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Tropical Cyclone Fani slams into India's East Coast; Opposition Leaders Are Calling For Venezuelans To Continue Protesting Against The Maduro Government; he U.S. House Speaker Goes After Attorney General William Barr. Aired: 8-9a ET
Aired May 03, 2019 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Deadly and deafening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The monster cyclone is threatening the lives of nearly 200 million people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): Tropical Cyclone Fani slams into India's East Coast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many of these villages and towns are so vulnerable to flooding already.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): A battle full momentum.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The opposition leaders are calling for Venezuelans to continue protesting against the Maduro government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): But President Nicolas Maduro is not standing by silently.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (text): When they try to carry out a coup d'etat, I face it. I do not fall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): And Nancy Pelosi's jab.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): He lied to Congress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): The U.S. House Speaker goes after Attorney General William Barr and accuses him of not telling the truth about his Mueller
report testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: Nobody is above the law -- not the President and not the Attorney General.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (on camera): Hello. I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Welcome to NEWS STREAM. Cyclone Fani has already proven deadly as it punishes north
eastern India and the Bay of Bengal with brutal winds and rain. Police in the state of Odisha tell CNN, two people have been killed by fallen trees.
Fani is the strongest to hit India in two decades.
Meteorologists have warned thatched houses could be destroyed, power and communication lines could be uprooted and escape routes flooded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COREN (voice over): The deafening sound of ferocious winds ripping through India's East Coast. Tropical Cyclone Fani slams into the state of Odisha,
a low-lying coastal area near the city of Puri early Friday, threatening the lives of nearly 200 million people in its path in northeast India and
Bangladesh.
With sustained winds of up to 240 kilometers an hour and wind gusts at 305 kilometers an hour, this super storm is the equivalent of a Category 4
hurricane or super typhoon, the strongest cyclone to hit India in two decades.
The powerful storm has been gaining strength over the Bay of Bengal all week, prompting officials to begin emergency evacuations on Thursday.
At least a million people near the coastal areas have been relocated in the last 24 hours. Major ports were closed and fishermen were warned not to go
out to sea. So 900 shelters have also been set up across Odisha. But torrential rain, powerful winds and storm surges continue to bring
widespread destruction. Rural infrastructure struggling to withstand the violent storm.
Meanwhile, India's National Disaster Response Force, the Coast Guard and Navy remain on high alert for rescue operations. The Army and Air Force
are also on standby.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the government has allocated $144 million for cyclone relief to affected areas. But there is concern that
won't be nearly enough as Tropical Cyclone Fani leaves a trail of death and destruction.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Allison Chinchar is tracking the storm at the World Weather Center. Allison, what can you tell us.
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That it's not over yet and a lot of rainfall is still expected to follow along a lot of these coastal
communities.
Here is a live look at this particular storm, Cyclone Fani, here you can see the two towns Berhampur and Puri, probably some of the worst hit as
this storm made landfall a few hours ago. Winds still sustained about 215 kilometers per hour, but that's going to be a couple of hours old. We
won't get our next update for about the next two hours.
And one good thing to note is that it looks like it is starting to rapidly weaken now that it has made landfall. This is excellent news. But that
doesn't mean it's over. We still expect very heavy rainfall along the coastal regions and even further inland.
Winds will still be a factor even though they won't be as strong as they were at land fall, they're still going to be strong enough for some power
outages, to cause some damage as well as bringing trees down.
Here's a look at the track for where this storm is expected to go. Moving north northeast at about 22 kilometers per hour. So it has still yet to
get to places like Calcutta and Dhaka. The good news is, it will be even weaker once it gets to those communities.
[08:05:01] CHINCHAR: But we still do expect the potential for significant rainfall there especially when you look at what's already fallen in some of
these areas especially Bhubaneswar, again, already 200 millimeters of rain has fallen. Keep in mind, it's still raining in a lot of these places. So
these numbers are likely only going to go up.
Now the heaviest rain going forward is going to be further off to the north and east, including places like Calcutta and areas of northwestern
Bangladesh. One thing also to note, too, is as this continues to move, they're going to start to see some of these shifts in these watches,
warnings and alerts.
Right now, we do have read warnings right there along the coastal regions, where we expect the biggest impacts to be. With that said, you do still
have some orange alerts and yellow watches for some of the areas inland. Because again, while it may be not as much rain as the coastal regions get,
even 100 millimeters or 200 millimeters of rain is still enough to cause some localized flooding.
One other thing, as that track pushes it further north, the good news is it will be a weaker storm. The bad news is, it's going to be moving into an
area with a much denser population. So likely, a lot of people will be impacted even though the storm itself may be weaker once it finally makes
its way up into those regions.
Again, when we talk about the history, it's been a while for this area, butt since they've actually seen a cyclone this strong in fact, we've only
had nine storms equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane or higher, Anna, since 1970.
COREN: Yes, Allison, you mentioned that it's heading towards a lot of people and there are a lot of poor people. Allison Chinchar, good to see
you. Thanks for the update.
Well, let's bring in World Vision's, Franklin Jones now. He comes to us via Skype from Chennai in eastern India. Tell us what are you hearing from
your people on the ground about the level of destruction from this storm?
FRANKLIN JONES, HUMANITARIAN DIRECTOR, WORLD VISION INDIA: Okay, well, we have been having our team based in Bhubaneshwar, and in the district of
where the cyclone has made landfall this morning. And after the cycle has made landfall, the team reports back that there has been heavy rains and
the wind speed has increased and it's getting increased for the last one hour. And there's a lot of damage to the vegetation and crop. The
pictures which they have sent shows the banana cultivation on the trails, it's damaged in a big way. And the trees are uprooted and the rain
continues to -- it's getting more.
And some of the low lying areas in the district of Puri and in Bhubaneshwar projects -- it's so much.
COREN: Franklin, one million people from coastal areas have already been evacuated, which in itself is an extraordinary logistical operation. But
there are millions more at risk of flooding and the storm's destruction. Are you concerned for their safety?
JONES: Yes, the government has done a good job in terms of evacuating the high-risk community in the low-lying area in the coastal belt. But now we
also hear that there are rural communities where there are some flooding happening.
What we have done in the program area where we have our presence, we have already prepared the communities for the disaster risk reduction activities
and they have local level disaster preparedness plans and we have trained the task forces. These task forces are engaging with the government, and
once everything settles in, we will be working with the local government and the communities to cater to the needs.
COREN: Are we talking about villages -- complete villages wiped out? Do we have any of those sorts of reports as yet?
JONES: No not as of yet because those areas are not yet accessible. But what we is hear is that the rain is -- it's becoming big now.
COREN: All right, well Franklin Jones from World Vision. We certainly appreciate the update. And thank you for all your work.
We now turn to Venezuela and opposition leader, Juan Guaido is calling on his supporters to continue their protest against Nicolas Maduro's
government into the weekend. Well, that's after admitting that days of violent street protests earlier this week have so far failed to trigger a
military uprising against Maduro.
Instead, scenes like this on Thursday give the impression that the military is still with Mr. Maduro. He told the troops, the people responsible for
this week's unrest would be rounded up. That pledge was backed up by an arrest warrant for key opposition activist, Leopoldo Lopez, who escaped
house arrest to join Tuesday's attempted uprising.
Well, our Paula Newton joins us now live from Caracas. Paula, we know that Juan Guaido is continuing to call for people to take to the streets in
protest. But are you getting a sense that the momentum is waning?
[08:10:10] PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we've been here before Anna, yes, in fact, and even those who support the opposition are asking
many questions. First among them, why would they try and fail on a military uprising? They say that they had the top military personnel, some
of them behind them in order to back them in their quest to oust Nicolas Maduro -- that just didn't happen.
Leopoldo Lopez and Juan Guaido continue to insist that they are speaking to the military and that defections are on their way, but Anna, as you just
saw from that very dramatic video from Nicolas Maduro actually having those soldiers kneel in front of them as if to pledge allegiance and loyalty. It
really was so dramatic and you can definitely feel that the government of Nicolas Maduro is feeling emboldened from all of this.
Now, we've talked about public strikes. Juan Guaido saying the only way that this movement will continue to have any currency is if people continue
to take to the streets, but many people now unsettled about what is the growing violence? And I can tell you, we are now seeing people as young as
teenagers on the street getting hurt, in some cases, even killed. And that is beginning to worry, obviously many human rights groups, but also parents
who I can tell you, Anna, I've been in their homes, they struggle to tell young people here what to do.
They want to be out on the streets, and yet they struggle between hope and despair, especially when there is no evidence really from the opposition,
that they have anything concrete in terms of turning those very crucial military commanders over to their side -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, that would be terrifying sending your children out to protest, not knowing if they're going to come home alive. Now we know that Juan
Guaido, he jumped the gun, as did the Trump administration, and then perhaps the plotters among the military's top brass got cold feet? Are you
hearing any specific details about that?
NEWTON: Well, did they get cold feet or were they playing along the entire time? It's an open question. I doubt that even the Trump administration
has an answer to that as well. And Anna, I know we've spoken many times at CNN about Russia's involvement and all of this.
Russia continues to say that they are not involved in any material way here and continuing to tell the United States, "Don't meddle. Don't get
involved in the affairs." And yet Russia and the United States continue to speak in back channels, continue to try and understand what's going on the
ground here, even though they have completely different scenarios about what should happen.
And I want to mention as well, Russia still has at least a hundred military personnel still here on the ground, they say its technical help. But at
this point, when you see Nicolas Maduro so confident, he definitely understands that he has the backing, certainly not of all nations, but of
key nations, like China and Russia.
And that that is why this will become a very difficult problem for the opposition unless they can keep that momentum out on the streets. One
thing that will become dramatic, Anna, in the next few days, which we should look for is that the opposition is actually saying to protesters,
"Go to military installations. Go to the airfield. Go to the barracks."
And what happens then is that they that whole confrontation tries to remain peaceful. But inevitably, it usually starts with clashes and that is a
problem. And again, we await to see what happens here. Crucial as well as whether a lot of people heed the call from Juan Guaido, those public
service workers to stay home for national strikes.
COREN: Yes, it would be an interesting weekend. Paula Newton, as always, great to see you, many thanks for your reporting.
Coming up, the latest fallout from the Mueller report. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hits Attorney General William Barr with a blunt accusation.
$6.5 million -- that's how much a Chinese woman paid Rick Singer, the man behind the largest college admissions scandal ever prosecuted in the United
States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:16:10] COREN: Welcome back to NEWS STREAM live from Hong Kong. The fallout from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation
continuing to spread. The United States appears closer than ever to a constitutional crisis.
After Attorney General William Barr failed to show up for a congressional hearing on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused Barr of lying
during his earlier testimony. Well, Democrats is still fighting Barr and his refusal to turn over an un-redacted version of Mueller's report and now
President Donald Trump says he will not allow Congress to hear from a key witness quoted in that report from a White House counsel, Don McGahn.
CNN politics congressional reporter, Lauren Fox is standing by to help us sort this all out. Lauren, Democrats, they're understandably furious about
what's going on. What's their next move?
LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITICS U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, Democrats clearly do not trust the Attorney General Bill Barr after his testimony
before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and then that no show appearance yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee. Now, they want
to hear directly from special counsel Robert Mueller.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOX (voice-over): Pressure growing for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to break his silence. Democratic lawmakers ramping up their demands to have
him testify.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): We're going to move on as well to make sure that we secure the testimony of Robert Mueller.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): While they wait, the White House filling the void, lashing out at Mueller and his team. In a letter to Attorney General
William Barr, top White House lawyer, Emmet Flood slamming Mueller for not making a determination on whether President Trump obstructed justice,
saying, quote, "The one thing the Special Counsel's Office was obligated to do is the very thing the Special Counsel's Office intentionally and
unapologetically refused to do."
Mueller citing Justice Department guidelines that a sitting President can't be charged, instead, laying out ten episodes of possible obstruction by the
President, leaving it to Congress to decide what happens next.
The letter also accusing the Special Counsel's team of bias, writing the team, quote, "failed in their duty to act as prosecutors and only as
prosecutors."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: This is very, very serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi taking aim at the Attorney General.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: He lied to Congress. He lied to Congress. If anybody else did that, it would be considered a crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): Nancy Pelosi referring to the exchange last month about complaints from some on Mueller's team about Barr's characterization of the
Special Counsel's findings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what they're referencing with that?
WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: No, I don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): Her accusation also fueled by Mueller's recently revealed March letter to Barr, criticizing the Attorney General's memo as
creating, quote, "public confusion about the critical aspects of the results of our investigation."
The Justice Department firing back at Pelosi writing, quote, "The baseless attack on the Attorney General is reckless, irresponsible and false."
Pelosi going further at a private leadership meeting. "The New York Times" reports that Pelosi called Barr a "lapdog" for Trump and an enabler of
obstruction.
On Capitol Hill, House Judiciary Chairman, Jerry Nadler threatening to hold the AG in contempt of Congress for not releasing the un-redacted Mueller
report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): Mr. Barr's moment of accountability will come soon enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over: But President Trump continues to stonewall Democrats, saying he won't let former White House counsel, Don McGahn testify before
Congress, despite a subpoena.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I've had him testifying already for 30 hours.
CATHERINE HERRIDGE, FOX NEWS CHIEF INTELLIGENCE CORRESPONDENT: So is the answer no to --?
TRUMP: And it's really -- so I don't think I can let him and then tell everybody else you can't. Because especially him, because he was a
counsel.
HERRIDGE: Congress shouldn't --
TRUMP: They shouldn't even be looking anymore. This is all -- it's done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOX: Of course, Anna, we want to hear from Dan McGahn because the Mueller report chronicled that McGahn was told by the President to fire Mueller,
then Don McGahn refused saying that he would rather resign than be involved in another potential Saturday Night Massacre -- Anna.
[08:20:21] COREN: The story certainly has a long way to go. Lauren Fox, good to see. Many thanks. Well, the mother of a Chinese student admitted
to Stanford University said her family gave $6.5 million to Rick Singer, the man at the center of a massive college admissions scandal.
The woman identified only as "Mrs. Zhao" says that after her daughter got into Stanford, Singer asked her for a donation to Stanford through his
foundation. Zhao said she did not intend to buy admission for her daughter.
Singer previously pleaded guilty to various charges, including facilitating cheating on standardized tests and bribing college coaches and
administrators.
Stanford says they didn't receive any money from the Zhao family and the family has not been charged. Zhao's husband, who is the Chairman of a
Chinese pharmaceutical company, says the payment has no links with his business.
In 2017, Zhao's daughter posted a video talking about getting admitted to Stanford through her own efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YUSI ZHAO, CHINESE STUDENT ADMITTED TO STANFORD UNIVERSITY (through translator): Some people think, "Didn't you get into Stanford because your
family is rich?" It's not like that, because the admissions officers don't know you at all. And I've got a scholarship. The school pay my tuition
fee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Well, here in Hong Kong, the pursuit of the Ivy League is big business. Ally Ip is a college admissions counselor, she helps parents
willing to pay big bucks to get their children into top universities. Ally, good to have you with us.
As we say this is a big business here in Asia -- parents wanting to get their kids into these prestigious U.S. universities, especially Ivy League
schools, what's driving the demand? Is it success? Prestige? Do tell?
ALLY IP, SENIOR ADMISSIONS CONSULTING PARTNER, THE EDGE LEARNING CENTER: Well, well, in Hong Kong, it's a very high pressure place, you know, there
are few families who are actually -- who have quite a clutch on the top universities. And then the rest of them, you know, the rest of the middle
classes that are trying to move up, you know, upwards. And they believe that by going into Ivy League schools, you know, will give them a leg up in
their careers and even in their life. So, yes, the pressure is high.
COREN: Yes, it's interesting, I want to talk to you about that pressure, because why do students they need your services? What advantage do you
provide them in getting into these schools?
IP: Well, actually, students find me, you know, for my services, for various reason, okay. Yes, a great portion of them are looking for top
universities and in fact, my track record, like this year without having any legacy, any donation, any athletes amongst my students, half of them to
apply to the top 10 universities in the U.S., according to the U.S. News World Report ranking got in.
Okay, so yes, I do have a good track record on helping students to get in the top university, but then again, a big portion -- I mean, I would say
over half my students come to me, because they need help. They need counseling, they need advice on what decision to make along the way because
college admissions is not really about just one application, it is a long series of work starting when you're young from grade nine.
COREN: Yes, so these kids are about what 15 years old when you come into contact with them, and you work with them for about three years, is that
right?
IP: Yes, ma'am. Actually, a majority of my students came in as early as 14 years old, 15 years old and I stay with them. I stay with them. I know
about their family. I know about all the struggle. I sometimes even know about the fight they have between their friends, and yes, throughout the
process, I try to grow them. Because again, just working on the application is not enough.
COREN: Describe to us the pressure that the students are under and do they really want it? Or is it their parents that are driving it?
IP: Well, it's both. I do know, there are many great, wonderful parents right there who keep trying to tell me, "Hey it's okay, you know, if my son
or daughter don't get to a certain school," but a lot of times it is peer pressure.
You know, the majority of my students do go to very good International Schools in Hong Kong, and then a third of them go to top boarding schools
overseas, and they see their peers, you know, and they know what family they came from, they know where they're going to, and I must actually say
that a lot of that come from peer pressure, rather than just parents.
[08:25:06] COREN: Ally, the U.S. university scam has certainly highlighted the fact that there are dishonest and dodgy operators out there, does this
scandal bring your industry into disrepute?
IP: Well, there is a great concern on that. But, I guess at the end of the day, you know, our parents choose us really after they have interviewed
us, after they have met with us, and we lay them out very clearly, you know, what we can do and what we will never do.
So, yes, there are rumors out there. There are people wondering whether or not I do certain things or my colleagues do certain things, but after they
have -- as soon as they have met us, no. Things get clear and they know who we are.
COREN: For sure. Ally Ip, great to have you here with us in the studio. Thank you for joining us, we appreciate it.
IP: Thank you so much, Anna.
COREN: Well, Facebook is purging some high profile people from its platform saying they are dangerous. They include Nation of Islam leader
Louis Farrakhan, who is notorious for using anti-Semitic language and right-wing conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones who was banned from Facebook
last year, but still maintained a presence on Instagram, well, Instagram is owned by Facebook.
Also banned, Paul Nehlen, an anti-Semite who had unsuccessfully run for a seat in the U.S. Congress twice. Along with fringe right-wing media
personalities Milo Yiannopoulos, Laura Loomer and Paul Joseph Watson.
Well, Facebook says it has always banned individuals or organizations that promote violence and hate, regardless of ideology. But critics are quick
to point out, Facebook did not take action against those accounts at the time, they were actually in violation of the company's rules.
You're watching NEWS STREAM, we will get back to our top story in just a moment. India's worst storm in two decades. We will tell you how the
government has prepared and where Cyclone Fani is headed next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome back, I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. You are watching NEWS STREAM. These are the world headlines. Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan
Guaido is calling on supporters to continue protests through the weekend.
While he admits that the demonstrations so far have failed to trigger a military uprising, Guaido maintains that the movement to topple Nicolas
Maduro is in its final phase.
The Trump administration is denying that U.S. Attorney General William Barr lied to Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi leveled that accusation on
Thursday. A Justice Department spokeswoman calls Pelosi's assertions baseless, reckless, irresponsible and false.
[08:30:14] COREN: Well, Cyclone Fani has already proven it deadly. Police say two people were killed by falling trees as the storm made landfall in
Eastern India. It struck near Puri packing winds up to 240 kilometers an hour. More than a million people were evacuated in Odisha stayed ahead of
the storm. Fani is the worst cyclone to hit the country in 20 years.
Our New Delhi bureau chief Nikhil Kumar joins us now live. Nikhil, what are you hearing about the level of destruction?
NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: So, Anna, all the pictures that we've been seeing coming in throughout the day after the cyclone made
landfall in the morning local time over here, they all underline the scale of the storm, you know, destruction pretty much -- you know very serious
destruction. Trees being uprooted, cars being swept away, cranes that were in the city of Bhubaneshwar -- construction going on those cranes will
completely wiped away. All of which points to just have ferocious this storm is.
But at the same time, you mentioned the two people dead. Now, compare this to 1999 back when the last major storm of this size hit this area. Back
then, you had a death toll running into the thousand, more than 10,000 killed. This time so far, we've only got to confirmed dead so far from
officials. There's still some time to go.
But it all points to and underlines the preparedness that has gone into making sure that people are safe. You mentioned the more than a million
people who have been evacuated in Odisha. They've set up about 5,000 shelters, moving people away from vulnerable housing, thatched house and so
on into much, much more solid buildings such as schools, hospitals, and other structures that can withstand rains and winds from this storm.
And now, the focus is very much on the aftermath. Will there be serious storm surge, which is what the big risk is, and the flooding that that's
likely to entail.
So this part of the country is not yet out of the woods. And of course, the storm will move further up the coast and then into Bangladesh, where
officials tell us that as of this afternoon, they've already evacuated about 400,000 people from the coastal areas.
As of tonight, they're hoping to move at least 2.1 million people away from the coast further inland so that they are also protected when the storm
reaches that country -- Anna.
COREN: Nikhil, you speak about the preparedness, and it certainly appears that authorities have been better prepared for this disaster than in
previous years. Is it a case of the fact that they've had quite a bit of warning like several days' worth of warning or do you think they've learned
from mistakes?
KUMAR: I think it is a combination of both, Anna, but I think it's absolutely true that they've learned from their mistakes. I mentioned the
storm in 1999 and the death toll of 10,000. Since then, the way India responds to disasters has changed dramatically.
One of the main agencies involved in making sure that this state and the other areas along the coast were prepared is something called the National
Disaster Management Authority. It didn't exist back in 1999. There was a law passed in 2005, when it came into being the year after they set up a
Special Force whose only job is to respond to and deal with disasters.
It's about 25,000 strong men and women who are trained just for this kind of thing and they've been involved in making sure working with local
authorities, NGOs, volunteers and others in making sure that everybody on the coast moves away as far as they can and the people who do remain that
they are as best prepared as they can be to withstand the storm like this.
So they have learned their lessons that we've seen are reflected in the scale of the operations in the run up to this storm. And as I say so far,
we've only had word of two people dead. It's always two too many, but it's significantly lower than what you would have expected with a storm of this
size hitting a region so densely populated -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, let's hope that that death toll remains low. Nikhil Kumar, good to see you as always. Many thanks for the update.
The second woman accused in the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong- un's half-brother is out of jail. She was released in Malaysia Friday morning and is expected to be sent home to Vietnam.
Well, under a plea deal she served time for causing harm with a dangerous weapon, but not for murder. Two women were accused of killing Kim Jong-nam
in broad daylight smearing a nerve agent on his face at an airport in Kuala Lumpur. But it's only said the women were tricked by North Korean agents
who made them believe it was a reality TV prank. North Korea denies any role in the killing.
Meanwhile, the fate of a group of North Korean defectors is in China's hands and the relatives are making a desperate play. They say it would be
disastrous to be sent back. CNN's Paula Hancocks has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[08:35:01] PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Seven North Korean defectors including a nine-year-old girl are in detention in China.
Activists say that they will caught last month while they were making their way to South Korea. The girl's parents are in Seoul and have been for two
years. They said they've been saving up for a broker to help their daughter they named as Choe Yang and her uncle escaped to the south.
They're now making a desperate plea to Chinese authorities not to send the group back to North Korea, where activists say they will almost certainly
face punishment or imprisonment.
Choe Yang's mother says she spoke to her recently as she was traveling through China, saying her daughter was so excited that she would be in
Seoul with your parents to celebrate her 10th birthday later this month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (text): What guilt could there be for a girl who only wanted to see her mother in South Korea? What could a nine-year-old have
known? She only wanted to come and see me. It makes no sense to send her back to North Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS (voice over): is an emotional plea that has been made many times before, but usually falls on deaf ears. There was no response from anyone
at the Chinese Embassy. Activists left a petition to release the group. China views those escaping North Korea as illegal economic migrants and
sends them back often to an international outcry.
Former North Korean diplomat, Thae Yong-ho is leading the calls for the defectors to be released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THAE YONG-HO, FORMER NORTH KOREAN DIPLOMAT: I'd like to appeal the world community, as well as American government to exert their influence to start
the repatriation of Ma Yon-yo's (ph) daughter and send her back to join their family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS (voice over): Speakingd to reporters Friday, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa called the situation sensitive and delicate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KANG KYUNG-WHA, FOREIGN MINISTER OF SOUTH KOREA: We are mobilizing all of our diplomatic resources to ensure that they are safe and they do not end
up being returned to North Korea involuntarily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS (on camera): At a time when the world's focus is on diplomacy with North Korea, this is a timely reminder of their brutal human rights
record, and also of China's cooperation in detaining and repatriating North Koreans who want nothing more than to escape their homeland. Paula
Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: heartbreaking for the defectors and the families involved. You are watching NEWS STREAM. Much more in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Welcome back. This news just into us here at CNN, a strong U.S. jobs report with more than 260,000 new jobs in April. The nation's
unemployment rate dropped to 3.6%, that's the lowest level since December 1969. Now, the largest job gains were in professional and business
services, construction and healthcare.
Be sure to tune in to "First Move" with Julia Chatterley in about 20 minutes' time for more on the numbers. That's 9:00 a.m. in New York, 9:00
p.m. here in Hong Kong only on CNN.
In Thailand, King Maha Vajiralongkorn will officially be crowned Saturday with celebrations expected to last until Monday, but first, the Thai King
kicked off a pre coronation ritual by paying respects to one of the country's most sacred Buddhist relics the Emerald Buddha. The last time a
coronation ceremony took place was in 1950 when his father was crowned king.
[08:40:03] COREN: Politicians in Washington, they're used to dealing in pork, a colorful term for trading government spending for political
support, but they're not as familiar with political poultry. That all changed on Thursday as Jeanne Moos explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Attorney General William Barr was supposed to be on the menu for grilling in the House
Judiciary Committee, instead they settled for chicken -- a ceramic chicken and a bucket of KFC -- it was only nine in the morning when Tennessee
Congressman Steve Cohen chowed down on chicken purchased the night before, a better breakfast choice would had been.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kentucky fried chicken and waffles are back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS (voice over): But the Tennessee Democrat was making a show of the no- show Attorney General, placing the statue atop the chicken bucket and proclaiming --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): He's here. Chicken Barr should have showed up today and answered questions.
REP. JERROLD NADLER (D-NY): Ordinarily at this point, I would introduce the witness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS (voice over): Instead, there were split screen shots of his empty seat, the hearing was gaveled to a closed despite Republican protests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chairman --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS (voice over): The mic was cut off and Congressman Cohen transported the chicken to the witness table and placed it in front of the honorable
William P. Barr's placard as photographers rushed in to capture the 1950's vintage statue made by a staffer's uncle.
Cohen even tweeted this image of a feathered Attorney General.
MOOS (on camera): Wait a minute, is that a chicken impersonator I hear squawking outside the committee room, interrupting Chairman Nadler live on
at least three networks?
But not everyone was amused, "Leave the childish name-calling to Trump, please. Don't stoop to his level." The Congressman kept his statue handy
for interviews.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: The message is that Bill Barr is a chicken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: #ChickenBarr inspired jokes, "Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it was afraid to testify?" But Representative Cohen treated his
chicken tender. Jeanie Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: And that is NEWS STREAM. I'm Anna Coren. Thanks so much for your company. But don't go anywhere, "World Sport" is coming up next.
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