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Parliament Set to Vote on PM's Latest Deal with E.U.; Pelosi: Impeachment Too Divisive Though Trump is Unfit; Maduro Blasts Power Outage as Electric Coup; Experts Warn of Huawei Tech in Cell Towers; May Claims To Clinch Legally Binding Changes To Deal; Parliament Set To Vote On PM's Latest Deal With E.U.; Sorrow And Alarm After Plane Crash In Ethiopia; Crash Renews Safety Concerns For Boeing 737 MAX 8; U.N. Mourns Death Of Members Killed In Ethiopia Crash; ISIS Bride Trying To Return To U.K. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired March 12, 2019 - 01:00   ET

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


[01:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: With Brexit looming, Theresa May says she has what U.K. law mark his head demanded legally binding assurances from the E.U. on the eve of a crucial parliamentary vote. The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines jet is raising some big questions for Boeing as Airlines and passengers wonder if the 737 Max 8 is safe.

Five days in counting and no end in sight to the massive power outage across Venezuela. The self-declared president has declared a state of emergency. The sitting President has blamed the United States, both moves about as useful as the other.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. Great to have you with us. I'm John Vause, and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

On the eve of a crucial vote in Britain's Parliament, Prime Minister Theresa May and the E.U. leaders Jean Claude Juncker have announced it Brexit breakthrough of the most contentious issue of all, the so- called Irish backstop.

But there's no detail about the changes and it's still far from certain. This will be enough to win support from a majority of lawmakers when they voted just a few hours from now. From London, here's CNN's Bianca Nobilo for with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker announced Monday evening that they've made legally binding changes to the withdrawal agreement.

For several weeks now, the Prime Minister has been trying to pursue such legally binding changes to the backstop, the most controversial aspect of that withdrawal agreement. The part that would prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.

That was a demand of her Brexiteers that she felt she needed to address in order to give her deal a good chance of passing. Tonight we heard from the Prime Minister that she has agreed an arbitration mechanism with the E.U. but no time limit which was a concern for a number within her own party.

Both sides also declared an aspiration for alternative arrangements to be in place instead of the backstop by December 2020.

THERESA MAY, PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: The U.K. and the E.U. have made a joint statement in relation to the political declaration. It sets out a number of commitments to enhance and expedite the process of negotiating and bringing into force the future relationship. And it makes the legal commitment that the U.K. and the EU will begin work immediately to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by the end of December 2020.

NOBILO: Theresa May will present her deal to the House of Commons for a second time Tuesday after the first attempt failed by a historic margin of 230 votes. She'll be hoping that these last-minute changes she's been able to secure with the E.U. will be enough to win over the support of her backbench Brexiteers as well as some members of the opposition Labour Party. Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: CNN's European Affairs Commentator Dominic Thomas joins us live from Los Angeles. So OK, Dominic, surely after their very depth (INAUDIBLE) like joint appearance, Jean Claude Juncker tweeted this. Our agreement provides meaningful clarifications and legal guarantees to the restoral agreement and backstop. The choice is clear. It is this deal or Brexit may not happen at all. Let's bring the UK's withdrawal to an orderly end. We owe it to history.

You know, let's put the issue at one side for a moment because that's the people of Britain and Europe and maybe all around the world owe some honest and direct talk here. Because you know, Theresa May say these tweaks are here and is this you know, latest version of her deal which is going to get through and this is everything that they wanted, but effectively what has been -- what's happened here, these are changes which are a distinction without a difference.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Right, absolutely. And the whole language of legality that they keep talking about here that some you know, rapid conversation with Jean Claude Juncker somehow leads to something so complex and legally binding and that it should make it through the houses of parliament. This is at best fuzzy law.

The whole language of sort of you know, binding and amendments and so on and so forth. This is simply an attempt to go back to the houses of parliament and to try and enlist the support from the far-right fringe of her party the Brexiteers and to get her to vote for this deal.

She has a narrow margin in parliament if she gets the support of the DUP and the likelihood of this deal going through is not that great unless she can enlist them and it would be -- it's really, really you know, would be -- would be surprising if enough of them were to turn around on the basis of just what she's brought back from the E.U. on this particular occasion.

VAUSE: So one part of this sort of legally binding you know, new terms, it gives the U.K. the right to make a unilateral statement to dis-apply the backstop you know, which is great but that's a bit like me unilaterally declaring I deserve better hours and more money. It doesn't mean the bosses here have agreed to it.

THOMAS: Right and we're not even to the stage. Let's say Brexit even happens that was some miracle this deal makes it through and we get to the 29th and Brexit (INAUDIBLE) happen. We get into this period of now negotiating for the -- for the whole sort of contours of the deal, you know, and the unpredictability that comes from that as the 27 remaining E.U. countries start to kind of scrutinize the specifics of the deal and make particular claims and so on, you know, at the end of the day.

[01:05:26] And it's so ironic that so much of the EU negotiations and talks have been about taking back control over the borders and yet in a particular case on the island of Ireland, this intend to not close up this border. The basic fact remains is that no matter what goes on with the backstop is that if the U.K. is going to deal with the European Union, it is -- without a border, it is going to have to conform and follow regulations and align themselves with the ways in which the E.U. has set up.

And let's not forget, these are rules and regulations that nobody initially force the European Union to sign up to.

VAUSE: OK, you know, once they're making the rounds is the best-case scenario here for Theresa May is you know, she'll most likely lose this parliamentary vote again but maybe by a margin of 15 or so the historic margin back in January.

In other words, it will be horrible but better than last time. Then should get this deadline to the extension, go back to the E.U. for a third time for a do-over trying to get more concessions. With that in mind, again, listen to John Claude Juncker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN CLAUDE JUNCKER, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: If the feigning vote cause took place tomorrow, let us speak crystal-clear about the choice. In this deal, a Brexit might not happen at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Let's be clear. So we've seen the Europeans are done. This is it. There will be no third time lucky.

THOMAS: Well, that's not true. I mean, we know full well that the mechanism is already in place. A deal doesn't make it through tomorrow, let's say, we already have a vote coming up on Wednesday on the No Deal. There's no point having a vote on the No Deal if you're not then going to go back to the European Union and ask for an extension.

And the basic fact remains that yes, the European Union if the U.K. is going to leave, this is the best deal. They've negotiated, they would rather they just left before we start getting into you know, the May elections and all of this incredible distraction. But the basic fact remained that it would be ridiculous for the European Union to not open up these discussions.

What he's essentially doing here though is feeding into Theresa May's narrative to allow her to go back to the EOG, the right wing of her party and to say to them look, there's a big risk here that the further this goes down the road, that there'll be a second referendum or a general election, in other words, uncertainty and you may not get your Brexit. This is the time for you to compromise.

The big question is going to be of course, whether this is what the ERG that have been fighting all their lives to try and get to this point whether or not they will actually go along with it. And that we will know by tomorrow.

VAUSE: Just very quickly, to wrap this up. Before Theresa May left Strasbourg, she marked a Commonwealth day at Westminster Abbey really a passage from Corinthians. The body does not consist of one member but of many. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it. If one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

Subtle not, but if she's trying to send a message here to the E.U., it seems she's overlooked one crucial point here. Not all members suffer equally with leaving the E.U.

THOMAS: Right. And for Theresa May, let's not forget either that this vote tomorrow, let's say she fails, her promise all along has been that she would develop -- deliver Brexit by the 29th of March. If this vote doesn't go through tomorrow, it's impossible for that to -- for that to happen. And as we've been talking all along about this, the whole sort of process of deception that has been surrounded that has been talking about you know, when we've been dealing with the question of the -- of the E.U. and leaving and so on that the -- that the European Union is concerned about a no deal because it impacts them negatively.

But if there's anybody who's going to suffer here, it is going to be the U.K. And that kind of threat, and that kind of appeal to that sort of Commonwealth global kind of England, Great Britain, and so on and so forth is really going to fall on deaf ears here.

VAUSE: Well, I mean, yes, there's still a lot of twists and turns before this is done. Dominic, thank you so much.

THOMAS: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: Search crews in Ethiopia have recovered both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder from Sunday's Ethiopian Airlines crash. An important clues and they're expected to explain why the jet went down just minutes after takeoff killing all 157 on board, the second deadly crash in less than five months involving Boeing's prized new plane the 737 Max 8.

As a result, a growing list of Airlines and countries are grounding their Max 8 fleets just as a precaution. Boeing stock dropped more than 13 percent at one point on Monday training before recouping some of those losses.

A statement from Boeing says it's saddened by the loss of life and has the technical team in Ethiopia to help with this investigation. It's also announced a new software upgrade that's been in the works since the Lion Air crash back in October, but says it's too early to know the cause of Sunday's accident.

CNN's Farai Sevenzo is in Nairobi, Kenya. So Farai, what is the latest we know in terms of where the authorities are when it comes to you know, just figuring out what went wrong here. What was the cause of this accident?

FARAI SOVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you know, John, the Ethiopians and the Kenyans which is, of course, the destination for flights here to was supposed to land here where I am at Nairobi Airport sort of late Sunday morning. And of course, 157 people didn't make it through the international arrivals lounge.

They are trying to connect the dots and to mainly to focus on relieving those people who have lost loved ones and to give them some kind of closure. They were talking yesterday about doing DNA test for those they cannot identify. The Ethiopian bus country controller of Ethiopian Airlines also mentioned at the fact that a look this was a terrible accident. Ethiopian Airlines does more than 300 flights a day.

But then of course -- and also the focus at the moment is about those we lost, the world out of -- coming from 35 nations. Just to give you a rough cross-section, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Tewolde Gebremariam say that the pilot of that ill-fated 302 had 8,000 -- over 8,000 hours of flying experience, and that he had an excellent flying record which of course then again brings us to the fact that if the pilot was so good, what was wrong with what he was flying.

And then of course, we also have missing other people. A young man who had a Nigerian and Canadian a citizenship, a former winner of the Penguin Prize for African Writing in 2010. And then remember as well, yesterday was the beginning of the United Nations Environmental Assembly here in Nairobi. And a young man was also on that plane coming to Kenya for the first time. He lost his life at only 24.

It simply started with a moment of silence. And as you know, from where you are, the U.N. General Assembly's flags were flying at half- mast. And here, Kenya's -- the authorities tell us that they have-- they know who 27 of the 32 Kenyans died. They know who they are. And we were hearing all kinds of stories as well, John, of course a father of eight who was a member of the Kenyan Football Association. He lost his life. A young priest as well died.

So over these 157 people, they were real sort of an integral part of the African humanitarian efforts. And many of them will might have lived in Nairobi because this is where the U.N. headquarters are based. And of course, as the day goes on, we are continuing to talk to the relatives who were simply doubled up with grief late Sunday evening.

VAUSE: Yes. Obviously there's a lot of difficult moments and so many people in this. Farai, thank you. I appreciate your time. CNN's Safety Analyst and former Aviation Safety Inspector David Soucie joins us now from Denver, Colorado. So David, it's been a while. Nice to see you.

Hello, John.

VAUSE: I want to read the list of countries now and the airlines which have grounded the 737 Max 8. Obviously, we have Ethiopian Airlines, China, Indonesia's National Carrier, Mexico has suspended operations for its six Max 8 so do the Cayman Airways. They have just two of the planes. South Africa's Comair has granted it's only Max 8. Airlines in India, South Korea, and Argentina have also decided to -- and Singapore as well to park the Max 8. Here's CNN's Tom Foreman to explain why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're thinking as much about this other accident which happened off the coast of Indonesia last fall that was the Lion Air crash there, 189 people died in that accident, very similar, shortly after takeoff. And at the time, even as the investigation began, the Federal Aviation Administration here issued a directive to pilots saying there is some software issue with this plane which can cause difficulty controlling the airplane, significant altitude loss, and possible impact with terrain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: For now the FAA says it's collecting data and it continues to issue continued airworthiness notifications which means the plane is safe to fly but action will be taken if new information comes to hand. Explain why one airline would ground the plane and others don't think it's necessary?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: You know, I really don't have a good explanation for that to be honest with you. This is something that I think needs to be done the aircraft do need to be grounded. The FAA is saying in their bulletins that we don't have any new information. Actually let me step back. They're saying that we haven't been given any information that would act -- that would that we could act on.

The challenge with that is why are they not looking for that information because I have been able to find that information. The ADSP is very clear it sends out information about what the angle of attack tack indicator does through flightradar24 which is a public site. I can get this information. I have a subscription to it and that helps. But within that I can see that the aircraft is running down the runway. [01:15:10] It shows erroneously that there's a 2,500 foot per minute climb, while the aircraft is still on the runway. That's impossible. So, what that's telling me is, and there were three hits on that, it wasn't just a single erroneous thing. It was actually three hits on that showing that this had happened. That the information that was coming from the angle of attack indicator.

Now, this doesn't go through a computer or anything like that, it goes straight from the angle of attack indicator to the transmitter that transmits that information. So that the -- we've checked it, double- checked, and triple-checked it, we have that information.

Why does the FAA, why does Boeing say that they don't have that information? That's the question for me?

VAUSE: And just put this in context of the Lion Air crash is this a similar situation that they've played out of the Indonesian Airline?

SOUCIE: Most definitely. We took the information from Lion Air, we laid it over the top of this. It's strikingly familiar or similar, it looks very much the same. You have her this erroneous movement of the angle of attack indicator. You have vertical speeds that are being reported incorrectly.

And so, but yet, you see the aircraft making a smooth acceleration. That you see the aircraft do its flight up and back down. There's a few movements. Now, the difference with this in the Lion Air is that Lion Air was fighting against it the whole time. In this aircraft, it appears to me as though, he did was able to turn off the MCAS that which is augmentation system for flight controls. But, if there's something different about that, there's no question about it.

But the fact is, those erroneous signals are what triggered this aircraft accident. There's no question in my mind about that.

VAUSE: David, just very quickly. I want -- I want you to -- I want you to take a look at some of the images that we're getting from the crash zone. You know, these photographs they show, inserting no big chunks of debris. Some sizable pieces but nothing -- you know, that's really essentially large.

In fact, quite the opposite of this. A lot of small debris scattered the area. So, what does it tell you about the crash and the impact? Also, it appears that -- you know, the area hasn't been closed off from the public. And is that a concern?

SOUCIE: Well, let's start with that. That's a great concern. If there's an information on site, now, we're relying a lot on the cockpit voice recorder. Relying a lot on the data recorder, and what's going on with those boxes. And they record things, they record movements. What it doesn't tell us is was the angle of attack indicator itself faulty? Where there wiring issues? Where there's something else going on the airplane?

It -- many accidents that you -- that I've been to where you get there a little bit late and people have been there, there's actually pieces of airplane that have been taken and moved.

Now, through public outcry, you can say, "Hey, we need these pieces, bring them back." And surely enough on two different accidents, the Air -- a lot of the parts showed back up on site after we had done that. So, that's an effective way of getting things back on site. But that's a great -- a really difficult thing for these investigators because they may not have all the information they need.

But with regard to on site, and I know this is terribly difficult for many people to hear about how this aircraft hit the ground, and I don't want to be too insensitive about that. But this -- they're definitely was no chance of survival in this looking at the rate of descent, the acceleration versus the impact.

You know, you're talking about incredibly high rates of speed, and then sudden decelerations that really the aircraft starts taking itself apart as that happens because the momentum has to go somewhere. The energy from that aircraft has to go somewhere, and as it does, it propagates through the aircraft fuselage itself.

VAUSE: Yes, the head of the flight attendants association in the U.S., Lori Bassani, wrote to her member saying in part, "It is important for you to know that if you feel it is unsafe to work the 737 MAX, you will not be forced to fly it."

Is that a sort of fairly standard procedure in the industry? And if flight attendants have that option, do passengers?

SOUCIE: Well, certainly, the flight attendants do, and yes, passengers have that option, but they're not going to necessarily get a refund on it because the fact that the airlines are still flying these aircraft, they believe that they are airworthy, and in fact, they are airworthy.

I don't want to make that assumption that the aircraft are not airworthy. Now, there's a certain level of hazard and risk with every single flight that anybody steps on to. And that decision, that safety decision belongs with the person that steps through the door. It doesn't belong to the airlines, it doesn't belong to the FAA.

You have to understand your own acceptable level of risk. And you assume that every time you get on any airplane. So, there is a risk. I think with people have asked me would I fly on the airplane? And I think where I'm at on that is that I would fly on these aircraft, I've looked at the bulletin that came out.

I'm satisfied that the FAA and the aircraft certification of Boeing have taken five critical steps towards making sure that they're safe. They've looked at the maintenance procedures, they've looked at the operational procedures. They've looked at the way that the angle of attack indicator is tested. They've looked at all of these things, there's actually five steps to it so far that they've completed. And there's about five or six more that they're still going to go through. So, I'm pretty confident that this aircraft is safe for me.

Now, when it came to my granddaughter, my 5-year-old granddaughter, I am not going to take her anywhere very soon. Not on a MAX 8. I'm going to wait and see what comes out of this investigation before I do.

[01:20:42] VAUSE: Wow. Interesting take there, David. I like -- you know, good advice, I guess. So, thank you for sure being with us.

SOUCIE: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: So, among those who did not survive, humanitarian and aid workers on their way to a U.N. environmental conference in Kenya. U.N. held a moment of silence for their 21 colleagues who were killed and paid tribute to them at the General Assembly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: A global tragedy as it's close to home and the United Nations is united in grief. Our colleagues, were women and men, junior professionals and seasoned officials hailing from all kinds -- all corners of the globe, and with a wide array of expertise.

They all had one thing in common, the spirit to serve the people of the world and to make it a better place for us all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Another victim, Manisha Nukavarapu was a second-year resident physician at East Tennessee State University who was flying to Kenya to visit relatives.

Then, there's Kosha Vaidya who was traveling with her husband, her parents, and two little girls. Her so shocked brother spoke to "CTV News".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANANT VAIDYA, LOST SIX RELATIVES IN PLANE CRASH: Basically, she wanted to show her daughter where she was born, where actually she got delivered in the hospital and Safari, it was like again their thing where they wanted to go and enjoy the animals, and so forth.

So, with the March break, this was a perfect opportunity for them to show them. So, they told my parents that if they would like to come as well. And unfortunately, my parents agreed as well. So, everybody like for my family --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The 157 that people on board the flight came from 35 countries. But most of those who died were Kenyans.

Still to come here. ISIS is in the death rows, outmanned and outgunned. But why U.S.-back forces pulling that final punch? An exclusive report in just a moment.

Also, they say you can never go home and that might be the case for a 19-year-old girl who joined Isis but now wants to return to Britain. Her story ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:25:06] VAUSE: The ISIS caliphate that once stretched across Iraq and Syria is now less than a square kilometer. For the better part of the month, U.S.-backed coalition has targeted that enclave with airstrikes and mortars. And this is what that looks like at night in this CNN exclusive video.

Ben Wedeman, producer Kareem Khadder, photojournalist Scott McWhinnie, and team member Adam Dobby are close to the front of this military offensive. The only U.S. network there to witness and record what will eventually be the fall of ISIS. It's a question of when it will happen, not if.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Speaking that even commanders, they give you a variety of projections maybe two or three days, maybe 10 days, maybe two weeks. Not at all clear.

What we've seen until now is they have been exercising a certain amount of caution with the amount of firepower. They're using for fear that there are still civilians, women and children are left inside. At this very moment, it is very quiet.

But about an hour and a half ago, we were woken up, we were taking a nap by four massive explosions. We saw fireballs on the horizon behind me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Well, the family of Shamima Begum is pleading for the British government to show mercy, and restore her citizenship, and allow her to return home after she joined ISIS. The 19-year-old son reportedly died in recent days, her third child to have died. But as CNN's Hala Gorani reports, that may not be enough.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: When 19-year-old Shamima Begum was interviewed by a British crew in February, she was at the al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria, along with other foreigners who joined ISIS. She was cradling her gravely ill newborn son, Jarrah.

After running away from home in the U.K. to go to Syria when she was 15, she now wanted to come home.

SHAMIMA BEGUM, FORMER BRITISH CITIZEN: (INAUDIBLE) ISIS, is not that -- it's not just because I don't want to starve and that I don't want my son to die. Because I don't support ISIS anymore, and what they believe in.

GORANI: This was now her third child. She says her first two born after she joined ISIS had died. Lack of medical care and poor hygiene have claimed the lives of dozens of children in the camp like Jarrah. But Begum had previously justified ISIS attacks in Europe as retaliation for coalition airstrikes that had killed civilians. Already, the British government announced it was planning to strip her of her British citizenship.

SAJID JAVID, HOME SECRETARY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: The House will have also seen the comments of Shamima Begum, and that she's made in the media. And it will have to draw its own conclusions. Quite simply, if you back terror, there must be consequences.

GORANI: Only days ago, her young son, Jarrah, died reportedly from pneumonia. And critics in the U.K. blamed the baby's death on the government's earlier refusal to allow her to return. But other British officials say this tragedy could have been avoided.

JEREMY HUNT, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, UNITED KINGDOM: Shamima knew when she made the decision to join Daesh, she was going into a country where there was no embassy, there was no consular assistance, and I'm afraid those -- you know, those decisions, awful though it is, they do have consequences.

GORANI: The dilemma for foreign countries, whether to allow nationals to return home after leaving to join a terror group. It is on a worldwide scale. Referring to the case of Shamima Begum's child, aid groups like Save the Children argue the rights of children born to foreign nationals should always be protected.

We have find that there are two in a half dozen of children are foreign nationals, but not all of them are British. But all of those that are British, we think should be returned to the U.K. so the children can be given health education and protection services. And their parents tried if that's appropriate.

GORANI: The aid group estimates that foreign nationals fighting with ISIS in Syria come from at least 30 countries. The group also estimates the population of the al-Hawl camp, where Shamima Begum is being held is overwhelmingly made up of women and children.

Following the death of Jarrah, the family of Shamima Begum is now asking the British government to show mercy and allow her to come home. Hala Gorani, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, when we come back, meet the new Brexit deal, it's a lot like the old Brexit deal. So, what happens when Parliament hands Theresa May another no vote. That's coming up.

And the White House news briefing makes a comeback for the President's budget proposal, but that wasn't the focus of reporter's questions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:31:05] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.

A growing number of airlines are grounding their Boeing 737 Max 8 jet after Sunday's deadly crash in Ethiopia. It's the same brand new model plane as the Lion Air crash back in October. No evidence as of yet the two incidents are linked. Boeing says it is upgrading the software of the entire 737 Max 8 fleet.

U.S.-backed fighters are bombarding one square mile in eastern Syria, the last enclave of the jihadist ISIS movement. They're exercising caution though because there could still be civilians in that area. Commanders wouldn't say how long until ISIS is finally defeated.

The British parliament is set to vote on what the Prime Minister calls an improved Brexit deal. Theresa May held talks with E.U. officials on Monday. She says they have agreed to legally binding changes. Also to work on alternatives for the so-called Irish backstop. Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn is calling on lawmakers though to reject it.

And with the prime minister out of the country in France on Monday, her allies and parliament were left to defend this latest deal. Here's Labour's Catherine McKinnell attacking the proposal and then the response from cabinet member David Lidington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHERINE MCKINNELL, BRITISH LABOUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: My issue with this withdrawal agreement, is that it will leave every country and region of this nation poorer as a result of it than we would be otherwise. Nothing he has said tonight changes anything.

But given he is focused on the backstop will he not just admit that nothing has changed in respect of that either.

There is still no fixed end date to the backstop, and there is still no unilateral right for the U.K. to withdraw from it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Minister.

DAVID LIDINGTON, BRITISH CABINET OFFICE MINISTER: I'm not sure whether the honorable was saying that she had objections into the backstop or not, because there have been mixed messages from her side.

I'd say to her that the risk seems to be what the honorable lady said about the economic consequences. She is seeking to refight the referendum campaign of 2016. And you know, whether we like that result or not the result of the referendum was as it was.

No European leader has questioned the legitimacy, the democratic legitimacy of that referendum result. And I do think that there would be some serious damage to an already fragile public confidence in our democratic institutions were we simply to disregard it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: there's just over two weeks now until the Brexit deadline, and here's a timeline for what parliament will be doing.

In the coming hours, lawmakers will vote on the Prime Minister's latest deal. If the vote is now, that will lead to a vote on Wednesday on whether to move ahead with a no deal Brexit.

If that fails and we could see another vote on Thursday on whether to extend the Brexit deadline. If lawmakers vote against that, it's anyone's guess what happens next.

The Irish border has been a major sticking point in this Brexit negotiations but it's not all that's at stake.

CNN's Christina MacFarlane looks at other ways Brexit could impact British and E.U. citizens.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Given all the troubles Theresa may has had getting her withdrawal deal passed, you might be expecting major upheaval soon.

But in reality, the average British person currently living in, or planning a trip to a European Union country, will notice little practical difference in the short term except perhaps using a different line at the airport.

The same is true for European citizens traveling to or living in the U.K. Under the deal, the European Commission says visitors will be able to stay for up to 90 days without a visa. And the U.K. will reciprocate for E.U. nationals.

[01:34:58] After 2021 U.K. travelers, like other non E.U. national perhaps will apply for a visa waiver to travel to 26 E.U. countries. At the moment travelers within the E.U. are entitled to reciprocal healthcare benefits. That will continue during the transition period -- March 2019 to December 2020. But after that, U.K. travelers to E.U. countries and E.U. visitors to Britain will need health insurance.

For the approximately one million British nationals currently working in other E.U. countries, the withdrawal agreement says that they will continue to enjoy the same rights to health care benefits and pensions after Brexit.

They may be required to apply for residency permits, but will be allowed to keep their residency status for five years. Even if they choose to leave the E.U. country where they are currently working and living.

Similarly, the U.K. has guaranteed the rights of some three million E.U. citizens currently living and working there. The exception to these travel and work rules will be the Republic of Ireland, which will continue to have a common travel area with the U.K. Irish and British citizens will still be able to live and work in either country. E.U. regulations outlaw cellphone users from one country being charged

more for using their phones in another E.U. country. When the transition period ends U.K. travelers to the E.U. and E.U. visitors to Britain could face what the industry terms roaming charges for calls and data.

The U.K. government says it plans to introduce legislation that would cap monthly fees at 45 pounds sterling, or about $59 U.S.

Christina MacFarlane, CNN -- Atlanta .

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: In her strongest statement yet, the U.S. House Speaker says she is not in favor of impeaching the U.S. President. Nancy Pelosi spoke with the "Washington Post" saying, "I'm not for impeachment. Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there is something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path because it divides the country. And he is just not worth it."

Now, Pelosi says she believes that Donald Trump is ethically and intellectually unfit for office.

Meantime President Trump submitted his budget proposal for 2020 on Monday. But that's not what reporters wanted to ask about in the first White House briefing in more than a month.

Kaitlan Collins has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The first White House press briefing in 42 days was supposed to focus on President Trump's new budget proposal.

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: President Trump's 2020 budget which was released today --

COLLINS: But it was quickly overshadowed after Sarah Sanders refused to deny a report claiming Trump told a room of Republican donors that Democrats hate Jewish people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes or no. Does he really think (INAUDIBLE) -- just trying to get a sense of that.

SANDERS: I think that's a question you ought to ask the Democrats.

COLLINS: Instead, the Press Secretary hitting Democrats for not going far enough to rebuke their own members.

SANDERS: Democrats have had a number of opportunities to condemn specific comments and have refused to do that.

COLLINS: And pointing to Republicans Congressman Steve King out by name for his racist comments. SANDERS: We called it out by name. We stripped him of his committee

memberships and we'd like to see Democrats follow suit.

COLLINS: But the President never condemned King.

TRUMP: I haven't been following it. I really haven't been following it.

COLLINS: The back and forth distracting from the unveiling of Trump's new budget blueprint. He's renewing his demand Congress pay for his border wall, this time asking for $8.6 billion in new funding.

But the White House proposal is going nowhere on Capitol Hill, where Democrats have declared it dead on arrival claiming Trump hasn't learned his lesson from the government shutdown when he walked away without a single dollar in new wall funding.

TRUMP: We have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government.

COLLINS: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reminding him "Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government. The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again. The proposal coming just weeks after Trump cleared a national emergency to secure funding for his border wall, a move that rattled critics and allies alike.

SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: I don't think believe that the President has that authority under the constitution.

COLLINS: The House passed a resolution to revoke Trump's declaration, and the Senate is expected to follow suit this week. Trump has promised to veto that measure but ayes are worried more than ten Republicans could break with the President.

SANDERS: Let's not forget the only reason he has the authority to call a national emergency is because Congress gave him the right to do so.

COLLINS (on camera): Now when a reporter pointed out that President Trump himself has never publicly condemned Steve King, Sarah Sanders said she has and she speaks on his behalf.

She did not deny that the President made that remark to that group of Republican donors. But when the President was leaving the White House on Friday to go down to that fundraiser, he said and I'm quoting him now, "Democrats have become an anti-Israel party. They've become an anti-Jewish party, and that is too bad."

Kaitlan Collins, CNN -- the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:40:02] VAUSE: Well after facing weeks of protests and unrest, Algeria's ailing and aging president Abdelaziz Bouteflika now says he will not seek a fifth term in office. That announcement meant protests were replaced with celebrations in

the street. Algeria's prime minister also resigned on Monday replaced by the interior minister who's been tasked to form a new government. Elections scheduled for April have now been postponed. First elected in 1990, the now 82-year-old president has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke six years ago.

One country gripped by one crisis after another now faces one of its worst -- wide spread power outages, five days on no end in sight. And it's the most vulnerable who are impacted the most. Details in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back everybody. CNN is partnering with young people around the world for a student-led day of action against modern day slavery on March 14th.

In advance of My Freedom Day, we're asking everybody what makes you feel free? Here's what Nigerian actress, writer and talk radio host Alex Okoroji had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX OKOROJI, NIGERIAN ACTRESS: What makes me feel free is knowing that I have the privilege and the right to think what I think, to feel how I feel, to speak and say what is in my heart.

It is knowing that I am allowed to be who I really am without any fear of prejudice or judgment. It is also knowing that I have the power to show up as the highest expression of my truth, my talent, and my personal greatness.

That is exactly what makes me feel free.

But I also understand that not a lot of people are as privileged as I am to be able to live in that freedom, to experience what real freedom feels like, living beyond boundaries and barriers and baggage, right. And that's why I'm so excited to be a part of this.

So won't you join us for My Freedom Day? And let us know exactly what makes you feel free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Tell the world what makes you feel free, and share your story using the #My Freedom Day.

The last personnel still at the U.S. embassy in Caracas will soon be heading home. Last hour Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted "The U.S. will withdraw all remaining personnel from the embassy in Venezuela this week. This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy." [01:45:03] Part of the deteriorating situation is the widespread power outage. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro says the U.S. is to blame for that.

In a speech late Monday, he called it an electric coup carried out by criminal minds. Meantime the national assembly announced a state of emergency which technically allows lawmakers to seek international help to try and end the blackout.

But self-declared President Juan Guaido who asked for the declaration is also calling on all the people of Venezuela to take to the streets and protest Tuesday afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN GUAIDO, SELF-DECLARED INTEREM VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: I understand perfectly the desperation that all of us here today have, and that's why today we are requesting that the chamber approve this state of national alarm decree for Venezuela. An emergency, a tragedy, a catastrophe that Venezuela is going through today that wasn't a product of a mudslide or an earthquake, a tornado or tsunami. No, it was the product of corruption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And help cannot come fast enough for Venezuela's poorest and most vulnerable, especially the children.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports now from Caracas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At an orphanage on the outskirts of Caracas, 25 children laugh and play, unaware their country is sliding deeper into chaos. Many of these children have special needs, children that are hard to care for in the best of times.

For their safety, we have been asked not to show the kids' faces. The government sends children here who have been abandoned to live or find new homes, says Magarina (ph) who has run the orphanage for 15 years.

All of her funds come from private donations, she says. Last month, she told the government she can't take any more kids. She can barely feed the ones already here.

"Before all the groceries did not fit in the car," she says. Now with the same amount of money maybe you carry one or two bags."

At the orphanage, there is no fruit or vegetables anymore, and only meet every other day. Still these kids don't go hungry. Other children in Venezuela are not nearly so lucky. Magarina sends us to a kitchen she helped start in one of Caracas' most dangerous slums.

There, we find children lining up, their (INAUDIBLE) trembling. Many on their own. "The parents had to leave to work in other places, other countries,

says an organizer. Maybe their grandparents or taken care of them. We give them what we have to give."

No one here has to be told to clean their plates, even if they can't reach the table.

O=c: As Venezuela fully comes undone, this comedor or kitchen is one of the places that's trying to make the difference, however they can.

When they started two years ago, about 30 kids came here each day to eat free meals. Now they are up to 600. And for many, it's been the only meal they get all day long.

(voice over): Venezuela's government says there is no humanitarian crisis here, but activists like Magarina say the number of children being abandoned or going hungry are spiking.

"Children do not have political alliances or colored flags, she says. They are every color. They do not belong to anyone, they are Venezuela's."

These children are too young to understand the events taking place around them, or how deeply their country has failed them.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN -- Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The U.S. government is ramping up pressure on the Chinese tech giant Huawei. Washington is warning Germany that access to U.S. intelligence could be reduced if Berlin contractors work with Huawei.

The U.S. has been pushing for an international boycott of Huawei technology, leaning on the U.K., Australia, and the European Union. Huawei is the world's largest telecom equipment manufacture, a major player in 5G communications.

The U.S. says Huawei alleged ties to Chinese intelligence makes it a national security threat. One example is Huawei's technology which is used in cellphone towers across the United States.

We have more details now from CNN's Alex Marquardt.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hidden beneath this vast, snowy, prairie land in central Montana are more than 100 nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles ready for launch. It's desolate terrain, but vital to American national security, which experts worry could face a threat from China.

This fenced in area is a missile silo, controlled by (INAUDIBLE) air force base. Right next to it, a cell tower, belonging to a accompany called Triangle Communications System. It's an American company, but it's network uses radio transmitters and receivers made by the Chinese company Huawei -- a telecom giant that has been called national security risk by U.S. intelligence officials.

CHRISTOPHER WRAY,FBI DIRECTOR: We are deeply concerned about the risk of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don't share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks.

[01:49:59] MARQUARDT: Given the power of the Chinese government over Chinese companies, experts say that Huawei technology could be weaponized by Beijing.

JAMES ANDREW LEWIS, CSIS SENIOR VP, TECHNOLOGY POLICY PROGRAM: If they ask Huawei, turn off the phones, tell us what people are doing, scramble the data going over it, block calls, make random phone calls. There's nothing we could really do to stop that.

MARQUARDT: These bases use encrypted communications, but valuable intelligence and could be gathered on the people working with the ICBMs. And the area could also be targeted with network attacks.

There's no evidence that anything like this has happened, let CNN has identified dozens of cellphone towers equipped with Huawei technology. Some dispersed among the (INAUDIBLE) nuclear missile fields.

LEWIS: ICBMs are supposed to be pretty hard. That might not be easy to do, but that doesn't mean our opponents won't try and figure out if they can do it.

MARQUARDT: Areas like this are so remote that often the only cellphone service comes from small networks, unlike major characters -- carriers like Verizon and AT&T. Smaller companies depend on government subsidies and many buy cheaper equipment made by Chinese companies like Huawei.

While the company is barred from U.S. government contracts and federal employees can't use their devices, rural carriers have no such restrictions. The companies that own these towers are part of the Rural Wireless Association who say a quarter of their members buy Huawei because it is far cheaper and say it would cause up to $1 billion to replace.

LEWIS: We thought China was going to be a friend, we bought the technology from them. And now it would be really expensive to rip it out, too expensive for most of these companies to afford.

MARQUARDT: The Pentagon would not say what kind of relationship if any it has with these carriers, but acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told CNN in a statement they are working closely with our industrial and research partners to develop comprehensive and innovative solutions for both the Department and commercial industries.

(on camera): Now, there was no response to CNN's questions from that smaller carrier in Montana called Triangle. Huawei told us that they go to great lengths to protect their users' data. But a spokesman did tell us that all networks are at risk by sophisticated countries like China, and the fear here is what China would do if there is a serious crisis with the U.S.

We should note in full transparency that CNN's parent company, Warner Media, is owned by AT&T.

Alex Marquardt, CNN -- Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, it's the latest gaffe that just keeps on giving. Here (INAUDIBLE) from the U.S. president on his latest misspeak calling Tim Cook, Tim Apple.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: It seems the latest Trumpism, calling Tim Cook of Apple, Tim Apple of Cook or just Tim Apple, is all proof that the President can't own up to even the smallest of mistakes.

[01:55:06] Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Forget an apple a day, how about an Apple explanation every few days. All because of how President Trump referred to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

TRUMP: We appreciate it very much Tim Apple.

MOOS: Late night laugh, Twitter joked about other industry giants -- Bill Microsoft, Elon Tesla, Alexander Graham Telephone. But the President wasn't laughing when he tweeted Monday, I quickly referred to Tim plus Apple as Tim Apple as an easy way to save time and words."

Trump saved a valuable 0.27 seconds, snarked the "Washington Post". Analyzing how long it would've taken to put the Cook between him and Apple.

TRUMP: Tim Apple.

MOOS: Axios reported the President told a different story to a group of donors. Trump told them that he actually said Tim Cook Apple really fast. And the Cook part of the sentence was soft, as in hard to hear leading a reporter at the White House briefing to ask in vain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did the President deny saying something that was caught on tape.

MOOS: Almost a year ago, the President botched the name of Lockheed Martin's CEO.

TRUMP: I may ask the Marilyn Lockheed.

MOOS: Actually her name is Marilyn Houston.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, Marilyn Houston -- Lockheed Martin. MOOS: But calling a CEO by the wrong name is kid stuff. I once called

a president by the wrong name to his face. How do you blow Nixon's name, even if I was a rookie reporter back then?

President Reagan -- sorry, President Nixon.

RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've been called worse than that.

MOOS: Tim Cook didn't seem to mind either he ditched his old name on Twitter, embracing Tim Apple. Even Ivanka Trump seemed amused.

The President avoids acknowledging flubs. His ICE agent's name was written in the President's speech as CJ.

TRUMP: Celestino Martinez. He goes by DJ and CJ. He said call me either one. So we'll call you CJ.

MOOS: For finessing that, we award the President an apple.

TRUMP: Tim Apple.

MOOS: Jeanne CNN --

TRUMP: Marilyn Lockheed.

MOOS: -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.

Please stay with us.

Rosemary Church is up after the break.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)