Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Venezuelans Hold Vigil For Those Killed In Street Clashes; Thais Celebrate First Royal Coronation In Decades; Nurse Denied Marathon World Record Because She Wasn't Wearing A Skirt; "Avengers: Endgame" Crosses $2B Mark In Record Time; Aeroflot Airplane Caught Fire Near Moscow Airport; Donald Trump Shaking Up the Markets; United States Sending More Warships and Bombers to Middle East; Ceasefire With Israel Has Been Restored; North Korea Resuming Again its Missile Program; President Trump Tweeting About Robert Mueller Again. Aired 2- 3a ET

Aired May 06, 2019 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:01] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A fiery scene on an airport runway near Moscow. Officials are investigating how this Aeroflot passenger jet ended up in an emergency hard landing and was quickly engulfed in flames.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, a threat from the U.S. president is shaking up the markets. Asian stocks stumble as Mr. Trump says he could raise tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods by the end of the week.

CHURCH: And after the latest round of furious fighting, a ceasefire is restored between Israel and Gaza. Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and from all around the world. I am Rosemary Church.

HOWELL: And I am George Howell from CNN world headquarters. Newsroom starts right now.

CHURCH: And we begin this hour in Russia where a fiery plane crash has killed 41 people on board.

HOWELL: An Aeroflot passenger jet caught fire as it made a hard emergency landing at an airport near Moscow. Social media video shows what the scene looked like from inside the plane. We do want to warn you. The footage you see here, it's very difficult to watch. That video from the moment the landing was also captured on camera.

And you can see the plane first bounced off the runway before coming back down and bursting into flames.

CHURCH: The Russian news agency Interfax reports a lightning strike caused a communications failure, forcing the plane to make the landing.

HOWELL: Our Fred Pleitgen has been following the story and joins now with more here from neighboring Finland.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some horrifying images coming out of Moscow as video seems to show that plane, that Sukhoi Superjet from Aeroflot Airlines, as it is screeching down the runway after making an extremely hard emergency landing in the afternoon hours of Sunday. It then seems to come to a stop and actually seems to go off the runway at the end as it's further engulfed by those flames.

Now, there is also video from inside the plane that just shows those horrible moments as the plane seems to be screeching down that runway with flames outside the window. Very much there seeming to engulf that plane from those shots as well. The people there obviously very much in horror as the pilot tries to keep control of the aircraft.

Now, the information that we're getting from Russian authorities is that this plane, this Sukhoi Superjet 100, took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in the afternoon hours of Sunday, and shortly after takeoff declared an emergency. The pilots then decided to return back to that airport, and upon trying to land at the airport, apparently made a very hard landing, the plane bouncing into the air and then coming down extremely hard.

Then obviously, you see that billowing smoke and the flames coming from that aircraft as it's screeching down the runway. Now, with a number of fatalities already confirmed in this incident, the Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation into what exactly happened there with this plane. Vladimir Putin has been informed about the incident.

He's offered his condolences. And he also said that the investigation will be as thorough as is possible, Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Rovaniemi, Finland.

CHURCH: And for more now on this story, we're joined by Scott Hamilton. He is an aviation analyst, and he's with us live from Seattle. Thank you so much for being with us. As we heard from Fred's report there, a criminal investigation has been launched into this deadly emergency landing. Given what we know so far, what do you think happened here?

SCOTT HAMILTON, AVIATION ANALYST: Well, there's too much that we don't know to really draw any conclusions. We don't know really what the communication specifically was with the control tower. We don't know if the pilot had what we call a dark cockpit and didn't have instrumentation to give him the air speed and the rate of descent.

And that might have led to the hard landing. We really can't draw any conclusions at this point.

CHURCH: Right. And, of course, we know that 78 people were on board this Aeroflot passenger plane. More than half of them lost their lives in that emergency landing. And yet, some of the passengers who survived got off that plane carrying their luggage. Now, every second counts in a situation like this. What did you make of those images? HAMILTON: It's really amazing that anybody got out alive at all when

you watch that video as the plane careens down the runway in flames. And unfortunately, people do stop to get their bags. So we, of course, don't have any idea whether that might (AUDIO GAP) prevented some people from getting out of the airplane. But it looked like the back half of the airplane was completely engulfed by the time it stopped.

[02:05:11] CHURCH: Yeah. As you say, it is extraordinary given those images that anybody got out alive. And as we mentioned, President Putin has launched a criminal investigation into this emergency landing. What does that signal to you?

HAMILTON: You know it's just too soon to know that. Again, information that comes out of Russia is generally unreliable to begin with. So for us outside to try to draw conclusions at this early stage, we just don't know. We don't know what caused the emergency declaration. There is a report of a lightning strike. We don't know if that's, in fact, what occurred or if that's what might have led to instrumentation failure. We need to get more information.

CHURCH: And when you look at the pictures of the plane actually bouncing there on the runway, there's been some suggestion that the landing gear was not fully deployed. Was that your reading when you look at those pictures?

HAMILTON: Yeah. I don't know why somebody would draw conclusions from that. Typically, when a plane bounces like that, the gear is deployed. But now, the gear could collapse. It could be driven up through the wing, which, of course, would cause fuel to spill out. There were several accidents involving the MD-11, McDonald Douglas MD- 11 with FedEx, where the airplane had a rate of descent that was too steep and the airplane crashed on the second bounce.

So I am going to guess that the gear was extended, but the forces were probably too great that the gear collapsed.

CHURCH: And there is also some suggestion that somehow through the force of that plane hitting the runway on its belly, that that could have ruptured the fuel tanks. Is that -- would you read into that. Again, I mean you didn't want to go down the path of speculation in any way. But there are certain elements that they would need to remove, the process of elimination if you like, trying to determine what the cause was here.

HAMILTON: Yeah. Well, certainly given that there have been other accidents where the plane bounces like that and does catch on fire, it's certainly got a history where when you have that the fuel tanks do rupture and fire breaks out. Now, we hope that the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorders can be covered. But they're in the tail of the airplane, which of course is what burned so fiercely.

We don't know if that's going to be something that can be recovered. The tower recordings will be something that they'll be looking at. I don't even know if the flight crew was able to survive. I haven't seen anything about them. If the flight crew did survive, obviously they'll interview the flight crew and see what they can determine from that.

CHURCH: Yeah. And how else do they go about this whole process of trying to find out what happened? If, as you say the flight data recorders are not retrieved from this.

HAMILTON: Well, sure. The airport videos, particularly the one where the airplane is coming in for the landing and then bounces, there should be a way that they can determine the speed of the airplane, given the speed of the video and then doing some calculations. If there's enough video, they might even be able to determine the rate of descent. There obviously will be forensic evidence of the airplane itself that they can look at. They'll be able to determine how that fire started, I am sure.

Again, I suspect that would be because of the gear collapsing or being driven through the wing upon that bounce. So there will be a lot of forensic evidence that they can look at. They have survivors, passenger survivors. Even if they don't have the flight crew, they have the flight attendants who can be interviewed. So they'll be able to get a lot of human resource intelligence as to what happened on that airplane.

CHURCH: Horrifying situation for all those involved. Scott Hamilton, thank you so much for shedding some light on this. And we will wait and see what comes of the investigation. Many thanks.

HAMILTON: You're welcome.

HOWELL: The United States is sending more warships and bombers to the Middle East, this, a response to what it says are troubling warnings and threats from Iran against U.S. land and naval forces.

CHURCH: The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group and a bomber task force will be deployed. That is according to U.S. National Security Adviser, John Bolton. He says the U.S. is not seeking war with Iran, but it's ready to respond to any attacks on U.S. interests or allies.

[02:10:07] HOWELL: The U.S. president has threatened, of course, to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, and global markets are feeling the impact. Mr. Trump tweeted Sunday trade talks between Washington and Beijing, they're moving too slowly, he said.

CHURCH: Yeah. Asian markets are tumbling in response. You can see there the Shanghai Composite down more than five percent, getting close to six percent lost there. And the Hang Seng in Hong Kong has lost more than three percent.

HOWELL: Also taking a look at U.S. futures, you see here down sharply as well. U.S. futures down close to two percent there, the NASDAQ also suffering there, down close to two percent, and the S and P 500 also in negative territory. CNN's Matt Rivers is following this story in Beijing with reaction to the president's tweets. And Matt, clearly a negative response from global markets, given what the president has said here. MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, George. And they're

reacting that way, because what the president tweeted on Sunday has officially put this trade deal or a potential trade deal between China and the United States up in the air. We, frankly, have no idea what's going to happen now. And this was a big change from the end of last week when basically there was widespread expectations on both sides that the U.S. and China, could eventually by Friday, even come to an agreement on a potential framework for a deal.

And also potentially announce the summit where President Xi Jinping of China and Donald Trump of the United States could sign the framework of that agreement and really finalize a trade deal between both countries. But with the president saying that on Sunday, that has officially put all of that in jeopardy. Now, we don't know the response yet from the Beijing government.

There hasn't been an official response, not only in state media, which has been completely silent, but also from official ministries here in Beijing. We expect a response likely by the end of the day today. But really the ball is in China's court here. The Wall Street Journal has reported that a planned trip this week by Liu He, who is the top Chinese Economic Negotiator for Beijing, to go to Washington, D.C.

He was supposed to go on Wednesday and potentially come to an agreement on a trade deal by Friday. Well, that trip is officially being considered to be cancelled by the Beijing government. They haven't decided yet, according to the Journal, but that's what we're waiting on here. But really, the point of all of this, George and Rosemary, is that we're not sure how this is going to play out. What seemed like a deal could be in the works is now very much in question.

HOWELL: Matt Rivers following this in Beijing. Matt, thank you.

CHURCH: Well, after a weekend of intense violence, a ceasefire is in effect between Israel and militants in Gaza. Will it hold, though? We will have a live report from the border?

HOWELL: Plus, where there's smoke, there's fire. What exclusive images reveal about North Korea's missile program as Newsroom continues. Stay with us.

[02:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: The skies over the Gaza/Israel border are quiet, as Islamic Jihad, a militant group in Gaza, says a ceasefire with Israel has been restored. Israel has lifted restrictions on civilians living near the Gaza border, indicating it accepts the truce.

CHURCH: Now, it ends a weekend of deadly violence and the worst round of hostilities there in years. Oren Liebermann is near the Israel/Gaza border. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Oren. So a ceasefire has now been restored between Israel and Gaza. What more can you tell us about that ceasefire, how it came about, and how long it might stay in place, how delicate this is.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, ever since fighting started early Saturday morning, about 10:00 local time, there were efforts pretty much immediately by Egypt and the United Nations as well as others to try to restore a ceasefire, to try to prevent this from escalating. Well, over the course of the next 36 to 48 hours, those efforts failed. And fighting continued as the escalation continued on both sides of this border.

By the end of the fighting, more than 600 rockets had been fired. Four people in Israel had been killed. Israel had hit more than 300 targets, 23 Palestinians in Gaza had been killed. But at 4:30 in the morning, Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza here, behind me here, announced a ceasefire had been reached and had gone into effect on both sides. Israel rarely, if ever, comments about a ceasefire.

But the clearest indication yet that Israel has also acknowledged this, is that they've lifted civilian restrictions on the communities around Gaza. In that sense, this is like so many of the flare-ups that we've seen, 24 to 48 hours, and then the cap is put on it. But in a very different sense, this was the most violent fighting we've seen since the end of the 2014 war.

And as the fighting continued, the efforts behind the scenes to try to restore that ceasefire got more and more intense, those efforts paying off early this morning, around 4:30 in the morning. According to Islamic Jihad, that ceasefire going into effect, civilian restrictions lifted on our way here, on the roads that had been closed yesterday as military zones for safety reasons have re-opened.

And it seems that at least on the Israeli side of the border, life here is getting back to its usual routine.

CHURCH: So Oren, what more are you learning about the circumstances leading up to this latest violence? You know, we're talking about 600 rockets fired.

LIBERMANN: The numbers here are quite stunning in that sense. How many rockets were fired, how many air strikes were carried out by Israel, as well as artillery and tank strikes. This all starts on Friday. On Friday, there are the normal weekly Gaza protests along the border, not far from where we're standing here, in fact.

Those have happened every week for more than a year at this point. During those protests, Israel says a sniper from Gaza hits two soldiers along the southern Gaza border. Israel responds with a strike against the Hamas military post that kills two Hamas militants. That then is where Friday ends, although factions in Gaza said they would respond. It didn't come on Friday.

[02:19:48] It began on Saturday morning with a barrage of rockets, more than 50 rockets fired in an hour. And that quickly led to the escalation which we watched from this safe point here over the last couple of days. There was always a catalyst. In this case, it was that sniper fire. Why did this one lead to such a quick flare up? Well, that's both sides deciding, decides it know each other well, Israel and the militant faction inside of Gaza deciding how this develops, how this continues. It's worth remembering, Rosemary, that these two sides, Israel and

Gaza, know each other intimately. They understand the stages with which this develops. They understand not only where the situation lies but where the next stage would be. And it is because of that there was an opportunity for mediators to try to step in and prevent both sides from going on to the next stage over the conflict to get any bigger.

But there is no doubt at this point that this was a big and a violent weekend along the Israel/Gaza border.

CHURCH: Yeah, most definitely, and our Oren Liebermann bringing us the latest from that border, many thanks to you.

HOWELL: North Korea is restarting its missile program months after a failed nuclear summit with the United States. Take a look here at these exclusive satellite images from Planet Labs and Middlebury Institute. Analysts say it likely shows smoke from a short-range ballistic missile in eastern North Korea.

CHURCH: Now, this comes after the country's state media reported a strike drill on Saturday. Here's how the top U.S. diplomat responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: So we know a couple of things. One, at no point was there ever any international boundary cross. They landed in the waters east of North Korea and didn't present a threat to the United States or to South Korea or Japan. We know that they were relatively short range. And beyond that, we know they weren't intercontinental ballistic missiles either. And beyond that, I will leave the Department of Defense to characterize this when the further information arrives.

We still believe that there is an opportunity to get a negotiated outcome where we get fully verified denuclearization. Chairman Kim has repeated that. He's repeated that quite recently, in fact. So we hope that this act that he took over the weekend won't get in the way. We want to get back at the table. We want to continue to have these conversations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Our Paula Hancocks is following this story live in Seoul, South Korea. And Paula, hearing there from the Secretary of State Pompeo, you do get a sense that there is a great deal of patience being applied here. North Korea sending a message for sure, but it apparently has a muted international reaction.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, George. We heard something -- well, even more positive from the U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend as well, saying that he is with Kim Jong-Un and that a deal will happen. So what we're seeing here is obviously as you say a muted response, internationally. But it is clearly from Kim Jong-Un and from North Korea a message to the United States. We know from the South Korean defense ministry that one of the

elements that was tested on Saturday morning, according to their analysis so far, this tactical guided weapons system. They believe that was a new model. So it's not just North Korea sending a message to the United States and to others. It's also moving their program forward. They are testing something new.

So that needs to be borne in mind as well. Many experts also pointing out that one of those projectiles, as South Korea was calling them initially, was a short-range ballistic missile. The South Koreans and the U.S. have been very careful not to use that word, missile, presumably because U.S. President Donald Trump has in the past said as long as Kim Jong-Un is not testing -- doing nuclear or missile testing, then that's OK.

He's happy with that progress. But clearly, this is North Korea just pushing that limit a little further. George?

HOWELL: It is important to point out, Paula. As you state, this doesn't violate the letter of agreement that Kim Jong-Un signed with President Trump, but does violate an understanding made with Seoul to stop firing missiles. So where do things stand between these two neighbors?

HANCOCKS: Yeah. This was a military agreement. A fairly wide- ranging military agreement signed in September of last year when President Moon Jae-In was in Pyongyang to meet with Kim Jong-Un. It was hailed as a great success at the time. But we heard from the Blue House on Saturday, saying that what North Korea has done appears to go against that agreement.

The fact that both sides had agreed not to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and this goes against that, calling also on Pyongyang to come back to the negotiating table as soon as possible. So what we're seeing here is really a stronger response from South Korea than we have seen from the Trump administration, which is fairly unusual. But we haven't heard anything from the Blue House since.

It is a public holiday here in South Korea this Monday. But it does appear as though officials and diplomats are treading very carefully. And there does appear to be somewhat of a coordinated response to what North Korea has done.

HOWELL: Paula Hancocks live in Seoul, South Korea. Paula, thank you.

CHURCH: And still to come here on CNN, President Trump reverses course, and now says he objects to Robert Mueller testifying before Congress. Why the change of heart? We'll take a look.

[02:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I am George Howell.

CHURCH: And I am Rosemary Church. Let's check the main stories we've been following this hour. At least 41 people have died after a plane made a hard emergency landing at a Russian airport near Moscow. Video shows the Aeroflot passenger plane burst into flames as it slammed on to the runway. Russian news new agency, Interfax, reports a lightning strike caused a communication failure, forcing the plane to make the landing.

HOWELL: A militant group in Gaza says a ceasefire with Israel has been restored. Israel has lifted restrictions on civilians living near the Gaza border, this indicating an acceptance of that ceasefire. It ends a weekend of escalating violence with hundreds of rocket launches and air strikes, and more than two dozen people killed on both sides of the border.

CHURCH: The U.S. is deploying warships to the Middle East because of what it says are troubling warnings from Iran. The U.S. is sending the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force. The announcement came from National Security Adviser, John Bolton, who adds the U.S. doesn't want war, but is prepared to respond to any attack.

HOWELL: Asian markets and U.S. stock futures tumbled sharply after President Trump threatened on Sunday to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods by the end of the week. He added trade talks between Washington and Beijing are moving too slowly. His remarks come just days before talks are set to resume between both sides.

President Trump is once again tweeting about Special Counsel Robert Mueller. This time, saying Mueller should not testify before Congress about the Russia probe that he spearheaded.

CHURCH: And that earned him a sharp rebuke from House Democrats. Our Boris Sanchez has more now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump letting his feelings known on Sunday morning as he often does via Twitter. Tweeting out that he does not believe Robert Mueller, the former special counsel should testify before the House Judiciary Committee. The President writing this out in a tweet in which he suggests that Democrats are looking for a do-over of the report and there it is.

Bob Mueller should not testify. No redos for the Dems. Of course this comes on the heels of Democrats striking a tentative deal for Robert Mueller to come testify before the House Judiciary Committee on May 15th. That is not set in stone yet. It may be soon, however, there are many reasons this White House would not want Mueller to testify. Namely some of the embarrassing details in the report that Mueller outlined.

Aides ignoring the President orders, suggestions that witnesses involved in the investigation may have deleted evidence. The President though on Friday rang a different tone. He suggested that he would be fine with Mueller testifying if his Attorney General William Barr approve it. That was Friday. Remember that on Wednesday, William Barr testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and here is what he said about the potential for Mueller testifying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President should Mueller testify? Would you like to see him testify?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know. That's up to our Attorney General who I think has done a fantastic job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Another reason the White House for potentially wants to avoid of Mueller testifying? That letter, that Mueller sent to the Attorney General. Outlining some inconsistencies or mischaracterization that he saw in the summary letter that William Barr wrote, regarding the Mueller report before its release. Boris Sanchez, CNN, at the White House.

HOWELL: Boris, thank you. And we are following two major deadlines looming in Washington. First, the deadline for the U.S. Attorney general William Barr to turn over the full unredacted Mueller report. It's just hours away. House Democrats are demanding that Barr provide this report to Congress by 9:00 am in Washington, Washington time. If the Attorney General does not meet that ultimatum? A House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler is vowing to charge Barr with contempt of Congress.

CHURCH: And House Democrats are demanding the U.S. Treasury Department provide them with President Trump's taxes returns in the coming hours. Mr. Trump has refused for years to release his returns and now we are waiting to see it the Treasury Department can and will override his wishes.

Let's take a closer look now at all of this with CNN Legal Analyst Ross Garber. He teaches political investigation and impeachment at Tulane University Law School. Thank you so much for being with us.

ROSS GARBER, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I'm happy to be with you.

CHURCH: All right, so two Congressional deadlines coming up Monday in just a few hours from now. Let's start with the request for Attorney General Bill Barr to provide Congress with an unredacted Mueller report. What are the legal requirements for him to do this? And what are the possible legal ramifications if Barr decides not to comply?

GARBER: So, the House has actually asked for an unredacted copy of the Mueller report and then all of the background materials underlying that report. Now one of the issues there is that the report and the underlying materials containing which for the jury is grand jury materials, information that is related to the taking of evidence by the grand jury. By law, the Attorney General actually can't disclose that information.

There are all sorts of other information that he doesn't want to disclose. By law, he can't disclose that information. And so, what's happening now is there's a tussle between the Attorney General and the House where he's resisted providing the unredacted report and all the underlying information. The House has insisted on it, and it's headed for a showdown, I think.

In reality, there is not that much that the House can do to compel the Attorney General to provide the information. Really what has to happen is for the House go to court and ask a judge to order the Attorney General to provide the information, that's likely to take a long time to paly out with appeals, and appeals and any final result there.

CHURCH: All right. Interesting. OK. So, no legal requirement for the Attorney General necessary to comply with that and it could take a great deal of time. So, let's move on then to the other Congressional deadline. That's the obscure law that requires that the Treasury Department hand over President Trump's tax returns and that in just a few hours from now.

Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin asked for more time to consult with lawyers in his department, so he's done that, he's had that opportunity.

So, what might their legal argument be if they decide to push back and not comply, given President Trump has already said, he'll fight this all the way to the Supreme Court?

[02:35:05] GARBER: Yes. So let's keep in mind that they actually have a law in the U.S. that says that that information shall be provided, that it must be provided to Congress if Congress asks for it and that's pretty powerful language. On the other side of it though, what I expect that the Treasury Department's argue is that the constitution requires that for there to be that kind of a requirement there has be to legitimate legislative purpose.

That something the Supreme Court has said in other settings that Congressional demands for information are fined but there has to be legitimate purpose for them in doing so. And what I expect the administration to do here is argue that there really is no legitimate legislative purpose. There really what's going on is essentially politics. And here as in the previous situation, what I expect is that eventually this will wind up in court and the difficulty is litigation over this things can take a long, long time.

CHURCH: And that's what the strategies all about on the part of the Trump administration, isn't it? I mean, they've pretty much admitted that this is buying time. But if they do go ahead with that strategies as you mentioned, legitimate legislative purpose. How much strength is there in that legal argument do you think for the administration?

GARBER: The answer is nobody really knows. It's a heart issue on the one hand, you know, Congress is, you know, has this powerful law, on the other hand, Congress has asked this committee has ask for all sorts of tax information going back a long, long time. And so far hasn't identified a particularly powerful purpose. They've identified this provision and regulations that give the -- they require the internal revenue service to their review the President's tax returns.

It's probably a tough argument that that allows Congress to go back for long, long time and look at the President's business and personal tax returns. So, it's unclear how it works and, you know, I'll say this, it may not be a bad strategy also for the House to have this take a long time, because I'm not sure anybody really wants a fast showdown here. We've got elections are coming up in 2020.

And I think both sides may be content to let the voters to decide what they think of the President.

CHURCH: Interesting, so two Congressional deadlines coming up in just a few hours from now. And from what you say, doesn't look like either will be complied with, we shall see of course. Ross Garber, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

GARBER: Good to be here.

HOWELL: The top Brexit campaigner is warning of a final betrayal over a possible departure plan from the E.U.

CHURCH: Nigel Farage who now leads the Brexit party spoke on Sunday, that's after Prime Minister Theresa May hinted in a newspaper column that she is close to cutting a Brexit deal with the Labour Party. The agreement is likely to include a customs arrangement with the E.U. But Farage said that would amount to a betrayal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But what you think the consequences would be if Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn did push forward some kind of customs union?

NIGEL FARAGE, MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: I think if they push forward with this. It will be seen as a coalition of politicians against the people, and I think millions of people would give up on both labor and the conservatives. I really do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, it could be almost like realignment?

FARAGE: This would be the final betrayal and if frankly, if they signed up to this. I can't see the point of the Conservative Party even existing, you know, what's it for?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: A customs union would likely anger some of May's fellow conservatives and possibly lead to a leadership showdown. Venezuela is still on edge and statements from the U.S. And Russia, are not allying fears. We'll have that story is a head.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:00] HOWELL: Top diplomats from the United States and Russia are scheduled to meet in Finland on Monday. The volatile situation in Venezuela remains tense after their remarks over the weekend.

CHURCH: Statement from America's secretary of state and Russia's foreign minister word odds with each other. The U.S. says military involvement in Venezuela is an option. It supports Opposition Leader Juan Guaido as the country's leader. Russia which backs embattled President Nicolas Maduro warned the U.S. to stay out of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We call on all the Americans and all those who support them to cancel irresponsible plans drastically. According to the international legislation as President Putin said a couple of days ago in a phone conversation with President Trump.

MIKE POMPEO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm telling the same thing the President said told the world. That every country must get out including the Russians. That's what I'll tell him. We don't want anyone messing around with the Venezuela. We want them to be autonomous, independent sovereign state, Democratic collected officials. This is what we desire for the Venezuelan people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: A prayer vigil was held in Caracas, Sunday to honor those who've been killed an, ongoing protests against President Maduro. Roman Catholic priest in white robes led the vigil and some waved Venezuelan flags, and shouted freedom.

CHURCH: But as diplomats trade jabs people are dying on the streets in Venezuela. Some of them are still in their teens. Rafael Romo has our report.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It's the news Jose Hernandez and his sister Janet never wanted to hear YoifreHernandez, Jose's son and Janet's nephew died after being shot in the abdomen. The 14-year-old student was shot Wednesday during a violent antigovernment demonstration in Caracas. His father says he wasn't far and heard the gunshots as well as the ambulance when they rush his son to the hospital, not knowing the victim was his own son.

This is the moment when Green Cross Paramedics take the seriously injured boy into the ambulance.

FEDERICA DAVILA, PARAMEDIC, GREEN CROSS: It was very noticeable when he, that he was dying at the moment.

ROMO: Federica Davila, a medical student and green cross paramedics says they're first responders try to save the boy's life, but he was bleeding profusely and was already losing consciousness.

ROMO: In what condition was this 14-year-old boy by the time you got him?

DAVILA: Well, when the team got him he was conscious and he said to the doctors that took him first, I'm going to die. Those were his last words.

ROMO: Hernandez was one of five people who died during two days of protest that also left more than 230 injured according to the United Nations.

[02:45:04] The U.N. also says that more than 40 people have died in violent demonstrations so far this year. Venezuela has seen several waves of deadly protests over the last few years. During an especially violent four-month period in 2017, more than 120 people died. Then as now, most of the victims were young people.

After years of clashes with security forces, some young protesters say the stalemate is beyond frustrating. "They're tossing tear gas, bombs, against us and shooting at us." This protester says. "We are the ones putting our lives at risk for our country, and some other people only come here to take selfies."

The Venezuelan ministry of defense declined to comment about the deaths, but President Nicolas Maduro has often referred to protesters in derogatory terms, suggesting they're nothing but vandals.

DAVILA: You're not the same person after you see a 14-year-old kid dying in front of you and --

ROMO: Beyond the political polarization, Federica Davila, the paramedic, says her heart breaks to see young people die, especially, when she realizes parents like Jose Hernandez won't get to see their children grow into adults.

If you had an opportunity to talk to his father, what would you like to tell him?

DAVILA: I would just like to hug him, and say I'm so, so, so, really sorry, that we did the best we could. It was out of our hands.

ROMO: Davila, says she often wonders how many more young people she will see die in her role as a Green Cross paramedic before peace returns at last to Venezuela. Rafael Romo, CNN, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:43] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, Pope Francis borrowed a phrase from Winston Churchill on his trip to Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

He said Sunday that Europe is facing an ice curtain, similar to Churchill's phrase, Iron Curtain. That's because of a massive migration from poorer to richer nations on the continent.

HOWELL: The Pope says it is up to the political leaders now to address birthrates and wealth inequality that fuel the problem. The pontiff will visit a refugee camp in Bulgaria and meet Orthodox Church leaders in both countries.

Three days of coronation ceremonies where Thailand's 10th king got underway on Saturday. It is the first royal coronation seen there in almost 70 years.

CHURCH: And as CNN's Will Ripley reports, many people flop to the capital to catch a glimpse of the royal parade.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For many in Thailand, this kind of spectacle only happens once in a lifetime. An ancient vision of gilded opulence unique in the modern age. King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended to the Chakri dynasty's golden throne, surrounded by centuries-old royal regalia.

Outside the grand palace in Bangkok, a sea, not of gold, but yellow, the royal color. (INAUDIBLE), traveled 10 hours from rural Thailand to be here.

"I'm so happy," she says. "I've never seen this kind of event before. I really wanted to see it once in my lifetime."

Police and government officials are reluctant to say how many people lined the streets for the royal parade, they expected up to 200,000. These people have been waiting out here for hours to catch a glimpse of the king as he's carried by on his palanquin.

They had to go through hours of security, they're not allowed to have umbrellas to shield them from the blazing sun. They can't take any selfies. And the only words they're allowed to speak as the king passes by, long live the king.

King Vajiralongkorn is one of the richest men in Thailand. Taking personal control of tens of billions of dollars, and royal assets. At 66, he's also the oldest Thai monarch to be crowned.

His father the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej was just 22 at the time of his coronation in 1950. He reigned for 70 years, a world record. His death in 2016 was a national tragedy.

PUKCHUDA OWARTWORAPORN, RESIDENT, BANGKOK, Thailand: He's just a father to everybody.

RIPLEY: On the night of the king's death, I met Pukchuda Owartworaporn, who goes simply by deer.

OWARTWORAPOR: I cry a lot at that time, but right now I'm not crying anymore. Because I know he's still -- he's still there.

RIPLEY: She's watching the new king's coronation online.

OWARTWORAPORN: This is a very big and very important ceremony for us.

RIPLEY: The Thai king's primary job is to unify the nation. Ceremonies like this do present an illusion of unity in a nation of deep political division.

DOMINIC FAULDER, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW: Well, the politics in Thailand have been really toxic. They've had more coups than you can imagine every time they have a coup, they rip up their constitution. The whole thing starts and goes wrong again. RIPLEY: Thailand is now on its 20th constitution. This week, the results of the first election since the 2014 military coup threatened to further divide the nation.

FAULDER: Means that there is no political stability and that the king is not sitting in a calm situation.

RIPLEY: The Thai people are still getting to know their new king. He just married his fourth wife, Queen Suthida last week. But his elaborate $31 million coronation serves one purpose. To put him firmly and publicly in command. Will Ripley, CNN Bangkok.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right, listen to this. A woman hoping to break the Guinness World Record for running a marathon, dressed as a nurse did not achieve her goal. But she would have had she been wearing a skirt.

HOWELL: OK, here is the thing, Jessica Anderson, who really is a nurse ran the London Marathon last week in three hours, eight minutes, and 22 seconds, beating the old record by 32 seconds. The problem, Anderson wore scrubs and pants rather than a skirt, and that didn't fit within the Guinness definition of a nurse's outfit.

CHURCH: Now, Guinness officials admit a review of that requirement is long overdue and say they will have another look at their rules. And hopefully, give her a chance to, to win that one. (INAUDIBLE)

HOWELL: Because she run it. She run, is it?

CHURCH: Absolutely, she did it. And she was wearing what nurses wear now.

[02:55:02] HOWELL: Exactly, exactly.

CHURCH: OK, they need to do some work with that.

OK, so if you thought the Avengers were done smashing records, you'd be wrong. Avengers: Endgame is still dominating the global box office. Now soaring past the $2 billion mark. It's only the fifth movie to ever do that and in record time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the endgame now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three, two, one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No fears, no regrets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Endgame is now the second highest-grossing film of all time and it's on track to dethrone Avatar, which ranked raked in nearly $2.8 billion back in 2009. Thanks for being with us for this hour of NEWSROOM I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemarie Church, and we'll be back with another hour of news after this. You are watching CNN. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: A terrifying scene at a Moscow airport. A passenger jet slams into the runway, bounces, catches fire.

CHURCH: And a ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Gaza after another round of deadly fighting.

HOWELL: Plus, Brunei takes a step back from enforcing the penalty for a law that promised to punish gay sex with death by stoning.

[03:00:00]