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Iran Dismisses Possibility of War in the Region; Republican Congressman Calls for Impeachment; Austria Facing Snap Vote after Vice Chancellor Resigns; States Moving Ahead to Restrict Access to Abortion; Netherlands Wins Eurovision. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired May 19, 2019 - 03:00   ET

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


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CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Tensions continue to simmer between the U.S. and Iran and now both sides are taking to Twitter to express their frustrations.

Plus, for the very first time, a sitting Republican lawmaker says U.S. president Donald Trump should be impeached.

And congratulations to the Netherlands, winners of the 2910 Eurovision song contest. We'll sample the music and the politics of the event later.

I'm Cyril Vanier, it is great to have you with us.

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VANIER: Iran's foreign minister says there will be no war in the region, even as tensions with the U.S. continue. Mohammed Javad Zarif reiterated that Tehran doesn't want conflict and says no one has, quote, "the illusion that it can confront Iran."

As CNN's Michelle Kosinski reports, the only war being fought right now has been on Twitter.

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MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing a battle of tweets of sorts between President Trump and Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif. Trump tweeted that there's fake news going around surrounding the U.S.-Iranian situation and that Iran has no idea what is actually going on.

The foreign minister responded by saying, "With the #B_Team," referring to Trump's aides, including national security adviser John Bolton saying one thing and the president saying another about the Iran situation, it is the U.S. that doesn't know what to think and that it's the U.S. that is confused.

We're seeing this at the same time that the FAA is issuing a warning to commercial aircraft about flying over the Persian Gulf, not because the FAA is clear to emphasize it seems like Iran is willing to shoot down a U.S. plane but because the tensions with weapons in the region raises the possibility that there could be a miscalculation or misidentification of aircraft.

We are, though, seeing what could be a few positive signs. There's evidence now that Iran, which had been moving missiles around on boats in the Persian Gulf, could be pulling a few of those back.

But this is just preliminary information. Of course, we also have President Trump emphasizing that he still wants to talk to Iran. No indication yet on Iran's part that it is willing to take the U.S. up on that offer -- Michelle Kosinski, CNN, Washington.

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VANIER: Of the voices calling for Donald Trump's impeachment, none have come from his own party until now. Republican congressman Justin Amash says that the U.S. president's conduct should cost him his job. He's basing that on a reading of the Mueller report, something he says most of his colleagues have not done. Boris Sanchez takes a look.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Congressman Justin Amash is not your typical rank and file Republican. He is someone who has been critical of President Trump in the past and has drawn the ire of a number of Republican congress men, people within his own party as well.

Here's a little background. He's a considered a strong libertarian, a strict constitutionalist. He was elected in 2010, a former attorney, and his criticism of the president has been noted before.

Take a look at the "Huffington Post," where they asked about his criticism of the president.

He said, quote, "I'm not here to represent a particular political party. I'm here to represent all of my constituents and to follow the Constitution."

There's another line of questioning from him that stands out. Back when Michael Cohen was testifying, many Republicans were questioning about Cohen's credibility, whether he was a legitimate source to be testifying before that committee.

That wasn't the position that Amash took. Take a look at what he asked Michael Cohen.

Quote, "What is the truth President Trump is most afraid of people knowing?"

Some of these tweets by Amash are scathing, specifically the ones about the attorney general mischaracterizing the Mueller report. So you see someone who is a Republican but isn't in line with everything that the president wants and it is meaningful and symbolic. But it doesn't represent much consequently because, on the other side, Democrats, namely Nancy Pelosi, while she says the president demonstrates grounds for impeachment every single day, it's not something she wants to move forward on. Despite this being a meaningful statement, it doesn't mean a step towards impeachment though it shows there are Republicans dissenting --

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SANCHEZ: -- on Capitol Hill -- Boris Sanchez, CNN, at the White House.

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VANIER: A former U.S. vice president, Joe Biden, held his first major campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a state Donald Trump won in 2016. Biden took plenty of shots at the U.S. president, calling him "an aberration" but he also emphasized uniting the country around America's core values.

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JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We choose hope over fear. Truth over lies. And, yes, unity over division. So, folks, it's time for us to lift our heads up, open our hearts. Remember who we are.

We are the United States of America. Admit it, there's not a single thing we can not do if we do it together. We lead by the power of our example, not by the example of our power. The only thing that can tear America apart is America itself and we cannot let that happen.

Will we be the ones to let the government of, by and for the people perish from the face of the Earth?

Can we let that happen?

Dare we let that happen?

Absolutely not. We will not, I will not, you will not.

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VANIER: Biden is the current front-runner among a crowded, very crowded field of Democrats seeking the 2020 nomination.

Let's bring in Peter Mathews, professor of political science at Cypress College in California.

Peter, great to have you back on the show. Let's start with Joe Biden. He's not about policy at this stage, unlike some of his Democratic rivals. He's about the big picture, the direction of the country and, above all, about beating Trump.

PETER MATHEWS, CYPRESS COLLEGE: Yes, and I think he's taking that approach on purpose. Because if you're more general that way, you can get more support, broad based support. If you talk about specific policy, you get into a debate with people like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. It could lose some support for him

As a generalized approach to begin with, he will have to get specific pretty soon, especially with the big debates coming up in June and July.

VANIER: One line from this approach I think sums it all up. He says, if you want to know my biggest idea on climate change, it's defeat Trump.

Let me show you a recent Quinnipiac poll. Biden would beat Trump pretty handily, 53-42.

Do you put any faith in these numbers this early in the game?

MATHEWS: Numbers can change but, certainly, I think just about anybody can beat Trump on the Democratic side because the public is so fed up with what's been going on with his policies and the malfeasance with the inquiry and the obstruction of justice. People are looking for someone else besides Mr. Trump.

So I think Biden's numbers could be reflective of what actually exists, as would any Democrat be, too.

VANIER: And there are other Democrats in that same poll, I'd say four or five others, who are either even or ahead of Trump.

MATHEWS: Yes.

VANIER: Now Biden does have to win the Democratic primary before he can hope to run against the incumbent, against Mr. Trump.

Is he vulnerable there in your opinion?

MATHEWS: Yes, he is. I don't think he's got it in the bag at all. Because you've got strong candidates like Bernie Sanders and maybe Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris that would come up.

Vice President Biden's numbers are in the 30 percent range. Still you have to look at what Biden's vulnerabilities is. He has a long history, a long record and a lot of issue positions, Anita Hill, that are controversial and other positions on what he did in a speech. There are other questions about him when he was with the banking industry in Delaware, when he voted against the bankruptcy bill.

He voted for the bankruptcy bill that actually hurt the regular folks and helped the banks, those things will be brought up by his opponents, I'm sure of that. He will have to withstand those specific accusations and get specific with issues and that makes him more vulnerable at that time.

VANIER: Let's pivot to Justin Amash, the first sitting Republican, a representative from Michigan. The first sitting Republican to advocate the impeachment of Donald Trump. Now the timing, I have to say, took me by surprise. Because this comes several weeks after the Mueller report.

MATHEWS: Yes, although, you know, Congressman Amash has been saying things about the possibility that Trump is impeachable for a long time. But now when he came out specifically and said there's grounds now to actually open the impeachment procedure, that's very serious.

But it's not the same as when Nixon, we're not at that point yet where Nixon was seeing the light with a 24 percent approval rating with Republicans. At this point, Trump has 89 percent approval rating among Republicans and only 40 percent among the general public.

So he's much stronger than Nixon. And there's other things, too. Nixon was a lame duck president, Trump is not. Many Republicans are afraid to go against him, especially in the Senate --

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MATHEWS: -- because they worry about what his base will do to them in the general election that's coming up. So there's a lot of things that are different and some similarities as well.

The beginning of the withdrawing of one Republican coming out publicly and saying this man, this president has committed impeachable offenses, that is a big start in this process. Now whether it will unravel in the snowball effect, we'll have to see.

VANIER: So you're saying there probably won't be, if I'm reading between the lines, a domino effect after this?

MATHEWS: It's difficult to say. But right now I think there could be a domino effect. Give us a few more weeks and we'll know how things are going after that.

VANIER: Always a pleasure, Peter.

MATHEWS: Thank you.

VANIER: Australia's prime minister has pulled off a stunning victory in Saturday elections. Pre-vote polls showed Scott Morrison and his liberal national coalition heading for defeat. But they've upset the Labor Party and may have enough seats even for a majority. James O'Doherty from Sky News Australia has this report.

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JAMES O'DOHERTY, SKY NEWS AUSTRALIA: It was a win that almost no one saw coming. Perhaps one of the greatest victories in recent political history. A relatively subdued mood at the Liberal Party headquarters started to shift as votes began to come in with strong results for the coalition across the east coast. Party supporters erupting as Sky News broke the news that Bill Shorten had phoned Scott Morrison to concede defeat.

It wasn't until midnight that Scott Morrison took to the stage to claim victory. SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: (INAUDIBLE) Queensland. I never thought I'd hear that in this room in New South Wales this close to Origin (ph), I can tell you.

O'DOHERTY: In winning against all the odds, Scott Morrison will now be elevated to into Liberal Party history.

TONY ABBOTT, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: These are great results for Scott Morrison and the rest of the wider Liberal team and Scott Morrison will now quite rightly enter the liberal pantheon forever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overwhelmingly in the nature of these things is presidential. And there are lots of good candidates and lots of good organizational effort and so on. You know, success has a thousand fathers. But in this case, I think Scott really is the father.

O'DOHERTY: Scott Morrison always said this campaign was about a choice between him and Bill Shorten, emphasizing his popularity in the presidential style campaign. He ran a small target strategy, attacking Labor for its higher tax and spend agenda, he says. It is clearly a campaign that worked. Scott Morrison now cementing his authority in the party.

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VANIER: And James O'Doherty from Sky News Australia reporting there.

Let's turn to another major election wrapping up, this one in India. The final phase of the six-week election is underway right now. Voters have lined up to decide whether prime minister Narendra Modi will stay in power for another five years.

The race is considered the world's biggest ever and has been marred by violence at times. The vote-counting process is set to begin this Thursday. You've been watching live pictures there.

Austria's chancellor is calling for snap elections after the country's vice chancellor resigned over corruption allegations. The scandal began when he was caught in a damning video. Here's what happened.

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VANIER (voice-over): Seated beside a woman whose face is obscured, a man in glasses casually discusses investments worth millions and plans to control an Austrian media outlet. It appears to be Austria's vice chancellor, offering government contracts to a woman who claims to be a Russian investor.

Standing is a member of the vice chancellor's far right Freedom Party. The video was allegedly filmed in secret in 2017, three months before that year's elections which brought him to power.

First published Friday in German media, its origin is unclear but the fallout unequivocal. Chanting snap elections now, thousands demanded new leadership in front of the chancellor's office, targeting his governing coalition with Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, who resigned Saturday.

After yesterday's video, "Enough is enough," says chancellor Sebastian Kurz, ending a controversial alliance between his conservative party and Strache's far right. The Austrian president agreed, with calls for early elections, describing the video of Strache as "shameful."

ALEXANDER VAN DER BELLEN, AUSTRIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The main task now is to restore the trust in our institutions from both the inside and the outside. This is unprecedented disrespect to our citizens and such disrespect I will not tolerate.

VANIER (voice-over): As he stepped down, the vice chancellor --

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VANIER (voice-over): -- referred to the footage as "a targeted political attack" and denied doing anything illegal. But he apologized for the behavior that was caught on tape.

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HEINZ-CHRISTIAN STRACHE, FORMER AUSTRIAN VICE CHANCELLOR: It was typical, alcohol-fueled macho behavior in which, yes, I also wanted to impress the attractive female host and I behaved like a bragging teenager. And with that, I ultimately deeply hurt the most important people in my life, particularly my wife.

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VANIER (voice-over): The scandal and subsequent blow to Austria's far right agenda come at a key time in the European Union. Elections for the European Parliament are just days away. And anti-immigrant populist leaders appear to be gaining momentum, forcing more moderate groups to ask themselves a difficult question.

SKA KELLER, EUROPEAN GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE: As European partners (ph), we need to take a decision.

Are we collaborating with those extremist forces?

VANIER (voice-over): It also highlights concerns about Russia's interests in meddling in foreign elections. Speaking from Croatia, German chancellor Angela Merkel said of the scandal, Europe must fight against the quote, "purchasability" of politics.

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VANIER: Tens of millions of Americans are now in the path of a severe weather system. We'll see the damage it's already done and where it might strike next.

Plus, the songs have been sung, the votes have been counted and we now have a new Univision champion. The highlights and the politics from a glitzy night in Tel Aviv when we come back.

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VANIER: Now to the polarizing abortion debate here in the United States. The procedure has been legal here for 46 years. But the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court has changed dramatically since then with conservative justices now in the majority.

Anti-abortion activists see that as their best chance to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade. Missouri became the latest of more than a dozen states to either pass or consider anti-abortion bills.

By contrast, New York and Vermont have gone in the opposite direction. They added more legal protections for women seeking abortions.

Let's bring in CNN legal analyst Areva Martin.

Is it constitutional for states like Missouri -- but we've seen others -- Ohio, Georgia -- to drastically restrict abortion?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Not in the light of the precedent that Roe v. Wade has set. It is the law of the land. It is a Supreme Court decision that controls what happens with respect to abortion. What we know about --

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VANIER: But states have some leeway, right?

MARTIN: States absolutely have some leeway. But at the end of the day, the Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. And that court has spoken.

As you said, over 46 years ago, ruling that abortion is legal in the United States. And what we know about states like Alabama and Missouri is that they are purposely enacting laws that they know violate --

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MARTIN: -- the Roe v. Wade decision with the sole purpose, not per se of having that law be enacted immediately in their state, but for the sole purpose of challenging Roe v. Wade and having a case go before this conservative Supreme Court.

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VANIER: Hold on. Let me stop you there. I want to make sure our viewers understand this.

These state legislatures are passing laws with the express intent of being sued, correct?

MARTIN: Yes, absolutely. And the Alabama governor, as she was signing these law passed by the all-male legislature in the state of Alabama, made that very clear, that her sole intent and the goal of this piece of legislation is for -- to make it to the Supreme Court, to have the Supreme Court review and overturn Roe v. Wade.

And we shouldn't step back. We can even step back two years, looking at Donald Trump. When he ran for president, he made it very much a part of his platform, of his, you know, campaign, his political platform, that he was going to appoint conservative judges on the federal court system and conservative justices to the Supreme Court for the sole purpose of overturning Roe v. Wade.

VANIER: So this is to your point, an important one for our viewers. So many of the judges that fill these appellate courts and district courts, et cetera, are political appointments. There is a political coloring to the judicial system here.

MARTIN: Yes, and although judges, Cyril, should not make rulings based on their political party, they shouldn't make rulings based on their own personal beliefs, their own Christian or non-Christian values, the reality is so many of the judges that have been appointed by Trump had to pass a litmus test and that litmus test was whether they would be in support of overturning Roe v. Wade.

So for the first time, we're seeing a very politicized federal bench. We're seeing judges selected by Donald Trump and his team, because he knows these judges have stated somewhere in their writings, you know, statements that they've made, in speeches that they've given and sometimes even in confirmation hearings, have made it pretty clear where they stand on the issue of abortion.

VANIER: Areva Martin, thank you so much. We'll talk about this again.

MARTIN: Thank you, Cyril.

VANIER: More than 70 million Americans are under the threat of severe weather from Texas to Minnesota. Dozens of tornadoes have already been reported as the region braces for rain, winds and hail. One of the twisters tore through the town of Jeronimo, Oklahoma, destroying homes and knocking down power lines, as you can see.

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VANIER: The Netherlands has triumphed at the Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. The annual extravaganza is known for acts that range from breathtaking to just bizarre. As our Hadas Gold reports, this year's songfest had the expected level of kitsch, appeals for unity and, in this instance, reminders of Middle Eastern politics.

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HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the end, it was the bookies' favorite. The Netherlands won the Eurovision song contest with a song, "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. But beyond the gaudy performances and glitzy costumes, there was the

question of how politics would play into this year's contest, considering it's being held in Tel Aviv, Israel. Eurovision has rules against incorporating politics into a performer's song and that rule held until Madonna gave a special guest performance.

Toward the end of her second song, two dancers, one with an Israeli flag on their back, one with a Palestinian flag, walked arm in arm up the stage. And then the Icelandic band, when the votes were being announced, pulled out Palestinian banners. Madonna used the opportunity for her performance to advocate for how music can bring people together.

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MADONNA, SINGER: So many countries that I have been privileged enough to visit and experience and, the thing, the one thing that brings me to those countries and the thing that brings all of these people here tonight is music. So let's never underestimate the power of music to bring people together. That's the most important thing.

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GOLD: But for the Eurovision mega fans, it was all about the competition. Netherlands won for the fifth time in the Eurovision history and next year the competition will be hosted by them -- Hadas Gold, CNN, Tel Aviv.

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VANIER: One more thing before we let you go. For the first time in 68 years, none of the top three finishers at the Kentucky Derby were present at the Preakness stakes. The second leg of the Triple Crown of U.S. horse racing. Instrument it was a horse named War of Will who blazed ahead to win the prestigious race in Baltimore, Maryland.

And in one of the more bizarre moments, watch the middle of the screen here. Oh, Bodexpress threw his jockey at the gate. That did not deter the colt from completing the race. In fact, he even took a second lap around the track before stopping. The jockey was not hurt. So there's that.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier. I will be back with the headlines in just a moment.

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