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Three British MPs In Theresa May's Party Leave With a Newly Formed Independent Group; Taiwan's President Warns Of A More Combative China and How to Confront It; An Explosive New Report By The "New York Times" Claims That Mr. Trump Asked Former Acting Attorney General, Matt Whitaker To Put An Ally In Charge Of A Federal Probe. Aired: 8-9a ET
Aired February 20, 2019 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST, "NEWS STREAM": I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream." Conservative defections - Three British MPs
in Theresa May's party leave with a newly formed independent group. Grappling with Beijing - the CNN exclusive, Taiwan's President warns of a
more combative China and how to confront it. And malicious AI, why some are calling for the release of a text and a reading program deemed too
dangerous for the public.
Prime Minister's Questions have just taken place in the British Parliament after a body blow for the British Prime Minister, Theresa May. Three
Conservative lawmakers have quit Mrs. May's Party over what they call her disastrous handling of Brexit.
In a joint statement, Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen said they will now sit as Independents alongside the independent group of MPs
who resigned from the opposition, Labour Party on Monday.
Phil Black joins us now from London with more, and Phil, these Conservative MPs, they have quit the party over Brexit, a huge setback for Theresa May.
PHIL BLACK, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, indeed, and there could be more to come, Kristie, that's certainly a possibility. What we have seen today is
the further fracturing of the traditional British political landscape. These three, now former Conservative MPs have explained their decision in
almost identical ways to what we heard from the former Labour MPs, who began resigning two days ago.
Essentially they're saying, they haven't changed, their party has. It's moved to the extremes and so they no longer believe there is any room for
them in the center ground or what was the center ground there.
And so, they say that the party cannot be modernized, that it cannot be broadened in terms of its appeal, that it cannot accurately represent the
diverse communities in Britain and they say it's been pulled to the right by hard core Conservative Brexiteers.
These three MPs who have resigned, well, they are known for being independently minded. They're known for often being outspoken, especially
on Brexit. They don't want it to happen, and as you say, they've described the Prime Minister's handling of this issue as disastrous and so they've
decided they have more in common with those former Labour MPs who have already broken away.
Today, we already saw all of them sitting together in Parliament as the Independent Group. That group now has 11 members. It means that it is the
fourth equal largest political grouping sitting in the House of Commons and they all hope and believe that their numbers can continue to grow --
Kristie.
LU STOUT: These new Tory Party defections come after those Labour Party defections and after another Labour Party MP defected to this new quote-
unquote, "The Independent Group," Joan Ryan. Could there be more defections to come from either party? How big could this movement get?
BLACK: Certainly on the Labour side, there is the expectation. Certainly, the understanding and really, this exists on both sides, Conservative and
Labour, that there are members of both parties who very much sympathize with the reasons that have driven these MPs to walk away from the parties
that they have dedicated their lives to serving.
And on the Labour side, in particular, well, the Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn has been warned that unless his approach to a number of policies,
his leadership style and in particular his approach to Brexit, unless that changes fundamentally, then yes, you could see more people moving to join
this Independent Group.
So it really remain to be seen from here, precisely, what happens. On one hand, I think you've got Prime Minister Theresa May locked into her path
towards trying to secure a Brexit deal and getting that passed through Parliament. She wants to get that concession from the E.U. She wants to
earn the support of most of her Party MPs including the hard core Brexiteers.
And then with the smattering of support from the DUP in Northern Ireland and indeed some Brexit supporting Labour Party, she hopes she can get that
deal through. On the Labour Party, however, it is harder for Jeremy Corbyn to proceed in a sense because he knows that there are many people within
his party, members and politicians, who want to see him swing dramatically behind the idea of holding a second referendum on the Brexit issue, and he
will very much be considering how to appease those people and try to not persuade others to follow the path of quitting the Party in the coming days
-- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Wow, Phil Black on defection watch for us reporting from CNN London, thank you. Now, to the U.S. where a bombshell revelations and
accusations have President Donald Trump under more mounting pressure
[08:05:00]
LU STOUT: An explosive new report by the "New York Times" claims that Mr. Trump asked former acting Attorney General, Matt Whitaker to put an ally in
charge of a Federal probe into hush money payments made by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.
That is even though the attorney in question had recused himself from the investigation, and on the Russia investigation front, fired former acting
FBI Director, Andrew McCabe tells CNN that he believes the President could still be a Russian asset.
McCabe also says that he is really anxious to see what the Special Counsel has uncovered. Meanwhile, a new report from the House Democrats has put
former National Security adviser, Michael Flynn back in the spotlight. It says, "Despite repeated warnings about ethics and legal issues, Flynn
backed a proposal to export nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia during the early months of the Trump administration.
A lot to get to, let's start with the "New York Times" report. CNN's Laura Jarrett is live for us in Washington. Laura, according to the "New York
Times," how did President Trump try to interfere with the Michael Cohen investigation?
LAURA JARRETT, U.S. JUSTICE REPORTER, CNN: Well, Kristie, it was pardon talks, misleading statements and really a year's long campaign all aimed at
trying to undermine the Special Counsel's investigation. That's the picture you painted by "New York Times" which President Trump's critics
will certainly say, is obstruction of justice, just lying in plain sight.
Meanwhile, the former acting Director of the FBI saying publicly now that the President posed a potential threat to national security.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JARRETT (voice-over): A damning report from "The New York Times" raising new questions about President Trump's alleged efforts to control and
discredit the investigations that have consumed his presidency, including the Southern District of New York's probe into Mr. Trump's former attorney,
Michael Cohen.
"The Times" reports that last year, President Trump asked Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker if U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who contributed
to his campaign, could be installed to lead the Cohen probe, despite Berman having already recused himself from the investigation. The President
denying the claim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, not at all. I don't know who gave you that. That's more fake news. A lot of -- there's a lot
of fake -- there's a lot of fake news out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT (voice over): "The Times" reports that there's no evidence that Whitaker took steps to intervene in the Cohen investigation and that the
president soon soured on him.
This after CNN reported in December that Mr. Trump lashed out at Whitaker at least twice over the New York probe, after Cohen pleaded guilty for
lying to Congress about the proposed Trump Tower project in Moscow and when prosecutors implicated the President in a hush-money scheme to silence
women before the 2016 campaign.
Whitaker refusing to answer directly when asked under oath last month whether he ever discussed the investigation with the President.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW WHITAKER, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: At now time has the White House asked for, nor have I provided any promises or commitments concerning
the special counsel's investigation or any other investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT (voice over): The Justice Department telling CNN, quote, "Mr. Whitaker stands by his testimony."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RO KHANNA, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, CALIFORNIA, DEMOCRAT: I think the bottom line is he wasn't transparent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT (voice over): "The New York Times" report also shedding light on the White House's strategy to spin the resignation of former National
Security adviser, Michael Flynn after it was revealed that he lied about his contacts with Russians.
"The Times" reports President Trump told Press Secretary Sean Spicer to say he requested Flynn's resignation, because, quote, "That sounds better."
When Spicer asked whether that was true, Trump repeated, "Say that I asked for his resignation."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN SPICER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The level of trust between the President and General Flynn had eroded to the point where he
felt he had to make a change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT (voice over): In the summer of 2017, "The Times" says one of Trump's attorneys reached out to the lawyers for both Flynn and former
campaign chairman, Paul Manafort to discuss possible pardons. Fearful of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, "The Times" report alleges
President Trump and a number of House Republicans strategized and launched an effort to undermine the probe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEVIN NUNES, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, CALIFORNIA, REPUBLICAN: There's no reason to continue this because we have no evidence of collusion. We've
turned up nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT (voice over): Former acting FBI Director, Andrew McCabe telling CNN that much of "The Times" report is consistent with what he witnessed at
the bureau.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, ANCHOR, CNN: Do you still believe the President could be a Russian asset?
ANDREW McCabe, FORMER DIRECTING FBI DIRECTOR: I think it's possible. I think that's why we started our investigation. And I'm really anxious to
see where Director Mueller concludes that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT (voice over): The White House dismissing McCabe's claim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSEL TO DONALD TRUMP: It's hardly worth dignifying with a response. He's a known liar and leaker.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
JARRETT: Notably in that interview with Anderson Cooper, McCabe wouldn't discuss whether the FBI had ever been investigating members of President
Trump's family either before or after the Special Counsel was appointed to lead the Russia investigation -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: You know, there are so many blockbuster stories about Donald Trump, but especially so today. Laura Jarrett reporting for us live from
Washington. Laura, thank you.
We're turning now to Michael Flynn and Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, they're looking into efforts by the former National Security
adviser to push a proposal to export nuclear power into Saudi Arabia.
[08:10:04]
LU STOUT: Let's bring CNN's Kara Scannell live in Washington and Kara, walk us through the congressional report. What does it say about the White
House, Flynn, and its nuclear plans for the Saudis?
KARA SCANNELL, REPORTER, CNN: Well, Kristie, it really paints a harried first three months of the administration. You know, the real issue in the
report here which the House Committee released based on testimony that they've had from whistleblowers inside the National Security Council is
that the staff inside the National Security Council were really worried when Michael Flynn and some of his top aides were pushing a private sector
plan to export nuclear technologies to Saudi Arabia to help them build nuclear power plants.
And they were concerned about it for a couple of reasons. They thought it was potentially violating conflicts of interest rules because Michael Flynn
had done work for this private company before. That was formed by former generals, he was close to them. And they were also worried that it could
be illegal that it was violating the Atomic Energy Act which limits the capacity to export nuclear capabilities to a foreign country without the
approval of Congress.
So this report paints this picture of the staffers being very concerned about this, raising this to ethics officials, raising it to the legal
officials, the top lawyer at the White House covering the National Security Council had told them to stop working on it because they had agreed with
their concerns.
But then the report goes on to say that Michael Flynn and his aides continue to push it. They wanted to get this proposal in front of
President Trump before he had key meetings with Saudi leaders and that even when those meetings and those desires were brought back to the lawyers and
they told them, again, to stop working on it after Michael Flynn was fired, the top aides continued to push this plan. It eventually did not go
anywhere and the Cummings report, the Democratic report is really limited to these first three months, but this is why the House Oversight Committee
is saying they want to launch an investigation because they want to understand, if the White House was pushing something that was in the best
interests of the U.S. National Security or if it was in the interest to line the pockets of those who would benefit from a change in the foreign
policy -- Kristie?
LU STOUT: So what is going to happen next? I mean, the House report is out. The investigation is next. But these are serious security issues,
apparent conflict of interest issues, what could happen next?
SCANNELL: Well, that's right, so Cummings is just starting this investigation now. They've sent out letters to various people who are
involved and touched this plan to understand what had happened, but what we're seeing right now also taking place is that the Department of Energy
is having conversations with people, the Saudis have hired lobbyists in Washington, D.C. and Bloomberg reported last week that in the White House,
there was a meeting with a lot of companies that hoped to win this project to build nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia.
So talks about doing this are continuing. The question remains of are they continuing down the appropriate path or are there still concerns within the
White House staff that they are not following the direct path and that there are still conflicts that haven't been vetted out and that's what this
investigation will get to the bottom of -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Kara Scannell reporting live from Washington. Kara, thank you. Microsoft says a hacking group thought to be linked to Russian military
intelligence targeted three think tanks, including the European offices of two American organizations. They are the Aspen Institute, the German
Marshall Fund of the United States, as well as the German Counsel on Foreign Relations.
Microsoft blames Fancy Bear, this is same hacking group believed to be behind some of the 2016 hacking of the U.S. Democratic National Committee.
The attacks reportedly took place between September and December last year. Microsoft isn't saying whether the hacks were successful. The German
Marshall Fund told CNN it doesn't appear systems were compromised. Now, we are pursuing comments from the other think tanks.
Taiwan's President is sending out a warning to Asia. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Tsai Ing-wen said that the military threat posed by
China is growing every day, pushing back against the assertive foreign policy of President Xi Jinping. Now, Matt Rivers interviewed Tsai Ing-wen.
Matt joins us now live from Taipei and Matt, when you sat down with the Taiwan President for this exclusive interview, she had a warning about
China for the region. What did she say.
MATT RIVERS, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, Kristie, what struck me most about her interview was not the fact that China was top of mind. I mean, I think
anytime you're going to do an interview with the leader of Taiwan, that leader is going to talk about China right off the bat, right near the top
of that interview.
What struck me the most though was the context in which she framed that conversation. She wasn't talking specifically just about the singular
relationship between Taiwan and the mainland, what she did was really try to portray that relationship. What Beijing is doing to Taiwan, the threat
that Beijing poses to Taiwan in her words. She tried to really use that as a litmus test to say what's happening here could happen to other parts of
the world, including the United States.
[08:15:03]
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
RIVERS (voice-over): As the U.S. grapples with a more combative China -- economically, politically, militarily -- one small island says it's already
fighting those battles on the frontline - Taiwan, about a hundred miles off China's coast.
RIVERS (on camera): Madam President, good to see you.
RIVERS (voice-over): Taiwan's President, Tsai Ing-wen, sat down with CNN for an exclusive interview. The threat from China was top of mind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TSAI ING-WEN, PRESIDENT OF TAIWAN (Speaking Central Thai) (Through an interpreter): China's ambitions and aggression are not just targeting
Taiwan, but also other countries in the region, or even worldwide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS (voice-over): Taiwan is a vibrant democracy of 23 million people, and a close U.S. ally, self-governed for seven decades. But Beijing still
considers it a part of its territory to be retaken by force, if necessary. And since he took office, analysts say Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has
increased military drills near the island.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ING-WEN (Through interpreter): The military threats China poses on Taiwan grow every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS (voice-over): The threats faced here could increasingly reflect what the U.S. might see from Beijing. Tsai's government says China might
have meddled in Taiwan's elections last year. Not unlike what American officials say, Russia did to the U.S. in 2016. Beijing denies that.
The Trump administration believes China could do the same thing to the U.S. in 2020. And then there's Huawei, the Chinese tech giant that critics
allege has close links to the government. Huawei denies that. The U.S. now says the company is a national security threat. Tsai says Taiwan has
already done something about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ING-WEN (Through an interpreter): We have placed restrictions on the use of Huawei equipment in government agencies and other highly sensitive
institutions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS (voice-over): But Taiwan is most concerned about China's powerful army, a nationalistic drumbeat from Beijing means speculation about China
invading Taiwan went from a far-off notion to a scenario real enough, that we're talking logistics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ING-WEN (Through an interpreter): After withstanding the first wave of Chinese attacks ourselves, the rest of the world would stand up to exert
strong pressure on China.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS (voice-over): Despite having no formal diplomatic ties since 1979, the U.S. has sold billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Taiwan. In a
recent op-ed, Senator Marco Rubio said China is the, quote, "Geopolitical challenge of this century for the U.S."
For Taiwan, the future the senator talks about is right now, and Taipei's message is clear, what happens here, what happens to this democracy, could
happen to others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ING-WEN (Through an interpreter): If it's Taiwan today, people should ask, who's next? Any country in the region, if it no longer wants to submit to
the will of China, they will face similar military threats.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
RIVERS: And Kristie, interestingly, we know that some U.S. lawmakers want to hear from her Tsai Ing-wen in person in Washington. A group of
Republican senators led by Colorado Senator Corey Gardner; Florida Senator Marco Rubio and others have actually asked Speaker of the House, Nancy
Pelosi to issue a formal invitation for Tsai Ing-wen to give an address to a joint session of Congress. Now, that invitation has not yet been
formally extended. We asked Tsai if she would accept if it were, she demurred on the question, wouldn't say yes or no, but I can tell you that
if she did accept, Beijing certainly would be displeased and I think that shows you that in the U.S., there's growing support, at least for some
lawmakers for Taiwan and a recognition of what Tsai Ing-wen is talking about here with China.
LU STOUT: Absolutely. Matt Rivers reporting live from Taipei, Taiwan. Thank you very much indeed for bringing us that exclusive and very
revealing interview with the Taiwan President.
Now, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin has a warning for the U.S. Install intermediate range nuclear weapons in Europe and we will target,
quote, "decision making centers." Mr. Putin made the comments during his annual speech to Parliament.
Fred Pleitgen listened to the speech in Moscow and he joins us now. Fred, wow, what a warning from Putin issued squarely at the United States. Give
us a context of what made him say those words.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN Yes, exactly, you're absolutely right. Not so thinly veiled threat there by Vladimir
Putin that Washington potentially would be in the cross hairs if the United States deploys intermediate range nuclear weapons in countries in Europe.
Of course, the INF Treaty, the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is the one that U.S. says that it wants to get out of, and in in his speech,
Vladimir Putin blamed that squarely on the United States. The fact that that treaty was in demise, of course, the U.S. said that the Russians have
been in breach of that treaty.
The Russians are saying that that not the case. They say they tried to save the agreement, but that the U.S. would have none of it. So now the
Russians obviously making that very clear threat to Washington saying that, "Look, if Europe will see these weapons once again on the side of NATO and
the United States allies, that the Russians would then also aim its weapons not just at the countries where these missiles are based, but certainly at
what he called decision making countries as well. Let's listen in to what Vladimir Putin had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (Through an interpreter): Russia will be forced to create and develop weapons which can be used not only towards
those territories from which direct threats may be directed at us.
[08:20:07]
PUTIN (Through an interpreter): But also towards those territories where centers of decision making and rocket systems that are threatening to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: The Russians are saying that the U.S. and its allies need to be very careful about what they do with their intermediate range nuclear
weapons, and as if to emphasize that point, Vladimir Putin also talking about a new weapon that the Russians are developing saying that that weapon
which is called the Tsirkon hypersonic missile that is well on track to be deployed quite quickly.
One of the things that he said was quite interesting is that this weapon which can go up to, as he put it, nine times the speed of sound can
apparently be launched from existing Russian infrastructure for instance, on their boats and on their warships and on their submarines, as well.
So certainly, the Russians really issuing a warning towards the United States, but one of the things that Vladimir Putin did also keep saying is
he said, that the Russians would not strike first and that all of this is simply something that is of a retaliatory nature -- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Incredible. It seems what people have been fearing what could happen after that the end of that nuclear treaty, it's accelerating right
now. Fred Pleitgen reporting live for us from Moscow. Fred, thank you.
You're watching "News Stream" and still to come, a Vatican spokesman says it's time to look this monster in the face, the crisis of child sex abuse
that is plaguing the Catholic Church. Just ahead, the Vatican's unprecedented move to tackle the issue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: On Thursday, the Vatican will host an unprecedented Summit on the child sex abuse crisis plaguing the Church. Nearly 200 Church leaders
from around the world will be graduated on accountability, responsibility and transparency in handling abuse cases.
They will hear speeches from the Pope. They will stage group discussions and a ceremony of penitence that will involve survivors of abuse. Pope
Francis sees this as an opportunity to hear directly from the victims and to make a powerful gesture of pastoral responsibility.
Now, earlier this month, Pope Francis for the first time publicly acknowledged another problem facing the church -- nuns being raped and
sexually abused by priests. He mentioned the case of one order of nuns in particular, the Community of St. Jean in France. And now, the Vatican has
confirmed to CNN that clerics belonging to that congregation are being investigated.
In an exclusive report, three women who say that they were abused shared their stories with our Melissa Bell and she joins us now live from Paris.
Melissa, these women had to suffer through so much terrible abuse, they've shared their stories with you. What did they say?
MELISSA BELL, PARIS CORRESPONDENT, CNN: It was the trauma of the sexual abuse, Kristie, but also the trauma of that breach of trust and of their
faith. It was really the Pope lifting the lid on this himself that they say allowed them finally to speak.
[08:25:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
"LUCIE," SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIM: And it was like automatic, you know. He wanted to go to the end to ejaculation and I was just like an object for
him and I had the feeling he did this a lot of times.
BELL (voice-over): "Lucie," not her real name, says she was abused by a priest. So do Liene Moreau and Laurence Poujade. None of their alleged
abusers have ever faced trial. This is the story of the broken women of St. Jean.
The Order of the Contemplative Sisters of St. Jean was founded here at St. Jodard by Father Marie-Dominique Philippe, who preached for the physical
expression of affection.
BELL (on camera): It was long after his death that the order recognized that he'd been guilty of sexual abuse. But for years there were rumors
about other priests and other victims within the order.
BELL (voice-over): "Lucie" was 18 years old and preparing to become an oblate, a lay person, consecrated within the church when she says the abuse
began.
"LUCIE": You can be 18 or 16 or 20. When you have not experienced sexuality and you have suddenly in front of you the sex of a man, it is
just a shock.
BELL (voice-over): It took "Lucie" 15 years to be able to talk about it. She then says the Church wouldn't listen. In the criminal courts, the
statute of limitations had expired. The Vatican now says it is investigating allegations made by several women against "Lucie's" alleged
abuser. He was removed from the community 10 years ago, but even now, it is the strength of her faith that makes it so hard to take in.
"LUCIE": He is a priest. He is a father. He's near God, he's like God. The Christ is living in him. He cannot do something like this. I think
the worst was to talk. It broke me. It broke my body, in fact. I prefer to have been shot by a gun or if I have just a leg handicap, it's okay. I
can live my life.
But here, it's a murder inside of your heart and of your soul because it's about faith also. So it's like something is dead in me.
BELL (voice-over): Liene was a novice when she was abused. The Order of St. Jean says that her alleged abuser, Father Mario Olivier (ph), is now
being investigated by the Vatican. He declined our request for comment. Liene only began to put a word on what had happened to her two years ago
and by then, it was too late to take to the criminal courts.
LIENE MOREAU, SEX ABUSE VICTIM (Through a translator): The psychological abuse was worse than the sexual abuse. It's my inner life. He took my
dignity, my femininity, all that I was.
BELL (voice-over): Liene says the abuse went on for 15 years. In a letter, she shows us, Father Mario Olivier (ph) suggests "discretion,"
adding that his "crazy love for her comes from Jesus."
CNN reached out to the Vatican. Its spokesman wouldn't comment on any specific allegations, but did confirm that several clerics belonging to the
Congregation of St. Jean were being investigated. Laurence is a former nun who now heads a victims' organization.
LAURENCE POUJADE, SENTINELLE VICTIMS GROUP (Through a translator): We are talking about victims who don't speak out. But what about those who went
straight to psychiatric hospitals? What about those who mutilated themselves? I know of one case, her parents called me to tell me that she
had cut out her own tongue. What can you say? What happened for a victim to do that?
BELL (on camera): Not all of the abuse took place here, but the order says that over the course of the last 45 years, five priests have been found
guilty of sexual abuse in civil courts with three under investigation. Furthermore, two priests have been found guilty of abuse in church courts.
BELL (voice-over): French authorities wouldn't comment, but the Order of St. Jean gave CNN a statement, saying that it accepted that errors had been
made in the past in the handling of cases of sexual abuse because of a lack of awareness of the suffering caused to the women.
BELL (on camera): We did just try and ring the bell here at the Order of St. Jean, but no one would speak to us on camera. What matters, though,
now is that the Order has recognized that there are victims other than those of the founder.
Now that acknowledgement came just after Pope Francis had lifted the lid on what he called sexual slavery within the Order of St. Jean. So what did
the Pope's words mean for the victims?
"LUCIE:" Well, it was like a bomb.
MOREAU (Through a translator): It is a new beginning.
BELL (voice-over): The Pontiff's recognition may come late, but it does put words on a trauma that for so many had until been unspeakable.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
BELL: What was remarkable, Kristie, was the extent to which so many of the victims that we spoke to seem to believe that Pope Francis had really
allowed them to speak and what a liberation it was. What they say they hope now is that more women will come forward who until now had felt that
they would not be heard -- Kristie.
[08:30:08]
LU STOUT: A haunting testimony from "Lucie" telling you that the abuse was like murder inside her heart and inside her soul. Melissa Bell, we thank
you for your powerful reporting. Take care.
You're watching "News Stream" and still ahead right here on the program, Indian leaders are giving a warm welcome to the Saudi Crown Prince. We're
going to go to New Delhi for the economic and diplomatic maneuvering that is well under way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I am Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, you're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. Three British Conservative
lawmakers have quit Theresa May's Party over what they called her disastrous handling of Brexit and they are speaking now in London. They
will now sit as independents alongside the Independent Group of MPs who resigned from the opposition Labour Party on Monday and do stay with CNN.
We're going to bring you more on this story in the hours ahead.
Venezuela has closed a key maritime border and grounded flights, apparently an order of the besieged President, Nicolas Madura. Opposition groups were
reportedly planning on bringing humanitarian aid into the country possibly to the island of Curacao. Self-declared President, Juan Guaido has
promised to deliver aid this weekend, quote, "One way or another."
Indian leaders are giving a warm welcome to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The countries signed joint accords on industry and culture and
agreed to strengthen cooperation on counterterrorism and cybersecurity. The bilateral talks come as the Crown Prince tries to shore up his own
image after the murder of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
Now Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using India's fast growing economy to attract more investment from Saudi Arabia. Nikhil Kumar joins us now from
New Delhi with more. Nikhil, we know the two, they've been holding talks today. What kind of agreements, what kind of deals will emerge from this
visit?
NIKHIL KUMAR, BUREAU CHIEF, CNN: So, Kristie, as you said, this trip which is being widely seen, this whole tour which is being widely seen as an
attempt by the Saudi leadership to rehabilitate their image after a troubling year. It was already being over-shadowed even as Mohammed Bin
Salman arrived in Delhi late last night.
He was greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Modi and that's because late last week, Indian forces were hit by a massive car bomb attack in the
disputed Kashmir region. It's an attack for which India blamed Pakistan and Mohammed Bin Salman's previous stop on this Asian tour was Islamabad
where he signed about $20 billion worth of investment deals.
So as he arrived here, the big question was to what extent would the regional tensions -- India accusing Pakistan of a hand in the attack,
Pakistan denying it -- to what extent would that over-shadow the trip? To what extent would it come up?
[08:35:04]
KUMAR: This afternoon, the two leaders spoke publicly after holding meetings with each other. Prime Minister Modi referred to the attack
directly, but didn't mention Pakistan. The Saudi Prince talked about concerns over terrorism. But, again, didn't refer to Pakistan directly.
There were also deals across a whole variety of sectors, a number of bilateral pacts. The Saudi spoke about the investment potential that they
see in the Indian economy up to $100 billion in the coming years.
But, really, it was this concern about the tensions between India and Pakistan that was the main talking point even as the visit unfolded later
today. The Saudi Crown Prince will attend the banquet that is being held in his honor in New Delhi not too far from where I am standing by the
President of India, the head of state at the Presidential Palace and then he leaves. But all of it, really, overtaken by the regional tension here -
- Kristie.
LU STOUT: Got it. The shadow of Kashmir, the shadow of tensions with Pakistan looming large over this visit. Nikhil Kumar reporting live for
us. Nikhil, thank you.
One of Africa's most notorious ivory traffickers has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in Tanzania. Seventy-year-old, Yang Feng Glan is a Chinese
national known as the Queen of Ivory. She was found guilty of smuggling almost $6.5 million worth of elephant tusks, between East Africa and China.
Conservation groups are cheering this stiff penalty. They say it sends a message to wildlife traffickers that this crime is being taken seriously
and no one is above the law.
You're watching "News Stream" and still to come in the program, you can teach an artificial intelligence program to write like a human, but the
plot twists might scare you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, growing debates online are calling for an artificial intelligence company to release a text generating program it
deemed too dangerous to make public. The program developed by the company, Open AI, can write coherent and credible stories just like human beings.
And the creators fear bad actors would use the program to whip up deceptive, biased or abusive language at scale. Now Open AI's co-founder
and CTO, Greg Brockman joins me now from San Francisco. Greg, thank you so many for joining us. Some people are saying release it. At this moment,
would you even consider releasing GPT2, your AI text generator?
GREG BROCKMAN, CO-FOUNDER AND CTO, OPEN AI: So what we're working on right now is a process for a responsible disclosure of this model. And so the
way that we think about it is this model has very positive applications. And so we're talking to fiction authors, we're talking to researchers
figuring out how we can get this technology in to their hands, while also making sure that we're able to keep it out of the hands of malicious
actors.
And it's not just about this model, right, that we're kind of at the cusp right now of systems that are powerful, that don't feel like toys anymore,
that can really write text, that can really affect society and the world and it's really important that as these models get more powerful, that we
have a process in place that's accepted by the community for how to decide when to release and when not to.
LU STOUT: Got it. So you're trying to work on your AI right now to make sure that it can be used in positive ways, not in destructive ways. Is
that right?
BROCKMAN: That's right and I think the technology itself is in a good and it's really a question of how do you make sure that the people who are
using it are using it in the right way.
[08:40:10]
BROCKMAN: I think it's all about bringing the stakeholders to the table, having conversations and getting it into the right people's hands.
LU STOUT: Got it. We understand the dangers that your technology poses, AI that could mimic text that could mimic a reporter's work. It can be
part of the fake news campaign et cetera, but what makes it different from, let's say, filters or Photoshop or deep fakes, stuff that's already out
there and the public is aware of it so they can, in a way, inoculate themselves and know if something is not quite right.
BROCKMAN: So I think that these things are all very related. So for generating text, that you really have a totally new capability in terms of,
you know, we've always had humans who can write text, who can write fake news and can generate all sorts of interesting content. We've never had AI
that can actually help humans create new content, as well.
So I think of it as a new dimension on generation of new content. So I think that, one, it's a new thing that is coming down the pipe. But I
think that it's absolutely the case that it's important for society to be educated about the fact that we are going to have AI that are going the be
more capable and that you can combine all of these different ways of generating content, for example.
You can have both images, you're going to have storage, you can take videos, who can really generate the whole thing, and it is both a beautiful
thing in terms of the potential upside of thinking about all the fiction that we can write, but it's also a thing that we should approach as
caution.
LU STOUT: Yes, and that's why we need to hear from you and other developers and to have that education to understand what it is we are
dealing with here. We know that it's deceptive, but does destructive is it? Is this something more destructive than just talking about software
and Photoshop and deep fakes et cetera? Is this something akin to weaponry? Is Ai development turning into an arms race, or like weapons,
missiles, et cetera, you need to have controls in place and to coordinate a response?
BROCKMAN: So we're not there yet, but we are getting -- but it's hard to know when we'll get close and what we know about AI development is that it
moves quickly. That the amount of computation that goes into creating these models is increasing at a very fast rate. So what we can see is we
can see these models that are on the cusp where there are arguments for why you might want to release them, why you might not want to.
And that is why there is controversy, right, that people are saying, "Well, these models aren't quite at the point where we definitively should not
have them out," and we actually agree with that. But what we are concerned about is looking forward and saying how do we make sure that we have a
process and a debate in place that really works so that when we have these models that we know really can have negative applications, that can really
affect people negatively that we've already worked through all these corner cases.
LU STOUT: Got it. Greg Brockman of Open AI, thank you so much for joining us this day. Take care.
BROCKMAN: Thank you.
LU STOUT: And that is it for "News Stream." I'm Kristi Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere though, we have got "World Sport" with Andy Scholes coming up
next.
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[09:00:00]
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