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Venezuela Opposition leader, Juan Guaido looks to return home; Tornadoes turn deadly in the U.S. as a series of devastating twisters rip through the states of Alabama and Georgia; Decades Of Military Traditions Upended Days After The Collapsed Summit Between Donald Trump And Kim Jong- Un. Aired: 8-9a ET
Aired March 04, 2019 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Both the men who claim to be Venezuela's Presidents are on a collision course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST, NEWS STREAM (voice over): Opposition leader, Juan Guaido looks to return home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK PATON WALSH, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Monday is an absolutely key day in the progress of this opposition movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): As Guaido calls for nationwide protest to bolster momentum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The house was completely destroyed, massive damage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): Tornadoes turn deadly in the U.S. as a series of devastating twisters rip through the states of Alabama and Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL HOLMES, ANCHOR, CNN: Joint military drills between the United States and South Korea are set to resume, only they will be smaller.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): Decades of military traditions upended days after the collapsed Summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no doubt that this is a concession from the U.S. to the North Koreans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (on camera): I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to "News Stream." It is a critical day for the opposition in Venezuela.
Renewed protests are set to begin across the country in just two hours. And their leader faces the possibility of arrest.
Self-declared interim President, Juan Guaido has vowed to lead fresh demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro and his regime when he
returns today from his tour of Latin America. In a Facebook address on Sunday, he called on his supporters to stay united for Venezuela to achieve
freedom and democracy.
Now, Guaido violated a travel ban by leaving the company and acknowledges he could be re-arrested. He could be arrested and he warned Mr. Maduro
that detaining him would be a mistake.
Now, Patrick Oppmann is in Caracas for us and he joins us now. Patrick, will Juan Guaido be able return to Venezuela without getting arrested?
OPPMANN: You know, that is the great question of the morning and the next few hours will be critical for the future of Venezuela's opposition if Juan
Guaido does what he has promises to do that he re-enters this country somehow. That he is not detained. That if he gets to a plaza that is very
close to me, where he is calling in just a few hours for a massive demonstration, if he shows up there, it will have a galvanizing effect on
the opposition that the man who has declared himself to be Venezuela's interim President has returned to once again lead the opposition after a
week-long tour gathering support abroad from Presidents throughout the region, as well if he comes back and he is arrested, as Nicolas Maduro has
at points threatened to do, that is well what will fire up people here.
So if you are the other man who claims to be President in Venezuela, the socialist Nicolas Maduro, you really have no good options here. If Guaido
enters the country, you will look incompetent and weak that you can't track him down, and then if you arrest him, you are going to bring down the wrath
of the United States, National Security adviser, John Bolton tweeting that if Guaido is arrested, that they would see that as a major escalation in
this crisis here.
So it's just a question of what Nicolas Maduro is going to do, really no good options for him at this point.
LU STOUT: Yes, and both individuals want to look strong, Juan Guaido, he is calling for more protests. He wants to keep the pressure on Maduro, but
could Guaido and his allies lose some critical momentum this week?
OPPMANN: You know, they have already lost some critical momentum. They said that they were going to bring in aid no Venezuela, and that really
just fizzled out. The Maduro regime was able to block them quite easily, but they did go on this tour and meet with a number of Presidents, but then
people started criticizing here that why wasn't he coming back to his country, the need of people here -- and it is interesting, he is coming
back today during Carnival because so many people are outside of Caracas. People can afford to go to the beach, so that Caracas really feels like a
ghost town.
So you just wonder if it is going to affect the turnout, but very clearly, Juan Guaido felt that it was the time to come back and make his presence
here known. And it is just a question of whether he will be allowed to do that or if the government at this point is so ineffectual that they just
can't stop him. You have seen the defections on the border, you've seen security services that don't seem to have the heart in this anymore. More
and more the government seems to be relying on sort of para-military units to enforce order here.
So if he does come and does appear at this protest scheduled for just a few hours then that would certainly breathe a lot of new life into his
opposition movement.
LU STOUT: This is another critical week for the future of Venezuela. Patrick Oppmann reporting live from Caracas. Patrick, thank you.
[08:05:00]
LU STOUT: In the southern United States, at least 23 people are dead after several tornadoes hit the states of Alabama and Georgia. Lee County in
Alabama was hit by not just one, but two tornadoes in the space of one hour. And you could see exactly where one tornado hit -- that wide swathe
there where trees have been snapped at the trunk. CNN's Kaylee Hartung is there in Lee County, Alabama, and she filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KAYLEE HARTUNG, CORRESPONDENT, CNN (voice over): A series of deadly tornadoes ripping through Alabama and Georgia, leveling homes and causing
catastrophic damage across both states.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY JONES, LEE COUNTY SHERIFF: Houses completely destroyed, homes just basically just slabs left where once stood a home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARTUNG (voice over): The tornadoes are the deadliest in years, with authorities telling reporters they expect the death toll to rise.
The path of destruction tearing through Lee County, Alabama. Officials say one tornado appears to have traveled for several miles on the ground in one
community, destroying nearly everything in a half-mile wide path and sending dozens of people to the hospital with very serious injuries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY DANIEL NORTON, ALABAMA RESIDENT: I wouldn't wish this on anybody. This just came on so quick and changed so many lives that, I mean, it's
really sickening to watch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARTUNG (voice over): Neighborhood after neighborhood in this Georgia town leveled. Roofs torn off the tops of houses. Trees uprooted and blocking
streets. Cellphone towers knocked down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORTON: This whole area right here is -- is pretty much just gone. Looking out over this way, which was mostly trees, it just looks like
toothpicks broke just all through there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARTUNG (voice over): This porch, the only thing still standing from this home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Contents of one residence we know for a fact was located over a thousand yards away. So we've got a wide -- very wide storm track that
went through the area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARTUNG (voice over): Families gathering anything they could find in the rubble to take with them to safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: These families have lost everything they have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARTUNG (voice over): In the midst of the chaos, some families reuniting with their pets --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that your baby?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARTUNG (voice over): -- and their loved ones.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a sweet reunion, isn't it, right there? Granny is okay.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: So much loss and devastation caused by those storms. That was Kaylee Hartung reporting. And now to a natural disaster in Australia,
devastating bush fires are sweeping through the southeastern state of Victoria. Emergency crews could not be more direct in their warnings to
evacuate, telling thousands of people to act immediately to survive.
The fires were touched off by lightning strikes last week and they are keeping more than 2,000 firefighters working around the clock. Have a look
at this almost eerie video of fire crews driving through Bunyip State Park near Melbourne. That is where one of the largest fires is raging.
Australia endured its hottest summer on record from December through February.
Now joining us now on line is Alistair Drayton with Emergency Management Victoria. Sir, thank you for joining us. These are devastating fires.
Tell us more about the kind of damage you have seen out there first hand.
ALISTAIR DRAYTON, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT VICTORIA (on the phone): Yes, good evening, Kristie. It's evening here in Australia now and crews are taking
advantage of the milder conditions tonight. But yes, we have had a long, dry summer here. Large periods of no rain, which, of course, as you
mentioned, the extensive lightning we had last week has produced quite a number of fires and we have, as you quite rightly mentioned have had to
place a number of warnings, of which some are active at the moment, and we have a lot of people that are displaced from their homes.
LU STOUT: How many fires are still actively burning and how many firefighters have been deployed to put them out?
DRAYTON: At the moment, we've got probably 25 fires of significance at the moment, of which that, as you've mentioned, those thousands of firefighters
are out there around all of those fires, hundreds of engines are around and quite a number of relief centers looking after those folks that have been
have been asked to move from their houses.
LU STOUT: And to confirm, there have been no injuries in these fires so far?
DRAYTON: There have been some fire fighter injuries, some minor injuries, quite fortunately, with the way in which we have been practicing
emergencies here in the last half a dozen years, with our warning systems now, we feel that the advanced warning, good situational awareness and
trying to educate the community in relation to their own situational awareness, we can all say that again has worked quite well in this
situation.
LU STOUT: Yes, remarkably, no injuries outside the firefighting force. Is that due to the education and to speedy evacuations in the local
population?
DRAYTON: Yes, information is key. There is no doubt about that and it's important that the fire is certainly a shared responsibility. It's
important that people that do live in any types of environments that are fire prone, it's important that people have the fire plan and that they
enact their plan early enough they can put themselves and their family and their loved ones in a good place at the time when those fires do go
through.
LU STOUT: Now, the forecast ahead, it's looking good, possible rain expected in Victoria State by Wednesday.
[08:10:10]
LU STOUT: Is that going to help with the fight against these blazes?
DRAYTON: Well, no, we probably need a lot of rain to really extinguish these fires. Unfortunately, the milder conditions will bring some in the
next day or two, will bring, I think we'll have 5 millimeters of rain which is a quarter inch of rain perhaps in some areas, not widespread at all.
But unfortunately, we will be -- our Bureau of Meteorology here have advised us already that March or fall will be dryer than average.
So again, we are continuing to see some of these fires burn for quite some time or until they do get some substantial rain. Fortunately, some of
these fires that we do have are in what we call the high country up in the ranges and will not affect some people or any people in those areas. So,
hence, we are focusing on the ones that are around the populated areas at this point in time.
LU STOUT: This is a challenging time for emergency services and for your firefighters, Alistair Drayton of Emergency Management Victoria, thank you
so much for joining us, and to you and your teams, please do take care.
You are watching "News Stream." And still ahead right here on the program, drills and diplomacy, what military exercises between the U.S. and South
Korea look very different this year. Plus, new legal trouble for President Trump. We will take a look at those allegations, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream." For year after year, joint American and South Korean military drills have been
closely watched by Pyongyang, but this year sees a major change. The operations are being scaled down. U.S. and South Korean military official
say it is a part of a drive to reduce tensions with North Korea. For more on the significance of this, let's speak to In-Bum Chun, a retired
Lieutenant General in the South Korean Army, he joins us now.
General Chun, thank you for joining us here in the program. I wanted to ask you about the timing. Why do you think the U.S. and South Korea are
agreeing to cancel these large-scale drills now?
LT. GEN. IN-BUM CHUN (RET), REPUBLIC OF KOREA ARMY: I think mostly it was coincidental. There were press releases that had hinted they were in this
direction and because a new alternative smaller-scale exercise was going to be starting very soon, I think the end of the Summit and the start of the
new exercise cycle coincided and that's what caused the announcement.
LU STOUT: There is a lot of concern about what this means for security on the Korean peninsula. Will cancelling these drills undermine the U.S. and
South Korean defenses against North Korea?
[08:15:04]
CHUN: Well, I fully understand the kind of concerns that people have, especially because this announcement was unexpected. But as the commanders
of both the United States and the Republic of Korea have stated, they had thoroughly analyzed the situation and they had been able to determine that
it was the right moment to make a change.
Now, I want to remind everyone that we are concluding key resolve and full regal, but that doesn't mean that the combined exercises have all been
ended. There are other exercises that can achieve the same kind of goals.
LU STOUT: That's right. There will be ongoing smaller joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea. But in regards to these larger
drills that are now cancelled, Donald Trump, he has been very critical of these drills in the past.
Now, earlier today, he tweeted this. He said that, "The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of
dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed," unquote. So, General Chun, it appears for Donald Trump, the U.S. President, this is not
about security or diplomacy even, this is about money. How do you react to that?
CHUN: Well, I mean no disrespect to the President of the United States, but I hope that he has ulterior motives for putting the exercises in
monetary terms. The exercises are important because they fulfill readiness for the Republic of Korea and the stability of Northeast Asia, which is in
direct interest of the United States and all of our neighbors and allies.
So I would say that it's more than about money and it is in the best interests of everyone to do so. I'm sure that Mr. Trump has other motives
for stating that critical exercise in that form.
LU STOUT: And your thinking on the likely reaction inside North Korea and its military ranks, would they take this scaling down of joint military
drills between the U.S. and South Korea as a good will gesture? Or could they see this as an opportunity to, once again, be provocative?
CHUN: So the key resolve and full legal exercises have a four decades long history. The North Koreans have been very paranoid about these exercises
and some people have termed them as provocative. These are defensive exercises. Its aim is to train the officers and men who keep the peace on
the Korean peninsula, and I think the North Koreans should take this for what it is. It is a goodwill gesture. It is a confidence building
gesture. It is also a message to the North Koreans that negotiation and a peaceful denuclearization path is opened, and I think they should take it.
LU STOUT: General In-Bum Chun, we thank you for joining us, sir. Take care. Now, back in Washington, U.S President Donald Trump is blaming the
public testimony of his former lawyer, Michael Cohen for the failed summit with North Korea in Hanoi.
Now, CNN's Joe Johns joins us now from the White House for this angle and Joe, the U.S. President earlier on Twitter appeared to blame the Cohen
hearings for the collapse of those talks in Hanoi. What did he say?
JOE JOHNS, SENIOR Washington CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Kristie, this is Trump world logic, if you will. AS little stunning, nonetheless, and it is
the second time at least that the President has attempted to suggest that the timing of Michael Cohen's testimony on Capitol Hill coinciding with the
President's meetings with Kim Jong-un in Vietnam somehow might have contributed to the failure of that Summit even though it's been widely
suggested that the two sides were simply too far apart and the President did the right thing by walking away instead of accepting a bad deal as
opposed to no deal at all.
So the President, of course, on the record with this, in a tweet over the weekend, I'll read it. "For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a
convicted liar and fraudster at the same time as a very important nuclear Summit with North Korea is perhaps a low in American politics and may have
contributed to the walk. Never done when a President is overseas. Shame." He writes.
As if the President's various and constant controversies, if you will, that began even before he was elected, before he was inaugurated would somehow
take a pause while the President was in Vietnam.
[08:20:10]
JOHNS: Earlier, right after the Summit in Hanoi, the President sounded a similar note. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I tried to watch as much as I could. I wasn't able to watch too much, because I have been a little bit
busy. But I think having a fake hearing like that and having it in the middle of this very important Summit is really a terrible thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: "A terrible thing," he says, so an attempt by the President, once again, to discredit what is essentially a part of an investigation
involving the President and his past acts. This is in keeping with the President's method and custom over the last couple of years -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: And after those, you know, collapsed talks in Hanoi, the image of trump "the deal maker" suffered a pretty big blow, so is the pressure
now on the President to strike a new deal, for instance, with China over trade?
JOHNS: Well, it's interesting, the administration has been fairly consistent in suggesting that it is China that needs to make a deal more
than the United States and we really haven't seen any attempt to try to link North Korea and China. We do know from talk around here at the White
House as well as the "Wall Street Journal's" reporting over the weekend, there is a belief that the two sides in the China talks are moving closer
together with an eye towards perhaps a meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi at Mar-A-Lago around March 27th.
So there is potential for something to happen there especially in light of the economic downturn that China has been seeing -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Joe Johns live from the White House for us. Joe, thank you. Now, we are learning new details from China about the case against two
Canadian men who have been detained there since December. A statement from Chinese authorities accuses Michael Kolvrig of stealing state secrets and
it alleges Michael Spavor provided intelligence to Kolvrig.
Now, to shed light on all of this, let's go straight to Will Ripley, he joins us live from Beijing, and Will, we finally have details from China on
this case against these two detained Canadians and there are serious accusations in there.
WILL RIPLEY, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Very serious accusations, Kristie, but, despite the details that are being released by the Chinese government,
there are still a lot of questions about what exactly is motivating these charges against the two Canadian citizens. The details of which were
announced, by the way, just two days after Canada decided to proceed with an extradition hearing against the arrested Huawei CFO, Meng Wanzhou who
remains in custody in Canada and could be extradited to the United States where she could face prison time accused of, among other things violating
Iran sanctions.
But as far as the new information that we are learning here in Beijing about Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, the two Canadians who were
arrested in early December, just days, by the way, after Meng Wanzhou's arrest in Canada. The accusations are that Kovrig was entering -- by the
way, Kovrig is a former diplomat, but he was entering China, authorities say on an ordinary passport, using business visas and then obtaining
sensitive state secrets, intelligence information and the Chinese authorities allege that his primary contact was businessman and fellow
Canadian, Michael Spavor, who by the way has also traveled several times to North Korea. He has contacts both in North Korea and here in China.
And Chinese authorities allege that essentially Spavor was funneling information to Kovrig who was acting deceptively, spying, trying to uncover
state secrets here which the Chinese authorities say is a severe charge that they will firmly prosecute.
But there is no question amongst many diplomatic circles, Kristie, that in fact, the real motivation here is China trying to put pressure on Canada
about the case of Meng Wanzhou because Canada even today insisted that her arrest and detainment is simply not appropriate.
They don't believe that the charge against her are legitimate. They feel that the U.S. and Canada violated their own extradition treaty and that
they think the U.S. is using Meng Wanzhou to try to pressure them on the whole trade issue.
So lots of accusations being thrown around, and yet, nonetheless, extraordinarily serious charges facing two Canadians here in China and of
course, serious charges as well facing a pillar of China's tech community, the CFO of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: New details in this ongoing diplomatic standoff, Will Ripley reporting live from Beijing. Will, thank you. Now, President Trump's
national emergency declaration has hit another snag as a growing number of Republicans in the Senate look to join the Democrats and vote against the
order, calling it an executive overreach. Lauren Fox has more.
[08:25:03]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAUREN FOX, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, CNN (voice over): Senator Rand Paul announcing that he supports a resolution to block President Trump's
declaration of a national emergency to build a wall on the southern border, writing in a new op-ed, quote, "I think he's wrong, not on policy, but in
seeking to expand the powers of the presidency beyond their constitutional limits."
Paul joins three other Republicans in opposing Trump's move, despite warnings from the President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think that really, it's a very dangerous thing for people to be voting against border security for anybody, including Republicans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): Paul's opposition to the emergency declaration, likely giving Democrats the support they need to pass the measure and send it to
the President's desk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Will I veto it? One hundred percent. One hundred percent. And I don't think it survives a veto.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): Pressure also growing on the President from Democrats in the House with the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler,
announcing that he plans to request documents from more than 60 people and entities with ties to the President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY NADLER, CHAIRMAN, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: We are going to initiate investigations into abuses of power, into corruption and into
obstruction of justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): Nadler is seeking information from the President's son, Donald Trump, Jr. and the CFO of the Trump organization, Alan Weiselberg,
who Mr. Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen repeatedly referred to during this congressional testimony when discussing potentially criminal behavior,
including alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER PERSONAL ATTORNEY OF DONALD TRUMP: Alan Weiselberg made the decision that it should be paid over the 12 months, so that it
would look like a retainer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): President Trump again denying wrong-doing and railing against the investigations he is facing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: There is no collusion, so now they go and morph into, let's inspect every deal he's ever done. We are going to go into his finances. We're
going to check his deals. We are going to check -- these people are sick.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
FOX (on camera): And today, a deadline for the House Oversight Committee, they've requested documents related to how the White House handles security
clearances. The deadline for the White House for interviews and for documents comes today. So we'll be watching to see if the White House
complies with that deadline and Michael Cohen back on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a closed door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee -
- Kristie.
LU STOUT: All right. Lauren, thank you. Now, the already crowded democratic race for the White House just got bigger. Former Colorado
Governor, John Hickenlooper is jumping in. In a video, he touts his experience as a scientist, an entrepreneur, a Mayor and a Governor and he
suggested President Trump is a bully who threatens everything America stands for. He joins a very packed field.
Here you see the Democrats who are already in the race. At least a dozen more have hinted that they were interested in taking on President Trump.
You are watching "News Stream." And still to come, ISIS is putting up fierce resistance in Syria to defend its last enclave of territory there.
We have a live report from the ground, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:00]
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. Venezuela's self-declared
interim President says he is returning home to lead renewed protests against President Nicolas Maduro. Juan Guaido left the country last week
to meet political allies from across Latin America. He violated a travel ban by leaving Venezuela and risks possible arrest by returning.
In the southern United States, at least 23 people are dead after several tornadoes hit the states of Alabama and Georgia. One county was hit by two
tornadoes in the space of an hour, and you can see exactly where one of them hit. That wide swathe where trees had been snapped at the trunk. The
tornado left a path of destruction nearly one kilometer wide.
Family members of a doctor with dual U.S.-Saudi citizenship say that they believe he is being tortured in detention in Saudi Arabia. They say Dr.
Walid Fitaihi has physically and mentally deteriorated since he was detained in 2017. In a statement to the "New York Times," the Saudi
Embassy in Washington deny any mistreatment of detainees.
U.S.-backed fighters in Syria say that they have slowed down their offensive to take ISIS' last pocket of territory because a small number of
civilians are still there. Syrian Democratic Forces resumed their assault on Baghouz over the weekend. Its capture would mark the end of the group's
territorial control in the region.
For the past few weeks, CNN's Ben Wedeman has been reporting from the front lines in eastern Syria. He has more on the latest fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hell in a very small place. Air strikes, artillery, and mortar rounds rain down
upon the so-called Islamic State's miserable realm. Reduced to a ragged cluster of tents, wrecked cars, and trucks, perhaps just a half square
mile.
Despite the onslaught, people, men it appears, can be seen walking among the tents. U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have given up trying to
estimate how many people, or fighters as they say, are still there. "Some of them want to surrender. They're suicidal. And some want to escape.
But we won't let them," says Safkan, the Commander on this roof. "They can either surrender or die."
They are surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned. Final defeat seems imminent. Yet they fight on, convinced, perhaps, that divine intervention
will allow them to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
WEDEMAN (on camera): All indications are that this battle will not be over today or tomorrow. As President Trump says. One commander told us, maybe
it will be done in four or five days.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): In the evening, SDF troops prepare their weapons for battle. The pounding carries on around the clock. There is no rest for
the last holdouts. Midnight, and the earth shakes. Night into day, the onslaught continues. ISIS lived by the bullet and the bomb, and by the
bullet and the bomb, it is dying.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Ben Wedeman reporting from the front lines there in eastern Syria. You are watching "News Stream." And up next, this
year, the Oscar for Best Documentary Short went to a film about women's periods. And just ahead, the director explains how he titled such a deeply
seeded taboo in India and other places and what has changed since winning that award.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: The front man for the British band, The Prodigy has died. British Police say that Keith Flint was found unresponsive inside his home
in Essex, England. The 49-year-old was a defining figure of the British music in the 1990s. His bandmate, Liam Howlett, wrote on Instagram that
Flint died by suicide.
Howlett says that he is shell shocked, angry, confused and heart broken. The band posted in a statement on Facebook that Flint was a true pioneer,
innovator and legend. He will be forever missed.
Most Hollywood watchers agree that just last week's Academy Awards had some remarkable upsets and some unexpected winners. Now one of those winners
was a Netflix documentary about menstruation, called, "Period, End of Sentence." It won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. And the
filmmakers, they were giddy with gratitude.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAYKA ZEHTABCHI, DIRECTOR, "PERIOD, END OF SENTENCE": I'm not crying because I'm on my period or anything. I can't believe a film about
menstruation just one an Oscar.
MELISSA BERTON, PRODUCER, "PERIOD, END OF SENTENCE:" I share this with teachers and with students around the world. A period should end a
sentence, not a girl's education.
(Cheering and Applause)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Now, "Period, End of Sentence," is about the struggle for menstruation rights. According to a recent research from WaterAid and
UNICEF, more than a third of girls in South Asia miss school during their periods. The film focuses on women in one Indian village who learned how
to successfully make, market and sell feminine products. Here's a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heard of it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a class period?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kind you'd bring a belt for.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know "pads," right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I haven't even heard the name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't even know how to use it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all use cloth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Girls don't have much freedom. We weren't encouraged to work or be independent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: I spoke earlier with the film's director, Raykah Zehtabchi and I asked her, what has changed since winning an Oscar trophy? And what impact
has it had on her film and the issues it raises?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZEHTABCHI: The conversations that have started around the globe, it's unbelievable. There are so many countries and people engaged. People that
we never even expected. It's been a really wonderful response.
LU STOUT: It's so great to hear that. When you filmed the documentary in India, were you shocked by how deep the stigma is around periods and
menstrual hygiene?
ZEHTABCHI: Absolutely. I think it's not until you are face-to-face with the women, having conversations with them and understanding really what
their day-to-day experiences are like, until then that you realize really how deep this taboo is, and unfortunately how much it holds women back from
doing so many things.
And I just think the most incredible experience was really witnessing how empowered these women felt after they were able to start their business
making these sanitary pads and really own it.
LU STOUT: And the sanitary pads and the machine to make them was invented by an Indian man who has become known as the "pad man." And he's a central
figure in your documentary film. Were you surprised by his story and his vision?
ZEHTABCHI: Absolutely. The film actually focuses on a group of women in a village in India that start a business making these sanitary pads, but
ultimately, that machine was invented by Mr. Muruganantham who is this incredible figure in India.
[08:40:07]
ZEHTABCHI: And his contributions have really changed so many women's lives. So, we were so lucky to get the opportunity to interview him and
just get a tiny little slice in our film.
LU STOUT: Yes, absolutely. And change is needed. According to recent research from WaterAid and UNICEF, more than a third of girls in South Asia
miss school during their periods. Your thoughts on when the change is going to happen and what's needed to really improve conditions for these
girls?
ZEHTABCHI: I think what really - the first and foremost thing that we need is to start a conversation and that's really what's been happening since
the release of this film, once we start conversation around menstruation, there is a spread of knowledge and awareness about it and also awareness
about feminine hygiene and the importance of feminine hygiene.
My experience in India this one village, talking to hundreds of women and men, I understood that a lot of women use cloth, solely because that's
what's accessible to them and also culturally, that's the norm. But once you explain to women the importance of feminine hygiene and, you know, you
provide access to them, it's crazy to see how much it's been catching on and how open and receptive women are to using pads now.
LU STOUT: And the movie that you directed won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. How did it feel when you walked on to that stage and
collected that trophy?
ZEHTABCHI: I think you see in my acceptance speech. You know, this project has been a grassroots project. So many hearts and minds going into
it. And I think we've all been so passionate about this cause for so long. So to really see, you know, to get the highest honor of receiving an
Academy Award and having the opportunity to be on the world stage to really share this cause was one of the most incredible experiences for us all.
And I think we take that responsibility very seriously.
LU STOUT: Rayka, congratulations to you and your team and thank you so much for advancing this conversation on menstrual hygiene. Take care.
ZEHTABCHI: Of course.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LU STOUT: Now, in China, fights have been breaking out over cups in an unlikely place for a brawl -- Starbucks. Now, it's all because the coffee
chain has been selling these limited edition cat paw cups. The specially made tumblers are designed to reveal the shape of a cat's paw when you fill
them with liquid. They went on sale last week and quickly sold out, triggering some pretty angry reactions from customers who missed out on the
deal.
Now, some people on social media are, in fact, accusing the coffee giant of exploiting the frenzy to boost sales. According to Starbucks, not true,
which said it would sell any remaining cat paw cups online. That is "News Stream." I am Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with
Alex Thomas is next.
(SPORTS)
[09:00:00]
