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. North Korea Workers Party Congress Ends; Controversial Mayor Rodrigo Duterte Set to Become Next President of the Philippines; Alberta Wildfire Damage Examined; North Carolina LGBT Law Battle Continues; China Hopes to Become World Football Power by 2050. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 10, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: North Korea celebrates the conclusion of its historic Workers Party Congress and CNN is there.
ERROL BARNETT, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Plus, controversial Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is set to become the next president of the Philippines.
CHURCH: And later, CNN gets a look at the homes and businesses that have been incinerated in the wildfire in Alberta, Canada.
BARNETT: A big welcome to those of you watching from all around the world. We appreciate your company. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Thanks for joining us. This is CNN Newsroom.
BARNETT: All right. I want to start with some breaking news into us in just the past hour.
There is not a lot of details at this stage, but what we do know is that one man has been killed in a knife attack at a train station just east of Munich, Germany.
CHURCH: Now police say three other people are injured and a man is under arrest. A police spokeswoman says the attack happened during the morning commute.
We will, of course, bring you more details as they come in to us. We'll keep a close eye on this.
Well, North Korea is celebrating the end of its first Workers Party Congress in 36 years. In those meetings, leader Kim Jong-un promised to fix the economy and enhance North Korea's nuclear arsenal. Now Pyongyang is marking the end of the Congress with massive parade.
BARNETT: As you see there, Kim waving to the crowds from above with now an even stronger grip on the country than he had before.
Our Will Ripley was there to see these festivities firsthand. WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Few places put on these
supersized displays of public patriotism better than North Korea. It looks like the entire City of Pyongyang has turned here. But the government officials here with us say only about half of Pyongyang is here, which is still more than one million people.
You might ask when do they have time to practice for these things. Well, we come here, we see people practicing in the evenings after work. Its workplace groups, its school groups, its neighborhood centers. Everybody coming together, spending hours and hours to prepare for these displays that North Korea has really become famous for.
This time it's to mark the end of the seventh party congress and the election of the supreme leader Kim Jong-un to a brand-new even bigger title, chairman of the Workers Party of Korea.
He also is up on stage waving at the crowd. And standing beside his new party leadership. And what this means, the unanimous vote promoting him and the fact that you see all the population out here celebrating the work of the Congress, the leader moves forward with his plan.
His plan to aggressively develop North Korea's nuclear weapons, also trying to grow the economy. Even though the vast majority of these people didn't participate directly in the political process, only the ruling elite who are standing underneath the supreme leader who were actually at the congress had a vote, a unanimous vote, not surprisingly.
Still, these people they were told by their government what happened and now they're out here celebrating, not asking questions. This is what it means to be a citizen in the North Korean capital.
Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang.
CHURCH: And the international community has been keeping a very close eye on this weekend's events in North Korea.
For more, let's turn to Paula Hancocks who joins us live from Seoul in South Korea. So, Paula, a huge gathering of the seventh Congress of the Workers Party. But China, North Korea's biggest ally was not there. What does that signal?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we did hear today that the President Xi Jinping did actually send a congratulatory message to Kim Jong-un, basically for being elected as chairman of the Workers Party.
It was a fairly warm letter. We understand from Xinhua state-run news media that he said the traditional friendship is a treasure of both sides, also saying that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the ties between the two countries.
So, you could look at that as a sign of potentially warming relations, certainly relations between the two have been extremely frosty since Kim Jong-un took over from his father.
And certainly the fact that Beijing supported those stronger sanctions against North Korea does show that they were despairing of North Korea ignoring Beijing's calls for restraint in going ahead with their nuclear missile tests.
So, of course it's significant that there was no one from China standing next to Kim Jong-un, or at least standing with those dignitary, watching proceedings. But there was that congratulatory letter. Rosemary?
CHURCH: And Paula, the U.S. is concerned about satellite pictures that indicate another nuclear test may be imminent. What do we know about this?
HANCOCKS: Well, these are satellite images over recent days, 38 north from one U.S. think tank said they see some movement there.
[03:05:04] South Korean officials have been saying for some time now that they thought that the fifth nuclear test was imminent. They believed it could happen before this Congress or during the Congress.
Now clearly that hasn't happened. But we did hear from one South Korean government official today saying that North Korea stands ready and is always ready to carry out that next test. All that they're waiting for at this point is the declaration from Kim Jong-un, or the order from Kim Jong-un to go ahead.
So, no one necessarily believes that the threat of the next nuclear test has gone away.
And certainly, we've heard from President Park Geun-hye as well today, talking to her cabinet saying what she has seen over recent days was an insincerity from North Korea, that they're making no effort to try to improve the soured relations between North and South Korea.
So, at this point it is the status quo. U.S. official, South Korean officials are still prepared, that North Korea might carry out that next nuclear test.
CHURCH: Just after 4 o'clock in the afternoon there in Seoul, South Korea. Our Paula Hancocks joining us live for that report. Many thanks to you.
Well, in the Philippines, maverick Mayor Rodrigo Duterte appears set to become the country's next president. Two of his challengers have now conceded defeat, including his closest rival Manuel Roxas, just a short time ago in fact.
BARNETT: Now Duterte has been criticized for joking about rape, and has promised to kill criminals if he becomes president.
We will have more on this election later this hour for you.
For now, though, we turn to the U.S. military saying it believed a coalition air strike successfully targeted a top ISIS leader in Iraq. CHURCH: Abu Wahib was a key ISIS figure in the Anbar province. A
Pentagon spokesman says the strike hit his vehicle Friday.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has details about the man known as the 'military emir of Anbar.'
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is a car they want very badly. The 'military emir' of Anbar province was to Baghdad of course responsible for a number of very fishes operations in that region. A number of executions.
Somebody they thought that they really wanted to get to. Somebody that dates all the way back to the original Al Qaeda in Iraq back during the hype of the war there in the 2000s, in the early 2000s.
So, this is a guy that they had been looking for. He became an ISIS operative. And they do believe that they got him several days ago in that U.S. air strike.
BARNETT: Now Iraqi media have reported Abu Wahib's death in the past, but this is the first time the Pentagon is confirming a strike on it.
CHURCH: Syria state news agency says a ceasefire in Aleppo is being extended by 48 hours. Residents say there have been sporadic rocket attacks since the truce went into effect last week.
BARNETT: Fighting has picked up in the city in recent week, hurting the peace talks and chances for a nationwide ceasefire.
CHURCH: Even though Russia said it would withdraw most of its forces from Syria, CNN is getting a firsthand look at a much different scenario.
BARNETT: There is plenty of military hardware and manpower still on the ground as Fred Pleitgen reports.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the Russian intervention the world has come to know. But Russia's footprint in Syria seems to be far bigger than just combat jets. There are thousands of troops stationed at its main air base, disciplined and highly motivated.
We caught up with this first lieutenant during his boxing practice. "I'm glad to serve my country here," he says. "And I'm not afraid. What is there to be afraid of in Syria?"
The west has criticized Syria, saying its air strike target mostly moderate anti-Assad rebels. The Russians is claiming they bomb only ISIS and other terror groups.
But while Moscow says it's withdrawn most forces from Syria, on an imbed we saw what appeared to be several bases in Western and central Syria with a variety of attack helicopters. Also, a brand-new base in Palmyra for its demining crews, with dozens of fighting vehicles and even anti-aircraft missile systems.
On top of its own asset, the military spokesman says his forces closely cooperate with Bashar al-Assad's troops.
"We receive a great deal of information from the Syrian general staff," he says. "They're on the ground and close to the rebels. As for the military technical corporation, of course, we help them as well."
None of this seems to indicate a full Russian withdrawal from Syria any time soon. And for many in the government-held part of Damascus, that's just fine.
The people here in the government-held part of Damascus seem to be very well aware of the extent to which Russia's military has helped Bashar al-Assad's forces.
[03:10:06] But they also say that if there is going to be a solution to the Syrian crisis, it has to come from Syrians themselves and not from outside powers.
Violence still rages in most of the country. Reconciliation seems nowhere in sight. And neither is an end to Russia's involvement in the conflict.
BARNETT: Fred Pleitgen joins us now from Damascus to talk what he witnessed. And Fred, while you were embedded with Russian force there's in Syria last week; did it seem as if the Russians were following the Syrian government's lead or vice versa?
PLEITGEN: To be honest with you, Errol, I would say it's more vice versa more than anything else. Certainly it doesn't appear so the Russians were in any way shape or form following the lead of the Syrian military. They were flying wherever they want, they were taking up their helicopters wherever they want.
And quite frankly, they were also driving their vehicles across the country to wherever they want. So, they were moving very freely without getting the permission from the Syrian military there was a certain amount of cooperation between themselves and the Syrians on a logistical level.
But we also ask the commanding general of the Russian forces whether or not they view their targeting themselves. When they, for instance, why air strikes, whether or not they speak to the Syrian air force when they do that. And they said yes, there is some communication there.
But certainly the Russians are the ones who pick the targets themselves. And they say they also get information from various sources as well. So, to us it seemed more as though the Russians were very, very independent there.
And if you lack at some of the infrastructure that we saw, that new base in Palmyra, that looks pretty big. It's freshly paved. There is a lot of new buildings there, a lot of new containers there and a lot of armored vehicles as well.
Now those could be there for force protection in that area. However, the one indication we didn't get from the Russians was that these forces there were going to be leaving any time soon.
And we have to keep in mind that the Russians were saying that they would withdraw the vast majority of their forces from Syria. They did withdraw some planes. But it seems as though on the ground there are more force there than ever before, Errol.
BARNETT: Just incredible. And they may be leading the way and leading the stage craft as well during the event in Palmyra. It was a Russian orchestra first to perform and then a Syrian orchestra the following day. So, you see that playing out in many different aspects.
Fred Pleitgen, live for us in Damascus this morning. Fred, thanks.
CHURCH: Voting begins in just a few hours in West Virginia's presidential primaries. Republicans also vote Tuesday in Nebraska.
BARNETT: Now many voters says the economy is the top issue at this year's election. But a slew of contradictory comments from Donald Trump has some wondering exactly what he has in store.
CNN's senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta reports.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It appears the great general election pivot is on.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bottom line do, you want taxes on the wealthy to go up or down?
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They will go up a little bit.
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ACOSTA: Donald Trump is now revising his stances on a whole host of issue, telling CNN's New Day the lower tax rates he first proposed in his economic plan are negotiable.
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TRUMP: By increasing the wealthy, that means they're still going to be paying less than they pay now. I'm not talking about increasing from this point. I'm talking about increasing from my tax proposal.
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ACOSTA: It's a softening of his conservative positions that first surfaced last week when we told Wolf he was open to raising the minimum wage.
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TRUMP: I'm actually looking at that. Because I'm very different from most republicans. I mean, you to have something that you can live on.
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ACOSTA: over the weekend, Trump said it was more of a local decision.
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TRUMP: I would like to see an increase of some magnitude. But I'd rather leave to it the states.
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ACOSTA: Either way, it's a departure from where Trump was last fall on the topic.
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TRUMP: I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Trump is also sharing his ideas for tackling the national debt.
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TRUMP: This is the United States government. You never have to default because you print the money.
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ACOSTA: As the real estate tycoon put it last week.
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TRUMP: I'm the king of debt. I love debt.
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ACOSTA: Advisers to Hillary Clinton are seizing on Trump's comments on fiscal policy as a warning to voters.
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GENE SPERLING, FORMER NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: This is the most risky, reckless and regressive tax proposal ever put forward by a major presidential candidate.
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CHURCH: We want to dig deeper now into those comments Trumps made about debt and the U.S. economy.
Isaac Arnsdorf joins us now. He covers money and politics for Politico.com. Thanks so much for being with us.
ISAAC ARNSDORF, POLITICO.COM: Thank you. CHURCH: So, Donald Trump clarified his strategy for managing the
national debt, saying the U.S. never has to default on debt because it can just print money. What was your reaction to that suggestion?
ARNSDORF: Well, it didn't really add that much clarity, unfortunately. It seems like it was an attempt to put out a fire. But it started another one in the sense that. First of all, it's not really the president's decision on how much money to print.
[03:15:09] That's up to the Federal Reserve and the mint, in technical terms. But more importantly, printing money to pay off debt would just create inflation or even hyperinflation which effectively raises prices for everyone, including the government.
So, while it would technically avoid default, it would open up a whole new form of financial chaos.
CHURCH: Yes, interesting. And then last week, Trump was asked if the U.S. needs to pay its debt in full or if it could negotiate a partial repayment. And he said he would borrow money, knowing that if the economy crashes, he could make a deal. What would be the economic ramifications of such a move?
ARNSDORF: I mean, it would be totally unprecedented. We've got a small glimpse of what this scenario could look like a few years ago when there was a confrontation over raising the debt ceiling, and you saw a little bit of panic in the financial markets with bond yields rising and stocks falling.
And that's nowhere close to what would actually be the case if the president of the United States were to say, you know what? Sorry. We're not going to pay back our creditors. Because the entire financial system is based on the sanctity of U.S. government debt. That's the measure by which all other debt is judged.
So, if all of the sudden the risk-free asset that is U.S. Treasuries suddenly become risky, then everything else becomes riskier. And if you can't trust the U.S. government to pay you back, then investors can't trust that anyone is going the pay them back.
CHURCH: Trump is now proposing taxes will go up for the rich. But he did clarify Monday that he means an increase in his initial proposal, not on where taxes are right now. And he also says he is open to raising the minimum wage.
How confused do you think people are, and what's your overall assessment of what appears to constitute Trump's fiscal policy right now?
ARNSDORF: There is certainly a lot of confusion. But, you know, Trump has been the post flip-flop candidate. He has reversed himself on any number of positions, and none of it has seemed to trip him up.
And this, you know, follows a pattern that he has used throughout the campaign of going really far out with statements like never heard from major presidential candidate before. Sort of trying to dial them back or recalibrate them a little bit. But, you know, continuing to stir up frenzy. And here we are still talking about it several days later.
CHURCH: Indeed. Very interesting. Isaac Arnsdorf, thank you so much for talking with us and clarifying a few economic point there. We appreciate it.
ARNSDORF: Thank you.
CHURCH: And be sure to tune in throughout the day Tuesday for complete coverage of the West Virginia and Nebraska primaries right here on CNN.
BARNETT: Now in Canada, Alberta's raging wildfire has left parts of Fort McMurray in scorched ruins. We'll get a closer look at what's left, next.
[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Hi. I'm Don Riddell with your CNN World Sport headlines.
It has been another sorry day for the disgrace football administrative Michel Platini who has finally resigned as UEFA president. This decision came after the court of arbitration for sport upheld his ban from all football-related activities.
Now the court did reduce his ban from six to four years. However, a four-year ban still prevents the Frenchman for running for the FIFA presidency in 2019.
In tennis the British World number three Andy Murray has split from his coach Amelie Mauresmo after two years. The 28-year-old said that he learned a lot from Mauresmo, but they had mutually agreed to end their partnership. While working together, Murray won seven titles, including his first two on Clay, but he failed to add to his two majors.
In football, Leicester City have just one more game to play this season and that's away at Chelsea this weekend. For manager Claudio Ranieri, it will be a fitting weigh to wrap up this remarkable season as he returns to the team which fired him back in 2004.
Ranieri was back in Rome on Monday to pick up the Enzo Bearzot Award, the accolade presented to the best Italian coach of the season. The Italian Soccer Federation president, Carlo Tavecchio says that of all the titles won by Italians Ranieri's achievement with Leiscester is unparalleled. He added that Ranieri would be welcome to coach the Italian national team one day.
All right. That is a quick look at all your sports headlines. I'm Don Riddell.
CHURCH: Canadian officials say nearly 10 percent of the town of Fort McMurray has been destroyed by a massive raging wildfire.
BARNETT: Now the blaze erupted in Alberta May 1. And since then, more than 2400 homes have just gone up in flames.
Our Dan Simon got a firsthand look at the devastation there.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have covered a lot of wildfires, and this ranks up there with some of the worst destruction I have ever seen. The first neighborhood I went to is called Beacon Hill. Sort of your typical middle class neighborhood with dozens, if not hundreds of homes.
I didn't see a single home left standing. The same thing at the second neighborhood I went to, homes burned down to their foundation. A lot of twisted metal and wreckage, burned out cars, things of that nature. Another thing that sort of stood out as I was driving around town is the burned out landscape.
Alberta is a very pretty place, very lush this time of year. And it became clear immediately that it's going to take a long time for those trees to come back.
Meanwhile, you have a lot of residents, and some 90,000 people who are not at home. And it's not clear when they'll be able to come back because right now the town lacks essential services. Gas, clean water, and power.
And we spoke to one woman who is having a really difficult time.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you don't know when you can go back. And you don't know when you're going to see your kids again. It's tough. You just try to do the best you can. Just try to stay positive and just tell them that everything is going to be OK. But really, you don't know if everything is going to be OK. It's emotional for sure.
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SIMON: Thirty two-year-old Melissa Glant (ph) is a single mother of two and she is battling cancer. Authorities say they feel for people like her. They feel for everyone who can't go home. But they say they're not going let anyone back in until they feel that area is safe.
Dan Simon, CNN, near Fort McMurray, Canada.
BARNETT: Now imagine deadly conditions where you don't get much warning at all. Tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S. State of Oklahoma Monday, killing at least two people.
This video of a massive twister was taken in Elmo City just south of Oklahoma City. Emergency officials say one person was killed there.
CHURCH: Multiple homes were either damage or destroyed and many power lines are reported down.
BARNETT: Our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now on what this destructive weather. Best case scenario, how much of a warning could you get before a tornado like that? Not much.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, 10, 15 minutes. In some of the areas the warnings are seen right when the tornado touch downs. They move at 50, 60 kilometers per hour sometimes. So, you have very little time to prepare for these.
And once you get to the strength that we saw in those video there, very little can withstand it. Even if you get to the basement area, the lowest level of your home, you're still not going to be able to escape it because they literally clear the entire foundation, the incredible amount of winds associated with the storms.
So, here is what it basically played out on Monday afternoon across the United States.
[03:25:00] You see the number of severe reports that came through. We had almost 100 severe hail reports that came through across the Central United States. Over 20 tornadoes. And we saw that particular one when you get to these wedge-shaped tornadoes, a very large scale tornadoes where the winds certainly could easily exceed 200 to 250 kilometers per hour.
Look at the hail damage. This photograph courtesy of the Nebraska state patrol. Look at the windshield. Those are baseball-sized hailstones that punctured the windshield. The Nebraska state patrol saying even their cruiser not immune to the storms that ravished this region.
If you take a look at some of the areas, again, the golf course in Lincoln, Nebraska. Seeing the deep bits that have been created on the golf course from the massive hailstones that came down across this region.
But really what stood out is this radar signature of this one storm that was across southern Oklahoma. See this right there? That's a hook echo that pendant feature on radar imagery, it tells you what the winds are so strong here in the counterclockwise rotation that are actually taking the rainfall, taking the hail stones, taking any debris and creating that counterclockwise rotation around the updraft of the storm.
So, from the radar, you can tell a tornado is on the ground in this particular region. And some of these again would get up to the highest level of the EF-4s and 5s which account for about 1 percent of all tornadoes since 1950s.
So, again, it shows you the rarity of these storms across this region on Monday afternoon. And there is the month of May. Look at it peak out. This is the busiest time of the year in the United States where you have almost 300 tornadoes every single night.
We've been actually rather quiet. Look at that. January 1st to today's to yesterday's date, we had only 394 tornadoes confirmed. On average, we should have upwards of 600 across the United States. And the threat of course not over. The storms continue migrating farther to the east. At this point we
think portions of the plain states, eventually the Midwestern U.S. gets in on some of the severe weather. Fortunately, on Tuesday, it looks like merely a hail and wind threat. On Wednesday, a threat for tornadoes returns in this region.
We'll leave you with this fascinating study done from the year 2012 across Europe. If you're watching us in this Europe this morning, on average there are about 300 tornadoes across the continent every single year in Europe. And the highest density across Poland, Germany, on into France and the U.K. as well.
So, every place in the world has seen tornadoes with the exception of Antarctica. So, again, not everyone -- this is an area of course that they're a lot of people could be impacted by.
BARNETT: Yes. But the U.S. of course gets most of them.
CHURCH: Yes.
JAVAHERI: Most of them. Absolutely. Yes.
BARNETT: All right, Pedram. Thanks a lot.
CHURCH: Thank you.
JAVAHERI: Thanks for having me.
In the Philippines, voters and candidates have spoken. And we will have more on the controversial mayor who is poised to win the country's presidency. We're back with that in just a moment.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. It's our last half hour with you today. So let's update you on our top stories.
One man is dead and three others injured after a knife attack in a German train station.
You're looking at live pictures coming to us from this area. A police spokeswoman says it happened about 36 kilometers east of Munich during the morning rush hour. A suspect has been arrested and police are questioning witnesses.
CHURCH: Celebrations were in full swing in Pyongyang to close out North Korea's first Workers Party Congress in decades.
Kim Jong-un now officially chairman of the Workers Party, laid out plans to improve the country's standing in the world. He vowed to boost the economy and expand his nation's nuclear program.
BARNETT: Syria's state news agency says a ceasefire for the northern city of Aleppo has been extended for another 48 hours. Fighting in that city has flared up in recent week, threatening peace talks and dashing hopes of a nationwide truce.
CHURCH: In the Philippines, outspoken Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is on the verge of victory in the presidential election. Duterte's closest rival Manuel Roxas conceded defeat just a short time ago. Grace Poe conceded Monday night.
BARNETT: With more than 95 percent of the votes in, an unofficial count show Duterte holding a strong lead. Now he sometimes is referred to as the Donald Trump of the east. He stirred controversy for comments he has made during his campaign and in the past, including a joke about rape. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODRIGO DUTERTE, PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (TRANSLATED): I was angry she was raped, yes, that was one thing. But she was so beautiful. I think the mayor should have been first. What a waste.
If I become president, there is no such thing bloodless cleansing. I propose to get rid of the drugs within three to six months.
Criminals, well, I go after them, as long as I do it in accordance with the rules of law, I will continue to kill criminals.
CHURCH: Maria Ressa is the executive editor of Rappler and a former CNN correspondent. She joins us now from Manila. Great to see you, Maria. Welcome to CNN Newsroom.
So, Rodrigo Duterte has been compared, as we mentioned, to America's Donald Trump. And despite Duterte's jokes about rape and his extreme solutions to crime, his appeal to the masses is extraordinary, isn't it? What is it that they find so compelling about him?
MARIA RESSA, RAPPLER CEO: Authenticity. He is who he is, unapologetically so. And he comes with a track record. He has been in office since 1986. He has won every election. He has run since 1988, and the most recent one of course is just yesterday, which would give him the top position in the Philippines.
I think, Rosemary, he is man of contradictions. You've heard he's not politically correct. In fact, he'll say that he is sexist. He admits that he is a womanizer.
And yet, at the same time, he has also taken the most progressive policies when it comes to gender equality and women's rights which is what his supporters safe.
CHURCH: And the outgoing president warned voters that Duterte would be a dictator. People don't seem worried about that at all. Of course, considering the country's history, there appears to be an attraction to that sort of leader there.
RESSA: I don't think -- first I think we need to separate hyperbole, which is the way he speaks which is, which can seem to be -- can seem more like the interference (ph) Cold War times. But I think the difference here, well; part of what led to his win in these elections is social media.
[03:35:01] It plays to his strengths. It's moving away from authority to authenticity. The people who supported him see a man who is -- who sets out three very clear goals for society, has worked for it all his life.
He is 71 years old. And he is unapologetic about who he is. In the process, these elections actually have brought the most -- the most engaged citizenry that we've had in the past few years. And that is both good and bad.
It has also become one of the most vicious campaigns, bringing the violence of local politics, which has long characterized Philippine local elections to the main stage, to the national stage.
CHURCH: So, he is poised to win the country's presidency. He has promised quick solutions with few details. What changes is he expected to make and how might he alter the landscape in the Philippines?
RESSA: What's very clear about him is that he knows what he wants to do. He has -- he always says this in his rallies, that he has the political will to run after crime. He has promised things that sound completely unrealistic like cleaning up a crime and corruption in three to six -- in three to six months.
But his vice presidential candidate, who also conceded defeat today, laid out what seemed like a relatively realistic, taking what he has done in Davao City and bringing it to the national stage. That isn't always as easy.
And one of the things that is interesting about Rodrigo Duterte that he has actually shunned national politics. He knows exactly how things work here. He has seen it. He was a former congressman. He knows the depths of the endemic corruption that characterize it, which may, according to him, may make him the best person to root it out at its cause.
CHURCH: All right. Just after 3.30 in the afternoon there. In Manila in the Philippines. Maria Ressa joining us via Skype. Many thanks to you. I appreciate it.
BARNETT: Now to the race for the White House. In a surprise announcement from U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan.
CHURCH: Now he says he will step aside as chair of the Republican National Convention in July if that's what Donald Trump wants. Ryan said last week he is not ready to support Trump's candidacy. The two are scheduled to meet Thursday in Washington to try to bridge their differences.
BARNETT: Meanwhile, Trump supporter Sarah Palin told CNN she will support Ryan's primary opponent in his home State of Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SARAH PALIN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Paul Ryan is soon to be cantored as in Eric Cantor. His political career is over but for a miracle because he has so disrespected the will of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Joining me now from New York is conservative commentator Amy Holmes. She is also the former speechwriter for the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
Amy, in the current battle for the direction of the GOP, who really holds more leverage here and speaks for the party? Is it Donald Trump or House Speaker Ryan?
AMY HOLMES, CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL ANALYST: Boy, it is a battle royale between those forces, Donald Trump and what people call the republican establishment, the republican elite. And I don't think either one of them has the upper hand just yet.
Although Paul Ryan signaling that he may be willing to step down when it comes to the convention, suggests that he doesn't want to be in the middle of all of this, and that he does not want the get his hands dirty with Donald Trump supporters attacking him.
As you know, Sarah Palin came out with a statement today that she would be willing to back a challenger to Paul Ryan to cantor him, Eric Cantor having been in American leadership and then losing in the primary in Virginia whom.
So, who has the upper hand? We will see. This convention could be messy. And as someone who likes to follow politics, I would love that.
BARNETT: Donald Trump essentially makes the argument that through all these primaries and caucuses, he has encouraged and inspired millions of people to vote on the republican ticket. And therefore, the establishment needs to listen to what he wants. Is that a valid point?
HOLMES: It is a valid point. And we know that Donald Trump has earned more votes as a republican primary candidate than any other republican in history. But you also have this countervailing wind, CNN's own polling that shows with Donald Trump as the front-runner for the GOP, Hillary Clinton is way out ahead.
And Donald Trump's claims that he is bringing independents and democrats to his side or that he would, rather, in a general election. Right now the matchup doesn't look like that.
In fact, according to CNN's own polling data, Hillary Clinton is gaining more independent support than Donald Trump, far more. And that Donald Trump is well behind even Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney got 50 percent of the independent votes in 2012.
[03:39:59] CNN shows that right now Donald Trump is only getting 40 percent. So, his claims that he would be a strong general election challenger because he is bringing in new people, different people, right at this moment, and again, we're only -- we're still six months out. A lot could change.
BARNETT: Right.
HOLMES: But so right now doesn't stack up. Which of course has republicans extremely anxious. And their knees are knocking and their legs are shaking.
BARNETT: After Mitt Romney's loss in 2012, the GOP had an autopsy, essentially acknowledged that it needs to do better with folks in the middle, with minorities, with women.
HOLMES: Right.
BARNETT: Donald Trump is essentially the antithesis of that. So then, why do you have people like former Governor Sarah Palin saying she will back whoever challenges Paul Ryan for his House seat?
Her endorsement hasn't historically meant much, and the republicans do need other demographic blocs to win the general. What's really going on here?
HOLMES: Indeed they do. nd what's going on here is that it's look like, you know, Donald Trump from at least the republican point of view has hijacked the Republican Party, and that he has his own base of media stars.
We, you know, saw Bobby Knight endorsing him in Indiana, the famous basketball coach. Sarah Palin who while she doesn't really have a constituency at this point, she does have a microphone and she is endorsing Donald Trump.
But what does that mean about actually expanding the Republican Party and being able to win this election in 2016? You know, the jury is still out on that.
But right now the polling data does not look good. And on top of that, you have republican, you know, elites, republican leaders who are at this point saying they're not even going to show up at the convention. That question just came out with a statement that said -- all right, go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
BARNETT: Considering all of that, though, Amy, and just the last few seconds here, considering all that you've just said, do you think Donald Trump will beat Hillary Clinton?
HOLMES: At this point I think we're too far out to know. And remember, Hillary Clinton still has an FBI investigation of her private server and her private e-mails that has yet to play out. We'll see when the FBI, if the FBI makes a decision between now and November to recommend an indictment.
BARNETT: Yes. A lot of ifs there is a lot of time. But as you say, it does not look good. Thanks for your time, Amy Holmes.
HOLMES: Thank you.
BARNETT: A conservative commentator joining us from New York. Great to see you.
HOLMES: Good to see you.
CHURCH: Donald Trump says he would welcome London's new Mayor, Sadiq Khan to the U.S. despite his proposed Muslim ban. Trump told The New York Times there will always be exceptions and that he was happy to see Khan elected.
BARNETT: North Carolina is in a legal showdown with the U.S. government over transgender rights. On Monday, the Justice Department filed a civil rights lawsuit over the state's so-called 'bathroom law.'
CHURCH: The law bans people from using public bathrooms that don't correspond with their gender at birth. The U.S. Attorney General called it, quote, "state sponsored discrimination that violates federal laws."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LORETTA LYNCH, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: You have been told that this law protects vulnerable populations from harm. But that is just not the case.
Instead, what this law does is inflict further indignity on a population that has already suffered far more than its fair share.
It was not so very long ago that States, including North Carolina, had other signs above rest rooms, water fountains, and on public accommodations. Keeping people out based on a distinction without a difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: North Carolina is defending the law with a countersuit. In announcing that, the governor blasted the Justice Department's action as a, quote, "baseless and blatant overreach."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT MCCRORY, NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: We believe a core rather than a federal agency should tell our state, our nation, and employers across the country what the law requires.
The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set basic rest room policies, locker room policies, and even shower policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: And all this could very well cost the state federal funding. And several entertainers, including Bruce Springsteen have canceled concerts in North Carolina following the passage of this law.
Now football is played just about everywhere, but it's never really caught on in the world's most populous country, until now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a Friday night in Shanghai. Welcome to the Chinese Super League.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: Hey, that looks like fun. And we'll take you to the heart of the Chinese football revolution, next.
[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: China says it intends to be a world football superpower by the year 2050. Clearly that's a long way off. But the country is already laying the groundwork for that.
BARNETT: Yes. The Chinese government is leading the charge toward football greatness. Our Matt Rivers explains.
RIVERS: It's a Friday night in Shanghai. Welcome to the Chinese Super League. It's a home game for Shanghai SIPG against Yanbian. And it's a crazy scene when Shanghai scores.
Celebrations that are happening time and again as the popularity of this 16-team league surges in China. To find out why that's happening, we went to the club's practice the day before the noise of the match.
Hard work in front of empty stands means a better product on field when they're full. And that's one reason for the league's growth. Its teams have just gotten better.
Sui Guoyang is the general manager of Shanghai SIPG. He says talented foreign players have raised the bar, joining Chinese clubs after playing in top leagues around the world.
Foreigners like Asamoah Gyan who played in the English Premier League and captains Ghana's national team. There is Brazilian striker Elkeson who start in Brazil Top League before heading here. And then there is Argentina's Dario Conka, who, at 32, has spent his prime in China.
He says he is happy with his decision to play here, that playing in China was a new challenge. It's also been one big payday. Conca reportedly earns over $11 million per year. Guoyang reportedly over 300,000 bucks a week.
So, if better players are reason one, a, for the league's newfound popularity, big money reason is reason one-b.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON, SHANGHAI SUPER LEAGUE MANAGER: We lost window, that was absolutely crazy. (END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: That's Sven-Goran Eriksson, current Shanghai SIPG manager and former coach of England's national team talking about the last Chinese league transfer window, where nearly $300 million in total was spent on new player, mostly foreigners.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIKSSON: They want to come the China. Because curious to see what's happening. They know that will earn very good money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:50:03] RIVERS: But with only four foreigners allowed on the field at once, the best squads need to have quality local talent. And the Chinese government is making a huge push to make that happen.
Some 20,000 football schools will open here in the next couple of years, and football is now a mandatory part of school curriculum. It's part of President Xi Jinping's push to make China a football powerhouse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIKSSON: You know China, if they decide to do something they do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIVERS: Big hurdles remain. China's national team has only qualified for the World Cup once. Its club teams amateurish when compared to the Real Madrids of the world. But the fans inside that Shanghai SIPG match, that doesn't matter.
There are eight different supporters groups for this team. And their numbers are growing with every match. Now is this team as good as the best clubs in England or Spain? No.
But are these fans just as passionate at any other super fans in the world? Absolutely. But the Chinese Super League as a world power? Unlikely, sure. But then again, so was Leicester City winning the Premier League.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Shanghai, China.
CHURCH: An old nemesis is back to take on Donald Trump. And she has a pretty long history with the presidential candidate. We will look at the church lady's return to Saturday Night Live. That is next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: All right. You're going to see this. A beloved character on Saturday Night Live is back with a few choice words for Donald Trump.
CHURCH: Yes. The church lady returned over the weekend, and she and Trump actually have quite a history. Here is Jeanne Moos. JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Give her an amen. On and off for
about three decades.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA CARVEY, SNL'S CHURCH LADY: Hello, again, I'm the church lady. Welcome to church chat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Church lady has been one of SNL's special characters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: Well, isn't that special.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: And now Dana Carvey is back, especially eager to pass judgment on you know who.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: The tangerine tornado, Donald J. Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Church lady first tangled with Trump 26 years ago back when he divorced his first wife to marry Marla Maples.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEYZ: Well, we certainly are flexible, aren't we?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: And when Trump showed up, he gave church lady more trouble than the real Donald gave the pope.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could buy and sell you and your little freak show dog and pony act whatever this is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The church lady has held up that famous headline. And sent Phil Hartman packing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:55:00] CARVEY: Good sinners. Good, good sinners.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Never imagining she was scooting the future republican candidate for president. Twenty six years later, Darrell Hammond is playing Trump's spouting scripture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARRELL HAMMOND, SNL'S DONALD TRUMP: Loves my neighbor, as like myself, and like a good neighbor, state farm is there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Carvey once told Oprah where the church lady came from.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: We were loose terms, like real loose terms, we call ourselves Catholic light.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Carvey says his family would show up at church after missing a couple of Sundays.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: It's this church ladies would sort of give this little judgmental as if they're saying well, well, well, apparently some of us come to church when it's convenient.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: He has done everyone from Jim and Tammy Faye Baker to the real Justin Bieber.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: I want a taste of that sweet Bieber.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: To O.J.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: Hello, great sinner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: The church lady has aged gracefully while the Donald's character has grown blonder and beefier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: Hey, church lady.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: Well, isn't that special.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOS: CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARVEY: Well, isn't that extra special.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS: New York.
CHURCH: Very special.
BARNETT: Good to see the church lady back.
CHURCH: Yes. Absolutely.
BARNETT: That's so stunning.
CHURCH: And thanks for watching CNN. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett. Please do connect with us on Twitter any time. It is great to hear from you all.
CHURCH: CNN Newsroom continues with Max Foster in London. Have a great day.
BARNETT: See you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MAX FOSTER, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: A celebration like no other under way in Pyongyang as Kim Jong-un's Workers Party Congress comes to an end. We're live from the North Korean capital in just a few minutes.
Controversial candidate Rodrigo Duterte claims victory in the Philippines presidential election.
[04:00:02] And meet the Pakistani athlete who turned the tables on tradition to not only conquer opponents but also its fear of the Taliban.
Thanks for joining us. I'm Max Foster in London. This is CNN Newsroom.
