Government Summit's taken a look at the future, artificial intelligence, how it affects our societies here, the health of societies going forward, but also the health of our planet.
[02:20:09] And that's the spirit of our guests that's joining us now. He's an architect by trade, but he's trying to solve some of the biggest challenges that we face on our Earth today. Let's welcome in William McDonough of McDonough Innovations, good to have on you the program.
WILLIAM MCDONOUGH, MCDONOUGH INNOVATION CEO: Thank you, John.
DEFTERIOS: We talked a great deal over the last couple of years about plastics in the ocean. You have a very simple concept to this huge challenge, and that is to go to the 10 major arteries, the rivers, capture the plastic at the mouth of the oceans. Is it really that simple? And how close are you to getting this done?
MCDONOUGH: Well, it's not that simple, but that's where the problem is. And I think whenever you're trying to solve a problem, look for concentration and flow. Look where the problem starts from and then learn how to move it. So what we are looking at is instead of running around the oceans looking for bits and pieces, which we should do. But actually economically, we can stop it most effectively by stopping at the mouths of rivers.
DEFTERIOS: If you think of the growth around the world today, it's China kind of reaching down the southeast to Asia.
MCDONOUGH: Right.
DEFTERIOS: Four of the top six polluters when it comes to plastics are in Southeast Asia, so your concentration is there. Is the idea to have ships scoop up plastic and actually recycle and get it back to Earth? How did does that work, Bill?
MCDONOUGH: Part of the idea is to let people collect plastics along the coastlines. Let them collect plastics in the harbors and the mouths (ph) of the rivers using fishing fleets and otherwise aut also to take the land-based plastic and the materials coming from the land and process them together at all the harbors. And we can use ships as one part of it and we can use land-based, the other.
The plastics coming from the ocean are contaminated with chlorine and they're contaminated with living things, and so they don't really resort and return to being plastics easily. But if we add them to the plastics from the land, a small dilution, we can actually process all of it back to oil.
DEFTERIOS: Yeah. It's extraordinary. So it's created a cradle on your philosophy here. I know there are a lot of bans around the world of plastic bags for example, or taxes in place. It's a real challenge in the United States. You have bans against the plastic ban.
MCDONOUGH: We do.
DEFTERIOS: Ten states, how that possible?
MCDONOUGH: It's ironic.
DEFTERIOS: You know, it's incredible, because the United States is known as a polluter, as trying to come up with solutions. But 10 states don't want to do anything about it.
MCDONOUGH: Well, the basic thing about the states is people sometimes don't want to be told what to do. That's one thing, you know, like regulation per se. But a lot of the countries in the world recognize this as the global problem. And they see it in the oceans and they see it in their landscapes. In the United States, we essentially have landfills and some incinerators but mostly landfills. So problems in America disappear. We send them and put them away.
DEFTERIOS: Out of sight out of mind.
MCDONOUGH: Out of sight, out of mind. So they are saying give me the convenience of the plastic bag. I don't see the problem. That's the difference.
DEFTERIOS: Does it worry you as an architect -- we have about 30 seconds here -- that we are so behind the curve, whether it's plastics in the ocean coming up with policies for plastic bags, the U.S. pulling out of the Paris Agreement. How do you it as we said that this World Government Summit? MCDONOUGH: What I see here is world government looking at the concept of 7 billion citizens on the planet and starting to look at how do we make decisions for benefit of 7 billion people. So this kind of idea, which is a global strategy, is something I think even the chemical industry will be very excited about. They are setting big up funds to eliminate plastic waste. This is exactly the kind of thing we need to do for the long term.
DEFTERIOS: OK. It's great to see you, and thanks for joining us. You just made a presentation to the likes of Harrison Ford and all the leaders here in the UAE, Bill McDonough once again of McDonough Innovation. Thank you.
MCDONOUGH: Thank you very much.
DEFTERIOS: And Rosemary, that's an interesting concept, right? You take the plastics, capture them at the mouths of the river before they go into the ocean and actually recycle, cradle the cradle as what we call it.
CHURCH: Yeah. That is exactly what we all want to see going forward, many thanks to you, John Defterios. We'll join you again next hour. Appreciate it.
Well, Iran is marking the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. It toppled the Shah (ph) and set in motion decades of mutual animosity with the United States. Thousands are gathering now at a state- organized rally at Teheran's Azadi Square to hear an anniversary address by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Iran's monarchy officially failed on February 11th 1979. And the Islamic revolution that replaced it set out to bring profound, religious, ideological, and economic change. But how successful has it been in achieving those goals?
CNN's Frederick Pleitgen is inside the country to find out what has changed over the past 40 years and what hasn't.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The return from exile of Ayatollah Khomeini in February 1979 and the overthrow of the U.S.-backed Shah marked the culmination of the Islamic revolution. Businessmen Abdolghasem Shafei says he organized opposition groups in those days, 40 years later, he believes the revolution produced mixed results.
[02:25:04] Religiously and ideologically, the revolution achieved its goals, he says. But economically, due to sanctions and domestic mismanagement, we have not yet reached those goals.
The Islamic revolution all saw (ph) an uprising against America's support for the Shah. In late 1979, Iranians stormed the U.S. embassy in Teheran, capturing and holding hostage more than 50 Americans for more than 400 days. U.S.-Iranian relations have never recovered. Hardliners still chanting death to America at Friday prayers, even though Iran's supreme leader recently tried to tone down the rhetoric.
Let me make something clear for U.S. leaders, he said. Death to America means death to Trump, John Bolton, and Pompeo. It means death to American rulers. We have no problems with the American people.
The Trump White House is cracking down on Iran, pulling the U.S. out of the nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration. And hitting the country with sanctions that are crippling its economy and causing it's currency to plummet.
The U.S. says Iran is a threat to Israel, and America's allies in the Middle East, and lashed out at Iran's ballistic missile program. Iran's answer, a defense expo praising the rockets.
Iran shows no signs of bowing to American and international pressure. The country says it will continue to develop its ballistic missile program, which it says is solely for defense purposes.
For the first time, Iran recently released video of one of its underground missile assembly facilities. Forty years after the beginning of the Islamic revolution, the confrontation between the U.S. and Iran continues.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Teheran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:30:15] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM. Science in Washington, there could be another government shutdown that's because the president and lawmakers need to make a deal on border security funding by Friday. But negotiations reportedly stalled over the weekend and accusations are flying around the White House about why Democrats are not playing ball. Boris Sanchez explains.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Sources familiar with both sides of the negotiations between Democrat and Republicans on keeping the government open and funded past Friday's deadline indicate that both sides are at an impasse not only on funding for the president's long-promised border wall, but also specifically on a cap proposed by Democrats on funding for a specific number of beds inside ICE detention centers.
Democrats have argued that they want to make sure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement are detaining criminals and not just regular migrants. On the other side, the Republicans are arguing that Democrats are trying to limit the ability of ICE agents to do their jobs. The president weighed on this several times on Twitter over the weekend arguing that Democrats involved in these negotiations are being held back by Democratic leadership and that they're acting irrationally.
The president also sort of misrepresented where Democrats actually stand on that bed cap issue. Further, his acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney suggested that the possibilities here are still very broad. We could potentially see a government shutdown. We could see a deal. We could potentially see some sort of executive action. Here's more from the acting Chief of Staff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot definitively rule on a government shutdown at the end of this week.
MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: You absolutely cannot and here's why. Let's say for sake of this discussion that the Democrats prevail and the hardcore left-wing Democrats prevail. It was a Democratic congresswoman who put on a tweet yesterday about zero dollars for DHS. So let's say the hardcore left-wing of the Democrat Party prevails in this negotiation and they put a bill on the president's desk with say zero money for the wall or 800 million, some absurdly low number. How does he sign that? He cannot in good faith sign that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Now, with talks completely break down, a Democratic aide told CNN that Democrats in the House are prepared to offer up a bill that would keep the government open and fund the Department of Homeland Security through at least September. There is zero indication at this point that the Republican lead Senate would actually even vote on that bill. No question. It is unlikely to get a signature from the president if it ever actually reaches his desk. Boris Sanchez, CNN at the White House.
CHURCH: Peter Matthews is a political analyst and professor of political science at Cyprus College. He joins me now live from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us.
PETER MATTHEWS, POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be here, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, Peter, as things stand right now, it looks like another government shutdown is possible come Friday with both the Democrats and the Republicans very far apart on making any deal on the border wall or immigration. What's it's going to take to bring the two parties closer together? Is that even possible at this point?
MATTHEWS: Well, the shut -- the first shutdown cost the country about $11 billion in economic loss and laid off, you know, kept 400,000 people working with no pay and about or 300,000 people at home furloughed, so it was a terrible economic loss. President Trump's numbers went down. It doesn't look too good right now at this point. But the president might actually take a different course. He has a Trump card so to speak called the National Emergencies Act.
He might actually declare a national emergency and then get the money from other sources in the government which the laws allow him to do (INAUDIBLE) on the books and this one actually codifies him that tells him how to do it. That's kind of a very critical situation if he does that and many, many Democrats and Republicans are against a national emergency being declared by him, but he still might do it --
(CROSSTALK)
CHURCH: I mean if he goes ahead and does declare a national emergency in the end, he would have to have Congress on board and ultimately the courts would decide this and it doesn't look good for him. But the optics would be that he had tried at least, is that what he's going for here?
MATTHEWS: That will certainly help him hold onto his base of 35 percent or 40 percent of the vote which is still a minority. But on the other hand, a national emergency is a lot more precarious than we think it is because once he declares it, it gives him a lot of powers they didn't have under the normal constitutional framework. And for example, he could declare martial law with it or (INAUDIBLE) sees America's assets. He can shut down the internet, a lot of things.
And this Congress votes of course the majority to block the emergency declaration and of course they can also sue him in court, and take him to the Supreme Court. But the court might decide in his favor that a lot of things that are not certain at this point --
(CROSSTALK)
[02:35:07] CHURCH: So you think his declaration of a national emergency is more likely come Friday or perhaps everybody before Friday once he determines there's no way that the two parties are coming together here?
MATTHEWS: It's a very difficult to say which way he go whether (INAUDIBLE) national emergency. But I think he has learned his lesson with the government shutdown. It cost him a lot of popularity and it cost a lot of pain and suffering in terms of the workers themselves (INAUDIBLE) but also the people that actually rely on those services. So you just actually might go with a national emergency. It might be a lot easier for him to do that and then show that he tried like, you know, he might want to show his followers (INAUDIBLE) I actually tried this even if the court strikes me down.
CHURCH: President Trump has said that the Democrats want a government shutdown. What do you say to that? Who would want a shutdown?
MATTHEWS: No one wants a shutdown exempt possibly President Trump. It's just ridiculous. Many Republicans don't want the shutdown either. Otherwise, he could have gotten the whole budget (INAUDIBLE) passed with a wall funding when he had a Republican majority just a couple of months ago, right, and he couldn't even do that. The real problem here, Rosemary, is the undocumented immigration is not due to a wall or lack of a wall.
It's due to the economic situation across the border and the free trade agreements like NAFTA which actually drove a lot of people from Mexico to come here after farmers went out of business so whether because American corporation dumped their corn over there through NAFTA and other kinds of things like low wages paid there. He needs to look at that macro-economic situation. Work on getting Mexico to raise the wages they are raising (INAUDIBLE) standards so Mexicans can buy our products and it would be mutual prosperity.
Our middle-class jobs are going to be fleeing to Mexico. He's not going for the deep really important structural changes that have to be made with NAFTA and other things. He's just going for a quick fix wall so he can get some votes in my view. It's very unfortunate.
CHURCH: And of course, we're mid-February here. We've already had the longest government shutdown this country has ever seen and there are a lot of government workers right now very concerned that there's a possibility of a second government shutdown. We don't know if that ultimately will occur. But talk to us about the optics of that. As far as those people watching from a far in overseas countries seeing the way that business is done in this country.
What would their opinion be at this point? What's the impact?
MATTHEWS: Not a very positive one about how the United States runs our government under this president. This hasn't happened under other president to this extend and it just seems like we're not together in terms of our leadership and other countries probably won't respect that very much. More importantly, the actual government workers are so uncertain now. They already suffered by not getting paid for over a month. Many had to rely on trying to get food taps or getting out to soup kitchens, and their children didn't get fed.
They couldn't pay their mortgages, their rents. It's very demoralizing to have one-fourth of the government workers in this situation for 35 days. It's unconscionable. This president has to get it together and agree with Congress to settle this thing in an amicable rational manner that will help everyone around him.
CHURCH: All right. Peter Matthews, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your analysis.
MATTHEWS: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Well, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam says he can help his state heal. A week ago, he was facing calls to resign after a racist photo from his yearbook surfaced. But since then two other top government officials have been hit by scandals. As Kaylee Hartung reports, all three men are refusing to resign.
KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over the course of the past week, depending on the day, it was a question of which one of Virginia's top three lawmakers could survive their respective scandal. All three of these men, all Democrats, now saying they will not resign. Starting with Virginia's Governor Ralph Northam who is admitted to wearing black face when he was in college. He spoke over the weekend saying he is best suited to help the people of the commonwealth heal from this difficult week that they've experienced.
Virginia a place with a history of racial division over the course of the last 400 years, this past week being a reminder of a not so distant past of those same troubles. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax facing accusations from two different women of sexual assault. He is calling for an investigation saying that an investigation would clear his name. He wants the FBI to get involved. But both of these women saying they testify if impeachment proceedings do take place here in Virginia's legislature on Monday morning.
In fact, House of Delegates member, Patrick Hope, he's saying he will introduce articles of impeachment which will be taken to a vote on the House floor only if the Speaker of the House allows it. It doesn't seem that that will be the case, but Democrats widely asking for his resignation. He continues to say the allegations against him are unsubstantiated and demonstrably false. The week of chaos will continue into this next week we expect here in Virginia. Kaylee Hartung, CNN.
[02:40:08] CHURCH: The crowded field of Democrats hoping to take Donald Trump's job just got even bigger. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota announced her run for president on Sunday in the middle of a heavy snowstorm. Our Suzanne Malveaux was right there with her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator Amy Klobuchar jumping into the 2020 waters making the announcement along the Mississippi River in her home State of Minnesota.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), MINNESOTA: Let us cross the river of our divides and walk across our sturdy bridge to higher ground.
MALVEAUX: The 58-year-old third term senator talked up her heartland heritage and her ability to get thing done.
KLOBUCHAR: I will look you in the eye. I will tell what you what I think and no matter what I'll lead from the heart.
MALVEAUX: Klobuchar joins an increasingly crowded Democratic field including fellow Senate Judiciary Committee members Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. It is from that committee perch last fall that Klobuchar captured the national spotlight with her questioning of then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
KLOBUCHAR: So you're saying there's never been a case where you drink so much that you didn't remember what happened the night before or part of what happened?
BRETT KAVANAUGH, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's -- you're asking about, you know, blackout. I don't know, have you?
MALVEAUX: The exchange for which Kavanaugh later apologized went viral.
KLOBUCHAR: Could you answer the question, judge? It's just -- so you have -- that's not happened? Is that your answer?
KAVANAUGH: Yes, and I'm curious if you have.
KLOBUCHAR: I have no drinking problem, judge.
KAVANAUGH: Yes, nor --
(CROSSTALK)
MALVEAUX: Klobuchar later said she was stunned by the moment which also led her to discuss her own experience growing up with an alcoholic father.
KLOBUCHAR: My dad who is 90 now struggled with it throughout his life and finally got treatment and is sober.
MALVEAUX: With her national profile elevated, Klobuchar coasted to reelection in 2018 with 60 percent of the vote winning 42 counties carried by Donald Trump in 2016.
KLOBUCHAR: You go where it is uncomfortable not just where it's comfortable, and that's how we're going to win the Midwest.
MALVEAUX: A graduate of Yale University. Klobuchar interned for fellow Minnesotan, Walter Mondale in his Senate office.
KLOBUCHAR: I thank Vice President Mondale who's here with us who has been a mentor to me.
MALVEAUX: Klobuchar says Mondale's choice of running mate in 1984, Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman on a major party ticket opened her eyes to the future of women in politics.
KLOBUCHAR: For me, it was a moment when I knew that anything and everything was possible for women in the United States of America.
MALVEAUX: In 1998, Klobuchar was elected attorney of Minnesota's most populous county. Eight years later, she became the first woman elected to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.
KLOBUCHAR: I left Minnesota with my husband and our daughter, and loaded up our Saturn with our college dishes and a shower curtain from 1985.
MALVEAUX: On Capitol Hill, Klobuchar are partnered with Republicans on issues such as online privacy, workplace harassment, and prescription drug costs earning respect across the aisle. Bipartisan credentials Klobuchar hopes will give her an advantage in the campaign to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Suzanne Malveaux with that report. So now, at least 11 Democrats are either running or exploring a run for president. Six of them are women. Well, the acting U.S. Defense Secretary has touched down in Afghanistan on an unannounced trip. Patrick Shanahan's visit comes ahead of the Munich Security Conference later this week. It also comes after U.S. ceasefire talks with the Taliban and reports of a partial U.S. troop withdrawal.
Shanahan insists he has not been told to step down the number of U.S. forces. Grace notes at the Grammys where it was a big night for women and hip hop just ahead a look at the top winners. Back in just a moment.
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[02:46:29] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: And thank you for watching CNN. I'm meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for "WEATHER WATCH".
Let start you off across the Americas where another cold week awaits across portions of the Midwest here highs in Chicago. Only one with cloudy conditions and notice back towards the east, it's an entirely different story as especially, as you work away a little farther toward the south.
And showers possible in places such as Atlanta, as the disturbance here are cruises by, but really much of the activity can find north of the areas around say, the Gulf Coast state.
So, you've got to work your way into the Tennessee Valley that's where the heavy rainfall is. And then, work your way into upper Midwest, it is about the heavy snowfall the next couple of days. So, another round of disruptions potentially.
For some of the major hubs across the Midwestern U.S. from Chicago, on into Detroit, even around the major metro cities of north east, potentially, the heart of the week, there some snow showers possible in New York and Boston.
But, notice the trend here. Once we get through that portion where we do have cold enough temps to support snow. Temps really want to rise rapidly, especially for portions of the south into the teens, yet again in places such as Charlotte and Atlanta. And plenty warm even down into the tropics.
How about Havana working up into the 30s here in the early portion of February. 28 degrees in Belize City. Mexico City, middle 20s. Guatemala City also at 25 degrees. And also watching a few thunderstorms where you expected this time of the year into the tropics Belem and Manaus about 29 to 30 degrees scattered storms and we leave you with conditions to the south.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. With the 2019 BAFTA movie awards were dominated by two films that celebrated diversity, Roma and The Favourite earned some of the biggest prizes. CNN's Erin McLaughlin has the story from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a celebration of women and diversity. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This year, people are wanting to say we all need to change the industry together.
MCLAUGHLIN: Roma won four BAFTAs, including best film. A story of an indigenous live-in maid set in Mexico in the 1970s.
ALFONSO CUARON, FILM DIRECTOR: The semantics of Roma speaks about today. Themes like inequality, race, gender, are prevalent -- as prevalent or more prevalent today as they were 50 years ago.
OLIVIA COLMAN, ACTRESS, AS QUEEN ANN, THE FAVOURITE: Did you use to look at me? Did you? Look at me. Look at me. How dare you! Close your eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the BAFTA goes to Olivia Colman.
MCLAUGHLIN: Olivia Colman was crowned queen of the BAFTAs over portrayal of the movie, The Favourite, which took seven awards.
Over a year on from the beginning of the MeToo movement and Times Up, 2019 BAFTAs are all about strong female characters and films.
But no female directors. Sore point for the cast of Can You Forgive Me, despite nominations for best actress and best supporting actor, no mention for the film's director.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course, I think, she should have been nominated across the board.
MCLAUGHLIN: And not a single female director was nominated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. It's not great. Where it's -- you know, we're moving forward but we're certainly not there yet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the BAFTA goes to Rami Malek.
MCLAUGHLIN: Rami Malek won Best Actor for his portrayal of a gay British icon, Queen front man, Freddie Mercury. Yet, one more sign that BAFTAs focus is on inclusivity and their will for change is there.
[02:50:10] RAMI MALEK, ACTOR, AS FREDDIE MERCURY, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: Thank you. Thank you for including me.
MCLAUGHLIN: The night ceremony, a powerful signal that this is just the beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are so wearing white tonight.
MCLAUGHLIN: Erin McLaughlin, CNN, BAFTAs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And there was another award show on Sunday, The Grammys, and it was a big night for hip-hop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD GLOVER, AMERICAN ACTOR, RAPPER: This is America. Guns in my area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Word, my area.
GLOVER: I got the strap. I got to carry them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Childish Gambino's This is America was awarded both Song and Record of the Year. It was the first time a hip-hop song has won those prizes. The night was also dominated by women as performers like Lady Gaga, and Brandi Carlile, went home with multiple awards. And Kacey Musgraves won four awards including Album of the Year.
And for more on the music awards, let's bring in Xixi Yang, she is an entertainment journalist and joins me from Los Angeles. Good to see you.
XIXI YANG, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Good to see you too, Rosemary. What an incredible night in music. Now, I got to say the Grammys is always one of my favorite award shows to cover, because I feel like there just something so beautiful about the power of music bringing together people from all walks of life, musician from different genres.
And I was so excited to see the female empowerment movement that was in the room tonight. It's really refreshing to see that because if you remember, last year's Grammys was actually played with a #GrammysSoMale controversy.
CHURCH: And as you point out, women, the big winners this year. And, of course, they took to the stage in such great form and Dua Lipa called out Grammy president Neil Portnow in her speech when she won the Best New Artist Award, saying, "Women really stepped up." How did that play out and what was the response there?
YANG: I think the response was definitely shocking because, you know, Dua Lipa was not only the first artist to call out the Recording Academy. Ariana Grande openly boycotted the Grammys this year on her social media. Saying she wouldn't be attending because initially they wanted her to perform a few of her songs, but she did not want to compromise her artistic integrity.
So, we're definitely seeing this movement of especially female artists being very candid and very vocal about standing up for what they believe in. I do want to say, I think Alicia Keys did an incredible job hosting the entire show. She is the first female host of the Grammys in all 14 years. And she went straight to the point.
She sat the tone in her opening monologue by bringing up her entire girl game. She had Lady Gaga on stage with her, Jennifer Lopez. And perhaps, the most surprising of them all, Michelle Obama. I know social media was buzzing about Michelle. They were so excited to see her. CHURCH: Yes, indeed. And, of course, as you point out, Alicia Keys, she is spectacular talent. It was great to see a woman take charge of the show. I do want to talk about Childish Gambino's, when This is America won, of course, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, becoming the first rap song to win those awards.
But the artist wasn't there to pick up his prize. Having declined an invitation to perform, why was that?
YANG: You know, Childish Gambino, I've actually interviewed him before at the Grammys in previous years. And he is an artist through and through. And I think, in the beginning, This is America, it was such a powerful song. It was an even more powerful music video. And I think he just didn't receive the right type of support from the recording academy in the beginning, so he was very vocal about not wanting to come on to show himself on the big night. But it ended up winning, and this is the first time that a rap song won this category.
So, that was definitely really monumental and that Cardi B, also made Grammy history tonight by being the first solo female artist to win Rap Album of the Year. So, that was another huge moment not only for the rap community but also for female artists in general.
CHURCH: Yes, indeed. And, of course, I want to talk too about Drake, because he called out the Grammys race problem. But his speech was actually cut off. What did he say and what might be the ramifications of cutting him off like that particularly when he's talking about a subject like that?
YANG: You know, there was actually a bit of a technical difficulty. Because I think for the viewers watching at home, you know, I think everyone was kind of shocked.
I was on my Twitter on social media, looking at all the reactions, and they thought production cut him off on purpose. But his mic actually dropped, so I do believe that was actually a technical difficulty.
CHURCH: Oh, that will be interesting to see how that is received. And just before you go, just an overall sense, what do you think? How did this Grammys show compared to others in past?
[02:55:05] YANG: I think it was really exciting. I think Alicia Keys did an incredible job hosting. And J. Lo's performance, her tribute to Motown was absolutely incredible. And I think overall, it was definitely a win for the culture of music.
And I know everyone was really excited to see not only hip-hop and rap finally dominating some of the categories and making Grammys industry, but just female artists in general really coming out supporting each other. It's a great time to be a woman.
CHURCH: And yes, and that was clear with this show. Thank you so much Xixi Yang for talking to us about the Grammys. And some great visuals there as we're chatting with you. Appreciate it.
YANG: Thank you so. CHURCH: And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with another hour of news in just a moment. You are watching CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GAMBINO: Look what I'm whipping now. This is America. Don't catch you're slipping now. Look how I'm living now. Police be tripping now. This is America. Guns in my area. I got a strap. I got to carry them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes, I'm a go into this. Yes, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
