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May Meets with Corbyn for Cross-party Talks; British Army Investigating Target Practice Video; House Committee Approves Subpoena to get Mueller Report; Ethiopian Investigators to Release Crash Findings; Adultery and Gay Sex Now Punishable by Death in Brunei; U.S. Warns Turkey Not to Obtain Russian Missiles; Algeria's Ex-President Bids Farewell; Prosecutors Want Jail Time in College Cheating Scandal. Aired 12p-1a ET

Aired April 04, 2019 - 00:00   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 from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Let's get started.

Constructive but inconclusive -- British prime minister Theresa May gets some face time with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, hoping that reaching across the aisle can finally end the Brexit deadlock.

Plus, U.S. Democrats taking action to finally get the Mueller report into the public's hands. This, as we are learning that the special counsel's investigation may be worse for Trump than we have led to believe.

Also, the investigation into what brought down Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, a new report into the deadly crash is just hours away.

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CHURCH: Good to have you with us. The British Parliament can't agree on much these days but with Brexit looming next Friday, lawmakers did come together on one thing. The House of Commons approved a plan to request another deadline extension from the European Union and prevent a no deal Brexit.

The margin of victory?

One single vote.

CNN's Bianca Nobilo has more on the day's other developments.

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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The prime minister and leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn met for talks to break the Brexit deadlock on Wednesday. Number 10 said that the talks were constructive. Jeremy Corbyn said they were useful but inconclusive.

The two agreed to work to find a unified way forward. The discussions followed an extraordinary session of PM queues, where both leaders tried to remain cordial while both being goaded by their parties.

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THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think there actually are a number of areas that we are in agreement on Brexit. I think we both want to deliver leaving the E.U. with a deal, I think we both want to protect jobs. I think we both want to ensure that we end free movement.

JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, U.K. LABOUR PARTY: I welcome the prime minister's office for talk following the meetings I've held with members across this house. I look forward to meeting her later today and I welcome her willingness to compromise to resolve the Brexit deadlock.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: As the two leaders tried to reach a consensus around a softer Brexit, a political tug of war is raging. Theresa May's Brexiteer backbenchers want her to harden her position while Jeremy Corbyn's front bench are pushing him to ensure any deal that's agreed is subject to a puppet vote.

While the two leaders thrash things out, Parliament has its own ideas. It's still trying to take back control, impose its own timeframe and rule out a no deal in law -- Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Joining me now from Los Angeles, CNN European affairs commentator Dominic Thomas.

Always good to have you with us.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thanks -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: So let's start with Wednesday's vote and then we will tackle the talks. Lawmakers approved a Brexit delay bill in what was a very close vote. A majority of just one -- but it still needs lords' approval to become law and, of course, the E.U. will decide whether to actually grant that delay. All of which takes time as the clock ticks on.

Can all this happen in a timely manner and if it does, will that take a no deal Brexit off the table for good?

THOMAS: Well, ultimately, yes. You're absolutely right that the Parliament did vote to force Theresa May to go back to them and to seek an extension rather than a no deal. And as you pointed, it was an extraordinarily divisive vote. 290 conservatives voted against it and all 10 DUPs. Yet again, we have an example of a vote in Parliament of a vote that

did pass but proved to be extraordinarily divisive in the same way that the talks with Jeremy Corbyn are in place but as yet, inconclusive.

In terms of the question of the no deal, ultimately the decision has really been taken out of the hands of the United Kingdom. Because in their negotiations with the European Union an extension has already been provided which means that by early next week the prime minister must either deliver a deal, which the European Union wants the Parliament to have voted on so that it is a done and dusted deal in order to expand all the way to May to provide for legislation.

Or they are looking at a no deal, having to go to the European Union to ask for a very long extension. In many, ways the only thing the U.K. right now can do, unilaterally, is to actually revoke Article 50. Beyond that I would argue that, at this particular stage, it very much depends on how the European Union will respond to them.

CHURCH: All right. And then, of course, we wanted to talk about the talks. The only --

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CHURCH: -- happy British politicians right now appear to be Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, both describing the first day of their talks as constructive, useful but inconclusive.

How likely is it that they will be able to withstand all the pressure and come up with a softer Brexit compromise?

THOMAS: Well, what has happened and what has forced them to focus is that the European Union has been unyielding at this point. They have made it clearly and categorically stated that unless you bring us a deal by next week, you will either have to crash out without Article 50 and participate in E.U. elections. This has forced them to come together.

What we have seen today is not so much the discussions that take place between the two, in clearly there is some significant red lines which they are going to have to address; in the case of Theresa May, it's belonging to a customs union. In the case of Jeremy Corbyn, it's under pressure from his own party to have a second referendum or a meaningful people's vote on these particular issues, so they've got to come to terms that.

Meanwhile, in the background, just about every single politician that currently sits in the House of Commons has an opinion on where things should go and has remained entrenched in those opinions.

So you have the party leaders trying to seek consensus. The big question is ultimately whether or not they are then going to get those parliamentarians to support whatever conclusions that come out of that.

And so, at this particular stage, yes, it is highly likely that they end up with this being the only option that prevents them crashing out with a no deal, having to revoke Article 50. So there is probably a greater chance of something happening between now and next week over this.

When you consider everything that's happened all along and the difficulties that these parliamentarians have had to pass successful votes through, really, in terms of the onset, they are not looking that good.

CHURCH: This is the problem, isn't it?

Because we know the Brexiteers are trying to wield their influence. Pushing for Theresa May to harden her position while Jeremy Corbyn's party wants any agreement made subject to a public vote, as you mentioned.

Clearly not everyone will get what they want here. There is going to be a lot of anger, a lot of disappointment.

How will May and Corbyn satisfy the majority here?

Because we certainly haven't seen a majority on any particular vote.

THOMAS: No. All along, the deal lies to the center and that has been the big issue, right?

Of course, Theresa May has been catering to her party rather than thinking about getting the deal put through and that has been catering to the hardcore Brexiteers who want the toughest Brexit possible to extricate themselves from all ties with the European Union.

Meanwhile, the interesting thing with Jeremy Corbyn's party is that the overwhelming percentage of the membership voted to remain in the European Union but they are highly concerned about those constituencies that voted to leave and they know the path to a subsequent general election is going to rely on those people.

So whereas before, each party was playing in kind of game of chicken to see how far they could get to that March 29th deadline before one of them would finally give way, both political leaders are in a very risky position right now.

And what Theresa May's cabinet did yesterday by agreeing to reach out to Jeremy Corbyn is actually shift some of the burden of responsibility away from the Conservative Party towards the Labour Party.

And Jeremy Corbyn, by working to deliver a Brexit -- and that is the ultimate irony of this -- both leading political parties are talking about a kind of Brexit -- it's not as if there is an opposition that is fighting against it.

Having said, that within each of their parties, there are tremendous risks. The big question is to who, at the end of the day, is going to be responsible for the Brexit that is delivered in which Brexit it is, if one at all. And that's the calculation that they have to make as they go into it.

And one last point, very quickly, if these talks fail the success story is then for the Brexiteers because a collapsing talk ultimately gives them the possibility of there being a hard Brexit or of a general election being triggered if none of these agreements go through.

CHURCH: Yes, the Brexiteers will be watching very closely, these talks, in the hope that they will want to see them fail. Dominic Thomas, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate.

THOMAS: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, the British army says it is investigating a video that appears to show soldiers shooting at a picture of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The video was initially shared on Snapchat with the caption, "Happy with that." The U.K. Press Association says the footage was recorded recently in Kabul, Afghanistan.

An army spokesman tells CNN the behavior is totally unacceptable and falls below the high standards the army expects.

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BRIGADIER NICK PERRY, 16 AIR ASSAULT BRIGADE: Unfortunately, I'm talking to you today because a video has emerged from Afghanistan of some of our soldiers engaged in inappropriate behavior and following --

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PERRY: -- a serious error of judgment.

You will understand that an investigation has been launched but I think at this time it will be helpful to remind ourselves of the importance as soldiers of always remaining non political and focusing on the mission at hand and success in that mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Later MP Dan Jarvis tweeted this, "Shameful and utterly unacceptable. This goes against the values and standards of the British army. I welcome the Defence HQ investigation into this video and trust it will be resolved quickly."

We are getting word of more charges against the New Zealand mosque attack suspect. Brenton Tarrant will be charged with 15 counts of murder and 49 counts of attempted murder. Tarrant is due to appear in court in Christchurch on Friday.

In his earlier court appearance, he was charged with one court of murder; 50 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on worshippers in two mosques in New Zealand. Police say even more charges are being considered.

In Japan, the former head of Nissan Motor Company has been arrested for a fourth time. Broadcaster NHK reported that prosecutors suspect Ghosn misappropriated Nissan's company funds for personal use. Ghosn is awaiting trial on charges he understated his earnings for years and abused his position by transferring personal investment losses to Nissan.

He was released from jail last month after posting $9 million dollars in bail. He denies any wrongdoing and calls his latest arrest outrageous.

Well, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has approved a subpoena to get the full, unredacted version of the Mueller report. The party line vote came at a contentious committee meeting Wednesday. The chairman said he is not issuing the subpoena just yet but will if he needs to.

CNN's senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju has the details.

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MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: House judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler armed the subpoena -- something he plans to use in the coming days. He said in very short order he would serve the Justice Department with subpoenas demanding the full Mueller report, demanding the underlying evidence and also subpoenas to find former White House officials who testified before the Mueller investigation, who may have received records from the White House.

They want those records. These subpoenas have been authorized now by the House Judiciary Committee on a party line vote after Republicans attacked Democrats for acting recklessly.

Democrats say they want full transparency but, nevertheless, Jerry Nadler now has these subpoenas in his back pocket.

The House Judiciary Committee chairman will serve them one he feels like he is not getting cooperation from the Justice Department.

Now the question is, will he agree to any sort of middle ground and will the Justice Department comply with Nadler's request?

Nadler is making it very clear he is not willing to negotiate.

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RAJU: Are you willing to negotiate any middle ground in terms of redactions of the Mueller report?

REP. JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: No.

RAJU: You're not?

NADLER: No. The committee must see everything, as was done in every prior instance. The committee is entitled and must see all the material and make judgments as to what can be redacted for the public release by ourselves. We're not willing to let the attorney general, who, after all, is a

political appointee of the president, make that -- substitute his judgment ours.

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RAJU: At the same time, Republicans taking a much different approach. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, told me he does not want to see the full, unredacted Mueller report. He says he will let Bill Barr make the decisions on what to censor and he will take his word.

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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.), MEMBER, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: I want the -- Barr to come before the committee May 1st and present the report minus grand jury information, minus classified information. I don't need to look at a million documents. Just tell us about the report.

RAJU: Unredacted. You don't want to see the unredacted report?

GRAHAM: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Nevertheless, a big court battle brewing both over the Mueller report if the Justice Department does not comply with the Democratic demands and over that grand jury information.

Jerry Nadler told me yesterday, quote, "absolutely" he would go to court and ask for that grand jury information if it is not provided to the House Judiciary Committee. That's going to be one area of focus in the days and weeks ahead.

The question, ultimately, what will the Justice Department do at the moment?

Declining to comment -- Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Political analyst Peter Mathews is a professor of political science at Cypress College and he joins us now from Los Angeles.

Thanks for being with us.

PETER MATHEWS, CYPRESS COLLEGE: Good to be here, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Once it issued, if it is, how likely is it that the subpoena, approved by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee will result in --

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CHURCH: -- the Democrats getting a full, unredacted version of the Mueller report? Particularly now that we learned "The New York Times" reporting that members of Mueller's team say their findings were more damaging than the attorney general revealed in his summary?

MATHEWS: That "New York Times" report is a lot of fuel for the fire that they have to provide the unredacted report because that's important for the jury committee to decide what was going on.

I think they will give it; they will have to give it up because that's required by law as a subpoena. That's a legal action which requires and that's the only way you are going to get the information. The bottom line, what Mr. Mueller actually find out. Not something that was summarized in four pages by the attorney general, that was appointed by the president. That almost smacks of a cover-up. Unless the whole report is fully given to the jury committee and Congress. They can decide what can be redacted for the public to see.

But Congress and the committee has to get the full report, otherwise it looks like a cover-up.

CHURCH: Right, I do want to turn to Donald Trump's tax returns now and the House Ways and Means committee chairman Richard Neal (ph) has formerly requested the released from the IRS of six years of President Trump's tax returns using a little known IRS code.

Will the strategy work and will Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who oversees the IRS, comply?

MATHISEN: Again, he will have to do so because this code was brought in after the Teapot Dome scandal under President Harding and it's very solid in terms of legal precedent.

Not only have they asked for Trump's tax returns, they've asked for eight of his businesses as well because they want to make sure that President Trump or his businesses are not in any way owing something to foreign entities and are not making decisions, especially the president, because of private obligations.

This goes back to Plato; the ancient philosopher, who said the people who are in power, the gold class, the ruling class should not even own private property let alone maintain it and make profits off it like President Trump has been doing. There's a conflict of interest inherently there, which is why it has to be released.

The statutes have to be made available to the committee and to Congress who can figure out if the president is under some kind of cloud or not when he makes divisions for the public. That has to be cleared up.

CHURCH: Do the Democrats run the risk of looking too political on this issue and perhaps overarching?

MATHEWS: It depends how they present it. It they say, this is part of the law, it's part of the rule of law principle that no one is above the law. In this case, all presidents have revealed their tax returns, all the modern ones and therefore why should President Trump be an exception?

Democrats have to do it in a very measured way. In that case, it won't seem to be overarching or overreaching. They will seem to be carrying out the rule of law. I think that's how they should do it in the right way.

CHURCH: All right, switching to the Democrats now, former Vice President Joe Biden posted a video on Twitter Wednesday in the wake of accusations made against him regarding inappropriate touching from four women. And this is part of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Social norms have begun to change and have shifted and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset and I get it. I get it. I hear what they are saying. I understand it.

And I will be much more mindful -- that's my responsibility. My responsibility and I'll meet it. But I will always believe governing, quite frankly, life, for that matter, is about connecting, about connecting with people. That won't change.

And I will be more mindful and respectful of people's personal space and that's a good thing. That's a good thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So will this, Biden's pledge to respect women's personal space, be enough to stave off criticism should he eventually declare his intention to run for the 2020 presidential election, which certainly looks like that's exactly what's going to happen?

MATHEWS: He has been doing these things for years. It wasn't just overnight or a long time ago. And so it does become questionable and I can imagine how women would feel about, that their personal space being violated and by a man, who's definitely a dominant man, physically.

And I think vice president Biden is a bad situation right now. He's trying his best to get out of it by saying I acknowledge it. He didn't apologize but he said, I acknowledge it, I address it. It not sure that it will be enough, for many people, especially younger women. We will have to see how that goes.

CHURCH: Do you think that will be enough to rule him out in this instance, then?

MATHEWS: You know, Rosemary. I never say never in politics. Anything can happen overnight and some of this could actually weaken him enough where he could say I'm just not going to run. It's possible and that will change the whole equation for the Democratic nomination, wouldn't it?

CHURCH: Yes, it certainly would. We will be watching to see what happens but certainly from that video that is an indication that he seems to be moving forward on this. We will watch. Peter Mathews, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

MATHEWS: Thank you, Rosemary. Good to be with you.

CHURCH: Well, in just a few hours, Ethiopia is expected to release a preliminary report on the crash of a --

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CHURCH: -- Boeing 737 MAX jetliner. And with the companies entire fleet grounded, those details could make a big difference for Boeing.

And two celebrity actresses appear in court. They are among dozens accused of cheating, bribing and lying to get their kids into elite colleges. And they could end up behind bars. We'll have that in just a moment.

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CHURCH: In just a few hours, Ethiopian officials are releasing a preliminary report on the doomed Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302; 157 people were killed when the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed last month. The entire fleet is grounded as Boeing works to fix a software problem that may have prevented the pilots from maintaining control of the plane.

"The Wall Street Journal" reports that pilots followed the company's emergency procedures but were not able to save the flight. Meanwhile, Boeing's CEO joined a test flight on a 737 MAX 7 jet for a demonstration of the updated software. The company says everything worked as designed.

Joining me now from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is Allen Diehl. He is a former accident investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Air Force.

Thank you so much for being with us.

ALAN DIEHL, FORMER AVIATION ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So what impact could this preliminary report potentially have on Boeing if, as we expect, it reveals that the Ethiopian pilots did everything they were trained to do to try to save that doomed plane?

DIEHL: Well, there's still something that we are waiting for. A piece of information. It will be here tomorrow, in that is that the Ethiopian crew initially followed the Boeing recommendation to shut off the automation as well as two cut out switches but according to "The Wall Street Journal" and other people familiar with the investigation, the Ethiopians, one of the pilots then turned the automation back on or actually turned the electric power back on which allowed the automation to pitch the nose over again. That will hopefully --

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DIEHL: -- come out tomorrow. If that is true, the second part of that statement is true, that they turned back on, that is contrary to what Boeing recommended in its bulletin after the Lion Air crash. We will have to wait for this release tomorrow to hopefully know what happened in that Ethiopian cockpit.

CHURCH: Right. And if that all is true, then how damning could this be for Boeing?

DIEHL: Well, it's probably not going to be good because these obviously pilots didn't handle it. Rosemary, when the Boeing test pilots fly these aircraft and when the FAA test pilots fly these aircraft, they have to keep in mind that the line pilots that are going to fly it later are not all Sully Sullivans, the Miracle on the Hudson captains.

And you have to design these aircraft and these procedures for the typical line pilot and I think maybe they will have to go back to the drawing board. Several of the fixes that Boeing is claiming they are installing should go a long way to doing that.

But we will have to wait and see what the Ethiopians have to say. And in fact, not just what the FAA has to say but the rest of the international certification organizations in Europe, Canada, China, et cetera, if they buy that this airplane is now good to go.

CHURCH: You mentioned that patch, because Boeing is still working to fix the software problem that may have prevented the pilots from controlling the plane. And in an effort to show these planes are safe, Boeing's CEO joined the test pilots to demonstrate the updated software, saying everything worked as designed.

How much comfort does that give you, and do you think that this will be enough to correct the problem in make these planes safe?

DIEHL: Well, I believe it should be. OK. But I want to hear not just from the FAA but from the other certification authorities.

If there's a global consensus that, yes, this is going to work -- we have to remember that everybody says the same thing in this situation and it's a bipolar world between Airbus and Boeing. They have had the same kind of failures with their equipment. Their equipment is even more automated.

So I don't think this is permanently going to hurt Boeing, although certainly the loss of over 300 people and two aircraft is tragic, especially right after the introduction. And oh, by the way, Boeing wants to bring out a new aircraft to replace their 757s and I think the airlines will look very closely at the automation on not just the backs, the 737 MAX, but also this new aircraft that is scheduled to come out sometime in the next year. So this could hurt Boeing in the race with Airbus if they don't get it

right. We are all waiting to hear what the Ethiopians have to say and of, course what the rest of the world, what the other certification authorities and the airlines have to say.

CHURCH: Yes, because indeed, public confidence is at an all-time low when it comes to Boeing. So they have to work on that, pilot the equation as well. Allen Diehl, thank you so much for joining us, we appreciate it.

DIEHL: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, the sultan of Brunei says that his government respects the rights of all his people. Yet his newly enacted Islamic law means a grisly death for homosexuals and others. That's still to come.

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. Want to check the headlines for you this hour.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has wrapped up her first day of talks with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, aimed at breaking the Brexit impasse. Meanwhile, the House of Commons approved a plan to request another deadline extension from the European Union and prevent a no-deal Brexit.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has approved a subpoena to get the full, unredacted version of the Mueller report. It came in a party- line vote on Wednesday. And "The New York Times" reports some of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators say the report is more damaging to President Trump than Attorney General William Barr's memo revealed.

In the coming hours, authorities are set to release their initial findings on the doomed Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. The Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed last month, killing all 157 people on board. The reported finding suggests that the automatic flight control system may have caused the accident.

Well, United Nations has condemned Brunei for enacting strict Islamic law while Human Rights Watch calls it barbaric. Adultery and gay sex are now punishable to death by stoning. The tiny Muslim country has been phasing in Sharia law for the past five years. Human rights groups say the gay community, in particular, has been singled out for punishment.

CNN's Ivan Watson explains what's at stake.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The sultan of the small, oil-rich sultanate in Southeast Asia of Brunei gave a speech on Wednesday in which he did not directly address the avalanche of criticism directed against Brunei about its imposition of strict Islamic Sharia law.

Instead, he talked about wanting to strengthen Islamic teaching in his country, which he insists has a system of government that is, quote, "global-friendly."

HASSANAL BOLKIAH, SULTAN OF BRUNEI (through translator): Touching on the attainment of blessings from Allah, I want to see Islamic teachings in this country grow stronger and more visible in the country.

WATSON (voice-over): Criticism from around the world has been heaped on Brunei, after it imposed Sharia law on Wednesday, which could lead to the death sentence to people convicted of crimes such as adultery or homosexuality.

The U.S. State Department has said that this is a violation of international conventions. The United Nations high commissioner for human rights calling on the government in Brunei to backtrack on this controversial decision.

And Hollywood celebrities such as George Clooney have led a campaign to try to boycott hotels around the world owned by the government of Brunei on these grounds, as well.

(on camera): CNN has spoken with members of the LGBTQ community from Brunei, some of whom have fled the country in fear. Others inside Brunei describing a climate of fear, that they could potentially now be stoned to death simply because of their identity or who they choose to love.

Meanwhile, the sultan of Brunei, who also happens to be the prime minister there, insists that the system of government there respects the human rights of all people, regardless of their race or faith.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The United States is warning NATO ally Turkey not to buy an anti-aircraft system from Russia. Ankara says the purchase of the mobile S-400 missiles is already a done deal, but the U.S. military is trying to persuade Turkey to buy the U.S. Patriot missile system instead.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says it would be a grave mistake to place Russian equipment inside of NATO.

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[00:35:10] MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Turkey must choose. Does it want to remain a critical part of the most successful military alliance in the history of the world? Or does it want to risk the security of that partnership by making reckless decisions that undermine our alliance?

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: On Monday, the Pentagon announced it would halt the transfer of F-35 stealth fighter equipment to Turkey unless Ankara abandons its plan to acquire the Russian-made disaster system.

One day after the surprise resignation of Algeria's longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, he's asking his countrymen to forgive his shortcomings during his 20 years in office. His sudden departure follows weeks of public protest demanding he step down and opened the way for a new president to be elected in the next few months.

CNN's Becky Anderson reflects on his towering influence over Algeria.

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A revolutionary, that is how Abdelaziz Bouteflika was once seen. As a former freedom fighter, he helped end French colonial rule of Algeria in the mid-20th Century. But his political career ended on a much different note.

The 82-year-old leader stepped down on April the 2nd after weeks of protests over his plans to seek another presidential term. Despite rarely being seen in public since a stroke some five years earlier.

Bouteflika was first elected president in a controversial vote in 1999. This after a seven-year-long civil war where 150,000 Algerians lost their lives.

Bouteflika granted amnesty to militants in return for peace. While the violence didn't end overnight, many fighters laid down their arms. And Bouteflika helped to breathe new life into the economy, as new roads and shopping malls emerged, much of this funded by rising oil and gas revenues.

Bouteflika is also credited with reopening Algeria to the world, emerging as an ally for the U.S. in the war on terror.

In 2001, Bouteflika was criticized when security forces quelled protests by ethnic Berbers seeking greater rights, which they also did a decade later, alongside thousands of Algerians who demanded more freedom during the Arab Spring.

Bouteflika, though, managed to survive. But militant Islam in Algeria did too. A series of bombs rocked the capital, Algiers, in a 2007 attack, claiming by al Qaeda's North Africa branch.

In 2013, dozens of hostages were killed in a terrorist attack on the gas plant in the south. And in 2014, ISIS-inspired militants beheaded a French tourist.

Bouteflika won a fourth term the same year, which would also prove to be his last. His successor now inherits an oil-rich OPEC member on the doorsteps of Europe, still trying to put an end to militant Islam at home.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And still to come, two celebrity actresses appear in court. They are among dozens accused of cheating, bribing and lying to get their kids into elite colleges. And they could end up behind bars. We'll take a look when we come back.

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[00:40:50] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

This is very interesting. A global study has found that a poor diet causes more deaths than tobacco smoking or high blood pressure. The 27-year analysis found a low intake of healthy food is the most important factor, rather than eating a lot of unhealthy food.

In 2017 one in five deaths were from too much sodium and a lack of whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds. Not eating enough of those is just as much a risk as a diet packed with sugar-sweetened drinks and red or processed meat.

The study published in "The Lancet" found people in most nations are affected, regardless of socioeconomic level.

Well, the U.S. college admissions scandal is back in the spotlight. American actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman made their first appearance in court, along with ten others accused of bribing and cheating to get their children into elite universities. As our Bryn Gingras reports, prosecutors want jail time for all the defendants.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRYN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've become the faces of the largest college admissions scheme ever uncovered in the United States.

Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin walked into a Boston courthouse, each facing a federal fraud charge. Loughlin smiling and greeting onlookers on her way in, much like how she was seen taking pictures with fans and signing autographs after arriving in Boston Tuesday.

A law enforcement official says prosecutors will ask for six months to nearly two years in prison for the actresses and the dozens of other parents accused in the scam.

Neither actress has publicly addressed the allegations against them, and it was no different in court. Loughlin and Huffman said only a few words, their attorneys doing most of the talking. Neither actress had to enter a plea.

The government says it has emails and phone recordings to prove Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 in bribe money to get their daughters into USC as crew recruits, even though neither girl rowed.

OLIVIA JADE GIANNULLI, DAUGHTER OF LORI LOUGHLIN: I'm going to go in and talk to my deans and everyone, and hope that I can cry and balance it all. But I do want the experience of, like, game days, partying. I don't really care about school.

GINGRAS: Since the scandal broke, Loughlin's daughter, YouTube star Olivia Jade, has been dropped from partnerships with major companies. Loughlin has also lost acting jobs.

Huffman allegedly paid $15,000 to alter one of her daughter's test scores. Court documents show she and her husband, actor William H. Macy, considered doing the same for her younger daughter but never went through with the plan. Macy is not charged in the case.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The charges against you?

GINGRAS: The scheme's mastermind, Rick Singer, pleaded guilty last month and continues to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. The government says it wiretapped Singer for months and has more evidence in this case.

More than 30 other parents have been charged in the scam, and one law enforcement sources tells CNN as many as ten parents may strike deals with the government. No one has, yet.

A recent court filing shows, though, one parent intend intends to plead guilty by the end of this month.

(on camera): The deadline to add more charges by the government is approaching. We've actually seen an additional charge of money laundering added to the case of two parents.

And we've also learned from a law enforcement source that more arrests could be coming soon, as well, including possibly of a student who may have knowingly participated in this scheme.

Bryn Gingras, CNN, Boston.

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