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Lawmakers Vote To Prevent "No-Deal" Brexit; Uncertainty Could Hurt U.K.'s Booming Space Sector; Birth Control Options Impacted In Venezuela; Huawei CEO: U.S. Opposition Has Helped The Company; Prosecutors Want Jail Time In Cheating Scandal; Trump Tilts At Windmills And Leans Toward Old Tech; May Meets with Corbyn for Cross- party Talks; Ethiopian Investigators to Release Crash Findings; House Committee Approves Subpoena to get Mueller Report. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 04, 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): Talking to the opposition: Theresa May's face to face with the head of the Labour Party. The political gamble she's taking in a bid to end the Brexit impasse.

Democrats in Congress are intensifying their investigation into the president, a new request for the president's tax returns. And a major move towards accessing the special counsel's full report.

Plus a preliminary report on Ethiopian Airlines crash is imminent. We may soon learn exactly what caused the plane to go down.

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

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CHURCH: They have rejected Theresa May's Brexit deal three times already but British lawmakers do not want to leave the European Union without an agreement. By a single vote margin the House of Commons approved a plan to request another deadline extension from the E.U. and prevent a no deal Brexit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERCOW, SPEAKER, BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS: The ayes to the right, 313; the nos to the left, 312. So the ayes have it, the ayes have it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, the vote comes amid some harsh criticism for the prime minister from within her own party for her attempt to compromise with her political arch rival. CNN's Bianca Nobilo reports from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) 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)

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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 --

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THOMAS: -- 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 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 --

[02:10:00]

CHURCH: -- 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.

Well, this is the second Boeing 737 MAX to crash in the past six months and investigators are looking at whether the automated flight control system caused both accidents. Tom Foreman explains how that feature works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In both the crash off Indonesia last fall and the more recent one in Africa, the focus has turned to this automatic system called MCAS.

What is MCAS supposed to do?

This type of plane, the MAX planes, have a tendency, because of the engine placement, to nose up into the sky. So to prevent a stall, there is an automatic system, MCAS, which takes over control briefly and nudges the plane back down to level.

But, if it gets a false input from a sensor up front, the fear is that it can make the plane go into a dive and then the pilots have to fight to bring it back.

This report from "The Wall Street Journal" suggests that the pilots at least initially were doing the right thing. They were trying to shut MCAS down. They were trying to bring the plane back to level. But for some reason that did not get completed. It did not work and the plane ended up pitching through the sky as they tried to pull it up and it tried to pull itself back down and it kept going that way until it crashed.

If that is true and if a Reuters report that suggests that MCAS was back on as the plane was crashing, that raises questions.

Was it turned on by the pilots again or did it somehow come on by itself?

And if that were the case, then the focus really changes because you start saying the pilots could have done nothing to save this plane and all the focus turns to the construction of the plane, the software on board the plane and the procedure for approving all of that and putting this plane in the air.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Tom Foreman reporting there.

More charges are being filed against the suspect in the New Zealand mosque attacks. Brenton Tarrant will be charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 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 count 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. Prosecutors are now accusing Carlos Ghosn of diverting $5 million of Nissan's funds into his own company.

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 his lawyer calls his latest arrest "hostage justice."

President Trump's tax returns have been out of reach to those in Congress and the public. But what happened Wednesday may change all that. We will take a look.

Plus, raising alarm bells, the Trump administration and its apparent lack of concern over security. We are back in a moment.

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CHURCH: Under U.S. law, only two people in Congress can demand the IRS turn over a president tax returns. On Wednesday, one of those people did just that. His name is Richard Neal and he is the Democratic chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

But don't expect that demand to be met without a fight. Here is CNN's Lauren Fox.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tonight House Democrats drawing a new battling with the president, sending this formal request to the IRS for president Donald Trump's tax returns, which he has for years refused to release.

House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal asking for six years of the president's personal task returns, from 2013 to 2018, as well as the tax returns of eight of his businesses, such as his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.

During his campaign, Mr. Trump initially said he would release his tax returns as other candidates have but later refused, claiming the fact they were under audit.

TRUMP: Almost every lawyer says you don't release your returns until the audit's complete. When the audit's complete, I'll do it.

FOX (voice-over): In the letter, Neal says the tax returns are needed to conduct oversight and so that Congress can consider legislation on how the IRS audits and enforces tax laws against sitting presidents.

Right now, that process is laid out through IRS policies but Neal writes that the committee needs to know how the process works and if it should be written into the law. This bombshell request follows months of debate and preparation among Democrats on the committee.

REP. RICHARD NEAL (D-MASS.), CHAIRMAN, WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE: This is also a case that is likely to make its way through the courts over a period of time. So we have to make sure that we handle it prudently.

FOX (voice-over): Neal's request of the IRS will draw heat from Republicans. At a recent hearing, GOP committee members raised concerns about invasions of privacy if requesting tax returns from the IRS becomes the norm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. MIKE KELLY (R): Where does it end?

What about the tax returns of the Speaker?

Members of Congress?

Federal employees?

Or for that matter, any political donors?

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FOX: Now Richard Neal was very clear in his statement yesterday that this was not a political move. What he wanted to make clear was this was a move to investigate, specifically, that presidential audit program.

He said, quote, "I take the authority to make this request very seriously and I approached it with the utmost care and respect. This request is about policy, not politics. My preparations were made on my own track and timeline, entirely independent of other activities in Congress and the administration." -- Lauren Fox, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: New reports in "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" paint a far different picture of the Mueller report than the full exoneration President Trump has been touting.

Some of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators say the report is more damaging to the president than attorney general William Barr's memo revealed. Some on the team said the evidence of obstruction was alarming and significant. One official told "The Post" that team members had prepared summaries for each section and they expected those summaries to be released to the public.

Instead, the attorney general did his own summary and they feel the public's perception will be skewed by the Barr memo since it was released first.

This comes as the House Judiciary Committee approves a subpoena to get the full, unredacted version of the report. The party line vote came in a contentious committee meeting Wednesday. The chairman said he is not issuing the subpoena just yet but will if he needs to.

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REP. JERRY NADLER (D-N.Y.), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: This committee requires the full report and the --

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NADLER: -- underlying materials because it is our job, not the attorney general's, to determine whether or not President Trump has abused his office. And we require the report because, one day, one way or another, the

country will move on from President Trump. We must make it harder for future presidents to behave this way.

REP. DOUG COLLINS (R): It reminds me of the old guys back in my hometown when they wanted to go fishing and nothing was biting. They'd take a big fishing trip and go out, nothing was biting.

And one day this old guy just got tired of it. instead of catching anything the way he should, he just reaches in his back pocket and pulls out a piece of dynamite and throws it in the pond.

I can't find anything so I'm just going to blow up everything and maybe something will come to the top.

Maybe that's the new thing with this committee. (INAUDIBLE) looking for something that says I'll try and I'll try and I'll try but, at the end of the day, the president's still the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Let's talk more about all this with Daniel Dale. He's the Washington bureau chief of the "Toronto Star."

Thank you so much for joining us.

DANIEL DALE, "TORONTO STAR": Thank you.

CHURCH: Let's begin with this former request from the Democrats for six years of President Trump's tax returns, using a little known IRS code.

Will the strategy work?

How long will it take?

And how much of this is about politics?

DALE: The law is very clear, the law says that the congressional committees shall have the right to obtain any American's tax returns from the U.S. government. There's some conditions, like they can only view them in a closed session, not in public.

But under the law, it should be very clear that they should be able to get them. Of course, it's different when it's the president and the president has his own appointees in the agencies that will theoretically be handing it over.

How long could it take? A while. Theoretically they should be able to pull it up in a file and hand them over. But in practice, it probably won't work like that.

Is it politics?

Yes, of course, it is it's political but, again, the law says they should be able to do it. So it's not like they're inventing something here for political purposes.

CHURCH: Right, not crossing a line there but Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin oversees the IRS, of course, so he is the one that will make the call, a very good friend of the president.

He was on Capitol Hill recently and was asked if he would comply with the request for the president's tax returns and here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN MNUCHIN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Based upon the request we will examine it and we will follow the law. I would expect that we would -- I'm not aware of there's ever been a request for an elected official's tax return.

But we will follow the law and we will protect the president as we would protect any individual taxpayer under their rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: So how likely is it that the Treasury Secretary will comply and will a letter from the committee chairman, Richard Neal, make any difference here, do you think?

DALE: It's just so hard to know because, again, the law is clear. If there were any wiggle room here in the law, I would expect the president's buddy, the president's appointee to seize on that to make a case.

Here the text of the law doesn't give him wiggle room. So will he try to carve some out anyway and let the courts settle this?

Even if the courts rule against him, delay the process, I think that's possible but it's just hard to know precisely what he will say, if he does want to delay or impede this process.

CHURCH: Of course, earlier in the day, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee flaunted their subpoena power. The chairman has not issued it yet but they have approved a subpoena to obtain the full, confidential Mueller report.

The attorney general has said that he will make a redacted version of the Mueller report available soon.

So how likely is it that this subpoena will succeed and getting the full, unredacted version of the Mueller report?

DALE: I think first of all it we should make it clear that they haven't actually issued a subpoena yet; they've just given themselves the right to do so if they wish, if they're not satisfied with what attorney general Barr eventually provides to them.

How successful would a subpoena be if they actually issued one?

I think that would be a lengthy fight. I think they could lose the fight; it's possible they would win. I think this fight will depend on what Barr actually does going forward. He's promised to release much of this report though not all of it.

So how much is?

How much of it is redacted?

It will be clear how much of it has been redacted. I think all parties involved will assess his response initially and then will go from there.

CHURCH: "The New York Times" is reporting that some members of Robert Mueller's team say their findings were more damaging than the attorney general revealed in his summary.

If that is the case, that's exactly why the Democrats and the public want to see the entire unredacted Mueller import. Surely the longer the Justice Department --

[02:25:00]

CHURCH: -- refuses to do that, the more people will be convinced that they're trying to hide something.

DALE: I think that's very possible, I think there is also an alternative theory that I've heard extended by people close to Trump and that is the longer that people don't see the report, the longer the perceptions that were shaped by attorney general Barr's summary will harden in their minds.

So the longer they will believe the president has been exonerated. No obstruction or collusion. The president's own narrative will have a longer chance to stick. I don't know how compelling that case is and I'm inclined think what you suggested, the longer they take, the more suspicious people get and then the more of a bombshell it will be when it is eventually released.

CHURCH: I do think the public are becoming a little more discerning these days, asking many more questions. Daniel Dale, thank you so much for joining us, appreciate it.

Well, President Trump says he is not concerned about an alleged security breach at his Mar-a-lago resort. It happened as he was spending the weekend there. A woman is accused of illegally entering the site, carrying two Chinese passports, four cellphones, a laptop, an external hard drive and a thumb drive with malware. Mr. Trump calls it a fluke situation but he praises the Secret Service.

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TRUMP: The Secret Service is fantastic. These are fantastic people. And the end result is, it was good. I think, probably, we will see what happened. Where she is from, who she is, the result is they were able to get her and she is now suffering the consequences of whatever it is she had in mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: And this is not the first time that security or the lack of it has raised alarm bells around the Trump White House. Our Jake Tapper has a report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): A scare at Mar-a-Lago as President Trump's security procedures in the spotlight again.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: We have profound concerns about the security protocols that are being followed or not followed by the president and his family.

TAPPER: Since taking office, story after story highlight what critics call a disregard that the president and his team seem to have for long established protocols.

Just this week, before we learned of the Mar-a-Lago incident, a White House whistleblower was alleging that Trump's team had overruled national security expert's denials of security clearances for 25 individuals for, quote, a wide range of serious disqualifying issues.

TRUMP: Security clearances are very important to me.

TAPPER: Among those with a controversial clearance, the president's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, top adviser Jared Kushner, whose numerous foreign business dealings have raised concerns.

When asked about possible security risks Monday, Kushner chuckled.

LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Do you pose a grave national security concern to the country, Jared Kushner?

JARED KUSHNER, SENIOR ADIVSER TO THE PRESIDENT: Look, I can say that in the White House, I work with some phenomenal people.

TAPPER: Kushner and President Trump have also both come under fire for using non-secure methods of communication.

TRUMP: You want to put that on this phone, please? Hello.

TAPPER: Trump has denied accusations he uses his personal iPhone instead of the government provided cell. Kushner reportedly prefers to use the encryption enabled texting service WhatsApp to speak with foreign leaders including Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

Another security protocol the president has dismissed, having aides present for meetings with foreign leaders such as Vladimir Putin. In Helsinki, they met for two hours, no notes, no advisers, just interpreters, leading critics to question what the leaders may have agreed to behind closed doors.

When Trump met with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the Oval Office in 2017, it was Russia's state photographer, not the White House, who made images of the private meeting public. TRUMP: I had a great meeting with Putin. We discussed everything. I had a great meeting.

SEN. BOB MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: We've been remained in the dark about what the two leaders discussed. I believe his lack of transparency has implications for our national security.

TAPPER: It is quite a list of questions and allegations for a president who came to office campaigning against his opponent's breach of security protocols.

TRUMP: Hillary Clinton can't keep her e-mails safe and you know what, folks?

She sure as hell can't keep our country safe.

TAPPER: Regarding this most recent incident, Mar-a-Lago has been criticized before as an open air Oval Office. Trump was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the resort in 2017 when North Korea test-fired a missile.

Trump and his top security team coordinated their response on the patio as Abe and shocked resort guests enjoyed a front row seat, one guest posting photos to social media with the caption, "Holy moly, the center of the action." -- Jake Tapper, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Sometimes it seems more complicated than rocket science but uncertainty of a Brexit has Britain's space program up in the air -- we will explain.

[02:29:52] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, sometimes it seems more complicated than rocket signs. But uncertainty of a Brexit has Britain's space program up in the air. We'll explain.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check the main stories we've been covering this hour. In the coming hours, authorities are set to release their initial findings on the doomed Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. The Boeing 737 MAX 8, crash last month killing all 157 people on board. Other reported findings suggest that the automatic flight control system may have caused the accident.

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. Meanwhile, the New York Times and Washington Post are reporting some especial council Robert Mueller's investigators say, the report is more damaging to President Trump, than attorney -- than Attorney General William Barr's memo revealed.

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

Well, the prime ministers attempt at compromise isn't helping her popularity within her own Conservative Party.

Two ministers resigned in protest on Wednesday. And senior figures in both parties are now publicly raising the prospect of a second Brexit referendum. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was on hand for the talks between Mrs. May and Jeremy Corbyn. Here is her assessment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLA STURGEON, FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND: It's still to be frank not entirely clear to me with prime minister is prepared to compromised, she's keen to know where others may want to compromise, But, it's not been particularly open about where her redlines might be to move and where she sees the room for compromise on her part is.

I supposed overall my concern is that, in the rush to reach some compromise with the clock ticking, what will happen over the next few days, if anything happens over the next few days is that a bad compromise will be reached.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, another Brexit extension would still have to be approved by the European Union, were patience is wearing thin. CNN'S Erin McLaughlin has more now from Brussels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[02:34:53] ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well the E.U. is watching and waiting to see what comes out of the talks between British Prime Minister Theresa May and the Leader of the opposition in the United Kingdom Jeremy Corbyn. But today, the President of European Commission Jean Claude Junker, throwing Theresa May and all of branch, saying that he would be willing to allow that May 22nd extension which Theresa May at this point really, really wants, if, and it's a big if, she passes the withdrawal agreement by April 12th. Take a listen.

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION (through translator): 12th of April is the final date for possible approval. If the House of Commons does not adopt a stands before that date. No short term extension will be possible.

MCLAUGHLIN: Well there's skepticism here in Brussels that shall be able to pull this off. And so, minds are focused on what could happen next. What would happen? What will be the E.U.'s response if Theresa May comes to the extraordinary summit on Wednesday and meets the 27 E.U. Leaders with no real concrete plan in hands. As increasing talk here in Brussels of a long term extension with strings attached. Erin McLaughlin, CNN Brussels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now, if Brexit does eventually happen, the impact will reach across the country, the continent and even into space. CNN's Nina dos Santos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL LOWETH, OXFORD SPACE SYSTEMS, UNITED KINGDOM: Here we got a -- the beam and the LDA outer structure.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 60 miles from Westminster, some of the world's top engineers are trying to solve a problem. Their aim? To build something flexible, durable and able to function in a hostile environment.

Like Brexit, it's a delicate balancing act.

LOWETH: Everyone knows carbon fiber from the racing cars, that solid component. But, what we have done here is, look how to make that something that we can actually deploy and flex without into shattering.

DOS SANTOS: Brexit may not be rocket science, say voters disappointed it hasn't yet happened, but it could have a big impact on the U.K.'s burgeoning space sector, populated by small businesses, developing unique technologies.

Oxford Space Systems makes high tech equipment for satellite. Its products are so innovative, they've been showcase to the British Prime Minister and unveiled by members of the royal family.

Since launching in 2013 with just three employees, the firm now has 47 staff, and $26 million in private and public sector funding.

LOWETH: Here you see -- battery of antenna --

DOS SANTOS: But the signal potential hires are picking up from politicians is not favorable. And that's a risk for an enterprise that is expanding.

LOWETH: Brexit is becoming a little bit of a challenge in Europe. People don't know whether they can come to the U.K. It's so much uncertainty that we even had people turned down jobs to come here.

DOS SANTOS: The firm is one of 89 space start-ups based in the technology park on the outskirts of Oxford. Businesses familiar with sending their wares into the unknown, but with the U.K. set to leave the E.U.'s Galileo Satellite Navigation System, there are concerns that some parts of the space industry, they have to relocate to the continent.

LOWETH: We do have some business in Europe and some of that European business is around some of these satellite playgrounds, like our own global positioning network. And the U.K. has now found out that we're not going to be able to get involved in that like we used too, and that runs the risk of us losing some of those expertise.

DOS SANTOS: With Brexit once again coming down to the wire, space companies like others up and down the country are hoping for clarity soon. So, at least, in terms of their future they aren't left operating in the dark. Nina dos Santos. CNN, Oxford.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We turn now to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. And the new report is advising the United Nations to lead a full scale emergency response to the severe medicine and food shortage crisis there. The report was just released by human rights watch and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

It highlights increased numbers of maternal and infant deaths, the spread of vaccine preventable disease such as measles and diphtheria, shop increases and the transmission of infectious diseases. And high levels of food and security, and child malnutrition.

Well, Venezuela's health crisis is also impacting birth control options. Contraceptives are expensive and nearly impossible to find, leading to a rise in unplanned pregnancies and abortions. Our Paula Newton reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[02:40:01] PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is not a line for food or water, but still, they say, it's a bear necessity. In Venezuela they are desperate even for birth control.

For several years now, several times a week, they have come to the health clinic Plafam, for some of the only birth control that's available.

"It's terrible," Joanie tells me. "You just can't get contraceptives." "If you do get them," her friend, Emily adds, "It's expensive. Even if you work your entire salary isn't enough to get one pack of pills."

And for young girls who can't get birth control, they tell me, especially teenagers, many turn to abortion. We visited with the clinics medical director months ago and the situation is the same today, he confirms. Contraceptives are scarce at public clinics and unaffordable at private ones.

The World Health Organization says Venezuela now has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in South America. As even black market contraception is far too expensive for most. And the consequences of this shortage pose an even greater risk to the long term health of women and girls.

This young woman says she induced her own abortion at home with herbal tea and pills. She says the pain was unbearable.

Were you scared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Yes, I was scared. I thought I was going to die because there was so much blood. It was horrible.

NEWTON: Hemorrhaging, she went to see a doctor. But could not confess to having an abortion and still does not want her identity revealed. Abortion is illegal in Venezuela, punishable with up to two years in prison.

LUISA KISLINGER, ACTIVIST OF WOMEN RIGHTS: There's no way of knowing what they're doing and how they are performing these abortions. So, it's very worrisome.

NEWTON: This women's activist says the latest available health records show maternal mortality in Venezuela was up 60 percent in 2016 alone. The recent study of infant mortality, she says, is even more alarming.

KISLINGER: Fetuses were found in garbage cans, or babies were abandoned. And we were really surprised by the number, the sheer number. And these are the ones that make it into the media. We don't know how many more there can be.

NEWTON: A generation of Venezuelan women now lived in fear of how sexual activity and pregnancy can up end their health and their lives. Paula Newton, CNN, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, CNN sits down with the founder of Chinese tech company Huawei despite the U.S. Governments effort to keep the company out of the American market. He says it's actually had a positive impact on his company, back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:15] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Chinese tech giant, Huawei, will be back in the U.S. federal court in the coming hours. The company has pleaded not guilty to 13 charges including violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Washington accuses Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, of lying to financial institutions about those deals. She's currently in Canada waiting for her extradition hearing. Our Matt Rivers spoke with her father, Huawei's CEO and founder.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We sat down with Ren for a really wide-ranging interview. And one of the things we are able to talk about is his optimism about his company's future. And that surprises me a little bit. Given how many obstacles his company is facing right now, you would think that the tone of his answers might be a bit more negative, but he was upbeat throughout our interview. Even giving some surprising answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REN ZHENGFEI, FOUNDER OF HUAWEI (through translator): I'm most excited and happy about the attacks on us from the United States. After being in business for 30 years, our teams were becoming lazy, corrupt, and weak. Many admit and senior management have gone rich and no longer wanted to work hard. Since the U.S. began attacking us, however, everyone has really come together and wanted to improve our products. And as a result, lifting a burden from my shoulders, and making me relaxed enough to praise the U.S. more. I hope our employees won't become anti-America.

If we learn from the 200 years openness of the United States, we will one day become an advanced company.

RIVERS: So you're actually saying that what is happening your company right now is a good thing?

ZHENGFEI: That's right.

RIVERS: OK. But as a father, you must be nervous in some respect.

ZHENGFEI: When Meng Wanzhou's problem emerged, I was shocked. Now that's it already happened, I'm more at east. The legal systems in the U.S. and Canada are open and transparent. We have always believed that Meng Wanzhou hasn't broken any laws, so I'm not worried.

And since ancient times, heroes always go through many hardships. How can you get tough without all the scars from your wounds?

RIVERS: Do you take any lessons from your childhood? I know you've spoken quite strongly about the influence of your parents in your life.

ZHENGFEI: I'm certainly have an impact on their children. The reason I'm often quiet is that I've witnessed the suffering of my parents, and I want to focus on my studies and work. I rarely take notice of social affairs or political matters.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: And for Ren, it's really not about looking backwards, it's more about looking forwards at this point. He is relentlessly optimistic about his company's future, he has major plans to dominate the 5G networks that are rolling out worldwide. He wants Huawei to be a major player in that.

Yes, he's got a major fight on his hands in the United States. Yes, Huawei is not going to be really breaking into the U.S. market in a major way in the 5G technology space anytime soon. But, he has not letting that diminish his hopes for Huawei to continue to make strides worldwide. Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

CHURCH: The U.S. College Admission scandal is back in the spotlight. American actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman made their first appearance in court along with 10 others accused of cheating and paying bribes to get their children into elite universities.

As our Brynn Gingras reports, prosecutors want jail time for all the defendants.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 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 officials as prosecutors will ask for six months - 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 e-mails 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 rode.

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

[02:50:07] GINGRAS: Since the scandal broke, Loughlin's daughter, YouTube star Olivia Jade, has been dropped from partnerships with major companies.

LORI LOUGHLIN, AMERICAN ACTRESS: I know --

GINGRAS: 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 their 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 wiretap 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 source tells CNN as many as 10 parents may strike deals with the government, no one has yet.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The U.S. president is warring with windmills.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They say the noise causes cancer. You tell me that one. OK? You know, the thing makes so much noise. And, of course, it's like a graveyard for birds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But it's not just renewable energy Donald Trump is fighting, why he prefers old technology? That's still to come. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by flooding in two countries on separate continents. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now from the International Weather Center with all of this. Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN INTERNATIONAL WEATHER ANCHOR: Rosy, there have been three major flood events in Iran over the past two weeks. There are 31 provinces throughout the entire country. 25 of which have been significantly flooded.

And you can see some of the visuals behind us. Aerial photographs and video showing just the extent of the flooding. And there have been dams and reservoirs that are fully -- at their capacity. Numerous rivers have been bursting their banks, and infrastructure obviously heavily damaged out of the flooding.

But look at the storm systems moving through. One, after another, after another. And keep in mind, this is a very desert region. And so, the capacity of this to take in the moisture from the ground is just basically non-existent, and that's why the rainfall accumulates so quickly and rushes down some of the mountain terrain.

And some of the computer models that we have taken into consideration have shown anywhere from 300 to 400 millimeters of rain. Especially, across the mountainous regions of western portions of Iran. And that's why some of the villages and towns of the lower valleys of these mountains get impacted so heavily.

In fact, more rainfall in the forecast as another weak disturbance move through not as heavy as what we experienced earlier in the week and last week. But nonetheless, we don't want to add more misery to the already several days if not weeks of pain that they've been feeling lately.

Now, we're coming off of a very wet season. We're going into the dry season. But it's not only Iran that's dealing with flooding lately. It's also been into Paraguay. Look at these scenes coming out of the nation's capital. They have seen an extensive amount of precipitation lately in excess of 300 millimeters as well. And that has caused some significant flooding across this portion. As well, you can see that shading of red near the Ascension region.

And look at the scenes coming out of the region, they have been significant. And the Paraguay River that dissects the region has flooded its banks and that is continuing to impact some of the communities in and around the nation's capital. So, two areas of flooding across the world that we are paying very close attention to, Rosy.

[0:255:24] CHURCH: OK, thank you so much for keeping your eye on all of that. Appreciate it, Derek.

Well, President Donald Trump is steaming over the demise of steam power and railing at windmills. He much rather prefers walls and wheels. Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When it comes to windmills, President Trump loves to imitate them.

TRUMP: (INAUDIBLE).

MOOS: But he insists on tilting at windmills. "Donald Quixote" someone called in. Attacking them without the benefit of scientific facts.

TRUMP: And they say the noise causes cancer. You told me that one, OK?

MOOS: And this is a president who claims --

TRUMP: Yes, I know more about technology than anybody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You nobody knows more about technology than me.

TRUMP: Some of professional technology.

MOOS: A professional who prefer Sharpie on his printed pages, whose desk seems to be a no computer zone. A guy who struggled to get the speakerphone to speak.

TRUMP: Enrique, yes, you can hook him up. A lot of people waiting. Hello, you wonder what put that on this phone, please. Hello.

MOOS: He tweeted recently that "Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT." And then, there's the new electromagnetic system that catapult planes off the USS Gerald Ford. It's been having problems.

TRUMP: That used to be steamed. Steam, old-fashioned.

MOOS: When President Trump visited the ship, he says sailors told him they used to fix the steam catapult with a wrench.

TRUMP: If the electronics breaks, "Sir, we have to send for Albert Einstein.

MOOS: You know, you'd think the president would be a fan of wind power. It's one of those tried-and-true technologies rooted in the past. But some of his other favorites.

TRUMP: They say it's medieval a wall. It is medieval, so is a wheel? Wheels work and walls work. You know, there are something's you can't beat.

MOOS: And yet, he keeps beating up on windmills. Maybe the president has just had it with wind. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Now, rolling back the clock. Thanks for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter. Love to hear from you. And CNN NEWSROOM continues with Ivan Watson next hour. You're watching CNN, do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END