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Ethiopian Black Boxes Sent to France to be Examined; U.S. Joined Many Countries Banning Boeing 737 MAX 8; British Parliament to Vote for Brexit Extension; Youth Campaigns to End Modern Day Slavery; Appeal Denied For Second Kim Jong-nam Murder Suspect; U.S.-China Relations; Huawei Being Singled Out As Security Threat; Massive College Admission Scandal; Inside The Prison Where Manafort May Serve Time; Russia Lashes Out At Actions By U.S. House; A Day Against Modern-Day Slavery. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 14, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: The British parliament has rejected a no deal Brexit as divorce proceedings with the E.U. descend into even more uncertainty and chaos.

The U.S. finally follow suit grounding all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 jets after days of mounting pressure in the wake of that deadly crash in Ethiopia.

Also, ahead this hour, it's My Freedom Day. CNN takes you around the globe. Students everywhere are saying no to modern day slavery.

Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, and this is CNN Newsroom.

As crazy as it sounds, the U.K. has plunged even deeper into political uncertainty. Lawmakers will hold yet another vote in the coming hours. This time, on whether to delay Brexit until June 30th.

They voted Wednesday against crashing out with no deal after again rejecting Theresa May's withdrawal agreement that a no deal scenario is still a possibility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: These are about the choices that this house faces. The legal default in the U.K. and the E.U. law remains that the U.K. will leave the E.U. without a deal unless -- unless something else is agreed. The onus is now on every one of us in this House to find out what that is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: OK. So here is where things stand. Parliament could vote and ask for an extension. But E.U. leaders would have to agree to it and right now, they are reluctant to grant any long-term delay unless Britain spells out clearly what it wants. If parliament votes against a delay, if anyone's guess what happens next. The prospects of crashing out of the E.U. altogether would appear more likely.

So, for the latest, CNN's Hadas Gold joins us live from outside 10 Downing Street in London. Just incredible, Hadas. So how did this no deal Brexit vote play out and what's expected to happen when lawmakers vote on whether to delay Brexit?

HADAS GOLD, CNN POLITICS, MEDIA AND BUSINESS REPORTER: Rosemary, in short, last night was rather chaotic in parliament. You can hear it how the members of parliament reacting to Theresa May in that clip that you played earlier.

And sure, what happened is that Theresa May originally planned to bring forth an amendment, which would say that they would -- that members of parliament would reject a n deal scenario on March 29th. That is the original Brexit day. That is in two weeks.

Instead, a different amendment was also brought forth that rejected no deal at any time no matter what. That is not originally what Theresa May want people to vote for. That amendment was put forth and that amendment won.

So now it's just an advisory, but it shows that members would rather the U.K. stay in the European Union rather than crash out without a deal. This was not in Theresa May's plan. Now, what is going to happen is tomorrow, Theresa May said she will bring forth a vote that will say members should vote on her deal again.

This will be the third time by March 20th and then they will ask the E.U. for an extension until June. This is a few months of an extension to that deadline. But there could be more amendments again that are put forth and could change that plan.

Also, it is stunning, I should note, to hear Theresa May saying she wants to bring her Brexit deal back for a third vote after it has been soundly rejected twice. And so far, with the only changes we have seen are the sort of slight glosses over these legally binding assurances they got from the European Union.

So far, the deal in its core has not changed. And this is the deal that a lot of members of parliament still have a lot of problems with. But one thing is for certain after last night, it is almost guaranteed that the U.K. will probably not be leaving on March 29th if there is any sort of vote tonight about extending. Now as I said the question is whether the European Union will accept that extension.

CHURCH: Yes, that's exactly right. The problem for Britain is that the E.U. is reluctant to grant a delay without some sort of deal and that's exactly what they don't have. So, what happens next and how likely is it that Britain will crash out of the Brexit in the end?

GOLD: So, if there is the vote tomorrow to ask for that extension, Theresa May will likely make that asked next week at a meeting with all of the European leaders will be gathering. But they have made pretty clear that they don't necessarily want to grant a long extension, unless the U.K. comes back with them with a reason. That says here are the plans, what we have to do in order to get this through.

They aren't likely to get a short technical extension, but the problem with a longer extension is that there are elections for the European parliament in May.

[03:05:00] And by law, anybody who is a member state has to stand for those elections and sent people to the European parliament. The U.K. doesn't want to sit for elections. The European Union doesn't want to sit them for elections if they're not going to be a member state.

But by law, that's what they have to do. Those elections are in May and the European parliament sits in June so they don't want an extension beyond that date, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Hadas Gold reporting from 10 Downing Street, just after 10 -- seven in the morning, I should say. It feels like a long day. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Well right now, right now more than 40 million people around the world are living in slavery. The vast majority are women and girls. CNN is committed to ending the practice.

And today, we are marking my Freedom Day. And we have reporters stationed in India, Ghana, Poland, the U.K. and the U.S. to bring you the very latest throughout the day. Young people all over the world are posting their messages on social media, describing what makes them feel free.

So, let's head to Hong Kong and CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is there. So, Kristie, how are student celebrating My Freedom Day where you are?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, there, Rosemary. I'm here in Hong Kong at one of many schools across the region marking My Freedom Day. A student led day of action against modern day slavery. And you've been listening to conversations taking place between students about human trafficking. Looking at signs of anti-slavery message.

And this a stern performance by middle school students singing a tribute to My Freedom Day. Let's take a listen.

(CROWD SINGING)

STOUT: And that's the middle school choir here at the Hong Kong International School, singing a Venezuelan song with the message of hope very this day (Inaudible) for My Freedom Day.

I'm joined now by Matt Friedman. He is a modern-day abolitionist, he is on the front lines of fighting modern day slavery and CEO of Mekong Club. Thank you for joining us.

MATT FRIEDMAN, CEO, THE MEKONG CLUB: Thank you for giving me an opportunity to be here.

STOUT: And to mark March 14th, My Freedom Day. And you have a very bold message, do you believe that we can end modern day slavery? And businesses can do this despite the fact that the problem is so immense.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

STOUT: Forty million modern-day slaves today. How can this be done?

FRIEDMAN: Well, let's put the numbers in perspective. Out of 40 million people, 25,200 enter a day, in every four seconds you get another person entering. What we have been doing up until now is helping, in a year, 0.2 percent. So, we need everyone to get involved.

The students, the corporates, the way that corporates are getting involved is basically, the banks are looking at this because of any of the money generated from modern slavery gets into a bank, it's dirty money, they can be fine for money laundering.

The manufacturers are concerned about this because of supply chains, and the fact that they have possibly sweatshops. And so, they are looking at it.

So, what we do is we work with the corporations, we give them the information they need. And then help them to step up and be a part of the solution. By doing this, we are opening up a new front to be able to address modern slavery.

STOUT: But you said if we can get a human being on the moon --

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

STOUT: -- we could end modern day slavery.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

STOUT: Now the students that we've met today here at Hong Kong International School and all around the world marking My Freedom Day, they have the passion, they have the conviction, but how do they need to take this forward? What do they need to do to reach the next level to fight modern day slavery?

FRIEDMAN: You know, the thing is, when students are presented with the issue of modern slavery, there is an immediate desire to do something to help. They don't really know what to do. Programs like this allow the students to learn about it and also be told opportunities of what they can actually do to step up to make a difference.

I've been working with kids 10 years ago that started at something like this.

STOUT: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: They are now experts in modern slavery. They are working for the United Nations, because the seed was planted with something like this.

STOUT: Yes. FRIEDMAN: So, what we really need to do is just plant that seed, encourage them to step up and give them the tools and the means to address this. And let them get on with it.

STOUT: Absolutely. And for our viewers who are inspired by the passion of these students by the work that you do, what can they do as consumers to fight modern day slavery?

FRIEDMAN: I think the first thing is to just learn about the issue.

STOUT: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: Once you have that information then be responsible consumer. Go online, identify what your favorite companies are doing, do they have a policy, are they addressing the issue. If they are, congratulate them.

STOUT: Yes.

[03:09:56] FRIEDMAN: Send them a positive e-mail. If they're not, you say this, and I like your products. I'd feel better if there was something that was on your web site that address this.

STOUT: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: That positive encouragement goes a long way.

STOUT: Good advice. Matt Friedman, as always, thank you so much.

FRIEDMAN: Thank you so much.

STOUT: And take care. And Rosemary, for the students here at the Hong Kong International School, their goals on this My Freedom Day are twofold. They want to raise money, fundraising efforts to raise money for anti-slavery NGO's. But also, to raise awareness to end this multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise that is human trafficking. Rosemary, back to you.

CHURCH: Thank you so much, Kristie. Very inspiring. And students in one South Korean school are turning to music and video editing to raise awareness about modern day slavery.

CNN's Paula Hancock's has this story.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A final rehearsal before singing to the whole school. The Seoul Foreign School choir chose the song, "You Will Be Found," from the stage musical Dear Evan Hansen to pay tribute to victims of modern-day slavery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXIA DIAMANY, 12TH GRADER, SEOUL FOREIGN SCHOOL: That feeling of being at rock-bottom, and feeling like you are alone, I think it's important to remind people everywhere regardless of where you're from or your background or what situation you've been born into that you will be found, and there is someone who cares about you. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Teachers have been talking about modern day slavery in recent weeks to children from elementary to high school in the run up to My Freedom Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOLA COOPER, 10TH GRADER, SEOUL FOREIGN SCHOOL: We looked at bandied labor in India and Pakistan. And we also looked at sex trafficking in places like Europe and the U.S.

HANCOCKS: Mari Lee is a 12th grader with a passion for video editing. Encouraging students, teachers, parents to sing and send their efforts in. A million dreams from the musical The Greatest Showman was an obvious choice she says.

MARI LEE, 12TH GRADER, SEOUL FOREIGN SCHOOL: Some of the lyrics in a million dreams where talks about the future and how bright and how hopeful our future can be, really speaks to all the students about how even those slavery is going on right now, we can stop it.

HANCOCKS: Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

CHURCH: We will take a short break here. Still to come, U.S. aviation officials say there is new evidence showing similarities between two deadly plane crashes involving the same type of Boeing jet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Ethiopian Airlines says the black box flight recorders have been flown to Paris for analysis by aviation investigators. Officials are trying to figure out why the airlines Boeing 737 MAX a plane crash on Sunday killing all 157 people on board.

[03:15:04] The U.S. joined many countries around the world on Wednesday grounding its Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets as a precautionary measure.

The Trump administration says the decision came after the Federal Aviation Administration said it saw some similarities between Sunday's crash and that of another Boeing 737 MAX plane last year.

Boeing says it has full confidence the planes are safe, but it does support the move.

Well, CNN has multiple teams covering this Boeing story. Farai Sevenzo joins us from Nairobi, Kenya and Jim Bittermann is in Paris. Good to see both.

So, Farai, let's go to first. And the U.S. order the grounding of its Boeing 737 MAX planes Wednesday citing new evidence from the Ethiopian Airlines crash site as its reason for doing this. What more are you learning about that?

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's exactly as you just said, Rosemary in your introduction is that it became a bit of a domino effect, really. The 737 MAX 8 had, as you say, another accident back in October 29th with Lion Air in Indonesia.

And this time, of course, once Canada had taken a move to ban this or to ground this aircraft, it left the U.S. quite isolated in this regard. And of course, Marc Garneau, the transport secretary said to the same things. He says, similar flight path to the previous disaster, similar fluctuations he mentioned.

And remember, a very important thing is that when these things occur, it's no longer about the bottom line of money, it's about lives lost. Remember, Canada lost 18 of their citizens, the second only two Kenya which lost 32.

So, basically, the numbers of the data piling up in relation to this aircraft. And at the moment, the Kenyans are coming to terms with so many different stories of the bereaved. And that's where we're at, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Jim, I want to go to you because the two black boxes have been flown to Paris for analysis. So, what are you learning about that and how long might the process take, do you think, before we get some answers about this?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, everybody is wanting to know that answer. And the fact is, it all depends entirely on how badly damaged those black boxes are. We don't know that.

In fact, the Bureau of Examination and Analysis here, the BEA, which is the main investigative body when it comes to air crashes, has said that they are not going to be communicating on this unless that all -- that all the first information is going to go to Ethiopian Airlines. There are since the client in this examination, if you want to put it that way.

In any case, they'll be examining these black boxes. And it may take some time. It depends on the damage entirely. They'll take their time to make sure that they thoroughly go over things.

The BEA is pretty well known for this kind of thing, this rather careful examination of the flight data recorders that we've seen, for example, on the flight 447 the Rio to Paris where the data recorders were under the ocean for almost two years. And yet, when they are finally recovered, the BEA was able to decipher what was on them, and in fact, give a very good picture of what happened to that plane when it crashed and killed 228 people. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes, exactly right. And Farai, I just want to go back to you because of course we need to talk about how Kenyans are dealing with this. It was a big loss for them. This is a route used regularly by people living in Kenya, and of course all around the world as we saw. How are people coming to terms with this?

SEVENZO: Well, they are still, you know, four days on a great sense of shock. And the newspapers, the press have all been going on about all the individual stories. And we know for certain that more and more families are heading to Addis Ababa to try and identify their dead.

It's not the first time Kenyans have suffered this kind of horrific kind of air crash. They had another one back in 2007, I believe. And of course, the issue is at the heart of it, is that Kenya and Nairobi, in particular is a massive headquarters for international people including the U.N., who we know lost 21 people.

It is as you say, a really important sort of shuttle service between the capital of Ethiopia and the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. And anyone of us, any one of our news teams could have been on that flight. So, they are trying very hard to understand the answers and to look for answers of what exactly happened last Sunday morning.

CHURCH: Yes. That is exactly what we need at this point. More answers. Farai Sevenzo from Nairobi, reporting there, and Jim Bittermann in Paris. Thank you to both of you.

[03:19:58] So let's bring in CNN transportation analyst, Mary Schiavo. She is the former inspector general at the U.S. Department of Transportation. And we should note, you are now practicing law and represent families of airline crash victims. And you have current litigation pending against Boeing. So great to have you with us again.

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Thank you. Good to be with you.

CHURCH: You and I spoke 24 hours ago and I asked you then why the U.S. had not grounded the Boeing 737 explains. Now it's done just that. But the U.S. was the last country to do so. What change the FAA's mind so suddenly? And why did it take this long to reach that conclusion? A conclusion apparently met reached by these other countries.

SCHIAVO: Yes. Well, the official version is they got additional information. But the unofficial version, and the stories coming out from the Department of Transportation and the FAA, is there was great confusion, arguing. There wasn't agreement over what was going to happen.

And most importantly, the discovery that there had been complaints in the United States by U.S. pilots concerning this plane before the Ethiopia crash and before the Indonesia crash. When and it was to a hot line where the FAA is supposed to use it to troubleshoot problems and do trend analysis.

And then, also there was -- it was revealed that the FAA says the Boeing was supposed to make changes by April. But the infighting revealed that it wasn't decided what those changes should be at. They were still arguing about what they should do or shouldn't do.

So, for the FAA to say that the plane was safe when they didn't know what to do and they didn't know what caused the second crash it was just simply ludicrous to say that the plane was OK to fly.

CHURCH: Right. And as you say, officially, the FAA has identified the similarities between the Ethiopia and Indonesia crashes and that's why they grounded, they say, that's why they grounded the Being 737 MAX planes Wednesday.

But wasn't that exactly why other countries did that? So why gamble with the lives of passengers? And what specifically might this new information do to help perhaps find effects?

SCHIAVO: Well, you are exactly right. That's what the Federal Administration was doing with the lives of American passengers. Because we were the last, they were just betting that even though they didn't know how to fix the plane and they didn't really know what caused the second crash, they were just gambling that it wouldn't happen a third time before somebody figured out what to do. And that was totally unacceptable.

And so, from here on out, it's a great task, it's very large, they haven't decided what they need to do to fix it yet. It's going to be very important what's on those black boxes which have been sent to France. Again, there was talk about sending them to the United States. But that made no sense if the U.S. was saying they didn't need to make any change. That seems very biased this early on in the investigation.

They have to figure out what changes need to be made to that flight computer. They have to figure out why the engines continue to pitch the plane up and then the computer forces the nose down. They have to decide what to do about the manuals, because aircraft manuals are separately certified from the airplane.

So, both have to have an air worthiness directive. So, they have a tremendous amount of work in front of them and as I mentioned before, there's no agreement between Boeing and the FAA exactly what to do.

CHURCH: And you mentioned there that those black boxes will go to France not the United States. And it's -- your belief is that Ethiopia selected France for fear of bias in the United States because of its link to Boeing?

SCHIAVO: Yes. I think so. The NTSB and the United States has a terrific black box lab to analyze the black boxes. But that being said, so does France. France can do. The French BEA is very good, and they've worked many, many crashes, but maybe not as quickly as one would like. But they are certainly able to do it. And they will do. It will be fine.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, there was a bit of a delay, presumably, that was trying to determine where they would send them. But I did want to talk to you about the grounding of these planes. Because that will remain in effect until a fix is found.

SCHIAVO: Yes.

CHURCH: How long might that take? And just how easy would it be, do you think it will be a matter of just replacing software? Or are these planes going to be redundant?

SCHIAVO: Well, the planes are supposed to be redundant. What's supposed to happen in a modern aircraft is, no one system is supposed to be a single pointed failure. Meaning, if it goes wrong the plane can go down.

And here what we've learned here is that this angle of attack indicator that went wrong on the Lion Air, really was by having a discrepancy, it was a single point of failure weakness. Meaning if you had a discrepancy on this indicator, the plane could push the nose down and keep on going. So that has to be remedied.

[03:24:58] And also there is an issue of, do we want to put a warning in the cockpit so the pilots know, an audible warning or some other kind of warning, so the pilots know when the system is kicking in. Right now, it turns out that that system is -- that warning is an option.

Airlines could have chosen to buy it. The FAA wants to make that mandatory, and I think it should.

CHURCH: Mary Schiavo, thank you so much for your analysis.

SCHIAVO: Thank you.

CHURCH: Great to have you with us.

And it was a frantic scene at a school near Sao Paulo, Brazil. Police say two former students opened fired Wednesday, killing five students and two school officials before killing themselves. At least 10 others were injured.

Before the school shooting, police say one of the gunmen shot and killed his uncle at his car rental agency where they stole a vehicle.

Venezuela's information minister says the country's power grid is completely restored. CNN teams on the ground say power is back in many places throughout the capital of Caracas but not everywhere. Much of the country has been in the dark for six days.

And for others, water is the problem. Residents in one state posted video of black water coming through their faucets. A local mayor blames human error and says crews are working now to clean the pipes.

Coming up next, a dramatic day in a Malaysian courtroom and a crushing blow to a woman accused of killing Kim Jong-un's half-brother.

Plus, prison time is adding up for Paul Manafort and more legal troubles are on the way for the president's former campaign chairman.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church.

I want to check the headlines for you this hour.

The U.K. parliament is set to vote again in the coming hours, this time on whether to delay Brexit until June 30th. So far this week, lawmakers have voted against crashing out of the E.U. without a deal and once again rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement. European Airlines says the so-called black box flight recorders have

been flown to Paris for analysis by aviation investigators. Officials are trying to figure out why the airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane crashed on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.

The U.S. joined many countries around the world on Wednesday grounding its Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets as a precautionary measure. Boeing says the planes are safe, but supports the decision.

[03:30:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: In Malaysia, prosecutors have refused to drop charges against one of the women accused of killing Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It comes after charges against the other suspect was suddenly dropped earlier this week.

Our Ivan Watson joins us now from the courthouse just outside Kuala Lumpur. Good to see you, Ivan. So, how is it even possible legally that one woman gets the charges dropped and the other doesn't?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, apparently it is in the power of the public prosecutor, (inaudible) -- drop charges according the (inaudible) want to -- but the case that the attorneys for the other suspect, who is still facing charges and could face the death penalty, they are making the case that this thing is miscarriage of justice that this is perverse, because you have these two woman, and Indonesian name Siti Aisyah, who was charge and abruptly released on Monday. And the Vietnamese woman name Doah Thi Huong who was similarly charged and made the same defense, but not guilty, who is still potentially facing the death penalty.

And this is despite now intense lobbying -- last minute lobbying on the part of the Vietnamese government towards top Malaysian officials to set their citizen free. And the Vietnamese ambassador was in trial today. And I caught up with him, disappointed as he emerged from the courtroom. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Mr. Ambassador, are you disappointed today?

LE QUY QUYNH, VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR TO MALAYSIA: Yes. I'm disappointed.

WATSON: And how did she look to you when he spoke with her?

QUY QUYNH: She is very nervous and weak. And I would find her pretty good hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: For North Koreans are wanted by Malaysian authorities for the assassination, but they are at large. Rosemary?

CHURCH: So, what happens now? What are the chances going forward that the second woman may very well follow the first and be released at some point? WATSON: It's entirely up in the air right now. She is scheduled to

appear in court again on April 1st. She was actually supposed to testify.

CHURCH: You're right, we do apologize. We have some -- you heard some audio issues earlier. We thought we'd fix them, but unfortunately we haven't. Ivan Watson reporting there from Kuala Lumpur. Many thanks.

Well, the founder and CEO of Chinese tech giant, Huawei says U.S. President Donald Trump is a great leader. Specifically for cutting U.S. taxes on businesses. But his words were not so glowing on other matters. He spoke with our Matt Rivers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A counterattack from Chinese tech giant Huawei. Its billionaire founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei sat down with CNN for a rare interview with a clear message. Huawei is not the national security threat the Trump administration says it is.

REN ZHENGFEI, FOUNDER AND CEO, HUAWEI (through translator): His tactics are wrong. If he intimidates a country today, threatens a company tomorrow, or one time they arrest someone, then no one would dare invest in the U.S.

WATSON: Huawei, China's largest telecom company is facing an all-out assault by the U.S. and in Europe. Federal prosecutors have accused it of stealing trade secrets from T-Mobil and violating sanctions on Iran, which all lead to the arrest of Ren's daughter. Huawei CFO, Meng Wanzhou in Canada, but key among U.S. concerns that Beijing could use Huawei to harm U.S. national and economic security.

CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: The prosperity that drives our economic security is inherently linked to our national security. And the immense influence that the Chinese government holds over Chinese corporations, like Huawei represents a threat to both.

WATSON: The FBI also says they've obtained emails revealing that Huawei offered bonuses to employees based on the value of information they stole from other companies around the world. The U.S. has banned Huawei products from use in federal agencies and 5g networks. Ren says that's unconstitutional. Huawei is suing the U.S. government over the bans.

But if the United States clearly feels that Huawei products are a national security threat, does the United States not have a legitimate right to protect its own interests?

ZHENGFEI: They have to have evidence. Everybody in the world is talking about cybersecurity and they are singling out Huawei. What about Ericson? What about CISCO? Don't they have cybersecurity issues? Why is Huawei being singled out? There is no Huawei equipment in the U.S. networks. Has that made the U.S. networks totally safe? If not, how can they tell other countries that you are networks would be safe without Huawei? [03:35:00] WATSON: Today, the U.S. hasn't produced public evidence of

Huawei spying on China's behalf, but says it could easily happen. If Beijing demanded access to Huawei equipment, the U.S. says the company couldn't say no. Ren says, it's not true.

ZHENGFEI: I'd rather shut down the company. On our 30 year history, we have never received such requests. If there are future requests, I'm making it clear today, I will firmly reject them.

WATSON: That has not stop the U.S. from lobbying governments to shun Huawei. A huge player in building up 5g, the next generation of mobile networks worldwide. The U.S. told Germany this week that, if it uses Huawei 5g equipment, it would limit intelligence sharing between the countries.

Huawei is a company worth hundreds of billions. It is one of China's national champions and it has global ambitions. For the U.S., that makes it a target by suing the U.S. government, Huawei says, it is ready for a fight. Matt Rivers, CNN, Shenzhen, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And we will take a short break here. Still to come, he once ran Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Now Paul Manafort is facing new legal trouble and more prison time. And a second actress has her day in court. Her daughter and other students could face punishment in the massive college admissions scandal. We'll have the details when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, Paul Manafort's legal problems multiplied Wednesday, a judge sentenced President Trump's former campaign chairman to three and a half more years in prison on conspiracy and obstruction charges. He was sentenced last week for financial crimes. That nearly doubled his jail time to a total of seven and a half years. Minutes later, New York prosecutors announced 16 counts against him, including mortgage fraud, falsifying business records, and conspiracy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I feel badly for him. I think it's a very sad situation. And I saw that just a while ago. And certainly on a human basis, it's very sad thing. I feel badly for him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you pardon Paul Manafort?

TRUMP: I have not even given it a thought as of this moment. It's not something that's right now on my mind. I do feel badly for Paul Manafort. That I can tell you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But President Trump has no power to issue a pardon on state charges, if convicted in New York, Manafort faces as much as 25 years in prison.

[03:40:03] Well, Paul Manafort's lawyer requested that his client served his time at federal prison camp in Maryland, where he will likely feel more at home than in the detention center where he is being held right now. CNN Suzanne Malveaux explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paul Manafort's new home in the next seven and a half years will likely be here, at the federal correctional institution in Cumberland, Maryland. More than 130 miles northwest of the White House. The medium security facility can hold more than 1200 male inmates, with just over 200 house in a minimum security area known as the camp, where Manafort would likely stay.

The prison, which looks more like a college campus or country club, is famous for the white collar criminals and celebrities who have done time here. Among them, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and former Clinton Whitewater pal Webb Hubbell. The secluded prison is surrounded by woodlands. No barbwire fences here. Inmates can enroll in classes in business, education and music.

Fill their afternoons with dog walking, or full-time work. They have access to email and nearly unlimited phone calls. The top notch facilities at the disposal, a gym, TV, room and softball field with running track. Inmates can shop from a commissary menu that includes a French cappuccino, cocoa butter soap, and racquetballs.

Manafort stay would begin with a 6:00 a.m. wake up call, but much of the rest is his own. With an inmate check in at 4:00 pm, and lights out at midnight. Visiting family and friends, stay in nearby houses over the weekends. There are some restrictions at the prison camp. Manafort would have to wear a green uniform, Monday through Friday during the day. On off hours, no fancy suits. Just athletic apparel and thermal underwear allowed. No smoking, no alcohol, or illicit drugs. No gambling or tattooing.

In addition to sentencing Manafort to more prison time, Judge Amy Berman Jackson made it clear for the record, she did not appreciate Manafort and his council describing his previous prison stay as solitary confinement, whereby he had his own private cell, adjacent workspace, his own bathroom, shower, personal phone and laptop. She called it disingenuous and used to get public sympathy. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Wealthy parents won't be the only ones facing consequences in a massive U.S. college admission scandal. The University of Southern California says all applicants connected to this scheme will be denied admission. Students who are linked to the scam and are already enrolled will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Actress Lori Loughlin, posted $1 million bond after her court appearance on Wednesday. Erica Hill, has the details on the ongoing investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actress Lori Loughlin, long known as

straight lays Aunt Becky on Full House, surrendering to authorities this morning. She and her husband, fashion designer, Mossimo Giannulli, faced charges related to operation varsity blues, and their alleged $500,000 bribe to ensure their daughters will be admitted to USC as recruits for the crew team. Neither daughter participated in this sport. The allegations are a far cry from Aunt Becky.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We may have, well, he may have embellished, lied a bit on our application.

HILL: According to the complaint, Giannulli e-mail pictures of his daughter on indoor rowing machines to William Rick Singer, the man who's pled guilty to orchestrating the massive scam. The photos were used to create fake athletic profiles. I created a side door that would guarantee families would get in, Singer told the judge on Tuesday. I was bribing coaches for a spot, and that occurred very frequently.

The senior associate athletic director at USC fired Tuesday after being indicted on racketeering charges related to the scam. Another actress, Felicity Huffman, arrested at her home on Tuesday. Huffman is now out on $250,000 bond. According to the complaint, Singer told Huffman and her husband, William H. Macy, he quote, controlled the testing center and could doctor their daughter's SAT's. Huffman allegedly paid $15,000 dollars for the service under the guy, of a donation.

ANDREW LELLING, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR MASSACHUSETTS: The parent's payments to Singer for these services were made at least in part as charitable contributions to the sham charity that Singer has set up. This enabled the parents to not only mask the true nature of the pavement, but also take the tax right-off at the end of the year.

HILL: In consensually recorded phone calls laid out in the complaint, one from just last month, Huffman and Singer discussed using the same cheating scheme for her younger daughter. The details playing into a familiar narrative about the benefits of privilege. One Huffman's character embraced on Desperate Housewives.

[03:45:06] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, you can't bend the rules just once?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To know the team needs new batting helmets?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll get my cheque book.

HILL: She and Macy ultimately decided against cheating a second time according to the complaint. Jane Buckingham, the founder and CEO of the California marketing firm offered a sample of her son's handwriting, so he's test could be forged according to the complaint. Which also includes detailed exchanges with parents across the country. Laying bare the lengths used to cheat.

In some cases, falsely claiming students were nationally ranked tennis and water polo players. Coaches were also heavily involved and compensated. The NCAA and affected schools are looking into the allegations. And while no students have been charged, prosecutors stress the investigation is far from over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Erika Hill with that report. Unbelievable. All right. Time for a short break, but just ahead, we will go live to India where students at a school in Kalinga are marking My Freedom Day. Only here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: The U.S. House has passed a number of targeting Russia. One condemned the annexation of Crimea, one dealt with the killing of a Russian opposition leader and another targeted President Putin's finances. Needless to say, the Kremlin was not happy about it. Our Fred Pleitgen reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russia ripping into the U.S. after the House of Representatives passed several kremlin critical resolutions, including one aimed to shed light on Vladimir Putin's finances. Russian state TV trying to ridicule the measure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The crazy frontier on the Capitol Hill set a new record. Guinness book worthy record of passing for anti-Russian laws in one day.

PLEITGEN: As usual, Moscow railing against the U.S. while not criticizing President Trump. Kremlin officials have long said, despite the interference in the 2016 election, they believe America's president wants better relations, but it's hamstrung by Congress.

DMITRY PESKOV, PUTIN'S DEPUTY (through translator): This is an ongoing, very unfriendly and rabidly Russophobic line. It is a continuation of this emotional exaltation. So, of course, we don't expect any sober assessments from the House of Representatives, because now they are a hostage to these emotions.

PLEITGEN: The Kremlin starting to feel the heat with Democrats now holding the majority in the House. Vladimir Putin's spokesman saying, he believes, times will get tougher for Russia as the 2020 election season heats up.

PESKOV: Any specialists who knows the recent history of the United States can easily predict that as the presidential election approaches, the intensity of Russophobia will only increase, because Russophobia has always been used as an electoral tool in the United States to our regret.

PLEITGEN: Moscow's reaction, a confrontation course with America and its allies. Vladimir Putin recently introducing new nuclear capable weapons he says can't be stopped by U.S. defenses. And, on Russian state TV, a vow. Even after Putin is set to leave office in 2024, things won't change.

YURI ATONIN, RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY (through translator): When the presidents constitutional responsibilities end in 2024, you, our friends in America or Ukraine, think that our line will change after that? It will be even harsher.

[03:50:08] PLEITGEN: And Russians keep saying they want better relations with the United States and they say better relations would be in the interest, both of Moscow and Washington. But it certainly seems that they are losing faith in President Trump's ability to make that happen. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

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CHURCH: The global celebration of freedom is finally here. Today we are marking My Freedom Day. Part of our campaign to end modern day slavery. Our teams are at schools all over the world from Poland to Ghana to the United States. And young people all over are posting their messages on social media, describing what makes them feel free.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHILDREN: We love this in my mind. I think we are expression of myself and that makes me free.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What makes me feel free is when we have the right to go to school and have the right to be what we want to be in the future.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom to me means being able to marry the person that I love.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not the person my family or society has chosen for me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What makes me feel free is the knowledge that I have the possibility to choose my own path and life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, freedom is when I make my own choices, when I make my own mistakes and I feel free when I play music, when I play the piano and when I sing to the songs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom for me is the right to act, speak or think as I want.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom for me is being able to choose who I date and when.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom to me is when people have the liberty to express themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom to me is when I can make my own decisions and places. Happy freedom day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: So, let's go now to CNN's Nikhil Kumar in Kalinjar, India. And Nikhil, how are students celebrating My Freedom Day where you are?

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI'S BUSINESS CHIEF: Well, Rosemary, they have been celebrating all day. So, I'm in Kalinjar as you said. It's a village in the North West Indian State of Rajasthan, rural setting, we are hours away from the nearest city. And the school is really important. The fact that the school exist, it's the government who runs it. A charity called (inaudible) out of Canada's help set it up.

The fact that it exists is helping the community here to ensure that kids don't fall in the trap of the forced labor, the child labor, which is a massive problems here. Also, to improve literacy among girls in this community. It is a big problem in the street, as it is in other parts of the country. And they have been celebrating My Freedom Day all day.

Right now, they are engaged in an activity where they are telling each other what their conception of freedom is. They are discussing in. They had been, you know, it is only the latest activity this -- today, during the day of the school.

Earlier, this came after they've all made drawings of what they saw as freedom. Their conception visualizing what freedom meant to them. And as I say, this the fact that the school exists for all of these girls and boys, hundreds of girls and boys enrolled in here, it's very, very important, because it helps this community avoid the trap of forced labor for all of these children here. Which is a real problem in this part of the country. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Nikhil, thank you so much. I appreciate it. And students celebrating My Freedom Day in London got a little help from their friends and from the British royal family. CNN's Isa Soares reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It looks like a pop concert, but most of these are children. It's not a runway. Even though super models took to the stage. Instead, this is a regular school day. Thousands of students from all over the U.K. gathered to celebrate We Day. A charity event that aims to empower youth throughout the world. Among them, five special agents for change.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (inaudible).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Klion (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amani (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Monkyu (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bisha (ph).

SOARES: Students from London's (inaudible) school there to support We Day as well as My Freedom Day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here because of We Day and My Freedom Day. They both try to inspire people and they both tried to make everyone happy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom to me means having the right to do whatever you want to do that benefits you whenever you want to do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My Freedom Day is a way to speak out for others who may not have a voice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible) people to be free, like to be able to make their own decisions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a way to like connect with other people that don't have the rights to like be heard.

SOARES: And their message was echoed on stage by a guest who received a very royal welcome.

PRINCE HARRY, OF WALES: Guys, it is all connected. We are all interconnected. You in this room understand that. And are already making this a safer, healthier, and more resilient home for all of us. And for generations to come.

[03:55:10] SOARES: He was even keen to share the spotlight.

PRINCE HARRY: I'm now going to try and drag my wife on stage.

Guys, I am with you. And we are with you. Get to work.

SOARES: And while the crowd roared inside, backstage, it was time to get ready for the (inaudible) students. They were about to perform in front of their peers, telling the story of the former child slave who inspired We Charity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I was 10 years old, I decided it was time to escape that chains that bound me.

SOARES: At the end, a surprise. As host Conor Maynard gives a shout out to My Freedom Day.

CONOR MAYNARD, MUSICIAN: The 14th of March is My Freedom Day, a global one day event to raise awareness of modern slavery. And we want you to take part.

Isao A long day for everyone, but with kids like these backing My Freedom Day, the future couldn't look brighter. Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Yes. And those kids are our future, tell the world what makes you feel free, you can upload a video and share your story using the hashtag My Freedom Day. And follow CNN's live blog, up now on CNN.com. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter. The news continues here on CNN after a short break. Please stay with us. Have a great day.

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END