Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Pilots Accuse Boeing of Withholding Safety Info; Saudi Intelligence Officer Shocked by Recording; U.S. Trial for "El Chapo" Begins; First Lady Pushes Out Deputy National Security Adviser; Legacy of Prince Charles Tied to Dumfries House; Hockney Painting Expected to Fetch $80 million; Draft Brexit Deal Reached Between U.K. And E.U.; Trump Lashes Out At Macron On Twitter; Palestinian Factions Announce Ceasefire With Israel; Death Toll Climbs To 48 In Northern California Wildfire; California Resident Fights To Save Home From Fire. Aired 1- 2a ET
Aired November 14, 2018 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: -- Brexit summit with E.U. leaders, then more negotiations over trade, security, and immigration, and then finally a vote by the British Parliament which is overwhelmingly opposed to a draft agreement. So 872 days since the referendum to leave the E.U. and here we are 135 left until the Brexit deadline. So what could possibly go wrong? We get details now from CNN's Bianca Nobilo.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The U.K. and E.U. negotiating teams have agreed on a draft Brexit text. An emergency cabinet has been called in the U.K. for Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. London time. It is in that cabinet meeting that Theresa May will be trying to win around her cabinet to fully back her Brexit plan. Now, to increase her chances of success, she'll be meeting with members of her cabinet individually and briefing them on her plan particularly the most controversial aspects of her Brexit plan pertaining to the backstop solution and how to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland.
If the cabinet backs Theresa May's deal, it will then go to Brussels where it will receive final approval. After that happens, the draft will then move back to the House of Commons. The Cabinet see their agreement on this deal as a test of whether or not it's likely to make it through the House of Commons because that is going to be a huge obstacle for Theresa May to surpass. It's not known if the Prime Minister has the votes needed to pass her Brexit plan through the House of Commons. That's because the Democratic Unionist Party which props up her government has voiced strong opposition to her plan.
She also has the wrath of the Brexiters appears to worry about on both sides of the houses of parliament who thinks her plan doesn't go far enough to separate Britain from the E.U. There's also Remainers who have other concerns about her Brexit deal. And as always with Brexit, the Prime Minister's survival in her post depends on her perceived ability to deliver on that referendum result and to deliver Brexit. It's absolutely imperative to her political survival. Bianca Nobilo, CNN London. VAUSE: CNN's European Affairs Commentator Dominic Thomas joins us now
from Los Angeles. OK, Dominic, perhaps another British Prime Minister from a time long ago was able to sum up exactly where we stand right now in the Brixton process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINSTON CHURCHILL, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, that was Churchill in 1942 off of a decisive victory at North Africa. He still had to go on and defeat the Nazis but that seems like a pretty modest to-do list compared to everything which Theresa May still has to do here.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Right. And I mean, I suppose you know it was quite an achievement at the end but it did take in several years and that the best kind of deal that Theresa May is looking at here is a is a transition period that'll be even longer than the period since they voted to leave the -- to leave the European Union.
And so when we think along the way there's sort of the different factions and groups that she somehow has to satisfy from the Democratic Unionist Party, to the Brexiters, to the Remainers, and so on, it seems really very unlikely that what she's going to come out with here is going to sort of move the goalposts in any real significant direction.
VAUSE: You know, I do have a suspicion that this draft plan will be approved by cabinet on Wednesday because they've already bought the furniture for the government Department. Here's information actually from the contract. 700,000 pounds have been spent, almost $1 million on 700 workstations in chairs, a thousand individual lockers, all to be delivered to an office in Leeds next week for a thousand full-time employees.
The Prime Minister's supporters also make the point she wouldn't be putting this deal to cabinet if she didn't think she could get it through. So in other words, do they kill it in cabinet or do they back a plan which has almost no chance of being approved by Parliament?
THOMAS: Yes, well you're being optimistic. I think the furniture company is going to do very well out of it and they better make sure that they sign that deal before this goes ahead. Look, when we spoke about this just a couple of weeks ago, shoots come out with this incredible declaration that the deal was 95 percent done. And at that particular moment the Brexiters, the DUP, and all the others spoke out and said no way. This is not going to sort of satisfy.
So one is really hard-pressed to imagine what the remaining five percent is going to be and how this is possibly going to move the goalposts in a meaningless direction. When we look at you know the opposition, the outspoken nature that it would not be you know at all surprising if the -- if we sort of started off the day tomorrow in London with more people and withdrawing from the government. There's already been criticism of some of the leaked information from the Brexiters and so on so it's very hard.
We've been through so many different options, and ideas, and plans, and Theresa May has a tendency to think that each one is going to be the final solution, and on each and every occasion it is led with opposition. One might argue that the cabinet members are so incredibly fatigued by the process that they eventually just going to go along with it once and for all or they're going to end up with is a general election which they're trying to avoid at all costs.
[01:05:20] VAUSE: You know, what we know is this is about 400 pages of compromise and concessions actually aims for the least bad outcome which will please nobody. At the same time, there's no real tone from the Labour opposition. Its official position is to support a Brexit deal which delivers the exact same benefits we currently have as member of the single market and customs union. That is the news related by Labour status.
THOMAS: Yes, I mean, the Labour Party are part of the problem and not the solution. The level of divisiveness in that party and that really kind division parallels that in the -- in the conservative party. And so, there's no real solution to be found there. And yes, absolutely, now at the end of the day, leaving the European Union but ending up following essentially the rules and regulations but having no say in it seems like a bad deal and remaining in the European Union seems like far better deal in comparison with that.
And so, what we really have is a -- is a serious broader political crisis. And this was indicative really of the march for the -- for the people's votes where 750,000 people took to the streets and they were ignored by the bulk of the Labour Party and also by the -- by the Conservative Party. And you've got all of these different wings and different factions. And at end of the day, the destructive tendency of these different factions are going to most likely prevent any kind of meaningful deal really coming out of this.
VAUSE: And (INAUDIBLE), Dominic, because it seems that the love of romance between French and U.S. President is voluntarily over. Two days after arriving home from a much-criticized trip to Paris, Donald Trump tweeted a stream of mean personal attacks on Macron. Emanuel Macron suggest building his own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China, and Russia, but it was Germany in World Wars I and II, how did that work out, France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!
But wait, there's more. On trade, France makes excellent wine but so does can the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France. It charges big tariffs whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wine and charges very small tariffs. Not fair, must change.
And then came this last one. By Trumpian standards, it should be considered maybe the lowest blow of all, going after the man's approval ratings. The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low approval rating in France, 26 percent and unemployment rate of almost ten percent. He was just trying to get on to another subject. By the way, there is no country more nationalist than France, very proud people and rightly so.
OK. Dominic, there's been no comment from Paris and with regard to that first tweet, no comment from Berlin either. It seems the action among many European leaders now seems to be just ignore the American president and almost move away from the U.S. to a more Europe first policy in a bigger general sense.
THOMAS: Right. I think the whole purpose of the -- of the commemorations that just took place in France were to provide people with a reminder of the incredible sacrifices and the tragedies that Europe faced at one moment in history. And this was followed up short after with the Second World War. Since then, for over 70 years, through cooperation, through understanding, through conversation, a new Europe has been built and this is unambiguously evident in the close proximity between Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel during this particular occasion.
And President Donald Trump was very much on the outside subjected to overt critiques from the French President and at the same time sitting there and witnessing this kind of understanding that was clearly there between the Chancellor and the French -- and the French president. And this was -- this was lost on him. And it was an unfortunate situation of course.
VAUSE: It also has not gone unnoticed that the tweets from the U.S. President came two days after he left Paris. He was 8,000 kilometers away from the French capital and safe at home six time zones away.
THOMAS: Yes. I mean, this was the other aspect of it because of course as he was leaving Paris, he sending these positive tweets as anyone would do and after having been received by a graceful host saying that these were wonderful ceremonies, that he got himself to speak at a particular ceremony in the rain and thanked them for it. He said many world leaders were there.
I think he underestimates the impact of Emmanuel Macron's words and on the flight back to the United States and being confronted by domestic issues and the domestic media which let's not forget while he was away in France, the echo chamber he's accustomed to is not available on the networks over there and he came back to face that and responded as he -- as he often does and -- with twitter. And you know, we'd have some conversation about this you know, earlier over the weekend. It was obvious that the bromance was coming to an end and they really are as with Donald Trump. Every relationship is just simply one tweet away from it going south. And in this particular case things have decidedly and definitely cooled off.
01:10:15] VAUSE: Yes, Dominic, thank you. Good to see you. A ceasefire in Gaza appears to be holding after Hamas militants in Israel agreed to a ceasefire bringing to an end the worst violence there in four years which threatened to spiral into an all-out war. From Gaza City here's CNN's Arwa Damon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a starkly different kind of night, extremely quiet compared to what it was just 24 hours ago when Israeli forces were pounding multiple strategic military and other targets inside Gaza City in response to Hamas and Islamic Jihad launching hundreds of rockets and mortars towards Israeli territory. Once at cease fire came into effect first announced by the joint operation center of both Islamic Jihad and Hamas and has circulated on social media, you could really feel the relief amongst the population here because up until that point they were waiting for night to fall not knowing exactly what it would bring, not knowing what sort of hostilities it would bring.
After prayers took place, there were people that took to the streets celebrating what they were calling a victory. Although the reality is that victory here is one that still continues to be incredibly painful. This is a cycle that the population here and on the other side of the border have been through before. But this escalation of violence that we witnessed over the last few days is much more intense than anything has been since 2014. And even though people here may be feeling this temporary sense of relief, there is also that sense that it is perhaps just a pause when it comes to the broader issues and hostilities. Arwa Damon, CNN Gaza City, Gaza.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: While, Palestinians in Gaza was celebrating, just across the border fence in Israel there were angry demonstrations. Hundreds of residents blocked roads and set tires on fire. They reportedly plan to take their protest to Tel Aviv on Wednesday. A ceasefire they say it's just more the same and they're demanding a permanent solution to end the ongoing rocket fire from Gaza and it seems they're not without support from high-ranking Israeli lawmakers.
According to multiple reports at least four senior Israeli cabinet ministers opposed to ceasefire with Hamas militants in Gaza including the Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman who issued a public statement firmly denying he ever supported an end to the fighting. Which raises the question how long will this latest ceasefire hold. Shibley Telhami is a Fellow at the Saban Center and Author of The Stakes, America and the Middle East is with us from Washington. Shibley, thank you for being with us.
SHIBLEY TELHAMI, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: My pleasure. I'm also a Professor at the University of Maryland.
VAUSE: I'm glad we got that in as well, thank you. Here's part of the reporting from the Haaretz newspaper about the defense minister Avigdor Lieberman. Associates of the defense minister said that from the moment the latest round of hostilities began, he demanded that Israel take a tough and resolute action against Hamas. Lieberman is a hard right divisive politician but in terms of power and influence he is second only to the prime minister in Israel. Clearly, he wanted this military operation to continue. He had support and now he's somewhat accusing the government of being soft on Hamas. Is it only a matter of time before Lieberman gets his way?
TELHAMI: Well, first of all, it's not really clear if he means it or not. Now, let me say -- let me say what I mean by that. Obviously, there is a hard-line constituency in Israel that wants more action. I think that realistically there is not much that Israel could do that would solve this problem for them, the political problem. If there was a military solution for this Netanyahu would have gone for it. They -- you know, it's not just Lieberman.
Military -- right now Israel gets the unlimited support from the U.S. This administration would not stop them if they wanted to go in. The Arab world is preoccupied. So the reason they don't go in is because there really isn't a military solution. Of course, they could hurt Hamas quite a bit, but then they end up either occupying Gaza creating a vacuum, creating more instability, more misery, but also it comes back to haunt them. So they may score public opinion points in the short-term but by the time they come up for new elections, reality will set in and that's what Netanyahu clearly understood and that's why he decided to go for a ceasefire.
VAUSE: OK. So there's no military solution here and I think that's pretty obvious that there is no military solution unless the Israelis want to reoccupy Gaza on a permanent basis. Is there another plan, is there another way of dealing with this? Or are we looking at the plan right now? You used to have a flare-up of violence every couple of years and that's a you know, takes out -- you know, kills a few people and then it comes down and then we wait a little bit longer and the violence flares once more.
[01:14:59] TELHAMI: Well, in the short term, you know, both sides obviously want to ceasefire at the moment. It serves both of their interest. No one has much to gain by an expansion of the hostilities. The question is whether they could come up with a longer-term ceasefire plan. Obviously, a full deal is not on the horizon right now. What the Trump administration, if it puts the plan on the table, it's not likely to have much to offer to the Gaza.
So the Egyptians have been working on a longer-term ceasefire plan. In fact, it was reported they're close to it, and then, I understand Egyptian delegation is probably on its way to Israel to hammer that out again.
The advantage of a longer-term ceasefire plan is obviously that you don't go through these shorter-term cycles. And clearly, each side would have to show restraint. It doesn't solve the big problem. And the big problem is that Hamas itself ultimately is not going to be able to solve the economic humanitarian problem it faces.
It might be a short-term fix with the infusion of funds or more opening. But clearly, people can buy time. And I think that's what the Prime Minister of Israel is trying to do.
VAUSE: There's no other time through here. I mean, by 2020, Gaza runs out of fresh water. The humanitarian's the situation inside the Gaza Strip gets worse by the day. The unemployment continues to rise. This is not a strip of land and a group of people who have a lot of time.
TELHAMI: Exactly. And part of it is if it's such a desperate situation in Gaza. And no one is really putting something on the table that can fix that. And especially, in light of the fact that the Trump administration decided to cut off aid to the Palestinians, and to honor well the U.N. agency that is helping the refugees.
As you know, a very large proportion of Gaza's population is made up for refugees. So, it's a desperate situation and a ceasefire is not going to solve that. It might help in the short term things like providing a little bit more electricity.
Instead of a few hours a day, maybe expanding that, but that doesn't solve the big problem that we face. It is still a humanitarian disaster and it is still a political crisis that the military solution will not be able to fix.
VAUSE: Shibley Telhami, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you.
TELHAMI: My pleasure.
VAUSE: The wildfire came right to his front door. Coming up, one man's battle to save his home in Northern California.
And later this hour, pilots say Boeing failed to issue a warning about a potentially dangerous feature in the new 737's flight control system.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:11] VAUSE: The death toll continues to climb and thousands of homes and buildings remain under threat from California's unprecedented wildfire emergency.
Strong gusty winds eased a little in the past hour. So, helping firefighters battle the so-called Woolsey Fire in the states' South. Now, about 40 percent contained. That fire, though, has claimed two lives and burned almost 400,000 square kilometers.
To the north, the Camp Fire death toll has risen, 48. More than 300,000 people have been evacuated statewide. Most still waiting to return to their homes or what may be left to their homes. But one man decided to stay and fight the blaze and save his home. Nick Valencia has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRAD WELDON, RESIDENT, PARADISE, CALIFORNIA: And everything around us was on fire and we knew it was time.
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While everyone else in Paradise was fleeing the fire, Brad Weldon decided to stay put at home, and fight it himself.
For the first few hours, you're using this garden hose? WELDON: This garden hose, one out there, one in the front, one on the roof, and one out by the shop.
VALENCIA: So, how much help do you have? I mean, you have other --
WELDON: Me and my 26-year-old helper, my mom's caregiver.
VALENCIA: Inside, his 89-year-old mother, Norma Weldon.
WELDON: Here we go, mama.
VALENCIA: Who is blind, she didn't want to leave. So the two men went outside to fight the blaze as it close in on them.
WELDON: There was times we're laying on the ground, pouring the water on ourselves so we didn't burn.
VALENCIA: Was there ever a point where you thought that you were going to die?
WELDON: Oh, yes. Quite a few. Quite a few.
VALENCIA: Four hours into battling the blaze, the garden hose runs out of water. So they use his above ground pool.
WELDON: And then, this time, start running a five-gallon buckets, and that's even more it gets. You're already tired.
VALENCIA: Who are you?
WELDON: I'm just old man. I'm just old guy, man.
VALENCIA: Just an old man that wanted to keep his home from burning up.
WELDON: Yes.
VALENCIA: He recorded cell phone video as his home began to burn.
WELDON: It feels good to have it. It feels so sad for everyone. Everybody I know lost everything. And it's sad.
VALENCIA: The Camp Fire tearing through Northern California is the most lethal fire in state history. Responsible for more than 40 deaths, and now, 30 percent contained.
Woolsey Fire also remains active in southern California. Destroying 93,000 acres so far. In Butte County alone, more than 1,500 welfare checks have been called into officials from residents who cannot find their loved ones. Brad and his friend, Mick (INAUDIBLE) consider themselves lucky.
WELDON: We got some donations, we got a few loaves of bread.
VALENCIA: Five days after surviving the blaze, they say they still have enough supplies to last a few days. Police have told them, if they leave to get more, they won't be allowed to return.
WELDON: I'm not asking anybody for a handout, I'm just asking to be able to take care of myself. If they'll let me do that, we can live here indefinitely.
VALENCIA: Weldon, says that there is a lot that he could be discouraged about. But instead, he's choosing to focus on the positives. He's determined to see Paradise rebuild. And we know that the secretary of interior Ryan Zinke is coming to California to not only meet with those impacted by the fires, but also those that are on the front lines.
Weldon says that he wants to see the president here. He says that this is too big of a disaster for President Trump not to show up. Nick Valencia, CNN, Paradise, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Captain Tony Imbrenda of the L.A. County Fire Department joins us now on the line. Captain, thank you for taking time to speak with us. The word way we got from the Woolsey Fire about 24 hours ago was fairly positive, fire crews were able to hold those established containment lines. So, what's the latest update at this moment?
CAPT. TONY IMBRENDA, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT (via telephone): Well, it's -- as we move in to the evening hours tonight, firefighters are continuing to shore up and reinforce containment lines that we have got a little bit of junk because the weather is starting to give us a little bit of cooperation. We're not getting very heavy winds in the fire area right now.
I think our gusts are about five miles an hour in the operational area at this time. You know, we're up at excess 97,000 acres, and we're looking a 40 percent containment. And the damage assessment teams are working throughout the night right now. Trying to get information to residents who are understandably very concerned about the status of the property.
Pretty difficult circumstance because it's a very large evacuation area, and a lot of the residents want to get in and see what's going on. But we have roadways that are obstructed by downed power lines, we've got a lot of debris on the roads.
But -- you know, at this time our preliminary assessments are in excess of 435 homes damaged or destroyed by fire.
VAUSE: Wow. And that's just in the southern fire alone. We're looking about 300,000 people across California have been forced to evacuate. 170,000 in the Los Angeles County alone. You talked about the difficulties that they going to face when they try to get back to the homes or what may be left to their homes sadly. Is there a time frame though? How long do you think they'll have to stay away from the fire zone?
[01:25:07] IMBRENDA: Well, it's going to be really dependent on the specific area. Because this incident has a lot of different terrain features. We have some areas that are a little bit more exposed. Where -- you know, we have a little bit better road system to get in there.
But some of the areas are very remote, it's very steep, with the very narrow roads, and the power line replacement process that's going on is pretty difficult. There's a lot of logistics that they're dealing with.
I mean, in some cases, they're not able to replace the poles that burn down. They're having to drill holes and put in new poles. You know, it's a very challenging situation right now. It's really extraordinary that the fire came through with really tremendous intensity the night it started on last Thursday. I was at the incident command post.
And that the figures that were coming in from our fire command were really quite incredible to all of us, because -- you know, we fought fire in this area for years. I'm an 18-year fireman and we've had a number of Malibu Fires. But the rate that this thing was moving was startling to a lot of us.
We -- you know, we would get a report that the fire was at a specific place -- you know, right at the 101 freeway. And then it seemed like within an hour, we're hearing that it's two miles from the beach, and it's covering -- you know an amazing amount of territory with -- you know just in tremendous amount of speed.
The ember cast that comes off of fires like this where it picks up hot smoldering debris, throws the two to three miles out in front of the fire head. So, we get a lot of spotting out in front of the fire. It's a very difficult process for our commanders to safely engage because you get in front of the fire head, and before you know it, you've got embers thrown over your head, and you've got fire behind you.
So, trying to safely engage this thing has been very challenging the fact that we put so much personnel into this area, and we had so many residents there, and had such a low amount of fatalities and injuries, it's pretty -- it's a testament to the to the skill of our firefighters, they're some of the best in world. And our commanders are certainly some of the most experienced.
We offer them up to agencies all around the state, all around the country throughout the year to help other agencies run their fires. Unfortunately, almost all of them were here in the county when this incident occurred and we had them in our disposal.
VAUSE: Captain, we leave it there. We appreciate the update. We wish you the best of luck. We should also note that -- you know, these are the two massive wildfires California is dealing with right now. You guys have dealt with 500 fires in the last 30 days. So, obviously, you know, this is a very dangerous and destructive fire season.
Captain Tony Imbrenda there on the line with the L.A. County Fire Department.
We go to Pedram Javaheri. He's also following the weather conditions in California for these fires. So, what's the update now? I have a bit of good news from the fire captain -- you know, last hour that it sort of eased up just a little of that fire zone, at least, in the south.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. Yes, once you get into the overnight hours, the early morning hours, John, that's when you see the winds call you on typically just a little bit. The humidity is want to go up as well. So, these are the hours the firefighting efforts really are their most productive because you're getting to make up quite a bit of ground.
But, the perspective, the latest numbers, all of them hinting at improving conditions across this region. Up to 40 percent containment down for the Woolsey Fire. Go up towards the Camp Fire up to 35 percent containment across this region.
The winds to the north have just about all died down. The winds at this hour across the South have died down. But we expect them to pick up yet again over the afternoon hours of tomorrow, but begin tapering off going in towards Thursday.
But notice, even then, 55 to 80-kilometer-per-hour gusts, that's down from 120 kilometers per hour yesterday, which, of course, was at hurricane-force there for Monday and Tuesday across that region.
But we still do have the critical areas of concern, the extreme level of threat that's farther towards the south. Again, this is almost exclusively set -- exclusively set across Southern California. But as that high pressure begins pulling away, the windy conditions giveaway, giveaway just too breezy conditions here for Thursday and Friday. So, generally speaking, we should see much improved conditions.
And in fact, notice the forecast for Thursday. Drops extreme level of concern out of that area, as well. So, we do expect containment numbers to begin really picking up here. And the winds -- the wind speeds there across this region, you notice four, six, nine kilometers per honor. This is going in towards Thursday.
This is fantastic news, this is what the firefighters need here because, John, if the winds continue to howl over 50 kilometers per hour, it is going to be a long haul for being able to continue this fire.
And, by the way, to the north, the Camp Fire officials now saying the 30th of November is the expected dates to contain that fire.
VAUSE: That's a long way away.
JAVAHERI: It's a long way away, yes.
VAUSE: Thank you. Putting your back here on CNN NEWSROOM. When we come back, the Lion Air crash investigation has now led to a new question about the safety of some Boeing 37 -- 737's. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:29:55] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: We'll take a break here on CNN NEWSROOM. When we come back, the Lion Air crash investigation has now a lot of new questions about the safety of some Boeing 737s.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will hold an emergency cabinet meeting Wednesday to try and win support for a draft Brexit deal between the U.K. and E.U. She needs cabinet approval before parliament can vote on the draft agreement. Brexiteers in her own party have vowed not to support the plan saying it does not honor the spirit of the yes vote to leave the E.U.
Palestinian militants in Gaza have announced a cease-fire with Israel ending the worst uptick in violence there since 2014 after an Israeli undercover operation in Gaza was botched, masked militants fired hundreds of rockets into Israel on Monday, the Israelis responded with dozens of air strikes.
Officials have found six more victims of the wildfire in northern California on Tuesday, bringing the death toll there to 48. The so- called Camp Fire is the deadliest and most destructive in the state's history.
To the south, powerful winds have continued to fuel another deadly wildfire near Los Angeles.
Boeing has been accused of withholding critical safety information about the new 737, the plane involved in last month's deadly crash in Indonesia. The Allied Pilots Association said they were only informed about a week ago about possible safety problems with the 737's flight control system. Boeing insists the plane is safe.
CNN's Ivan Watson joining us live from Hong Kong with more. And Ivan, right now, it's still too early to say if this has anything to do with the reason for the crash of the Lion Air jet which were down shortly after takeoff. But, you know, this is the safety system which is designed to avoid a possible storm, it pushes the nose downwards and reduces the climbing angle.
But if it's actually done incorrectly it could be catastrophic. And we know that the Lion Air jet went into a catastrophic dive.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And what this Allied Pilots Association has done is basically criticize Boeing saying hey, we didn't know about this. This was not included in the pilots' manual for this Boeing 737 Max 8.
And highlighting the fact that Boeing put out an addendum basically last week after the crash of Lion Air flight 610 saying this is new information, our pilots need to know about that. That if some of this false information comes from a faulty sensor that the auto pilot will kick in and it will send the plane into a dive. Everybody needs to know about this and this has been omitted.
Well we've reached out to Lion Air and one of their executives have said as well, our pilots didn't know about this potential scenario. We didn't get the training for it.
[01:34:57] So it remains to be concluded whether or not this scenario that the plane's autopilot would have kicked in and sent the plane into a dive, whether or not this could have contributed to the actual crash -- John.
VAUSE: I guess the other question for Boeing right now, if this information was missing from the operating manuals as the pilots say and Boeing hasn't said anything officially one way or the other, what else may have been left out of the, you know, the manual for the pilots?
WATSON: Yes. And that's something else that this Allied Pilots Association has raised -- John. And they're important because they represent pilots from American Airlines. And that's one of a number of airlines that has purchased many of these Boeing 737 Max 8s.
The investigators in Indonesia have ruled-out that the runway could have contributed to the crash on October 29th. They've ruled-out that weather contributed. The weather was good that day. They've highlighted the possible malfunctions with the plane or some problem on behalf of the pilots.
I do have to highlight another possible contributing factor. Four flights prior to the doomed flight on the morning of October 29th, this particular aircraft had a malfunction with its angle of attack sensor. And that is something that Boeing has highlighted in this addendum last week.
And in fact, that particular sensor was replaced on October 28th, right before the flight on October 29th where the plane crashed about 13 minutes into its flight. So is it possible that a lack of preparation, a lack of knowledge about this auto pilot feature and perhaps a malfunction on behalf of the angle of the attack sensor, they could have combined to result in this terrible disaster that resulted in 189 people dying when the plane crashed into the ocean.
One thing that could help perhaps solve that question, John -- is whether or not the authorities can ever find the cockpit flight recorder which is still missing now more than two weeks after the plane crashed.
VAUSE: That is such a familiar story -- the old cockpit voice recorder and the search goes on. Ivan -- thank you.
According to the "New York Times" the Saudi Crown Prince may have been directly linked to the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a remark heard on an audio recording of his killing. A Saudi intelligence officer reported was left shocked by the audio and said the Khashoggi's killing was a true disaster. And a pro-government Turkish newspaper has quoted the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying when the officer heard that recording he thought the kill team was on heroin.
Details now from Jomana Karadsheh reporting in from Istanbul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The "New York Times" in this report says it has spoken to three people who were familiar with the audio recording that Turkey says it has and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. And they say on this audio can be heard a phone call that was made by one of the 15 Saudis, a member of that hit team that carried out the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. He's identified as Maher Abdelaziz al Mutreb. He is a member of the inner circle of the Crown Prince. He's a former diplomat at the embassy in London. He's a security official and -- an intelligence officer. He is heard speaking to a superiors telling him, quote, tell your boss, something along the lines of the deed is done.
Now, he doesn't specifically mention the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman but according to U.S. intelligence officials they believe the term your boss is in reference to the Crown Prince.
Several U.S. officials in recent weeks have told CNN that they believe an operation like this that would have involved members of the inner circle of Mohammed bin Salman couldn't have happened without the knowledge of the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia.
But Saudi Arabia for its part has repeatedly denied that he had any knowledge of this operation. They have blamed it on rogue elements. Then some members of the intelligence community believe that this is -- you know, this latest revelation is as close as it gets to a smoking gun.
But it's not necessarily irrefutable evidence. A direct link to the Crown Prince on Tuesday, the national security adviser John Bolton reportedly told journalists in Singapore on the sidelines of the summit there that he did not personally hear the recording. But those who did say it is their assessment that it does not implicate the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Nonetheless, these leaks they continue. They're definitely putting more and more pressure not just on the Saudis but also on the U.S. Administration to push their Saudi allies to answer some of the questions that many have and especially that Turkey has put forward, especially the key question of who ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
[01:40:04] Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
VAUSE: A short break. When we come back the First Lady puts her well-heeled foot down and proves she's not the only Trump who can say "you're fired". A close look at the shake-up at the White House.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: The long-awaited trial for accused drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is now underway in New York amid high security. The man once considered to be the world's leading drug trafficker has pleaded not guilty to gun-running, money-laundering, and conspiracy to murder.
CNN's Miguel Marquez has more now on the trial from outside the courthouse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well after several hours' delay, the trial of El Chapo finally got under way. It was delayed because there was one juror who initially had an issue because she said she had medical issues after being placed on this jury. This is a woman who cried when she found out that she was going to be on the jury and then told the judge in a written letter, in a handwritten letter that she had developed medical issues after being placed on this jury and could not continue. The judge allowed her to go.
Another juror had work issues and was allowed to go. There may be a third juror that has to be replaced for a family emergency. All of that being worked out by the court.
But in the meantime, once they got those jurors placed and replaced by other jurors they had to bring in, they got the trial under way with opening statements. The prosecution painting El Chapo as essentially -- the CEO of a global crime syndicate, moving drugs from Mexico into the U.S. from the 1970s on and building a very violent drug cartel.
The defense painting it as -- the defense lawyer telling the jury, you're going to have to forget everything you think you know about this case. That this is a situation where -- the U.S. government and the Mexican government wants you to think one thing but the truth is much uglier he says.
Essentially blaming a third party, another drug lord in Mexico -- Ismail Mayo Zambada he says who among other things, the defense says they can prove that he gave hundreds of millions of dollars to the current president and the former presidents of Mexico, he says.
So corruption from top to bottom saying that they are going to hear from witnesses who are just -- you know, in the sewer essentially and that none of it can be believed that the myth of El Chapo is a complete lie created in order to keep the pressure and the focus off of much bigger fish out there, this other drug dealer and the government's own complicity in the drug trade to the U.S.
[01:44:52] Both sizing (ph) for about a half hour the defense is about a half way through its opening statement. They will continue in the morning and then they will begin taking witnesses in the trial but is expected to last months.
Back to you.
VAUSE: Miguel -- thank you. The police shooting of a security guard near Chicago has sparked outrage. The lawyer for the man's family says 26-year-old Jamal Robertson was doing his job when he was killed outside a bar early Sunday. A witness says Robertson had caught a shooting suspect and was holding him down gun drawn. That's when and he was shot by a police officer arriving on the scene. Robertson's family and father filed a federal lawsuit saying his civil rights were violated.
U.S. first ladies don't get to decide who serves as a deputy national security adviser, but this White House is anything but usual.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more now on Melania Trump's demand for a senior administration official to go.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Another White House drama today. This time featuring First Lady Melania Trump calling for the firing of a deputy national security adviser, an extraordinary shot across the bow from the East Wing office of the First Lady, which issued this statement today aimed directly at a top West Wing adviser.
"It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House." The first lady's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham telling CNN.
She is Mira Ricardel, the security adviser who has tangled with several officials in the Trump White House from Defense Secretary James Matts to the First Lady.
But today Ricardel was standing only a few feet behind the President at a Diwali lighting ceremony marking India's most important holiday of the year.
CNN has learned the First Lady and Ricardel were at odds during their recent trip to Africa.
MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I give him my honest advice and honest opinion and then he does what he wants to do.
ZELENY: It was on that trip where Mrs. Trump said she didn't trust all of the President's advisers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has he had people that you didn't trust working for him?
M. TRUMP: Yes.
ZELENY: The latest dysfunction coming as the staff shake-up is already looming in the West Wing and the cabinet. There President ignoring those questions today.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen could be the next to go. Officials telling CNN the President could ask for her resignation at any point.
KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Thank you, sir for your leadership.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much. Great job.
ZELENY: She's been unable to win him over on his signature -- immigration and border security. It could touch off a domino of departures including White House chief of staff John Kelly, who is Nielsen's top advocate in the administration.
Trump is already talking to a handful of potential replacements for Kelly, CNN has learned, including elevating Vice President Pence's chief of staff Nick Ayers to the post.
But as Democrats assume their majority in the House and prepare to open investigations of the administration, it's unclear whether the ongoing turmoil in the West Wing could complicate recruiting qualified candidates. The President has rejected that premise.
D. TRUMP: This is a hot White House. We're a White House that people want to work with.
ZELENY: So the President saying many people want to work at the White House. That may be true but Republicans here in Washington wonder whether it's a smart idea to come into this administration as Democrats are about to take control of the House of Representatives, opening the flood gates of potential investigations.
One thing that is clear, more shake-ups on the way. One official said, the only people who seem safe are those who are related here to the President.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN -- the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And we have this note. CNN is suing the U.S. President and several aides to restore credentials to CNN's Jim Acosta. The White House suspended Jim's press pass last week. The White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a doctored video of the incident claiming Acosta put his hands on an intern.
But now the story's changed. Sarah Sanders says Jim was actually being disrespectful and unprofessional, refusing to yield to other reporters. CNN says the suspension violates the First Amendment rights to freedom of the press and the Fifth Amendment right to due process.
Now, we'll take a short break.
When we come back, Prince Charles marking his 70th birthday and for that we get a special tour of a home which showcases his passions and causes.
[01:49:10] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Many happy returns to the Prince of Wales. He turns 70 on this Wednesday. And the palace released new photos of Prince Charles and the royal family to celebrate.
CNN's Max Foster recently spent some time with the Prince.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An 18th century stately home set in a vast estate about 30 miles south of Glasgow. Not an official royal residence but particularly close to the heart of the heir to the British throne.
(on camera): The Prince of Wales is one of the busiest members of the royal family. He has projects ongoing across the U.K. and indeed the world. But to mark his 70th birthday, he brought us here to Dumfries House. And that's because it incapsulates so many of his passions and his causes.
(voice over): The wider estate is home to many different projects including this science and technology hub for visiting school groups. Vocational training for local people is a recurring theme here as is organic farming and food production -- issues that the Prince has a long history of promoting.
The house itself has fallen into disrepair in 2007 and was about to have its contents sold off at auction when the Prince of Wales stepped in and bought the entire estate. He quickly reopened it as a visitor attraction.
(on camera): Here in the blue drawing room, we have what is thought to be the most expensive item of furniture in the world. It is not the sofas. It is not the chandelier. It is this. The ladies Chippendale cabinets and it's thought to be worth more than $30 million.
There are no gates on the estate. People wander freely, able to enjoy it without having to pay. The Prince's foundation which runs all of the Dumfries House projects is now the second largest employer in the county.
From the start Charles wanted this to be a community project. Even going beyond the estate to fund a new town hall and renovate an outdoor pool in a deprived (ph) former mining town nearby.
As Charles turns 70 and marks 50 years of public work, this is the project that best defines his legacy, according to those that work with him closely.
KENNETH DUNSMUIR, ROYAL CONSERVATORE OF SCOTLAND: The signs of (INAUDIBLE) young adults just concerns about social issues and community issues and ecological issues were all there and all that's happened is that he's gotten more and more involved. The time to do that and develop these ideas and take them further and due to the (INAUDIBLE) and the time that he's been Prince of Wales.
What I would like to think is that in bringing together so many strands into the Prince's foundation of his charitable initiatives and dedication to charitable work, I'd like to think that -- you know, it's a fantastic physical legacy to that work that will always be here in northern England.
FOSTER: Each Friday night, Charles has sent an update on Dumfries House. In the report stretching to dozens of pages, he writes notes and gets it back to his team here on Saturday morning, I'm told.
This is an heir who isn't sitting around waiting to be king. He's busier than ever even as he heads into his 70s.
Max Foster, CNN -- Ayrshire, Scotland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: $80 million -- that's all that is standing between you and David Hockney's Portrait of an Artist. Hockney is considered by many to be Britain's greatest living artists. And the painting is expected to set a record at auction on Thursday.
CNN's Nick Glass spoke with the famously-reclusive artist last year.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID HOCKNEY, ARTIS: I always loved looking. I've always loved looking. When I could go on the Bradford buses on my own I used to run right upstairs, run to the front of the buses so you could see more. You could see more.
[01:54:56[ NICK GLASS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The irrepressible David Hockney in his studio in the Hollywood Hills -- Hockney has been looking at the world and at us unblinkingly for over 60 years now. The gaze has always been intense.
This is you at 16.
HOCKNEY: 17 years old.
GLASS: I don't suppose you have a favorite painting, do you?
HOCKNEY: No. The last one. The last one I'm doing. Yes.
I came to California in 1964 when nobody knew me. And I preferred that. I've always been running away a bit from London anyway.
GLASS: The sunlight, the boys, and the swimming pools, Hockney's best known work is perhaps from the 60s and 70s, including A Bigger Splash.
HOCKNEY: Those famous small brushes -- all little lines which I thought was rather amusing. I could have just done it like that. But I thought no, I won't. I would do it painstakingly.
GLASS: Hockney has always been happy to embrace new technology, including most recently, the iPad.
HOCKNEY: I live in the now. You paint in the now. It is always now anyway.
GLASS: David Hockney remains, as everybody knows, a committed smoker. Equally, he's still obsessively, joyously painting away.
HOCKNEY: I feel 30 when I'm in the studio. Well, you want to be 30, don't you, if you're 80. So I come in the studio every day and work because then I feel 30.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Good for him. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. The news continues with Andrew Stevens, CNN's greatest living anchor, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:59:54] ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ANCHOR: A big day for Theresa May, can she convince her cabinet to go along with a hard fought Brexit plan.
The rockets and air strikes fall silent as Israel and Hamas pause the fighting. We'll have a live report from southern Israel.
