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CNN 10
Impeachment Trial Moves Forward; Russia Resignation
Aired January 16, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 HOST: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz. An impeachment trial is moving forward in the United States government, and an objective explanation of
that is what`s first today on CNN 10. On Wednesday the U.S. House of Representatives voted to appoint impeachment managers and send its articles
of impeachment to the U.S. Senate.
Here`s what that means, the managers are seven House Democrats who are expected to argue their case in front of the Senate, and after that the
lawyers of U.S. President Donald Trump will present their defense. The articles of impeachment are what they`ll be debating. There are two formal
charges from the House -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Democrats say President Trump abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate the son of political rival Joe Biden, a former U.S. Vice
President who`s running for the presidency this year.
Democrats say President Trump obstructed Congress by not fully cooperating with the House impeachment investigation. Republicans say that
investigation was unfair and biased against the President, and President Trump has called it a "sham," "a hoax," and "a witch hunt."
The formal House vote to charge the President was held on December 18, and there was a deep partisan divide over it. Everyone who voted to impeach the
Republican president is a Democrat. Almost everyone who voted against impeaching the President is a Republican, though three Democrats joined
Republicans in voting against one or both impeachment articles.
The House is controlled by Democrats, the Senate is controlled by Republicans and political analysts expect the Senate to find the President
not guilty, allowing him to remain in office.
First though, the Senate has to hold its trial and the Senate majority leader says that`ll likely pick up steam on January 21.
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SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Article One is adopted.
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AZUZ: In our nation`s history there have been only two impeachment trials of a sitting president, but no president has ever been convicted and
removed from office. In 1868 President Andrew Johnson was tried in the Senate on articles of impeachment relating to his firing of war secretary
Edwin Stanton. The Senate acquitted Johnson, found him not guilty -- falling just a single vote shy of the required two-thirds majority to
convict and remove him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear ye, hear ye --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Over a century later in 1999 the Senate tried President Bill Clinton on articles of impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice -- the
Senate acquitted Clinton on both counts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So how does this work? The U.S. Constitution lays out the impeachment process --
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The House of Representatives holds hearings to decide whether or not to impeach.
VINOGRAD: If a simple majority of the House votes to impeach, the case goes to the Senate for a full impeachment trial. While we call these Senate
proceedings trials, they actually are very different from the typical criminal trial in five key ways.
First, the jury. In a Senate impeachment trial all 100 U.S. Senators serve as jurors, and unlike a criminal case they don`t need a unanimous decision.
A super majority of at least two-thirds is required to remove a president from office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States, now pending --
VINOGRAD: Senators must take an oath to be impartial, but there is no way to enforce that. While in a criminal trial any impartial juror can be
removed.
HONIG: Second, the burden of proof. In a criminal trial the prosecutor must prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt -- that is the highest burden
of proof known to our legal system. But in a Senate impeachment trial there is no such requirement. It`s up to each individual Senator to determine how
much evidence is enough to convict.
VINOGRAD: Third, the rules. In a criminal trial there are detailed rules about certain kinds of second-hand information that aren`t allowed. And
trials follow procedure from opening statements, to questioning witnesses and closing arguments.
But in the Senate it will be up to the Senators to decide on those procedures and there`s no prosecutor. House managers, usually members of
the House of Representatives are appointed by the House and serve the role of the prosecutor.
GRAHAM: We need witnesses, ladies and gentlemen.
HONIG: Fourth, the judge. The Constitution requires that the chief justice of the Supreme Court preside over a Senate impeachment trial of the
president. In the current Supreme Court that would mean Chief Justice John Roberts would preside.
VINOGRAD: Fifth, the punishment. Usually a defendant in a criminal case faces imprisonment. But if convicted, the punishment a president faces is
removal from office and being banned from every holding office again.
HONIG: With only two models in U.S. history of how a Senate impeachment trial might unfold, there`s a lot we don`t know about what could happen.
But one thing`s for certain, it will not look like a typical criminal trial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Next today, the entire government of Russia has resigned. But it wasn`t at a protest. It was apparently done to make it easier for Russian
President Vladimir Putin to make major changes to his country`s constitution.
It says Russia`s president cannot serve more than two terms in a row. Putin did that starting in the year 2000 and ending in 2008. Then he was
appointed Russia`s prime minister for four years. And his election back to the presidency in 2012 led to two more terms in office as Russia`s leader.
His current term ends in 2024. And what he`s proposed doing is shifting some of the government`s power from the president to parliament and the
prime minister. Critics say that President Putin might be positioning himself to be prime minister again when his term as president ends and that
he wants to make sure that he holds onto power when that happens.
Other observers say the president wants to give the government a fresh makeover in the years ahead to help its economy while still retaining some
power for himself.
Ten second trivia. Which of these U.S. universities was founded in 1789, making it the oldest on this list. University of North Carolina, Purdue
University, Texas A&M, or the Citadel.
All of these schools were founded in the 1800s except for UNC. In some of those very schools are taking on a new challenge when it comes to getting
students ready for job interviews.
In addition to a great cover letter, the appropriate outfit, and knowing something about the company you`re applying to; applicants may need to be
ready to face a computer. Some businesses are using artificial intelligence to whittle down a field of job applicants.
They`re given a series of questions to answer over their laptop or smartphone, then it`s not a recruiter, it`s an algorithm that analyzes
their facial expressions, their grammar, their tone of voice. And A.I. then concludes whether a human is enthusiastic, determined, or good at teamwork.
This is a new technology. It`s not really a proven one. And while it might save companies time when interviewing a large number of applicants for say
an entry level position, there are some concerns that computers can`t assess people.
Their drive or their potential like another person can. And critics say these short comings can be applied to the other ways in which some
businesses are turning to artificial intelligence, even if it makes sense for them financially.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Artificial intelligence is reshaping nearly every way in which we work. Some aspects of business like human resources, marketing,
and customer service are already in these early transformative stages.
But the drones and driverless cars that will revolutionize supply chains and business models still belong to a relatively distant future. Despite
A.I.s potential, only 12 percent of organizations used it last year in some way.
According to an Adobe survey of 13,000 professionals. But an additional 30 percent planned on employing it within 12 months. Embracing emergent
technology is not without risk but those who take the chance now have the most to gain.
Early adopters could potentially double their cash flow by 2030. That`s because experimenting today might allow companies to create new products,
find better business models, and help control the broader conversation.
On the flip side that same reporter predicts that companies that wait may see a 20 percent cash flow decline. If A.I. fundamentally reshapes how we
work, it has the power to do so for better or worse.
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AZUZ: If you`ve ever felt like you`ve been running on treadmill like forever, this guy knows what you`re talking about. His name is Mario
Mendoza and he recently set a new treadmill world record.
He ran 31 miles in almost three hours and he was flying. His average pace was six minutes per mile. Mendoza earned his record at Madras High School
in Madras, Oregon. He wanted to promote fitness and inspire students. Now that`s the way to break a leg.
He must have had a one track or single track mind to keep up that pace while staying in place, tread milking that record like a (inaudible). And
while the finish line looked just like the starting line, he took it all in stride because if the shoe fits you just got to run with it you all.
I`m Carl Azuz, we`re not in Kansas but Trailridge Middle School is in the city of Shawnee. Big shout out to our viewers there. For tomorrow`s school
we`ll be looking through comments on today`s show at YouTube.com/CNN.
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