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The White House Steps in to Contain Fallout of Silicon Valley Bank; California to be Hit with Another Atmospheric River; Everything Everywhere All at Once Wins Big at the 95th Academy Awards; Battle for Bakhmut Rages; North Korea Weapons Test from Submarine; Xi Jinping Vowing to Make Chinese Army Great Wall of Steel and Reunite Taiwan; U.S. Coast Guard Suspends Search For Missing Migrants; Missing People Commission: Three Women Disappear in Northern Mexico; Flagship Football Show Scaled Back Amid Lineker Suspension. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 13, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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


[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Coming up here on "CNN Newsroom" ahead of trading day on Wall Street, the U.S. government steps in to protect a failed bank promising depositors they won't lose a penny.

One film won everything, everywhere all at once at this year's Oscar awards.

Plus, already flooded parts of California bracing for yet another powerful storm

Good have you with us. And we begin here in the United States where the Biden administration is stepping in to contain the fallout from the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Authorities say customers will have access to all their money starting Monday morning. The president also promised to hold those responsible for the bank's failure fully accountable.

He will speak about the issue in the coming hours. Regulators also shot down another regional institution, Signature Bank, fearing it was also on the brink of collapse. CNN's Arlette Saenz has more.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The Biden administration took extraordinary steps Sunday to ensure that all depositors working the Silicon Valley Bank would be made whole guaranteeing they would have access to their money starting on Monday. The announcement came in a joint statement between the Treasury Department, FTIC, and Federal Reserve, where they also revealed the closure of a second bank, Signature Bank, which is based in New York.

Officials said that the same protections being offered to depositors with Silicon Valley Bank would also be extended to that bank as well. It came at a time when there are many questions for depositors about whether they would have access to their money. The FDIC only previously insured up to $250,000 being held at the bank. And the majority of customers had more money than that in their accounts.

Ultimately, this move will ensure that all depositors will be able to access their money at a time when there were questions about how people would run their businesses and also how they would meet payroll heading into this week.

Now, federal officials worked around the clock over the weekend trying to find some resolution to the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. One avenue that was also being pursued was trying to find a private buyer to purchase the assets of Silicon Valley Bank. Treasury officials said that they were evaluating those bids, but ultimately decided to move quickly as they were watching this situation quickly unfold and they wanted to offer some assurances to those customers who have been working with Silicon Valley bank.

Now, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said earlier on Sunday that there would not be a widescale large bailout of the bank, similar to what we've seen during the 2008 financial crisis. Treasury officials pushed back on the idea that this was a bailout saying that the burden would not be borne by the taxpayers and also noting that shareholders and senior management would not be protected by these new rules.

Now, ultimately, the White House and the Biden administration is trying to stress that they believe that the banking system in this country is resilient in part, due to those reforms put in place after day 2008 financial crisis. President Biden told reporters as he was traveling back from Delaware on Sunday that he would talk about this issue on Monday morning as his White House is trying to ensure that there are not more stresses put on the U.S. banking system and the U.S. economy writ-large. Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: CNN economics and political commentator Catherine Rampell spoke to us earlier about why the administration scrambled over the weekend to contain the fallout from the bank's stunning collapse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHERIN RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: There were a number of banks that saw their stock prices tank on Friday as a result of concerns about Silicon Valley Bank. You know, people were worried. Well, if it happened there maybe it can happen here as well.

I've also heard lots of reports about people pulling their money out of a range of other kind of comparable mid-sized -- mid to large sized regional banks that didn't necessarily exhibit any signs of stress prior to all of this. It's this sort of contagion, this financial panic contagion.

[02:04:57]

And which is why, precisely why, the administration and the Federal Reserve were keen on making sure that they stop the panic here before it spread to other financial institutions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHIRCH: And investors seemed to be reassured by what they are hearing from Washington. We are looking at the futures. There you see the Dow Futures up more than 1 percent. The Nasdaq Futures adding nearly 2 percent. We'll keep a close eye on those numbers.

Well, another atmospheric river is expected to hit the U.S. state of California in the coming hours, just days after parts of the central coast were battered by storms and flooding. But there is a silver lining. After months of drought, California's water supply is rebounding. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the latest.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is truly a wonderful sight for residents of California. The Oroville spillway releasing water for the first time since 2019. Really signifying to the millions of residents in California that relief is on the way. This water trickles down into other reservoirs and lakes, helping beef up the water supply as we head into the drier summer months.

Now, this latest atmospheric river event, it dumped over a foot of rain in some of the highest elevations of California, helping put in a lot of much-needed water to these reservoirs. Currently, Oroville at 115 percent of its historical average. It is actually 200 feet above the historic record low that was set back in 2021.

And look what it's doing to the snow pack across the state. Over 200 percent of average right now in the southern Sierra. We're at 244 percent of average. Just incredible. This is the scene coming out of Mammoth Mountain. You can see complete homes buried under snow. And guess what, there is more snow to come.

We have yet another atmospheric river event. I believe we are at number 11 now, right? Into the state, that will start to oscillate this fire hose of water from north to south, from Monday into Tuesday, picking up an intensity throughout the course of that storm system, and eventually reaching Los Angeles and Ventura Counties as well.

Look at the flood watches, impacting over 17 million Americans. That includes Sacramento, San Francisco, just outside of L.A. And we'll be measuring the snowfall in feet. Once again, for the southern Sierras with a potential for over half a foot of rain. For some of those here in Nevada foothills, we have 2 to 4 inches of rainfall anticipated across the central coast.

So, we're going to monitor for the potential of localized flash flooding. Weather prediction center picking up on that, moderate risk. That's a level 3 out 4 for both Monday and Tuesday moving southward with time. You can see the eradication of drought across the state as well. Quite a difference from two months ago. Back to you.

CHURCH: Thanks for that. Well, Cyclone Freddy made landfall in Mozambique for the second time in weeks on Sunday. The storm battered the southern African nation with torrential rain, breaking records for its duration and strength.

Last month, the storm killed at least 27 people in Mozambique and Madagascar and impacted more than 170,000 people. This time, experts say more than half a million people are at risk. Freddy first developed back in early February off northwest Australia. It has since tracked thousands of miles across the southern Indian Ocean.

The sci-fi adventure film "Everything Everywhere All at Once" dominated the 95th Academy Awards Sunday night, winning in seven categories out of 11 total nominations. It won best film and its star, Michelle Yeoh, made history, becoming the first Asian woman to win best actress. Co-star Ke Huy Quan won best supporting actor. This was his first Academy Award nomination.

It was also the first for Jamie Lee Curtis who won best supporting actress. The only major category, "Everything, Everywhere" didn't dominate was best lead actor. That award went to Brendan Fraser for his portrayal of an overweight gay father in "The Whale."

And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Kristie. So, let's talk more about the Oscar winning movie, "Everything Everywhere All at Once," the year's most nominated film winning seven Oscars, creating a banner year for Asian actors and filmmakers. So, how significant is this and what has the reaction been across Asia?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, this is massive, Rosemary. And there is, you know, just tremendous reaction across Asia here in Hong Kong, to Malaysia of course. We were watching scenes from an Oscar viewing party in Kuala Lumpur.

And Michelle Yeoh's mother was there celebrating with revelers, celebrating her daughter's incredible achievement, as well as this historic moment for Malaysia -- Michelle Yeoh becoming the first Asian woman, the first Malaysian-born performer to win best actress at the Academy Awards.

Now, her surreal sci-fi movie, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" led the pack with 11 nominations, ultimately taking home seven statuettes.

[02:10:02]

We have the full list for you. Winning everything from Best Picture, Best Directing, to of course, Best Actress, all those accolades there. And Michelle Yeoh, during her acceptance speech really proved that she is a superhero in terms of both Asian representation as well as offering a message for women in their prime time, women of a certain age.

And let's bring up her comments. This is what Michelle Yeoh said. She said, quote, "For all of the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight. This, she said, holding the statuette, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof dreams come true. She goes on to say, ladies don't let anyone ever tell you are ever past your prime" unquote.

Michelle Yeoh has a career that spans four decades. She was born in Malaysia. She spent many years here in Hong Kong, proving that she is a very capable martial artist and actress and actor who would perform her own stunts before heading on to Hollywood.

And we also need to shine a spotlight on her co-star, Ke Huy Quan, the Vietnamese-American actor who won for best supporting actor for his role, Waymond Wang in "Everything Everywhere All at Once." He has a very compelling back story. He was a beloved child actor in the 1980s. You remember him from "Indiana Jones" playing Short Round, as well as in "The Goonies" as well.

But he spent decades behind the scenes. And he is also a refugee. He was born in Saigon. He and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1979. And after they fled Vietnam after the war, they spent time here in Hong Kong in a refugee camp. And he cited that experience in his Oscar speech, and let's bring that up for you.

This is what he said. He said, quote, "My journey started on a boat. He said, I spent a year in a refugee camp. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream." Rosemary, that was an incredible speech, one of many and incredible night, especially for Asian representation in Hollywood. Back to you.

CHURCH: Yeah. His and others incredible backstory to that, too. Kristie Lu Stout, many thanks, joining us live from Hong Kong.

Sandro Monetti is the editor-in- chief of "Hollywood International Filmmaker Magazine" and host of the podcast "Total Hollywood." He joins us live from Los Angeles. Great to have you with us. So, let's take a look at the winners and losers of the 95th Academy Awards. And the movie as we've just discusses, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" dominated, seven wins including best picture, best actress for Michelle Yeoh, best director, best supporting actor and actress, best original screenplay and best editing. So, what is it about this film that has everyone in total awe?

SANDRO MONETTI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER MAGAZINE: Well, it's not your traditional best picture Oscar winner, but the clues were all there. If we look at the winners in recent years, "Parasite," Nomadland," "CODA," now there are 10,000 Oscar voters, of a pool that is much larger.

They seem to be favoring independent, eccentric, quirky choices, rather than the traditional blockbuster. And when you think about voters, much like us critics who see 300 movies a year, you're always looking for something different. And this manic, mad, megaverse -- metaverse movie really, you know, really was something so unusual and different and Hollywood fell in love with it.

CHURCH: Yeah. You're right. I mean, I think for a lot of us, we are looking for something new and interesting. We're getting bored with the Hollywood blockbusters, right? So, best actor award went to Brendan Fraser for his role in "The Whale" after a long and difficult journey for him, back to acting. He was up against the likes of Austin Butler in "Elvis," Colin Farrell and others. Your reaction to his win?

MONETTI: Well, that was real suspense because it was 50/50. They had split the awards going into this. And so yes, Austin Butler, a compelling narrative, but Brendan Fraser, the great Hollywood survivor story. And he, like the other three winners, the acting winners tonight have an inspirational story.

The message is the same. Don't give up. Acting for years are a real rollercoaster. And now he's back at the peak again. And interestingly, he might be back at the Oscars next year because his next film is "Killers of the Flower Moon" with the Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese. So, how about that for a comeback? Maybe he'll do the double.

CHURCH: We'll see. So, what about the losers? Who got snubbed but you think should've walked away with an Oscar Sunday night?

MONETTI: Well, I mean, a lot of people got snubbed. I mean, (inaudible), "The Fabelmans," "The Banshees of Inisherin," "Elvis," all came in here with high expectations, but leave with a zero on the scorecard. And I'm particularly sorry for Austin Butler. I thought that everybody has their own idea of Elvis.

[02:14:58]

Whether it's the school '68 comeback special, or the guy who marries you in Vegas. And that was such a challenge for Austin Butler where everyone has their own idea of the character to embody it so well. But he might be back as well. He is in "Dune II" next. So, look for Brendan Fraser, Austin Butler rematch this time next year.

CHURCH: I must say, I found his Elvis compelling. He was extraordinary. I watched it twice. I was just so absorbed by it, but --

MONETTI: No, he's become the character in real life, Rosemary. Remember you interviewed him. He says, "Thank you, very much."

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: I mean, he's got a really good singing voice and very convincing Elvis. So, how about the ceremony overall. What did you think. Best and worst moments.

MONETTI: I think the -- the overall tone was elegant and inspirational. I was very unimpressed by Jimmy Kimmel as host. I'm a big fan of the Oscars having a host, but he seems particularly ageist to me tonight. Especially in an area of inclusion. When he was talking about, oh, Judd Hirsch, he's 88 next week. So, let's give away his category first. Well, he still awake. That's not really the tone we want to send.

So, I wasn't impressed by -- I wasn't impressed by him. I was really impressed by the speeches. Didn't need to pay anybody off, and really showed you that Hollywood magic, Hollywood careers, you know, all about never giving up on your dreams. And that was very much the theme of the evening and the Oscars, which have struggled for years and have been quite frankly rubbish, you know, it was actually a really good one tonight. I mean, I shed a couple of tears at once. CHURCH: There you go. Wonderful. That's a great round up. Sandro

Monetti, always a pleasure to have you on. Appreciate it.

MONETTI: And well done to CNN for winning with "Navalny."

CHURCH: Yeah. We're just about to talk about. Thank you so very much.

Yes! So, the documentary Navalny from CNN Films and HBO Max, won the Oscar for best documentary feature directed by Daniel Roher. It explores the plot to kill Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. It documents the methodical investigation by journalists' group Bellingcat and CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward to unmask Navalny's would be killers.

Navalny is of course currently serving a nine-year term in a maximum- security prison east of Moscow so, congratulations on all of those involved.

Still to come, the head of the Wagner Group is acknowledging a very tough situation in the city of Bakhmut where he says Ukrainian forces are putting up a fierce fight. We will have the latest just ahead.

Plus, Xi Jinping is vowing to modernize China's military and safeguard the country's security. As the National People's Congress wraps up. A live report from Beijing next.

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CHURCH: The head of the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, is admitting that Ukrainian forces are fiercely fighting to keep control of the eastern city of Bakhmut. That comment from Yevgeny Prigozhin comes as Ukraine says Russian forces are also keeping up their assault on the battered city.

The Wagner chief acknowledges the situation in Bakhmut is very difficult with Ukrainians fighting for every meter. Meantime, one Ukrainian army commander says logistical routes in and out of the city are still functioning. Meaning, it's possible to transport ammunition and reinforcements. And Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says his forces are inflicting heavy losses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translation): In less than a week, starting from March 6th, we've managed to kill more than 1,100 enemy soldiers in the Bakhmut sector alone, which is Russia's irreversible loss, the loss right there, near Bakhmut.

CHURCH: CNN's Melissa Bell has been following developments and has the latest now from Kharkiv.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The major Russian assault on Bakhmut continues say Ukrainian military authorities who vowed to continue fighting to try and hold the center of the besieged city. This is some new footage emerges from battles over the course of the weekend. And we show combat that has cost both sides so very many men.

The Ukrainian authorities also speaking of fresh attacks on the city to the northwest of Bakhmut, the city of Sloviansk, which has seen both missile and rocket attacks on critical infrastructure. This is something Ukrainian authorities have predicted might happen next. And that Sloviansk might be the next major urban target of Russian forces.

It comes even as we get fresh news from the Ukrainian authorities about the fate of a young soldier who had been seen in a chilling video that emerged last week that showed him saying Slava Ukraini!. Glory to Ukraine, even before he was gunned down by Russian soldiers.

Now, initially, Ukrainians authorities had identified the soldier as Timofei Shadura. In fact, they now say it was a young sniper from the (inaudible) 10th regiment Oleksandr Matsievskyi. That's important because we understand that Ukrainian authorities intend to make this young soldier's death something of a symbol given the brutality with which he was executed, in complete contradiction to the normal treatment of prisoners of war. Melissa Bell, CNN, Kharkiv.

CHURCH: North Korea used a submarine to launch two strategic cruise missiles Sunday according to state media. KCNA says the missiles were fired from waters to the east of the Korean peninsula and flew for more than an hour before precisely hitting a target. North Korea's military says the drill confirmed the reliability of the weapons system. Pyongyang also says it will take the toughest counter action as South Korea and the U.S. kick off joint military exercises today.

In Beijing, the National People's Congress has wrapped up its annual session with Chinese leader Xi Jinping consolidating his grip on power.

[02:24:59]

In the first speech of his unprecedented third presidential term, Mr. Xi vowed to build the country's army into a quote, "great wall of steel" and reunite Taiwan with the motherland. CNN's Steven Jiang joins us now live from Beijing. Good to see you, Steven. So, strong words from President Xi on his country's army and reuniting Taiwan with China. Talk to us about this and of course the significance of Beijing brokering a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia and what that signals about China's place in the world right now.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Rosemary, in terms of that Xi Jinping speech, he actually stuck to the usual talking points. Obviously, the Taiwan line getting the longest applause as you would imagine. But the event actually was more closely monitored by many China watchers, was the debut performance by his new premier, the number two official, Li Qiang, because up till now, Li was a rather obscure figure outside of China, mostly known to be a close ally and protegee of Xi Jinping. And to be the communist party boss of Shanghai who oversaw that city's brutal two-month COVID lockdown.

But during his press conference, Li Qiang actually made sure, reminding people several times that for years, he actually ran some of the country's most economically diverse and advanced regions including Shanghai, but some of its neighboring provinces. And naturally before the pandemic, he was often seen as one of the more pragmatic and business friendly provincial leader.

So, he was obviously trying to reassure a global audience now that he has been tasked running the world's second largest economy with no national governance experience at a time when this economy is facing strong headwinds, both domestically and internationally. But the challenge here of course is this is now very much a one-man show in China. And Zi Jinping's agenda is very much still re-asserting the party's dominance in every aspect of Chinese society including the economy.

If and how Li Qiang is going to use his closeness to the top leader to change or tweak the policy, that remains to be seen. But in terms of the China-brokered deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, obviously, it's considered a major diplomatic coup by Beijing and officials and state media here have made sure the whole world knows about it for the past few days.

Some analysts obviously have tried to frame this in the context of China trying to reassure of self-economic interest in the region given China is one of the world's biggest energy consumers and importing a lot of oil in the region. But it is worth noting, it is increasing the sign of China trying to go beyond its trade and energy flows in the region but trying to increase its geopolitical influence even though they insist this is not meant to fill any power gap, obviously, referenced to the United States. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Steven Jiang, many thanks, joining us live from Beijing. Still to come, an attempt to reach the United States ends in tragedy near the San Diego shore. And authorities suspect human traffickers are to blame.

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[02:31:26]

CHURCH: The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for migrants missing from a boat that capsized off the shore of San Diego, California. Officials believe they were part of a human trafficking operation. CNN's Camila Bernal has details.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Authorities are calling this a tragedy. And believe that a criminal organization is responsible for this. They received a 911 call at around 11:30 Saturday night. So, they say between 11:30 and midnight. Officers responded to black speech in San Diego. And by the time they arrived, they did not find the color. They did not find any survivors in the water but they were searching.

For the first hour or so, they were trying to find survivors. But they say afterwards, they decided to call it a recovery operation. They searched for about five hours. And we're not able to find any survivors, they recovered eight bodies. And that's even after they continued searching on Sunday. Officials saying that the search was extremely difficult because it was pitch black on Saturday night. They say that there are these sandbars in the area.

And so, you may think that you're able to walk out of the water but there are also these holes. And once you step into these holes, you get essentially carried away by these very strong currents that pull you back into the ocean. Officials saying, they tried to search by air but even night vision goggles were not strong enough. They weren't able to see anything. They also announced that they found some life jackets in the area.

But these life jackets were essentially washed up on shore and say that the bodies that they recovered did not have any life jackets on but what they're also saying is that the people responsible for all of this are not thinking about safety. Here's what authority said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. JAMES SPITLER, U.S. COAST GUARD: This is not necessarily people trying to find a better life. This is part of a transnational criminal organization effort to smuggle people into the United States. These people are often labor trafficked and SEC traffic when they arrive.

JAMES GARTLAND, CHIEF OF LIFEGUARD DIVISION, SAN DIEGO FIRE-RESCUE DEPARTMENT: This is the one of the worst maritime smuggling tragedies that I can think of in California, certainly here in the city of San Diego.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And Customs and Border Protection are also looking into this. They say they work with Mexican officials and they are always trying to identify the criminal organizations that are responsible for all of this.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

CHURCH: We are getting new details about the fate of three missing Americans in Mexico. According to a local commission on missing people in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, Martiza Rios, her sister Marina and their friend Dora Saenz disappeared in the Mexican town of China back in February. A poster from the Commission says the women were driving a green at 1996 Chevy Silverado. The women were reportedly headed to the city of Montemorelos to sell clothes at a flea market when they made a wrong turn.

That's according to a source in the Nuevo Leon attorney general's office. The last signal they supposedly received from the women was in the state of Tamaulipas.

Well, still ahead. The BBC is forced to scale back one of its flagship sports shows, as the company tries to figure out how to resolve the Gary Lineker controversy. We'll explain.

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[02:38:03] CHURCH: The BBC is facing criticism from all sides including a growing boycott of its flagship football show Match of the Day. As longtime presenter Gary Lineker remains suspended for criticizing a new U.K. policy on asylum seekers. The network is now airing a scaled back version of the popular program while it tries to defend its impartiality and figure out its next move. More now from World Sport's Patrick Snell.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: While the Match of the Day highlights program is a national institution. It's been around for decades, and it's watched by about 60 percent of the British population. That's around 40 million people if you take into account watching it via mobile technology. Gary Lineker is a revered and highly talented former player, the leading scorer at the Mexico 1986 World Cup.

And then turning his hand very successfully indeed to broadcasting after his playing career. But here's what else is in play here. The battle between impartiality and free speech. This past week, the British government announcing its controversial new asylum seeker policy with the Home Secretary saying, "they will not stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter Britain illegally, you will be detained and swiftly removed back to your country, if it is safe, or a safe third country such as Rwanda."

In response, Lineker on Twitter. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s. The BBC, which is Britain's public broadcaster and bound by what it calls do impartiality, saying the 60 material presents a breach that social media guidelines by criticizing government policy. Lineker seen in London on Sunday out walking his dog and in Leicester on Saturday where he attended one of his former teams Premier League fixtures.

So, what happens next? Well, we've seen programming disrupted with Match of the Day's replacement on Saturday night airy with no presenter, no pundits and no match commentaries.

[02:40:02]

While on Sunday, the BBC telling CNN they will continue to show football match highlights without announces or pundits. This after so many former players who act as pundits on the show came out in support of Lineker.

Ad Sunday's Match of the Day two show also following the same format as Saturday's programming. The BBC says Lineker who is a freelance broadcaster for the corporation has, "stepped back as they put it from presenting" until this what it calls an agreed and clear position on his use of social media. Back to you.

CHURCH: The bracket for the NCAA men's college basketball tournament is officially set. 68 schools will be competing for the national championship. Defending champions Kansas drew one of the four number one seeds along with Alabama, Houston and Purdue. Kansas is hoping to become the tournament's first repeat champion since Florida back in 2006 and 2007. The men's tournament tipped off on Tuesday.

The bracket is also set for the women's tournament South Carolina, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia Tech were named the top seeds. South Carolina will be trying to repeat as national champions. They're off to a good start having finished the season with a perfect record of 32 wins and zero losses. The women's tournament tips off on Wednesday.

I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, more on the BBC football route on World Sport coming up next. And for those of you here in North America, I will be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Do stay with us.

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