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Two Reuters journalists walked out of jail in Myanmar; The U.S. Secretary Of State Addresses Arctic Climate Change In Ways That Are Leaving Activists Scratching Their Heads; Welcome Baby Sussex. Aired: 8-9a ET
Aired May 07, 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): Reunited in freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It had become symbol of the importance of press freedom around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): Two Reuters journalists walked out of jail in Myanmar, but questions remain over democratic rights in the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The arctic is at the forefront of opportunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): Pompeo's perspectives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): The U.S. Secretary of State addresses arctic climate change in ways that are leaving activists scratching their heads.
And welcome Baby Sussex.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: The most amazing experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (voice over): Harry and Meghan welcomed their new child on Instagram as Royal watchers have one thing on their minds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: The next big question is what would this baby boy be called?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT (on camera): I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to NEWS STREAM and we begin in Myanmar where two Reuters journalists are
finally breathing the fresh air of freedom after more than 500 days in jail.
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were beaming as they walked out of prison earlier today clutching their small bags of belongings. Now, the two men were
charged under Myanmar's colonial era Official Secrets Act for reporting on the massacre of Rohingya Muslims. The Pulitzer Prize winning pair, they
were released as part of an amnesty by the President of Myanmar.
Our senior international correspondent Ivan Watson has been following all of this for us. He joins us now, and Ivan, their freedom, finally it
happened. It has been celebrated in Myanmar and around the world. What more can you tell us about their release and their reaction?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was somewhat unexpected, Kristie, at least for some of the parties that have been
negotiating for this release, but it has come as a great relief and as something to celebrate for both relatives and colleagues of these two
Pulitzer Prize winning reporters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (voice over): Families reunited. Award-winning journalist Wa Lone embraces his only child born during his year and a half ordeal behind bars.
The two journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo emerged unexpectedly from a Yangon prison on Tuesday, set free by a presidential pardon that also
released more than 6,500 other prisoners. The reporters' long walk to freedom coming after more than 500 days in jail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WA LONE, REPORTER, REUTERS: I want to say thank you very much for everything. I'm really happy and excited to see my family and my
colleagues, and I can't wait to go to my newsroom now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON (voice over): Human rights groups and fellow journalists lobbied for months for this release. The move applauded by the head of the Reuters
news agency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE ADLER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, REUTERS: Since their arrest 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the
world. We welcome their return.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON (voice over): Authorities in Myanmar first arrested the two reporters in December 2017 after they met with a police source who handed
them documents. Both were sentenced to seven years in prison for possession of state secrets. Reuters claims it was a setup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVEN BUTLER, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: The so-called state secrets were planted on them at a dinner that they had with police, not
just to shut down their reporting but to scare other journalists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON (voice over): Months after their arrest, Reuters published the result of their bombshell investigation. It contained testimony linking
Myanmar's security forces to the execution of these 10 Rohingya Muslim men and their burial in a mass grave, as well as the torching of Rohingya
homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUTLER: Well, they helped prove that there were, in fact, massacres of innocent Rohingya in the Rakhine State.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON (voice over): Seven soldiers were convicted for the killings, but the Myanmar government denies United Nations accusations that the mass
exodus of more than 700,000 Rohingyas across the border to Bangladesh amounts to genocide.
The brave work of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo blew holes in those denials making them heroes for journalists and human rights activists around the
world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (on camera): Now, it's worth noting that just last month, the highest court in Myanmar had thrown out an appeal to overturn these seven-
year jail sentences, and at the time, their attorney told CNN that the only real option left was for some kind of presidential pardon and that's
what seems to have happened.
[15:05:09] WATSON: It's also worth noting that last month is when the two reporters were granted -- were awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the highest --
one of the highest awards in journalism, and perhaps that played a role in convincing the President's office to release these two reporters.
LU STOUT: Yes, these are award-winning journalists and the fact that they were jailed in the first place, what does that say about the leadership of
Aung San Suu Kyi?
WATSON: Well, you know, she defended the convictions and the sentences that were brought against these two journalists, even as she has defended
the alleged ethnic cleansing of more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims, forced to flee across the border abandoning their homes amid these allegations of
killings and rape and torching across the border to neighboring Bangladesh.
It is all the more striking when you consider that Aung San Suu Kyi, not only did she spend years under house arrest, but she also spent time in the
same prison that these two reporters were held in. So it's not clear what exactly what role Aung San Suu Kyi played if she played any role in their
release, but it has stood as yet another mark against somebody who once was considered a pro-democracy icon -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, it's just one of many legacies takeaways from their imprisonment. It's a blight on the reputation of Myanmar and a blight on
the reputation of Aung San Suu Kyi. Ivan Watson reporting live for us. Ivan, thank you.
China is still sending its top trade negotiator to Washington this week despite the Trump administration making new threats and taking the stock
market on this rollercoaster ride. Now stocks, they have now stabilized, but investors were certainly rattled on Monday by the U.S. President
renewing his threat to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
Mr. Trump warned that this coming Friday, existing tariffs will go from 10 percent to 25 percent and that, quote, "soon" nearly all Chinese exports to
the U.S. would be targeted with tariffs.
Matt Rivers joins me now from Beijing. And Matt, the talks are on. We know Liu He, the Chinese top trade negotiator, he is en route to DC. Is
there optimism for progress? Because, you know, we also got that threat from Trump and new criticism coming from the White House.
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I don't think there's a lot of optimism at least at this point, if only just given where we were,
Kristie, really before those tweets came out on Sunday afternoon U.S. time.
I mean, don't forget it was last Friday that President Trump himself said that the chances of a deal were looking good, and then all of a sudden,
these tweets come out on Sunday, and that all went up in the air and on Sunday, Kristie, when those tweets came out, we were all saying, "Well,
that seems to come out of nowhere. What's behind those tweets?" Is it merely just a negotiating tactic or is there something behind it? And that
was clarified a little bit more on Monday in the U.S., when U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer explained the motive really behind those
tweets.
He said that when he was here last week leading a U.S. delegation, meeting with their Chinese counterparts here in Beijing, they left those
negotiations very disappointed with what they called China's reneging on a number of commitments that they had previously made centering on the kinds
of structural economic changes that the U.S. has long said must be included in the text of any actual agreement.
What they claim is that the Chinese walked those back, and they were very unhappy with that, and clearly the President was very unhappy with that --
that led to all of this. So then the question was, Kristie, well, what does China do next? The ball was really in their court.
Some were thinking that the delegation trip that was planned for this week in Washington, DC would get canceled. Well, that didn't happen. In fact,
Liu He, the top economic negotiator is still going to lead a delegation and I think that shows you that China really wants a deal to happen, whether
that's going to this week, I think the chances of that happening are far slimmer.
LU STOUT: Yes, they want a deal to happen, but if Trump's tariff threat takes effect later this week on Friday, what would that mean for China?
RIVERS: Well, all bets are off. I mean, it would have a negative effect on the economy here, no doubt about it. It also means that all those U.S.
businesses that import Chinese products are going to pay higher taxes, that's what a tariff is -- importing companies have to pay taxes on the
Chinese goods that they import.
But really, that would be an escalation -- a massive escalation -- and where it goes from there is really anybody's guess. I mean, and that's
really been the hallmark of these negotiations for well over a year now has been, what one day might seem like progress, it's one step forward, one
step back. Two steps forward, one step back. So really, we don't know where this is going to end up. We know that the Chinese don't want those
tariffs to go into effect. I think that's a huge reason why Liu He did not cancel this trip. He wants to try and avert those tariffs.
[08:15:07] RIVERS: But you know, the Trump administration says this tariff threat is real and unless something changes, they're going into effect on
Friday, and we really just have to wait and see what these two days of negotiations -- Thursday and Friday -- produce.
LU STOUT: Yes, it's incredible. Just a few days ago, it felt that the trade war was on the brink of ending. Everything has changed since then,
more can change in the days that come. Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing. Thank you.
Donald Trump's repeated claim that China itself has paid tremendous amounts to the U.S. Treasury because of tariffs, it just is not accurate. On
Sunday, the President touted this quote, "For 10 months, China has been paying tariffs to the USA." This is a claim that he has repeated numerous
times at campaign rallies and on Twitter.
But the fact is this, Trump's tariffs are not paid by the Chinese government, nor by Chinese companies. They are in fact paid by importers
of Chinese goods, either U.S. companies or U.S. registered units of foreign firms. It is a tool to discourage imports by making them more expensive.
Many times importers pass along the cost of tariffs on to U.S. consumers, or to U.S. producers who might use Chinese parts in their products.
Importers might also be forced to accept a lower profit margin or to cut costs, including wages, and even jobs for U.S. workers.
Chinese suppliers do sometimes shoulder the cost as well in indirect ways. Exporters might offer U.S. importers a discount to help offset the higher
duties, or they might lose business if U.S. importers find those same goods from a tariff free source outside of China.
But even if China were filling American coffers with billions of dollars like Mr. Trump claims --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those tariffs are costing them a lot of money and they're going into our Treasury, remember
that. We're filling up with billions of dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Those billions are chump change when you're talking about the world's two largest economies with spending budgets in the trillions. Now,
while the trade talks are inching forward, cyber warfare between the U.S. and China remains a serious concern.
A "New York Times" report citing research from the cybersecurity firm Symantec alleges that Chinese spies obtained hacking tools from the U.S.
National Security Agency and used them against U.S. allies and private companies in Europe and Asia.
The report reveals that after an attack by the NSA, China was able to snatch the computer code, repurpose the technology and carried out attacks
on targets in several countries.
CNN's national security analyst, David Sanger co-wrote this report. He joins us now via Skype. David, thank you for joining us. Can you give us
a little bit more detail first about how the Chinese got their hands on NSA hacking technology because they didn't steal it?
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (via Skype): No, they didn't steal it at this time, and I think that that raises one of the
really critical, interesting stories about the era that we are in, in cyber conflict, which is that it's very hard to hold on to your weapons.
So just as in the real world, if you launch a missile at a country, and it was a dud and it landed on the beach, somebody might be able to come in,
look at the technology, figure out how to go replicate it and use it as a weapon for themselves. That's happened lots in history. It's no different
in cyber.
In this case, what Symantec saw was a code that the Chinese were using, that we were later able to figure out, thanks to some releases through a
shadowy group called the Shadow Brokers that released American code on the internet, that in fact, this code was American. And the interesting
question was, how did the Chinese get their hands on it? And Symantec's analysis --
LU STOUT: Yes, unfortunately, it seems like we just lost that connection with David Sanger and it was just getting really interesting then, too.
Our apologies for that. We're going to try to reestablish that connection for you. But keep it here. You're watching NEWS STREAM because still
ahead in the program, Turkey's plan to scrap election results in Istanbul after the President's party lost. That is just not going down well with
the opposition. We're going to have a live report from Istanbul.
Also ahead, a mysterious change of plan for the U.S. Secretary of State after a Summit in Finland. Even the reporters traveling with him have not
been told where they're going next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:16:46] LU STOUT: All right, coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is NEWS STREAM. Now the outgoing mayor of Istanbul is crying
foul after Turkey's top election of authority voided his recent election and called for a revote.
Ekrem Imamoglu took office last month after narrowly beating out President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Parti. He plans to run for the revote in late
June telling supporters that we will quote "take back what is stolen from us."
Jomana Karadsheh, joins us live from Istanbul and Jomana, wow, the opposition has condemned this move. They've fact called a treacherous.
How does Turkey's election board explain this revote?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kristie, you have to look at the background of how we got to this situation
right there. You know, when you have those elections that took place on March the 31st, the opposition won the two main cities, Ankara, the capital
and here also, Istanbul, the financial and economic capital of Turkey and the vote key or the results were really -- it was a narrow victory for the
opposition.
Their candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, as you mentioned won by a few thousand votes, just more than 13,000 votes out of millions of votes that were cast
here. So from the beginning, this was challenged by the President's AK Parti. We had a recount that took place here, which still confirmed the
results that he had that narrow lead with those few thousand votes and he took office, as you mentioned, in April, but that was not enough for the
ruling party.
The AKP went ahead with more challenges this time to the Supreme Electoral Board. And it took them a few weeks to look into these allegations that
were put forward by President Erdogan's alliance that alleged that there were irregularities and as we heard those allegations again today from
President Erdogan saying that there was corruption and lawlessness and these irregularities that took place and they examined this and they say
that they have voted, they have ruled in favor of the AKP's challenge and this basically comes down to a few thousand electoral officials who
participated, who oversaw the vote on March 31st, who according to the law, should be public servants, civil servants, but they were not.
Of course, there are a lot of questions being raised about this for several reasons, Kristie, the most important is some on the opposition side are
saying that a number of local votes were cast on that day on March 31st.
These are different votes that were pretty much placed in one envelope and the AKP, the ruling party won some of those. They had the lead in some of
those votes, but their major defeat was the mayorship here in Istanbul, and many are questioning why did they only object -- why did they only
challenge the result of their major defeat here in Istanbul that took place under the same circumstances, the same city simultaneously at the same time
as other votes?
[08:20:09] KARADSHEH: And of course, there's always you know, people on the side of the opposition who are questioning whether any political
influence may have been exerted when it comes to this decision, especially after hearing President Erdogan weigh in over the weekend, saying that it
is the will of the people to have this vote take place again -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yes, those questions will be surely hanging on the minds of voters themselves when they go out for this revote at the end of June.
Jomana Karadsheh reporting live from Istanbul. Thank you.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has abruptly canceled a trip to Berlin just hours before his scheduled meeting with the German Chancellor
Angela Merkel. And what he is doing instead, it's a bit of a mystery.
Reporters traveling with Secretary Pompeo have not been told where they're going next, and have been warned they might not be able to report from the
unknown destination. Now what we do know it this, next week, the Secretary is heading to Russia to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov,
and possibly Vladimir Putin.
Let's get the very latest now as CNN's Fred Pleitgen, he joins us from Finland where Pompeo attending an Arctic Council meeting, and Fred a lot to
get to.
First, Secretary Pompeo has canceled that trip to Berlin. Now, the press pool traveling with them are apparently not being told where they're going
next. What's going on there?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a bit of a mystery right now as to where Secretary of State Pompeo is going
to be going next. Of course, one of the important things that he did here, Kristie at the Arctic Forum on the sidelines of the Arctic Forum was that
he met with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and it was shortly after that early this morning, that then this new meeting between these two
men was announced for May 14th to take place in Sochi in Russia.
And one of the things that we heard yesterday from both Secretary of State Pompeo and also from Sergey Lavrov is that the atmosphere between the Trump
administration and the Kremlin appears to have improved considerably if you look back for instance, a week, Lavrov and Pompeo were trading barbs quite
publicly especially over the crisis in Venezuela, with Secretary of State Pompeo accusing the Russians of preventing Nicolas Maduro from leaving
power even though he allegedly wanted to do so.
The Russians were denying that Sergey Lavrov was taking some shots at Mike Pompeo himself. So it seems as though a lot of that is now out of the way,
and it was interesting because both men then said that they were now committed to try and improve the relations between the U.S. and Russia.
Of course, all of this very pointedly, Kristie, coming after a phone call between Vladimir Putin and President Trump that took place at the end of
last week.
So certainly that seems to have broken some of the ice between the U.S. and Russia. We're going to wait and see how that all involves, but what's next
for the Secretary of State is something that at this point, we simply don't know -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Speaking of breaking the ice, Secretary has made comments about melting ice. He made this head scratching comment about climate change.
How is it good for trade?
PLEITGEN: Well, it's a difficult one, Kristie, one of the things of course, that is very much true is that a lot of nations are trying to see
how they can stop global warming -- have committed to try to stop global warming. And of course, there are many countries around the world, many
leaders around the world, many activists around the world who feel that the Trump administration is not necessarily committed to that, to trying to
stop global warming.
So Secretary of State Pompeo saying, look, the melting of the Arctic ice is something that holds great economic opportunities is certainly something
that did cause -- well, it could cause a bit of controversy. Let's listen really quickly what he had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: Steady reductions in sea ice are opening new passageways and new opportunities for trade. This could potentially slash the time it takes to
travel between Asia and West by as much as 20 days. Arctic sea lanes could come before -- could come to 21st Century Suez and Panama Canals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: There you have Secretary of State Pompeo talking about the economic possibilities of all this. And you know, to be fair to him, it is
obviously true that at all of the nations are looking at ways to try and stop global warming, but at the same time, if you look up into the Arctic
region, there are also a lot of players up there who are gearing up for the fact that a lot of the Arctic is going to become very accessible.
So the Russians, for instance, are looking at opening some of the sea lanes. China is looking to benefit from that massively putting up
investments there. And if you look, again, at the Russian side as well, they're expanding their sea -- their fleet of icebreakers to try and get to
some of the mineral reserves that are out there as well.
Needless to say, other countries are also looking at that. So it was quite interesting, Kristie, because a couple of minutes ago, I was actually able
to speak to the Foreign Minister of Iceland, who as of now is the head of the Arctic Council. He said, "Look, of course, everybody is committed to
trying to stop global warming, but at the same time, the fact that the ice is receding is a reality that all of these countries are going to have to
deal with and then of course, a lot of these countries are going to try and benefit from economically if they are able to do so --Kristie.
[08:25:14] LU STOUT: Appreciate the context behind Secretary Pompeo's comments, but a very peculiar comment for him to make on the back of that
UN report on mass extinction, citing climate change as a major threat. Fred Pleitgen, we appreciate your reporting and your explanation as well.
Take care.
Now Iran says it is keeping watch of a U.S. aircraft carrier speeding towards the Persian Gulf. The acting U.S. Defense Secretary says he has
approved deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group and a Bomber Task Force to the region. U.S. officials tell CNN that the move is in response
to quote "specific and credible intelligence" about Iranian forces and proxies targeting U.S. forces in places like Syria and Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: We have continued to see activity that leads us to believe that there's escalation that may be taking place. And so we're taking all the
appropriate actions, both from a security perspective as well as our ability to make sure that the President has a wide range of options in the
event that something should actually take place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: The U.S. has not shared any details on the underlying Intelligence to back up those claims. You're watching NEWS STREAM. Still
to come, will Congress see U.S. President Donald Trump's tax returns? The Trump administration gives its answer. What will the Democrats do next?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, you're watching NEWS STREAM and these are your world headlines. Human rights groups are celebrating
the release of two Reuters reporters in Myanmar after more than 500 days in prison. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, they were charged under the country's
Official Secrets Act for reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He heads to Washington this week as U.S. and China resume trade talks. The Trump administration is accusing China of reneging
on previous agreements, and says U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods will increase this Friday.
The outgoing mayor of Istanbul is condemning Turkey's decision to call for a revote. He had taken office last month after his opposition party
narrowly won the election. Election officials made the call after President Erdogan's party raised questions about voter fraud.
The U.S. Treasury Secretary says the answer is no, and Steve Mnuchin has made it official. He will not let congressional investigators see
President Donald Trump's tax returns. The announcement comes as Democrats also battle the administration over Special Counsel Robert Mueller's
report.
The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a Wednesday vote on whether to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to
release an un-redacted version.
[08:30:14] LU STOUT: Now, where do we go from here? Lauren Fox is standing by on Capitol Hill. Lauren, good to see you. We have this
growing dispute between President Trump and Congress.
LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITICS CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, that's right, Kristie. You know, Democrats are trying to plot their way forward when
they are dealing with unprecedented stonewalling from the Trump administration, the latest blow coming from the Treasury Secretary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOX (voice-over): The Trump administration raising a new roadblock in House Democrats' efforts to investigate the President. Treasury Secretary
Steven Mnuchin refusing to hand over President Trump's personal and business tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee.
In a letter to Chairman Richard Neal, Mnuchin writing he decided Treasury can't give the documents, saying he "determined that the committee's
request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose."
Neal saying the committee "will consult with counsel and determine the appropriate response." The tax return battle could make its way to the
Supreme Court, as the Trump administration's contempt for Congress becomes more apparent.
House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler considering contempt of Congress for Attorney General William Barr, scheduling a vote for tomorrow after Barr
declined to provide the full, un-redacted Mueller report by Monday. Justice Department officials will try to diffuse the situation in a meeting
with committee staff today.
But Nadler says the "plans to consider holding Attorney General Barr accountable for his failure to comply with our subpoena still stand."
Democrats saying Barr's refusal to release the report gives them no choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. TED LIEU (D-CA): We have to fight fire with fire and have all our options on the table. One of them is contempt. I hope we don't have to
use it this Wednesday, but we will if we must.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): While the Attorney General skipped a hearing last week, the House Judiciary Committee is pressing forward with another request, to
host Special Counsel Robert Mueller at a hearing next week, tentatively May 15th.
Mueller is still a Justice Department employee, which means officials could block him from testifying. President Trump tweeting Sunday, "Bob Mueller
should not testify," after weeks of saying it was up to Attorney General William Barr, who told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
(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've already said publicly I have no objection to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOX (voice over): A Trump administration official telling CNN the President's tweet was misinterpreted, saying, "The President was expressing
his opinion, that the investigation is over and it's time to move on."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOX: And Kristie, do you know Democrats are also potentially looking to hold former White House counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress. That's
if he doesn't turn over subpoena documents by 10:00 a.m. this morning. They also want to hear from him but the White House could exert executive
privilege and block his congressional testimony -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Wow and as preparations are underway for this contempt showdown involving the Attorney General, how will that vote proceed? And also what
does it mean to be held in contempt of Congress?
FOX: Well, there's a little bit of precedent for this, Kristie, you know, Eric Holder, the former Attorney General was held in contempt of Congress
because he would not turn over documents related to the House Oversight Committee's investigation into Fast and Furious that was a couple of years
ago. He continued on being the Attorney General, of course, so we expect much the same, but it certainly, it is a big moment on Capitol Hill.
This will be the first time that they have held someone in contempt of Congress, as Democrats have taken the House in this new congressional
session -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Got it. Lauren Fox reporting live from Capitol Hill. Lauren, thank you.
Congratulations are pouring in from around the world following the birth of the Royal baby. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been notably private
with any details about the child, but that hasn't stopped speculation about possible names and titles for the newest Royal. Max Foster is it Windsor
Castle with more and what we don't know and Max, are we going to learn the name of the new Royal Baby today?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: We don't know, maybe, it all depends on whether or not they've agreed on one. Harry suggested yesterday that
they are working through that process which suggests that any sort of ideas that they had before the birth, you know, are being reassessed. It often
happens, doesn't it, Kristie, when you look at this baby, have a baby name in mind. We don't know whether or not Meghan's lobbying for a U.S. name,
Harry for a British name.
Certainly all the betting is around British names, very traditional names like Alexander. Anyway, you can see that the announcement that was made
yesterday. That was on Instagram. We're expecting the next sort of announcement if I can call it that tomorrow, which is a photo call of
Prince Harry, again, but with his wife, the new mother and new baby boy as well.
If we have a name before then, we should have a sense of title as well, which is the Queen's department, so we're waiting to hear from Buckingham
Palace on that.
[08:35:08] LU STOUT: Yes, so much that we don't know. And I've got a question for you about the timing of announcements. You know, as the news
trickles out, the Royal Baby arrived in the world at around sunrise yesterday about 5:26 a.m. local time, but we didn't hear the news that the
Duchess of Sussex was even in labor until hours after that. So you know, why is that happening? Is this for privacy reasons?
FOSTER: Well, there are a few technical issues, I think, in terms of release of information yesterday. Also, I think it's just a very simple
issue that Prince Harry, who would be in communication with his staff was, you know, with his wife in labor and having a baby.
So all of these sort of plans on how they're going to announce things or depend on you know, the office being a told about them. So the sequence of
events ultimately sort of get speeded up if the baby comes out very quickly, as it did yesterday.
You know, there's also this question about where the baby was born. Lots of media reports, which aren't being confirmed or denied that the Duchess
was swept up to London in the middle of the night to a hospital where she had the baby. The Palace won't say either way, and that is a message in
itself saying, "We are not going to talk about what we regard as private moments."
The issue with that is that ultimately, the location is going to come out with the birth certificate, so I'm not quite sure why they're holding back
on that one. But Meghan and Harry very much run their own PR, so it's their decision and I'm sure they have their reasons.
LU STOUT: Of course and what is true and what is real is just that joy we saw emanate from Prince Harry's face. He was absolutely beaming when he
shared the announcement with the world. Max Foster reporting live for us from Windsor. Thank you so much and take care.
You're watching News Stream and still to come right here in the program. We're going to take you to a city in India, where a life-changing
experience awaits.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is NEWS STREAM. Now you know it already. Modern yoga has taken the world by storm
from Hong Kong to London to Los Angeles, but for a life-changing experience, thousands are flocking to the south Indian city of Mysuru.
It's where one of the most popular styles of modern yoga was born, and we take you there in today's "Iconic India."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Before sunrise, as the Indian city of Mysuru sleeps, a group of visitors from around the world queue patiently outside what has
become one of the top tourist destinations in the area.
For the past five months, Patrick Winogrond, a yoga teacher from Canada has been studying here at the KPJAY Shala, an ashtanga yoga school.
PATRICK WINOGROND, YOGA TEACHER, CANADA: When you're coming here in many ways, you're coming to some of the source, the origins, the beginnings of
what we now understand modern yoga to be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the home of the late Krishna Pattabhi, Jois, the renowned yoga teacher credited for taking ashtanga to the world and
teaching the likes of Madonna, Sting and Gwyneth Paltrow their moves.
WINOGROND: In many ways, he was somewhat of a pioneer teaching yoga to a larger audience of bringing yoga to the west.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Touch the floor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since his death, the reins of the institute have been handed over to his family.
WINOGROND: The Jois family -- and the lineage of Pattabhi Jois, I'd say they're really quite famous.
[08:40:10] WINOGROND: They've been teaching a very long time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bursting at the seams, nearly 100 people fill the hall for this morning's class, all breathing in unison and under the
guidance of Sharmila Mahesh, the granddaughter of Pattabhi Jois.
SHARMILA MAHESH, GRANDDAUGHTER OF PATTABHI JOIS: My grandfather used to say, practice, practice, practice -- all is coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today, it's the visitors who are coming from as far afield as China. Students sign up months in advance to learn and perfect
their yoga practice.
MAHESH: It is one of the oldest institute in the world. My grandfather opened 70 years ago. So it is a legendary institute.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The popularity of the Jois family has led to Mysuru being recognized as one of the leading yoga destinations in India, where
the streets, houses and cafes are filled with yoga students. But this city is more than just yoga.
WINOGROND: Mysuru is pretty small compared to the rest of the big Indian cities. But you just keep uncovering new layers and new things.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Visitors like Patrick venture beyond the yoga centers, immersing themselves in the heritage, the philosophy, and even the
language. Apart from the yoga, there's just an unlimited variety of classes and learning to do in many things that you don't have the attention
to do at home. And you do it in a way that tends to be a little bit more deep and intense.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A vacation that broadens the mind as well as the body in the city where yoga is more than meditation. It's a way of life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Child's Pose. That's my favorite pose. Now finally, did you see the latest episode of the hit show "Game of Thrones"? Spoiler alert.
An item in one scene has got everyone talking.
At a table laid out for medieval feast, some fans, they spotted a rather modern-looking coffee cup, very much like the ones used at Starbucks. You
can see right there in the bottom right of your screen. It's not clear whether or not the cup in fact came from the coffee giant.
However Starbucks is running with this, having some fun with it all. Now "Game of Thrones" fans they will get the reference with this tweet. "What
do we say to a Monday without coffee? #NotToday."
That is NEWS STREAM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere "World Sport" with Alex Thomas is next.
(SPORTS)
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