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Trump Claims Memo Provides Vindication; Russian Warplane Shot Down Near Idlib; Uma Thurman Describes Weinstein Assault; Italy Shootings Underscore Racial Tensions; People Injured after Amtrak Derailment; North Korea Sanctions Violations in Mozambique; MSU On Record as Denying Nassar Abused Victims; Alec Baldwin's "Donald Trump" Returns to "SNL". Aired 5-6a ET
Aired February 04, 2018 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The memo the U.S. president says totally vindicates him. The latest on the controversial and the fallout from this memo.
Plus this --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said no and he told me, I'm almost done. And then I pushed him off of me and he hid in the corner and he was clearly aroused.
HOWELL (voice-over): Abused by Larry Nassar. How her cry for justice was ignored by the school where he worked.
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HOWELL (voice-over): And later Alec Baldwin returns to NBC's "Saturday Night Live" as the U.S. president.
We're live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. We welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
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HOWELL: 5:00 am here on the U.S. East Coast and we begin with the Russia investigation, that controversial Republican memo that everyone's talking about and what exactly it proves really depends upon who you ask.
According to the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jerry Nadler, that memo is an attempt to obstruct the Russia probe. The U.S. president Donald Trump, who approved making it public on Friday, has a very different view. He says it totally vindicates him.
But here's the thing, many of his Republican colleagues, they see it differently. Our Boris Sanchez has this story for us.
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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What we've heard coming from administration officials over the past week regarding the declassification of the Nunes memo is that this is strictly about transparency and does not reflect on the substance behind the Russia investigation.
In fact, here's House Speaker Paul Ryan, reiterating what we've heard from many congressional Republicans, as well as officials in the White House.
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REP. PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: This memo is not an indictment of the FBI, of the Department of Justice. It does not impugn the Mueller investigation or the deputy attorney general.
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Despite that, in a tweet from President Trump on Saturday, he contradicts what many of those around him have been saying, implying that the Nunes memo reveals a bias against him by investigators in the Department of Justice and the FBI. The president believes that this memo is evidence of a witch-hunt being persecuted against him.
Similarly, there's a disparity between the messaging coming from the president himself and some officials at the White House, about how the president feels regarding deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.
The president was asked if he had confidence in Rosenstein and he told reporters, "You figure that out."
Well, Raj Shah, deputy press secretary for the White House, was on CNN and he gave a more ringing endorsement of Rosenstein. Listen to what Shah had to say.
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RAJ SHAH, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: I'm saying it on behalf of the White House. And that's that, you know, no changes are going to be made at the Department of Justice. We fully expect Rod Rosenstein to continue on as the deputy attorney general.
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SANCHEZ: And sources familiar with the president's thinking tell CNN that, at this time, there is no consideration of firing Rod Rosenstein; in part, because the president fears that taking that step may lead to prolonging the Russia investigation, something that this president clearly does not want.
We should note, though, that we've heard similar votes of confidence from this administration before for officials that were soon after shown the door -- Boris Sanchez, CNN, traveling with the president in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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HOWELL: A lot to talk about. Let's break all of this down with CNN political commentator Dave Jacobson, who is a Democratic strategist, and Lanhee Chen, former policy director for Republican Mitt Romney, also a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and teaches public policy and law at Stanford University.
Gentlemen, great to have you both with us to talk about this memo. It came out with a lot of hype and now in one tweet, Mr. Trump says it totally vindicates him; essentially, that it reveals a bias against him by top officials in the FBI and DOJ.
Lanhee, first to you, does he have a point here?
Or are there aspects of this memo that actually work against him?
LANHEE CHEN, FORMER ROMNEY PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTOR: Well, it's hard to see it as a total vindication. What is absolutely clear is that this memo was way overhyped both by Republicans and also by Democrats, quite frankly.
On the Republican side, I think, as Speaker Paul Ryan said recently, in fact there is a good deal of separation between the content of this memo and the ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.
And on the Democratic side, all of their crying about it potentially impacting national security, obviously doesn't seem to be the case, given the fact that there's just not a whole lot of there there in the memo.
So I think both sides have a little egg on their face. This incident though reveals just how partisan this entire episode has become and, frankly, just how overhyped all of the discussion --
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CHEN: -- around the Russia investigation has become here in the U.S.
HOWELL: Dave, same question to you.
I mean, was there any substance here or was it just a lot of hype?
DAVE JACOBSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it was a "roll your eyes" moment, number one. But number two, I think it underscores just how deeply partisan the House Intelligence Committee has become. And, frankly, I think that does a disservice to the American people.
Republicans came out, like Trey Gowdy, and said this isn't going to have any meaningful impact on the Russia probe. And you've got Senator John McCain, who said that, by releasing this memo, we're essentially doing Putin's work for him.
And I think what John McCain meant by that was, the attempt and the intent by Devin Nunes and Donald Trump to release this memo and sow discord among the American public with our top, premier law enforcement institutions, the FBI and the Justice Department, does an enormous disservice to our country.
HOWELL: Let's talk a little more about that. So, you know, Democrats are saying this isn't the full picture and, without seeing the full picture, what we are seeing, they say, is a one-sided perspective produced by Republicans.
There is now, however, reporting from "The Washington Post," "The New York Times" and "The Wall Street Journal," that claim political motives behind the dossier were disclosed to the FISA court, so they knew about it.
Dave, does that matter?
JACOBSON: I don't think it does. What's really explosive in this memo is the fact that it doesn't prove anything. At the end of the memo, it begs the question of whether or not Donald Trump even actually read the 3.5-page document.
At the bottom of it, it shows that George Papadopoulos ultimately triggered the Russia investigation back in July of 2016, not when the FISA warrant was requested by the Justice Department in October of 2016.
I also think, George, what's fascinating is, today, "Time" magazine came out with an explosive story, highlighting the fact that the FBI had actually been keeping tabs on Carter Page since 2013. Part of that is because they revealed in an e-mail that Carter Page himself said that he had been an adviser to the Kremlin.
HOWELL: All right.
But, Lanhee, let me ask the same question to you, because the president has said, look, there was a clear example here, there was bias against him.
Does it matter that these political motives were revealed to the FISA court?
CHEN: I think certainly the FISA court probably should have known that there were political motivations. Now the question is whether that would have impacted the decision to allow for surveillance.
And fundamentally the question is, if, in fact, there was some potential wrongdoing between Carter Page or George Papadopoulos, for that matter, and the Russian government, then the fact that that was revealed via a politically motivated dossier probably matters less than the fact that there was some activity that needed to be surveilled.
So the question of political motivation perhaps a little bit of a red herring. I do think that there is something here, in terms of people's trust in institutions in the United States, trust in law enforcement institutions, certainly; I would hope, though, that the president and those who urged for the release of the memo, would proceed to shine those questions or shine light on those questions in a more judicious manner than to call into question law enforcement entirely, which I think is unproductive.
HOWELL: All right, let's talk about, again, what we're hearing from the White House, that there are no foreseeable changes at the DOJ, essentially that Rod Rosenstein will not lose his job.
But here's the thing, gentlemen. We have not heard this yet directly from the President of the United States. What we did hear from Mr. Trump the other day about Rosenstein was a bit cagey. Let's listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)?
TRUMP: You figure that one out.
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HOWELL: Lanhee, not really a ringing endorsement there of Rosenstein.
Does that matter?
CHEN: Well, you know, ultimately the president's words speak for themselves. And I think, you know, anybody else who tries to come out to countervail that ultimately is just trying in some ways to interpret something that may be uninterpretable.
Look, Rod Rosenstein, let's not forget, this is a guy who comes to this job with an extraordinary amount of experience. He was appointed by the president. He's somebody who, I think, has done his level best to oversee this investigation, given that the attorney general, Jeff Sessions, has recused himself.
So, fundamentally, I think the issue is Rod Rosenstein is somebody who is trying to do the job the best he can. The president obviously is not happy with the fact that this investigation is still ongoing. So that sets up a very tense situation. Only the president really knows what's going through his head, though -- George.
HOWELL: Only the president knows what's going through his head, Lanhee, you point that out.
Dave, here's the question, if the president were to decide to fire Rosenstein, what --
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HOWELL: -- impact would that have on his administration?
JACOBSON: I think it would be grounds for impeachment. And, frankly, Democrats are already advancing that cause, saying folks in the House, a number of which -- Congressman Brad Sherman, a number of other Democrats are pursuing the cause.
But I think in the Senate, simultaneous to that, you've got Susan Collins; you've got Lindsey Graham, a number of other prominent Republicans, who are trying to initiate legislation to protect the special counsel.
And so I think you're going to see a push, an enhanced push, I should say, from House Democrats and perhaps some moderate Republicans who want to see the Russia investigation all the way through, perhaps call for either protections for the Russia probe and Bob Mueller or potentially articles of impeachment being advanced further.
And so it begs the question of what the Senate's going to do. You've seen this bipartisan movement for protections for Mueller. But there hasn't really been any meat on the bones in terms of getting anything through a committee or having anything come up for a vote.
But I do think that, should President Trump fire Rod Rosenstein, those efforts are going to intensify on both fronts.
HOWELL: Lanhee Chen, Dave Jacobson, thank you both for your time. And we'll keep in touch with you.
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HOWELL: A breaking story we're following this hour in the U.S. state of South Carolina. An Amtrak passenger train has derailed. Now this happened near the city of Columbia, South Carolina, a little more than two hours ago. Officials say some people have been injured but it's not yet clear how many.
This was Amtrak train 91. It was traveling between New York and Miami, when it collided with a freight train. This image you see there, from the Lexington County sheriff, 139 passengers and eight crew members were on board the Amtrak train. It's not clear what caused the derailment.
We'll bring you more details as soon as our NEWSROOM learns more about what happened there.
On now to Syria and what turned out to be a deadly day Saturday for both Russian and Turkish troops. Russia says that one of its pilots was killed, this after a warplane was shot down near Idlib. The pilot ejected before the crash but died fighting militants on the ground there.
Also in Syria, Turkey says that seven of its troops were killed from violence in the Afrin region. Five died when a missile was launched at a tank. CNN can't yet independently verify the video you're seeing here but it purports to show the Kurdish YPG destroying a Turkish tank.
Turkey considers the YPG terrorists but they've been a key ally for the United States in the fight against ISIS. Let's go live to Moscow. Senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is on top of both stories, following the attack in Syria for this Russian warplane that was shot down.
Fred, what more are you hearing from officials there in the aftermath of losing both this pilot and the plane?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, of course. The Russians are treating this as very a serious incident. Some of the things we heard especially last night as well as into this morning is they have started a fierce retaliation for the shooting down of that plane and also the killing of the pilot as well, with cruise missiles being launched from the Mediterranean by the Russians. Also apparently some airstrikes as well.
So clearly a big counterattack going on by the Russians. And one of the things that we have to keep in mind about that area where this operation took place is the so-called de-escalation zone, which is supposed to be guaranteed by the Russians, the Turks and the Iranians.
But there is still very, very fierce fighting going on, especially around that area where that plane apparently went down. The Syrian government forces, which the Russians support, are currently in a fierce battle there to try and reopen one of the main highways from Damascus to Aleppo to get some of their resupply routes going again.
So it is an important battlefield.
At the same time the other question everybody is asking is, how was this plane shot down?
We have to keep in mind this plane was what's called an Su-25 Frogfoot, that's a NATO designation of this plane. It's a very low and slow flying but very agile plane and one with a lot of firepower. So it is one that would be susceptible, for instance, to ground fire coming from guns but also to man-portable air defense weapons, which are shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles.
That's one thing where the international community has been looking to see, whether or not rebel forces, especially militant Islamist rebel forces, have such weapons because that would certainly be a big concern not just to the Russians operating there but certainly for the West as well -- George.
HOWELL: Fred, let's shift over to talk about these military casualties from Turkey in Afrin. Both France and the United States and others have urged restraint here but the Turkish prime minister has reportedly promised to make the militias, quote, "pay for this twice as much."
PLEITGEN: Yes. The Turks are showing absolutely no signs of wanting to slow down this offensive. They said they --
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PLEITGEN: -- wanted to get the operation in Afrin through with. There are actually many observers who are saying this is taking quite a long time, considering the amount of firepower that the Turks have on the ground with those many tanks and also some of the rebel forces that are in alliance with the Turks there as well.
One of the things Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said is, right now, the Turkish forces, backed by these FSA militias as well, that they're taking the high ground around Afrin and then they want to move in. But, you know, one of the things that we have to keep in mind is that the Kurdish forces that are on the ground there in Afrin, this is their home turf.
They've known a lot of very tough fighting in that area and, of course, some of them at least have been trained and supplied by the U.S., some various other sides as well. So this is shaping up to be a tough battle.
But you're absolutely right. Certainly not one that the Turks say they're going to be backing down from, despite the E.U. or European countries and the U.S. calling for restraint -- George.
HOWELL: Our senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen, live in Moscow. Thank you for the reporting today, Fred.
Now the story of actress Uma Thurman opening up about experiences with the disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein. She claims that he sexually assaulted her several times during their working relationship.
Her voice now joins a chorus of more than 60 other women who say they also experienced Weinstein's alleged sexual misconduct. Brian Stelter has this story for us.
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BRIAN STELTER, CNNMONEY SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Hey, that's right. Uma Thurman now the latest woman speaking out against Harvey Weinstein, adding her name to a list of dozens of actors and assistants, who say Weinstein either assaulted or harassed them over a course of decades.
Now Thurman says the two incidents in her case happened in the 1990s after she starred in the film "Pulp Fiction," which Weinstein helped produce. She says Weinstein initially celebrated her, helped her career.
But then, on two separate occasions in London and Paris, she says he sexually attacked her, tried to come on to her, propositioned her for sex.
She says, in both cases, she rebuffed his advances and then they continued to have a relationship together on a professional level, as she appeared in the films "Kill Bill" in the 2000s.
This is notable for a couple of reasons. Thurman has not spoken out until now. She had indicated she was gathering her thoughts and wanted to speak at the right time.
She has an interview in Sunday's "New York Times" with the columnist, Maureen Dowd. She also says she regrets not doing more to try to protect other women, who were then later apparently assaulted or harassed by Weinstein. You know, he has denied some of the claims against him, admitted to
some wrongdoing and, in the case of Thurman, his camp has put out a statement, saying that he does acknowledge that there was some behavior but that he didn't physically assault her. We can put on screen part of the statement.
It says, "Mr. Weinstein acknowledges making an awkward pass 25 years ago at Ms. Thurman in England after misreading her signals after a flirtatious exchange in Paris, for which he immediately apologized and deeply regrets. However, her claims about being physically assaulted are untrue. And this is the first time we have heard those details."
That's a statement from Weinstein's camp. He has a number of lawyers and agents and spokespeople representing him. It's interesting; recently he has started to become more aggressive in his responses. Of course, this scandal broke in October in the pages of "The New York Times."
It's been going on ever since with more and more women coming forward at times and places of their choosing. Weinstein's camp has denied some of the allegations. He apparently remains in rehab in Arizona. Meanwhile, there are ongoing criminal probes in London, Los Angeles and New York -- Brian Stelter, CNN, New York.
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HOWELL: Brian, thanks.
In Italy, a far right supporter is accused of shooting at African migrants. The suspect made a fascist salute and had an Italian flag around his neck. We'll have more details on that suspect.
Plus, U.N. sanctions aimed at crippling North Korea's exports only may have missed the mark. What a CNN investigation uncovered half a world away. NEWSROOM pushes on after the break.
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ANNOUNCER (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
HOWELL: We're following the breaking news out of the U.S. state of South Carolina. An Amtrak passenger train has derailed. Now this derailment happened near the city of Columbia, South Carolina, just a little more than two hours ago. Officials say some people have been injured. It's not clear yet how many.
This image you see from the scene, now this was Amtrak train 91. It was traveling between New York and Miami when it collided with a freight train; 139 passengers and eight crew members were on board this Amtrak train. It's not clear exactly what caused the derailment. Of course, our NEWSROOM looking into this. We'll bring you
information as we learn more.
In Central Italy, a far right supporter is accused of shooting at African migrants. This happened on Saturday. Six people were wounded. These drive-by shootings happened just a month before the Italian national election.
After the shootings, the suspect made a fascist salute in front of a war monument. That's when police arrested him. He was wearing an Italian flag around his neck.
Barbie Nadeau is following the story live from Rome.
Barbie, what more do we know about the suspect?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the suspect was a member of the far right Northern League, which is a party that's polling very strongly here ahead of elections in March on an anti-migrant, anti- immigrant platform.
And while this particular suspect represents -- or he fits a profile, the more troubling thing is that he represents, really, a sentiment and that is anti-immigration here; 600,000 people have arrived by way of the Mediterranean Sea from sub-Saharan Africa and other regions in the last four years.
And that has become a central point in debates ahead of this election. And, as I said, the far right parties and central right parties are polling ahead of the more liberal left parties here. And that's been troubling; the interior ministry has warned that there could be other attacks like this, as the rhetoric continues -- George.
HOWELL: Barbie, is there a concern that we are going to see more situations like this, just given the climate, the tone of what's happening here?
NADEAU: Absolutely. There is a concern about that. There has been such strong sentiment expressed on the campaign trail with the Northern League Party leader, for example, saying that, if he comes into power, he'll deport 100,000 people that have come across the sea in the first year alone.
And those sentiments are being repeated in various degrees of extremity all throughout the campaign, with people talking about turning the boats back to Libya, people warning that migrants aren't welcome here.
Italy does feel overwhelmed. They feel alone in this migration crisis. And it's really coming out in this electoral campaign, just the tensions among the citizens and how the people running for election are taking advantage of that -- George.
HOWELL: Barbie Nadeau, live for us in Rome. Barbie, thank you so much. Of course, as you learn more about the suspect, we'll stay in touch with you. Thank you. Just a few more days until the opening ceremony of the Winter Games.
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HOWELL: But there's one team that these protesters are not exactly excited to see. We'll have details on that ahead.
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AMANDA THOMASHOW, NASSAR SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIM: I wanted it to be true. I wanted to believe that I had not been sexually assaulted and that all of my instincts were wrong.
HOWELL (voice-over): Amanda Thomashow was the first to file an official complaint to Michigan State University against Larry Nassar. But the school insisted he didn't abuse her. Her story still ahead as CNN NEWSROOM pushes ahead.
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HOWELL: Coast to coast across the United States and live around the world this hour, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM, thank you for being with us. I'm George Howell.
First with breaking news that we're following out of the U.S. state of South Carolina. An Amtrak passenger train has derailed there. This derailment happened near the city of Columbia, just a little more than two hours ago. Officials say some people have been injured. It's still not clear though how many.
This was Amtrak train 91. It was traveling between New York and Miami when it collided with a freight train. We understand 139 passengers and eight crew members were on board this train. It's not clear yet what caused this derailment.
Of course, we're looking into this, reaching out to sources and we will bring you any information as we learn it right here on CNN.
Now to the Olympic Games. The opening just days away and the Korean women's unified hockey team at this hour is playing a friendly game against Sweden. This is the team practicing just a few days ago. The North and South Korean players are competing under one flag in the games.
But not everyone's happy --
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HOWELL: -- about that. Protesters came together outside the stadium to oppose the new diplomacy between these two Koreas. Paula Newton following the story live in PyeongChang, South Korea, where the games will soon begin there. Paula, days away now, but here's the thing, clearly due to the
political breakthrough behind it, there's a great deal of attention on North Koreans taking part in these games. There are also protests around them. Some people are happy to see this cooperation. And for the first time, really, we're seeing them in action.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely George. You've got to feel for these young women on the ice, North Koreans, South Koreans coming together. They just learned about it a few weeks ago, doing their best.
I can tell you the second period is over. Sweden is leading 3-1. And, again, you're talking about what is going on outside.
You know, if you put the sports to one side, it's been impossible, especially for this hockey team, to separate the politics and the diplomacy with so much on the line from the actual sporting event.
Now outside, as you said, protesters from both sides. So there is one group that is saying, look, why don't we just call these the Pyongyang Olympics?
Because they feel that these Olympics have been hijacked by the North Korea issue and they are not happy about this kind of diplomacy that has been going on in the last few weeks.
But others just across the street in front of that ice rink saying, look, we're all for this. We're for a unified Korea. And anything that brings us closer to that and away from any kind of nuclear confrontation is a good thing.
Like I said, for these young women having to handle all of this pressure on the ice, many people rooting for them to just be able to come together as a team and, George, I know you will allow me this in my knowledge of hockey, it's 3-1, after the second period. Sweden is leading.
But those ladies are holding their own, especially given the expectations going in. We'll see what happens in the third period.
HOWELL: All right, indeed, Paula. I want to ask you about another situation here. Clearly we're seeing cooperation on the pitch. But North Korea is brushing off South Korean criticism of the North's scheduled military parade that's set to happen the day before the openings of the Olympics kick off.
NEWTON: Yes. And North Korea really sending out contradictory messages about this. On the one hand, telling CNN last week that, look, we may put on display dozens of missiles and that was in order to scare the United States.
And yet through official media sources, North Korea saying today that we don't want anyone to sour these Olympics, that they don't like the tone of the media, that this military parade was to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the North Korean military. And they are doing what they want to do for their own patriotic
purposes. You can expect these kinds of contradictory messages to continue during the Olympics.
And, George, that's what has annoyed some people in South Korea. They don't want to see the Olympics, something that's supposed to be a sporting event, hijacked by this kind of rhetoric on either side.
Having said that, we can't say it enough, what it looked like here just a few weeks ago before this happened and the security consequences and security tensions around these Olympics, everyone relieved that North Korea is here and still hoping that, sooner or later, the concentration, at least for a few weeks, will be on the Games and not on the tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
HOWELL: There are some signs of positivity for sure. But at the same time, there are protests, as well. Paula, thank you so much for the reporting. We'll stay in touch with you, too.
Now keeping on the topic of North Korea, despite tough U.N. sanctions in place against that country, North Korea is still making millions of dollars, though they're doing it illegally. This according to a new United Nations report. Pyongyang pulled in nearly $200 million last year by exporting coal and other goods banned under the sanctions.
U.N. investigators also believe that North Korea may have exported weapons to Syria and to Myanmar. All of this means that North Korea has willing partners who will engage in this illicit trade and help to evade sanctions.
We have this CNN exclusive report to tell you about. Our international correspondent, David McKenzie; his producer, Ingrid Formanek; and also photographer, Byron Blunt, they uncovered a lucrative relationship between North Korea and Mozambique. Take a look.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tracking the illicit funding of a rogue nuclear state, a month-long investigation leads us to a fishing boat in Maputo, Mozambique.
MCKENZIE: Hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
MCKENZIE: Can we talk to someone?
MCKENZIE (voice-over): We uncover sanctions busting caught in the act.
MCKENZIE: So there's two North Korean fishermen here in the boat. They don't want us to talk to them. And they have stuck this boat between two others. It's pretty well hidden. MCKENZIE (voice-over): The captain locks himself away, with good reason. Illegal fishing operations generate significant cash for Pyongyang's nuclear missile program, --
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MCKENZIE (voice-over): -- say U.S. officials.
"Yes, the crew are all Korean," this Mozambican crewman tells us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language), hi.
Can we come up?
MCKENZIE: So the captain of the ship is on the phone with someone. I think it's wise we get out of here, actually.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Kim Jong-un's ultimate aim is to develop a viable nuclear-tipped missile threatening to strike cities across the United States. But the sanctions are biting and the Trump administration is taking a tougher stance. They're scouring the globe to generate cash.
Seven-and-a-half thousand miles away from Pyongyang, they found a willing partner, one of 11 African countries the United Nations is investigating for sanctions violations.
From the channel, we can easily spot the rusting boats.
MCKENZIE: So that's the Susan One and that's the Susan Two. Our investigations show that these shrimping trawlers are part of a lucrative joint venture between the Mozambicans and the North Koreans.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Illegal as of last August -- and there are more sinister links than just a few fishing boats. Investigators are tracking it all.
HUGH GRIFFITHS, U.N. PANEL OF EXPERTS: Surface-to-air missiles, man- portable surface to air missiles, military radar, air defense systems, the refurbishment of tanks, it's a long list.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Pyongyang exporting its deadly expertise for hard cash, even to Mozambique's remote interior, fostering military installations like this, the U.N. says; training elite forces for at least two years, military sources tell us, all of it under sanctions for more than a decade.
So how do they keep the operation secret?
The trail leads us to one of Maputo's busiest avenues.
MCKENZIE: So according to documents, this is the headquarters of the North Korean trade emissary here in Maputo.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Reviewed by CNN, the documents name a shadowy front company called Heygungam (ph). In 2017, the U.N. revealed that it helped funnel at least $6 million in military contracts to Pyongyang.
MCKENZIE: Hi, how are you, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): "Some Asians were living here. They left three or four months ago," says the property agent.
Nobody could tell us where they went.
MCKENZIE: Are there still North Koreans in Mozambique?
MCKENZIE (voice-over): "Yes, we have some here cooperating in social and technical fields," he says, "which is not against sanctions that were declared by the United Nations."
He says they are implementing sanctions; we saw clear violations.
Defense ministry officials refused to be interviewed by CNN or answer our questions.
MCKENZIE: Has Mozambique been complying with the U.N. sanctions?
MCKENZIE (voice-over): "I cannot say at this moment," he says. "I don't have detailed information on the question you're asking."
The U.N. is waiting for answers from Mozambique, a country risking hundreds of millions in U.S. aid to help Kim Jong-un find ways to fund his nuclear ambitions -- David McKenzie, CNN, Maputo, Mozambique.
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HOWELL: David, thank you.
Still ahead here on NEWSROOM, pro football fans have waited all season for this, the two best teams in the NFL going head-to-head in the Super Bowl. We'll have that story ahead.
Plus investigators trying to find out whether the school that employed Larry Nassar knew about the sexual abuse. Next, we hear from one young woman who says they did know. Stay with us.
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[05:40:00]
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ANNOUNCER (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
HOWELL: And we're following the breaking news this hour out of the U.S. state of South Carolina. That's where an Amtrak passenger train has derailed. This derailment happened near the city of Columbia just a little more than two hours ago. Officials say that some people have been injured.
You see this image there from the scene. People have been taken to three area hospitals but it's unclear how many. This was Amtrak train 91. It was traveling between New York and Miami when it collided with a freight train. We understand that 139 passengers and eight crew members were on board the train.
It's not yet clear what caused this derailment. We will, of course, bring you more information as we learn more here in the NEWSROOM.
Over the past few weeks we've been bringing you the story of Larry Nassar. Nassar is the former USA gymnastics doctor, who faces what amounts to several life sentences in prison for sexually abusing young girls and women in his care. And the scandal is far from over.
Right now, the school where he worked for nearly two decades is under investigation by a special prosecutor, trying to find out what Michigan State University knew and where it failed to act.
CNN's Jean Casarez sat down with a young woman, who says she told the school what was happening to her but was ignored.
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AMANDA THOMASHOW, LARRY NASSAR VICTIM: They came to know that I was sexually assaulted in that examination room and I somehow got the courage to talk about it. And instead of taking me seriously, MSU did everything they could to cover that up.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 2014 Michigan State graduate Amanda Thomashow was the first to file an official complaint against Dr. Larry Nassar with the university under Title IX. She says the decision to come forward was agonizing.
THOMASHOW: If I didn't say something and protect possible victims, I wouldn't be OK with that.
CASAREZ: First step, Thomashow was interviewed by MSU Police.
THOMASHOW: They kept apologizing to me and they were disgusted by what happened. I thought that I was being taken seriously.
CASAREZ: Next she was told police would be talking with Nassar. In his 2014 police interview obtained by CNN Nassar said he's been doing medical manipulation treatment since 1997, saying, "I had no ill intent," calling himself the body whisperer, telling police, use the force, you feel it.
[07:55:16] Thomashow heard nothing from the university for weeks, finally getting a call to come to MSU.
(On camera): What did she say? THOMASHOW: She told me she was so sorry, there was nothing more --
that there wasn't anything else that she could do, but they found that -- [05:45:00]
THOMASHOW: -- this medical procedure was or his procedure was medical and it was not sexual.
CASAREZ: So when you walked out of that room --
THOMASHOW: I didn't walk out of that room. I stormed out of that room and I slammed the door. I could not believe that they weren't taking me seriously.
CASAREZ (voice-over): Thomashow received a copy of the Title IX report, the conclusion was three sentences long.
THOMASHOW: "We cannot find that the conduct was of a sexual nature. Thus, it did not violate the sexual harassment policy. However, we find the claim helpful in that it allows us to examine certain practices at the MSU Sports Medicine Clinic."
CASAREZ (on camera): Pretty short.
THOMASHOW: Yes.
CASAREZ: So when you read that?
THOMASHOW: I just felt so dumb. I man, after that I ended up spending years not knowing what really -- I kept going back to the same details, I just relived them over and over again. The way that I said no and he told, I'm almost done. And then I pushed him off of me and he hid in the corner and he was clearly aroused. I just kept coming back to these same details knowing this isn't right, this is not right.
CASAREZ (voice-over): For two years she lived knowing her alma mater didn't believe her. Then in 2016 she got a call from university police, another woman had come forward and Thomashow's investigation could be reopened.
CASAREZ (on camera): What did that do to you inside?
THOMASHOW: It was like winning and losing at the same time because finally what I knew that my truth was being listened to.
CASAREZ (voice-over): But just months ago, Thomashow discovered a second version of the Title IX report, one the university never shared with her. That version had a different conclusion.
THOMASHOW: "We find that whether medically sound or not, the failure to adequately explain procedures such as the invasive sensitive procedures is opening up the practice to a liability and is exposing patients to unnecessary trauma based on the possibility of perceived inappropriate sexual misconduct."
CASAREZ (on camera): So when you read this conclusion that gives you a little credibility. THOMASHOW: If I had gotten that full conclusion instead of the three-sentence paragraph conclusion that I originally received, I would have felt so much more heard.
CASAREZ (voice-over): Then two months ago, a representative for MSU sent a letter to the state attorney general saying no MSU official believed that Nassar committed sexual abuse prior to summer 2016. Now with the announcement of an independent investigation into MSU that could become criminal, Thomashow's Title IX complaint may come front and center. She says she still has many questions.
THOMASHOW: I think that the way that my investigation was handled was not in a way to bring out the truth, but instead it was performed in a way to conceal and protect a pedophile.
CASAREZ: CNN has reached out to MSU several times in regard to Amanda's complaint and final report. We have yet to hear back from them -- Jean Casarez, CNN, East Lansing, Michigan.
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HOWELL: Jean, thank you.
NEWSROOM is right back after the break.
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[05:50:00]
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ANNOUNCER (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
HOWELL: The breaking news we're following this hour out of the U.S. state of South Carolina. An Amtrak passenger train has derailed. This derailment happened in Casey, that's near the city of Columbia, just a little more than three hours ago.
Officials say some people have been injured, have been taken to three area hospitals, though it's still unclear how many. This was Amtrak train 91. It was traveling between New York and Miami when it collided with a freight train.
You see this image there from the scene, 139 passengers and eight crew members were on board the train. It's not yet clear what caused the derailment. We're looking into this and, as we learn more information, we'll bring it directly to you.
Another big story that is certainly on everyone's mind today, Super Bowl Sunday finally here.
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HOWELL (voice-over): And the Philadelphia Eagles fans are certainly excited for sure. The Eagles are hoping for their first Super Bowl win ever. In the meantime, the New England Patriots, they have a different idea of how things are going to play out. They'll be playing for their sixth Super Bowl victory.
And this fan certainly confident that he will get the win. He got a tattoo of the team's Super Bowl wins, including this year's, even though that game hasn't been played yet.
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HOWELL: Good luck with that tattoo. Hope he gets it.
All right. Pop star Lady Gaga has canceled the remaining dates of her world tour because of severe pain. She apologized to fans, saying that she needed to put her well-being first and plans to recover at home.
Gaga has talked about her struggles with fibromyalgia, a chronic disease that causes pain, fatigue, headaches and insomnia.
To the U.S. state of Florida, now, where police have charged a man with stalking and trying to kidnap singer Lana Delray.
Police say that 43-year-old Michael Hunt had tickets to the singer's performance in Orlando on Friday. They arrested him hours before Friday's show, about a block away from the venue. He was carrying a knife. He's being held without bond.
Actor Alec Baldwin has returned to "Saturday Night Live" with his impression of the U.S. president, Donald Trump. The comedy show made fun of Mr. Trump's favorite morning show, Mr. Trump watches "FOX and Friends," portraying the president in his pajamas, calling in to the show's host. Listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule.
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR, "DONALD TRUMP": Yes. I'm so busy. And if you're wondering why I'm so out of breath it's because I'm doing my V90X morning exercises right now. (LAUGHTER)
"TRUMP" But I'm saving the economy, destroying ISIS and right now I'm getting my daily intelligence briefing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, from who?
"TRUMP": From you guys. Thanks so much. Your show is so great. Huge ratings. Of course, not as big as the ratings for my State of the Union speech, which was watched by 10 billion people.
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HOWELL: Not exactly accurate there. Mr. Trump is, though, known to watch that show, that morning show on FOX, and often tweets about what he sees on that show. The sketch ends with the fake host calling the fake president "the most innocent guy in the whole wide world."
All right. And finally, in Egypt, we're getting a very rare glimpse into the life of a high-ranking woman who lived for more than 4,000 years -- or 4,000 years ago, I should say. Archaeologists discovered a well-preserved tomb near the Pyramids of Giza, belonging to the priestess Hetpet.
The walls are decorated with images of her hunting, fishing and receiving offerings. Officials are hoping new discoveries like this one will attract more visitors to the country.
Thanks for being with us here; for CNN NEWSROOM, I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. For our viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY" is next. For our other viewers, I'll be back with your world headlines.
