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Power Outages Leading to Deaths in Venezuela; U.S. Allies Again Attack ISIS Stronghold; Parliament to Vote Again on Brexit Deal; Player Attacked by Spectator During Aston Villa Game; Molinari Wins Arnold Palmer Invitational; Sam Bird Stripped of Controversial Hong Kong Win. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 11, 2019 - 00:00   ET

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

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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A woman accused of killing the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is now free after prosecutors dropped the murder charges. We will have a live report.

CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Widespread grief over the deaths of 157 people after a plane crashes in Ethiopia and now questions about the plane model; China grounds its entire 737 Max 8 fleet.

ALLEN (voice-over): Venezuela's opposition leader plans to call for a state of emergency, telling CNN the ailing nation has already collapsed.

Hello, everyone, thank you for joining us, I'm Natalie Allen, coming to you live from Atlanta.

VANIER (voice-over): I'm Cyril Vanier and CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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ALLEN: We begin with breaking news in the murder trial of Kim Jong- un's half brother. An Indonesian woman accused of the 2017 killing walked free on Monday. Her lawyers saying it was unclear why prosecutors will not pursue the case against her.

VANIER: But charges against a Vietnamese woman will remain. Prosecutors accused the two women of exposing Kim Jong-nam to the deadly nerve agent VS as he entered the Kuala Lumpur airport. He was dead within minutes. Ivan Watson is following this.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a pretty stunning development, the first time the world saw these women -- and one is set free -- is from security camera footage from Kuala Lumpur International Airport February 2017, when women who appeared to be them were filmed, smearing some kind of lethal substance on the face of the half-brother of the North Korean dictator. They were both accused of being involved in this man's assassination

in an international airport with VX nerve agent and now, a little more than two years later, prosecutors have apparently dropped the case against one of the key suspects. This is Siti Aisyah, who was filmed leaving the courtroom, understandably, with a broad smile on her face.

Now the defense attorney for Siti Aisyah says he doesn't know why the prosecutors dropped the charges. We have been in touch with her family, who were brought by Indonesian authorities from their hometown to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. The modern telling CNN, "I am very happy and so relieved. Since the very beginning, we believed she is not guilty. Siti is innocent and that's why we keep praying for her."

And, of course, both of the suspects, both of these women, pled not guilty in this case. The mother has also told CNN she will not allow her daughter to work overseas anymore if she does come home after her incarceration in Malaysia.

VANIER: So Ivan, there was no reason given and, I wonder, there's always going to be this suspicion.

You think there was any politics involved in any way?

I say this because this is no ordinary murder.

WATSON: No, again, this was the half-brother of North Korea's dictator who was assassinated here. And it appears the murder, the poisoning, was caught on camera.

It is worth noting that four North Koreans have been charged with this. Their whereabouts unknown right now. There is an Interpol red notice for them and they are supposed to be returned to Malaysia if they are found.

And, yes, there were some high politics involved here because it is not just Siti Aisyah who was charged but there was also a Vietnamese woman Doan Thi Huong who was charged. And just a couple of weeks ago, I interviewed the Vietnamese prime minister about this and asked specifically about her case.

I asked specifically about reports coming from a South Korean official that the North Koreans had expressed their regret about her involvement in this case. The Vietnamese prime minister uncomfortable visibly when I asked about this and said he didn't really want to comment.

Vietnamese diplomats saying they were personally involved in the case of their Vietnamese national and very worried about her case and she has, through a translator, told journalists in the courtroom, quote, "I am shocked --

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WATSON: -- "and I hope to be freed, too," this upon hearing news that her co-suspect had been freed. VANIER: So many questions surrounding this case. Something tells me we probably never will have all the answers. Ivan Watson, reporting live from Hong Kong, thank you so much.

ALLEN: We turn to the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash and the repercussions for the plane's manufacturer are growing. China now grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, the same type of plane from Sunday's crash in Ethiopia killing all 157 aboard.

VANIER: China says it wants assurances from Boeing and U.S. regulators before resuming the flights. That 737 Max 8 is also the same model from last year's Lion Air crash in Indonesia which killed 189 people. It's still unclear what caused this Ethiopian Airlines crash and there is no evidence the two crashes are linked.

ALLEN: Officials say it went down six minutes after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital Sunday on the way to Nairobi, Kenya. There were 149 passengers, several crew members and one security official on board and all were killed.

VANIER: The victims came from 35 countries, most of them were from Kenya. The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines says the senior pilot, who had an excellent flying record, reported technical difficulties and asked for permission to turn back to the airport just moments before the plane crashed.

Now this tragedy involves one of Africa's largest and safest airlines.

ALLEN: Journalist Robyn Kriel made it to the crash site earlier and gives us a closer look at the devastation.

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ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The sun is setting in the area where this plane crashed, a very cavernous field south of Addis Ababa. It is an incredibly remote area. It was difficult to get to. Across this 500-meter crash site, there are debris strewn from pieces of the fuselage to burned-out newspapers in French, to the Ethiopian Airlines paper napkins, business cards and even pieces of flight maps that would have come from the cockpit.

The sun is setting and a couple hundred people, mostly from surrounding villages, have gathered here to witness what is an incredibly horrific crash site.

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ALLEN: We are all still getting details about the victims. We have learned that 19 United Nations staff members are among the dead. Also a Georgetown University law student from Kenya was killed, on his way home to Nairobi after the death of his fiancee's mother. And the wife and children of a Slovakian lawmaker also lost their lives.

VANIER: One man who was supposed to be on board missed his flight, very narrowly cheating death. The passenger had boarded a different plane for the next flight out when he found out what would have been his fate.

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AHMED KHALID, ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES PASSENGER: Everyone was asking what was happening but no one was saying anything. We were just going up and out and people one of the passengers saw in this mobile link this was the plane that just few, six minutes after few, just crashed.

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ALLEN: CNN's Farai Sevenzo is in Kenya, where the plane was heading.

Farai, hello to you. I know this must be a very difficult time for people there.

What has been the reaction from Nairobi?

This was a very popular route between these two countries.

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely and, you have to remember, I just landed this morning at the international airport and every single day, there are flights between Addis Ababa and Nairobi. You must remember that Addis is a seat of the African Union. It's where many staffers from the United Nations crisscross between Nairobi and Addis.

And here in Kenya, there is a great deal of people from the United Nations World Food Programme, from the Office of the High Commissioner, telecommunications union, food and agricultural organization as well as the Human Rights Commission for Refugees.

Now in all these stories we do, we talk to these staffers because they are readily available. This is where they have their old infrastructure, their hubs of their efforts to help this part of Africa and beyond.

So it came as a huge shock for many people living in Nairobi, especially the non-governmental organizations like the United Nations, that such a tragedy affecting 35 different nations and here in what is usually a very peaceful route. It is one of those incredible tragedies that people are still trying to unpick, Natalie. And you must remember that there's a United Nations --

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SEVENZO: -- environmental meeting being organized here in Nairobi on this Monday morning and it's more than likely that many people on that plane were simply in routine travel between Addis Ababa at the center of the all the non-governmental organizations that work throughout Africa.

Nairobi has excellent infrastructure; the flights are regular and the hop to Addis Ababa is not really that much. So when these things happen, whether the plane or whatever the cause it, the tragedy is very heavily felt at the this moment. ALLEN: So touching that there were so many people on that airplane dedicated to making the world a better place and helping those in Africa. So intensely sad. Farai Sevenzo, we appreciate it, thank you.

VANIER: CNN safety analyst and former aviation safety inspector David Soucie joining us from Denver, Colorado.

David, China is grounding all of its 737 Max 8s.

Should everyone be doing that?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: I believe it is something everyone should look at closely. There are disturbing similarities between this flight and the Lion Air flight profile as well. So they all ought to be at least looking at that and looking at their training.

VANIER: So this plane is new and crashed twice in six months, both times within minutes of takeoff.

What questions does that raise to you?

SOUCIE: It raises the big question of the angle indicators. There was a failed angle of attack indicator that caused the plane not to respond properly. This particular aircraft has something new in terms of how the autopilot responds when the angle of attack, when the aircraft nose goes too high, it pushes the nose down even when the autopilot is off.

And a lot of pilots are not used to that and it is not a typical way to set up the aircraft. So some airlines have done something within that software but pilots need to be prepared for that type of situation.

VANIER: What is the angle of attack indicator, just so we all know what we're talking about?

SOUCIE: What that is, the angle at which the aircraft is entering the air so, as you climb, the angle of attack would tell you, in the cockpit, it's difficult to tell from that frame of reference, that you're climbing, if your nose is going up or down, all you know is you are going up and down.

So the angle of attack indicator tells you, relative to the wind and your direction of flight, are you climbing, going down or are you on steady, stable flight?

That information is fed into the computers and the computers will respond based on what they think is happening. So the pilot then loses that ability to counteract what is going on because the autopilot is taking that over. So that is not something that is typical. It is something that is manageable.

It is something that was designed into the airplane but, unfortunately, a lot of the newer pilot are not trained in how that is going to respond in certain situations. VANIER: At this stage, David, we know that the pilot was experienced. He had 8,000 flight hours. The weather was good, the plane was brand new. It had undergone maintenance recently.

Can it be anything but a plane problem?

SOUCIE: It most certainly could. It leans that way but I am always hesitant to jump to any conclusions. It sure looks like it is not just a coincidence. But in an accident investigation, you just really can't jump to the end until you know every single detail until how it happened.

VANIER: And tell me a little more about the back story of this particular plane model, the 737 Max 8 because there had been issues if I am not mistaken during the development phase of this plane.

And in the case of the Lion Air crash victims, they are suing Boeing. And they say there was a technical fault that caused the crash.

SOUCIE: Boeing is claiming it's a technical different. It is a way the aircraft was designed and it was in the manual on how to respond to these situations that Lion Air found themselves in.

So going back in history, why did the Max 8 have to be different than previous 737s?

Well, as we make aircraft more technologically advanced, we look at the way the wing goes through the air, the position of the engine in relation to that wing and, in this particular model, to increase fuel efficiency, the engines were placed a little more forward than previous models.

What that does is, as the air is funneled through the engines --

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SOUCIE: -- it has a tendency to push the aircraft nose up. So when you are throttling up, the aircraft nose tends to go up because it is forcing all that air under the wing in a different way.

In order to compensate for that, rather than training the pilot to expect that and let them fly that out manually, they decided to add an extra feature that, when that happens, the nose is then pushed back down to compensate for it. So the pilots shouldn't really see a difference in that.

But here is where the rub is.

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VANIER: So the features on the plane were supposed to correct for this particular change in this model.

Is that what had caused questions to be raised about this plane during the development phase? SOUCIE: That is part of it, yes. The questions as far as this particular accident, yes. Every time a new aircraft is developed, there is a lot of concerns about how to handle this or that.

I was involved in the Airbus 380 certification and, with that, there were literally thousands of things that were considered issues or faults or findings that had to be fixed or corrected in the certification.

So likewise here, you can't start nitpicking a lot of little things in an aircraft manufacture design because they are part of the design process.

But in this case, the real rub here is that Boeing didn't notify the customers. They have didn't say, hey, we have added this feature and, when you turn the auto autopilot off, so if do you have an angle of attack indicator, some indication problem and you turn the autopilot off, the pilots believe they are flying the aircraft by hand completely without any interruption from the autopilot.

But that is simply not the case. They can turn the autopilot off and this nose down situation continues to happen. So the pilots respond to that by pulling back and, when they pull back, the aircraft nose continues to come down more because it is fighting against what the pilot is trying to do.

But the pilot doesn't realize they are fighting against the computers here, they think there is a real flight problem.

VANIER: David, thank you for helping us understand this; 157 people died in Ethiopia, 189 in Indonesia, so there's a huge question.

How much of this if any has to do with the way the plane is manufactured and the communication with the people flying it?

So we will be talking about this again. Thank you so much.

SOUCIE: Thank you.

ALLEN: Lines are being drawn in Washington. President Trump is ready to present his budget plan for 2020 and, as you can imagine, it is not going over well with Democrats. That is next.

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VANIER: All right, so another budget battle is shaping up between President Trump and the Congress. The president is set to deliver his 2020 budget request later on Monday. He proposes a 5 percent cut across federal agencies. That means cuts in things like education and health care but no cuts for defense and it includes $8.6 billion for a border wall. $5 billion will be taken from Customs and Border Protection, $3.6 billion from the Pentagon's military construction budget.

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CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: So there will be another budget fight over the wall?

LARRY KUDLOW, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Well, I suppose there will be. I would just say that the whole issue of the wall, border security, is of paramount crisis. We have a crisis down there. I think the president has made that case very effectively.

It is a crisis of economics, a crisis of crime and drugs, a crisis of humanity. We have to be much tougher and have more immigration policy, which we will be developing over a period of time. So, yes, he will stay with his wall and with border security and I think it is essential.

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ALLEN: All right, so that is the word from the White House. But let's get the other side. In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said this.

"President Trump hurt millions of Americans and caused widespread chaos when he recklessly shut down the government to try to get his expensive and ineffective wall, which he promised would be paid for by Mexico.

"Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government. The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again. We hope he learned his lesson."

Well, harsh words from the Democrats. Let's talk with Jessica Levinson who joins me now from London. She is a professor of law and governance at Loyola Law School.

So Jessica, here we go again, same players, similar issues and you have to ask, has Donald Trump learned any lesson here?

I am not thinking so.

JESSICA LEVINSON, LOYOLA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: Well, I think this proposed budget is not actually about the budget, it is about the campaign. So I view this as more of a campaign statement, frankly, or a campaign advertisement than I do an actual opening offer when it comes to how we will try to go forward with our budget.

So I think President Trump knows full well there is a Democratic House and this is going absolutely nowhere. And I think this is about shoring up his base, campaign promises he made in 2016 and continues to make for the 2020 election and telling them essentially the centerpiece of his campaign, which is border security, tightening immigration, this will all continue to be part of his message.

And I think this is about saying, look, I provided the specifics here and Congress thwarted me so I need four more years to make this vision a reality.

ALLEN: So is this somewhat of a smart tactic by the president, he is staying on his game?

He is not letting up and that is what he promised from the get-go?

LEVINSON: Well, I think it is, frankly, the best play he has at this point.

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LEVINSON: When you talk about what is in the budget, a reduction in domestic spending, increase in the military spending and a balanced budget nowhere in sight, I think this is a strategy that Trump is taking, which is trying to make sure his base is excited.

But this is not likely to appeal to the key voters, the swing voters in the swing states. I think given what we've seen the last two years, it is his best strategy but I don't know it is a winning strategy.

ALLEN: Right, because as you mentioned, talking about cuts in education, not shoring up infrastructure, pulling back environmental initiatives in an era of climate change and pumping more into the military.

We're seeing Democrats running for president, more and more getting into the race and this will give them something to chew on as they look to form their campaigns, won't it?

LEVINSON: Absolutely. And you essentially just outlined what it will give them to chew on and I think to the extent that the Democrats can put into a message, let me tell you how President Trump's proposed budget would hurt you on a daily basis, that will be the most powerful message for Democrats.

Now, again, I don't think that this budget will ever become a reality so they won't be able to say look how, in effect, your daily life has been hurt but it will have to be more of kind of a forward-looking, can you imagine if President Trump was actually able to achieve his goal here?

So, absolutely, I think this kind of opening offer, so to speak, will be campaign fodder on both sides of the aisle and I think what is important for Democrats, again, is to try and translate this kind of abstraction into how does it affect the voters when they sit at the kitchen table and they're writing out their budgets, trying to send their kids to school, how can Democrats explain, I will do a better job for you?

ALLEN: We will be watching it. Yet another showdown in a few days. We always appreciate your insights, thanks, Jessica. LEVINSON: Thanks for having me.

VANIER: And the stakes could not be higher for Britain's prime minister, especially as time runs out for her to sell lawmakers on Brexit. We will have more of that when we come back.

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ALLEN: Hello and welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Natalie Allen.

VANIER: I'm Cyril Vanier. Let's look at the headlines this hour.

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Prosecutors accuse the two women of exposing Kim Jong-Nam to the deadline nerve agent V.X. as he entered a Kuala Lumpur airport, which killed him in minutes.

[00:30:20] ALLEN: Crews are combing the site of that Ethiopian Airlines crash, which killed all 157 people onboard. Nineteen of the victims were United Nations staff members. The Nairobi-bound flight went down just minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The airline CEO says the pilot reported technical difficulties and was given clearance to turn back.

VANIER: Another budget fight between U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress is on the horizon. President Trump will ask for $8.6 billion for a border wall in the 2020 budget. The House speaker and Senate Democratic leader both said that the president won't get what he's asking for.

ALLEN: Venezuela's opposition leader says his country has truly collapsed after widespread blackouts crippled much of Venezuela this week.

VANIER: Yes. Juan Guaido told CNN that the opposition had recorded 17 deaths since the power outages started just on Thursday. Now, it's a number that CNN cannot independently confirm.

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JUAN GUAIDO, OPPOSITION LEADER IN VENEZUELA (through translator): There is no service in the hospitals. These were the best hospitals in the country. If we are in the capitol, what is it like kilometers inside Venezuela, where there hasn't been, or there has been very little gasoline, with periodic cuts in electricity, without basic goods, with inefficient public transportation.

You can say with all responsibility that Venezuela has already collapsed.

There's been an exodus of talent. There are many specialists, many technicians that have found opportunities elsewhere, so they don't have the manpower. They don't have the technical capacity to do it quickly. The proof is it's been four days, more than $4.1 billion lost in the national economy; and minute by minute, that grows. So I don't think they can recover fully the system.

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VANIER: And we also asked him if he thinks his rival, President Nicolas Maduro, would ever step down without violence.

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GUAIDO (through translator): He is the one making it harder and doing that today. Twelve hours ago, we counted 17 murders. We can't call it any other way. Imagine if in your country, you wake to the news that there's been four days without electricity because of corruption, because they steal from electricity plants; and 17 people died. That's murder.

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ALLEN: Guaido also said he will call for a state of national emergency to address this crisis. It is the latest disaster to hit this already troubled nation.

VANIER: Guaido says 16 states are completely without power. Six have partial power. And with the power still out, government is suspending all school and government activities on Monday.

The sun has risen in eastern Syria after a night of intense fighting. U.S.-backed forces have launched another assault on the country's last ISIS enclave.

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ALLEN: As you can hear, ISIS not giving up without a fight. That was the scene Sunday. You can see explosions lighting up the night sky, hear heavy gunfire. The area has been under siege since last month.

U.S. allies say ISIS has now run out of time to surrender. CNN's Ben Wedeman and his team have been on the front lines. He saw the fighting first hand.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, we've heard from the spokesman Syrian Democratic forces, saying that they have killed a number of terrorists. They've taken ground within this small encampment. It's only about a half a square mile.

But obviously the operation is in its just beginning hours. It's now seven hours since it began, but they expect it to go on for quite some time. Exactly how much, isn't clear.

What we've seen in the past is that twice they launched operations and then stopped because there are so many civilians inside. A month ago, we were reporting that there were, according to the Syrian Democratic forces, 1,500 civilians and only 500 fighters. They got the number of civilians wrong by about -- basically there are 20 more -- 20 times more civilians than they originally estimated. And as far as fighters go, many more than 500. In fact, we have seen hundreds of them surrendering to the Syrian Democratic Forces. We've spoken to some of them who say there are still many fighters inside.

Now, the fighters we spoke to said that many of the so-called emirs or leaders of ISIS had actually left, fled into Iraq, gone to other parts of Syria. So we understand, however, that those left inside are those who decided that they're going to go down fighting.

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ALLEN: And Ben Wedeman will continue to report for us. We'll be right back.

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VANIER: It is another very big week for Brexit. Now, I know we say this all the time, but it's true. British lawmakers will vote again on the prime minister's Brexit deal, the one that they rejected two months ago. And Britain's foreign secretary says, if they reject it again, Brexit itself is at risk.

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JEREMY HUNT, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: If the deal fails, then in the end, the government has to obey the law, and Parliament's responsible for the laws. That's why we have an opportunity now to leave on March the 29th or shortly thereafter. And it's very important we grasp that opportunity, because there is wind in the sails of people trying to stop Brexit.

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ALLEN: All right. If lawmakers do reject Prime Minister Theresa May's deal on Tuesday, there are some options. A new set of votes will kick off on Wednesday. Parliament will decide whether to leave the European Union without a deal; and if that fails, there will be a vote Thursday to ask for an extension, basically to delay Brexit.

VANIER: CNN European affairs commentator Dominic Thomas is live in Los Angeles. He's following this for us. Dominic, Parliament already rejected Theresa May's Brexit deal. So why would they accept it this time?

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yes, it's incredible. I mean, the very fact that, under two months ago, this withdrawal agreement that is essentially -- goes back to Parliament unaltered, that suffered this historic defeat by a 230-vote margin, is now being presented yet again. What Theresa May has been trying to do and arguing for this is, on the

one hand, to appeal to the far-right fringe of her party, the so- called Brexiteers from the European Research Group, to say to them that, if they don't support this deal, there is a great likelihood that we will end up with some kind of extension on the Brexit negotiations. And the further we go down that road, the greater likelihood it is that Brexit actually will never happen.

And on the other hand, she's been trying to appeal to more centrists and even to some remainers to argue with them that this is the opportunity to vote for a deal that maintains a closer alignment to the European Union. And once again, if they don't accept this deal, the other side of the spectrum would be a possibility, that we might end up with a no-deal, and -- which those centrists don't want.

[00:40:07] VANIER: OK. So how does Parliament overall feel about that, the possibility of a no-deal? Do we know?

THOMAS: Yes. Well, we do. There are several indicators, and I think the first thing to say is, of course, that the vote on Tuesday is so incredibly important, because unless she wins support for the withdrawal agreement on Tuesday, there's absolutely no way that any kind of Brexit could possibly happen by the March 29 deadline. So this is a very different vote.

What we've seen on the way is a couple of -- two or three indicators. First of all, on the 29th of January, the Spelman nonbinding agreement was voted on favorably in Parliament and provided some indication that the Parliament had no appetite for a no-deal.

Since then, a couple of other things have happened. First of all, several high-ranking cabinet members have said that they will not tolerate a no-deal and that they would actually step down or resign.

But I think the most significant development was Theresa May herself who, having argued all the way up to the vote on the first withdrawal agreement that she would not allow any kind of vote on the no-deal, has now provided this opportunity that, should her deal not go through on Tuesday, she will allow the Parliament to weigh in on this on Wednesday. And there's every indication that there is no, as I said, appetite for a no-deal as we move forward.

VANIER: All right. So if we had to put you down on the record and I had to put you down as making a prediction, and I know that's a cruel thing to do with Brexit, but what would you say?

THOMAS: Yes, well, there are a number of things that we have to look at.

I think that, first of all, if we do end up at the end of this week with the support -- with there being no support for her deal, no support for a no-deal and ultimately, going back to the European Union to ask for an extension, the ball then goes back decidedly to Brussels. And there are a number of things that they could say.

First of all, if we're just looking at a short, two- or three-week extension, there would seem no purpose in doing that. What is it that you're going to show us? Is it going to be a second referendum? If it going to be a general election? If not, the default position is that the European Union would just simply let them crash out at the end of the month.

I think that the other aspect which is really important to look at is that, ultimately, if Theresa May does not win support for the withdrawal agreement on Tuesday, she will have failed to deliver on her promise of a Brexit by the March 29 deadline. We could see the leader of the opposition tabling a no-confidence vote or it is possible that within her own party, even though they've given up for a one-year period, the chance to hold a no-confidence vote, that you could start seeing some pressure to oust the prime minister through numbers of cabinet resignations and so on and so forth.

So I think that we're going to see some significant movement this week on the particular question. And the issue of the 29th of March is on the table on Tuesday. And if that doesn't go through, it is game over for that particular deadline.

VANIER: Yes. Things could look very different for Brexit by the end of this week. Dominic Thomas, thank you.

THOMAS: Thank you.

ALLEN: You can bet we'll be all over this story on Tuesday as they take that vote.

CNN is partnering with young people worldwide for a day of action against modern-day slavery. That happens March 14. We were asking them, "What makes you feel free." Here are some of the answers from two students in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freedom Day, to me, is the ability for me to express myself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom Day, to me, means having no (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It starts with equality among people. My Freedom Day!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My Freedom Day!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: OK, they're adorable. Cyril and I vote.

Tell the world what makes you feel free. Share your story using the hashtag #MyFreedomDay. Thanks for watching. I'm Natalie Allen.

VANIER: I'm Cyril Vanier. You've got WORLD SPORT up next, and then you've got us again in 15 minutes. Stay with us.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi there. Welcome CNN WORLD SPORT. I'm Patrick Snell.

We're going to get started with an incident of huge concern now. This was from Sunday in England's second-tier football league, the championship. The match featuring huge domestic local rivals Birmingham City and Aston Villa.

But what we witnessed really does have to be seen to be believed. Truly alarming scenes here in the English midlands as a supporter runs onto the field of play and goes straight for Villa's Captain Jack Grealish, who was absolutely blindsided and knocked to the ground there.

Now police saying a man has been arrested in connection with the incident. But these are scenes that really are grabbing global, global attraction right now.

Now Villa would actually go on to win the game by a goal to nil, thanks to a superb effort just over 20 minutes from time. And guess who scored that goal? That's right, Jack Grealish himself, the perfect response from the 23-year-old midfielder, who wins it for his team.

That wasn't all this weekend, because we also saw an incident in the Arsenal-Manchester United game, in the Premier League. A fan running into the field of play there, appearing to come into contact with United defender Chris Smalling. That was in the aftermath of the Gunners' second goal in their 2-0 win. Smalling was unhurt. Arsenal later apologizing to both the player and United.

We'll get onto the game itself a little later, but I do want to reflect more on these stories. Earlier, I spoke with London-based sports journalist Mark Bolton. I actually asked Mark for his reaction to the weekend's unsavory incidents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK BOLTON, SPORTS JOURNALIST: Well, we should be very concerned insofar as fans are able to get onto the pitch and come into close proximity with players. We've seen other awful incidents in sport where that has led to injury of players.

Obviously, the incident at Birmingham City was the worst of the two. And it could have been much worse if that individual would have had a knife, for instance, or something similar to that.

Whether the fans were frisked going into the stadium this week and at that game is really down to the individual club.

It's expected somewhat at these big games. Never acceptable and never known exactly when it will happen. but the police do police this one very heavily. It's the second most policed fixture in the country. Football has come so far in Britain and in England over the course of the last few years, but these incidents will occasionally occur.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Our thanks to Mark Bolton for that.

All right. Well, let's get back to that United-Arsenal game in the premiere lead. United actually tasting defeat for the first time in league play under their interim head coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Sunday's 2-0 setback in North London, in fact, their first league loss since December of last year.

It would be the North Londoners who took the lead in this one. Granit Xhaka's swirling shot bamboozling David de Gea, the Spanish goal keeper for United, for the opening goal of the game.

And then Arsenal wrapping up the win after a contentiously-awarded penalty for Fred's somewhat innocuous push on Alexander Lacazette. But it mattered not, because Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converting from 12 yards out, cool as you like. The Gunners take the three [SIC] points.

A second loss overall now for Solskjaer. Really has rejuvenated his team in recent months. But the Norwegian's first loss in the Premier League.

And meantime, right at the top of the Premier League, it's looking like it's going to be a very nervy, tight, intense finish all the way as Man City and Liverpool continue to fight it out at the top, where there really is so little margin for error now.

Liverpool's opponents Burnley taking the lead Sunday at Anfield there very early on, but they couldn't hold onto it. Sadio Mane's splendid curling effort putting the Reds in front just before the half-hour mark. The Claret stem (ph) really gifting Liverpool their third goal, a dreadful clearance by Tom Heaton. Liverpool powering forward. Roberto Firmino slamming home a second of the game. Before the day was done, though, Mane had also got two goals to his name, rounding the keeper, and again into an empty net. Liverpool 4-2 winners over Burnley at Anfield on Sunday.

Meantime, newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers have made a bit of a habit, haven't they, this season of taking points off the Premier League's biggest names. And once again, that would prove to be the case, much to the frustration of Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea.

The Blues actually lost to the Wolves back in December, and it would be the Midlands club that took the lead here, 11 minutes into the second half through their Mexican player, Raul Jimenez. It was their first shot of the game, would you believe? Twelfth goal of the season for him.

But Chelsea never game up hope of leveling, and it duly came in stoppage time, in time added on. Eden Hazard, the Belgian, with a stylish finish to insure a point for the hosts.

[00:50:12] So it's as you were, then, atop the table. Once again, just a point separating Manchester City and Liverpool. The Citizens ahead. There are 8 games left for this season, 24 points still up for grabs. A nine-straight home win, though, Arsenal really impressive in the Premier League at home. The Gunners now into fourth place in the race for coveted Champions League footing for next season. United dropped to fifth for now.

All right. To Spain, where Real Madrid have gone to -- gone somewhere, at least, haven't they, in trying to put a miserable week behind them after losing to Ajax in the UEFA Champions League, midweek, to go out in just the round of 16 on Sunday.

They at least got back to winning ways in La Liga by seeing off Valladolid. Early on, though, it seemed like there would be more problems for Los Blancos when they fell behind; but Raphael Varane, the young Frenchman, would level just minutes later for Los Blancos.

Then the second half, the flood gates really opening up in this one, French international Karim Benzema netting a brace, his goals doing his team a power of good. And then Luka Modric sealing the win with a goal just minutes from time. In fact, Real scored just as many goals on Sunday as they had in their previous five games.

Real, though, 12 points behind leaders, their bitter rivals, Barcelona.

It has been a truly dramatic weekend for Formula E fans to reflect upon in Hong Kong. Britain's Sam Bird thought he'd seal the win, but he was about to find out just how cruel sport can, at times, really be.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SNELL: Welcome back here. I'll tell you what, if the Italian golfer Francesco Molinari experiences even a fraction of his success in 2018 this year, then he's surely in for quite the next few months.

He won his first major title last year by capturing the British Open. He was also part of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team, which triumphed against the Americans in Paris.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational is one of the most revered regular tour events in the United States for obvious reasons. So any player who wins this one is always going to cherish it. On Sunday, the 36-year- old showing off his classy short game to move quietly in contention after starting the round 5 shots back. Hit putting just outstanding at times.

Look at this: in the very last hole. That putt is more than 40 feet long, and it's in for a final round 64 to seal the victory. Good enough in the end for a 2-shot victory. His third PGA tour triumph. What a statement from Francesco Molinari.

Now, if you thought rugby's Six Nations tournament couldn't get any more exciting, then you probably should think again. Earlier this weekend, we saw England and Wales recording important victories, meaning they're both in with a shot at the title. Now, we can very much add defending champs Ireland to the mix, as

well. To Dublin, where the host needed a perfect start on Sunday against, I have to say, a really disappointing French team. And they got it, too, thanks to their skipper, Rory Best, who grabs the first try of the game very early on there in the Irish capital.

[00:55:10] That really set the tone for the Irish, and they did not disappoint, powering their way through to a 26 points to 14 victory. Ireland wanted the bonus point win, and that was assured when Keith Earls went over for his country's fourth try. Earls becoming Ireland's second-highest try scorer of all time.

It's going to be a really exciting weekend a few days from now. So just look at the Six Nations standings. Here are the scenarios. England could win the title if they beat Scotland and Wales lose at home to Ireland. But the Irish will win it if they triumph in Cardiff, and the English fall to the Scots. If Wales win, though, and they'll take not just the Six Nations but the grand slam, as well. That's when one competing nation eats every other. And that all plays out next weekend.

All right. I want to get to really, a huge disappointment now for the British Formula E driver Sam Bird.

The 32-year-old thought he'd sealed an important victory in Hong Kong on Sunday, only to be then stripped of his triumph. Bird was actually on the podium celebrating his second win in the season. But it was somewhat muted because of the manner in which he'd won the race.

Now, a couple of hours later, he wasn't even the winner. This due to a collision with Andre Lotterer on the last but one lap. The German born driver was leading the race, but he failed to finish with a punctured tire. So Bird was hit with a five-second penalty.

What did it mean? Well, it left Eduard Mortara winning the race. Bird had to settle for sixth place. Lotterer, though, still far from happy as well, though. He -- he finished empty-handed.

Bird can at least console himself with the news he's leading the driver standings. It is rather competitive, though, right now. Five different winners from five different races this season and only two points separating the top four drivers.

All right, before we go, we just have to show you something truly special this weekend from the NBA, something you have to see from the 4th quarter of the Toronto Raptors-Miami Heat game this Sunday.

Watch carefully as we pick up the action. Miami's Bam Adebayo lobbing up the alley-oop and Derrick Jones Jr. with an amazing one-hand slam. There we go. He basically throws the ball into the hoop from an impossibly great distance. Astounding piece of video, one that we can all truly admire. The athleticism there is breathtaking, is it not?

For the team here in Atlanta, ono that note, we're going to leave you. Thank you so much for joining us. We'll see you again next time. Do stay with CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)