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Russia Launches Investigation Into Plane Inferno; Donald Trump Warns China Over Increased Tariffs On Chinese Goods; A New UN Report Says Around One Million Species Could Be Gone And Just Decades And Humans Are To Blame. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired May 06, 2019 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, NEWS STREAM (voice over): ... are scrambling to find out what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The plane was forced to return to Moscow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): Reigniting the trade war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What the President tweeted has officially put this trade deal up in the air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): Donald Trump warns China over increased tariffs on Chinese goods.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVEN JIANG, CNN PRODUCER: They will not negotiate under threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): And on the brink of extinction. A new UN report says around one million species could be gone and just decades and humans
are to blame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A species that named itself Homo sapiens were being incredibly stupid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (on camera): I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to NEWS STREAM. We begin in Russia where authorities say they will not
suspend us of the Sukhoi Superjet aircraft involved in a definitely fire at Moscow's airport on Sunday. At least 41 people died in the inferno.
Investigators say that they're looking at the weather conditions, the possibility of a technical malfunction, and the performance of the pilots
and maintenance staff.
People on the plane posted terrifying footage on social media after an emergency landing. And a warning, you may find these images disturbing.
The landing was also captured on camera. The plane, again, A Sukhoi Superjet bounced as it hit the runway and then it burst into flames on the
second impact with the ground. CNN's Moscow Bureau chief, Nathan Hodge joins us now from the Russian capital. Nathan. What happened? Why did
this flight end in disaster?
NATHAN HODGE, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Kristie, that's what we're trying to get to the bottom of right now. Russia's Investigative Committee --
that's a top law enforcement agency here in Russia has taken over the investigation and they have begun what they have said is going to be a
sweeping look at the possible causes of this. It could be everything from -- they've said -- from the qualifications of the pilots, the air traffic
controllers, the aircraft maintainers, it could have been adverse weather, it could have been a problem with the aircraft itself.
But the big question is what forced the aircraft to return. It had taken off from Moscow headed to Murmansk, that's about a two-hour flight north of
Moscow and it was in the air for only about 30 minutes when it made this emergency landing at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport and as we've seen in this
quite horrific and arresting video, the plane made a very hard landing, then bounced up, hit the tarmac again, the undercarriage and the engines
caught on fire and as the plane skidded to a halt, it was engulfed in flame.
Fortunately, the emergency slides were able to deploy, and a number of those passengers were able to exit the aircraft. But nonetheless, 41 at
least did not survive. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a sweeping and thorough investigation of this accident. And of course, this
has been across all the headlines here in Russia, given the horrific footage that we've seen from both inside and outside of the plane --
Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, horrific scenes at the tarmac there in our screens. You mentioned the human toll, at least 41 people dead and yet others who are on
board this plane, they were just able to walk off the aircraft, some with their carry-on luggage. How is it that they were the lucky ones?
HODGES: Well, Kristie, that's something we just don't know. For instance, we don't know -- it's not publicly available what for instance, the seating
plan. Were those people sitting forward of the engines or of the wings? What part of the plane where those passengers seated in?
We have a list of survivors from Aeroflot, the airline that operated this aircraft, certainly there's also going to be scrutiny of the airframe
itself, this Sukhoi Superjet. It's a plane that's been in service for just under a decade. It is manufactured by Sukhoi, which is primarily known as
a military aircraft manufacturer and this has been kind of a prestige project for Russia. This is an aircraft that was the first commercial
airliner produced sort of post-Soviet era designed and manufactured in Russia -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Scores killed in this Russian plane fire. The search for answers goes on. Nathan Hodge reporting for us live from Moscow. Nathan,
thank you.
Turning now to one of our top stories this day, tension between the world's top two economies has been triggering a global selloff now just take a look
at the wall of read at the Shanghai Composite down more than 5 percent this day. This after the U.S. President Donald Trump warned that he could
increase tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods -- meaning new trade war fears.
China has since said that the U.S. should work with Beijing to find an agreement based on mutual respect. We're covering both sides of this
story. We've got Matt Rivers in Beijing, Christine Romans how's the reaction from New York.
Christine, let's go to you first. Trump's threat as we saw just then, it has rattled markets all over the world ahead of the U.S. market open. How
is it being felt there?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Look, "the tariff man," that's what the President called himself, right? And I think
world markets had assumed that there would be a trade deal, a meaningful trade deal. And it would be happening in the coming weeks. And now, the
President himself is injecting doubt into that. He is saying he wants to raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25
percent, and he wants to do that Friday.
The Chinese are coming to town this week to talk and he says he wants to do it Friday. And he says "shortly" is the word he used meaning soon, he is
going to put tariffs on everything else the U.S. imports from China. Clearly this is the man, there's a book called "The Art of the Deal." He
is known as the dealmaker. This is someone who has pivoted now from saying that it looked like a deal was going to get done to saying to the Chinese,
"I'm going to be tough here. I'm not going to do a deal that's a weak deal just for a headline win." He wants -- and he's been told by the aides
around him that he wants a meaningful deal and that the Chinese are not really giving as much as he would like.
LU STOUT: Got it. Now, Matt, Trump is the tariff man. So did his threat catch China by surprise? What's the reaction there?
RIVERS: Yes, I think the short answer to that, Kristie, is that not really anyone in the community here, government, journalists, in general, really
were expecting to see the President tweet that given that there was widespread expectations, really on both sides, I think of this issue that a
deal could get done as soon as Friday.
And so we were of course, waiting for China's response to this. Publicly, they haven't said very much at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they did
confirm that a delegation, the one that Christine just mentioned will go to the United States, but they did not say that that delegation would be led
by the same people.
So Liu He is the name of the man who is the top Chinese economic negotiator. He was expected to lead a large delegation to DC this week.
But China was pointedly asked if that would still happen and the spokesman declined to say. They also didn't say whether this trip could be
shortened. All they would commit to was that a Chinese delegation of some sort, will go to DC.
Now as for the rest of their response, the Foreign Affairs Ministry did talk about the overall situation. I could read you part of what they said.
They said, "As to the U.S. side threatening to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, similar threats that have occurred on a number of occasions.
China's position and attitude are always very clear and the United States knows about it."
And their position has been, "We don't negotiate under threat." That said, China definitely wants a deal. So what does that line, Kristie, that
they're going to be willing to walk here? They don't want to appear to be caving to this latest threat of new terrorist by Donald Trump. But at the
same time, are they willing to scuttle this entirely? That's the choice here that China's government is now forced to make.
LU STOUT: Got it, and Christine, as we heard Matt report just then, it's probably looking possible that Liu He, the top trade negotiator for trying
may not be there in Washington, DC this week for when Chinese officials, if this is still on, arrive there for what was supposed to be the final run of
trade talks, what is the prognosis for a deal at this point?
ROMANS: Well, it's fascinating because the President is even tweeting in the last hour more about all of this. So he tweeted on Sunday, he said he
wanted to put these tariffs on and now he's tweeting about how we, the United States will not be losing to China. And this is his mindset and
this is how he is framing this heading into this important week, "The United States has been losing for many years, $600 to $800 billion a year
on trade." He is talking about the trade deficit, he sees it as losing all that money as if nothing else came in.
We could fact check that, but this is how the President is framing it. "With China, we lose $500 billion. Sorry, we're not going to be doing that
anymore." He wants to shrink those trade deficit. It's something for years, he has said is a sign of American weakness and a sign of America
losing. Now, there's some criticism that maybe the Chinese could come in and just bunch of soybeans or a bunch of aircraft or do a big a big order
like that. And then on the surface, it will look like you're shrinking the trade deficit, but you haven't really gone at the core of the structural
issues.
The United States is upset about what they call industrial subsidies to Chinese companies and industries, right, to outcompete the U.S. That's
something they're talking about. They're talking about cyber theft. What this deal looks like is anyone's guess,
LU STOUT: And Matt, the strength of the Chinese economy. You know, can China continue to endure a prolonged trade dispute with the United States?
RIVERS: I think China's government thinks that it can, and I think we've seen some positive economic signs, almost surprising economic signs here in
China that would leave China's government to perhaps go into these talks with a bit more confidence, a bit more leverage, but I certainly don't
think anyone in the halls of power here in Beijing would want this to continue for another year because the fact is that China's economy is
slowing down.
It's still has incredible growth rates that most countries around the world would only dream of. But things are, you know, debt is a problem here.
GDP growth is slowing. China doesn't want to deal with this if it doesn't have to, but don't forget Kristie, you know, this is yes, it's a communist
state. Yes, this is run by an authoritarian dictator type named Xi Jinping. But there is a domestic political audience here, too, and Xi
Jinping needs to not look weak in front of a domestic political audience and also within the Communist Party.
[08:10:23] RIVERS: And so, they want to have a deal, but they also don't want to look weak and that's that fine line that they're going to have to
walk here moving forward. But you know, one thing I'll say is that China specifically says here that they've faced these threats before and they
have.
I mean, this is the kind of thing that we've seen happen so many times. The trade war is on. The trade war is off. The trade war is on, it's off
again. And now apparently, it's on again, where it's going to go from here like Christine said, no one I think can firmly tell you that without a
doubt.
LU STOUT: Yes, but new trade war fears are brewing. A lot of people are spooked, especially the markets. Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing.
Christine Romans live for us from New York. A big thank you to you both.
Now, new satellite imagery obtained exclusively by CNN show the smoke trail from Friday's rocket launch in North Korea and expert says that the images
suggest the test involved a short range ballistic missile. It marks Pyongyang's first missile tests since 2017 and it comes up after North
Korea state media reported a strike drill involving multiple launchers.
And joining us now for more is CNN's Paula Hancocks in Seoul and Paula, walk us through these exclusive images and what our Intelligence experts
saying about what happened at the weekend.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting, Kristie. It's almost as though the South Korean Intelligence Agencies are
trying to downplay what North Korea was launching on Saturday at this point. They have briefed lawmakers today this Monday and lawmakers in turn
have briefed reporters, and what they say is that the Intelligence Agencies believe that it is not as provocative as something like this has been in
the past, pointing out that they're still analyzing the data and it could take months before they know exactly what was launched.
But saying that North Korea had said that it was a regular drill, they had said that it was defensive in nature and so the Intelligence Agencies were
reminding lawmakers of that. Lawmakers actually asked them, "Why didn't South Korea give some kind of response to this?" And they pointed to what
the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo had been saying about the fact that it wasn't that much of a threat. Let's listen to what the U.S.
Secretary of State said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: So we know a couple things. One, at no point was there ever any international boundary crossed that as they
landed in the water 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.
We still believe that there's an opportunity to get a negotiated outcome where we get fully verified denuclearization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: The NIS also said to lawmakers that there was an element of pressure being applied by North Korea by carrying out this kind of test,
but not too much pressure so they will controlling the level so that they wouldn't completely derail talks and that's effectively, Kristie, what
we're hearing from many experts here.
LU STOUT: It's interesting to know the rather muted international response to these weapons tests conducted by North Korea at the weekend. So does
this still leave the door wide open for diplomacy and more denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea?
HANCOCKS: As far as the Trump administration is concerned, yes, it does. I mean, the tweet we saw from the U.S. President, Donald Trump was
effectively saying that Kim Jong-un knows the economic benefits will be significant that he is not going to derail that even going so far as to say
that "I am with Kim Jong-un" saying, "Deal will happen."
And it's interesting, we actually had more of a stronger reaction from the South Korean side than we did from the U.S. side, which really hasn't
happened in a couple of years since President Moon Jae-in took power. But the Blue House, the presidential office here did point out that what North
Korea had done effectively went against a military agreement that they had agreed back in September of last year saying that neither side was going to
do anything that would heighten tensions on the Korean peninsula.
The Blue House saying effectively, this is exactly what that launch did, but also calling on Pyongyang to come back to the negotiating table as soon
as possible -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Paula Hancocks reporting from Seoul. Thank you. When NEWS STREAM returns, one of the most potent weapons in the U.S. arsenal has been
deployed as a warning to Iran. We'll you what the U.S. is worried about. Plus, U.S. President Donald Trump's anxiety over the Russia probe explodes
in a double barrel tweet. We are live at the White House, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:16:45] LU STOUT: Okay, let's head straight to the Thai capital where moments ago, 300 drones were flying information to mark the coronation of a
new monarch. Now, earlier the new monarch thanks the Thai people for the celebration of his coronation in an address from the Grand Palace in
Bangkok. It is the first coronation of a Thai monarch in almost 69 years. The moment is being celebrated in a lavish three-day event.
Now, a ceasefire between Gaza and Israel appears to be holding steady after the worst round of hostilities in years. A Gaza militant group announces
ceasefire in Sunday night. Israel has lifted restrictions on civilians living near the border, indicating an acceptance of the conditions.
The skyline over Gaza City may be quiet at the moment, but at least 27 people were killed in air raids and rocket attacks over the weekend,
including two infants. Oren Liebermann is the Israel-Gaza border. He joins us now, and Oren, a ceasefire agreement has been apparently reached,
but is this going to hold?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the key question right now, and of course, a very difficult one to answer after that ceasefire was
announced by Islamic Jihad taking effect at 4:30 in the morning, and it has been quiet over the skies of Gaza since then, for the first time in some 48
hours.
It's important to remember when you try to think about how long could this possibly hold? That before this round of fighting, there had been relative
calm over Gaza for some three or four weeks going back to before the Israeli election. That's because Egypt and the UN in the background were
trying to work out some sort of long-term ceasefire or long-term agreement between Israel and Hamas.
If they can get back to those indirect negotiations, there may be some hope here. Part of what makes this difficult is that Islamic Jihad, which
announced the ceasefire opposes any such agreement, and they see it is in their interest to try to ruin these negotiations.
In fact, it's Israel that blamed Islamic Jihad, for setting off or being the catalyst behind this round of fighting. If Israel and Hamas can keep
those negotiations away from Islamic Jihad, there is a chance here that there could be another round of relative calm here for quite some time.
The question is, how long is quite some time, Kristie? Again, it's a very difficult question to answer at this time.
LU STOUT: Yes, but for now, a truce after what has been the biggest exchange of hostilities there in years. Oren Liebermann reporting live for
us. Thank you so much.
Now, there is tension elsewhere in the Middle East as U.S. takes new action directed at Iran. Washington is sending an aircraft carrier supporting
ships and a bomber task force to the Middle East as a message to Tehran. U.S. officials say they will not tolerate Tehran attacking U.S. interests
or those of its allies.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr has been following all of this. She joins us now live. And Barbara, can you give us more context as to why
the U.S. is deploying these warships?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we are told, Kristie, is that the U.S. has seen information, Intelligence, if you will,
that Iran and Iranian backed forces are making preparations for a possible attack against U.S. forces in the region.
We know Iran has been somewhat of an underlying threat for some years now. But it does appear that there is something new, some troubling signs that
the U.S. sees. And in fact, the U.S. National Security adviser, John Bolton on Sunday night in Washington, very unusual issuing a statement
saying and I quote, "The U.S. is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to send a clear and unmistakable
message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force. The United States
is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack."
What you can take this all to mean is, especially because it came out at such an unexpected time, this is a very high level message of deterrence to
the Iranian regime, trying to show them that if they have something in mind, the price they would pay in U.S. military action would simply be too
high to even contemplate such a thing.
[08:20:53] STARR: So right now, U.S. forces on the way. No sign of anything imminent, but obviously tensions on the rise -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Got it, so this is about deterrence. This is about sending a message. And this is the Pentagon widening its scope from Russia and China
to now include Iran. How significant is this?
STARR: Well look, for some months now, the Pentagon, in fact, as you say, has been very focused on reshaping its force to be able to deal with
Russian or Chinese threats. That's been their top priority. And they always say yes, and Iran and North Korea and terrorism, and all of these
other things, as well as in addition to Russia and China, but Russia and China have been the major focus now. Over the last 48 hours, we see Iran
back at the front -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon for us, thank you. Now, Donald Trump is changing his tune about Special Counsel, Robert Mueller.
The U.S. President now says that Mueller should be barred from testifying to Congress in a hearing that could come as early as May 15th.
Just two days ago, he told reporters that the Attorney General should make that decision. But now, Mr. Trump says Mueller should not testify claiming
his presidency is being quote, "stolen." Let's bring in our senior Washington correspondent, Joe Johns. He is live for us at the White House
and Joe, after this apparent shift from President Trump, we know that he is firing back on Twitter this morning.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's true, and you know what, since Friday, Kristie, we've seen a lot of positioning and
repositioning among the House Democrats and the President of the United States, both on the issue of Robert Mueller testifying as well as the issue
of the release of the full un-redacted Mueller report.
The Democrats have appeared to be more accommodating in their demands, which they hope sets them up for a court case if it comes to that. The
President of course, doubling down which is a very common negotiating tactic for him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS (voice over): President Trump flipping his stance on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's potential testimony on Capitol Hill, tweeting, "Bob
Mueller should not testify. No redos for the Dems." But on Friday, Trump saying, it's not up to him whether Mueller testifies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's up to our Attorney General, who I think has done a fantastic job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS (voice over): Last week, Attorney General William Barr telling senators he would allow the Special Counsel to take the stand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): What about Bob Mueller? Should he be allowed to testify before the Senate?
WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I have already said publicly, I have no objection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS (voice over): The President's reversal comes as House Democrats wait to hear from Mueller about a tentative May 15th invitation. Democrats want
Mueller to further explain the ten incidents of potential obstruction by President Trump, as well as the Special Counsel's decision not to make a
determination about whether Trump obstructed justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Given the fact that Barr does not seem to be a neutral observer here, Mueller's testimony is all the more important.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS (voice over): As the clock quickly ticks for Mueller, House Democrats are demanding the Attorney General hand over the full, un-
redacted Mueller report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LOU CORREA (D-CA): Congress, our job is oversight. The American people need to know the truth. That's why we need the full Mueller report.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS (voice over): House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler threatening to hold Barr in contempt of Congress if he doesn't respond to the request by
9:00 a.m. this morning, sending the AG a letter Friday, offering to negotiate a reasonable accommodation with the Justice Department.
One person the President is willing to talk about the Mueller report with, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in their first call since the conclusion
of the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He actually sort of smiled when he said something to the effect that it started off as a mountain, and it ended up being a mouse, but he
knew that, because he knew there was no collusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS (voice over): Missing from the conversation, a warning from Trump to Putin to stop Russian interference in the 2020 election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We didn't discuss that. Really, we didn't discuss it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS (voice over): The Mueller report confirming the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systemic
fashion. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on defense over that lack of warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:25:10] MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: You're looking at the administration that has been tougher on Russia than any of its
predecessors, and yet, you continue to be fixated on something that Robert Mueller wrote down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: About 35 minutes away now, from the expiration of the latest deadline on the Mueller report that House Democrats have set. One of the
bottom lines here is that the White House and the Attorney General, the President himself have been able to control the narrative over the Mueller
report. So the question is what will happen if Robert Mueller actually gets to speak in his own words -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, hard to control the narrative when Robert Mueller is speaking directly and that could very well happen next week. Joe John's
reporting live for us. Thank you.
You're watching NEWS STREAM and still come, an announcement with life or death importance. The Sultan of Brunei changes course after a global
outcry over the Kingdom's draconian punishments for gay sex.
Plus a new environmental report which has frightening conclusions on the state of our planet, and we humans have no one to blame, but ourselves.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching NEWS STREAM and these are your world headlines. Russian investigators say they will
not suspend use of the Sukhoi Superjet aircraft involved in that deadly fire at Moscow's airport on Sunday. The Aeroflot jet burst into flames as
it slammed into the runway, killing at least 41 people. The Russian news agency Interfax says the plane was forced to come down after it was hit by
lightning.
Markets across the planet are in the red overdue trade war fears. Donald Trump is threatening to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese
goods by Friday. He tweeted that trade talks between Washington and Beijing are moving too slowly and Julia Chatterley will have more on "First
Move" in around 30 minutes from now.
Now a Gaza militant group says a ceasefire with Israel is now in effect. Israel has lifted restrictions on civilians living near the Gaza border,
indicating an acceptance of the ceasefire. It comes after a weekend of deadly violence with hundreds of rocket launches and airstrikes.
After an international outcry, the Sultan of Brunei says people convicted of having gay sex will no longer face the death penalty. The draconian
punishment was part of a new legal code that also applies to people convicted of adultery and rape. Will Ripley has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Sultan of Brunei backs down. In this televised speech, Sunday, Hassan Al-Bolkiah
said his country won't stone people to death for crimes like adultery and gay sex extending Brunei's de facto moratorium on executions that goes back
to the 1990s.
[08:30:16] RIPLEY (voice over): The Sultan also defended his Kingdom's strict, some say draconian new Islamic laws.
"There should not be any concern on the Sharia law as it is full of Allah's mercy and blessings," he said.
RIPLEY (on camera): That Sharia law and its so-called mercy and blessings still includes punishments like whipping and amputation and its thrust
Brunei, a tiny oil rich Asian Kingdom into the global spotlight.
RIPLEY (voice over): Global outrage came quickly after the country announced in April it would impose harsh punishments, including death by
stoning for those convicted of gay sex, adultery and rape. Protest from in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France and others.
George Clooney, Ellen DeGeneres and Elton John used their star power to call for boycotts of the Sultan's luxury hotels, including the iconic
Dorchester in London and Hollywood havens like the Beverly Hills Hotel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: I know a number of people are canceling events at the hotel. And it's all economic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY (voice over): Billionaire mogul, Richard Branson and American comedian, Jay Leno are also boycotting Brunei-owned properties.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LENO: You're just making people aware.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY (voice over): Social media posts blasting Brunei's anti-gay laws went viral. Human rights group say the global pressure campaign must
continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL ROBERTSON, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Imposing a moratorium on the death penalty on LGBT persons in Brunei is not the end of it. In fact, these
penalties also provide for whipping, for fines and for imprisonment for people who engage in LGBT behaviors. We don't believe that Brunei I should
be punishing anybody for who people dare to love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY (voice over): Activists say Brunei's neighbors -- Indonesia and Malaysia -- are also inflicting draconian punishments for lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: There has to be a major intervention by the United Nations and other members of the international community on Brunei, Indonesia and
Malaysia to get them to realize that it is not okay to discriminate against LGBT people and it's certainly not acceptable for them to discriminate and
abuse people in this way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY (voice over): Despite the Sultan's speech, Brunei's strict Islamic laws still threaten its LGBT community. The government can bring back
executions and stone people to death at any time. Will Ripley, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And now to a disturbing study on the fate of our planet. In just the last hour, a UN-backed environmental report was released,
highlighting the social and ecological emergency the earth now faces, and we are to blame. Research shows that around one million species are in
danger of becoming extinct -- one million -- and in just the past 50 years, 75 percent of all land has been significantly altered.
Meanwhile, plastic pollution of the world's oceans has become 10 times worse since 1980, and it is all the fault of the human population.
CNN's Nick Watt joins us now live from Los Angeles. And Nick, good to see you. Thank you for joining us on this important study. You know, we
already knew that there was a biodiversity crisis. But according to this new report, just on the last hour, it is far worse than we think.
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Listen, this report is supposed to be a wake-up call. Facts like this that since just the 1990s, the early
1990s. So a tiny sliver of global history since then, the footprint of our urban sprawl has more than doubled and that is just not sustainable.
So after years of research and six days' meeting in Paris, experts have released this report and here are just some of the horrific headlines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATT (voice over): Around one million species now face extinction, many within decades, because of humans. Three quarters of all the land on Earth
has been significantly altered in just the past 50 years by humans. Plastic pollution at sea is up tenfold since 1980 -- our fault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL EHRLICH, PROFESSOR, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: A species that named itself Homo sapiens, the wise man were being incredibly stupid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT (voice over): The human population has doubled in just 50 years. Our agriculture consumes more and more land, natural habitats are shrinking.
We continue to pollute. The climate continues to warm and natural ecosystems crumble at an accelerating rate.
One hundred forty five leading experts from 50 countries spent three years compiling this gargantuan report reaching frightening conclusions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHRLICH: The other organisms of the planet are our life support systems. You don't have to worry about them if you don't care about eating, if you
don't care about breathing, if you don't care about having fresh water and so on, then you can just forget about it and die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[08:35:16] WATT (voice over): The authors hope this work will land like last year's bombshell UN Global Warming Report which galvanized the green
movement and spurred politicians towards more urgent action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): We must also face the existential threat of our time, the climate crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT (voice over): As for our rapidly dwindling biodiversity, these experts claim it's the 11th hour, we must act now, consuming less, losing
less, having fewer children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHRLICH: I'm very, very optimistic about what we could do in theory. I'm very pessimistic about what we will do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT (voice over): One-eighth of all animal and plant species on Earth now at risk of extinction, because of us. And as this report states nature is
essential for human existence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATT: Now, one of the reasons that Professor Ehrlich who we just heard from his pessimistic is, he says, because Donald Trump is right now
President of the United States, and he has of course, vowed to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: And if the leadership is not there, if the political will, is not there to prevent this vanishing, this mass extinction, what can we do?
You and me, our viewers to shore up the planet's biodiversity and to save nature?
WATT: Well, consume less, have fewer children, reduce our impact on this world. Now, listen some experts are saying that we are already in what
they call a mass extinction event. And just to give you some context, the last mass extinction event on Earth was around 66 million years ago.
Remember the one that apparently got rid of the dinosaurs.
So this is important and we need to act now if we are to save our planet and therefore save ourselves -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: A major warning has been issued to humanity. This is so important. Nick Watt, we thank you for your reporting and take care.
You're watching NEWS STREAM. We will be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back, climbing high in India. The city of Ramanagara in the country's south is quickly becoming a haven for adventure sports. And
in today's "Iconic India," we meet a climber who is bringing new heights not only to himself, but to underprivileged children.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fringes of Bengaluru offer a mix of culture, history, nature and the opportunities to scale even more heights.
PRAVEEN C.M., ROCK CLIMBER: India has like great potential for climbing, you have rocks everywhere. You go to Bangalore like you have rocks. If
you go to Andhra, you have rocks, Tamil Nadu, you have rocks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Praveen C.M. is an icon of India's climbing community. Over 15 years of winning climbing championships have made sure
that.
In 2015, he set up the country's first rural sports climbing program to help underprivileged children.
[08:40:08] PRAVEEN: Initially, when I started climbing, it used to be hard for me to buy things and like it was all expensive. So when I look at
these kids, I feel the same thing. I could see them, the potential in them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Praveen and some of his students prepare to take on the routes at one of South India's most revered climbing sports.
PRAVEEN: We are near close to Ramanagara. We come here because we have a lot of rocks and this is like one of the best area to climb here because
this is short and we can do a couple of routes here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Known as the land of the Seven Hills with rocky outcrops of granite stone, Ramanagara is a growing hub for sport climbing
enthusiasts.
PRAVEEN: Every route is a challenge, it's like a new puzzle. You would have learned some technique here, but another route needs a different
technique.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Forty feet above the ground, Praveen is all poise as his chalk-dusted hands firmly grip the rock face, waiting for his students
to take their turn.
PRAVEEN: Most of the kids like from the rural are naturally gifted. They play with the nature so that makes them more fit and agile.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sixteen-year-old Arjun Murgn has been climbing since he was eight years old. Today he competes at the national level.
PRAVEEN: Arjun is from small place called Chitradurga. His dad passed away. Arjun has a lot of potential in climbing, but he has very less
opportunity like others.
ARJUN MURGN, ROCK CLIMBER (through translator): When I used to come to Bangalore, I used to watch Praveen. I saw him winning so many medals and
was so inspired, and I wanted to become like Praveen and have him train me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So far, Praveen has trained over 300 students like Arjun using the iconic landscape of India as their training ground.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Wow. Respect to all those rock climbers, teacher and students. Let's go back to Bangkok because just moments ago, we saw some dazzling
pictures there. The sky above Bangkok lit up as 300 drones marked the coordination of Thailand's new monarch.
The drones spelled out the name of the newly crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Earlier, he thanked the Thai people for what he called a
heartfelt celebration. This is the first coronation of Thai monarch in almost 69 years and it is all being celebrated in this lavish and
breathtaking three-day event.
And that is NEWS STREAM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Alex Thomas is next.
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