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Aired April 03, 2019 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world, I'm Rosemary Church with your next two hours of CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get started.
Brexit put on hold: British prime minister Theresa May comes up with a new plan as she promises to ask the E.U. for an extension.
Plus, secret payouts after a murder: A source tells CNN that the Saudi kingdom is paying journalist Jamal Khashoggi's family to stay silent.
And:
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ANTONIO PARERA, UNEMPLOYED MECHANIC: They don't have water, no electricity, they don't have security. They don't have so many things on their hospital. We are broke down. The Venezuelans is now broke down.
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CHURCH (voice-over): CNN is reporting from inside Caracas, where Venezuelans are struggling for basic necessity in the middle of major political and economic turmoil.
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CHURCH: With just nine days to go until U.K. leaves the European Union, British prime minister Theresa May says it's time for a new approach. She plans to ask the E.U. for another delay while she huddles with Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to find a new way forward. CNN's Bianca Nobilo reports from London.
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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a marathon seven-hour cabinet session and months of equivocating, Prime Minister Theresa May has taken a position.
She's going to ask the European Union for a longer extension and work cross-party to break the Brexit deadlock. Speaking from Downing Street, Theresa May said this was a divisive move which required national unity to deliver the national interest.
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THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I know there are some who are so fed up with delay and endless arguments that they would like to leave with no deal next week. I've always been clear that we could make a success of no deal in the long term. But leaving with a deal is the best solution.
So we will need a further extension of Article 50, one that is as short as possible, and which ends when we pass a deal.
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NOBILO: Leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, whose party supports a permanent customs union, dynamic lineup with the single market and is not opposed to a second referendum, said that he would be very happy to speak to the prime minister.
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JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, U.K. LABOUR PARTY: I listened very carefully to her statements and I've since read a copy of it and, of course, I'm very happy to meet her. We need to have a discussion with the prime minister. We need to ensure the Parliament has an opportunity to vote on proposals that prevent us crashing out of the E.U. at the end of next week.
The most important issue is to make sure that we don't crash out of the E.U. next week with no deal and what I believe will be a degree of chaos to follow as the result of it.
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NOBILO: The prime minister said that if she failed to agree on a unified path forward with Jeremy Corbyn that she would put forward a number of options to MPs for them to choose.
It's a bold strategy for the prime minister, one which risks the unity of her Conservative Party. Already the response from Brexiteers has been surprise, disappointment and frustration.
Time is also running very tight because Theresa May said she wanted to get this new course of action put to the House of Commons before the 10th of April when the European Union is holding an emergency summit -- Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.
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CHURCH: Well, one group that's not happy about Theresa May's latest plans is her own Conservative Party. Just take a listen to her former foreign secretary and hardline Brexiteer Boris Johnson.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: I think it's very disappointing that the Brexit process is now being trusted to Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party. And I think the result will almost certainly be Corbyn gets his way, that we remain in the customs union so that we can't control our trade policy; the huge areas of lawmaking we can't control. And Brexit is becoming soft to the point of disintegration.
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CHURCH: Theresa May's plan to request another Brexit delay is getting mixed reaction from E.U. leaders in Brussels. CNN's Erin McLaughlin has the details.
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ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, patience, is the word of the evening here, in Brussels. Even though there is still no real clarity coming from London.
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MCLAUGHLIN: We heard from President Donald Tusk of the European Council, reacting to British Prime Minister Theresa May's speech on Twitter, saying "Even after today, we don't know what the end result will be, let us be patient."
But the European Council, two weeks ago, at that Brexit summit, was extremely clear that it is now up to the United Kingdom to put forward a substantial proposal, and E.U. officials since, have provided clarity in terms of what that proposal could be.
Absent their approval, a majority in the House of Parliament, for the withdrawal agreement, leaves basically two options; a long extension, and a no deal possibility, both were essentially ruled out by British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Instead, talking about an extension for a cross party compromise. a short extension at that, diplomats telling me that any extension would bear a minimum, and their view, require participation in the European Parliamentary Elections, by the United Kingdom, something that British Prime Minister Theresa May says she wants to avoid.
So, at the end of the day, where does this leave this process?
Donald Tusk may be urging patience, others in Brussels say, patience is wearing thin -- Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Brussels.
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CHURCH: Thom Brooks is a professor of law and government at Durham University in England, he joins me now live.
Good to have you with us.
THOM BROOKS, DURHAM LAW SCHOOL: Thank you very much.
CHURCH: So Theresa May plans to ask the E.U. for another extension and she wants to sit down with the opposition leader to break the deadlock and agree on a plan to leave the E.U., turning her back on her own very divided and unhappy party.
How likely is it that they could reach a compromise with Corbyn with a possible customs union agreement at the center of that deal?
BROOKS: I think it is very unlikely that it will be enough to get past the line she needs to get a majority. The reason is that moving towards a softer Brexit might be a way of getting Labour support and support from other parties.
But it alienates a huge number of her own backbenchers. And it's also unclear as to how a compromise might be drawn because she is still refusing to change any of her red lines.
CHURCH: You have to ask, what is in it for Jeremy Corbyn?
If he goes into discussions with Prime Minister May, particularly if it all goes sour, is he looking at or is she looking at political suicide?
BROOKS: Well, I'm surprised that Theresa May, the prime minister, didn't ask to meet with Jeremy Corbyn or even speak with any other members of her cabinet she knew would be skeptical of a deal before starting the process in the first place.
There is a real risk around here and I think the benefit for Jeremy Corbyn is to be photographed and seen entering 10 Downing Street today.
So I think it will boost profile for months, if not the last three years he has been paraded as someone not fit to be in government, as pictured by the Tories. Now the Tories are inviting him to help save the process. So there is something good in him showing up today for that.
On the other hand, you are right. Being tarred with a process, a withdrawal plan, seems to be so unpopular and having so much problems, poses a real existential threat to Jeremy Corbyn, whose own constituency voted overwhelming to remain in the European Union.
CHURCH: While British politicians bicker over Brexit, the rest of us are wondering why a small nation like the United Kingdom will choose to break away from the world's largest trading bloc, especially when the U.K. does send more than 40 percent of its exports to the European Union. It doesn't appear to make economic sense, to quit the E.U. for the sake of sovereignty.
How will the U.K. survive, if it does end up crashing out of the E.U., if these discussions do not work?
BROOKS: Absolutely right. There is a vocal and large minority on the Tory backbenches that seem to genuinely believe that, if Britain pulled out of the European Union, it would cause damage to trading with our largest trading partner and the E.U. would become Britain's biggest trading partner, over 40 percent of our trade would be with the European Union, that it would open up the rest of the world and somehow the United States, China and elsewhere would give more favorable terms to Britain, if we were somehow smaller, outside the E.U. and more flexible in the deals that we can arrange.
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BROOKS: So far, these promises, these aspirations, this dream has shown no legs, has shown no evidence behind it whatsoever.
And it is baffling -- and not just baffling on that point, baffling in terms of other arrangements on security that Britain has enjoyed such as counterterrorism and coordinating activities and data sharing with the rest of the European Union and in other areas.
It is part of this dream of the greater freedom that Britain might have outside of the European Union in today's globalized age, where bigger is not necessarily better but can be more competitive.
It's shown to be really the emperor without clothes right now and that reality has hit the prime minister, who was now ruling out a no deal herself after two years of saying it was a live option, to now say she needs to get a deal, she needs to become part of something like the European Union. This is not working out as well as people were promised.
CHURCH: So how bad could it get for the United Kingdom if it does end up left alone there and -- you have the European Union continuing on with its deals with other parts of the world and nobody wants to trade with the United Kingdom.
What will happen?
BROOKS: I think things can be really bad. I think one thing that has been shown through all of this is how difficult the British government has found trying to even agreed to the terms of withdrawal, not yet a trade deal, with the European Union.
We are very easily two years or more away from actually negotiating a trade deal and finalizing terms with the European Union. We can't, in this country right now, come to an agreement as to what the terms of withdrawing from the European Union might be.
And the way this has played out in the public, about the way that members of Parliament have openly criticized members of the European Union and the negotiating partners, has really been nothing short of unprecedented. I think other countries are looking to do a deal with this current government in the future, if things were to continue as they are and if any Brexit were to happen, will think twice about how open and how flexible and what kinds of possibilities will be for any trade relations, when they know that members of Parliament right now will behave in this manner.
Britain has not negotiated its own trade deals in some decades because we've been doing it as part of the European Union and that lack of experience and maturity has sadly shown in this saga. So not a good sign for things in the future, if things were to continue this way.
CHURCH: We will watch to see the next step in the whole Brexit saga. Thom Brooks, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis and perspective.
BROOKS: A pleasure.
CHURCH: Six months after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, we are learning his four children have been getting a major payout from the Saudi government. Khashoggi vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. U.S. officials believe the crown prince ordered his killing, though the Saudi government denies that.
A source says the payments are expected to keep Khashoggi's family from criticizing the royal family. CNN's Nic Robertson has this story.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So what we understand is each of Jamal Khashoggi's four children have received a lump sum payout of 1 million Saudi riyals. That's about $266,000 U.S., one lump sum to each of them.
They're also going to receive a monthly stipend between $10,000 and $15,000 U.S. as well as receiving 15 million Saudi riyals' worth of housing. Those are houses purchased by Saudi authorities and given to each one of the children.
Now as we understand it at the moment, only Sala (ph), the eldest son, plans to continue living in Saudi Arabia. So the other three children, the younger son, Abdullah, and his two sisters, will not be moving into that housing will not be able to take advantage of the value of that property, not be able to sell it on effectively.
There's also another element of this blood money, if you will, under Saudi law, that Khashoggi's children may be able to receive and this would come from the -- essentially from the people who are accused of his murder.
So far Saudi authorities have accused 11 people of Jamal Khashoggi's murder, five of them are being potentially -- could be convicted and sentenced with a death penalty.
Now under Saudi law, under sharia law, they could appeal for clemency to Khashoggi's children. But under sharia law in --
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ROBERTSON: -- Saudi Arabia, the way to get clemency would be to pay for it. And that could total, for all of those five, if convicted, if they do pay out for this clemency, could amount to 100 million to 200 million Saudi riyals, $25 million to $52-$53 million U.S. So the family, his children, Jamal Khashoggi's children, do stand to receive a potentially significant lump sum from Saudi authorities -- Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
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CHURCH: We will take a short break. Still to come, President Trump has been pledging to close 100 percent of the U.S.-Mexico border. Now he seems to be easing up a bit on that threat. A look at the president's latest border strategy.
Plus, Mr. Trump likes to host VIPs at his Mar-a-lago club but prosecutors say one guest was not on the list. The latest on a security breach -- when we come back.
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CHURCH: Welcome, back everyone.
It was a busy Tuesday for U.S. president Donald Trump. Democrats are ramping up remarks for the full release of the Mueller report. Mr. Trump was also pressed on health care and whether he actually plans on closing the border with Mexico.
CNN's Jim Acosta has more from Washington.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much.
ACOSTA (voice-over): In his latest showdown over the Russia investigation, President Trump ripped into top House Democrats, who were insisting that the administration release the full report from special counsel Robert Mueller.
TRUMP: Nothing you give them, whether it's shifty Schiff or Jerry Nadler, who I have known -- he's been fighting me for half of my life in Manhattan and I was very successful, thank you. But Nadler's been fighting me for years and years in Manhattan, not successfully. I will tell you, anything we give them will never be enough.
ACOSTA: The president then accused unnamed forces of treason for launching the probe in the first place.
TRUMP: People did things that were very, very bad for our country and very, very illegal and you could even say treasonous.
ACOSTA: But Mr. Trump was circling the wagons on ObamaCare, confirming he's postponing any GOP plans to announce legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act, undercutting aides who said the White House would do just that. TRUMP: I wanted to delay it myself. I want to put it after the election, because we don't have the House.
ACOSTA: The president previewed the pullback on Twitter, saying --
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ACOSTA (voice-over): -- a vote will be taken right after the 2020 election, when he predicted Republicans hold the Senate and win back the House. Democrats say that's because the GOP is all repeal and no replace.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Last night, the president tweeted that they will come up with their plan in 2021. Translation, they have no health care plan.
ACOSTA: On immigration, the president is amping up the rhetoric, warning he's prepared to close the border over the recent spike in asylum seekers.
TRUMP: If we don't make a deal with Congress, the border is going to be closed, a hundred percent.
ACOSTA: But the president left himself some wiggle room.
TRUMP: Or we're going to close large sections of the border. Maybe not all of it.
Mexico, as you know, as of yesterday, has been starting to apprehend a lot of people at their Southern border, coming in from Honduras and Guatemala and El Salvador and they have -- they're really apprehending thousands of people.
ACOSTA: Mr. Trump conceded shutting down the border could put a big dent in the economy.
TRUMP: Trading is very important. The borders are very important, but security is what is most important. Security is more important to me than trade.
ACOSTA: The White House is also busy answering new questions about granting security clearances to top officials like Jared Kushner, after an administration whistle-blower came forward to accuse the West Wing of making too many exceptions.
JARED KUSHNER, SENIOR PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: Well, I can't comment for the White House's process, but what I can say is that over the last two years that I have been here, I have been accused of all different types of things and all of those things have turned out to be false.
ACOSTA: Democratic critics counter these are valid questions, given that some aides like Kushner have been accused of using private messaging to do government business.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D), NEW YORK: I mean, really, what is next? Putting nuclear codes in Instagram DMs?
This is ridiculous.
ACOSTA: The president made mention of an inspector general report that he hopes will reveal how the Russia investigation got started. But the president keeps forgetting that he's the one who fired FBI director James Comey, which led the appointment of the special counsel.
That's likely to be a big part of the release of the other findings from the Mueller report. But as the president told reporters, he will live with whatever attorney general William Barr decides, in terms of what to release from that Mueller report -- Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
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CHURCH: Let's get more on all of this with Siraj Hashmi. He is a commentary writer and editor for the "Washington Examiner."
Thanks for joining us.
SIRAJ HASHMI, "WASHINGTON EXAMINER": Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: So let's start with the health care issue, because President Trump confirmed he is now a postponing GOP legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act and appears to think, he can go into the 2020 presidential campaign with a vague promise of a health care plan that will be released after the elections.
Will voters buy that strategy?
And how much damage could that cause him politically, if he tries to push this line that the Republican Party will be known as the party of great health care, when there is no health care package right now?
HASHIMI: That is a very good point right there. How could the party of health care not have a health care plan? You know, the Republican Party, in the last decade, ever since ObamaCare was passed in 2010, has been trying and campaigning against ObamaCare in trying to repeal it and they failed multiple times. I mean, they've failed while they had majorities in the House and Senate under President Trump and with the divided Congress, it's very unlikely that they can get anything done now, at least in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election.
So, Trump kind a going after ObamaCare is not going to go over very well, politically speaking. There are many independents who voted for Trump in 2016, who are actually fans of ObamaCare and probably want to see it improved. And him going after is probably the biggest gift politically that he can give to Democrats.
CHURCH: Right, of course, the reality is that Republicans do not want to go anywhere near the issue of health care, do they? They know it is politically toxic. So, is this the president way of retreating and can we expect him to eventually avoid the topic altogether when the campaign gets fully underway?
HASHIMI: Absolutely, Trumps kind of rebuke or I should say withdrawal of going after health care in this regard, kind a stepping away from it, certainly is a sign politically that he understands at least the polls of the country right now.
ObamaCare and health care in general is probably one of the top issues that voters consider when they go into the voting booth. And with respect to even Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, he sort of actually punted the issue over to the White House, saying that he was waiting for them to come up with a health care proposal that could replace ObamaCare. So yes, Trump probably got the signal and he got it pretty quick.
CHURCH: Right and he's got to do it without losing face, right? So, I do want to shift to the Mueller report, because the president says he will never be able to meet the demands of the Democrats --
[02:25:00]
CHURCH: -- when it comes to the release of the findings of the Mueller report. But the Democrats are asking for the release of the entire report and just a few days ago Mr. Trump said himself that he had no problem with releasing it, saying let them see it. So, what changed?
HASHIMI: Well, because obviously changed politically speaking, if we're looking at the Mueller report and probably individual lines within the Mueller report that maybe Democrats are trying to seize on, to at least hit the Trump administration on and the trump campaign going into the 2020 presidential election.
I'm sure there are some advisors of his that spoke to him and probably told him that the release of the Mueller report, while it is good for transparency, may not help him in the 2020 presidential election. So, you know, ultimately, the Mueller report will not satisfy all of Trump's critics, because the principal findings found him in the clear, while it did not exonerate him of at least obstruction of justice, found there was no collusion with the Russian government or with the internet research agency and there wasn't any at least sufficient evidence to indict him on obstruction of justice.
CHURCH: Right. So why not release it? I mean, that's the big question, isn't it? And also, the president even went so far as accusing those behind the report of treason. What's that all about? What does he mean?
HASHIMI: You know, that is a good question. I'm not 100 percent sure what the president means. I know Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, also sort of repeated that line. I'm not sure if it's treasonous behavior to want the full release of the Mueller report or if it's treasonous behavior to actually push for an investigation into the Trump campaign during the 2016 election and basically allege that there was collusion between his campaign and the Russian government. I feel like that is what he is focusing on in terms of treasonous behavior, but even alleging that against any person, whether a public official or not, doesn't really need to definition of treason.
CHURCH: Right. Siraj Hashimi, thank you so much for joining us.
HASHIMI: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: Sharing your analysis, appreciate it.
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CHURCH: We are learning more about an alleged security breach at President Trump's Mar-a-lago club in Florida. A woman was charged Monday for illegally entering the property last month. Prosecutors say she had two Chinese passports and a thumb drive with malware. CNN's Jessica Schneider has the details.
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JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: She allegedly made her way all the way into the main reception area of the club, all while carrying several electronic devices, one of which allegedly contain malicious malware.
Now federal authorities say this woman Yujing Zhang presented herself at the initial checkpoint at Mar-a-Lago showed her two passports and then gained entry of under the guys that she was the daughter of a Mar-a-Lago club member. She made her way to the club reception area. Where she was then questioned by a receptionist about why she was inside Mar-a-Lago.
While Yujing Zhang mentioned an event that wasn't happening, the receptionist there flag the secret service agent who eventually question her off the property. At the point agents say she became verbally aggressive and claimed that her Chinese friend Charles told her to travel from Shanghai to Palm Beach, Florida, all an attempt to speak with a member of the president's family about Chinese and American foreign economic relations.
Now Zhang said she had communicated with the so-called Charles over the popular messaging app in China called WeChat. Now, perhaps the most troubling that Zhang was also found several electronic items. Four cellphones, one laptop computer, one external hard drive and one thumb drive. And authorities say the thumb drive contained that malicious malware.
Zhang now faces two felony charges, she had her initial court appearance this week. And will also be back for a detention hearing in Palm Beach on Monday. Important to note though the president was actually not at Mar-a-Lago at the same time this happened. He was actually at the golf club about 10 minutes away, but this incident no doubt raises major concerns about security at Mar-a-Lago. Where the president spends just about every weekend in the winter -- Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: A week away?
Or another delay?
Brexit chaos at the British Parliament. Why someone who voted to leave the E.U. now say just stop the madness.
Plus:
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "President Trump, come and help us," she says. "We cannot take it anymore."
CHURCH (voice-over): Pleas for help from a country, where the U.N. says 90 percent of the people live in poverty. Back in a moment.
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[02:32:10] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM. Let's update you now on the main stories we've been following. President Trump is renewing threats to close the U.S.- Mexico border. He also says he might only close half of it. Mr. Trump admits closing the southern border could hurt the U.S. economy. He says lawmakers have to change the immigration system if they want to keep the border open.
What's being called the trial of the century is scheduled to begin in Malaysia. The former Prime Minister is facing corruption charges linked to the embezzlement of more than a billion dollars. Najib Razak has denied any wrongdoing.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the pilots flying last months doomed Ethiopian Airlines flights, initially followed emergency procedures laid out by Boeing. But they still fail to regain control of the 737 Max, that's based on people briefed on preliminary findings of the investigation. CNN has not confirmed the details of the report.
British Prime Theresa May says she will ask the European Union for another Brexit delay. The U.K. is set to leave the E.U. next Friday with or without a deal. Mrs. May also say she wants talk with Labor Leader Jeremy Corbyn to try to find a way forward. Well, as Brexit process drags on, lawmakers' inability to agree on anything is starting to take its toll. The United Kingdom now looking more like a divided kingdom. CNN'S Mathew Chance takes a look.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to a disunited kingdom.
THERESA MAY, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: This house has indulged itself on Europe for too long.
CHANCE: As government barely capable of governing.
JOHN BERCOW, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Order! Order! There's a lot of very noise barricading. Order! Order!
CHANCE: These lawmakers needing police protection from public rage. Britain's meant to be one of the rich, most stable countries in the world. Instead its militaries on standby while its people stockpile food and medicine.
BRECOW: Order! (CROSSTALK)
CHANCE: Inside the mother of Parliaments, even at the best of times, it's divided and rowdy.
BERCOW: Don't tell me what the procedures of this house are.
CHANCE: These are the worst of times and British Parliamentary system looks paralyzed and chaotic.
BERCOW: The eyes to the right, 286. The noes to left, 344. So, the noes have it. The noes have it. Unlock.
[02:35:02] CHANCE: Recent weeks have seen a British governments biggest ever defeat, its Brexit plan rejected three times so far. There's no talk of a desperate forth tried to get it pass.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people have spoken.
CHANCE: It was the shock result of the 2016 Brexit referendum that plunged Britain into such terrible mess.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The British people have voted to leave the European Union.
CHANCE: Then Prime Minister David Cameron, who'd argued to stay in Europe promptly quit.
DAVID CAMERON, FORMER PRIME MINISTER, UNITED KINGDOM: Expect to go to the palace and offer my resignation. So, we will have a new Prime Minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening. Thank you very much.
CHANCE: Infamously, Britain's national broadcaster recorded him humming as he walked away to write his memoirs. Enter Theresa May, a new Leader with a definite swing in her step, and a clear idea she said of what Brexit really means.
MAY: Brexit means Brexit. CHANCE: What she didn't say, is that it also meant tortuous
negotiations with the European Union, where at time she seems to struggle. Not at least with pesky car doors and important summits. Inevitably, talk has turned to a change in leadership.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't have ambitions for leadership anymore?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe in betting.
CHANCE: Well possibly a general election, the third in four years to break the deadlock. Prime Minister May herself has promised to step down if lawmakers would only back her Brexit deal. She could be forced to resign anyway. Brexit may not be delivered by the end of May. But the end of May could still be delivered by Brexit. Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
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CHURCH: In Venezuela the Maduro Government has voted to continue its probe of National Assembly Leader Juan Guaido. Possibly clearing the way for his arrest, at least 50 countries recognize Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate interim president. Now, a Supreme Court Justice says Guaido is in contempt for leaving the country in February without permission. He wants Guaido's stripped of Parliamentary Immunity.
Venezuela's opposition says it will not recognize any decision that could lead to Guaido's arrest. Well for Venezuelans, the situation seems to get worse every week. Food shortages, power blackouts and hospital closures are all making life miserable and many blame the man at the top, President Nicholas Maduro. CNN'S David McKenzie reports.
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DAVID MCKENZIE CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Venezuela's President could always count on this neighborhood in Caracas for support. Now, they want Nicholas Maduro out.
ANTONIO PARERA, VENEZUELAN UNEMPLOYED MECHANIC: We don't have water, we don't have electricity, we don't have security, we don't have so many things on the hospital. We are broke down. The Venezuela right now is broke down.
MCKENZIE: Are you angry?
PARERA: Yes, very angry, very angry.
MCKENZIE: Angry and some are asking for help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): President Trump come and helped us she says, we cannot take it anymore.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll see, we'll see.
MCKENZIE: Trump hasn't ruled anything out.
TRUMP: Or just to know you understand, all options are open.
NICHOLAS MADURO, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (through translator): Donald Trump said he had all options on the table. They didn't go ahead with the invasion because they couldn't. They went ahead with the sabotage of the electrical service instead.
MCKENZIE: Maduro blames the nationwide blackout on the U.S. but years of government mismanagement and corruption and little money for maintenance has hammered the grid. U.S. oil sanctions could make it difficult to fix. So the shops are shuttered. The people are jammed into buses for the shortened work day. A draft U.N. report seen by CNN, found that more than 90 percent of Venezuelan's now live in poverty.
Even in the capital, it's a struggle for the very basics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen brother, as Venezuelans are very upset, says Xavier. If it was up to meet, we would have force this government out.
MCKENZIE: More than three million people have fled Venezuela because of this. The U.N. believes almost two million could leave just this year. But one man still refuses to go. David McKenzie CNN, Caracas, Venezuela.
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CHURCH: The devastating storm that flooded major areas of Mozambique has triggered a rapidly spreading outbreak of cholera. Cyclone Idai swept across Southern Africa in mid-March. It submerged the entire villages and farmland. Some 800 people across Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe perished.
[02:40:06] Mozambique's health ministry now says they are more than a thousand cases of cholera, mostly in the hard hit city of Beira. Health workers are preparing to distribute almost a million doses of vaccines.
Algeria's ailing 82-year old president has resigned after weeks of mass protests and calls from the country's army chief to step down. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was first elected in 1999, these images show him handing in his resignation letter, quite stunning given he's really seen in public certainly since suffering a stroke six years ago. His announcement to step down after decades in power was celebrated in the streets of Algiers on Tuesday, with many saying he's grown out of touch with ordinary people and governance over an economy that favors the elite.
We turn now to Israel where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is counting on strong support from his base in Beersheba to help him win next week's election, despite the threat of indictment hanging over him. CNN'S Melissa Bell reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: His late arrival did nothing to dampen his supports enthusiasm. He may be in the midst of a tough election campaign with the polls nationwide pointing towards a tight finish, but this Likud Country. In 2015, the party won nearly 40 percent of the vote here in the Southern Israeli town of Beersheba. This time around Netanyahu who has the threat of indictment hanging over him from three separate corruption probes. But most of those we spoke to think, he will win his fifth term regardless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's his charisma and the way he speaks all over the world.
BELL: Who are you voting for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like Bibi.
BELL: Our guide to Be'er Sheva is Uriel Gur Adam, a local radio journalist.
URIEL GUR ADAM, ISRAELI RADIO JOURNALIST: A lot of people which are not living in the central of Israel mainly Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have found a place and found someone who will speak their anger, who would speak their misery.
BELL: Hello. How are you? Inside the local Likud headquarters, the pile of signs was waist high we're told depleted by activists who came unprompted this year to get involved. They read Davka Netanyahu, encouraging his vote, not just in spite of his legal troubles, but because of them a message not only aimed at voters but also at the media whom Netanyahu accusses of leading a left-wing conspiracy against him.
ADAM: You cover the indictment, you cover the whole police investigations and then in it, OK in spite of that.
BELL: So, this. What the signs say is, pay attention to what he is being accused of and get out and vote, because his under attack.
ADAM: And do remember we've mentioned it earlier. People do give the benefit of the doubt.
BELL: Shimon Boker who is, both the towns Deputy Mayor and the local Likud party chairman, agrees that far from being put off by Netanyahu's troubles, Likud voters have been fired up by them.
SHIMON BOKER, ISRAEI'S MSAYOR OF BE'ER SHEVA (through translator): I want to tell you something, he is the Moses of our time. This is the Moses of Israel. The more they torture him, the stronger he will become, that's written in the bible. The more they torture him the stronger he will become.
BELL: And yet, even here Be'er Sheva, Netanyahu spoke in an auditorium that was only half full. To those that did turn up, however, their leader left them as impressed as ever and convinced that his natural ability to connect with his people would see him through once again. Melissa Bell, CNN, Be'er Sheva.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, the race is on for money. U.S. Presidential candidates are counting their cash as a 2020 election draws closer by the day, plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We've got to stop the crime. We've got to close up. We've got to close up the borders. I'm telling you right now, we will close the damn border!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Communities on the U.S.- Mexico border brace for a shutdown. How sealing the border could affect millions of people. That's coming up, after the short break, do stay with us.
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[02:47:06] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, many millions of dollars already rolling in as candidates running for U.S. president, count the cash. They are challenging Donald Trump for the White House in 2020. CNN's Jessica Dean reports the more money they raise, the better their chances of staying in the race at this stage of the campaigns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE: Thank you all very much.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Let the numbers game begin. Senator Bernie Sanders announced he raise $18.2 million dollars for 525,000 unique donors since entering the 2020 Democratic primary in February. The average contribution, $20 dollars.
That whole topping two rivals who release their first quarter totals, Monday. California Senator Kamala Harris raised $12 million from her 138,000 unique donors. Her average donation, $55.
And South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg brought in $7 million from his 158,550 unique donors. His average, about $36.
PETE BUTTIGIEG, MAYOR OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA: It's definitely ahead of what people thought we would be able to do.
DEAN: While the full fundraising picture continues to shape up for Democrats, President Trump's re-election bid which has benefited from a two-year head start has raised $130 million so far. Spending most of those funds leaving $19 million in the bank.
As the money piles up, so do the policy proposals.
JULIAN CASTRO (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, 2020 ELECTION: Buenos Dias, (INAUDIBLE).
DEAN: Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, became the first Democratic candidate to unveil a detailed immigration plan. Castro proposes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the United States as well as DREAMers, it was brought to the U.S. as children.
Castro would also reverse Trump-era policies like the Muslim travel ban and funding for a wall on the southern border.
CASTRO: We need to -- of course, ensure that we have secure borders. But we need to demonstrate compassion and humanity to the people who are already here, who are undocumented, and people who are seeking asylum.
DEAN: Meantime, he is still not an official candidate. But former Vice President Joe Biden continues to find himself in the spotlight after two women accused him of unwanted touching. Biden issued a statement saying it was "Never my intention to act inappropriately." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the allegations.
REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: I don't think it's disqualifying. It's important for the vice president, others to understand this. It isn't what you intended, it's how it was received.
DEAN: A source tells me, while team Biden is not denying the seriousness of this moment, they are "very much full speed ahead" in the process of considering his potential 2020 campaign.
I'm also told the public support for Biden has largely been organic with people calling up the team and asking to share their stories of support publicly. Jessica Dean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:49:59] CHURCH: Well, immigration is said to be a key issue in the 2020 race. Especially with President Trump's latest threat to close the southern border. The shutdown could affect millions and border residents are worried about what comes next. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more now from El Paso, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is one of the ports of entry that connects the United States to Mexico. That long line of cars that you see there in the distance is trying to drive in here to the city of El Paso. Wait times are getting longer and millions of lives, if the border is closed, will be affected.
Border residents have heard the repeated threats for weeks. And they're trying to figure out if President Trump is just flirting with disaster or serious about closing the border.
TRUMP: We got a stop the crime, we got to close up, we got to close up the borders. I'm telling you right now, we will close the damn border.
LAVANDERA: The ports of entry and border crossings are a lifeline between the tightly integrated communities where Mexico in the United States blend together. There are 24 ports of entry that dot the southern border. From Brownsville, Texas to Southern California. And beyond that, there are dozens of border crossings where a steady stream of people cross bridges and customs checkpoints daily.
Silvestre Reyes has spent nearly 30 years working as a border patrol agent. He was also a Democratic congressman from El Paso. He describes the idea of shutting down the border as lunacy.
SILVESTRE REYES, FORMER REPRESENTATIVE, EL PASO, TEXAS: I scratched my head and wonder how much longer they're going to get away with it. Because you can't -- it can't be good now for the President of the United States to be threatening or even just talking about shutting down the border is nuts.
LAVANDERA: The port between Tijuana, Mexico, and California is massive and sprawling, where people can wait for hours to drive across. The Laredo, Texas is the largest inland port along the border with special bridges designed to accommodate nearly 4.6 million trucks every year. Carrying everything from car parts, food, clothing, and electronics.
And there are even tiny crossings like this in Far West, Texas where you can take a rowboat across the Rio Grande to the other side. All of this would theoretically grind to a halt.
JON BARELA, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BORDERPLEX ALLIANCE: Across the United States, between five and 6 million American jobs directly rely on trade with Mexico.
LAVANDERA: Everything from Fortune 500 companies, to the mom-and-pop shops that are part of the colorful Porter landscape would feel the pain says, John Barela. He's the CEO of a group called Borderplex Alliance that advocates for hundreds of Mexican and American businesses that rely on international trade. And the pain won't be restricted to border towns.
BARELA: It would impact the entire country. Uncertainty is the enemy of job growth and investment. And closing the border creates an air of uncertainty. Even the threat of closing the border creates an air of uncertainty.
LAVANDERA: So, it is that uncertainty that looms up and down the border region. Many people trying to prepare, trying to make plans as to what they will do if this border is closed. Many people fear being caught on the wrong side of the border. Perhaps, not being able to get home if they work on one side or the other.
Those are the kinds of real-life concerns that people here are preparing for. Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: And if you would like to see the U.S.-Mexican border up close, you can head to our web site. This interactive map shows you all of the border and what's really at stake if it's shut down.
We'll take a break here. Coming up, it is the U.S. versus India in a verbal battle over space debris that may threaten the International Space Station.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:55:19] CHURCH: Well, space debris is a threat to the International Space Station. That's what America's space agency is saying after India conducted a controversial missile test. NASA is pointing fingers, but India is firing back. Saying, "There's nothing to worry about. CNN's Amara Walker has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMARA WALKER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: India is riding high after a successful anti-satellite missile test last week. But new concerns may bring them back down to earth. Last Wednesday, India destroyed one of its own satellites operating in a low orbit, using a ground to space missile. An accomplishment hailed by India.
NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA (through translator): India has registered its name as a space power.
WALKER: Only the U.S., Russia, and China have successfully carried out anti-satellite missile tests. But India's move has been strongly criticized by NASA's top official who says debris from the test is a threat to the International Space Station.
JIM BRIDENSTINE, ADMINISTRATOR TO NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION: That is a terrible, terrible thing to create an event that sends debris in an apogee that goes above the International Space Station. And that kind of activity is not compatible with the future of human spaceflight.
WALKER: NASA, says they have identified 400 pieces of space debris from the test. And the chances of small particles hitting the ISS have increased by 44 percent over the next few days. But they also point out that they have everything under control.
BRIDENSTINE: While the risk went up 44 percent, our astronauts are still safe, the International Space Station is still safe. If we need to maneuver it, we will.
WALKER: India says it expects the objects to burn up soon and conducted the test at a lower altitude so the debris would dissipate quickly into the atmosphere.
ARUN JAITLEY, MINISTER OF FINANCE AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS, INDIA: In this case our scientists have taken all precautions. And in a matter of three weeks, the whole environment will be debris free.
WALKER: NASA says, the process takes time. In 2007, China conducted a similar test at a higher altitude. Creating one of the largest debris clouds in history. Much of which is still circling overhead. Amara Walker, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter @rosemaryCNN. And I'll be back with another hour of news next. You're watching CNN. Do stay with us.
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