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The U.S. Attorney General Gets Defensive And Is Refusing To Appear At A House Hearing; Protesters In Venezuela Gear Up For A Third Day Keeping The Pressure On President Nicolas Maduro; WikiLeaks Founder Begins Lengthy Legal Battle To Fight Being Sent To The United States. Aired: 8-9a ET
Aired May 02, 2019 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I am not in the business of determining when lies are told to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Defiance in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: It was my decision how and when to make it public, not Bob Mueller's.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): The U.S. Attorney General gets defensive over his handling of the Mueller report and is refusing to appear at a House
hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JERROLD NADLER (D-NY): He is trying to blackmail the committee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): Permanent protests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Venezuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaido is urging public sector employees to strike.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): Protesters gear up for a third day keeping the pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think this stalemate will continue for some time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): And the start of extradition hearings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yesterday decision showed that the U.K. courts were unlikely to be favorable to Julian Assange.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): The WikiLeaks founder begins a lengthy legal battle to fight being sent to the United States.
COREN (on camera): Hello, I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Welcome to NEWS STREAM. Well, in about an hour from now, members of the U.S. House
Judiciary Committee will meet on Capitol Hill, but there won't be any hard hitting testimony today, just an empty chair facing them.
Well, that's because Attorney General William Barr has refused to face a second round of questioning after taking fire from Senate lawmakers on
Wednesday. Today's showdown was highly anticipated and a missed opportunity for Democrats in control of the House to grill Barr over his
handling of the Mueller report.
Jessica Schneider is covering the story from Washington and joins us now. Jessica, so it's a no show from Barr. How is that being received in
Washington?
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it continues to be a battle, Anna. All of this over Barr's testimony -- the battle slides into
a second day this time without war of words over Barr's intention to not show up before the House Judiciary Committee.
Barr was actually called before the committee weeks ago, but ever since the two sides have been haggling over the setup of questioning and now the
Justice Department is saying that Barr will not appear since the format is unnecessary. This was set to be questioning from some of the staff
attorneys within the committee as opposed to just the Members of Congress themselves.
Meanwhile, the DOJ is also refusing to provide the full Mueller report without any redactions and that's prompted the Committee Chair, Jerry
Nadler to threaten contempt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Attorney General William Barr refusing to testify again today, objecting over the House hearing format for questioning.
House Democrats demanding staff lawyers ask questions of Barr in a 30- minute block in addition to five-minute rounds of questions from lawmakers.
The Judiciary Committee's Chairman intends to leave an empty witness chair for Barr, and is now threatening to hold Barr in contempt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NADLER: He's trying to blackmail the committee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): President Trump slamming House Democrats and supporting Barr's decision.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (via phone): Well, I guess they want to treat him differently than they have anybody else. And
for many, many years, they've never done it this way, where they're bringing in outside counsel or something. And that's not the way -- you
know, you elect people. They're supposed to be able to do their own talking.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): Trump neglecting to mention the outside attorney that questioned Christine Blasey Ford, brought in by Senate Republicans
during Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation process last year. On Wednesday, Barr defending himself before a contentious Senate
hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: It was my decision how and when to make it public, not Bob Mueller's.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): Democratic senators focusing on Robert Mueller's communications with Barr after the Attorney General sent a four-page memo
to Congress summarizing the Special Counsel's findings. Mueller saying it "did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of this office's
work and conclusions."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: His work concluded when he sent his report to the Attorney General. At that point, it was my baby. I didn't feel that it was in the public
interest to allow this to go on for several weeks without saying anything. And so I decided to simply state what the bottom-line conclusions were.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): This letter was an extraordinary act, a career prosecutor rebuking the Attorney General of the United States,
memorializing it in writing. Right?
BARR: You know, the letter is a bit snitty. And I think it was probably written by one of his staff people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): The Attorney General stressing Mueller told him nothing in the memo was factually incorrect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: He was very clear with me that he was not suggesting that we had misrepresented his report.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): Regardless of the President's claims --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It was a complete and total exoneration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): -- Barr pushing back, saying he did not exonerate Trump.
[08:05:07] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: I didn't exonerate. I said that we did not believe that there was sufficient evidence to establish an obstruction offense, which is the job
of the Justice Department.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): Senators questioning the Attorney General on his conclusion there was no obstruction of justice case, despite Mueller laying
out ten episodes of potential obstruction by President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: We're not in the business of exoneration. We're not in the business of proving they didn't violate the law. I found that whole passage --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: Barr making a stunning revelation when grilled by one of the 2020 presidential hopefuls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In reaching your conclusion did you personally review all of the underlying evidence?
BARR: No. We took --
HARRIS: Did --
BARR: -- and accepted -- we accepted --
HARRIS: Did Mr. Rosenstein?
BARR: No. We accepted the statements in the report as the factual record. We did not go underneath it.
HARRIS: You did not question or look at the underlying evidence that supports the conclusions in the report?
BARR: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): Democrats also accusing Barr of lying, referring to this exchange in a Senate hearing last month before the redacted Mueller
report was publicly released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Bob Mueller support your conclusion?
BARR: I don't know whether Bob Mueller supported my conclusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): The Attorney General trying to clarify.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: The question was relating to unidentified members who were expressing frustration over the accuracy relating to findings. I don't
know what that refers to at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER (voice over): The answer, not enough for Democrats.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: So the House Judiciary Committee will not hear from the Attorney General today, but now they're looking forward to Robert Mueller's
possible testimony. The Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, eh is saying that May 15th is their target date of when they want
to talk to the Special Counsel, and they're saying that the Justice Department has not objected to Mueller's appearance.
But Anna, the crucial distinction here is that there has been no confirmation from Robert Mueller himself, so we'll see if that May 15th
date actually sticks, and if we do eventually hear from the Special Counsel up on Capitol Hill -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, you would think we certainly need to. Jessica Schneider, good to see you. Thank you. Let's bring in CNN Senior political analyst John
Avlon and CNN legal analyst Elie Honig. Great to have you both with us. Elie, if I can start with you. I think it's fair to say that William Barr
was acting as a defense lawyer for the President rather than the Attorney General of the United States in yesterday's hearing, has he lost
credibility and damaged the reputation of the Department of Justice?
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think William Barr's credibility was already very much in question heading into yesterday, Anna, and I think now
it's in tatters. And I had the same reaction as you did.
Look, I've been through a lot of criminal trials as a prosecutor and watching Bill Barr yesterday, I had to keep reminding myself, this is the
Attorney General, this is the top prosecutor for the whole country. This is not some defense lawyer grasping at straws. And I think he really
undermined his credibility with just the weakness of some of the arguments he gave, which just the way that his arguments did not line up with the
established facts.
And I'll give you one example, when he was talking about the incident where the President tried to have Don McGahn, his counsel at the time, indirectly
fire Robert Mueller, Barr said, "Well, it wasn't about firing really, it was about having a discussion about conflicts of interest." That's not
what Mueller said.
Mueller's report specifically talks about that as a, quote, "effort to remove Robert Mueller." So you're sitting there watching saying, "This is
the Attorney General. Doesn't he even know and respect the basic facts, as found by Robert Mueller."
COREN: John, "The "Washington Post" editorial board wrote, and I quote, "Barr has lit reputation on fire and just added more fuel during
Wednesday's testimony." Would you agree?
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, I'm always loathed to jump on an arson metaphor. But sure, you know, he has shown himself
willing to mislead the American people and Congress on behalf of the President. And the Attorney General is not supposed to act as the
President's lawyer, let alone a member of his defense team.
He is really the lawyer for all the American people to ensure the credibility and independence of the justice system, the Justice Department,
he does not seem as interested in acquitting himself that way. And there were multiple times as Elie noted, and as the package before did where he
just seemed unwilling to confront uncomfortable facts, unfamiliar with certain specific facts, and all too willing to go on the President's
upcoming cause of investigating the investigators.
So this is not a performance that was designed to cause confidence in the independence and impartiality of the justice system. That's a real shame.
That's an undermining of democratic norms.
COREN: John, his decision not to testify today before the House Judiciary Committee because he was going to be questioned by staff attorneys, how
significant is that? What do we read into that?
AVLON: Look, I think both sides are in a bit of positional bargaining on this one. That issue is the question of these outside attorneys.
[08:10:08] AVLON: There is a precedent for it. Outside attorneys were brought into question Cabinet members in the Reagan administration during
the Iran-Contra scandal, they were used during the Watergate hearings, but they're not used a great deal. Christine Blasey Ford being, you know, not
a Cabinet member.
I think that, you know, the American people are not necessarily served by that demand on the part of the Democrats, but were even less well served by
a strategy of stonewalling by the administration that Bill Barr has enabled with members of his own staff, the Assistant Head of the Civil Rights
Division, Barr ordering not to -- by a subpoena from Congress about a case involving the census, and now this.
The more transparency, the more questions, the more accountability, the better. This is the opposite of that.
COREN: John Avlon always great to have you on the program and many thanks. So Elie, I just want to ask you a few more question questions. Will
Democrats hold William Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over the full un-redacted Mueller report?
HOENIG: They might. And there's actually an interesting legal question that I get asked a lot from viewers, which is what in Congress do if
somebody defies a subpoena? Now, this is different from a criminal subpoena that which is usually what you're hearing about criminal subpoenas
have some real teeth to them. But Congress is a little bit limited in its remedies, all they can really do is three things.
One is hold someone in contempt, but that's really congressional contempt. But that's really a symbolic thing. Eric Holder, a prior Attorney General
was held in contempt, nothing really happens.
Two is you can refer it for criminal prosecution. But guess where that goes -- to the Department of Justice, which is headed by Bill Barr. So
that isn't going anywhere as a practical matter.
And the third option is to go into the civil courts and seek an order to enforce the subpoena, which that would have some teeth. But the problem
is, that's a very time consuming process.
So they may -- the question is, are they willing to take it into the courts? They may have to at some point, because Congress, one of the core
function there is oversight. And if the administration's position is just a flat no across the board, at some point, Congress has to stand up for
itself.
COREN: Elie, I guess what would clear up all this mess, all this confusion is if it Robert Mueller gave testimony himself, will that happen?
HOENIG: I think it has to happen now. Obviously the House wants to hear from him. The Senate side, which is Republican controlled, has said that
they're not going to be calling him and I think you can understand why. I think there's probably some fear on the side of the President and his
supporters about what Robert Mueller has to say.
But on the House side, Representative Nadler and others have made clear they intend to call Robert Mueller. Is there a legal basis to keep him off
the stand? Not a legitimate one that I can see. DOJ may try, but it's going to look so bad if they do fight that. Obviously, the American people
need to hear from Robert Mueller especially given what we heard yesterday from Bill Barr because he gave an account of his conversations with Robert
Mueller which is inconsistent with Mueller's letter.
But Barr tried to soften the letter and say, "Well, Mueller was really just upset with the media coverage and the public perception of my actions,"
Bill Barr's actions, but Mueller's letter really says, "No, I think you missed on the context, nature and substance of my findings." That means,
"You got it wrong." And so we need to hear from Bob Mueller about how Bill Barr got it wrong.
COREN: Yes, we certainly do. Elie Hoenig, great to have you with us. Many thanks for your analysis.
HOENIG: Thank you.
COREN: WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange has appeared via video link in a London court for the first of what are likely to be multiple hearings on a
U.S. extradition request.
The United States wants Assange handed over to face conspiracy charges. Supporters gathered outside while the court heard Assange speaking from
prison. He told the judge he does not want to surrender himself for extradition. Nina dos Santos is at Westminster Magistrates Court where the
hearing took place and joins us.
Now, Nina, what else did Julian Assange say?
DOS SANTOS: Well, not an awful lot else. Because this is a very, very short hearing, Anna. It lasted less than an hour, it was largely
procedural. And what it did was lay out the timeframe of what will be coming next in terms of future hearings to lay out who has what, and who
has which timeframe to lay out their full case.
Now the United States has at least another 50 odd days or so to ready its case up until June the 15th. And what we know now is that there's going to
be another hearing largely again, another procedural one (AUDIO GAP) one here at Westminster Court on May the 30th and then probably on June 12th or
at least by June 15th, there will be the U.S.'s full paperwork there.
Now, just having spoken to Julian Assange's legal team about half an hour or so ago, they're making it clear that they expect the United States
potentially to load on more charges, either here or whether not he'd be sent over to the United States he'd be facing more charges.
[08:15:02] DOS SANTOS: What they say they really fear is that this conspiracy to commit computer intrusion that's in this indictment upon
which this whole extradition request is based is really just a snare tactic to get him over to America where he could face espionage charges that carry
much, much weightier sentence, years in jail, maybe even capital punishment.
That would mean if there were the risk of capital punishment, of torture of anything like that, well, the U.K. would have to deny the request for
extradition. So from here, you're starting to hear them build a case also about his medical state saying he is not in good health and also build a
case about how much access he's getting to people whether or not he is being held in solitary confinement -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, it certainly has a long way to go. Nina dos Santos joining us from London. Many thanks.
Well, British Prime Minister Theresa May has sacked her Defense Secretary over a security leak and major betrayal of trust. The move came after an
investigation blamed Gavin Williamson for "The Daily Telegraph" newspaper learning about supposedly top secret discussions in a meeting of the
National Security Council.
Those discussions include whether the U.K. would allow Chinese company, Huawei, to help build Britain's 5G communications network. Williamson
denies any wrongdoing.
Huawei is a controversial choice for a U.K. government contract as a number of Western countries, including the United States allege the company's
products could be used by China for spying. Huawei has repeatedly denied those allegations.
Venezuela's opposition leader is not giving up. Just ahead, what he is calling on government workers to do as his supporters rally to topple
President Maduro. And India braces for a huge storm. We will tell you when and where it is expected to hit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome back to NEWS STREAM. Venezuela's opposition leader is admitting this week's protests haven't had enough military defectors to
topple President Nicolas Maduro from power, but Juan Guaido is urging his supporters to protest for a third day and government employees to strike.
Wednesday's demonstrations led to the arrests of 168 people according to Human Rights Watch. One of the group's officials said there are credible
reports that Security Forces had fired shotgun pellets at demonstrators and journalists.
Our CNN crews saw what appeared to be shotgun shells lying in the streets of Caracas after a protest, but it is unclear how old they were. President
Maduro says he'll never surrender to traitors.
CNN Senior international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from Caracas. Nick, as we know, Guaido jumped the gun. He overestimated his
support, but so too did the United States, his number one backer with its Intelligence. How did they get it so wrong?
[08:20:13] NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's always difficult to tell really exactly why the U.S. thinks it will achieve
by banging the drum so loud outside of Venezuela. I think they believe they put enough wind in the wings of Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who
declared himself Interim President and was recognized by dozens of countries around the world.
But it hasn't translated to the sea change they wanted on the ground, maybe people thought early Tuesday morning when he appeared, Juan Guaido with the
military next to him and said that, "Today was the day," that maybe that was the start of something new. Sadly for him, on Juan Guaido, that didn't
turn out to be the case.
One thing that has perhaps happened and not received as much attention is one of the key members of Nicolas Maduro's security apparatus, Manuel
Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, who is the head of the Venezuelan National Intelligence Service, he left his job on that same day, the highest profile
key security apparatus figure to leave Maduro since the beginning of this crisis, and he released an open letter getting a lot of discussion.
Let me read a quote for you here from it. He says, "You cannot live in misery in a country so rich, this generation that is in childhood will grow
up with the flaws that bad food producers, and that damage is irreversible." Echoing I think how many Venezuelans feel about the current
man-made humanitarian crisis they're dealing with.
As you mentioned, Anna, today is about trying to get opposition protesters back on the streets for the third day in a row. I have to say behind me
here in central Caracas is business as usual. Maybe that will change as the day goes on. It doesn't reflect the poverty, the rolling blackouts and
food shortages across the rest of rural Venezuela and its other towns and cities.
Nicolas Maduro appearing on television marching with his Armed Forces trying to show they're still with him. It was clear on Tuesday, not as
many as he thought. But as Juan Guaido admitted, not as many are with him as they would necessarily need to change the balance here. Is this
continued U.S. pressure from outside and these defections going to change matters? We will have to see. Today is key really, if we don't see some
sort of change on the streets, we're going to be looking really at another flare of activity from the opposition, followed by what often has been in
the past weeks of them kind of gathering themselves back together again -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, I know you've been covering this story over the past three months from time to time, but what is it going to take for the military to
switch sides considering that much of the top brass have profited from corruption and mismanagement of the country's natural resources and wealth?
PATON WALSH: The difficulty is as the screw tightens on Venezuela in terms of sanctions and its economic collapse that has two impacts. The economic
collapse means the rank-and-file in the military are more likely to change sides simply for the benefit of their families and daily life here. But
the turning of the screw of the sanctions, particularly against senior figures here means that their fate is kind of sealed if they leave Maduro's
inner circle.
Outside of Venezuela, some of them will potentially face indictment by the United States, they are certainly target of sanctions so and Anna, God
knows what might happen if Juan Guaido did take power here, what he might do to members of the military. He has suggested an amnesty might be in
place.
So those senior figures will feel increasingly their backs are against the wall. But it didn't stop the head of Venezuela's National Intelligence for
making that very public statement that he did. And this is the massive question really behind this kind of velvet curtain, if you like of Maduro's
government here, what is happening in those rooms? Did what happened on Tuesday morning make people in the military think there are more with
Guaido than we previously imagined?
Those scenes frankly, shocked me. I hadn't expected to see Venezuelan military having teargas fired on them by their own Venezuelan military
colleagues. That (AUDIO GAP) here, the real question has to be, has it changed the broader calculus in the Security Forces? And you've got to
remember, Anna, put aside all this internal dialogue amongst Venezuela's elite, the ticking clock here is the humanitarian crisis, power blackouts,
food crisis. Yes, the Red Cross is bringing in emergency aid, but it's not going to be enough to change the balance here.
That is what slowly go to decide Nicolas Maduro's fate. He has to address that if he is going to make Venezuelans feel he is not simply the problem.
So Juan Guaido, I think needs people on the streets today, I don't think he'll get them in the numbers that he necessarily expects to change the
balance of power. And so the question is, what next kind of trick can he pull off to try and move the needle here and make those key parts of the
Security Forces change their decision -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, you mentioned that humanitarian crisis and the majority of the 32 million Venezuelans certainly have lived a wretched existence for most
of the past six years. Nick Paton Walsh, great to have you on the ground there in Caracas. Many thanks for your reporting.
[08:25:04] COREN: Well, India is bracing for what could be its strongest tropical cyclone in years. One hundred million people on the country's
East Coast, they are preparing for Tropical Cyclone Fani, which is expected to bring storm surges, wind damage and inland flooding.
Evacuations have already started. Well, meteorologist, Chad Myers is tracking the storm. Chad, how destructive are you expecting this storm
will be?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center right now, Anna has it at 215 kilometers per hour, and I think that's a way
underestimate of what happened now in the past three hours because that last update was three hours ago.
So we are waiting now for what just happened which is now a clearly defined eye, a Dvorak satellite number significantly higher than 215. So what that
means is seven to nine meters worth of storm surge. That's going to mean wind gust of 250 kilometers per hour. That's going to mean lots of
rainfall damage and destruction along its path.
Now, when it makes landfall in 24 hours, maybe a little bit less, it will be down to about 195, but still the surge with this storm is going to be
tremendous, so everyone near the shore is going to need to get away. Water's power is just too strong when it is that high to stay here and if
you're in the area around Puri, this is the area that is going to see the center of the eyewall.
Now, obviously, left and right, 200 kilometers, you're still going to see winds over probably 100 kilometers per hour and that is still going to do
significant damage here. It will get very close to Calcutta. This is the area here that has 14 million people in the way of wind at least 120
kilometers per hour and significant rainfall. It's that red area there that you saw, that is the area of the highest population density.
Now, Puri down here, you're still looking at 1.5 million people in the way of the eyewall, so that's another thing we're worried about obviously here
and then when it gets up towards Bangladesh, we are talking about significant rainfall accumulations. It could be 250 millimeters of
rainfall, especially in the higher elevations and that will have to run downhill. That's what we're worried about.
This is the strongest when it is going to make landfall, equivalent to a Category 3 almost Category 4 right now and the last one would have been
2014. So we're talking five years ago compared to the strongest storm here.
I am going to zoom this in because I simply can and I think it's so very impressive to see what has happened over the past about six hours. From an
eye you truly couldn't see to now one you could actually see the sky through, you could see the sunshine through the clouds in the eye if you
were there and you certainly wouldn't want to be. An impressive storm still getting stronger and the people there are battening down because this
is going to be a devastating storm for tens of thousands of people in the way and we know that a hundred million people are going to be impacted at
some point in some way -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, that is a frightening forecast. We know that that storm is heading for some very poor areas with very poor infrastructure. Chad
Myers, thank you for keeping an eye on that for us.
Well, you're watching NEWS STREAM. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are bucking tradition in keeping details of the Royal birth close to home. The
secrecy surrounding Baby Sussex, that's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:56] COREN: Welcome back, I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong, you are watching NEWS STREAM. These are the world headlines. Venezuela's
opposition leader, Juan Guaido is urging public sector employees to strike in the hours ahead. It would be the third straight day of protests aimed
at ousting President Nicolas Maduro. Guaido admits that so far, there are not enough military defectives to topple the Maduro government. Mr. Maduro
says he will never surrender to what he calls traitors.
WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange has appeared via video link in a London court for the first of what are likely to be multiple hearings on a U.S.
extradition request. He is charged with hacking crimes in the United States. Assange told the judge he does not want to surrender himself for
extradition. The next hearing is set for May 30th.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr was supposed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee about half an hour from now but that is not happening.
Barr has refused to testify objecting to the committee's plan to let staff attorneys, not just lawmakers question here.
Let's go live to Capitol Hill in Washington. CNN's Lauren Fox is there and joins us now. Lauren obviously outrage from Democrats with Barr not
turning up today, but tell us the significance of his absence.
LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITICS U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, you know, the stakes have been raised in part because the Justice Department did not
comply with a subpoena from the Chairman of that committee, Jerry Nadler, to turn over the full redacted Mueller report. They missed that deadline
last night.
So adding on top of that, the fact that Barr will not appear because of a disagreement over the format of the hearing. Democrats wanted to allow
staff attorneys to question Barr for 30 minutes, Republican staff attorneys would get 30 minutes as well. That's something that the Justice Department
said they could not agree to. So we are now at a standoff between the Justice Department and Democrats on the House Judiciary.
And Anna, this is really emblematic of the fact that the White House and Trump administration has largely rejected oversight calls from the House
Democrats on a number of issues, not just this fight over the full Mueller report, but also fights over security clearances, fights over immigration
documents. This is really starting to come to a head here on Capitol Hill.
COREN: Lauren Fox, we appreciate the update. Thank you. Well some news just in to bring you on the 2020 race for the White House. Another
Democrat has just thrown his hat in the ring.
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet announced on CBS this morning that he is running for the Democratic nomination for President. Benet is the 21st
Democrat to enter the race. His announcement was delayed by cancer diagnosis earlier this year, but he says a surgery in April was successful
and he is finished with treatment.
Well, a public health scare in the Caribbean, St. Lucia has quarantined a cruise ship after learning someone on board has measles. A global outbreak
in part blamed on the anti-vaccine movement in wealthier countries has put health officials on alert.
The ship called the Freewinds is reportedly owned by the Church of Scientology. It says on its website, the cruise is quote, "a religious
retreat at the pinnacle of a scientologist's spiritual journey."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERLENE FREDERICS-JAMES, ST. LUCIA CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Because of the risk of potential infection, not just from the confirmed measles case, but
from other persons who may be on this -- on the boat at the time, we thought it prudent to make a decision not to allow anyone to disembark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: The Church of Scientology has not responded to CNN's request for comment. Still ahead on NEWS STREAM, the world is waiting for news on
Britain's next Royal baby, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are keeping tight lipped about the details. A look at how the Royal couple are bucking
tradition. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:36:31] COREN: Welcome back to NEWS STREAM live from Hong Kong. Royal watches around the world are on high alert waiting for news of Prince Harry
and Meghan Markle's first baby. The little one is expected to arrive any day now, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are bucking recent tradition
and saying no to a Royal baby photo op.
Our Max Foster is covering it all from Windsor. Max, what's with the secrecy and it must be putting some noses out of joint?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, I think lots of people are looking at the decision that Meghan has made and comparing it to Diana's
decision to appear outside the hospital in front of a bank of cameras and Kate did the same as well.
Lots of question about the due date, when we're actually going to see those pictures. Between though -- whereas we will be told that the baby has been
born, it will be a few days until we see the actual baby itself. And this is all played into making this decision making and here is a bit of a look
back in how it all plays in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The new Royal heir in the United Kingdom.
FOSTER (voice over): When the duchess of Cambridge emerged from hospital with her first baby, Prince George, in 2013, she amazed everyone waiting
outside, including Royal reporter Emily Nash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY NASH, ROYAL CORRESPONDENT, "HELLO!": She looked every inch the Princess. As a mom myself, I found it slightly incredible that she was
looking so fresh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER (voice over): Then Kate did it again with baby number two, Charlotte. And again with number three, Louis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASH: Most women who have given birth are not remotely thinking of putting themselves on display in front of the world's media within several hours of
that happening. So it's quite a feat for anyone to endure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER (voice over): The tradition of Royals appearing outside hospital shortly after giving birth only goes back a generation to, most famously,
Princess Diana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICKIE ARBITER, ROYAL PRESS SECRETARY AT THE TIME: Yes, it would have been painful, but she put on a brave face and she smiled. And she did what she
thought was expected in front of the cameras. Difficult to do straight after birth, but it was something that she felt had to be done. And it was
done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The Duchess of Sussex isn't having any of it, though. She hasn't even revealed where she's having her baby. And she'll only appear before
the cameras after the family has had time to celebrate privately, in the words of the Palace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONNIE GREER, CNN COMMENTATOR: She is saying to us that her baby, even though this baby is born into a very public family, one of the most public
in the world, is not a public baby. "This is our baby. And we'll let you see this baby when we're ready to show you, if we show you."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER (voice over): And then there's the example that sets for other new mothers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREER: Women won't feel the pressure to look like they're ready for the cover of "Vogue" after they've given birth. And I think Meghan is leading
the way with this and I think it's great.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: As far as the due date is concerned, Ann, well, we think is going to be this week partly because we got a statement yesterday from Buckingham
Palace announcing that Prince Harry will be going on a short tour of the Netherlands next week. Surely, it can't be much longer.
COREN: Maybe it's already happened, Max, have you considered that?
FOSTER: We've been told we are going to be told when she goes into labor, so I am not believing that.
COREN: Okay. All right. Okay. Well moving on to other world news. I believe there are new pictures of Princess Charlotte. Do tell.
[08:40:08] FOSTER: Yes. Well, basically it's her fourth birthday as is the modern tradition now. The Duchess of Cambridge, a keen photographer
issued some pictures she has taken of her daughter. She's in line to the throne after Prince George. And well, basically they are pictures of
Princess Charlotte. There's much more to say about it.
But we don't often get access to the young kids. So always the reaction is, hasn't she grown quite a lot. I don't know what your reaction is,
Anna, I'll leave it with you.
COREN: No, she's very sweet. Very cute. I was just asked to, to ask you about the pictures. But look, you know, I think it's interesting. William
and Kate, they are happy to share as was outlined in your package, which I think makes them very -- you know, it makes them endearing to the public.
Harry, and Meghan, you know, all the secrecy. I'm sure it has put some noses out of joint. What's the media -- you know, you're there in the
thick of it -- what's the media and the tabloid saying?
FOSTER: Well, it's interesting, because I mean, they do accept their place of public life. You remember the wedding here in the castle behind me,
they allowed cameras in, so they do accept that the public has a right to know about family updates.
What's different about this couple is that, you know, they might be fair game to some extent, but they're drawing a line on media access for their
children saying actually, the children are out of bounds unless they're in very controlled situations.
And you know, the Cambridge has actually led the way on this a bit because they don't allow much access to their kids. So when we show those pictures
of Charlotte, actually what we're doing is showing some quite rare pictures. And actually, we haven't been able to take those pictures, as
would have been allowed in the past as the Duchess -- she owns copyright to them as well.
So they are becoming a lot more controlled. The entire Royal family about any sort media access, and they want to control the pictures, and they
don't want people essentially making money from the pictures.
I think that very much goes back to Diana's day, when a lot of tabloid reporters and photographers were making a lot of money from just publishing
pictures of them and it just became too invasive.
COREN: Yes, sure. That makes perfect sense. Max Foster, as always great to see. I'll let you get back to baby watch. Many thanks. Well, speaking
of Royals, Thailand's King has a new Queen. The 66-year-old Monarch married his Royal Consort in Bangkok on Wednesday, just days before his
coronation. She is his fourth wife and the Deputy Commander of the King's Royal Guard Command.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn assumed the throne after his father's death in 2016. His official coronation is set for Saturday with celebrations being
held throughout the weekend.
And that is NEWS STREAM. I am Anna Coren, thanks so much for your company. Don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Alex Thomas is coming up next.
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